Volume 10, Chapter 30 – The Occasional Interlude

After thinking for a moment, Yisi revealed a knowing smile.

It seems the Margaret branches are still following the custom I left behind.

At the Margaret in Celtic City, because there were often noble customers who left their food largely untouched, she had felt it was too wasteful to throw away. So, she had them saved and given to the homeless people in the back alleys after the tavern closed. At the time, I wondered if giving them leftovers was disrespectful, but looking back now, that was just my own perspective from a position of privilege. For the homeless, it was the hope that kept them alive. Having food is always better than starving to death.

“What are they doing?”

“Waiting for the relief food.”

Having thought of the same thing as Yisi, Mary replied to Tina with a happy expression.

“Relief food? Isn’t this Margaret place Yisi mentioned a tavern? As far as this one knows, providing relief is the duty of the church.”

“That’s why we have to thank Master. In the past, you could always see a lot of people starving to death in the back alleys. But ever since Master started saving the day’s leftover food for them, you rarely see people collapsed on the ground, too hungry to walk.”

Back at Margaret, Mary had handed out food to the homeless with Shinku and the others almost every day. Waving her hands, Mary continued to explain to Tina, her face excited.

“And the food is really~, really delicious. You don’t have to worry about it tasting bad like bitter grass roots.”

“Mary… you didn’t eat it, did you?”

“Eh? N-No, of course not.”

She said “no,” but she couldn’t look Yisi in the eye.

She’s definitely lying.

Mary probably wasn’t used to having a guaranteed next meal back then. She must have been afraid she wouldn’t have another, so even if she wasn’t hungry, she’d try to stuff herself. That’s how people who’ve lived in starvation for a long time are.

Feeling sympathetic, Yisi dotingly patted Mary’s head.

“I’m not trying to blame you, Mary. It’s just, that food is for the homeless slaves. If you’re not full, you can go to the kitchen and make whatever you want anytime.”

Snatching food from slaves who can’t eat their fill… as her guardian, it makes me feel like I’m abusing her.

Creak—

As they were speaking, Margaret’s back door was pushed open from the inside. As if a signal had been given, the slaves who had been squatting or sitting across from the door all looked up. Seeing the person who emerged, their faces lit up, and they all stood.

“Someone is coming out. That is all.”

“Will it be Miss Shinku and Miss Fran?”

“Shinku and Fran are still in the Duchy of Chloe helping with supplies. They won’t be here.”

Although, there is one staff member in this branch who’s from the same “generation” as them.

Pulling her gaze back from the [Omniscient Map], Yisi led her companions to a spot near the wall, out of the way, to observe. Her purpose in coming to the branch was to inspect the staff. Although the attitude toward slaves in this world was generally poor, she hoped that, at least during the food distribution, her staff wouldn’t be overly disdainful. Most slaves weren’t unwilling to work; it was just that even if they did, their earnings would be taken by their masters.

And in the end, Margaret’s first employees had been the Fallen, whose social status was even lower than slaves. Fran had also said that most of the people she recruited would be slaves or of Fallen birth. If they still treated slaves poorly, their own character would be questionable.

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“It’s a woman.”

Tiffany pointed to an employee pushing a cart. After her, two male employees pushed out another cart, lining them up in front of the slave children.

Her bronze skin showed the lead woman was a local. The [Omniscient Map] showed she and the two men behind her were all Fallen, and the two men hadn’t even had their slave status removed. Their lean builds showed they often did manual labor.

They’re probably simple, honest people, Yisi guessed.

The woman in the lead, who looked to be in her twenties, smiled and waved.

“This is today’s portion. I wanted to prepare more, but it’s still afternoon, and we don’t have many customers, so this is all that’s left. Sorry.”

“We’re just happy to have anything to eat!”

“Yeah, yeah! Ever since you came, Sister Kiri, we haven’t had to fight the dogs for their food!”

“It’s so nice not having to worry about being bitten!”

“Sister Kiri, you’ve gotten prettier! You’re already twenty-five, and no one’s come to marry you yet. Those men must be blind!”

“Sister Kiri is mine! Don’t any of you try to take her!”

“You’re too short! Sister Kiri would never go for you. I’m the one who’s most suited to be her husband.”

“You two, you’re getting ahead of yourselves.” With her hands on her hips, the woman called Kiri looked torn between laughter and exasperation. She rapped both boys on the head. “You haven’t even grown any hair yet, and you’re already thinking about adult things. It’s too early for you.”

Another older boy, almost an adult, asked confusedly. “Sister Kiri, it’s not even dark yet. Don’t we usually get food at night?”

