Volume 2, Chapter 37 – Urgency (Part 1)

The morning sunlight streamed into the Margaret Tavern. Due to the nature of the business, which often operated until close to eleven at night, Yisi had relaxed the waking hours for her employees. The fallen girls were free to move about as they pleased until three in the afternoon.

Originally, Yisi had intended for the girls to rest more and enjoy a good night’s sleep in a comfortable environment. However, the fallen girls couldn’t adjust to a life where they had little to do. They usually woke up as soon as the sun rose, a habit ingrained from their days of wandering—once a certain time came, they would wake up on their own.

After the girls finished washing up and enjoyed a simple breakfast prepared by Sera, the new day officially began. They spent their free time doing chores—taking out the trash swept up from the night before, washing vegetables in advance, drawing water from the well, and feeding the livestock kept in the backyard.

The most important task, however, was the purification of distilled liquor. As the tavern’s signature product, the distilled liquor couldn’t be served immediately after purification. Instead, it had to be stored in wooden barrels for about half a month before being offered to customers. As for the purification method, Yisi had explained it to Shinku and the others on their third day staying at the tavern.

Now, Shinku was in charge of the distillation process. Despite being the youngest among the fallen girls—a red-haired beastkin with crimson cat ears and a tail—she was the highest-leveled and the calmest in the face of danger.

“Pour the fermented liquor into the pot, then place an empty bowl on the surface of the liquor…”

Standing in front of the stove, Shinku murmured the steps Yisi had taught her, performing the distillation with the solemnity of a religious ritual.

In contrast to Shinku’s seriousness, Sera, standing nearby, was far more restless. She leaned over the steaming pot, peering curiously inside.

“Shinku-nee, why is liquor made this way more popular? It’s so spicy!”

“Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean others won’t.”

“But what if there are customers who don’t like the taste, just like me?”

“Yisi-sama said we only need to keep the customers who enjoy this flavor.”

“But is it really okay to just let customers walk away like that?”

Carefully placing the concave lid over the pot, Shinku turned to face the petite Sera. Due to malnutrition, Sera, despite being sixteen, looked as small as Shinku.

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“For every person who dislikes it, there’s someone who likes it. Our job is to hold onto those who enjoy the taste. Remember what Yisi-sama said—‘You can’t have your cake and eat it too.’”

“What does ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too’ mean?”

“Well…”

Shinku hesitated. Though she could remain calm in a crisis and lead her companions to safety, studying had never been her strong suit. She had merely repeated Yisi’ words without fully understanding them herself.

If it were Fran, she’d probably know.

But Shinku had never been particularly fond of Fran. It wasn’t dislike—more like rebelliousness. Fran had always played the role of an elder sister, giving Shinku extra care. But at this age, children naturally resisted being restrained, so Shinku had ended up avoiding conversations with Fran.

Yet, the things one least wanted to happen often did. Just as Shinku was struggling to answer Sera’s question, Fran wandered into the kitchen, followed closely by two ice wolf pups. Thanks to her innate ability to communicate with animals, Fran had always been close to small creatures. Even though she no longer used her powers, she still retained basic taming skills.

“It means that when faced with two choices, it’s best to pick one. For example, if Sera becomes a chef, she can’t spend all day doing cleaning chores like the rest of us. Time and energy only allow for one job. Trying to do both will leave you unable to do either well.”

“Oh… I think I get it a little. But why does regular liquor taste better after being ‘distilled’?”

“That… Miss Camila said she didn’t know either, so I’m not sure.”

Fran shrugged. Compared to Yisi, she preferred interacting with Camila. It wasn’t that Yisi was hard to talk to, but Fran was acutely aware of the gap between employer and servant. She saw casually chatting with the boss as a sign of incompetence. Besides, Yisi’ cold demeanor made her seem unapproachable—even though Fran knew that wasn’t the case, the psychological pressure remained.

“By the way, I heard from Mary that Shinku used her powers again? Didn’t we agree not to use them anymore?”

“The master said she would periodically cleanse our marks for us. As the only one with combat ability, I have to stay ready for battle at all times.”

