Monster Company Tycoon – Chapter 28

Author: Cireng

Chapter 28

A face I hadn’t seen in a week.

When our eyes met, an awkward feeling suddenly washed over me, and I discreetly looked away.

Especially since I’d been talking about him right up until just now….

“Welcome.”

Regardless, he was a customer, so I guided him to a seat.

Despite this being a fairly small village, it was almost strange how we hadn’t run into each other at all during that time.

Of course, my usual routes were limited, but considering how Ragner had always been the one to approach me first until now, I almost got the impression that he’d been deliberately avoiding me.

‘Could he have received the same advice from Ruadis?’

When I saw him again after so long, he was dressed far too casually.

Even with a physique that was hard to come by in this village, his clothes were so ordinary that at a glance, I might have mistaken him for just another villager and walked right past him.

‘Maybe he dressed this way because I heard he was helping with the temple’s construction?’

The first time we met, he’d been wearing armor. The second time, he’d worn combat shoulder guards, though they were a little less imposing.

Perhaps that was why. His current appearance gave off an overwhelmingly defenseless impression.

Of course, even without any equipment, our dungeon employees wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

“Are you ready to order?”

“Ah, I’ll skip the meal. Just some tea, please.”

Our restaurant also doubled as a teahouse. In fact, aside from the tavern, this was practically the only establishment in town that prepared and sold food.

“Tea… Would you like some refreshments with it?”

Customers could look at the menu and choose their meals, but that wasn’t how tea worked.

Since we weren’t a specialized teahouse, the tea available to customers depended on whatever the madam felt like brewing that day.

“Yes, please.”

After placing his order, Ragner glanced out the window with an uncomfortable expression. It almost seemed as though he was keeping watch for something.

“Tea and refreshments for table two!”

“Hehe. It’s quiet right now, so why don’t you go keep him company? Didn’t you say you wanted to get in touch with him?”

The madam accepted the order slip with a cheerful smile, then lightly patted my arm and gestured toward Ragner’s table with her chin.

“Pardon? No, that’s not it. I’m on the clock, so I can’t…”

“It’s obvious when you consider that he’s ordering tea even though he doesn’t particularly like it. Everyone in the village knows that boy can’t stomach bitter things.”

“Huh? He doesn’t like tea?”

Then why had he come all the way here just to drink it?

“That’s right. Especially the tea we serve here. We only sell medicinal tea, after all.”

“But I thought he drank it just fine the last time he came…”

“Why do you think that was? Our Choi really can be so oblivious sometimes.”

In the end, thanks to the madam’s considerate (or perhaps not-so-considerate) gesture, I finally got an opportunity to talk to Ragner.

‘Maybe this is actually for the best. With so many people around, even if I bring up something disrespectful about his friend, he won’t just grab me and drag me away on the spot, right?’

As I set the teacup down in front of Ragner, I discreetly studied his expression.

‘He doesn’t like bitter things? But didn’t he drink it just fine before?’

And yet, when the fragrant steam rising from the teacup reached his face, I definitely saw it.

The moment his fine brows drew together ever so slightly.

‘Oh… He really doesn’t like it.’

It was such a subtle change in expression that I might have missed it if I hadn’t been paying close attention. But I only caught it for an instant. His expression soon smoothed out, returning to its usual calm state.

He was extremely good at controlling his facial expressions.

“……”

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘Could… this be considered Ragner’s weakness?’

It was a ridiculous thought, but this was the only opening I’d discovered in a man whom even all our dungeon employees, working together and throwing themselves at him with everything they had, wouldn’t be able to defeat.

If Ragner ever changed his mind and decided to conquer our dungeon, we had no way of stopping him.

But what if we filled the entrance with smoke that gave off a strong bitter smell, or set up pitfall traps filled with bitter liquid…?

What if we stocked up on the madam’s medicinal tea and used slimes to spray it relentlessly throughout the dungeon…?

I imagined myself spraying medicinal tea at Ragner as he approached, like someone using insecticide spray, but the image was so childish that I abandoned the idea.

Scrape.

Around then, a faint scraping sound from something being pushed across the table snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Hmm?”

It was the sound of Ragner pushing the plate of refreshments that had been served to him toward me with his finger.

