80 Volume 2 Chapter 36: The Princess

(Walson)

The Dog house is closed today.

There's no special reason behind it, it's just because I had the habit of taking weekends off in my past life.

It's the same after my reincarnation into this fantasy world.

Of course, most people in this new world have no such habit, most businesses operate every day until late at night.

Unlike me, a snack seller who opens at 11am and sells only 200 servings a day before closing down.

If you didn't get to buy any, it's your own problem, haha.

...But now I've started doing another job.

That is, taking care of children.

Many of the other nearby shop owners bring their children with them when they go to work.

Usually, after deducting those children who are already big enough to help their parents work, the other children would often run around and play in the streets all day like strays.

But ever since I came, no, to be more specific, ever since Rifle came, these children have started playing with Rifle instead.

The kids climb all over Rifle back, and sometimes Rifle even carries them on his back and walks around the shop

.

There's no danger, even if the kids fall, Rifle, with his quick reflex and movement, would be fast enough to catch them immediately.

Sometimes they even play hero games, with Rifle playing the evil monster that the kids would need to defeat, and when Rifle 'lost', he would roll around on the ground while letting out some fake pained grunt.

Surprisingly, Rifle loves to play with human children.

While playing with the children outside, Rifle, with the 'Dog House' sign hanging on his neck, also attracts crowds of onlookers, and thanks to this, the [God House] popularity is steadily increasing day by day.

Recently, there have even been visitors who come specifically to pet Rifle.

Rifle is very gentle, as long as you don't show any hostility towards him, he will friendly nudge you with his giant wolf head quite often.

The news of a giant dog in [Dog House] has spread.

No one remembers that he was actually a wolf, but never mind.

One day, a child ran away and got lost, but was brought back by Rifle

Then, the uncle who ran the fruit stand next door gave me a silver coin to thank me for taking care of the child. From then on, the parents in the neighborhood who had shops were used to letting Rifle take care of their children.

I set up a small table next to the shop door, and if Melon wasn't in class, she would put out snacks at one o'clock, and the children would run over to eat it while playing with Rifle.

If Melon was in class, then I would put them out myself.

And then the adults waiting in line would look envious.

Hehe, the food we sell is very delicious. Don't you want to be a child again?

In addition to snacks, we also sell wine.

This is even more excessive. I placed the price for the wine at 1 gold per barrel, and it's usually sold out as soon as we open.

By the way, you all forgot what I look like. I'm still a fifteen-year-old Ancient Tree-Human who looks no different from the normal one, and is only 160 cm tall.

I still look like a child.

Some of the children nearby even treat me as their idol, shouting that they want to learn from "Big brother Walson" , and would try to catch a giant dog and open a snack shop when they got older.

Please don't, I don't want any competitors.

Anyway, I'm getting off-topic. I'm not opening my shop today.

It's been a week since the water golem incident, and the Autumn Harvest Festival is coming to a close.

During this time, Melon, Grace, and Barella received an audience with the king.

To be specific, they didn't receive any rewards and politely declined the offer of titles. They requested that the money they were to be given as a reward be used to repair the damage caused by the water golem instead... Ah, they've become popular heroes now.

But I digress. Since the festival isn't over yet, the shop should be open no matter what, right?

...The reason is simple. Because Melon, Grace, and Barella showed off their skills at the festival and became hero-like figures, the "Dog House" was packed with people to the point of bursting a few days ago.

Grace and Barella have been seen coming and going here a lot, and everyone wants to experience this kind of shop and pay their respects with fruits and other gratitude gifts while also admiring the heroes.

The fact that Melon is working here has also been known, and many people come to experience the feeling of being served by a hero.

What is this, a "hero" themed maid cafe?

Limiting sales to 200 portions a day is useless; even if it sells out, the crowd is still packed outside.

Managing those people is exhausting, and besides, Melon isn't here today, so it's impossible to operate.

Melon is adventuring with the four-person group today.

After the incident with the Ground Dragon, Melon started to spend one day every two weeks during her weekend to go on adventures. She seemed very interested in being an adventurer, but she didn't want to become one herself. It seemed like she just enjoyed the activities.

Anyway, since it was her interest, I let her go. If I didn't force her to take a good rest on the weekend, she would go working non-stop in [Dog House]. That's so unhealthy.

Today we went to sweep the forest near the King place to reduce the number of monsters and increase travel safety. Fortunately, we didn't go on a mission as big as the Ground Dragon incident. We only did small tasks like taking care of some small monster.

