“Speaking of which, everyone just missed the hero? Up until yesterday, he was staying in this inn.”
“Huh? Seriously?”
Carol’s spoon stopped in mid-air, and a blunt, surprised voice leaked out. Delighted by the reaction she got, Charlie started acting self-important while handing out the barbato meat stew to the rest of us.
“Mhm, seriously. Ah, he was so cool. He was tall, slim, and very beautiful. In addition to that calm demeanor, I can’t think of a single way he differed from how I imagined him……”
“No way, we missed him? We even pushed ourselves to get here as fast as possible……why, just Charlie getting to meet him is unfair.”
“Nfufufu. But that all-important dragon managed to get away, so he was really depressed. So, I gave him some of our special honey mead, and he told me it was delicious…….Haa, his smile at that time……so dreamy”
“Then as expected…….well, it’s not like there’re that many dragons just flying around after all…….”
Toslin let out a deep sigh, and this time it was Charlie’s turn to be puzzled.
“Eh, what do you, did you all see the dragon?”
“Rather than just seen it, we fought it. Right when we thought we’d finished our job, a dragon suddenly flies in our path.”
“Ah, speaking of which, your job was in Relton. The hero headed that way chasing after the dragon as well. So what happened? I mean, you all look like you made it back in one piece.”
“Honestly, all jokes aside, it’s a miracle we made it. If Iris wasn’t there, then the whole entire village would’ve been wiped out. Stupid hero.”
“H-Hold on Toslin……. You shouldn’t badmouth……..”
“Hold on, back up, what do you mean? What did Iris do?”
“Eh……..I-I didn’t………”
“Iris killed it. With magic like this……..first a schlick, and then with a swoosh the dragon was cut in two.”
Carol held out her spoon as if it were Hadion’s sword and started waving it around in the air.
“Huh?”
“Oi you’re splattering stew all over the place! Quit playing with your food.”
Toslin forced Carol’s butt back into its seat and slapped the back of Carol’s head.
“Eh? Um, what? What do you mean? Rose-san, do you get it? Iris, you can use magic?”
“T-That’s wrong! No um, it’s not exactly wrong, but…… I’ve always had some magic power, but only a little, and until then I’ve never been able to cast a single spell, so……..”
“However it is a fact that the spell Iris-san cast was what had finally felled the dragon once and for all.”
“S-Seriously……….?”
Charlie obediently believed what Rose-san was telling her. Her jaw dropped as a result, and she began to just silently stare at me.
“U-Um Charlie, but you see…….”
“Isn’t that awesome Iris!? You killed a dragon even the hero wasn’t able to beat”
“Wa- You’re wrong! Listen Charlie, it was only because everyone was there that…….”
“But that’s still amazing. Actually yesterday, a merchant passed by the same time the hero was here and said the dragon had already been defeated. He told us a female mage cut off its head in an instant. Nobody believed him at the time……but I never would’ve thought that you……”
Charlie started clapping her hands together and quickly got this excited look in her eye.
“I can’t not do this. I have to tell everyone in town right away. Hehehe, when everyone hears that the rumored female mage is here in the Shining Hen, we’ll be sure to get a huge number of customers.”
“Eh, Wai-……..stop, please don’t do that”
I dropped my spoon and grabbed Charlie’s fluttering skirt before she could run off.
“Hey, don’t grab my skirt like that. But well if it’s Iris……..I guess I’m okay with it.”
“With what? B-But anyway hold on……if you go, I, I’ll be troubled”
“Why? Isn’t this a huge honor? Don’t adventurers want their names to spread? Killing a dragon is one of those things you should be bragging about.”
“No……you’re wrong. I could only use the spell there because of everyone’s help. Because they protected me. It was from the work the hero had done, everyone’s strength, and the villagers hard work that I was able to fight. It’s the only reason I fought instead of just running away.”
My grip on the end of Charlie’s skirt tightened as I spilled out everything that had been accumulating in my heart.
“I get it. Well, when I think about it, you’ve always been that type of person. Besides, Iris isn’t an adventurer, so even if I told everybody you killed a dragon, those guys probably wouldn’t believe me.”
“Good grief, nevertheless Iris is way too humble.”
Toslin laughed while stuffing another spoonful of soup into her mouth.
“Fufufu, but I love that part of you.”
“In that case I’d definitely go deliver a complaint to that hero. And then get plenty of compensation………”
As usual a fist came soaring down on top of Carol’s head.
“So you’re saying we can then get the reward money from the village that originally posted the job of slaying the dragon as well right?”
“You………Eh? If you understand it, then why did I get hit just now?”
“I just did it without thinking.”
As Toslin quickly took a drink from her juice, Carol suddenly started tickling Toslin’s unguarded sides in revenge.
