I left Mister Robert and Bocho at their table and continued to do my job as a waitress in this small pub. After my first meeting with the two of them, I asked if was there something I could help with while staying in Mister Robert's place, that's why I ended up being one of the workers in the pub.
"Princess, one more here!"
Hearing those words made me feel nostalgic, the first few days I work in this place, I couldn't count on my fingers—How many plates I broke as well as those foods that I'd trampled on the customer's faces. But for some reason, they looked delighted whenever the last one happens.
Thus, before I knew it, because of my clumsiness and lack of knowledge they started to address me as 'Princess'. That was the first one I hadn't felt proud to be called in that title.
Looking around as I refilled the tankards, there's a lot of unknown faces enjoying at their tables. Probably they were from the other area of the country, are they the travelers?
I remember, Gualflem's pub wasn't full of customers before, it only started after the rise of the beast-spotted incidents and the ascendance of the beast hunters. The old pub was now acted as a gathering place for hunters, just to relieve their stress from work.
As far as I know, the beast hunter wasn't particularly required to have extraordinary powers. Most hunters that I'd met before were erstwhile animal hunters, woodcutters, farmers, etc. I suppose, they just needed to have some knowledge. Or is it just because they found it quite fascinating than their old life.
Thrice in a week, a merchant came here in the town to trade the body parts of the beast into money. I'd wondered how they could bear the smell of the corpses. One time, a beast hunter went here in the pub with a corpse of noisy roots—those hand size creatures made of the root of the trees in the mountain that could make any people who hear their scream fell unconscious. I had troubled to cleanse the air, it took more than an hour after I finished, even now I could still smell the reek of its blood whenever they mention those tiny creatures.
As I walked around distributing their beers I heard a loud sound came from the beast hunters at the middle table. Looking upset, he chugged his beer and angrily slammed it on the table.
"That damn traveler, if I ever see him again I'll smash his head into pieces... Does he ever know what he did earlier? acting high and might just because he killed those mountain rats! if I was only at his age I could kill a dozen-no a hundred of them!" ferociously slammed the table with his fist.
Looking at him, he must be in the range of forty to fifty years old—given by the white strands of hair attached to his scalp also there was less hair on the top part than his temple. Alongside him was a slender lad that has a sequence of knives hanging perpendicularly from his shoulder to his waist. They're resembled Mister Robert and Bocho but in a more shady version of them.
"Calm down, Neo...we're not the only one in here," The slender lad said as he pats Neo's shoulder. Turning his head to the other hunters around them, he awkwardly bowed his head to each table, apologizing for his friend I suppose.
"And what's with his strange sword? can he even wield a sword that long? it almost reaches its height you know! what is that? his trademark?! does he think that we were in a tight situation eliminating those strange beasts? instead of making a name, he should just help me kill those creatures and not to steal them!" Neo groaned.
I immediately took and clean the table beside theirs. I don't want to associate myself with them. Certainly, I grew more accustomed to this place however, the pub wasn't only for Mister Robert and Bocho—nor the folks from this town and the next town. Looking at their faces they were strangers for me probably they came from a faraway town and were just here to stop by.
Specifically, of all things that Neo said, one thing caught my interest. A person who wields a sword that almost reaches the height of his body, just like the description of the founder of Hyuera. If he was the one who was written in the book—how nonsense, a person couldn't live that long, I thought.
Hearing again the loud slammed, Neo stood up from his seat dragging his large ax covered in long white cloth. Judging by his flushed cheeks and glazed eyes, there's no way no one couldn't tell that he was already drunk.
"Oy Neo, where are you going?" the lad immediately grabbed his wrist but Neo flicked his hand.
"Gonna cleave that bastard in half" he mumbled as he hung his ax on his back. The lad followed him, trying to dissuade Neo but still, he hasn't stopped.
After a short walk, they were already going out of the pub and ultimately lost in my sight. I sighed and put down the wet rag onto the vacant table, feeling relieved that nothing happened today.
As I got my composure back, I hadn't noticed that the whole pub went in silence. The music and the pounding sounds of standards were nowhere to be found. Looking at the beast hunters in their seats, they were a bit wary—already holding the hilt of their weapons. I wondered what happened to them.
Finally, a man who has a hair bun stood up from his seat holding his empty standard "One more!" as he exclaimed, the pub back from its lively atmosphere, the music and the noises rose once again.
"That's quite a show that happened there, eh?"
"Yeah, I was certain that if they did anything wrong, their head had flown in the air with a shower of blood at it"
"That's quite brutal, eh? Yet I can't say that you were wrong. If they lay a finger on the Princess, he will be the one who had cleaved in half"
I understood now why they were a bit wary earlier, it was most likely because of me—that I was the closest to the two.
Putting my hands onto my stomach and lightly bent my back forward, I bowed to all of them and apologize for worrying them. I hadn't done anything special to them yet I felt like they treasured me, I glad to be in here.
However, after a long time working in the pub, I know what would happen next after this.
"Then a free round of beers for us will do!" they yelled in sync. I knew it would be like this.
I sighed and took the rag back from the table, started walking to one of the doors in the pub that led to the storage room. "Just this once" I announced as I entered the room to get some more beers.
Even after I got into the storage room I still heard the noises from them, especially the most irritating title they bestowed to me.
"Long live for the Princess of the pub!"
"Cheers for the princess of the pub!"
Thinking about what would they react after they knew that I was a princess of a certain kingdom, I ponder.