“A very important person is coming to Margaret today. We won’t have time to come out tonight, so we’re giving out dinner early. I’m sorry it’s so early, this is all there is.”

“It’s fine! I got mine! Let the latecomers cry and go hungry. If you’re not even on time for food, you deserve to starve.”

“In that case, next time you’re hungry, I won’t sneak you any black bread.”

“No! Sister Kiri! I was wrong!”

“Alright, alright, stop joking. Everyone line up. Same rules as always: if anyone cuts in line or steals someone else’s food, they will permanently lose their right to get food from Margaret. Did you all hear me?”

“””Yes!”””

Instantly, everyone, adult and child, began to line up. And because of the “permanently lose their right” rule, no one dared to argue or fight. The whole process was quite orderly. The attitude of the woman and the two men was also very good. The only difference from Yisi’s time was that the food wasn’t separated; all the non-soup dishes were mixed in one barrel. If I had to nitpick, the only other difference was that the bowls were no longer provided by Margaret; the slaves brought their own chipped bowls. But that’s not a major issue. When I ran Margaret, I didn’t care about profit. Fran and the others have to cut unnecessary costs to keep it running.

It seems my worries were unnecessary. Fran’s recruits are just fine.

Yisi secretly relaxed.

“Master, can I go help?”

Mary pointed to the staff. Yisi looked Mary up and down. Today, Mary was wearing a light, knee-length dress, similar in style to Tina’s but pink, and a round bonnet. She looked like a young lady on an outing.

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Handing out relief in this outfit would give the impression of a noble girl “experiencing” life. It’s very rude. Yisi shook her head with a wry smile.

“No, Mary. The clothes you’re wearing look too much like a young lady’s.”

“Then can I change into normal clothes tomorrow?”

“If you’d like, Mary.”

“Okay~”

In that case, I’ll have to go say hello to the branch manager.

Just as she had the thought, a discordant voice came from the front.

“Damn it. I was wondering where all that food went. So you’re giving it to these slaves, you treacherous merchants.”

A short, balding man with a potbelly came out of the back door. His swagger and arrogant tone made one want to punch him.

“Sir, only Margaret staff can use the back door. You—”

“A mere slave. Shut your mouth.”

The bald man squinted at the male employee, then let his gaze slide over the female employee, Kiri.

“Ugh, nasty.” Tiffany frowned.

“Well, well, no need for you to step in, Tiffany. In a story, he’d definitely be the tutorial-village bully who harasses the protagonist, only to be crushed in one blow.”

The bald man was only Level 2. The two Fallen men could beat him down in a few punches even without using their abilities.

Yisi’s words made Tiffany nudge her. “Protagonist. Go.”

“I’m not the protagonist.”

And this isn’t a tutorial village. Of course, if that man has some special status that stops ordinary people from acting, I don’t mind stepping in. Margaret is my territory. I can’t let my employees be bullied.

The bald man spoke nonchalantly, his tone full of arrogance.

“I’m suddenly a little hungry. I want that dish I didn’t finish back. Kiri, doesn’t Margaret always say the customer is god? You won’t refuse such a reasonable request, will you?”

“Kraul, you already paid your bill and left. What do you mean, ‘get your dish back’?”

The food was already mixed in with all the other leftovers.

The bald man, Kraul, rounded his eyes. “That was a dish I paid for! The whole plate should be mine! You have no right to dispose of it without my permission!”

Noticing the children waiting for food looked afraid, Kiri frowned and said in a low voice, “…Then I’ll go make you another plate. The backyard is not for you.”

“No! I want the exact one I bought!”

“Tsk. This is just because we wouldn’t sell you the leftovers cheap for your farm feed, isn’t it? Stop harassing us, Kraul. Don’t push it!” the other male employee shouted.

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Yisi raised an eyebrow. So there’s an inside story? He coveted Margaret’s daily leftovers for animal feed, and now he’s making trouble because they wouldn’t sell. What a predictable low-life.

Perhaps the employee’s words hit a nerve. Kraul’s face instantly flushed red with anger.

If this continues, he’ll probably use his connections to beat up the staff. Yisi stepped forward just as the man swung his fist, accompanied by Tiffany’s emotionless “Go.”

“Protecting the Master. I’m going too. That is all.”

“L-Laxyphinia said to protect Mama… I’ll go with Chloris!”

The two angels followed.

“Shut up, slave!”

“My, my, sir. While Margaret emphasizes that the customer is god, someone who doesn’t know how to respect others can’t be called a customer.”

Yisi grabbed the bald man’s wrist, stopping his punch. She smiled professionally.

