The tavern was silent for a brief moment before the customers one by one opened their throats, shouting happily.
The hunter who had yelled "drag him out" earlier was the first to slap the table. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and laughed gruffly:
"Good! Now that's what I call style from the Iron Axe!
"Hey, knight kid! May you soon become a true, anointed knight, famous across the North and renowned in King's Landing!"
"To you!"
"To the knight kid!"
Waves of alcohol-fueled shouts and laughter rose and fell.
Don Quixote laughed confidently:
"Knight kid doesn't sound good. Remember, I am Don Quixote!
"The Knight Don Quixote!
"And we should drink to Lady Wylla!"
A man in the corner who had been drinking silently finally stood up, raised his cup towards Don Quixote, and shouted:
"Got it, Knight Kid Don Quixote! To Lady Wylla! And to you!"
At this, many customers laughed with good-natured humor:
"Hahaha! Knight Kid Don Quixote! That name has a ring to it!"
"To Lady Wylla!"
"To Knight Kid Don Quixote!"
Don Quixote shook his head and smiled helplessly.
He knew very well that these people were only politely calling him a knight because of the free ale.
Normally, they would just wave and slap him on the shoulder:
"Hey, squire! Fill 'er up!"
The drunkard had recovered slightly. He stood up, glared at Don Quixote with fury, and squeezed a threat through his teeth:
"Kid, just you wait!"
Don Quixote feigned a swing with the iron bar in his hand.
The drunkard flinched in terror, not daring to say another word, and hurriedly turned to scramble out of the Iron Axe Tavern in a sorry state.
The other customers in the tavern had already returned to normal—drinking, eating meat, and bragging as usual.
It was as if nothing had happened.
They weren't reserved noble ladies who needed to maintain their dignity at all times.
Nor were they young lordlings obsessed with trivialities and refined manners.
Most who came here were rough men from the bottom of society.
To them, wasn't vomiting after getting drunk a common occurrence?
Many people stepped into the Iron Axe Tavern specifically to get dead drunk.
A little vomit wouldn't stop them from eating and drinking.
---
As soon as Don Quixote walked back to the bar, Ronan said angrily:
"Don Quixote, York is a regular at the Iron Axe. You were too heavy-handed!"
"Didn't you tell me yourself? If a customer breaks the rules, knock them out and throw them out."
Don Quixote chuckled:
"I already went easy on him! Otherwise, how could that reckless bastard have walked out of here?"
He acted directly instead of trying to persuade him first.
Aside from his initial intention to make an example of someone to prevent future trouble...
The guard duty at the tavern was boring enough. If he had to deal with this kind of drunkard nonsense every day, it would be torture.
Furthermore, he hated people who lost control when drunk.
As for the Old Gods and faith that others cared so much about...
Heh, Don Quixote only believed in the coin in his pocket, the sword in his hand, and the rod in his pants.
In this life, if you don't seek freedom and pleasure, power and protection, or a beauty in your arms...
Then what are you chasing?
History repeatedly emphasizes the most interesting things in life:
Freedom, violence, and sex.
That was Don Quixote's life philosophy!
...Dammit, knocking customers out was just an exaggeration to scare the new guy.
If customers were knocked out and thrown out just for shouting when drunk, who would dare come to the Iron Axe Tavern?
Their customer base wasn't exactly made up of respectable figures.
Weren't crude behavior and language normal?
Ronan caught a glimpse of Don Quixote's cold gaze and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
It seemed this skinny young man wasn't as insignificant as he looked.
And certainly not as easy to bully as Ronan had thought.
Ronan swallowed hard, hurriedly turned his head away, but continued:
"Then why did you take it upon yourself to give these people free ale?! Do you know a cup of ale costs 3 coppers?"
Don Quixote said nonchalantly:
"It's not like the tavern is paying a single copper. Didn't that bastard pay for the drinks?"
Ronan couldn't hold it back anymore and turned to glare at Don Quixote:
"The tavern's rules are Lady Wylla's rules!
"When a customer vomits from drinking, we take extra coppers from the drunkard to cover a small horn of ale for the other guests!
"A small horn! Not a full cup! Bastard, didn't I remind you before?!"
A small horn of ale only cost half a copper.
A full cup cost 3 coppers.
Thud!
Don Quixote slammed the iron bar heavily onto the wooden counter, his face dark as he looked at Ronan:
"That bastard insulted the Old Gods in public! I made him pay the price!
"And shouldn't these loyal believers who heard the Old Gods being humiliated receive more comfort?!"
Just then, a customer nearby who had overheard Don Quixote and Ronan's conversation suddenly stood up and shouted:
"That's right! That bastard blasphemed the Old Gods; he should have been stripped naked and thrown out to freeze to death!
"Just charging him a few extra coppers let him off easy!
"I like what the Knight Kid is saying! Shouldn't we honest, loyal believers get some comfort after being wronged?!"
After speaking, the customer shouted to the others who were confused:
"Don't you agree?!"
After a moment of silence, many customers started shouting loudly:
"Right! Right! Right! We need a little comfort!"
"Damn you, Ronan, you're not going to be stingy about a cup of ale, are you?!"
"Bastard Ronan, if you dare go back on your word and don't give me a cup of ale, I'll crush your balls right now!"
"Old Gods above, Knight Kid, you did the right thing. The North tolerates no insults to the Old Gods!"
Hearing this, Ronan's face changed colors. It took a long time for him to suppress his anger and force a smile for the majority of the customers:
"No, no, the tavern will serve everyone free ale right away!"
Seeing the customers' emotions gradually settle, he turned to face Don Quixote and gritted his teeth:
"I will speak frankly to Lady Wylla about this tomorrow!"
Lady Wylla usually came to the Iron Axe Tavern every two or three days to collect the earnings and check on the business.
Don Quixote waved his hand and said as he turned away:
"Go ahead. But I trust Lady Wylla will understand my intentions.
"Those who insult the Old Gods must be punished!"
"You... you damn bastard!"
Glaring at Don Quixote's back, Ronan cursed in a low voice.
Time flew by.
After eating a simple dinner provided by the tavern at dusk, Don Quixote hurriedly left Castle Cerwyn and returned to the crofters' village.
[Employer: Lady Wylla]
[Quest: Maintain order in the Iron Axe Tavern daily (This quest is settled daily; rewards are random)]
[Reward: 5 Silver Stags (Claimable)]
As soon as he got home, Don Quixote bolted the door tight and checked the random reward for completing the employment quest today.
"Claim!"
...