Chapter 28
Karin and Jeong Yushin crossed the yard and entered the inn.
The explorers sitting in the inn briefly turned their gazes toward them, then looked away.
Perhaps because the labyrinth closure order had dragged on, the number of people gathering grew with each passing day. More and more unfamiliar faces appeared.
Karin sat at a table near the inn counter and pointed at the seat across from her.
“Sit here.”
“Yes.”
Jeong Yushin sat down. A short while later, Darmong brought breakfast.
The menu was simple: sandwiches and onion soup.
But it was anything but simple.
Darmong's special sandwich was packed to the limit between slices of sourdough bread with roast beef—beef tied with string and roasted, then finely chopped and combined with cheese and sauce.
The onion soup was made by slowly frying onions in a pan until perfectly caramelized, adding meat stock and simmering it for a long time, then topping it with cheese.
It was the very embodiment of perfect home cooking, made with time and effort. No wonder people were flocking here.
“It tastes like home cooking.”
“This onion soup tastes just like the kind my mother used to make!”
“The innkeeper's skills keep improving.”
People ate their food with admiration.
It was a peaceful breakfast.
Then something strange happened.
Clatter.
The table shook.
For a moment, silence fell over the inn.
The eyes of the man and woman eating met.
Rumble rumble rumble.
It wasn't just the table shaking.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
The wooden pillars trembled, and the floor began to vibrate.
The entire inn began to shake.
“Wh-what is it?!”
“I-Innkeeper!”
People began to murmur. Several of them darted out of the inn.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble.
The vibrations were growing stronger. People who had stood up staggered.
“L-Let's get out!”
“Hide under the tables!”
The people had no idea what to do in the sudden earthquake.
Someone grabbed Jeong Yushin's arm hard.
It was Karin.
“Under the table.”
Jeong Yushin's eyes widened.
At Karin's rough tug, Jeong Yushin's body was pulled under the table as though sucked inside.
‘She's stronger than me?’
He was stunned by Karin's powerful grip, even more than by the sudden earthquake. Karin's body pressed close to his, and her soft tits bumped against his chest, but he had no time to care.
The earthquake grew more violent. Liquor bottles and plates fell to the floor and shattered, while the wooden pillars and beams let out grotesque screams.
‘Is the inn going to collapse at this rate?’
Just as his anxiety reached its peak.
The earthquake stopped.
It had come and gone as suddenly as it began. The people were still crouched under the tables, dazed.
“Darmong!”
Jeong Yushin was the first to crawl out from under the table and approach the counter. Darmong was in the kitchen.
He had once been called a high-ranking explorer, so Jeong Yushin wasn't too worried, but it seemed strange that there had been no word from him.
“Ska, are you all right?”
Darmong emerged from the kitchen covered in soot.
His entire body had been singed by fire, and his fur was stuck together.
It looked as though he had run back and forth putting out the flames during the earthquake to keep the kitchen fire from spreading.
Darmong sank onto a chair at the counter with an exhausted expression and spoke.
“Lady Karin, are you hurt anywhere?”
“I'm fine.”
Karin, who had crawled out from under the table at some point, answered.
Only then did people begin crawling out from under the tables one or two at a time.
“An earthquake? What is going on?”
“I've never experienced anything like this in my entire life...”
The people who had come to their senses began murmuring among themselves.
Karin approached Darmong and handed him a silver coin.
“Darmong, I'll be going first. Thanks for the meal.”
“Yes, Lady Karin. Please take care.”
“Wait a moment.”
Jeong Yushin stopped Karin, who was about to hurry off somewhere.
“Why?”
“Here. You got soup on your clothes.”
Jeong Yushin handed her a towel. Karin lowered her head and looked at her shirt. Onion soup had splashed on it, and a purple lace bra peeked through the wet shirt.
“It's nothing.”
“Oh, then forget I said anything.”
Thinking about it, he felt embarrassed too.
Handing a towel soaked with sweat to the Beastkin Alliance's favorite idol was something only a creepy pervert would do.
“No. That's not it.”
Karin quickly snatched up the towel as it moved away.
“I have somewhere urgent to go right now, so I'll wipe it off while I go. I'm leaving. See you later.”
Karin grabbed the towel and hurried out of the inn.
Seeing that, the people left the inn quickly, one or two at a time. The inn, which had been packed with people, was soon empty.
Jeong Yushin went outside and stood near the entrance.
The street was packed with people who had spilled outside because of the inexplicable earthquake.
The sudden earthquake had not struck only Darmong's inn.
It had shaken the entire Labyrinth City.
A clamorous uproar filled with confusion and worry swept across the whole street.
Then someone shouted.
“The Knights!”
Everyone's gaze focused on one place.
Soldiers in plate armor that shone like silver in the sunlight pushed through the confused crowd.
“Remain calm!”
A blond human man in his thirties with a boisterous air stood at the front and shouted. His voice was so loud that it reverberated throughout the street.
“Who is that man?”
Jeong Yushin, standing at the inn entrance, asked Darmong, who was right beside him.
