Second floor corridor of the inn.

"Is it the same in that room too?"

At Bale’s question as he stepped out of the room, Enzo nodded.

"Yes. And in our room as well..."

"What was there?"

"There was a dead rat under the blanket."

"Damn."

Bale faltered.

"S, she’s completely insane. Running a dump like this and demanding one hundred gold a night?! Ha!"

The more they inspected the rooms, the harder it was to believe what had happened downstairs.

"She must have completely lost her mind."

How could anyone rent out rooms like these and ask for one hundred gold?

Shifting his gaze, he saw Basto still cleaning Tie’s room.

Tie was already rolling around on the bed Basto had just beaten the dust out of.

"Is this really okay?"

Bale nodded.

"...Basto shook everything out."

Basto, clearly distrustful of the room’s condition, had shaken out the sheet, the blanket, and the pillow, then spread a leather cloak over the mattress.

After that, he laid down two more layers of blankets the squad had brought, and only then did he allow Tie to lie down.

Even so, the unease did not fade.

"Won’t the little one’s cold get worse?"

Enzo let out a quiet sigh.

Astie’s room looked far more decent than theirs.

Though that was only because Basto had cleaned everything.

He nodded.

"Yes. I think it’ll be fine like this. And right now, it’s the best option. The weather turned cold suddenly — sleeping in the wagon would’ve been impossible anyway."

"...That’s true."

They let out heavy sighs at the same time.

They stood there for a while, leaning their tired backs against the corridor wall.

"Bale, Enzo. How about we stop by the pub?"

Basto, having finished cleaning, asked as if it were nothing.

Bale straightened and frowned.

"A pub? Out of nowhere?"

"Ah! It’s there!"

Tie’s voice came from below.

Lowering their gaze, they saw Tie tightly holding Basto’s hand and pointing toward the square outside the window.

"Tie saw it! Five people already went inside!"

Basto shrugged as if to say, what can you do.

Bale frowned for a moment, then crouched down and looked Tie in the eyes.

"Little one. You’re really not sick anymore?"

"Mhm! Not even [N O V E L I G H T] a tiny bit!"

To be honest, she truly did not look sick.

That was children’s resilience.

"Maybe you should rest today instead?"

He asked just in case, but Tie immediately widened her eyes and puffed out her cheeks.

"Yesterday and the day before you said Tie could do anything she wanted..."

Bale was left speechless and let out a heavy sigh.

"...Fine. Let’s go."

The child’s face instantly lit up with a wide smile.

"Yaaay! Then can Tie have strawberry juice?"

"You’re drinking too?"

"Mhm! And toast together!"

"Where are you going?"

At that moment Raul approached, having just gotten rid of the rat’s body.

Tie waved enthusiastically.

"We’re all going to the pub together!"

"The pub?"

"Yes. People sit there, talk, and drink drinks."

Raul’s eyes brightened.

"Then I’m going too!"

Perhaps it was because they had finally secured a place to sleep.

After unloading their things, everyone suddenly felt like having something cool to drink.

"Let’s go then."

Basto muttered and took Tie’s hand.

Behind them, Lucarion trotted along in Tie’s dress.

"What about Old Man Nordix?"

"He doesn’t want to go today."

Bale replied, shaking his head, and headed down the stairs.

The way to the pub was simple.

Essentially, they only had to cross the square and enter the building opposite.

"Eh...?"

But right near the entrance, something happened.

"Hey, you."

Suppressing his anger, Bale called out to a boy about seven or eight who had just bumped into his shoulder.

The child, his cap pulled low over his face, turned and looked at him with empty eyes.

"What."

The insolent tone instantly irritated him.

But Bale forced himself to smile.

"Give it back. Nicely."

Basto looked at him in surprise.

But Bale ignored it and looked at the boy again.

"What you just took. Give it back."

The boy froze.

"I don’t know what you’re—"

But the next moment—

"Ah?!"

He spun around and bolted into the nearest alley.

Seeing a silver chain dangling from his hand, Bale flared up.

"You little—!"

"Bale!"

Bale dashed forward.

In just a few strides, he caught up to the boy and grabbed him by the collar.

"Damn it, let go!"

The boy struggled fiercely.

Bale yanked his chain out of the child’s hand and only then released him.

The boy fell to the ground and glared at him hatefully.

"...Tch!"

Spitting thick saliva in front of Bale, he quickly disappeared into the alley.

Enzo and Raul ran up.

"Sir Bale! Are you alright?"

Bale exhaled and examined the chain.

Fortunately, it was undamaged.

He held his breath for a moment and rubbed his temple.

"It’s fine. It was hooked inside my belt, and he still managed to pull it."

Returning to the pub with Raul and Enzo, he saw Basto and Tie waiting.

Basto looked uneasy, and fear was visible in Tie’s eyes.

Bale gently patted her head and stepped inside.

"What kind of village is this..."

He did not even realize he had muttered it.

Judging by what had happened so far, the pub was unlikely to be normal either.

And he was right.

"Wa... ah."

The moment Tie stepped in, her admiring exclamation faded.

Ding—

Aside from the bell above the door, the pub was deathly silent.

Dozens of eyes stared at them.

Tie hesitated and stepped back behind Basto.

The eyes of the patrons looked like black voids yawning open inside their sockets.

Even the skeletal friends she had summoned before had seemed more alive.

"Bale oppa..."

Tie whispered fearfully.

Bale silently stepped closer.

After scanning the room, he pointed. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Basto. The counter’s over there."

Basto nodded and lifted Tie into his arms.

As they moved toward the counter, dozens of eyes followed them.

"...What is going on here?"

"I don’t understand either."

While Raul and Enzo whispered quietly,

Basto, his face tense, pressed the bell on the counter.

A piercing ring, and a small bird-shaped figure rose and fell from the bell.

A few seconds later—

"Oh, I didn’t hear the bell. Sorry about that."

A woman who had been rummaging through a drawer straightened up from behind the counter.

Neatly arranged chestnut hair.

Tall, with long white arms visible beneath rolled-up sleeves.

In one hand she held five wooden mugs.

"I’ve never seen you before. Travelers?"

Raul nodded awkwardly.

"...Yes."

The woman set the mugs down on the counter and nodded toward the menu.

"Then I recommend Birchbrew. I brew it myself — it’s our most popular. But first..."

Her gaze slid toward Tie and Lucarion in her dress.

"What are children doing in my pub? I don’t sell alcohol to minors."