“Fuah! This………what stupid idiot does that to somebody who’s taking a drink!? Look what you’ve done to Rose!”
Droplets of spit out juice were dripping off of Rose-san’s face since she was sitting directly across from Toslin at the table.
“Oh dear. I’ve gotten myself a little wet. Charlie-san, I am sorry, but could you grab me something to wipe myself off?”
“O-Okay. Give me a minute.”
Even at a time like this, Rose-san was smiling widely. Even though I think right now is the perfect time to get angry.
“Enough, you’re both showing some bad manners here. Stop your playing and properly apologize to Rose-san.”
So I got scolded them on her behalf.
“Eh, but I wasn’t playing around…….. Ah, um…….sorry Rose”
“Forgive her”
“Hey, you apologize too! Why are you making it seem like I’m the only one in the wrong here!”
“Because Toslin started it when you hit me for no reason!”
Charlie came back with a towel, and Rose-san started using it to wipe her face.
“Wait……which one of you is worse isn’t……”
“My………this juice is delicious…….”
When I got in between the two of them, Rose-san absentminded voice reached all of our ears. All of our gazes gathered on her as her red tongue peeked through her lips, licking up the juice splattered around them.
“Hii…….”
Toslin’s body stiffened as a small squeak escaped her own lips. Carol and Charlie were frozen and staring at the unusual, bewitching aura that was now radiating off of Rose-san.
“I am really sorry Charlie-san, but could I have some more of that same juice Toslin was having?”
“Ye…….Yes I’ll be right back!”
Running back to the kitchen as fast as she could……Charlie escaped.
“My, what’s everyone doing? Your stew is getting cold.”
“Eh? Ah, Ah…….right. You’re right…….”
Rose-san innocently tilted her head, and we were all finally able to tear our eyes away and silently focused on moving our spoons instead.
“S-Sorry to have kept you waiting!”
And then Charlie came back.
“Yosh, in commemoration for everyone having come back safe and sound after completing your job, everyone’s food and drink are my treat today!”
“Eh, really!?”
Sensing the delicate atmosphere in the store, Charlie laughed out in a loud, bright voice as if to fight against it.
“Really really. You’ve been staying here for a long time. I’m sure the Landlady would be okay with it too. Now order whatever you want! But I’ll go ahead and drink a little bit with you”
“Speaking of which, everyone just missed the hero? Up until yesterday, he was staying in this inn.”
“Huh? Seriously?”
Carol’s spoon stopped in mid-air, and a blunt, surprised voice leaked out. Delighted by the reaction she got, Charlie started acting self-important while handing out the barbato meat stew to the rest of us.
“Mhm, seriously. Ah, he was so cool. He was tall, slim, and very beautiful. In addition to that calm demeanor, I can’t think of a single way he differed from how I imagined him……”
“No way, we missed him? We even pushed ourselves to get here as fast as possible……why, just Charlie getting to meet him is unfair.”
“Nfufufu. But that all-important dragon managed to get away, so he was really depressed. So, I gave him some of our special honey mead, and he told me it was delicious…….Haa, his smile at that time……so dreamy”
“Then as expected…….well, it’s not like there’re that many dragons just flying around after all…….”
Toslin let out a deep sigh, and this time it was Charlie’s turn to be puzzled.
“Eh, what do you, did you all see the dragon?”
“Rather than just seen it, we fought it. Right when we thought we’d finished our job, a dragon suddenly flies in our path.”
“Ah, speaking of which, your job was in Relton. The hero headed that way chasing after the dragon as well. So what happened? I mean, you all look like you made it back in one piece.”
“Honestly, all jokes aside, it’s a miracle we made it. If Iris wasn’t there, then the whole entire village would’ve been wiped out. Stupid hero.”
“H-Hold on Toslin……. You shouldn’t badmouth……..”
“Hold on, back up, what do you mean? What did Iris do?”
“Eh……..I-I didn’t………”
“Iris killed it. With magic like this……..first a schlick, and then with a swoosh the dragon was cut in two.”
Carol held out her spoon as if it were Hadion’s sword and started waving it around in the air.
“Huh?”
“Oi you’re splattering stew all over the place! Quit playing with your food.”
Toslin forced Carol’s butt back into its seat and slapped the back of Carol’s head.
“Eh? Um, what? What do you mean? Rose-san, do you get it? Iris, you can use magic?”
“T-That’s wrong! No um, it’s not exactly wrong, but…… I’ve always had some magic power, but only a little, and until then I’ve never been able to cast a single spell, so……..”
“However it is a fact that the spell Iris-san cast was what had finally felled the dragon once and for all.”
“S-Seriously……….?”
