Chapter 75: Charlotte and the People of the Stray Cat Inn

"...I feel like I had another weird dream again."

That’s the first thought I’ve been waking up with these past few days.

The room looks the same as always. Alice-chan’s sleeping face is the same as always. Our daily life hasn’t changed.

The only strange thing is this vague sense that I’ve been having bad dreams lately.

Waking up leaves me feeling awful every time. My skin even feels a little rougher. Sleep quality’s terrible. And yet, I’m drowsier than usual, which makes it worse.

There’s no such thing as a hospital in this town. If anything exists, it’d be up in the middle tiers and above.

Sure, there are plenty of shady places that pretend to be medical facilities, but if I went to one of those, I already know the gossip it’d stir up around me.

"Guess I’m just tired after all the strange stuff that’s been happening lately."

After the whole Salem incident, a lot of things came up that I couldn’t ignore. Maybe that stress has been piling up on me.

Maybe this is the point where I should take a proper break. Overworked? I didn’t think I was, but…

As for money—strangely enough, that was covered. After Salem’s incident was over, I somehow received a payment as if it were a reward.

It made me wonder, Why? I did kill Salem after all. But apparently, no matter the outcome, payment had been planned from the start.

I have no idea why they’d do something like that.

I thought maybe Trishel would know the details, but just as Reynard came back, she went out somewhere.

Reynard only said, "She’ll be back sooner or later," so it didn’t sound like she left a message or anything.

Mmm, honestly, it feels like unfinished business. Even Riven’s been a bit distant.

The only way I can clear my head these days is by taking Alice-chan out somewhere to play.

"...Not that I really feel like it, but I did get the money, so maybe I should put in a request."

At times like this, the safest bet is to go through the guild. That’s what adventurer registration is for.

They’ll connect me with people I can at least trust to some degree. Sure, it costs money, but the results are reliable.

If this really is some kind of illness creeping up on me, that’d be the worst. Medicine isn’t nearly as advanced as it was in my previous life, but with magic around, treatment and diagnosis are actually easier in this world.

If it can be caught early, all the better.

Why not just use healing magic on myself, you ask? If that worked, it would’ve been fixed already.

I’ve tried, but it doesn’t reveal a cause or do anything at all. At best, it’s just a clumsy, half-baked spell I picked up without proper study.

"Then it’s better to act sooner rather than later. Guess I should tell them I’ll be taking some time off…"

I really, really feel bad for taking so many days off lately.

The Master keeps telling me not to worry about it. Alice-chan looks a little lonely, but she’s getting used to the work now and barely needs help anymore. The inn’s already at the point where it can run fine without me.

That makes me a little lonely myself, but… well, it’s a good thing. I should be glad.

"Mm… mm…"

"Ah, Alice-chan. You’re awake?"

"Big sis…? You’ve been getting up early lately…"

"Ahaha…"

Not long ago, Alice-chan used to wake up before me. It’s only since the nightmares started that I’ve been beating her out of bed.

"Mm, getting ready…"

"Hey now, careful. You’re still half-asleep. Come here, I’ll brush your hair."

"Okay…"

I guided her from the bed to the desk and had her sit in the chair.

By waking up a little earlier, I learned something new—Alice-chan really isn’t a morning person. Makes me think I should start waking up before her more often.

Considering how dazed she is like this, it’s a miracle she hasn’t hurt herself while getting ready every morning until now.

…No, maybe not a miracle. She’s probably just running on habits ingrained into her body.

She’s at ease now, but she was a slave before, wasn’t she?

For a girl, that would naturally mean… No. No point in going down that train of thought.

Right now, she’s just a normal, cute girl. That’s all that matters.

"All done. Your hair’s nice and neat now."

"Mm…"

Rubbing her eyes, Alice-chan got to her feet. Still half-asleep, she began changing into her work clothes even as she kept rubbing at her face. Her movements weren’t clumsy at all—steady, practiced. Safer than they looked, or so I hoped.

"...What about you, big sis?"

She noticed I wasn’t changing with her and asked. Was I not working with her today? Or was I heading out early again like before? Something along those lines, no doubt.

"I… haven’t been feeling too well lately."

"What!"

Her eyes flew open wide in an instant, all traces of sleep gone.

She left her clothes behind and hurried over to me.

"You’ve looked really busy these past days—are you okay?"

"Not really. I don’t know the cause, so I’m planning to have it looked at."

"You need to hurry! What if it’s something serious!"

Alice-chan grabbed my hand and shook it up and down with surprising force. Her face was serious now—completely different from the drowsy expression just moments earlier. That switch was way too fast.

"Could it be, the reason you’ve been waking up so early lately is because…"

"That’s—"

"And the peaceful sleep-talk I used to hear turning into restless groans…!"

