The Butcher Shop in the Demon Realm - Chapter 6

“Ughh, I’m beat.”

After finishing all the rush orders from Countess Albert and tossing them into the fridge, I cleaned up the shop, locked up, and stepped outside—only to find a huge red moon already hanging in the sky.

In this world too, the moon rises at night—except it’s ridiculously red. Like the dark hue of bl00d.

“What kind of effort would it take to make something that red?”

Apparently, in this country, it’s believed that a deity resides in that moon.

It certainly does have a sinister color…

“Hmm… what should I grab to eat?”

People in this country eat two or three meals a day, just like humans. But in the noble district where the shop is, there aren’t many places to eat—and the ones that exist charge outrageous prices.

“Guess I’ll head to the usual spot.”

I thought about grabbing something from a nearby food stall, but the pleasant night breeze put me in the mood for a walk, so I headed from the noble district toward the shopping quarter.

◆◆◆◆◆

“Hey, if it isn’t Sosuke! You’re stopping by my place today, right?”

“Hey, it’s the butcher Metzger’s guy! We’ve got a cute girl today—how about a visit before dinner?”

As I left the noble district to grab some food and entered the commercial district, I was immediately greeted by a street lined with restaurants and diners.

By now, I’ve become somewhat of a known figure in this town, so shopkeepers call out to me from all over.

At first, I used to walk around nervously, hiding in my mentor’s shadow, but after being entrusted with the shop, I gradually lost that fear. Now, it’s become a street full of friendly, familiar faces.

“Sorry, old man. Gotta be up early tomorrow, so I’ll pass today.”

In a town where ‘humans = food,’ I do wonder what they think of me, just walking around on my own like this.

At the very least, they definitely don’t see me as food. They probably think, ‘He’s backed by royalty and nobility. If we stay on his good side, we might get something out of it.’

As proof of that, when I pass by a casual yakiniku joint, I get invited in with a ‘Hey, since you’re here, why not have a little fun?’

Of course, by ‘fun,’ they mean I’m allowed to mess around with the pre-prepared ingredients they’ve got in storage.

“I wonder how customers feel eating a woman I’ve slept with… nah, it probably doesn’t bother them. After all, even cows and pigs get eaten after breeding and giving birth.”

I mean, I’m planning to raise luxury ingredients myself. No point getting hung up on it now. With a small sigh, I reached for the door of my regular diner.

◆◆◆◆◆◆

The capital of the demon realm, Ebildam, is structured with a noble district at the center, surrounded by a donut-shaped commercial zone, then residential areas, and finally the outermost slums.

My place is right on the edge of the commercial district… near the noble quarter.

It’s about a 30-minute walk from the first shop, which belongs to my master, to the second shop where I work… If I pass through the commercial district to grab a bite, it takes around 45 minutes. The safety’s decent?

Among areas where regular demons live, it’s probably the safest. For humans or beastkin, though, it’s like being in the middle of hell, surrounded by predators. To me… it’s more like a ‘corporate slave zone’—close enough to get called into work anytime.

Though honestly, I crash at the shop more often than not—only heading home around a third of the month.

I opened the door to my room at the far end of the apartment complex, muttered ‘I’m home’ to the pitch-black emptiness, and closed it behind me.

It’s a typical one-room unit—with no bathroom or toilet. It was apparently built for orcs or minotaurs, so the door and ceiling are ridiculously high.

The floor’s just wooden boards—no carpet or anything. It’s more like a box with a roof and walls than an actual room.

“Should I make a futon… I’ve been saying this since I moved here, but the fact that I still don’t have one probably means I’m satisfied with the environment.”

Just to clarify, I make a decent salary, and I’ve saved up a good amount in tips from customers. I’m not poor, I just have no intention of spending it—or I simply don’t feel like it.

Even if I were fired today, I have enough saved up to live comfortably for 10 years.

“I’m working so hard I don’t even have time to spend any of it…”

I’m the only employee, and since most of my clients are nobles, I can’t really relax even if I take time off. Just thinking about when an urgent request might come in stops me from feeling relaxed.

I stripped off my clothes and left them scattered around, then laid down on the wooden floor in my shirt and pants. Using my bag as a pillow, I quickly drifted off to sleep.

◆◆◆◆◆

“Thank you so much. I’d like to properly express my thanks again sometime. My husband insisted as well, so please allow us to!”

Just after sunrise, I handed two portions of meat to Count Albert’s wife, and she bowed so deeply it made me feel awkward.

“Thank you very much! Please come again!”

I saw off the Countess and her butlers as they boarded their carriage, then returned to the shop.

“That wasn’t a regular carriage… More like a Cerberus cart? Oh, only two heads—that makes it an Orthrus cart.”

With the first light of dawn hitting the store, I closed the door once more and headed out to grab breakfast.

