WLWES 8

“How much is that red and purple collar?” Rio asked.

“Oh? It’s made of colored gold, which is quite expensive. Each one is ten silver coins.”

“Ten silver coins?” Rio repeated, surprised.

“Yes. However, since the colors aren’t as vibrant as they could be, you can buy them for silver coins. If the colors were more vivid, it would cost three gold coins.”

“Three gold coins…”

Even ten silver coins seemed pricey, and now I might need gold coins too. I didn’t realize accessories could be this expensive, especially since I’ve never been interested in them before. Ten silver coins… two for twenty… I don’t have nearly enough. But I really want it.

Rio looked the shopkeeper in the eye and bowed.

“Right now, I only have one silver coin. I’ll definitely come back to buy them, so please set those two collars aside for me.

“Well, that’s fine, but what will you do with the remaining silver coins?”

“I’ll look for work and earn some money. This town is thriving, so I’ll be able to find a job quickly.

“Hmm… In that case, I can introduce you to a job. It’s a waiter position at a restaurant. Can you handle that?”

“Oh, thank you! That sounds great! I’ve done it before.”

“However, it’s a restaurant that also serves alcohol so that you might encounter some unpleasant customers…”

“Oh, I can handle that too.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll take you there now.”

“Thanks! But where’s the restaurant?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m always bored anyway.”

The shopkeeper gently pushed him out of the store. As the shopkeeper stepped out, he flipped the ‘Open’ sign, and it changed to ‘Closed.’ After locking the door, he said, “This way,” and started walking in the opposite direction from where Rio had come.

“Rio! Please take this to table number five,” the chef called out.

“Yes!” Rio replied cheerfully as he picked up a plate of deep-fried potatoes and a thick slice of bread the size of a man’s palm. With a plate in both hands, he headed to the table.

“Excuse me,” he said amiably as he placed the plate in front of the two well-built men.

“Oh, that looks delicious!” one of them exclaimed.

“Thank you,” Rio responded with a smile.

The men looked Rio in the eye and thanked him. One of the men placed a copper coin in Rio’s hand. Surprised, Rio tried to return the coin, but the man with reddish-brown hair narrowed his eyes and said, “It would be rude to return it.”

Rio squeezed the hand holding the copper coin and bowed. With a smile, he said, “Thank you,” and then returned to the kitchen.

The old man at the store warned him to be careful because of drunk customers, but they had all been polite. Some even took good care of him. These men must be knights, as they were all well-built and had sword calluses on their hands. Although he didn’t like knights in general, he realized there must be some good ones among them.

With this thought in mind, Rio picked up a plate and carried it to the next table.

A married couple runs this restaurant, which is doing quite well. However, they often find themselves short-staffed, so they were happy to hire Rio. Having worked in similar establishments before, he was both efficient and friendly, which has made him well-liked by customers. On his tenth day at work, he had already earned ten silver coins. While this amount is enough for him to buy a collar, he still needs money for travel. He intends to work at the shop for a while longer to maximize his earnings.

Fortunately, the couple who owns the shop also runs several inns. Rio wanted to stay at the inn closest to the shop, but unfortunately, he had An with him, and the inn does not allow animals. While considering alternative accommodations or the possibility of sleeping outdoors, he discovered a small house next to the restaurant that served as a warehouse. The owners offered it to him for free if he wanted to use it, and Rio gladly accepted the offer.

He was provided with meals at the store and could use the bath at the nearest inn. It was the first time he had ever found such a good place to work, and he couldn’t be more grateful to the old man at the general store.

While Rio was at the restaurant, An waited quietly at home. To help her pass the time, Rio had made some balls using a string, which she could play with while he was gone. If not, she would just sleep. It was a shame to leave her alone, but he couldn’t keep her at the restaurant, which handled food. Instead, after work, he took her to the forest near the town and played with her to her heart’s content. Rio felt bad for locking An in his room during the day, but she seemed satisfied just playing with him at night.

