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163 ? New Business #3
Baron Fleur’s private soldiers quickly took over the inn.
We are all left feeling embarrassed, unable to even move our glasses or talk to the person in front of us.
“Don’t even think about doing anything suspicious.”
“The Baron’s procession is here!”
Swish.
At that moment, Baron Fleur moved his hand wearing black leather gloves.
“Don’t be so intimidating. We’re guests for dinner, after all.”
The attitude of the soldiers who had been radiating a sense of alertness as if they were going to stab him in all directions also relaxed a little. Still, the situation was so uncomfortable that no one could take a sip of their drink.
I felt a little bad that my date with Luna was interrupted by making me breathe this uncomfortable air during the evening when everyone should be resting.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can protest or anything.
I am a lower-class Hassan, so I must be careful with my words in front of the nobles. How can I, a citizen of liberal democracy, submit to this class system?
But even when I lived in Korea, I think I became quiet in front of people in higher positions.
When I think about it that way, it becomes subtle because there is no difference between there and here.
“Hassan, we’ve been running into nobles a lot these days…!”
However, Luna whispered as if she found this situation quite amusing. It was indeed a rare experience, since she was meeting a noble that she would not normally encounter.
If a member of the National Assembly walks in while you’re having dinner at a meat restaurant, you’ll be embarrassed at first, but eventually you’ll be able to brag to someone you know about it.
I think Luna’s emotions are exactly like that right now.
Baroness Fleur, wrapped tightly in black cloth, said.
“My daughter is ill. She may soon be in talks with Viscount Clementor of Calcata. We must resolve this matter as soon as possible.”
“… Are you sick?”
It was the innkeeper who asked again as if he had heard something he couldn’t hear.
At his question, the surrounding voices began to murmur loudly, “Is she sick?” “Is the Baron’s daughter sick right now?”
I was surprised too. I never thought a nobleman would reveal his own shame so clearly.
If she were the daughter of a nobleman, she would grow up to be noble and high-born and have a political marriage. If rumors spread that she was sick, her image would certainly be tarnished.
At least that’s what I felt about the nobles I’ve known in this world for the past two years.
But there seem to be exceptions.
Is it really true that my daughter’s illness is so serious that she has to come to a slum bar in such a desperate manner?
Just then, someone inside the inn raised his hand.
Clank, clank-.
The soldiers acted as if they were going to aim their swords and spears at him. But the man who raised his hand paid no attention and spoke.
“Baron Fleur, I am Apprentice Apothecary Purazon of the Nammun Alchemist Guild. While we’re on the subject, may I ask what illness your young lady is suffering from?”
At those words, I felt the eyes and ears of the people around me turn towards the Baron.
A noble’s daughter is sick. She must have grown up eating only good things and seeing only good things, so what kind of illness could she have?
I’m a little interested too.
Is it some kind of endemic disease? Or a curse?
Then the Baron spoke like a dagger that broke the chaotic commotion.
“It’s a disease where the chest gets smaller and smaller.”
“Oh, my.”
“That’s really horrible.”
There were deep sighs here and there. Most of them were female adventurers drinking inside the tavern. Luna was among those who reacted strongly.
“There’s such a terrible disease…! It’s so pitiful!”
But I felt a little disappointed because I was thinking of something like bone marrow cancer or leukemia.
What is this disease that makes your breasts smaller? I think I’ve heard of something like that happening on Earth.
From a man’s perspective, should I think of it as a disease where Juji keeps getting smaller? When I think about it like that, it’s so horrible that I want to scream. At that level, I should urgently seek out a therapist.
Then Baron Fleur raised his hand and asked the apothecary who had been asking the question.
“Is there a potion that can make your chest bigger?”
“… Probably not. If there was such a thing, I would have already made a fortune.”
“That’s right. Anyway, Bargo. My daughter and the Count’s son are meeting next week. I can’t wait any longer.”
