- VOL 1 – THOSE UNITED BY THE FATE -
Chapter 1: A New Journey! (9/10)
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''Eleven, twelve... Huhh... I think I can only spend a week with these.''
The chestnut-haired boy counting the copper coins in his hand sighed with boredom. The small pouch in his pocket was quite light and this did not make him happy at all.
‘A total of one hundred and twelve coppers if I include the silver. I guess I can't start any business with this money. The best decision would be to do easy tasks in the guilds for a little while. Of course, they should be simple tasks that don't require any equipment.’
While Shin was gathering his thoughts in his head, he reached the place Kulong had described.
‘Big Dom's Inn. If it's like Kulong described, it'll be nice.’
The place he stood in front of was a bit bigger than the other buildings around. It consisted of three floors and looked quite elegant from the outside. The street in front of it was quite lively even though it was nighttime. Shin entered the building labeled ''Big Dom's Inn'' without paying attention to the crowd.
''Welcome!''
These words were the first thing that greeted him when he entered. There was a great noise around. The environment was in chaos and everyone was talking about something different. Music sounds, people arguing among themselves, adventurers celebrating with enthusiasm... But despite the chaos, it felt strangely pleasant for Shin to be in this atmosphere. Although there seemed to be a great commotion, everyone was minding their own business, and employees were distributing food and drinks to customers.
While examining this environment, which he liked quite a lot, he had already forgotten that he was called when he entered the inn. When he did not answer for a while, the owner of the voice called out again to remind him.
"Hey, young man! Welcome to my Inn!
Having finished looking around, Shin slowly moved towards the person who called him.
''Hello. I'm new to the city and was looking for a place to stay.''
The person who called out to him was in a booth not far from the entrance. The booth extended for almost the entire floor, but this section near the entrance was quite empty compared to the crowd inside. Shin approached the counter and looked at the man on the other side of the booth who called out to him.
''Then you have come to the right place, young man. We welcome new faces very warmly here. My name is Dom, I am the owner of this inn.''
Shin was a little surprised to hear that the man in front of him was the owner of the inn, but he quickly got over this perplexity and introduced himself by extending his hand to the man.
''Nice to meet you Dom-san. My name is Shin.''
''Nice to meet you too Shin. You can just call me Dom. Have a seat, I'll get you something to drink.''
''Thank you, Dom-san.''
The man had a very affectionate face. Despite his body, which could be considered a little pot-bellied, he still looked quite fit. Even though such a person was expected to be bald for some reason, Dom had bushy short hair. The man went to another part of the pub with a smile on his face.
‘Strange... The inn is quite full but there is almost no one here. Also, the ingredients are on the shelves up ahead.’
While the chestnut-haired boy was thinking about these things, he continued to look around. Even though the inn looked different from the other buildings around, it was not very big from the outside except that it had three floors. The inside was surprisingly spacious. The inn was going towards the very back. There were many tables prepared for customers and almost all of them were full of people. Waiters were working very hard trying to serve these people with their orders.
Soon the innkeeper returned. He handed the wooden cup he brought in his hand to the boy and started talking.
''Well, do you like the place? My inn is quite popular in the city. I hope you like it too.''
After taking a sip of the drink brought to him, Shin continued the conversation by replying to the man.
''It really is a nice place. Since it's so full, everyone must be thinking the same way. Actually, I didn't see anything particularly interesting from the outside, but the atmosphere inside is quite unique. Also, the inside is larger than I expected.''
While listing his praises, he continued to drink the fruit juice brought to him.
''I am glad you liked it, you have come to the right place to find a place to stay. Unfortunately, Ardevant has a bad reputation and outsiders are very cautious here. Most people do not even trust the inns. In such an environment, it is hard to see young people like you around here... But don't worry, this inn is safe.''
The man gave a thumbs up to confirm his own words. Shin didn't understand why the owner of such a busy inn was attending to him, but he smiled gratefully at the man. He believed the man's words.
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''Thank you Dom-san. Then I will stay at this inn.''
His words of confirmation that he would stay in this inn were followed by the shout of the man in front of him.
''Sana! Come here, we have a new guest!
He shouted in a rather loud voice towards the crowded part of the inn. Shin wasn't sure if the person the innkeeper was calling out heard him due to the chaos in the environment. Unlike him, the man inside the pub was looking into the crowd with a confident expression.
After a few seconds, a woman appeared from among the crowd and approached them. The woman was wearing a long maid's outfit that covered her entire height, which was quite long. Her hair was tied with a ribbon that seemed to be part of this maid outfit. Her hair, which seemed to be black, was turning blue as it went to the tips. The color of her eyes resembled the tips of her hair, but unlike them, they were a very sharp dark blue.
The body of the woman, who looked quite mature, was also mesmerizing. She was definitely a maid that customers would like to see. She began to speak in a calm and clear voice. Despite the noise around, her voice was heard quite well.
''Did you call me Dom-san?"
''We have a new guest. Can you arrange a room for him?''
As soon as he said this, the maid leaned towards him and nodded to him. Holding the skirt of her uniform and bowing respectfully, she made the other person look like a noble. Shin found it a bit exaggerated, but he decided to mind his own business without questioning it too much. Without saying anything else, the woman turned directly towards the staircase behind her. Shin continued his conversation with the friendly man in front of him.
''I think the staff is quite respectful towards you Dom-san."