Because there was no business, I slept until almost noon today. The fatigue of the previous days disappeared into thin air. Haha.

However, when I opened the door of the 'Dog House' today, I saw a silver-haired woman in a jacket sitting next to the pillar outside the shop.

"Ah! Are you finally open? I've been trying to get in for several days!" She jumped up with joy as soon as the door opened.

She was carrying a long spear with cracks all over it that looked like it could break at any moment. She had an eye patch on her right eye and a bright blue eye that blinked on the left, with graceful curves and a height of about 1.7 meters, towering over me, who was only 1.6 meters tall.

She was dressed like an adventurer, but her clothes were a bit tattered and dirty.

Ah! Isn't she the one who saved the child for me during the water golem incident, when I might not have been able to save him in time!

"Sorry, we're not open today," I said.

Usually, if the shop is open, I would open the door at around 8 o'clock. The people around here probably know that I have the habit of taking two days off every five days.

So, she's probably not a regular customer, I guess. Well, there are a lot of people who come here, and a lot of them are pretty women, so I can't remember them all.

By the way, it seems like my shotacon looks are popular with some customers... but I'd rather be a cool guy than a shotacon bait.

But her hair color is really unique, so I should remember if she's been here before, right?

But as soon as I said that, she fell to her knees.

"No way… I have been waiting since last night..." Oh no, she's collapsed.

"But, if you're here for a meal, I can treat you." I spoke up again, using words that fit my shotacon image as the shop owner.

I've gotten used to this during our business hours.

"Huh? You'll treat me? Why?"

"During the fight against the Water Golems, I saw you saving people. It's nothing to treat a hero to a meal, right?"

Speaking of her status…

[Derisha Teigitan LV74 HP 1637/1637 Status: Normal Title: Monster Hunter]

Huh? Did I read that right? Teigitan ?

[Derisha Teigitan LV74 HP 1637/1637 Status: Normal Title: Monster Hunter]

What... the... WTF!?

This girl is a member of the royal family! How could a princess of a country be waiting in front of a shop since the previous night before it even opens?! And why is she dressed in such shabby clothes?!

And, what's with that level!?

7...74!? The highest level we've seen so far has appeared!!!!!

...Wait, I think I've heard rumors about the second princess of this country, who became an adventurer....

"Hm? how do you know that?"

"...Ah, the child you saved was my friend." I made up a lie while thinking about why she came here.

I can't call her a princess, otherwise I might be questioned about how I know her identity.

"....Is that so? Well then, Thank you for the treat." She speaks in a casual tone, completely unlike that of a princess.

"...Come on in, Miss. I'll get you something to eat."

I take out some cured meat from the storage box and put it in the furnace.

I'll give her our signature set meal, five pieces of cured meat and one extra large sandwich.

"What about that mutated Nakura Wolf?" The second princess leans back in her chair as she sits at the table.

Her posture is completely lacking in the grace of a princess.

"Wow, I didn't expect you, the second princess, to know about it," I said. She knew the specialized term for Rifle species, a level 74 advanturer is impressive indeed.

"Rifle is sleeping in the backyard."

By the way, it's worth mentioning that [Dog House] has a not-too-big, not-too-small backyard, and every house in the neighborhood has one like it.

"Is that a tamed magical beast of yours?

"

"Yeah, pretty impressive, huh?" I placed the prepared meal on the Second Princess's table.

"Yes, and you did it at such a young age too, what is your class? It can't be a mere [Fighter] or a normal [Mage] right?"

"I'm just a [Commoner]."

"Huh?"

"I picked up Rifle when It was still nothing but a pup. We developed a bond after i raising it for a long time." I casually added a common plot point from novels about wolves and humans, "Okay, now I'm going to give it a bath. Enjoy your meal, Second Princess."

As I left, I passed by the spear she had leaned against the wall.

By the way, if I'm using repayment as a lie, why not make the lie more convincing?

"This damaged weapon, let me repair it for you, Second Princess. Don't judge me by my looks, I know a thing or two about blacksmithing."

"Oh? I was just worrying about not having enough money to repair it. Thank you so much."

The second floor was already locked, so she shouldn't have a way to get up there.

By the way, what does it mean for a princess to not have enough money?

As I brushed Rifle back with bubbles while it lay on the ground, I thought about this question.