“Who!?” the man yelled, turning his head. He was stunned by Yisi’s appearance, then grew even angrier.

“Looking to die, you bitc—YEEARGH, it hurts! Hurts!”

Before he could finish, Yisi applied just enough force to not break his wrist. The intense pain made the man’s face twist. He tried to roll on the ground to get free, but he couldn’t budge Yisi’s grip. He didn’t even make her wobble. All he could do was keep cursing.

“Tear off his mouth. I advise it.”

“Th-Then I’ll be in charge of… breaking his teeth…”

“Miss… this man… Kraul is City Lord Schumann’s uncle’s cousin. Even if the City Lord has disowned him, it’s best not to make trouble. You should leave. I’ll handle the rest,” Kiri, the female employee, advised Yisi, her face full of worry.

Yisi smiled back. “Don’t worry. This kind of guy only learns his lesson when he feels pain.”

Besides, the person who can solve this at its root has already arrived.

“What’s going on?”

A girl about Yisi’s height appeared in the backyard. The moment he saw her, the crying bald man stopped cursing. The instant Yisi let him go, he crawled over to the girl, his face a mask of innocence.

“M-Miss Sera! Your employees ganged up with an outsider to beat me! Please, give me justice!”

“My employees…?”

The girl named Sera looked toward the back door, her gaze landing first on Kiri, who looked pale and distressed. Then, her eyes moved to Yisi. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth as shock spread across her face.

“Y-Yisi… Miss Yisi?!”

“Mhm. Sera. It’s been over a year. You’ve really grown.”

Among the Fallen that Margaret first took in, besides Shinku and Fran, there were three other girls. One of them was Sera, who had the ability to turn herself and a chosen target invisible, and who had served as Margaret’s chef in the early days.

“Miss Yisi, why did you come without telling me! If I’d known, I would have postponed all my appointments today!”

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“Miss Sera, this is the woman who hit me!”

This guy really can’t read the room.

Sending the bald man a look of cheap pity, Yisi shrugged at Sera. “This guy was deliberately making trouble, so I taught him a quick lesson.”

“Right. Miss Yisi, please leave this to me.” Sera looked at Kiri. “Kiri, tell me exactly what happened, from beginning to end.”

Under Sera’s command, Kiri recounted the entire incident, including Kraul’s attempt to buy the leftovers. Sera’s expression grew colder as she looked at the bald man.

“Mr. Kraul, even if you are related to City Lord Schumann, I will not allow you to disrespect my savior. From this day forward, Margaret is permanently closed to you. Please leave immediately, or I will have someone… escort you.”

“I see you don’t want to do business in Wilfred City anymore!”

“Miss Sera, perhaps we should reconsider…” Kiri suggested, worried.

Sera just looked at Kiri, her expression a mix of wanting to laugh and holding it back. “Kiri, you’ve always asked me who Margaret’s owner is, right? Now I can tell you. This is Miss Yisi, the true owner of Margaret. Every tavern on the Alexia Continent with the Margaret name belongs to her. Even General Manager Fran is just Miss Yisi’s subordinate. If Miss Yisi hadn’t taken us in back then, Fran and I would be undead by now.”

She turned back to the bald man. “So, even if City Lord Schumann himself demanded we close, we would not back down. This concerns Miss Yisi’s dignity. Kraul, the City Lord has already disowned you. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a regular customer, I’d have had people throw you out by now.”

“You! Don’t try to trick me! The guest you’re entertaining today is that Schumann brat! If he finds out you threw me out, he’ll make you pay! We’ll see!”

Tossing out this threat, Kraul left the backyard, clutching his wrist and limping. Immediately, a small, hooded figure ran up to him, whispered something, and Kraul’s face paled. “Let’s get out of here,” he muttered, and the two fled.

With the trouble resolved, Sera turned apologetically to Yisi.

“Miss Yisi, I’m so sorry. If you had just told me you were coming, I would have kicked that eyesore out long ago.”

“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it, Sera. But I saw something wonderful. I’m surprised you’re all still continuing the custom I left behind. To be honest, I never expected you to keep giving food to the homeless after I left, much less see that custom extended to the new branches.”

“This is the precious—”

“Why are there demons in the city!?”

“Run!”

“Uaaaaah!!”

Terrified screams and the sound of something collapsing came from the direction of Margaret’s main entrance. The next moment, Tina, Mary, and Tiffany burst into the backyard.

“Yisi, there are demons.”

“Master, we’re going to help first!”

“Together.”

Looks like I’ll have to deal with the demons before we can catch up.

Yisi gave Sera a wry smile and asked her to wait. Then, her group ran through Margaret and out onto the main street.