Volume 4, Chapter 22 – Reinforcements

Without any incidents, Yisi soon met with Shinku who had rushed over. Then, along with Camilla and Fran, she headed up the stairs to the attic.

As for Mary, she was introducing Tiffany to the other three girls at the tavern.

“Miss Yisi… you haven’t been cursed, have you?” Seeing Yisi’s Magic Fairy form for the first time, Shinku seemed very worried. “I’ve heard of a sorcery that circulates on the continent that can turn people into animals.”

Yisi found it amusing.

“It’s not a curse. And even if it were, it’s a benevolent one. The fairy race lives much longer than humans.”

“Is that so…”

Clearly not believing Yisi’s words, Shinku, following behind, still glanced at Yisi from time to time. Her red, fur-covered cat ears drooped, and she didn’t look very happy.

It seemed that Shinku’s misunderstanding could only be cleared up after her body was restored. A shrunken body was indeed something that couldn’t be explained with common sense.

While Yisi felt helpless, Fran, walking ahead on the stairs, turned around and changed the subject.

“Miss Yisi, did M—Miss Viel really come here?”

“Yes, she did. And she left some people in the attic.”

Yisi’s words made Fran turn her head back, a hesitant look on her face.

“…But we renovated the attic. The window is now part of the wall. How could Master have brought people into the attic?”

“Uh.” To be honest, she hadn’t noticed. Yisi averted her gaze guiltily. “Well… she has her ways. I just received a message that she had brought people to the attic.”

The one who chimed in was Shinku.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t ask this, but with Lady Viel’s strength, why would she owe you a favor, Miss Yisi?”

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“Well…”

She hadn’t carefully thought about what kind of story to make up to fit the setting. Yisi was in a bit of a bind. Camilla came to her rescue in a very natural tone.

“Even the strong have times when they need to ask for help.”

“But with that kind of power, she shouldn’t need to ask for help anymore…” Halfway through, a look of realization dawned on Fran’s face. She looked back at Yisi with a meaningful gaze. “Could it be a debt of love?”

“Huh? Fran, are you misunderstanding something? There’s absolutely no way Viel and I could have that kind of relationship. Don’t just apply your own experiences to others.”

“Hehehe… Looking at Miss Camilla’s expression, it seems Miss Yisi and Lady Viel really couldn’t have that kind of relationship. Otherwise, she’d have a look on her face like she was about to eat someone right now.”

Very rarely, Camilla didn’t refute Fran but blushed uncontrollably.

Unfortunately, Yisi was floating in front of Camilla and couldn’t see her expression.

“Are the people Lady Viel brought also the Fallen?”

Before opening the door, Shinku asked the key question.

“It seems only one is a Fallen. The other four are a bear-kin and elves.”

“Elves…” Hearing the word “elves,” Shinku frowned. “They’re not elves who just came from the elven homeland, are they? Elves who haven’t lived in the outside world are usually a lot of trouble, randomly capturing men to be their studs and causing chaos.”

“I think they’ve lived in the human world before. Also, Viel told me these people were originally treated as food by the blood clan and nearly died from blood loss. In a way, their situation is similar to yours, Shinku.”

“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved.”

She probably means that only those who have experienced hardship will cherish the peace they have now. Yisi nodded at Shinku. Then, Fran twisted the doorknob of the attic and opened the door.

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Since there was no longer a need for fighting, Fran’s status among the Fallen girls had risen considerably. However, considering that the “big sister” Fran and the petite Shinku were actually in that kind of relationship, she didn’t need to worry about a change in status causing a rift between them.

Pushing the door open, Yisi once again saw Akarin’s group. Unlike in the stone house, the elves had changed into well-fitting clothes, and Akarin was back to normal. It was worth noting that, just as Yisi had thought, Akarin was indeed deliberately dressed as a female. His long black hair cascaded from his head to his waist, and he had intentionally chosen a dress with lots of lace and frills.

As his strength ranked first among them all, even though he had just been bullied by the elves, he had naturally become the representative of the four and was standing in the front.

Seeing Fran and the others, Akarin’s group looked a bit reserved. Yisi was the first to step forward.

“Nice to meet you. I am the one in charge of receiving you. My name is Yisi, and I am also the owner of the Margaret tavern. Viel has already told me about your situation. Don’t feel constrained by the change in environment. This will be your new home from now on. What I want to say is, you can choose to leave, but you must stay here for at least a year as compensation for the magic potions you used.”

“One year of work in exchange for a bottle of magic potion…” The bear-kin woman looked a bit hesitant. “This isn’t the kind of shop that serves men, is it?”

The elf women frowned in unison.

