The night is already creeping in as dusk slowly dims the horizon. The sub-rural part of the Business District Two guises itself with the sound of rustling leaves of trees from all around and the lamps started illuminating the part of the city with colorful lights.

Nio and Reed are following Lucius’s strides along the stone staircase in a small hill. In front of them is huge traditional inn with illuminated lanterns that greatly compliments the wooden exterior. It brings a foreign atmosphere in contrasts to the entirety of the Brent City.

It would be correct to say that the inn is entirely the same concept as Sigrun’s mansion. Classical, in style, and very conservative. It stood tall with three floors and has a daunting width.

“Ah, it’s the owner!” A girl with a wagging tail and sagging brown ears in drape with her hair shouted as she runs towards Lucius. She is wearing somewhat working clothes that greatly resembles what Sigrun wears too.

“Yeah, good work. I’ve brought customers.” Lucius said with a straight face.

“Yes, is it two rooms for a single person or one room for two people?” The girl queried immediately to Reed with a selling smile.

“One room for one person! We can just sleep together in one bed, right?” Nio answered in Reed’s stead in which garnering Reed’s questioning and nervous gaze.

“Yes, that’s also allowed as long as you are siblings, but, are you?” The girl clarified.

“Y-Yeah, we are.” Reed answered for Nio since he does not know when Nio will slip.

“I got it. Please follow me! I’ll take you to your room!” The girl beckons Reed and Nio, however, Lucius came between them.

“Nui, I have some business with them. Prepare a room for us, please. Tell Messe that too.” Lucius gave her orders in a prompt tone.

“To manager? Okay. Please excuse me, dear customers.” The girl called Nui left immediately after giving a slight bow.

The girl trotted with a hastened pace of walking.

“I can’t believe you, luring customers with a straight face…” Reed said with a dubious expression.

“Business is booming. Rather, I’d really want to be acquainted with you two. For now, follow me.” Lucius said as he then beckons Nio and Reed himself inside the inn.

“Uh-huh. For a priest to own such establishment, it is quite…you know…” Reed said with a discerning eye directed at Lucius, trying to see what expression he will make.

“Hmm? I see. Well, with enough connectio—I mean donations, I was able to raise this kind of establishment. There’s no need for any doubt as I use what I profit here for the orphanage. Aren’t I generous?” Lucius smiled that seemingly unbecoming of a priest.

“Just wait a minute. You were about to say--! Nah, nevermind.” Reed already dismissed what he heard as something as a figment of his imagination from today’s fatigue.

Reed and Nio, following Lucius from behind, entered the inn. In the entrance, there is two attendant waiting for them. The two attendant is also wearing the same working clothes as the girl called Nui.

One of the girls steps up while the smaller girl behind her remained her head bowed slightly.

“Welcome, dear customer. I am called Kone, I shall be attending to you for the duration of your stay. Thank you for using our service.” The girl called Kone said. Her white cat ears and tails in stays formally down but her heterochromatic irises of blue and yellow took a glimpse of Reed and Nio.

The other girl steps in a little bit close to Kone and raises her head slightly.

“Welcome, dear customer, my name is Kon-kon, I am also to be of service to you whenever Miss Kone is absent in your presence. Pleased to meet you.” Kon-kon has reddish fox ears and tails. Far from Alisa’s caramel blond color and pointed ears and long tail, Kon-kon has a slightly stump ears and her tail is a little shorter.

“Good work you two. I’m sure Nui already said it but we will be bothering you to prepare a room where we can talk for a bit. Also, some food okay?” Lucius ordered while walking away.

“Indeed. As what owner said.” Kone replied while promptly moving together with Kon-kon.

The three of them moves in a wooden corridor. Laughter and jolly celebrations reverberate from the huge guestrooms where most of the guests are having a feast.

Thus, one fact struck Reed.

“This is…an expensive inn, right? This Lucius is totally balling on us, right?” Reed thought as he glare at Lucius.

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“What’s wrong, Reed? This place is wonderful I feel like I’m back at the mountain.” Nio said as she observes the interior of the establishment with glee.

“I doubt the pay will be that measly.” Reed whispered to Nio.

“We have money, right? There’s no problem as long as we have to spare some.” Nio said as she clings to Reed’s arm and nudges her cheeks.

“No, I mean, we have to cut some budget for our point cards…” Reed said to Nio.

“Eh…?” Nio froze into a stiff smile as her eyes went blank. “Accursed! We are baited!” Nio added as she learned the full weight of the expenses for the inn.

“That’s a real big turn in your personality. Well, at the very least, let’s play the game later after a bath since it is also being offered here.” Reed assured Nio of their circumstances.

“Well, it can’t be helped.” Nio returned to her senses and looks in front of them, towards Lucius who supposedly baited them in a casual sales talk.

After walking for a couple of minutes, they arrived at a certain room.

“Owner, we have prepared the room you requested. Please come in.” The girl earlier, Nui, said as she opens the door and bows.

Following Lucius’s lead, Reed and Nio entered the room and sat in a wooden table with cushion softening their butts comfort.