As though telling me to eat them instead.

I haven’t even asked him if he can spare me some time yet….

Almost as if under a spell, I naturally took the seat across from him.

Perhaps I’d simply been drawn in by the refreshments because lunchtime was approaching and I was hungry. The cookies the madam baked really were delicious.

“It’s been a while since you’ve come by.”

Actually, a week wasn’t particularly long between visits for a restaurant customer. If anything, that made him a regular.

“I’ve had some things keeping me busy… lately.”

He glanced out the window again.

Was there something waiting for him outside?

“I heard you were unemployed? Ah! I also heard you’ve been helping with the temple’s work. Is that why…?”

“You mustn’t go anywhere near the temple.”

“Pardon?”

The moment I brought up the temple, his firm voice immediately followed.

“Ah… I heard from Lady Ruadis. I’ve been really careful, actually. As soon as my part-time shift ends, I go straight back, and I don’t even glance toward the north…”

I found myself rattling off excuses one after another, as though I’d suddenly been struck by a guilty conscience.

“You’ve done well. There’s nothing for you to gain by getting involved with the temple, Miss Choi.”

It was probably just a simple compliment without any particular meaning, but for some reason, I felt rather pleased.

When you say I’ve done well… does that mean that since you also chose to overlook the fact that I’m a heretic instead of reporting me, you’ve become an accomplice? Then can I take that to mean we’re really on the same side?

I still couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all, but having him as an ally was better than having him as an enemy.

I could have made some small talk to lighten the mood, but since the subject I needed to discuss was rather serious, I decided it would be better to refrain.

“Um…”

I thought and thought about how to bring it up without making him change his mind on the spot and drag me straight to the temple.

I took a deep breath.

“I’ve been looking into items quite diligently because I need to stock the reward room. So…”

I explained everything in order: how I’d gone to the general store only to discover that the items I wanted were out of stock, how the craftsmen were struggling to produce anything because they didn’t have the materials, and even the reason why gathering those materials had become so difficult…

“You mustn’t go to the eastern forest.”

Another warning came flying my way.

But I’d already gone there. Twice, in fact.

“I’ve already seen the monster.”

Ragner’s brows furrowed slightly. And it wasn’t just because the tea was bitter.

“I went with Lady Ruadis! I didn’t go alone.”

“You did well. It could be dangerous if you encountered a monster by yourself.”

“Um… You haven’t forgotten, have you…? I’m not exactly on bad terms with monsters…”

If we’re being precise, it’s more of a business relationship.

“Even so, it could be dangerous.”

Was that concern, or a warning not to do anything reckless?

“Th-That’s why I wanted to tell you something. By sheer coincidence, I happened to see something there. Not the monster, though.”

“What did you see?”

I rubbed the tips of my fingers together, trying to soothe my uneasiness.

At the same time, I carefully kept my eyes on the restaurant’s main exit and the side door in the kitchen. I even kept one leg outside the chair, ready to move at any moment.

‘Right. If things went south, I’d run.’

Rather than getting dragged straight to the temple, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to flee first and live to fight another day.

“I saw a grave…”

I glanced sideways at Ragner’s expression.

It was unreadable.

“I also saw a pendant necklace lying there. Ah, I didn’t even realize it was a grave at first! I only touched it briefly out of curiosity! I didn’t damage anything or have any bad intentions! I was really just curious…”

Actually, I’d realized it was a grave first.

As I desperately tried to explain myself, I suddenly realized something.

Wouldn’t all these excuses just make me look even more suspicious?

“Did you happen to open the pendant?”

“Yes. I’m sorry for touching it without permission.”

Ragner’s gaze left me and drifted toward somewhere in the restaurant. He had the expression of someone trying to recall something from the past.

My anxiety was starting to spread, and I pressed down firmly on my trembling legs as I watched his reaction.

He doesn’t seem angry. And he doesn’t look displeased, either.

Perhaps it was because I’d often spent long periods talking face-to-face with strangers at close range.

I was fairly confident in my ability to read other people’s emotions, at least vaguely.

‘Still safe. For now.’

“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m sure that fellow was happy to have someone visit him again after so long.”