Volume 7 Chapter 23: Wait, We Have To Pay Rent?

"Can you guys help me with my cart?

"Huh?" Alfia and Scarlet blinked.

"I didn't realize the lines had become this much of a problem. I need to hire some waiters. And you two came to mind," Keith put his hands together and added, "I will even pay you guys as well." There was no way he didn't forget to put that in as well.

"..." There was only silence from the table.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Scarlet had an interesting expression, while Alfia had a dark one.

"Eh?"

"There's no need to bow your head like that. Just ask if you need our help, and we'll help." There was never a need for this guy to bow his head like that.

"Mmhmm. We're friends." Gabriel added.

"Thank you so much!"

"We should be doing something like that. There are so many benefits to being here," Scarlet chuckled. Despite the girl staying here for the shortest time, she noticed all the perks.

"Isn't this normal?" Keith blinked. He thought what he built was pretty average. Compared to the giant mansion Todd had, this wasn't much.

"Heck no!" Everyone shouted in unison. The people who lived on another island begged to differ.

"This place is so much better than the others," Alfia muttered.

"For starters, that bathroom is not normal."

"That bathroom is so nice and relaxing." "And the window makes the whole thing beautiful as well." The others couldn't believe how beautiful it was. The design was on a whole other level than any other bathroom.

"Anyone could tell you put a lot of effort and detail into the mansion." The mansion was meticulous with his ideas. Ordinary people wouldn't care about stuff like that.

"And don't forget about the food." Just hearing it was enough to cause everyone to drool. That was the number one thing that the other islands couldn't compare.

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"I feel so much better eating here." Besides the taste, all of Keith's dishes were nutritious. It invigorated their body.

Scarlet also questioned, "I'm more surprised you don't collect rent from us."

"Huh?" Keith blinked, "I'm supposed to collect rent?" This was the first time he heard about that? And it seemed the others were a little startled.

"...Now that you mention it." Jack thought about it, "We never actually paid rent."

Scarlet turned to Alfia, "Did you not do it?"

"Ah," Herrick and the others who joined earlier didn't know what to say. This was an oversight. It was more like a thing they had never thought about. Being on their island, they didn't need to do so since it was already paid for.

"Don't you have to pay for the island, Keith?!" Scarlet and the others asked in horror. That was why they needed to collect rent from the students. It was to pay for the island; it wasn't cheap!

"No, I don't need to pay for rent for the island." Keith shook his head.

"How?!" Confusion appeared on everyone's face. How did he get a free island? All eyes turned to Cadmus; this dragon had been silent throughout their questioning.

"Oh, that's because Keith and I made a deal."

"I heard about this before," Gabriel remembered Keith talking about it. But they never went deeper into it.

"What kind of deal did the two of you make?" They were quite curious about what it was.

"Basically, Keith has to make meals for me, and I will provide him with a place to grow his vegetables," Cadmus explained as he continued to eat.

"Correction, it was one meal and two snack breaks. You're mooching off the others." Keith added. He saw what he was trying to do.

"Tch, are you really going to be like this? At this point, I eat here 24/7." It really didn't matter too much now. This dragon had been eating here for quite some time now.

"Mooch."

"..." Are you kidding me? The others were speechless; Keith got a free island because of this glutton. Now that they thought about it, it made more sense.

"So you guys don't need to pay anything for it." Keith waved his hand. He wasn't going to collect rent from them. There were no plans for it in the future.

"But-"

"If you guys feel like there's anything wrong, you guys could just help around the mansion." Coins weren't something he needed to focus on.

However, the others still felt bad.

"How about this? Whatever we collect during the expedition, a portion of that would be rent." Faelyn suggested. She didn't want to exploit Keith like this.

"Sure. We can do that."

"Then we'll collect as much as possible!" That caused them to raise their hands.

"We'll help out at the cart whenever we can." Scarlet and Alfia didn't forget what the boy brought up.

"Keith, what about us?" Diana and the great spirits were living rent-free.

"You guys are helping with cleaning and tending to the garden. There's no need for you to pay rent." They were live-in workers.

"If that's the case, should I make you guys wear uniforms?" A thought came to his mind.

"Um, what kind of uniform are we wearing?"

"Hmm, how about maid uniforms?" Keith commented. But that caused Scarlet to grin, "Didn't peg you to be such a fellow."

"Keith, that's filthy!"

"Huh?" Keith tilted his head, "But the two of you would look nice in a maid uniform." Those two definitely could pull it off if they tried. Actually, they didn't need to try; they would probably ace it!

"…" Alfia went silent.

"This kid could say things with the straightest face ever," Cadmus shook his head. Anyone else would have gotten beaten up if they blurted that out.

"But on a serious note, how about I make your guys some aprons. That way, the customers would at least know who you are." That would definitely help the customers differentiate the two.

"That would be fine." Alfia sighed in relief while Scarlet pouted, "And I really wanted to wear a maid outfit for you."

"I'm good." Keith shook his head, "I will have it ready for tomorrow. Also, I will cook lunch for you guys as well."

"That's fine with us." There was no need for them to talk about food.