Chapter 69: A Few Stories of the Edward Tavern
In the Edward Tavern on the first floor of the Edward Studios in Norsrick.
With the recent official release of the new movie "Goblin Slayer," business at the tavern has been booming these past few days. It's constantly packed with fans fresh from watching the film.
In response to the bustling activity, the Edward Tavern had to recruit new staff once again. Apart from the manager, Wiz, and the waiter, the Headless Knight, the tavern now boasts a diverse staff.
First to join was Helena, who had been absent for a while. After wrapping up filming for the last movie, she disappeared for a bit, only to recently return to the South. With Durin occupied shooting the new movie, she found herself with nothing to do and ended up lending a hand at the tavern.
As for why a high-ranking mage like her would work as a waitress, it all comes down to the salary offered by Wiz, the manager whose math skills leave something to be desired, which Helena couldn't turn down.
Despite receiving a substantial sum in acting fees from Durin after the release of "Konosuba: God Blessings on this Wonderful World," her financial situation explains why she was short on cash.
Next, Zat, after accompanying Winry to Edward Castle, eventually returned to Norsrick. With Winry efficiently managing the castle and Durin not needing him as a second-tier swordsman, he decided to lend his skills to the tavern.
As the tavern is technically an asset of the Edward family, Zat, being a knight of the Edward family, felt obligated to contribute.
With Zat's arrival, Aya naturally followed suit. Although she spends her days being lazy, her acrobatic skills have garnered praise from customers. She's now even taken on the role of entertainment director responsible for the tavern's programs.
Currently, apart from the actor who played Darkness, who returned to adventuring, almost the entire cast of "Konosuba: God Blessings on this Wonderful World" has gathered at the tavern. You can imagine just how good business must be.
Some fans of "Konosuba: God Blessings on this Wonderful World" even consider it a sacred place and come here to check in every day, leaving Wiz, who can't count numbers, feeling increasingly frustrated, although the lich doesn't feel any frustration at all.
Meanwhile, with the release of the new movie, the tavern's customers have noticed a few familiar faces recently. Undoubtedly, these are the Saiki family, who moved their home to Norsrick, and Daphne, who's been freeloadin' at Edward Studios.
Leaving aside a certain duke's daughter who feels no guilt whatsoever about her freeloading behavior, after the movie shoot ended, Saiki took Durin's advice and decided to move his family from the outskirts of the North to the town. Because he was afraid of being recognized in the North, he sought Durin's help and brought his whole family to this unfamiliar land in the South.
After all, there are few powerful beings in the South, and ordinary adventurers can't detect the presence of the undead. So, he could easily live here openly, although wearing full armor all day long was quite uncomfortable. But once he got used to it, he seemed to have no problem.
With Saiki's addition, the tavern now essentially has two and a half undead. As the tavern's manager, Wiz's biggest concern now is the possibility of some church official suddenly coming to Norsrick. If they investigated, it could cause a big problem, although Durin has said he has no plans to promote the movie further afield. But who knows? Some bishop might disguise themselves as a commoner and come to the South for penance or something.
Overall, at least for now, the tavern doesn't have to worry about any problems. After all, leaving aside a certain Headless Knight who could even be a big boss, the rest of the staff are all quite capable. Except for Zat and Aya, who are more like mascots, even if a bishop were to come, they could easily handle it.
And for Wiz, who manages the tavern, her biggest headache right now is the mysterious phenomenon of "not knowing why, even though the tavern's customers are constantly increasing, the revenue is always in deficit." This is something she just can't figure out.
.....
After a bustling day of business, the tavern's lively ambiance had subsided somewhat. Now, besides a few patrons lingering into the late hours, only the staff occupied the tavern.
Just as Wiz, observing the scene, sensed it was nearing closing time, footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
"Ryne, you scoundrel! We've said it's too late for any more shows! Why not come back tomorrow?!"
"But... Isn't it because of you, Master, being too slow? We should have come yesterday, but you dragged it until today."
"Is that my fault? It's all because the Duke of the South's banquet was not only long but also tedious!"
Watching the apprentice and master engage in their usual quarrel, General Wilhelm, walking calmly, chuckled and said, "Alright, alright. If we can't see it today, then so be it. We can come back tomorrow. After all, we won't be leaving the South anytime soon. Now, the immediate task is to... Ah, we've arrived..."
As the trio approached the highly recommended tavern, Wilhelm, accompanied by his Knight Commander Wilcliff and Knight Ryne, entered.
Meanwhile, in the tavern, upon seeing the trio approaching, Wiz, who had been about to greet them, froze in disbelief.
As an undead lich, she could clearly sense the life energy of every human. At this moment, whether due to her undead instincts or Wiz's ability to discern souls, she realized that the three approaching figures were not to be underestimated. Or rather... they were very dangerous!
"Zat, take Aya to the second floor."
With no time to warn others further, and with Beldia yet to return, Wiz opted to have the weakest two hide first. As for the others, since Daphne happened to be absent, that left only Saiki and Helena, both capable fighters, to assist.
Upon hearing this, Zat, understanding that he might not be able to help in the upcoming situation, immediately grabbed Aya, who was sound asleep on the edge of the tavern, and ran upstairs.
Soon, as the three knights entered, the atmosphere in the tavern inexplicably became tense.
"Is... there anything... you need?" Wiz asked, trying to maintain a smile as she watched the oldest and most energetic knight take a seat at the bar.
In her hope, these powerful knights would preferably drink and leave without realizing her identity as an undead. In fact, apart from priests with the guidance of holy light, ordinary knights couldn't distinguish undead very well.
As the three knights took their seats, they didn't exhibit anything strange, just perusing the menu on the bar like regular customers.
Just as Wiz felt relieved that her human facade hadn't been detected, the tavern's back door suddenly swung open, and Beldia walked in, holding his head in his left hand and a bucket of alcohol in his right.
The Headless Knight, looking extremely pleased, laughed heartily and shouted, "Hahaha, I'm back, Wiz! This is the alcohol I got with the extra premiere tickets from Director Durin. Don't you dare mess it up for me this time! No, I won't even let you touch it this time, hahaha!"
"——————!"
Suddenly, seeing the expressions of the three knights change instantly, Wiz couldn't suppress a scream in her heart, while cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
And including Saiki, who was already prepared to act, in the distance, the entire tavern fell silent in an instant, so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard clearly.