The only real hassle was having to hide his blonde hair. When he washed it, the dye would come off, so he had to dye it again every time he washed it, which was tiring. He didn’t understand why, but now that he had left the neighboring state where he was wanted, he thought he didn’t need to dye his hair anymore. However, it would be a problem if it became known that a blonde guy with red eyes was wanted. Rio used his first day’s wages to buy a slightly more expensive dye to ensure his hair at least wouldn’t be damaged.

Red eyes are impossible to conceal. However, if you don’t have blonde hair paired with those red eyes, they tend not to stand out much. While individuals with red eyes are few, they aren’t necessarily rare.

Wherever he went, people complimented him on his striking blonde hair and red eyes. They praised his beauty and admired the color associated with happiness. He never imagined that there would come a day when he would need to hide those features.

Tonight, as he dyed his hair in the simple washroom of the hut, he let out a deep sigh.

On his twentieth day working at the restaurant, Rio encountered misfortune.

Rio, who was bright and good-looking, quickly became popular, attracting more customers who came just for him. Thanks to this, sales increased, and so did Rio’s wages. He even bought the collar he wanted. He had planned to save as much money as he could, but his determination only lasted for three weeks.

That day, Rio was scheduled to work from noon until closing time. As usual, he carried plates from table to table, poured drinks for customers, and engaged in conversation with them. The knights and merchants who visited the store were all decent individuals. While some were occasionally rude, they never did anything reckless, which made him feel at ease. Although Rio had traveled alone because of circumstances related to his background, he was friendly but always kept his guard up. However, the treatment at this store was so good that he let his guard down.

Since Rio started working there, two knights had been coming to the store every night. They had visited occasionally before, but now they were clearly regular customers interested in Rio.

There were several customers like them, so he didn’t think much of it. The knights were very polite and behaved well.

That evening, as soon as the knights sat down at their table, they called for Rio. He approached with a smile and took their usual order of alcohol and meat. However, tonight, for some reason, they also requested some fruit juice.

Rio nodded and quickly passed on their order to the kitchen. After carrying the finished food and drinks to their table, he left to attend to another customer who had called him. Once he was free after serving the other tables, the two knights called him back again.

“Are you ordering something else?”

“No, that’s not the case. I ordered this fruit juice for you. Would you like to drink it?”

“Oh, are you sure? Then I’ll be very grateful.”

“Today is a day for good things. Shall we have a toast?”

“Sure! Yes, let’s have a toast!”

Rio raised his glass of fruit juice and clinked it with the glasses of alcohol held by the two knights. He smelled the juice’s sweet scent before taking a sip.

“Haha, you sure drink well!”

“Ah… sorry, I was thirsty.”

“You’re moving around a lot, huh. Want another drink?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll get back to work.”

“Yea, see you later.”

“…? Yes.”

The one who had been talking the whole time was a grey-haired knight in his mid-twenties. The other brown-haired knight, in his late teens, looked at Rio with a creepy smile.

The two were good customers, but tonight, dealing with them was starting to make Rio feel uncomfortable. And now that he thought about it, didn’t the fruit juice from earlier taste a bit off? He couldn’t be sure, but wasn’t there a possibility it could have been drugged?

Rio paused momentarily, then told the manager he wanted to take a break. He stepped out into the alley behind the store, where a sewage drain was. Squatting down, he stuck his fingers down his throat and attempted to force out the fruit juice he had consumed. Only a little came up. Unlike solid food, the liquid had already passed through his stomach. He didn’t want to suspect the two knights who had given him the drink. He just hoped that nothing would happen. However, his instincts, sharpened from living alone for several years, warned him that he was in danger.

He shoved his fingers deep into his throat again and forced himself to vomit, but the moment he stood up, the world spun, and he nearly collapsed.

“…No. It was the fruit juice from earlier…”

“You figured it out, huh? That’s right. We spiked it with a stimulant. So? Feeling the heat rising in your body?”

“…You…”

He hadn’t noticed when they arrived. As Rio leaned against the wall for support, the two knights who had given him the fruit juice stood directly before him.