Since the shop usually opens in the afternoon, this early morning hour is normally when I’d still be asleep.

“Yaaawn… so sleepy…”

I casually stretched my legs and headed toward the commercial district.

Even though it’s early morning, for the nocturnal species, this is when they’re just finishing work and heading out for drinks.

The city runs on a 24-hour rotation, constantly awake day and night.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Sosuke?”

“Oh, it’s you old man. I just did a food delivery first thing this morning, and now I’m wondering what to do until after noon.”

“Hmm… you’re still as hardworking as ever. I wish my son could follow your example.”

“Nah, I’m just going through the motions.”

Living in this country, it’s hard to think about having a girlfriend or getting married. Considering the food culture, it would probably have to be someone from the same race, a beastman close to humans, or a demon who doesn’t need to eat food.

However, humans and beastmen are considered food, demons are mostly nobles. The vast majority of demons are too different in size and culture, so unless there’s a special fetish, they’re difficult to choose.

“Hey… Sosuke? What’s wrong? Are you zoning out again and just standing there?”

“Ouch!?”

I was snapped back to reality as the old man gave me a firm slap on the back.

“You’re looking all gloomy, youngster. Come join me for a drink tonight.”

“Old man, you’re a Jikininki​ ogre… Our tastes don’t match at all. Remember when you ate my fingertip last time, saying it was just a taste test. That was a pain to heal.”

“Ugh… I was pretty drunk at the time… sorry! I won’t do it again, alright? Today, I’ll buy you lunch!”

“Nah, I’ve got work starting in the afternoon.”

“Well then, have some coffee. Let’s chat about some stupid stuff for a change.”

Saying that, the old man pushed me on the back and practically shoved me into the shop.

“Hey, you’re still as pushy as ever, old man… I get it, just stop pushing me!”

In the end, I just passed by as usual and ended up having breakfast and lunch at the old man’s shop, a place I’ve only been to once.

◆◆◆◆◆

“Ugh… Oh, it’s just you, Dad.”

“Huh? Hey, Retsu, Sosuke is here today too.”

“Oh, it’s really you! Sosuke, it’s been a while!”

Retsu, the female Jikininki​ ogre, is the old man’s daughter and works as a waitress at this shop… essentially the store’s poster girl. She’s not quite twice my height, but she must be around 2.5 meters tall.

The old man’s about 3 meters tall, so it should be pretty accurate.

Her whole body is sculpted like a track athlete, with all the right curves, and my gaze inevitably drifts toward those.

Other than the two small horns sticking out from her forehead, Retsu gives off the image of an unusually tall model.

“Retsu-san, it’s been a while. Thanks for your help last time.”

The last time refers to when the drunk old man tasted my fingertip.

“Ahaha, sorry about my Dad. He said he’d apologize, but you never showed up. It’s all healed, right?”

That time, when I couldn’t stop bleeding and was half-conscious, they carried me to the clinic and even paid for the treatment.

“No, it’s just that I didn’t have the time.”

“I see, anytime is fine with me, Sosuke. Even now is fine.”

Saying that, Retsu rolled up her shirt and slid next to me where I was sitting.

“Hey, Retsu, are you seriously starting something right in front of your father?”

“What? Got a problem with that?”

“I don’t have a problem, but at least do it in a room… wait, no, Sosuke is having a drink with me now!”

Both of them are completely wrong. I have no intention of doing anything like that with Retsu for now, and I don’t plan to drink with the old man either.

“Um… I’ll have coffee and something light.”

“Hmm… I guess it can’t be helped, alright.”

Before I knew it, my head was caught in her cleavage, but I purposely avoided mentioning the father-daughter conversation and ordered coffee. Retsu then flashed a grin and disappeared into the back.

“Retsu is cute, right?”

“Of course, she’s cute.”

“I know, right? But with Sosuke, the height difference is way too much to enjoy, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think that’s true… Wait, why is that the assumption?”

“Hahaha! Who cares? It’ll definitely make a beautiful sound, right?”

The old man is getting so talkative that I think he’s already had some drinks, but let’s not dig any deeper into this conversation.

“Dad, is the usual fine?”

From the back of the kitchen, Retsu’s voice could be heard, and when the old man replied, ‘It’s fine, just do whatever,’ a cheerful voice responded, ‘Got it!’

“…N-no, n-no… ugh…”

“Hmm, should I choose the one that’s looking lively… here we go!”

“…”

I decided to ignore the voice that came when Retsu opened the storage door in the kitchen.

This is a diner run by ogres for ogres. I decided not to worry about the ingredients in the meals that are about to be served.

To the other customers who give me strange looks without knowing who I am, it’s probably like a cow eating in a steakhouse.

I try not to care about the little details. I don’t try to understand too much. That’s the way to survive in this country.

Chapter length 4369 characters.