EP.122 The General Store Owner is a Treasure Goblin (1)
A civil servant who looked like someone with a strict personality to anyone who saw him.
His wrinkled face and sharp gaze suggested he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
"Of course. That's part of our job after all."
"If you've dug up what I did when I was 16, you probably know what underwear I'm wearing today."
"Well, I'm not interested in that. Haha."
I could sense his confidence that he could find out even that if it had been of interest.
"So... what's the result going to be?"
I asked, worried that I might have to enlist in the military after receiving the medal.
While I had no intention of submitting to such treatment, I preferred to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the state rather than clash with it.
"I know what you're worried about. And you don't need to worry about that. Actually, the Duke has already taken care of everything before I needed to step in. I just tidied things up so that people like us wouldn't notice anything strange."
The civil servant's definitive answer lifted the weight from my mind.
Not only did they turn a blind eye, but they even cleaned up the problematic parts?
"So you're saying I won't have to enlist at this age."
"While it's regrettable for the state to lose potential talent, we don't think it's worth forcing the issue and damaging our relationship."
It seemed they'd rather maintain the current relationship and receive help than risk ruining everything by forcing me to enlist.
"Ah, and personally, I feel a sense of respect for you."
"...Respect?"
He feels respect for me?
When I asked back in surprise at the civil servant's sudden statement, he said:
"Yes, when you were young, you helped eliminate monsters as a mercenary, consistently donated to the Academy, and now in retirement, you're supplying good items to students through your general store. Though we couldn't trace where you got those items from. Hehehe!"
"....."
Could this guy actually know what color underwear I'm wearing but is just pretending not to?
"It's rare to find someone who's consistently willing to support others from a young age. But you were different, Sir Suhan. You've been donating to the Academy since you were young. Such actions deserve respect."
"....."
"I hope you won't feel too burdened about receiving the medal this time. You truly deserve it, Sir Suhan."
How could I not feel burdened even when told not to?
There was another purpose behind consistently donating to the Academy.
I needed to raise SSR characters here later.
That's why I needed to establish good relations with the Academy, and that's how it all started.
For a commoner like me to interact with the kids without getting criticized, I needed a clear social standing, and donations were a very effective and convenient way to establish that.
"Ahem, I suppose my words haven't been very effective. Well then, let me explain the benefits you can receive with the medal."
After making me embarrassed with his praise, the civil servant enthusiastically explained the privileges that came with the medal before leaving the general store.
And then.
"Excuse me, but may I ask what kind of person you are?"
It seemed the attention drawn by the knights had made the neighborhood residents curious about me.
That curiosity eventually led them to visit our general store.
"As you can see, I run a general store."
"Come on~ Why would knights visit a mere general store owner? There must be something more to you."
"Don't keep secrets from your neighbors, tell us."
"Could you be someone really important? Are you hiding your true identity?"
It seems the residents' imagination had painted me as some kind of hidden master.
Their unwanted attention was giving me a headache.
"Would someone important be running a general store in a place like this?"
"But still, the knights came rushing in with their swords like this, you know?"
The resident mimicked how the knights had made an 'S' shape with their swords earlier.
"That was so cool."
"Man... I wish I could experience that too."
"Look, I don't understand why you're so curious about someone else's business. You don't need to know about this, so please stop being interested. I'm not the important person you think I am."
Why would I create troublesome situations with my own words?
I had no desire to explain anything or engage in cheerful conversation with these people.
"Please stop disturbing my business and leave, everyone?"
Naturally, a resident whose feelings were hurt by my cold attitude spoke sarcastically.
"I've never seen any customers here whenever I pass by, so what customers are you talking about?"
"You really have no warmth."
"Are you saying you don't even want to talk to people like us?"
At first, they were careful, wondering if I might really be someone important, but they quickly changed their attitude when I said I wasn't.
"Do you have a problem with me choosing which customers I serve in my own store?"
"Huh! We could all get along nicely as neighbors."
"Since when were we acquainted? If you don't leave, I'll call the guards for business interference."
The residents left, annoyed at my attitude.
They probably didn't cause trouble because they were mindful of the knights.
Only after they disappeared did the general store finally regain its peace.
"Ah, this is more like it."
An empty general store with no customers - this was exactly the scene I wanted.
"I've been pushing too hard lately."
I need a break.
The kids will be busy with their exam period for a while too.
When the kids are busy is precisely when I can rest.
'I really need to do some healing for a while.'