The story’s arrow returns to the innkeeper again. The innkeeper’s name was Bargo. It was a fitting name, but it wasn’t a name that was easy on the lips.
The innkeeper spoke with a very embarrassed expression.
“That is… It is a very sad story, but… .”
“Wasn’t your wife Echo a nymph? If she was a healer capable of developing a nymph’s body to that extent-.”
The innkeeper hurriedly interrupted the baron, who was mumbling something, as if his hair was about to stand on end.
“I, I, Baron. I will try, but the healer is very busy, and he doesn’t come whenever he wants. I don’t know when that will be. He is also a very secretive person…”
“Okay, I understand. Then I’ll give you this, and if you come this week, make sure to tell them to come here.”
Swish.
As the black-hatted baron nodded his head exaggeratedly, the soldiers stationed around him put away their weapons and hurriedly left their positions.
The inside of the inn, where people had quickly left, had an eerie feeling like a frozen lake in winter, even though the tables were full.
Sval, what the hell was that?
So when we were just chatting again about whether Luna and cats are cute or dogs are cuter-.
Click.
The innkeeper placed a plate containing two steaming hot potatoes in front of me and Luna.
Just as I was about to say that I had never ordered anything like that, I saw a small note-like thing tucked underneath.
* * *
“Master, why did you call me to a place like this again? What are you trying to say?”
I left my seat with Luna, saying I was going to the bathroom for a moment. The innkeeper called me to the basement room where his wife had given me a massage.
Being here made me feel uncomfortable, as if I was being harmed by a guilty conscience.
So I wanted to quickly go back to the table where Luna was waiting for me. If the conversation went on for too long, Luna would think I was seeing something big. I didn’t want to be misunderstood like that.
“I’m busy, so let’s talk quickly.”
The innkeeper’s feet, which had been pacing back and forth anxiously, suddenly stopped at my words.
“Mr. Samaritan, I have reached the limit of my discretion. Baroness Fleur herself has come to the store.”
“ah-.”
“Damn, I’ve been getting so many customers lately that I forgot about it. I didn’t know you’d come to me in person. So what’s the big deal?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just like you did to my wife Echo. Can’t you fix Baroness Fleur’s daughter too?”
I thought about what I had done to the innkeeper’s wife. I had been groping her breasts in this cramped basement room. How dare I touch another man’s wife.
Honestly, the memories of that time were like a thorn stuck in the palm of my hand, and whenever I thought of them, my conscience really prickled.
“How could it not work?”
“Are you asking me to increase the size of your breasts?”
And is it even possible to grow breasts in the first place? In the case of Echo, the innkeeper’s wife, she was given that curse, or something, to make her grow less.
And the way to do that is to stroke the chest.
Who would have thought that as a result, the breasts would grow so much and the body itself would grow and become slimmer?
And I never thought that my karma would lead me to a nobleman.
“Anyway, I’m busy with the inn work, so I’ll end the conversation quickly. But I think we should at least give it a try. Here’s the note the Baron left for you.”
Swish.
The innkeeper hands me a small piece of paper.
I accepted it in a daze.
Now that I think about it, it seems more appropriate to say that it wasn’t a piece of paper, but a handkerchief made of white silk with flower petals embroidered in red thread.
“What do you want me to do with this?”
“It’s a red tulip. It’s the emblem of Baron Fleur’s family. If you show it to the guards at his mansion, they’ll probably let you in.”
Could it be considered as something like an invitation to enter a noble’s mansion? Something like a free pass to a noble’s house?
I never thought I would experience something like this again in my life.
I was touched, but at the same time, I was worried.
Wouldn’t it be dangerous to get involved with nobles? For a commoner like me, high positions are quite scary.
As I was crumpling up the handkerchief and stuffing it into my pocket, the innkeeper said one more thing.
“Mr. Samaritan, if you’re going to see Baron Nari, you’d better keep your identity a secret. Baron Fleur is a good man, but he hates barbarians and savages.”
