Chapter 33
“Haah, ha….”
Wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, the man walked tirelessly. His destination was now right before him.
‘This is the very place where King Arthur pulled Excalibur!’
He swelled with anticipation at being able to witness this historic site with his own eyes.
Finally, after taking those last few steps….
“Welcome!”
A cheerful voice rang out.
Startled, the man jerked his head up.
Before him stood a cute-looking girl with pink hair, holding something in her hands.
“What is that?”
“It’s a chance to pull out your Excalibur with a silver coin!”
In a tall glass was an ice cream treat, Its bumpy, rocky appearance resembled a hilt at the top.
Could it be?
The man turned to look at the ancient stone where Excalibur was once embedded. That peculiar beverage was undoubtedly imitating it.
“I’ll take one.”
It was a hot day, and the arduous hike had left the man exhausted, so he readily handed over a silver coin.
Succumbing to the temptation of a refreshing ice cream treat under such circumstances was only natural.
Moreover.
“Haha, I came to see it, but I’ll be pulling an Excalibur of my own!”
“You pulled one too?”
“Of course!”
After King Arthur succeeded where none other could in pulling Excalibur, this place effectively became a tourist attraction.
Everyone wanted to pay tribute and honor Arthur’s legendary feat.
Cooling himself with the ice cream, the man admired the stone from which Excalibur was pulled. His steps felt light as he headed back, souvenir in hand.
‘Refreshing. And even tasty! A bit pricey, but… oh well!’
Everyone returning had an Excalibur in their grasp.
Extortionate pricing at tourist traps seemed universal across dimensions.
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“Status window.”
<Status>
Name : Lee Sena
Shop Name : Milky Way Lounge (Preparing to Open)
Reputation : 4,550
Coins : 6,302
8 days until the next payment due.
Checking the status window made the corners of my mouth curl up into a smile.
First off, I was finally rid of that dreadful old name.
The posters Chris had personally drawn were quite popular, bringing in more customers.
‘My poster had no effect at all.’
I had put genuine effort into them, so I felt a tinge of defeat. But it was for the best.
Thanks to the increased business, I had amassed quite a few coins, enough that next month’s subscription fee was covered.
“So maybe I can take a day off today…”
“Rest.”
An unexpected reply came to my muttered thought.
“Really?”
“Well, if you really don’t feel like working, then take a break. Take a break for life, for all I care.”
“Tch.”
I had hoped he would gently suggest taking a break, but his blunt sarcasm instead provoked a sense of challenge in me.
‘If this was at least a fancy bar, I might have felt motivated.’
Having recently visited that glamorous resort made this humble bar feel even shabbier in comparison.
“Hey, I’m going to look for the door again.”
“Suit yourself.”
As usual, Chris left to search for the door.
In any case, I had free time now.
I climbed up to the hammock and lazed around, rolling about. At least during these moments I could escape all the worries of the world.
I had just come from the dimension where ‘The Knights of the Round Table Were Obsessed With Me’ and it completely drained my energy.
“Maybe I really should take a break. I’m not in the mood to work today…”
But I wasn’t relaxed enough to slack off completely.
‘Let’s compromise.’
I wrote ‘Don’t wake me until a customer comes’ on a piece of paper and placed it on my belly. This way, I could rest a bit more, since it was rare for customers to arrive right as we opened.
But of course, today happened to be one of those rare days when a customer did show up the moment we opened.
“Boss, there’s a customer here.”
“Why so soon…”
Though I grumbled in denial, I dutifully prepared to receive the customer.
The person who entered as soon as we opened was already a familiar face.
The dad customer who was worried about his daughter getting a boyfriend.
“Say, is it possible to rent out this place?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Then I’d like to request a rental. Let’s say one week from now. It won’t be over ten people. I’ll come back with the details…hmm, yes, I’ll visit again.”
He had left without specifying the details last time. Did he now have a specific event in mind?
“I’d like to hold my daughter’s birthday party here.”
The quest rewards had included ‘Party Request,’ so I was expecting this, but I needed to clarify.
“As you know, this is a bar though.”
“I assume you have non-alcoholic beverages too.”
“That’s true.”
Come to think of it, this wasn’t my first time serving a child customer.
The ‘Rainbow Milk’ I made for Hansel was well-received.
“Listen, my darling daughter, who wouldn’t hurt a fly, is going through puberty.”