“Why? Feeling competitive? Don't even think about it. He's far beyond you.”
Jeong Yushin looked down at his hands.
There was no one around who could be taken lightly.
He spent each day in an unbroken cycle of training, yet he was still lacking, and he had a long road ahead of him.
‘Nothing in this world is easy. Typical fucked-up world. You can't get anything for free.’
He swallowed his bitter taste.
When the street had quieted, the blond man at the front spoke.
“The city council is in session. There will be an answer soon, so maintain order and remain calm. Anyone who causes trouble while taking advantage of the confusion will answer to the Knights' swords. Those whose residences have been damaged should pack their belongings and move to the park. That is all!”
When the blond man finished speaking, the soldiers standing behind him dispersed in an orderly fashion and began controlling the streets.
Darmong unfolded his arms and went inside the inn.
Jeong Yushin followed Darmong inside.
“I'll help.”
“Whew. Thank you.”
Darmong sighed as he looked over the inn, which had been reduced to a complete mess.
* * *
He swept up the broken dishes and liquor bottles with a broom and wiped the floor with a rag.
Cleaning the restaurant on the first floor was fairly easy, but the storeroom and kitchen were the problem.
All kinds of ingredients had been mixed together, clumped up, and spread across the storeroom floor.
In the kitchen, cooking utensils, the food being prepared, plates, and cups had all broken and scattered across the floor.
In Jeong Yushin's personal opinion, it was a miracle the kitchen hadn't caught fire.
The reason was that Darmong had been handling ten braziers at the same time.
After finishing the restaurant, he helped Darmong organize the storeroom and kitchen.
The cleaning that had begun in the morning barely ended after lunch, when evening had arrived.
Jeong Yushin sat on the steps at the inn entrance and watched the setting sun.
Evening.
The city guards were controlling the streets under the Knights' direction.
As he stared blankly out at the street, Darmong suddenly appeared behind him.
“I'm going to buy something for dinner, so keep an eye on the inn.”
“I'll go buy it.”
Jeong Yushin stood as he spoke. Darmong waved a hand to stop him.
“Don't even think about it. If a Barbaroi walks around alone in times this chaotic, you'll be arrested.”
Jeong Yushin's mouth fell slightly open.
“Why?”
“For attempted rape.”
“Oh, come on.”
Seeing Darmong joke around, Jeong Yushin thought he seemed to have recovered somewhat.
Surely, a disaster unprecedented in history had occurred, but people weren't going around the city attacking others?
That was impossible.
Thinking that, Jeong Yushin turned his head.
Then his eyes met those of the city guards.
Cold, wary gazes.
‘Seriously?’
Under their fierce gazes, Jeong Yushin backed into the inn.
Darmong stroked his chin, then opened his mouth.
Judging by his wistful expression, he was reminiscing about the past.
“There was a major fire in the eastern district a few years ago.”
“Yes.”
“Quite a few buildings began burning. That was when the Barbaroi stepped up.”
A sudden heroic tale about the Barbaroi?
Jeong Yushin listened closely to Darmong's story.
No matter how evil a person was, everyone was bound to possess at least one good virtue.
“Quite a few Barbaroi rolled up their sleeves and stepped forward to rescue people.”
“Oh?”
“I hear everyone was rescued, and there were no casualties. That's what I heard, anyway. Hear the details from someone else.”
“Wow. I guess there really are no completely evil villains. They even have heartwarming stories like this.”
“...”
“Darmong?”
Darmong fell silent.
What the hell?
An uneasy feeling began to rise.
Come on.
No way? No way. No way.
“‘For now,’ everyone was ‘rescued.’ That's all I have to say. Come back later and we'll talk again.”
Darmong left the inn.
“...”
Jeong Yushin staggered into the inn and sat on the stool behind the counter.
He folded his arms and fixed his gaze on the inn entrance.
But his mind was filled with the crazy Barbaroi bastards.
Had they rescued people in order to rape them?
Or had they raped them because they happened to rescue them?
The more he thought about it, the more dazed he became.
“Just where the hell are these bastards hiding?”
Jeong Yushin tore at his hair and let out a lament.
* * *
Two hours passed.
Darmong had not returned.
Had something happened?
As he sat there, thinking about one thing and another, people wearing plate armor entered through the inn entrance.
They were members of the Knights.
“Innkeeper! Five servings of dinner. Huh?”
The fox beastkin shouted, then stopped and looked at Jeong Yushin.
“Where's the innkeeper?”
“He went to buy dinner. We're closed for the day.”
“Aren't you a Barbaroi?”
A female elf wearing plate armor stepped forward and spoke.
“Yes. I am that Barbaroi.”
The elf muttered suspiciously.
“Has the innkeeper gone senile or something?”
“Now, now. Let's sit and wait for him first.”
The fox beastkin led the group to a table and sat down.
Then someone else entered the inn.
Jeong Yushin thought it was Darmong, but it wasn't.
It was the blond-haired man they had seen that morning.
“Captain!”
