Milly led the way towards what served as both the reception desk of the inn as well as a small bar counter. From underneath it, she pulled out an old, well-worn book.

She put the book down in front of her but did not open it. Instead, she looked one by one at the three people on the other side of the counter until her gaze finally lingered on Severin, whom she identified as the leader of the group; if only by merit of his age.

“Currently, it’s me running this inn by myself. The only other help I have is that of my son. That means I’m not currently able to run the kitchen,” she offhandedly pointed to the door behind her, “and the bar at the same time. Therefore, the bar will stay closed during the day. Similarly, that means that in the evening I won’t be able to provide any meals. Unless you order it beforehand, that is. Then I can keep it for you in the kitchen for later. But in that case, I don’t want to hear any complaints about it being cold. Of course, that also means you have to pay for it in advance.

Same goes for the rooms themselves-advance pay only.

If you have a problem with any of that, I suggest you look for another place to stay.”

“No problem.”

“Great.” With that, the elven woman visibly warmed up to the group and opened the book in front of her.

“How many rooms and how long will you be staying?”

Somewhat stumped by the second half of the question, Severin looked at the people next to him.

“About least a week, I’d say.” Timothy voiced his opinion.

“Right,” Miriam agreed as well. “Especially with your other business later on.”

“Alright.” Severin thanked them and turned back to the innkeeper. “So, a week it is. Or you know what? Add another three, no, four days. Just to be safe. I’ll cover the difference.” The last part was added for Miriam’s and Timothy’s benefit, but before either one of them answered, it was again Milly who spoke up.

“Let’s just go with just one week, then. Once the Games are over, a lot of people will depart immediately. By then we won’t be that starved for rooms anymore. At that time, you can just as well book the rooms on a daily basis.”

In turn, Severin’s opinion of the woman also increased. He didn’t argue with her, nodded, and repeated Timothy’s earlier words.

“Depending on what’s available, we’ll take either a combination of one double room and two regular ones, or simply just four regular ones.”

“As I already said, right now you are our only customers. I expect to be completely booked out in just a few hours from now, but as things stand, you have the free choice.”

“In that case, we’ll take the double room.”

Though he was a bit surprised by the interjection, Severin didn’t comment on it; despite their constant arguing and bickering, the relationship between the two was apparently not as bad as one might think.

And even if he wanted to comment, he wasn’t given the opportunity to do so.

In response to the group's answers, Milly began to jot something down in her book when footsteps were heard from the top of the stairs leading to the inn's accommodations.

A few moments later, a dark-haired boy stood in the middle of the spacious yet cozy common room.

“Are you our guests? I thought we weren’t opening for another few hours.”

“Nel! Don’t be rude.”

“Sorry, and welcome everyone. I am Nel,” the boy quickly introduced himself after being scolded. But still couldn’t keep his curiosity in check, as he followed up, “and you are?”

Nel was much younger than Severin had expected after Milly mentioned that her son would be helping out. He doubted the boy was any older than Emily. But then again, even if Nel’s ears weren’t as striking as his mother’s, he was very obviously still an elf. At least in parts. So, for Severin, whose thinking was influenced by the notion of elven longevity and stories of their correspondingly slower development, it was impossible to rely on his assessment; unfortunately, now was hardly the time to find out with certainty how much of these stories was actually true.

“They are indeed our guests. And no, we’re not open yet. I made an exception since old Gorik brought them over himself.”

If the boy had actually been looking at his mother when she was answering his questions, he would’ve been able to notice an unhappy scowl appear on her face. Instead, he kept on asking his questions, staring at both Timothy and Miriam, while basically ignoring the comparatively ordinary looking Severin.

“You are real adventurers, right!? Classbearers, I mean.”

Sigh

“Please excuse him. He is obsessed with adventurers, and outside of special occasions such as the Games this year, hardly any ever find their way to us.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Severin asked, while Timothy and Miriam indulged Nel.

“Too far on the outskirts. And not officially registered with the Society. So, they won’t send any business our way.”

This made Severin even more curious, asking her what kept her from doing so.

“Haha, money, of course. The inspection fees are too prohibitive for someone like me. Even if I didn’t have to spend most all my funds on those renovations.”

