67 Helping Hand

Though he was planning to frequent the Guild a lot in the near future, Paul searched for places on the opposite side of Sharia to stay. He didn't want to share an abode with other Adventurers, so, rather than searching for an Inn closer to the town center, he investigated the small, comparably cozy hostels along the periphery.

In the process of searching for a place to stay, Paul's progress was halted by a young girl wearing a winter frock and carrying a basket of bread. Her black, cat-like ears made it pretty obvious she was a member of the Beast Race, but, unlike Ghislaine, she had a black, button-like nose reminiscent of an actual cat.

"Nya? Strong-looking big sis! Are you looking for a place to stay, nya~?"

Instead of acknowledging anyone else in Paul's group, the black-haired cat girl zeroed in on Ghislaine as if she were the only person present. In response, Ghislaine simply nodded her head, answering, "Yes." in a curt tone.

Thumping her chest, the tiny cat girl replied, "Great, nya! Follow Esme! Esme will show you a good place, nya~!"

Demonstrating a bit of her gullibility, Ghislaine allowed herself to be pulled along by the diminutive cat girl without a fuss. She did look back at Paul for confirmation, but, seeing him smiling wryly, she made no attempt to break free as the five, maybe six-year-old girl dragged her to a building that was more like a rundown bakery than a hostel.

"Mooooomnya~! Esme found customers, nya~!"

"Nya~?"

Demonstrating where Esme had acquired her verbal tick, a considerably more mature cat girl with long black hair, black eyes, and a plump figure emerged from what Paul assumed to be the kitchen. Her black tail looked as though more than two-thirds had been cut away, but her most notable trait, at least for the time being, was the fact she was pregnant.

Seeing the large group of people, Esme's mother gave her daughter a helpless look before meeting Paul's gaze and saying, "There seems to be a misunderstanding, nya. We have two rooms available, but I planned to rent them out to members of the Beast Race. They aren't really furnished for humans, nya..."

"Nya? Did Esme make a mistake, nya!?"

Before Esme's mother could respond, Paul surprised her by asking, "Mind if my companions take a look at the rooms while we discuss terms...?"

Since he could tell the bakery-like domicile was a bit worse for wear, Paul couldn't help wanting to lend a hand to the clearly struggling mother and her child. Members of the Beast Race typically had around three children, yet Esme was the only one present. The residence was also too small to have more than two proper bedrooms, so Paul assumed the woman and her daughter were sleeping in the pantry while leasing out their rooms to guests. Either way, they weren't doing well.

Though she exhaled an exasperated sigh, Esme's mother didn't refuse Paul's request. She really was at her wit's end, so, after giving Ghislaine's and the other girls a once-over, she eventually nodded her head and said, "Very well...Esme, please show our guests to the rooms upstairs, nya."

"Leave it to Esme~! Follow me, nya~!"

Grabbing Ghislaine's hand a second time, Esme dragged the much taller cat woman upstairs while Eula and Xiangling followed after them. Ei was Paul's defacto bodyguard, so unless he specifically told her to go away, she would linger around him like the Kagemusha she once was.

Once everyone else had gone upstairs, Esme's mother offered Paul and Ei a loaf of freshly baked bread before saying, "Forgive my manners, nya. My name is Amalie, nya. I am Esme's mom and the owner of the former Cat's Tail Bakery."

Seeing a rather potent melancholy in Amalie's expression and eyes, Paul was very tempted to ask what had happened. Instead, he offered a polite nod and said, "My name is Paul. This remarkably beautiful woman next to me is Ei. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Amalie."

Returning a half-nod of her own, Amalie hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why do you want to stay here, Paul? Though we could use the help, humans don't usually involve themselves with the troubles of the Beast Race..."

Since she could somewhat sense that Paul intended to help her, Amalie wanted to know his reason for doing so. She wouldn't mind sleeping with him if he was just curious and willing to pay, but he already has a member of the Beast Race traveling with him. He also didn't give off the smell of a man in heat, so Amalie genuinely had no idea what he wanted from her.

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul maintained a friendly smile as he answered, "I just like helping people. Since your daughter called out to us, I consider it fate that our paths crossed like this. It has nothing to do with your race. If I can help someone without having to compromise myself or my beliefs, I see no reason not to."

Punctuating his statement, Paul pulled out an ornate pouch filled with a few Asura Gold and Silver Coins, adding, "My companions and I intend to stay within Sharia for around 4-6 months. I believe this should suffice as payment?"

Since the pouch was relatively large, Amalie expected it to be filled with a few dozen Large Copper Coins. When she saw the smallest denomination of currency was a Silver Coin, roughly what she earned in an entire month of operating the bakery, she removed her hands from the bag as if it were a hot stove, exclaiming, "I can't accept this!" in a panicked tone.