The knights sprang to their feet. The blond man smiled broadly.
“You were all here? Going for a drink now that your shift is over?”
“Yes!”
“All right. I'll join you.”
The blond man approached, but stopped when he saw Jeong Yushin.
“Where's the innkeeper?”
“He went to buy dinner.”
The fox beastkin answered. The blue-haired man scratched his head.
“I see. But you.”
The blond man looked at Jeong Yushin.
“Yes.”
“Aren't you a Barbaroi?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Has Darmong gone senile? It's like leaving a fish shop in a cat's care.”
Jeong Yushin's expression twisted.
“I'm a good Barbaroi who doesn't rape.”
At Jeong Yushin's words, the people burst out laughing.
“Sure you are. Stop talking nonsense and bring us some liquor.”
The blond man snickered as he replied.
“We're closed today.”
“We'll have to hear that from the innkeeper. Bring us some liquor.”
Jeong Yushin sighed, searched the cupboard, gathered the liquor bottles and wooden bowls that had survived more or less intact, and brought them to the knights.
“What's wrong with the cups?”
The fox beastkin frowned.
They weren't ordinary glass cups but wooden bowls meant for soup.
“The earthquake shattered all the glass.”
“I see.”
The blond man nodded.
“Barbaroi, pour me a nice, cold drink.”
‘If he asks me to pour, I'll pour.’
Resigned, he filled the bowl to the brim with liquor.
He poured it in with perfect balance, filling it to the point where it looked ready to overflow but did not.
He emptied all the liquor bottles, filling six wooden bowls.
“There. Drink up. Nice and cold.”
“That's too much.”
The female elf muttered with a frown.
“So I hear. You drink that one.”
The blond man said with a laugh.
“Yes.”
Let's see how far this goes.
Jeong Yushin picked up the bowl and looked at the blond man.
For some reason, a competitive spirit welled up inside him.
He gripped the bowl and tilted it back.
He gulped down every drop without stopping.
It felt as though his esophagus and stomach were on fire, but he showed no sign of it and set the empty bowl on the table.
“Buuurp.”
“You're really something.”
The fox beastkin muttered with an incredulous expression at Jeong Yushin's booming belch.
“Let's drink too. When else will we get to come out and drink like this?”
“Captain, we're on duty again tomorrow.”
“Don't worry. The earthquake will be over soon.”
At the blond man's words, a sharp light flashed in Jeong Yushin's eyes for an instant.
So that's how it is.
“I'll return to my seat now.”
Jeong Yushin turned around.
“Ska, stop.”
The blond-haired man said.
Jeong Yushin's body stiffened.
‘He knows my name?’
Jeong Yushin turned around again and looked at the blond man.
The fact that the captain of the Knights in Labyrinth City knew his name sent a chill down the back of his neck.
So he looked more closely. The more he looked, the more the face seemed familiar.
“My little sister told me a bit about you.”
“Mion?”
The captain nodded.
“I'm Mion's older brother. I happened to be out of the inner city, so I came to take a look at your face.”
“I see.”
“You're quite a handsome fellow.”
“I... see.”
Jeong Yushin took a small step back.
‘Was he gay?’
“But you're not good enough for my little sister. You're utterly inadequate compared to Mion's character, abilities, and looks.”
‘What? He's just an ordinary little-sister fanatic.’
“I'm not in that kind of relationship with Teacher Mion. I don't intend to date her, either. Don't worry.”
Jeong Yushin waved his hand with a smile.
Veins bulged on the captain's forehead.
“What did you say? What could possibly be lacking in my little sister Mion? Barbaroi, come sit here.”
Jeong Yushin sighed inwardly and sat in the seat beside the captain.
“Here we go again.”
The fox beastkin clutched his head and groaned.
The captain's praise of his little sister continued for a full two hours.
“···Mion was kind and cute from the time she was little. Whenever she saw me, she'd run up to me chirping, ‘Big brother!’ and throw herself into my arms. She hates it now, saying it's embarrassing, but she's still pure and cute.”
The captain's eyes grew wistful.
“Once, when Mion wet the bed, I washed the bedding myself. The maids tried to stop me, but I insisted on doing it. Those were the days. I still have the panties Mion wet herself in back in my room's dresser drawer. A precious memory.”
Jeong Yushin listened silently with his arms folded, then reached a conclusion.
‘Malicious little-sister fanatic. Confirmed.’
His competitive spirit faded, leaving only pity.
The captain continued babbling about how ‘pure’ and noble Mion was.
Why did he keep emphasizing her purity?
Curious, Jeong Yushin asked casually.
“Does Teacher Mion not have a boyfriend?”
The captain's eyes blazed.
“She never has, and she never will. I will protect Mion.”
‘Malicious little-sister virgin guardian. Confirmed.’
The captain's praise of Mion continued after that as well.
How much time had passed?
The knights around them seemed accustomed to seeing their captain like this and were talking among themselves.
Clunk!
Jeong Yushin's head whipped around.
The inn door opened, and Darmong appeared.
Finally.