Severin was genuinely confused. He ignored the innkeeper’s bitter smile and wondered aloud, “what do you mean, inspection fees? Are they demanding bribes?”

Somewhat surprisingly, it was Miriam, who had been listening in with one ear, who now cleared up the confusion; seeing her dressed in a pelt around her shoulders, not unlike her mentor, it was all too easy to forget that Miriam had been raised a merchant’s daughter. And exposed to all the knowledge that came with it.

“Everyone wants to be officially partnered with the Society. But they cannot accept just anyone, right? They have to verify that certain standards are met. Simply not being a fraud is not good enough.

But even the Society can’t just inspect every inn, every blacksmith, every alchemist, every… you get the point. So, they narrow it down by demanding an inspection fee. It’s actually not that bad of a system,” the [Berserker] gave Milly an uncharacteristically apologetic smile before continuing with her explanation.

“You might even just think of it as a deposit instead. In case you get accepted, they return the money as well. And if not… well, then they don’t. Keeps away everyone that isn’t serious.

My point is, your case is special, Sev. The Society probably never considered yours to be a regular store. Didn’t they even check your wares for counterfeits? They must’ve thought you’re either a criminal and would’ve dealt with you accordingly, or… well, you know better than me what you guys have worked out. But either way, there never was the need for you to go through official channels to get your shop evaluated.”

Severin barely had the time to process the explanation.

“You’re a merchant? Just what exactly are you selling for you to have caught the Society’s attention? If you don’t mind me asking.” Milly obviously disagreed with Miriam's assessment of the Society's partnership process, but when she learned that Severin was some sort of trader or merchant, one who was actively courted by the prestigious Society, her curiosity was piqued; the revelation wasn’t any less impressive to her than learning that Timothy was a rare [Chaos Mage] was to her son Nel.

Severin felt embarrassed. By no means did he consider himself a modest a person, but something about having to explain and introduce his products to the woman in front of him just didn’t feel right. Not when the profits from selling even just one of his cheaper products probably exceeded the woman’s average daily earnings. But since it was Milly herself who had asked him this question, avoiding answering altogether was even less of an option.

“I mostly specialize in adventurer supplies. Just potions and elixirs and the like.”

“Pah! What an understatement. There really is nothing better than his products. Nothing. Even Sam-our Mentor-says so. Otherwise, the Society hardly would’ve gone out of their way to ask for a partnership themselves. ”

‘Well, thanks for that, brat.’ The smile on his face strained as the elf’s eyes grew bigger and bigger. To make things worse, another voice suddenly chimed in from the side.

“And don’t forget the food! Its effects are unheard of, yet it’s the tastiest I’ve ever had. Quite affordable as well.”

‘Fuck!’ Severin hated the position he was put in and Milly’s expression turning from being impressed to showing evident doubt didn’t make the situation any more pleasant to him.

He knew he had to think of something. And the best he could think of this moment…

Ahem

“Speaking of which. Looking for hours on end for some accommodations made me quite hungry, and I happen to still have some pizzas on me. Why don’t you two join us as well?”

Milly immediately saw through Severin’s poorly hidden intentions and hesitated.

For one, she still had some things to take care of before she could officially reopen her business.

Secondly, and most importantly, this meant whatever this thing called pizza was, if it truly was something that provided adventurers with some kinds of effects, it was not something she could afford.

And thirdly, she noticed Severin didn’t have any luggage with him. Yet he claimed to carry enough food with him to feed at least five people. That suggested he too was a classbearer and not just a simple merchant.

The elven woman struggled with herself; both her own curiosity and her son's pleading looks made her want to accept the offer.

“In exchange, why don’t you save us some of the dinner you spoke of for tonight?” Severin made the suggestion after noticing the woman’s reservations. It wasn’t completely without ulterior motives, either. With the still outstanding quest asking him to come up with new recipes, trying some of the local food was something he had planned to do, anyway.

“Well, alright then.” She finally gave in and led the group to one of the many rustic refectory tables.

..

“Moom! I have a buff! Look, mom. A buff. Like adventurers. Like dad!”