"I knew that would be your reaction."
As if she had expected it all along, Tsubaki stepped forward and directly blocked Eina's worried line of sight.
Then she hooked a thumb behind herself.
"But first, Eina, let's take care of the important business."
"This is what we brought back today."
With that, Tsubaki snapped her fingers.
"Kyoubou! Bring up the goods!"
Thud! Thud!
The ground trembled.
The massive beast that had been hiding in the shadows at the back lumbered over to the counter with heavy steps.
The enormous black bear instantly cast a shadow over Eina.
She instinctively shrank back a little.
Then she watched as the black bear awkwardly turned around and aimed the huge, bulging hide bundle on its back toward the counter.
"Th-this is…"
Eina stared blankly at the package, which reeked of blood and beast musk.
"A small gift."
Tsubaki cut in at just the right moment and reached out to untie the thick tendon rope binding the bundle.
Crash!
There was no warning at all.
The moment the knot came loose, countless magic stones of all colors poured out like a breached flood!
Clatter! Clang! Rattle-rattle-rattle!
The clear, pleasant sound of impacts echoed through the entire hall.
Magic stones of all shapes and sizes squeezed and knocked against each other, piling up on the counter into a small mountain. There were so many that quite a few spilled right over the edge and rolled all across the floor.
At this level, even a main party of over ten adventurers grinding for an entire day would only bring back about this much.
"Th…"
Eina looked at the pile of magic stones that was practically about to bury her. Her glasses had slipped to the tip of her nose, but she was too stunned to even push them back up.
"All of these… were hunted… today?"
"And that's not all."
Tsubaki pointed behind her.
"There are more materials over there too. We didn't bring them over. Things like hides, claws, and fangs are going straight back to our Familia workshop for processing later, so we won't trouble the Guild with those."
…
And with that, the job was done.
After Tsubaki spent quite a while showing off at the Guild, night had fully fallen.
Only then did the group leave the Guild and make their way to the liveliest part of West Main Street.
A two-story building stood at the street corner.
Warm yellow light spilled out through the windows, and together with the mouthwatering scent of roasted meat and rich malt ale, it hooked the souls of passersby like a lure.
The signboard of The Hostess of Fertility stood out brilliantly in the night.
"We're here, we're here!"
The moment she saw the sign, Hestia's eyes lit up like two lanterns.
"Finally, I get to eat a real feast!"
She was obviously already dying to rush inside.
…
Creak
As the group pushed open the oak doors, a wave of clinking glasses, adventurers' laughter, and the noisy chatter of waitresses immediately washed over them.
"Welcome!"
"Well now! Isn't that Tsubaki?"
"What kind of wind blew you in here today? You're a rare guest!"
Behind the counter, a powerfully built woman who looked like a small mountain, despite the apron tied around her waist and the wineglass in her hand, lifted her head.
The owner of The Hostess of Fertility.
Mia Grand.
Former captain of the Freya Familia, a dwarf adventurer once known as Little Giant, and a Level 6 at that.
Even after retiring for many years, and despite the signs of time now visible on her face, that boss-lady aura about her had not changed in the slightest.
Her gaze first swept over Tsubaki at the front, and a familiar smile appeared.
Then her eyes shifted to the others, paused briefly, and finally stopped on the fully armed Shakti.
The hand wiping the wineglass paused in a very obvious way.
"Oh?"
"Our captain of the military police, isn't it?"
Mia raised a brow, slung the rag over her shoulder, and the moment she opened her mouth, her booming voice cut through the entire tavern.
"So what kind of wind is this tonight?"
"What, don't tell me I've got some notorious criminal hiding in my little tavern and you had to come personally to arrest them?"
The moment those words, half joke, half not, left her mouth, the lively tavern was hit by what felt like a mass silence spell.
In particular, several female waitresses in green maid uniforms who had been busily moving through the hall all stiffened in a very obvious way.
The pressure inside the tavern suddenly dropped to a frightening level.
After all, quite a few of them really had been dangerous figures once, the sort who had bounties on their heads.
Especially the catgirl waitress with the black ears.
She had once accepted a job to assassinate Shakti Varma herself.
In the end, she had been thoroughly taught a lesson instead and had nearly been beaten into a lifelong trauma.
That instinctive reaction of a mouse seeing a cat had already been carved into her bones, even after she had washed her hands of that life.
…
At the same time, Shakti naturally noticed the subtle shift in the tavern's atmosphere.
As the captain of the military police who dealt with criminals all year round, she was far too familiar with this sort of reaction.
But today, she had only come along as an escort.
The distinct, stern killing aura unique to the military police around her was clearly out of place in a tavern full of adventurers.
After a moment of silence, Shakti frowned slightly, then turned her head and lowered her voice toward Haimer.
"Lord Haimer."
"Now that I have safely escorted you here…"
"I can wait outside."
With that, Shakti clearly intended to step back out, unwilling to ruin the celebratory mood of the evening simply by being present.
That way, she could also continue carrying out her surveillance duty from outside.
However, seeing that, Haimer let out a helpless breath and reached out, lightly catching her arm.
Shakti froze and turned back.
"Captain Shakti, now that you're already here, how could I possibly ask you to leave?"
Haimer withdrew his hand and gestured toward the diners inside, who were now openly watching them with curiosity.
"Do you remember our agreement?"
"Tonight is meant to celebrate the return of the children of my Familia from their first expedition."
"And since we said tonight is for celebration, then for something this happy…"
"it won't feel complete with anyone missing."
"Lord Haimer…"
Shakti parted her lips, about to say something.
"This is a god's will, Captain Shakti."
Haimer cut her off cleanly.
"Even the tightest bowstring will snap if it's never allowed to loosen."
"So tonight, Captain Shakti, you're not allowed to refuse me."
Haimer's attitude turned unusually firm.
Hearing that, Shakti's stern face showed a trace of helplessness. In the end, she stepped back into place half a step behind him.
"As you command."
"Lord Haimer."
"If this is your divine will."
"That's more like it."
Satisfied, Haimer nodded and lowered his hand.
…
The subtle exchange between them did not escape the notice of everyone in the tavern.
Even Mia, standing behind the counter, had a hint of surprise flash through her eyes.
…
"Heh, the more people the livelier it is!"
Tsubaki, for one, loved seeing this sort of broken routine.
Then she turned around and waved broadly at Mia behind the counter.
"All right, Mia!"
"Quit staring and bring us a few of the biggest tables you've got!"
"Tonight, just keep the best meat and the best booze coming!"
"We're your big customers tonight!"
"Oh? No problem."
Mia let out a hearty laugh, and the tension that had been hanging in the air vanished instantly.
"If you're honored guests, then what's there to hold back for!"
With a broad sweep of her arm, she immediately shouted at the waitresses who had practically been hiding like turtles moments earlier.
"Runoa! Chloe! What are you standing around for?!"
"Didn't you hear the customers? Get over here and put together the biggest tables we've got!"
"N-no way, nya?!!"
The catgirl Chloe instantly looked guilty to the extreme.
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