Shinku’s power was imbuing weapons with flames—flames that wouldn’t harm her. Because of this, she had been trained as a warrior in her beastkin tribe from a young age. That was, until humans invaded and she ended up on the streets.

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“But aren’t we safe now?”

Fran frowned. Unlike Shinku’s overly cautious mindset, she believed it was better to live as ordinary women from now on. Since coming to the tavern, they hadn’t encountered any trouble. They no longer had to worry about soldiers chasing them in their sleep or scrambling for their next meal.

But Shinku didn’t nod. Instead, she patted her calf, revealing the faint outline of a dagger strapped to her leg.

“I’m worried about the ‘what if.’ What if someone recognizes us and reports us to the patrol? You know what’ll happen then. Those people won’t listen to explanations.”

“Didn’t Miss Veil say she’d protect us?”

Seeing the naivety in Sera’s eyes, Shinku couldn’t help but sigh.

“The master’s protection only applies when she’s around. Right now, she isn’t here. What’s going to protect us then? I’m as grateful to her as you are, but relying on others isn’t as reliable as relying on yourself. Besides, think of it this way—if rival taverns get jealous and hire thugs to cause trouble, flipping tables and stealing Miss Yisi’ secret liquor recipes, are we just going to stand by and watch? Miss Yisi didn’t discriminate against our past and even gave us jobs. Even if it’s just to repay her kindness, we should protect this place. Not to mention, this is the only place that’ll take us in now. The master also told us to guard Miss Yisi and her tavern.”

BANG BANG BANG!

The moment Shinku finished speaking, the tavern’s front door was hammered with violent knocks. Sera jumped in fright, while Fran’s brow furrowed.

“Is it someone with an appointment with Miss Yisi?”

“No way. Miss Yisi is still asleep at this hour. She wouldn’t schedule anything now.”

“M-maybe it’s a new customer?”

Regular customers would know the tavern was closed at this time.

Fran strode toward the front hall, but Shinku quickly stopped her.

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“Wait before going out. It might be the patrol.”

“Our marks are gone. We don’t need to fear them anymore. Shinku, you’re the one who should hide.”

“No—”

CREAK.

An ear-piercing screech echoed as the tavern door was pushed open from the inside. From the kitchen, Shinku and Fran exchanged glances—it must have been Linsey and Bella, who had been wiping tables in the front hall.

“Damn it.”

Clicking her tongue, Shinku motioned for Fran and Sera to stay in the kitchen before crouching low and creeping along the wall toward the front.

There, she saw Linsey and Bella standing before a group of armed soldiers. The man at the front wore a cold, unapproachable expression—the patrol captain who had once chased them through the city.

“We’re the patrol, here to investigate reports of the fallen. Cooperate, and we won’t resort to violence.”

“W-we’re c-closed right now, s-sirs…”

The slightly steadier Bella bowed, forcing a flattering smile. But it was obvious to everyone that she was terrified—her face stiff, her words stumbling. Linsey, meanwhile, couldn’t even speak, clutching her skirt with sweat-drenched hands.

This is going to blow our cover.

Sure enough, the patrol captain narrowed his eyes, stroking his chin as he scrutinized the two.

“Have I… seen you two somewhere before?”

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“P-perhaps you’ve visited often enough that we seem familiar?”

“No. It must have been recent. I haven’t patrolled this district in the past two weeks—I shouldn’t recognize you.”

His frown deepened. Finally, he jerked his chin at his subordinates, signaling them to block the door.

“I need to verify your identities. Turn around and strip. I suspect you’re the fallen.”

“S-sir, that’s—”

Like startled kittens, Linsey and Bella shrank back in fear. To them, the patrol had always been an insurmountable force. Even without their marks, the terror remained etched into their hearts.

“Now! Or you can explain yourselves in a cell!”

“Eek!”

This is bad.

Shinku’s hand instinctively went to her calf. The solid touch of her dagger reassured her slightly. If the patrol took someone to the cells, even if they were innocent, they’d be tortured until they confessed. There was no way she could let her comrades be dragged away.

“With my abilities, I might not be able to kill all the soldiers, but I can buy enough time…”

Enough time for the others to escape over the backyard wall.

Translator Note

kill killl killl waaaaahhh bad npc