With that self-promise, I leaned back in my chair and relaxed.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
"Do it."
"...Rebecca."
Although I had promised myself some healing time, Rebecca appeared suddenly, completely disregarding my work-life balance, and cast her 'do it' spell.
What she held out before me was a pair of high heels.
Rebecca was staring at her unique equipment, which was maintained so well it sparkled like new, with burning eyes.
"This is the bonus I just received. Could we do something with this?"
Rebecca set down the high heels for a moment and held out a bag she had brought with her.
It seemed she had brought it as payment for enhancement.
"Not necessary. I'll just do it for you."
The store's payment window was already bursting at the seams from collecting more than enough fees from the kids.
There was no need to charge Rebecca for enhancement.
As I tried to take the high heels, Rebecca pulled them away from my hand.
"How can that be? I don't like freebies."
"Why not? Don't you think I can do this much for us?"
"Hmph, what kind of relationship do we even have?"
What kind of relationship?
Strangely, I'm at a loss for words.
The only way to describe our relationship seems to be 'more than friends, less than lovers.'
I can't think of any other appropriate term.
"You said you'd do it for me, but you did it for the others first. What's so special about our relationship?"
"Ah~ So that's what you were upset about?"
Come to think of it, her gaze was quite sharp when she saw the kids' equipment back then.
'I forgot about it because I was so busy.'
It seems Rebecca was quite hurt about that.
"It just happened that way. How could I refuse when they brought their stuff and asked? If you're that upset, should I give you a kiss?"
"No thanks!"
Rebecca snorted and continued.
"Save that for later, just do this for me first. Looking at the kids' stuff, it was so shiny and I wanted that too."
"Of course I'll do it. Don't worry."
It was Rebecca after all, I couldn't do any less for her than I did for the others.
"How far will you... never mind."
"Hm?"
She was about to ask how far I'd enhance it, but changed her mind.
"Leave this with me for two days."
"Two days?! That's too long..."
"You can't even wait two days?"
Thinking about how the kids went crazy over enhancement, it would be better to have her leave the weapon with me and enhance it alone.
Wouldn't it be much more comfortable than watching anxiously as the enhancement goes up and down?
'These kids had such strong reactions because they've never experienced enhancement before.'
From what I could see, Rebecca's competitive spirit was just as strong as Ariane's, so her reaction would probably be intense.
Ariane was already practically addicted to enhancement, and if Rebecca showed similar behavior, it would be hard to handle.
'Moreover, she's so attached to her equipment that she definitely won't back down easily. It's going to be incredibly tiring. I can see it coming.'
The Rebecca I know won't leave until it reaches +12.
Hadn't she already been caught up in enhancement once before and ended up at the guard station?
I wanted to decline being constantly pestered.
"Two days... two days... How can I survive two days without my baby?"
Rebecca was excessively depressed about having to part with her high heels.
I looked at her skeptically before finally saying:
"Are you filming a drama by yourself?"
Rebecca probably couldn't understand what I meant.
"Drama? What's that?"
"I mean, it's only two days, you don't need to be so gloomy. It's not like I'm stealing it from you."
I feel uneasy, like I've become the bad guy.
"Only two days?! I won't be able to polish my shoes and talk to them morning and evening for two whole days. Do you know how important that ritual is?!"
She did that with these?
No wonder they looked so clean, with barely any signs of use...
She seems to cherish her unique equipment more than I imagined.
But cherishing equipment doesn't make it enhance itself.
'Enhancement isn't possible through cherishing alone, only through my ability.'
To let Rebecca, who was filming her own melodrama, know this wasn't a film set, I said:
"You're going to leave it anyway, right? You said you wanted enhancement. Don't you want it?"
No matter how much she hates parting with it, not getting it enhanced isn't an option.
Sure enough, Rebecca became sulky at my direct words and answered.
"No! I'll do it."
"Then stop wasting emotions on unnecessary things and hand it over."
"Ugh... No! My baby is being taken away...!"
"Tsk! Stop with the weird talk. And loosen your grip! Ugh, why are you so strong?!"
Rebecca wouldn't loosen her grip on the high heels.
"You saw the kids walking around with sparkling equipment, right? Are you going to keep your high heels all dull? Don't you think they want to sparkle like the others?"
"!!!!!"
The moment her unique equipment was compared to others'.
Shocked, Rebecca loosened her grip.
"...I'll watch, I'll definitely watch!! I'm going to brag that my baby is the prettiest!!"
Rebecca roughly grabbed both my hands.