''Heh, heh. I wish everyone was like Sana. But it can be said that it is as you say. At least everyone is happy with the working conditions. Never mind that, but how did you end up here?''
When Shin solved the accommodation problem, the two returned to their ordinary conversation, but this time their conversation was interrupted by a great noise. Since there was already chaos, it could be thought that the noise was not much different from before, but with a little attention, it was clear what was happening.
''Heey! Dom, come here!"
The loud voice coming from the crowded part of the inn became even louder. Some people were shouting at each other and apparently, a fight had started.
''Huh, looks like I'll listen to your story another time boy.''
Saying that he turned around and started heading towards the other side of the booth, towards the crowded part. Shin was a little confused about what had happened, but this confusion was cleared with the last words of the innkeeper.
''Don't worry, Sana will take you to your room soon.''
Then he said in a loud voice with an angry sigh.
''Ahh, those guys... Even on the day of a great celebration, they can't stay calm!''
There was not even a trace of the friendly expression on his face. He had a rather frightening appearance as he walked out of the pub and walked into the crowd. The boy he left behind alone was just watching him go.
‘He arranged a room but I forgot to give the money...’
---
Shin sat a little longer and finished his drink. Although some time had passed, the noise inside was still just as loud. It was impossible for Shin, who was sitting far away, to see anything as everyone surrounded the scene with great curiosity. Even if Dom was immersed in the incident, it didn't seem like something that would be solved in a short time. At least from a distance...
‘I think Sana-san will be here soon. Hahh... How am I supposed to rest with all this noise? Anyway, at least I'll be lying down somewhere more comfortable than sitting on this wooden chair.’
Just as she was thinking about these things, a calm and soulless voice called her from behind.
''Your room is ready.''
‘A sincere person appears after mentioned.’
When Shin turned towards the voice, the woman from before was standing in front of him. She was waiting for him with her hands linked in front of her.
‘It's quite obvious that she's a maid, but is everyone who works at inns really that respectful? I think that's why Dom-san praised Sana. I don't think all the employees would be so polite and loyal to Dom-san.’
The chestnut-haired boy got up from his seat and walked towards the woman in front of him. When he came near her, he realized that this woman was really tall. While he himself had an average height for his age, this woman was easily one-eighty.
When the boy came near her, the tall woman turned back to the stairs and started walking towards it.
''Our inn consists of four floors in total. The first floor, where we are now, is the bottom floor and is used as a tavern. The other three floors are all rooms for the customers who will be staying at the inn.''
As the two climbed the stairs, Sana started to introduce the surroundings. Her voice was still quite calm and expressionless.
‘I feel like I'm traveling with a tour guide.’
Shin continued to listen to her quietly without saying anything while thinking about this.
''You can go to the bottom floor at any time and spend time there. For our guests who are staying, we offer free meals in the morning and evening. If you would like us to bring it to your room, we can do so, but it would be easier for us if you ask us to do so at mealtimes.''
When they finished climbing the stairs and reached the first floor of the guest rooms, Sana turned to the boy behind her. She took a card out of her pocket and handed it to him.
''We give our guests a card and offer special services with this card. So you'd better not lose it.''
Shin was curious when he heard the word special services and broke his silence.
''What are these special services you mentioned?”
''For example, you can get free food in the morning and evening by showing this card. Another function is that it allows you to request hot water for bathing in your room. You can learn all these services from the reception desk. In short, showing the card helps us realize that you are a customer of the inn so we can quickly fulfill your request.''
When they reached the end of the floor, the woman paused and took out a key from her pocket. Then, with this key, she opened the door labeled thirteen and invited the boy next to her inside.
''The inn didn't look very big from the outside, but the inside is much larger than I thought.''
''There are twenty-eight small rooms and ten big rooms in our inn. The big rooms are on the third floor, the last floor.''
‘Can you really fit that many rooms on three floors?’
While Shin was thinking about this question with a mixture of surprise and admiration, the servant woman began to introduce the room they entered.
''Our small rooms have a double bed, an armchair, a wardrobe, a table and a pair of chairs, and a bathtub. This is standard for all rooms. If you need anything else, you can go to the reception desk and ask for it there.''
The woman opened her hand and handed the key to the room to the boy in front of her. Then she spoke again as if she had remembered something she had forgotten.
''Our reception desk is right next to the stairs. You may meet a different person there every time, but they are all our employees and they will pass your requests to the staff as soon as possible. If you still have a problem, just find me at the inn.''
The chestnut-haired boy left the extra things he was carrying on the side of the bed and then nodded to the woman. The tall woman headed towards the door. It looked like she was going to leave the room, but before that, she spoke one last time.
''If you have no other desire, I wish you good night.''
This time she seemed to say a small farewell to the boy as herself, not as an employee of the inn.
''Thank you Sana-san and good night.''
Shin said goodbye to the woman in front of him in the same way, but unlike her emotionless expression, he had a big smile on his face. After his farewell, Shin was waiting for the woman to leave the room immediately, but before that, he encountered something he never expected. As the woman pulled the door handle and left the room, she smiled quite sincerely, responding to him.
‘So she is not emotionless... I guess she acts like that on the job.’
The boy, who was left alone in the room, left his belongings on the floor after the maid left and threw himself on the bed. With his eyes locked on the ceiling, he started to lie still.
‘I'd better get some rest.’
It didn't take long for his tired eyes to close. He turned his body to the side of the bed and got rid of the thoughts in his head in order to fall asleep quickly.