Inn Overlord: Reincarnated with Enhancement Magic, Now Worshipped as a Divine Messenger! - Chapter 8
(Seraph’s Perspective)
“Three ales for Table 1!”
“Extra bread for Table 3!”
“Ah, and ham for Table 1 too!”
“Is the soup ready yet!?”
The tavern was lively and bustling.
I finally got the soup and brought it to Table 5. Sitting there was Hazan, who owned a nearby farm, along with his drinking buddies.
“Seraph~? Don’t trouble your mother too much, alright?”
“I know! I just happened to find Rubens’ sheep today—”
“Oh, by the way, where did you find it?”
I hesitated to answer. If they found out I went to the Forbidden Forest, my mom would be furious.
“Uh… near the outskirts of the village, close to the Forbidden Forest, maybe?”
The outskirts and the Forbidden Forest were practically the same thing, but in my panic, that was all I could say. Then, from behind me, I heard Abigail’s voice.
“Seraph! Hurry up and bring that ale to the other table!”
I signaled to Hazan and his friends before leaving to carry the extra ale.
When I delivered the ale to Table 7, I noticed that the people sitting there were unfamiliar. However, their outfits made it easy to guess their professions. Among the group of four, one was wearing armor, another had a robe and a pointed hat, and the others had heavy axes and bows propped against the table or chairs. They were adventurers.
One of the armored men called out to me.
“Hey, kid, is that woman working over there your mother?”
I looked in the direction he pointed—he was talking about my mom.
“Yeah, she is.”
When I answered, the adventurer asked another question.
“Where’s your dad?”
To be honest, my mom was really beautiful. I often heard rumors about customers trying to court her. Normally, people wouldn’t know she had a ten-year-old son. But this adventurer must have seen me earlier when I came home and talked to my mom. So, I lied.
“My dad… he passed away recently…”
Hearing that, the female adventurer in the pointed hat scolded him.
“Idiot! Why would you make a kid say something like that!?”
“I-I didn’t mean to… Ah, my bad, kid! Here, take this and cheer up, okay?”
He pressed a silver coin into my palm. I clutched it tightly and wiped my eyes with my arm as if wiping away tears.
“Thank you…”
Inside, I was shouting, “Yes!” I quickly ran off to take another order. As I left, the adventurer called out to me.
“Hang in there, kid!”
I raised a hand in response. But then, angry voices erupted from another table.
“You wanna fight, huh!?”
“Bring it on, you bastard!!”
A fight broke out. Two adventurers stood up, slamming the table.
“Yeah, do it!”
“A fight!?”
“Who do you think will win?”
“Place your bets!”
This was a common occurrence. Drunk people get bolder, and fights naturally happen.
One of them kicked the table, spilling ale and food all over the floor. The other grabbed a chair and held it like a longsword.
Whenever a fight started, David always stepped out of the kitchen.
“What, you bald fool!?”
“Stay out of this!”
David smiled and walked up to them. I heard he lost his leg during his adventurer days. Ignoring the two men glaring at each other, he first fixed the table. Then, he grabbed both of their heads and slammed them onto the table. They instantly passed out, and the table broke from the impact.
“Yeah! We’ve been waiting for this!”
“Nice one!”
“That’s David for you!!”
Flexing his muscles, David basked in the cheers. Apparently, he used to be quite famous as an adventurer.
The adventurer who gave me the silver coin muttered, “As expected from David the Mighty…”
The female adventurer added, “Guess the story about him defeating Goliath wasn’t a lie…”
Amidst the applause and whistling, David’s daughter, Abigail, and his wife, Laura, shouted in unison.
“Hey! Stop breaking the tables!”
“Seriously, what are we supposed to do with a broken table!?”
David looked dejected after being scolded, but this was just part of the usual routine. Everyone laughed.
Mom and I laughed too.
As the lively tavern reached closing time, the regulars went home, and the adventurers headed to the inn upstairs.
Abigail and I washed the dishes, while my mom wiped down the tables.
While drying the dishes I washed, Abigail muttered, “Hey, Seraph…”
I turned to her. “What is it?”
“I heard you found Rubens’ sheep.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you find Luka?”
“Ah…”
I had been so busy working that I forgot about Luca’s situation.
—What do I do? What do I do? What do I do…?
As I panicked, Abigail’s expression turned sad.
“Do you think… Luka might be dead?”
She had been in charge of taking care of Luka and felt guilty for losing her.
I had a feeling she was blaming herself.
“Luca is alive.”
“How do you know? Why do you think that?”
“Well…”
I couldn’t exactly say, “Because I saved him and turned him into a human-like creature.”
As I struggled to answer, Abigail spoke again.
“Sorry… I asked a tough question. You’re just trying to cheer me up, aren’t you, Seraph?”
I placed my hand on her head.
“It’s okay, Abby. I’ll figure something out.”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Seraph… your hand is wet…”
I had been washing dishes and accidentally patted her head with wet hands.
“S-Sorry!!”
As I quickly pulled my hand away, Abigail stopped me.
“It’s fine… Just a little longer…”
We looked at each other and laughed.
“It’s funny, isn’t it? You’re so much younger than me, and yet…”
I shook my head.
“It’s not strange at all. You’re always so responsible, Abby. Sometimes, it’s okay to rely on someone else.”
“You’re so cheeky!”
She said that while pinching my cheek.