Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

117. Three Companions And Community Contribution

Finished lunch with an odd interloper.

The interloper’s name is Falna Malz, nicknamed Faf.

We had met once in Pilatus… no, it was in Tessa, but back then, it was as a street vendor and a customer.

Why we’re having lunch together in the middle of the wilderness now is quite a mystery.

“So, Faf, what are you planning to do next?”

“Heh heh heh, what do you mean by ‘do’?”

Still smirking as if he had eaten someone, he didn’t answer the question.

“No, we’re heading to a country called Lake Rel for some business, but what about you?”

“Heh heh heh… does that mean you’ll take me along?”

“Well, it’s awkward to leave you in the middle of this barren wilderness. If you don’t mind a group of guys, that is.”

“Heh heh heh. I don’t mind if you all attack me, you know?”

“I’m not ready to die yet.”

“Heh heh heh… that’s not what I meant, but fine. I’ll be in your care.”

And so, with a somewhat haughty attitude, it was decided that our companion would increase.

Well, we have some secrets, so we can’t just leave him behind anyway.

Thus began the journey of the three plus one.

When we set off, Yaralai insisted on riding on the roof.

Though it’s called a highway, it’s really just a rough path with ruts formed by avoiding large rocks.

It was already quite bumpy, so I tried to convince him it was dangerous, but he wouldn’t listen.

“Heh heh heh, if it’s that elf, there should be no problem,” the horned girl vouched.

In the end, Yaralai settled on the roof.

Well, the roof of this camper is built to carry people and goods without any issue, so it’s fine.

Hagg, of course, sat in the passenger seat.

His pressure to let him drive is strong.

The black-silver-haired ponytail-horned girl Faf settled into the sofa in the cabin, getting very comfortable.

She adapts too quickly.

We had set out early this morning and had already passed through more than three villages.

Some were hard to tell if they were villages or just a few houses randomly built.

According to Hagg, land rights in the western wilderness are ambiguous, so sometimes vagrants build houses without permission.

For Dwarves, it’s normal, but for Humans, it’s a problem, and sometimes the army is dispatched if it’s too close to city-states. Violent.

Additionally, in this world, settlements without walls or city walls, no matter how large, cannot call themselves a “city.”

Maintaining city walls in places with large populations seems difficult.

Even in the former city-state Pilatus, maintaining the city walls seemed tough.

It might become less important now that it’s Tessa. The city gate was left open.

But if buffalo appear, they might close it, so they can’t neglect maintenance entirely.

My thoughts drifted.

Anyway, we passed several small settlements by noon.

Apparently, we’re traveling at speeds several times faster than horse-drawn carriages.

Even though we were driving very safely, including breaking into the vehicle.

I downshifted to third gear and stepped on the accelerator.

The tachometer needle plunged into the red zone, and the engine roared.

The highway wound left and right, apparently in a region with many large rocks.

Compared to Hakone or Miyogi, it’s nothing.

The problem is that the center of gravity is high, so I couldn’t speed up too much.

I tilted the car left and right at the edge of centrifugal force. The tires must be flattened.

Well, the tires looked new, so it should be fine.

In this manner, I leisurely sped through the wilderness.

I planned to sleep in the cabin when it got dark, but we arrived at a small settlement by dusk.

The scale was about 40 buildings, small but with an inn.

It seemed this was where the highway approached the Liberi River, drawing water from it.

A small field along a narrow irrigation channel was also visible.

Since we had women with us, it would be better to stay at the inn.

“Shall we stay here tonight?”

“Hmm. Wouldn’t it be better to sleep in this camper?”

“We haven’t properly checked inside yet, so we’ll do that tomorrow morning.”

“Hmm… if that’s the case, fine.”

So, it was decided we’d stay in this village for the night.

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We parked the car in front of the inn. There was enough width, so it should be fine.

I was worried about pranks, but we were told that no one would come near, thinking it was a noble’s or a wealthy merchant’s carriage.

“If you’re worried, why not hire someone from the village? That way, no one from the village will dare touch it.”

