We Just Beat It Down and That's the End of It, Right? (6)

“Next, go clean the toilet. Naturally, a lowly creature like you has no need for cleaning tools. Lick it clean with your tongue... understand?”

“Shut up.”

“Aaaahhh!”

When they reached the bar and opened the door, they were greeted by the sight of Menou lashing Kenta-Uros with a whip. The scene was so awful that everyone stiffened and backed away.

“So Menou’s developed that sort of... hobby now. People really can change that much in two years.”

“I thought Menou-san was a decent person... What a disappointment.”

At their words, Menou seemed to notice them and hurriedly turned toward the entrance. Then Rex, apparently trying to explain, set the whip on the table and rushed over to Alice, his face pale.

“N-no, Alice-sama! It’s not that I’ve awakened to that sort of thing! Takako-sama merely ordered me to whip him regularly!”

“I know, I know. Calm down, Menou.”

Alice patted Menou on the head as Menou desperately tried to explain herself, then smiled.

“I mean, Menou-san, you’re in charge of the bar, but you’re still being treated like an underling?”

“No, that’s not it. I give the orders for the most part, but cleaning the toilets takes those fellows far too long with their equine lower bodies, so I’ve taken it upon myself... And for some reason, they taunt me like that every time.”

Menou let out a weary sigh, as if the strain of daily life were taking its toll. “Well, standing around talking is getting us nowhere. Come in and sit down.” Menou led them inside, and everyone took their usual seats.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen some of these faces.”

“Indeed. I thought you must have been lonely, Menou-sama, so I brought them here to talk.”

“W-what! I wasn’t lonely! As long as Alice-sama is by my side, that’s all I need! Well, it has been quiet, though.”

David answered Menou’s question with due deference, and Menou hurriedly added that she hadn’t been lonely at all. Perhaps reassured by how little Menou had changed over the years, Tina and Rex smiled.

After a while, Menou brought whiskey to David and Parna, and glasses of milk to Alice, Tina, and Rex, then took her own seat.

Once everyone was ready to listen, they all turned their attention to David. “Hmm,” he murmured.

“It was no coincidence that Rex-sama and Tina-sama returned today. I had informed them in advance to come back on this particular day.”

“...What do you mean?”

Apparently unable to make sense of his words, Parna frowned.

“Parna-sama... Do you remember the conditions Kagami-sama agreed to with the king so that this world could be preserved without being reset?”

“...I don’t really get it, but wasn’t it something about bringing salvation to the world?”

“Yes, precisely. That salvation must be achieved within five years. That is the condition.”

At that, a hint of panic appeared on the faces of Parna, Menou, and Alice. They hadn’t forgotten. But because they believed Kagami would surely return someday, they hadn’t allowed themselves to feel any urgency about the deadline.

“It has been three and a half years since he made that promise to the king... Only a year and a half remains.”

The three had grown so accustomed to their blissfully happy days that they’d lost sight of the deadline. Hearing it stated so plainly brought it home to them, and cold sweat broke out on their faces.

“Two years ago, I imagined what might happen and was afraid. If Kagami-sama doesn’t return, then those of us left behind will have to do something ourselves. And now that we’re not allowed to defeat the Demon King, there is only one way.”

Then David took two checks from inside his coat and showed them to Parna and the others. They were unmistakably the items sold by the Quest Issuing Guild for 10,000 gold each.

“Why do you have two things that expensive? Each one costs 10,000 gold, doesn’t it?”

“Heh heh heh. In fact, these are the only two we’ve managed to get in three years. Even though the casino is making far more money than it used to... It really shows how extraordinary Kagami-sama was, gathering 5,000 gold in just six months.”

As he spoke, David handed one of the checks to Rex and placed the other on the table.

“The fastest way to earn money is, after all, to defeat monsters. We continue to make a profit from the casino Kagami-sama left behind, but... if you set out to earn money on your own, taking quests while holing up in a dungeon is still the most efficient way.”

“So Rex-san was gathering money for you?”

“That was part of it, but based on what Esteller-sama and the king said, if we were to go to the world Kagami-sama went to, we’d need overwhelming strength. That’s why... we had Rex-sama train.”

Hearing this, Alice looked at Rex. He gave a smug little snort and proudly brought up his status window.

There, Level 214 was clearly displayed.