Though the man spoke gravely, knowing his daughter was only seven, it didn’t sound that serious to me.
“She refuses even the biggest dollhouse in the world. Says she doesn’t want cute bunny dolls either. She even turned down precious jewels and dresses!”
“Maybe you should ask her what she does want?”
“Of course I did. But…”
The man trailed off, rubbing his forehead. What had his daughter said?
“She said she won’t accept any gifts from me.”
“Ah, she’s really giving you the cold shoulder.”
“Yes. It’s because a few days ago, I called her a baby…”
The man let out a groan.
“She’s the oldest girl at daycare, so she got mad at me calling her ‘baby.'”
Oh, how adorable.
I unconsciously broke into a warm smile, but the man before me furrowed his brow disapprovingly.
Ahem. Need to watch my expressions.
“Our Ruby is so mature that she hates being treated like a child.”
But why would someone who knows that call her ‘baby’? I wanted to say, but I managed to hold it back and replied formally.
“It’s an age where anything adults do seems cool, I suppose.”
“Yeah, that’s it. Ruby wants to imitate anything adults do. She’s insisting on becoming an adult right away.”
Right away?
That seemed a bit unusual. It’s common for children to dislike being treated like kids, but to want to become an adult immediately?
“Why does she want to become an adult right away?”
I asked, puzzled. The man blinked his eyes.
“Well…didn’t you just say it? That it’s an age where anything adults do seems cool. All kids are like that.”
“I see.”
“What Ruby is currently obsessed with is alcohol. But she’s still too young to drink alcohol, right?”
The man sighed deeply after saying that.
“Yes, absolutely not.”
“So, the alternative I came up with is this. It may be a bit run-down and shabby, but it’s run by a female bartender.”
Did he just openly call this place run-down and shabby? Well, it’s true so I can’t really object!
“But still, holding a 7-year-old’s birthday party at a cocktail bar…”
No matter how obsessed I am with coins, I don’t want to ruin the birthday party of a dreamy 7-year-old child.
Because I know how important birthday parties are for kids that age.
“This is a sign of my sincerity.”
The man held out his pocket. I calmly checked his pocket, and gold coins were glistening brightly.
<Notice> You have received 2,000 coins!
“If you insist that much, I will do my utmost, Father.”
It was an amount I could not refuse. As I reached for the pocket, the man said,
“If by any chance something goes wrong and our precious Ruby ends up crying…”
At that moment, the man’s face became terribly frightening. It was a face that would make the customers sitting next to us flee.
“I will burn down this run-down cocktail bar.”
Isn’t this a threat?
Do I have to work while being threatened? He’s crossed the line with 2,000 coins.
Just as dissatisfaction was rising to the top of my head…
“However! If those cherry-like lips say ‘I love you, daddy’, I will give an immense reward.”
“I love you, Father.”
“Not you.”
When I quickly raised both hands to make a big heart, the man turned pale.
At this point, I have no choice but to get Ruby to say ‘I love you, daddy’.
With my motivation at MAX for the first time in a long while, I followed the man as he turned to leave.
“Why are you following me?”
“For preliminary research.”
The place beyond the door was a rather lively alley.
“Dimension View.”
<Dimension Information>
Title: The Iron-Blooded Regent’s First Time as a Father (Episode 250)
Genre: Fantasy/Parenting
Summary: Rozen, the iron-blooded regent who sheds neither blood nor tears. As he reigns as prime minister, the kingdom achieves limitless growth. However, he is so strict that not only his subordinates but even the king leaves.
A sudden wind of change blows into the ominous palace?
“Prime Minister, there is a strange scribble on the documents. I will immediately catch the culprit…”
“A strange scribble? It’s the work of a promising artist.”
“Yes? Who…”
“Obviously, my daughter.”
The iron-blooded prime minister changed after the birth of his daughter, Rubiana!
Would you like to read it?
[Y] [N]
It was a familiar story. A tyrant-like man turns into a doting father, causing those around him to scramble in confusion.
However, there was one point that concerned me a bit.
“Okay, from the first chapter.”
I sat down by the street and carefully read through from the first chapter.
The regent, or rather, Ruby’s father, looked at me like I was a strange person before calmly leaving. But I didn’t mind whether he did that or not.
Because in order to get Ruby to say “I love you, daddy”, I needed to learn more about the daughter, Rubiana, than that man.
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Thank you for reading! ♡