“Then we can’t reproduce, can we? Although using the magic potion is a debt we must repay, not being able to reproduce is also…”

“Don’t worry, you won’t be asked to do that kind of thing.” Not understanding why they would associate it with the sex industry, a few dark lines appeared on Yisi’s forehead. “The specific details will be explained by her, Fran, who is also the person in charge of this tavern. During this time, you will follow her orders, and she will also give you a monthly salary.”

“There’s a salary too…”

“Miss Yisi, should the salary be based on our standards?”

Although she usually had a good head for business, when it came to making decisions, Fran would become indecisive.

Yisi shook her head.

“No, how can a newcomer’s salary be the same as an experienced worker’s? The first month’s salary will only be half of what you all are getting now, and it will slowly increase later. As for your future salaries, Fran, I will make a new plan later.”

The tavern had become an extremely profitable place. For Fran, who was the main person in charge, it was no longer appropriate to use the old method of calculating pay based on work periods. It should be changed to a model of basic salary plus commission, which would be more beneficial to the tavern’s development.

This was not only to improve the treatment of Fran, Shinku, and the others, but also to set an example for Fran. The Margaret tavern would definitely not be limited to its current small plot of land in the future. It was foreseeable that Margaret would become the most famous high-end wine in the Hels Kingdom, and at that time, there would be a need for someone who could manage the overall situation even when she was not around. Fran, who had received a noble’s education and also loved the tavern, was a perfect fit.

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Focusing on the present, once the tavern’s scale grew a bit larger, they could try to branch out into other businesses, such as separating the restaurant from the wine production. The task of making Margaret wine could be handed over to a winery under their banner, while the restaurant business could start with dishes from Earth that she knew. In the long run, it might become a large conglomerate.

Of course, this was just Yisi’s idea. If Fran really implemented it, she would give her a push from behind. If the conditions weren’t right, she wouldn’t deliberately pursue it. In the end, the tavern was established only to collect blood. Now that the purpose was gone, the tavern had become a home for Fran, Shinku, and the others. There was nothing wrong with keeping it that way.

“The number of people is 1, 2, 3, 4…”

“And me!”

As if knowing he would be missed, Akarin quickly raised his hand to show his presence.

“Ah, sorry, sorry, I almost didn’t notice. But referring to yourself as ‘me’ in such a grand way… what a strange girl.”

After saying this, Fran very naturally turned her gaze to the bear-kin woman. Even when Akarin added that he was a man, Fran acted as if she hadn’t heard.

No wonder his name is Akarin…

It seemed he had a constitution that made him easily overlooked.

After a round of self-introductions, Fran quickly became friendly with the bear-kin woman thanks to her excellent social skills and began to explain the daily affairs of the tavern. As for the three elf women Yisi had been worried about, they seemed to have become very docile after hearing that there was wine to drink, and even said that their dream was to open a tavern and that they wanted to stay in this tavern for the rest of their lives.

That’s probably a joke.

—!

Without any warning, a feeling of discomfort from a foreign intrusion suddenly flooded her mind. This discomfort was like a missed heartbeat, or like something was stirring inside her, filling Yisi with a deep sense of disgust.

Then, a cloud of purple mist suddenly appeared in the conscious space of Yisi’s mind. Yisi had seen something similar before, and that time it was the count’s eldest daughter intending to control her through a blood frenzy.

Yisi subconsciously let out a light “Huh?”

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‘Huh?’

Is someone trying to control me with mind magic?

If it were the old Yisi who didn’t know how to manipulate mental energy, she would at most just activate the [Mind Control Immunity] skill now. But after her contact with the count’s eldest daughter, which required her to frequently open her consciousness and use mental energy to form a phantom, Yisi had intuitively grasped many new skills.

For example, she could condense her mental energy into a hammer and then smash it into the purple mist that was trying to control her.

The purple mist was hit head-on by the hammer without any chance to dodge. Unlike the expected scene of the mist scattering, the purple mist instantly disappeared from Yisi’s consciousness and never appeared again.

Returning from her mental world, Yisi turned her head to look at the people around her. Fran, under Shinku’s protection, was explaining things to the bear-kin woman, the elf women, and Akarin, while Camilla, with her golden hair tied with a large white ribbon, stood quietly by her side.

Noticing Yisi’s daze, Camilla lowered her head and asked, “What is Onee-sama thinking about?”

“Nothing… just something strange appeared in my head.”

“Something strange? Is it Edith? Is she trying to control you again?”

“It’s impossible for her to control me with her abilities, and she knows it’s a futile effort. Something must have happened on Edith’s side.”

Thinking of the two fallen angels in the Count’s mansion, one of whom was skilled in mind magic, a possibility arose in Yisi’s mind—perhaps Edith had been controlled by the fallen angel named Hetty.

That’s my body.

I have to go back and check quickly.

After saying goodbye to Fran and Camilla, Yisi went alone to the corner of the staircase.

[Advanced Teleportation]