“What do you mean, racist?”
“They say there are circumstances. I don’t know about that, but anyway, they say he is second to none in his hatred of foreigners. He is one of the few conservative hardliners in the Sodomora parliament.”
People who hate barbarians and foreigners are not that rare in this world. Right now, I hate those barbarians and foreigners too.
Because the things I hate the most are racism and uneducated savages.
“Still, it wouldn’t be a bad story for you either. Baron Fleur is known for his big spending habits. If things go well, he could make a fortune.”
“If you spend a lot, how much does it cost?”
“I heard you paid a gold coin to the healer who cured your precious horse, right? If you cure your daughter’s illness, wouldn’t you get a pouch of gold coins?”
A pocket full of gold coins?
A pocket usually holds about 50 coins.
So does that mean I can get 50 gold?
Shiva 50 gold, that amazing tune and jingle seemed to be ringing in my ears, and my eyes became dizzy.
With that amount of money, you could pay for 36 months of Hippolyte’s Auror training in one go and still have money left over. Of course, that’s only if you can grow your breasts to a healthy size.
Somehow, I gained confidence that I could do it.
“Okay, I understand. Then I’ll try to figure something out. But as always, you’ll have to keep this a secret.”
“I understand. Aren’t you and I already a community of shared destiny? I’ll take this matter to the grave.”
He was a very communicative innkeeper in many ways. I thought I should stop calling him innkeeper and just remember him by his name. But I forgot his name, so I decided to just call him innkeeper.
* * *
When she returned to her seat, Luna saw men she had never seen before harassing her.
Luna is often pretty enough for guys to talk to her, so it doesn’t really surprise me anymore. But there’s still one thing that makes me mad.
Is it because she’s small and dainty, but her pink hair gives her an exotic vibe?
They say that there are a lot of Indian men who harass foreign women in India, and I think this is exactly what it looks like.
“I’m a rising bronze tier adventurer. Have you ever heard of Beremis? Beremis of the Twin Axe. He killed ten goblins at once not long ago.”
From what I heard, he seemed to be a bronze tier adventurer. He also had an axe on his back that seemed good for chopping firewood, and it looked pretty good with the shape of an X crossed between them.
Can I see him as a rookie who has recently been carrying out requests indiscriminately and has become more stylish and popular?
His face wasn’t particularly handsome, but he had the cheerful and confident air of a man. He seemed quite strong.
“I’ve made a vow of chastity. I have a party coming up! I’ll be back soon, so get out of the way!”
Of course, Luna kept her guard up as always. Is this what they call building an iron wall?
When I see it in person, my heart feels quite touched, and I feel proud that I have a rather affectionate relationship with that child.
But this rookie’s adventurous spirit was also persistent.
“I’ll be a gold tier one day. Chastity vows have nothing to do with me.”
“But what does that have to do with me? Get out. Before I snap your spine in half.”
The men were startled when I approached them and made a rude noise.
“This damn thing, it’s a Samaritan!”
The bronze necklaces hanging from the guys’ necks rang and swayed loudly. Of course, my necklace was also made of the same bronze.
“Let’s go.”
“I didn’t know you were part of the group. Excuse me.”
There’s quite a difference between those guys and me. I guess they noticed that too.
Of course, there were some guys who didn’t understand what was being said and started a fight with women, using their typical male bluff.
The group of men I met today seemed to have a good sense of humor, as they hastily left the place. Seeing that they knew when to leave, I guess they must be some skilled adventurers.
Surprisingly, there are many adventurers who get lost because they don’t know when to take out and when to put in.
“No, wait. Wait. It’s not going to go like this.”
Ssuk.
I thought he was going to go his own way, but then he turned around and came back to me.
This kid, you can’t give up and you’re trying to pick a fight with me? That’s when I put my hand on his waist to give him a taste of the club.
“Excuse me, are you Hassan from Samaria? Can you sign it for me?”
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