Charlie obediently believed what Rose-san was telling her. Her jaw dropped as a result, and she began to just silently stare at me.
“U-Um Charlie, but you see…….”
“Isn’t that awesome Iris!? You killed a dragon even the hero wasn’t able to beat”
“Wa- You’re wrong! Listen Charlie, it was only because everyone was there that…….”
“But that’s still amazing. Actually yesterday, a merchant passed by the same time the hero was here and said the dragon had already been defeated. He told us a female mage cut off its head in an instant. Nobody believed him at the time……but I never would’ve thought that you……”
Charlie started clapping her hands together and quickly got this excited look in her eye.
“I can’t not do this. I have to tell everyone in town right away. Hehehe, when everyone hears that the rumored female mage is here in the Shining Hen, we’ll be sure to get a huge number of customers.”
“Eh, Wai-……..stop, please don’t do that”
I dropped my spoon and grabbed Charlie’s fluttering skirt before she could run off.
“Hey, don’t grab my skirt like that. But well if it’s Iris……..I guess I’m okay with it.”
“With what? B-But anyway hold on……if you go, I, I’ll be troubled”
“Why? Isn’t this a huge honor? Don’t adventurers want their names to spread? Killing a dragon is one of those things you should be bragging about.”
“No……you’re wrong. I could only use the spell there because of everyone’s help. Because they protected me. It was from the work the hero had done, everyone’s strength, and the villagers hard work that I was able to fight. It’s the only reason I fought instead of just running away.”
My grip on the end of Charlie’s skirt tightened as I spilled out everything that had been accumulating in my heart.
“I get it. Well, when I think about it, you’ve always been that type of person. Besides, Iris isn’t an adventurer, so even if I told everybody you killed a dragon, those guys probably wouldn’t believe me.”
“Good grief, nevertheless Iris is way too humble.”
Toslin laughed while stuffing another spoonful of soup into her mouth.
“Fufufu, but I love that part of you.”
“In that case I’d definitely go deliver a complaint to that hero. And then get plenty of compensation………”
As usual a fist came soaring down on top of Carol’s head.
“So you’re saying we can then get the reward money from the village that originally posted the job of slaying the dragon as well right?”
“You………Eh? If you understand it, then why did I get hit just now?”
“I just did it without thinking.”
As Toslin quickly took a drink from her juice, Carol suddenly started tickling Toslin’s unguarded sides in revenge.
“Fuah! This………what stupid idiot does that to somebody who’s taking a drink!? Look what you’ve done to Rose!”
Droplets of spit out juice were dripping off of Rose-san’s face since she was sitting directly across from Toslin at the table.
“Oh dear. I’ve gotten myself a little wet. Charlie-san, I am sorry, but could you grab me something to wipe myself off?”
“O-Okay. Give me a minute.”
Even at a time like this, Rose-san was smiling widely. Even though I think right now is the perfect time to get angry.
“Enough, you’re both showing some bad manners here. Stop your playing and properly apologize to Rose-san.”
So I got scolded them on her behalf.
“Eh, but I wasn’t playing around…….. Ah, um…….sorry Rose”
“Forgive her”
“Hey, you apologize too! Why are you making it seem like I’m the only one in the wrong here!”
“Because Toslin started it when you hit me for no reason!”
Charlie came back with a towel, and Rose-san started using it to wipe her face.
“Wait……which one of you is worse isn’t……”
“My………this juice is delicious…….”
When I got in between the two of them, Rose-san absentminded voice reached all of our ears. All of our gazes gathered on her as her red tongue peeked through her lips, licking up the juice splattered around them.
“Hii…….”
Toslin’s body stiffened as a small squeak escaped her own lips. Carol and Charlie were frozen and staring at the unusual, bewitching aura that was now radiating off of Rose-san.
“I am really sorry Charlie-san, but could I have some more of that same juice Toslin was having?”
“Ye…….Yes I’ll be right back!”
Running back to the kitchen as fast as she could……Charlie escaped.
“My, what’s everyone doing? Your stew is getting cold.”
“Eh? Ah, Ah…….right. You’re right…….”
Rose-san innocently tilted her head, and we were all finally able to tear our eyes away and silently focused on moving our spoons instead.
“S-Sorry to have kept you waiting!”
And then Charlie came back.
“Yosh, in commemoration for everyone having come back safe and sound after completing your job, everyone’s food and drink are my treat today!”
“Eh, really!?”
Sensing the delicate atmosphere in the store, Charlie laughed out in a loud, bright voice as if to fight against it.
“Really really. You’ve been staying here for a long time. I’m sure the Landlady would be okay with it too. Now order whatever you want! But I’ll go ahead and drink a little bit with you”