"Wait, what did I say in my sleep? And hang on, Alice-chan—you go to bed earlier than me, so how do you even know what I say when I’m asleep?"

Her teary eyes glistened in the light, reflecting back my own troubled face.

"You need to get checked right away! I’ll tell Master myself that you’re sick and can’t work!"

"Uh, that’s kind of exaggerating…"

"No excuses!"

"...Fine."

When I gave in and nodded, Alice-chan planted her hands on her hips in satisfaction, then tugged on my arm and guided me back to bed.

Once I lay down again, she looked even more satisfied and repeated firmly, "No excuses!" before marching out of the room.

…Ugh. It’s really not something that dramatic.

After waiting until the door closed, I pushed myself up to sit.

But still—after she made such a fuss, I could already imagine the conversation happening downstairs. Master wouldn’t let me work, and Alice-chan wouldn’t be able to focus with me hanging around.

Even if I went out like normal, I’d probably just get sent right back.

"...Best option is to put in the request first thing this morning, then come back and rest quietly."

Yeah, that was the most practical plan. Just putting in the request wouldn’t fix things right away anyway. I could hand it in, wait for the result, and rest in the meantime.

Once my mind was made up, I changed into my traveling clothes and pulled on my usual worn cloak.

With the hood up, hiding my face, I was ready.

I checked my belongings, tucked them beneath the cloak, and went downstairs.

My eyes met Master’s for just a moment as he was setting up for the day. Nothing was said, but from the look, I could tell he’d already heard from Alice-chan and was worried.

Leaving the Stray Cat Inn, I found the regulars waiting outside for the place to open.

They were the kind of tough-looking types who could easily be mistaken for thugs, hanging around the front in a way that bordered on loitering. But the townsfolk were so used to the sight they didn’t bat an eye, just kept walking past.

As for me, this appearance was nothing new to the regulars either. They spotted me right away.

"Oh, Charlotte-chan. Up early today, huh?"

"At this hour, you heading to a dungeon? But the kid isn’t with you."

I was surrounded in an instant.

"Uh, um…"

"Not working at the shop again today? It’s been lonely without you lately. Well, Alice-chan’s cute too, though."

"Wait, did you switch sides or something?"

"Don’t be stupid. Charlotte-chan’s way cuter if you ask me."

"Hah? Are you saying that hardworking, earnest girl isn’t cute?"

"That’s not the same thing at all! You’re just being greedy!"

They blocked my way, talking over each other however they pleased.

It looked chaotic, yet everyone was smiling, playfully shoving one another as they laughed.

I lowered my hood for a moment and answered them with a smile of my own.

This kind of atmosphere—I don’t dislike it.

"Actually, I was planning to head over to the Guild to post a request today."

"Oh? That’s rare. Charlotte-chan posting a request, huh?"

"I’ll take it! I’ll do anything you need!"

"Please. A skeleton would be more useful than you. At least it’s got something rattling around in its head."

"The hell did you just say!?"

"Keep the fighting to a minimum, please. Try not to cause too much trouble."

I did say it, but this sort of bickering was clearly just their daily routine.

To an outsider it might look like a real fight, but there was no force in their blows at all. It was just another form of play.

And even without a drop of alcohol, they were this lively—what a cheerful bunch.

"Truth is, I haven’t been feeling well lately. I thought I’d ask someone more knowledgeable to check me out."

At that, the noise died instantly.

Their faces all froze in shock, and soon after, concern began to show.

"Sorry if this sounds rude, but you’re a healer yourself, aren’t you? You couldn’t figure it out on your own?"

"That’s just it—I couldn’t."

"So that’s why you’re going to the Guild… Makes sense. Sounds serious."

"Guess there’s nothing we can do to help with that."

"Shame, really. Would’ve been my chance to show off insight sharp as a skeleton’s bones."

"Shut it. You’re the one who was panicking the other day, worried Alice-chan might be scared of you—then she gave you a smile and you melted like butter."

"H-hey! You can’t just bring that up here!"

The laughter bubbled up again, their fake squabble starting all over.

…Really, they’re hopeless. I covered my mouth, but couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

That set them off too, and soon enough, everyone was laughing together.

"Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay?"

"Take care of yourself, yeah?"

"We’ll be waiting for you back at the shop!"

"And tell us about your next big adventure when we see you!"

With those words, they stepped aside to let me through.

Their smiles were cloudless—bright and refreshing as a clear sky.

"—Of course! Absolutely!"

I gave them the fullest smile I could muster in return.

The shop was closed, and the poster girl was off-duty.

So this smile wasn’t a business smile, nor one meant for customers.

It was a smile born straight from my heart.

A smile of gratitude, given only to the people who had worried for me.

Feeling just a little lighter, I pulled my hood back up and broke into a light jog toward the Guild.