As they promptly seated, the door from the other side opened and Kone and Kon-kon entered with trays of food in their hands. They carefully laid down the foods and opened it gracefully, showing the soup with pheasant as stock and some of its meat as its dish. There is also some extravagantly cooked seafood such as shrimp that was also served magnificently.

And for the last, they are offered drinks of their preference in which Lucius ordered for a liquor while Reed and Nio settled with juice.

After that, the two attendants left them on their own devices and stands outside of their room. Then and there, Lucius spoke.

“Again, in behalf of the children of this inn, welcome to Dancing Petal. The employees may be a little clumsy as they forgot about that but I assure you that they are excellent.” Lucius said with a smile.

THUD

A blunt sound was heard outside the room, seemingly came from the two attendees.

“Please don’t mind it. Anyway, Reed and Nio Chelle, I am glad that you agreed to choose our inn as your option.” Lucius made another vile smile.

“Like we really got an option about that. I’d like to ask why brought us all the way here. Is there really something you want to know from me?” Reed asked.

“No real reason. I’m just joyous for a sudden visit from someone as famous as you. I heard that you are also close to some figurehead of the city, especially to Sigrun Valker who has a rising popularity.” Lucius said as he started pouring liquor into his own cup.

“If you are trying to pull up some information from me, I am sorry to say but I won’t tell you anything. Not that I know much in the first place.” Reed said with a half bluff approach.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I won’t try anything funny at all. Just want to be someone you know.” Lucius said as he then started sipping on the liquor. “Well, let’s partake in the meal before us. I’m sure the two of you are quite famished, no?” Lucius added.

“Let’s eat, Reed! There’s no poison or any weird substance in it!” Nio said as she gleefully looks at the food.

“Is it one of Nio’s innate ability to sniff out anything odd? I guess that’s what it means to live in the wild, huh? But, however, I think of it, Nio is quite tamed even after climbing down from the mountain where she lived for almost thirty years.” Reed thought as he observes Nio eating down on her own food.

Since Reed trusts Nio’s words, he also started said his thanks and ate.

In the midst of his meal, something struck Reed once again.

“Lucius, you are the owner of this inn, right?” Reed directed a blunt question to Lucius.

“I am, young lad. Not only this but out of the seventy-four establishment here, I own eight of them.” Lucius admitted willingly as he puts another bit of food in his mouth.

“That’s quite a lot. Aren’t you having difficulty with the orphanage? Living this far away from the center of the city, wouldn’t it be more difficult for the orphans to be adopted then?” Reed sharply tried to point that out, however, Lucius just sprouted a solemn smile.

“Yeah, it is quite difficult to get them adopted and I cannot offer them a filial love of what parents can actually give.” Lucius replied.

“But that’s more of a reason that I need these establishments.” Lucius closes his eyes as if remembering something.

“What do you mean by that?” Nio, who took interests of Lucius and the emotions he is showcasing, curiously asked.

“Kon-kon, Nui, and Kone, they are all some of the girls that I took care back at the orphanage a while ago. Not only them, every employee of this inn are orphans from my orphanage.” Lucius said with he stares at the liquor on his cup.

Nio and Reed could only stare at Lucius with awe as if he is some kind of a good man. No, in the first place, he is a priest.

“And, some of the children, seeing the prospect that they cannot, or none will adopt them, are thinking of what is one of my establishment they want to work at when they reached the right age. All I can do is to provide them a starting line for their lives. It’s all I can do.” Lucius' eyes gleam as he smiled to himself.

Somehow, Reed’s respect for Lucius jumps a level higher than initially. Seeing a man that do all of this for the children he isn’t connected by blood, he can only feel respectful for the selfless act.

“That’s why I can only give up to twenty percent discount, okay?” Lucius directed those words to Reed.

“Ahahaha, well, I’ll be damned if I ask for more, right?” Reed heartily replied.

As such, their dinner passes with a positive atmosphere. Knowing that Lucius held nothing but goodwill, Reed and Nio were able to relax in their leisure.

After that, Lucius left them in the care of the attendants and was brought in their room.

“Pardon me, dear guests, as the result of the massive party by a lot of guests earlier, it seems the baths are now available. Our open hot springs will be available until nine. Just a reminder that male and female baths are separated but we have an available mixed bath too. Please do make yourself at home.” Kone said as she left Nio and Reed in their room.

Seeing now that they are alone, Nio leaped on the futon and started rolling.

“Say, let’s take a bath! I want to take a bath with you like what we did last time! After that, let’s play!” Nio said excitingly.

“Ahahaha! You're so restless! Let’s go! Let’s clean ourselves.” Reed said in agreement.

And so, Nio and Reed entered the bath with the intention of cleaning themselves and took a dip in the hot spring. However…

“Um…Nio…do you really have to sit on my lap even in this kind of moment?” Reed asked with a stiff smile. “And…to think that you’d bring that here…” he pointed at something in Nio’s hands.

“Sorry, I just can’t wait any longer.” Nio said with a smile as she played a game on her phone covered with a plastic casing.

“Geez…you’re too comfortable around me.” Reed can only heave a light sigh.