Chapter 38: The Fish Bites the Hook
On this day, The Hostess of Fertility tavern was packed to bursting. The crowd of customers was so overwhelming it extended beyond the tavern's walls and into the streets—hordes of diners drawn in by word of mouth.
And their objective was clear: they came for the tavern's food.
Although Shirou had mainly prepared crepes—a light snack typically popular among women—the taste was so exquisite that it entranced everyone, regardless of gender. People were drawn in as if under a spell, lining up just to get a bite.
The line stretched across several streets, even attracting the suspicion of several powerful Familia, who thought some sort of incident or crime had occurred.
It wasn't until they confirmed it was merely a tavern selling snacks that they left, thoroughly confused.
"Even I didn't expect things would turn out like this…" said Mia, the tavern's manager, utterly dumbfounded by the record-breaking number of customers. Her face bore a look of shock.
Though she had faith in Shirou's cooking skills, she'd only seen him cook fried rice before. She never imagined that his abilities extended beyond that—and could even create a historic revenue surge for The Hostess of Fertility.
"Another one," said Ais from one of the tavern's tables, ordering yet another crepe.
Despite having claimed the same seat the entire time, none of the customers dared say a word about it.
After all, who would willingly pick a fight with a level 5 adventurer? That would be suicidal.
As a result, Ais had been eating nonstop.
Strangely, despite how much she'd consumed, there was no visible change—everything she ate seemed to vanish into thin air. It was as if she were revealing her hidden talent as a glutton.
The bustling scene continued until midnight, when the tavern finally closed its doors by force. Only then did the reluctant customers leave—otherwise, it seemed like they would have kept queuing until dawn.
"So it's finally over?" Shirou muttered.
For the first time in his life, Shirou experienced what it felt like to cook until your hands cramped.
He had never worked as a professional chef before. His cooking was always done at home, and he never imagined how exhausting it would be to turn it into a profession.
No wonder people always say, "Never turn your hobby into a job—or you'll end up hating it."
Still, Shirou wasn't entirely put off. It was just his first time cooking at such high intensity for so long. He figured he'd get used to it after doing it a few more times.
"Kid, here's your pay!"
Mya approached carrying several bags of gold. Shirou glanced at them and was shocked—there was at least 200,000 valis in there. "That much?!"
"Well, this is a tavern, after all. It's a seriously profitable business," Mya said with a grin.
Shirou quickly understood. On the tavern's menu, each crepe he made sold for 2,000 valis. Plus, customers would always order pricey alcohol with their food—who knew how much profit was actually being made?
Of course, part of the high payment was clearly because Mia was doing him a favor. Normally, no chef would receive such a high wage.
"Thanks."
Shirou didn't turn her down. He genuinely needed the money.
Whether it was for the cost of forging weapons or the treatment of his divine wound by Armid from Dian Cecht Familia, it was all an enormous expense.
Now that he accepted the money, he simply planned to repay the favor by helping out at the tavern from time to time.
After saying goodbye to the tavern staff, Shirou prepared to leave.
Thanks to his performance that day, the female employees at the tavern fully acknowledged him and warmly welcomed the idea of his return.
Even Ryuu, the elf girl with a complicated relationship with Shirou, could no longer find fault—she had come to respect him as a chef.
As he was leaving the tavern, Shirou ran into Ais.
The sword princess hadn't left after closing time. Instead, she had been waiting.
"About the thief... do you need my help?" Ais asked, staring directly at Shirou. "I may not understand fishing, but if it's a fight you need, I can handle that."
"That won't be necessary…" Shirou declined awkwardly.
It wasn't that he doubted her strength. He just felt her presence was far too conspicuous.
If the thief realized that the Sword Princess was nearby, no matter how bold they were, they wouldn't dare act again. So naturally, he declined Ais's offer.
Ais didn't seem to mind. She nodded quietly. "Alright. But if you ever need help, come find me."
"Why would you help me?"
"It's nothing. Just… thanks for the food today. And if you happen to bring a few more crepes next time, that'd be even better."
"..."
Shirou was left speechless. Without even realizing it, he had turned the sword princess into a complete foodie.
In the end, he smiled and made a promise to Ais: if he ever needed her help, he'd come find her—carrying food.
.
.
.
The Goblin Shopkeeper's General Store
After accepting Shirou's commission, the goblin shopkeeper had been diligently spreading the story of "Hassan's Dagger" just as instructed.
Every time a customer came by, he would "casually" mention how he once had a priceless dagger, only for it to be snatched back by the rightful owner—leaving him heartbroken.
Since it was a genuine outpouring of emotion, no one suspected his words were fabricated.
Quite a few people even set their eyes on the dagger. But since no one knew who the original owner was, they had no way of launching an investigation or making a move.
The next day, the bait took hold.
A Pallum customer entered the shop. He was male in appearance and acted nonchalant as he browsed the wares, eventually bringing up the topic of Hassan's Dagger.
"You're sure that dagger's worth millions?" the Pallum asked, eyes sharp.
The goblin shopkeeper calmly replied, "Of course. With my eyes, I couldn't possibly be wrong. And the girl who sold it to me? A total idiot—she had no idea what it was really worth. The profit I made from that would've been enough for me to shut down the shop and retire in luxury!"
"Fuck!" the male Pallum muttered under his breath, his tone laced with anger.
He asked a few more questions about the dagger. After learning that it had now returned to its original owner, he casually bought a few thousand valis' worth of potions before leaving the shop.
A few blocks away, after confirming no one was around, the "male" Pallum raised a hand—and in an instant, all masculine features disappeared.
The figure was now unmistakably a female Pallum.
Her expression twisted in frustration and resentment as she gritted her teeth: "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I have to get it back! That dagger belongs to me!"