CH 11
The Saint Whose Engagement Was Broken Runs a Cafeteria, Where the Beloved Demon King and Ninja Visit Today (Alternatingly)
The next day.
I rode a shared carriage with female adventurers from early morning and arrived at a stop near the Demon Kingâs castle in the afternoon.
The Odyssey Quest Guide | Assassin&...
After saying goodbye to the kind adventurers, I went to check the warehouse that had exploded the other day. Originally a ruin, it remained as it was on the day of the explosion.
âMiss, what are you doing in a place like this?â
Ojii-san who spoke to me was clearly not dressed as an adventurer. He was a man in ordinary pants, a jacket, and a hunting cap, holding a broom in his hand.
âExcuse me, sir. Are you from Maytart Village, the one managing this stop?â
âYeah, thatâs me.â
Asked a question in return, Ojii-san nodded with a surprised face.
âI want to go to Maytart Village. If itâs okay, could you connect me to the village chief?â
âThe village?â
The kind expression of worry turned into a suspicious face. Ojii-san looked at me from head to toe, showing his guard.
âWhy would a girl like you. . .â
âThe truth is, Iâm the one who blew up this warehouse.â
âEh.â
In front of the surprised old man, I lifted one side of the scarf on my head.
The halo, which had looked uncomfortable, faintly shone as if asserting its existence.
âEh, are you a saint-sama?!â
It must have been unexpected. Ojii-san was stunned.
âUm, wait a minute. You blew up the warehouse, and Saint-sama has business in the village. . .so. . .â
âI want to apologize to the village chief for blowing up the warehouse and. . .I have something to consult with him. Is it possible to request a face-to-face meeting?â
âWell, if itâs just that, itâs fine. . .â
But muttering to himself why a child like you would do such a thing, Ojii-san put me on the carriage and sent me to the village.
âMake sure you catch the last shared carriage on your way back, okay?â
âYes. Thank you for your kindness.â
As I was swaying on the carriage, I thanked Ojii-san and then looked at the scenery.
It was not a long distance to walk, but I was using a carriage because I had a lot of luggage. Soon, I could see the village and the fields.
About half of the fields around were not being cultivated, and grass was growing thickly on about half of the cultivated land.
The village looked like a dilapidated shack, even from a distance.
It was a typical situation for a village where there was a shortage of working men.
(As I thought. . .)
I had been curious about this village since I passed through the Demon Kingâs forest, and my expectations seemed to have been correct. This was probably a village where only people with some kind of problem lived.
The carriage that entered the village was returned to the stable. From there, I was taken by Ojii-san to the village chiefâs house.
It was rare for an outsider, especially a saint, to come here, so people gathered one after another.
âItâs a girl.â
âA saint?â
âWhatâs that big circle on her head?â
âWhatâs she carrying?â
âWill she burn?â
By the time I arrived at the village chiefâs house and sat in the reception room, the villagers had crowded outside the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the rare visitor. There was probably not much entertainment other than a visitor like me.
The village chief was an elderly man who had lost one eye due to an injury and seemed to have difficulty walking, leaning on a cane to move around.
Even the glass of water he offered me was slightly chipped.
âSo, in other words. . .â
After hearing my introduction and the circumstances of the incident, the village chief began to speak.
âYouâre the one who destroyed that warehouse, right?â
âIâm sorry.â
âThat warehouse was originally rented by the merchants in the capital, but they skipped out on the rent, so it was left as it was. It was already broken, so donât worry about it.â
According to the village chief, the land where the carriage stop was located was owned by the village and they collected usage fees from merchants and noble families in the capital as revenue. It seemed like a profitable story to have real estate income, but it didnât seem like the villageâs management was stable.
It was probably still often skipped out on or undervalued.
I cut to the chase.
âCan I borrow the location of that warehouse? I want to demolish the warehouse and open a restaurant.â
âA restaurant. . .?â
The village chief widened his one eye. The onlookers outside began to murmur.
âA girl like her opening a restaurant. . .?â
âEven if you build a restaurant in a place like this, it wonât sell because itâs probably contaminated or something.â
âPlease spare us. Weâll just get skipped out on again. . .â
While listening to the voices of the onlookers outside, the village chief also made a grimace and rubbed his chin.
Perhaps the reason why these onlookers are left alone is to hear the villageâs consensus in real-time. I see.
âHiira-san right? Even though youâre a saint, I canât help but think itâs reckless for a young girl to suddenly run a restaurant. Besides, thatâs a place where rough adventurers and nobles gather. For safety reasons, I canât recommend it.â
I understand what the village chief wants to say. Thereâs no point in arguing about it here. While looking at the onlookers outside the window, I proposed with a smile.
âBy the way, Village Chief, are you hungry?â
âIâm always hungry.â
He returned a wry smile. I clapped my hands with a particularly bright attitude.
âWell then, would you like to try my cooking for now? Everyone can join in. If I can borrow the kitchen, the ingredients are here.â
Here. I pointed to the halo above my head.
âCan you eat that halo?â
âIs it fried food?â
The onlookers looked puzzled. Of course, you canât eat the halo. Sometimes it looks delicious, but you canât eat it.
âMy nickname is [The Saint Beloved by the Earth]. They call me the Flour Saint. With an infinite supply of flour, please let me treat you all.â
â Iâm hungry.â âSince weâre here, should we have her make something?â Voices came from all over. The village chief thought for a while, but. . .
Grrrr. . .
His stomach growled, and he agreed to my proposal. Yay!