While Hagg and I were discussing, the innkeeper suggested this.

“Hmm. If we had a bit more money, that would be fine… by the way, what’s the going rate?”

“Negotiations would determine it, but probably about 10,000 yen for one night?”

As an all-night security fee, that’s cheap, but considering we only have about 280,000 yen, I’d rather pass.

“It should be fine. If someone tries to move this thing, I’ll notice.”

“I’ll notice first.”

“…Oh? That’s quite a statement for someone who lost sight of a woman earlier.”

“Ugh… you didn’t notice either.”

“I was making a stove. Our circumstances were different, weren’t they?”

Hagg crossed his arms and glared up at him from directly below Yaralai.

“Ugh… I’ll kill you!”

“Ha! If you can, try it!”

The two readied their weapons in front of the inn’s narrow counter.

“Take it outside, you two.”

“Hmph. Got it!”

The two went outside and started fighting noisily.

I sighed deeply.

Villagers gathered, cheering as spectators, even placing bets.

“Isn’t this turning into a little festival?”

“Heh heh heh… seeing that, no one will dare touch the carriage. A blessing in disguise.”

“Yeah…”

Indeed, imagining being chased by those two would send any mischief out of mind.

“So, we’re good on guards.”

“I see. How many rooms do you need?”

“There are four single rooms, but how much?”

“2800 yen. No discount negotiations.”

“Heh heh heh. I don’t mind sharing a room with you, you know?”

“Four single rooms!”

“…Thanks.”

We each paid for our rooms.

Faf pulled out a gold coin, confusing the innkeeper, so I exchanged it for him.

Is he quite rich?

Remaining balance: 286,665 yen.

“Now, what about dinner?”

“Heh heh heh, I think your cooking is delicious.”

“I’m glad for the compliment, but let’s contribute to the local community a bit. Is there a place to eat?”

“There’s a tavern, though it’s more of a village meeting place. Travelers are welcome.”

“Where is it?”

“Next door.”

The innkeeper pointed.

Faf and I left the inn, and it seemed the whole village had gathered, cheering on the two fighting.

“Hey, you two, it’s time for dinner. Are you done?”

The two, who had been clashing their weapons, stopped, locked in a struggle.

“Hmph… I’ll let you off today.”

“That’s my line.”

They snorted at each other and turned away. They seemed perfectly in sync to me.

Faf continued to laugh muffledly.

When the two lowered their weapons, the villagers started making a racket again.

Arguing over who had the upper hand, Dwarf or Elf.

Apparently, they were quarreling over their bets.

Not my concern.

Ignoring them, we moved to the tavern.

It was more spacious than expected, with six tables.

Men dressed as traveling merchants occupied the counter and tables.

This tavern seemed to be the village’s main source of income.

We also took a table.

Apparently, there was no menu.

A young waitress soon came over.

“What’ll it be?”

No greeting? Do they not exist here? Narnia mentioned it, right?

“Hmm. I’ll have ale, the biggest mug.”

“Okay. What about the rest of you?”

“What food do you have?”

“Wow, an elf! Uh, we have grilled river fish today. It’s 980 yen.”

“I’ll have that.”

“Me too.”

“Heh heh heh, do you have meat?”

“Uh, it’ll be pricier, but we can do stir-fried zebra jerky.”

“Heh heh heh. Then I’ll have that.”

“Okay. Dwarf, what about you?”

“Hmm… I’ll have the meat stir-fry too. Two servings.”

“Thank you.”

The waitress gave me a sidelong glance. What’s with that longing look?

“Heh heh heh… here’s a tip.”

“Wow! Thank you!”

He handed her a silver coin. A thousand yen, right? Isn’t that too much?

And waitress, please stop looking at me like that. It makes me feel guilty.

Out of spite, I gave the waitress a thousand yen, including a tip, when she brought the food.

What, why that disgusted look?!

I quietly pulled out some water and served it to everyone.

Remaining balance: 285,664 yen.