In an attempt to allay the woman's concerns, Paul revealed, "Everyone in my Party is at least Saint-Ranked in Swordsmanship or Magic. We earn a lot more than this through the Guild, so don't worry and accept it without a fuss. If not for yourself, then your children."

Nodding his head towards Amalie's rather prominent belly, Paul made it clear he wasn't just helping her. He knew about the Beast Race's habit of culling their weaker offspring during difficult times, and while he could understand their reasons for doing so, he would rather not have to live with the knowledge that Amalie had to kill off one or more of her children just to get by...

Though she was still reluctant, Amalie ultimately accepted the pouch with visibly shaky hands. She genuinely believed Paul was out of his mind, but she also really needed the money.

After pocketing the unnervingly heavy bag, Amalie lowered her head as far as her pregnant belly allowed, saying, "Thank you very much. If there is anything you require during your stay, anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask, nya..."

Understanding that Amalie really did mean anything, Paul's smile became slightly wry as he replied, "I'll keep that in mind...for now, how about you show me the kitchen? I wouldn't call myself a baker, but I'm familiar with the process."

Regaining her smile, Amalie happily replied, "Of course." before gesturing towards the kitchen and saying, "Follow me, nya~."

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Matching Paul's expectations, the rooms being leased out within Amalie's house were the master bedroom and what he assumed was a refurbished nursery. Only the former had an actual bed, while the latter was filled with surprisingly comfortable furnishing resembling large beanbags. According to Ghislaine, such beds were the norm back in the Great Forest, so Amalie hadn't been lying when she said they weren't really furnished for humans.

Since Eula wasn't too enthusiastic about staying in what was effectively a kennel, Paul gave all the girls the option of resting within the Intersection of Fate during the evenings until he could refurbish the place. The month or so he had spent with Ghislaine during the Mating Season had bolstered his resistance to stench and odors quite a bit, so he didn't mind the smell nearly as much as they did.

Though Xiangling and Ei did their best to put on a front, they eventually retreated to the Intersection of Fate after failing to fall asleep. This gave Paul and Ghislaine the bed to themselves, so, with her no longer being in heat, the two just cuddled for the first half of the night. That was around when Lynette snuck in through one of the second-floor windows, briefly alerting both Paul and Ghislaine until they realized who it was. After that, the three of them snuggled up together until around 3 AM, the time when Paul had to release the rest of the girls from the IOF...

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While Xiangling helped out in the kitchen, Paul left Amalie feeling at a loss for words as he discussed refurbishing the entire residence. He wanted to rebuild the bakery from the ground up, not just to make it more habitable for himself and the girls but to give Amalie the chance to resume business once they left.

After counting the amount of money Paul had given her, Amalie regarded herself, the bakery, and pretty much everything in her possession as his property. Even if she were to sell herself into slavery, she might not earn more than 5 Asura Silver Coins due to her age and damaged tail. Paul had given her eighteen Asura Gold Coins and thirty-seven Asura Silver Coins. If he hadn't asked them not to, she and her daughter would be referring to him as Master.

"Is it okay if I use the money you gave me to hire a Carpenter I'm familiar with? This year's Winter was especially harsh, so there are a lot of people in need of work and money."

Causing Amalie to feel even more fretful, Paul pulled out another pouch, this one filled with two hundred Asura Silver Coins, as he explained, "The money I gave you was for food, lodgings, and hospitality. You can use this to purchase new furniture, a larger stove, and have a bath installed. As for who you hire, that's ultimately up to you. I'm new to Sharia, so you're a lot more familiar with these kinds of things than I am."

Since Paul had practically shoved the pouch into her hands, Amalie had no choice but to accept it as she lowered her head and muttered a meek, "Thank you, nya..."

Shaking his head, Paul said, "Don't thank me. I'm being pretty selfish by imposing on you like this. Offering adequate compensation is the least I can do."

Though she wanted to refute Paul's words, Amalie assumed that anything she said would be futile. Their community was also in desperate need of assistance, so she didn't want to say or do anything that might offend her new benefactor. Instead, she just bowed her head, her large, cat-like ears twitching due to a combination of frustration and excitement.

Resisting the temptation to give Amalie's head a pat, Paul interrupted the sudden silence by saying, "I'm going to leave Xiangling back to help look after things. The rest of us are going to the Adventurer's Guild to meet up with an informant and take on some Quests. We should be back by lunch, but there's a chance we'll be back much later. Don't feel the need to wait up for us, okay?"

Nodding her head in understanding, Amalie was about to say something when Xiangling emerged from the kitchen with a far more fragrant loaf of bread than the ones she usually prepared. The diminutive yet buxom chef was familiar with far more advanced baking methods than those typically available within the world of Mushoku Tensei, so Paul was going to have her teach Amalie a few tricks to turn the bakery into one of Sharia's future hotspots. That way, she would never have to worry about money again...

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