Servants.
In the tavern, a mountain of food and drink is stacked upon my table.
The innkeeper, Inessa, keeps bringing more. Light buffet or full-course feast—it’s hard to tell, but the sheer effort speaks volumes about how seriously they’re taking this hospitality.
“Your Majesty, please.”
The beautiful woman beside me pours for me.
The slightly cloudy wine, a local specialty from Magatan called the ‘bride’s dowry’—so named because it’s a regional favorite.
As expected from a specialty, it was quite good.
“Another round, Your Majesty?”
“Bring it. Though…”
As I lift the glass, I glance at the dishes piled high on the table.
Meat, vegetables, fish, grains—everything you can imagine, all prepared.
It’s like every conceivable ingredient is here, ready to eat.
“Damn, you really managed to gather all this?”
“Thanks to Your Majesty.”
She sets the wine bottle down on the table and looks straight at me.
"Um, Your Majesty..."
"What?"
"I've always wanted to say thank you to You, Your Majesty..."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I arrived in Rebeck recently..."
"Arrived. Like the monkey-back-to-forest kind?"
"No. The village I used to live in was destroyed by the heretic god's army. My family barely escaped, hiding deep in the mountains. We stayed there for a while, but when our food ran out, we had to go out—and that's when we met Malart."
"Malart."
That name's popping up a lot lately.
"He took an interest in me and brought me to his estate. That's when You showed up."
"Is that the day?"
The timeline's coming clear.
"Yes, Your Majesty. You defeated Malart and saved me. I've been wanting to say thank you ever since."
"Don't mention it."
It was just a side thing.
I didn't set out to do it. So it's not like I need special thanks for it.
"Still, thank you so much!"
"Yeah? So, how’s life treating you now?"
"Thanks to His Majesty, I’ve been working and managing just fine."
"Didn’t really do anything special—"
"No, it’s definitely thanks to the King. For a while after that, life was rough. But then one day, I met the King—well, he was just the Lord back then—and he listened to my story. He got me a job for my family."
I set down my glass and stared at her.
If what she said was true, that means we actually met once… but I can’t remember.
I strain to recall it. Nothing.
"Sorry. I just… can’t remember."
I gave up and apologized straight up.
"No need to apologize. The King does things like this every day. You wouldn’t remember what you ate last week, would you?"
She smiled warmly. No offense taken.
"But I’m really grateful."
"Is that so."
Being thanked doesn’t feel bad at all.
I drank some wine. Ate the meal.
Enjoyed myself, welcomed by them.
“Ah, Your Majesty.”
After setting out the last of the dishes, Inessa returned.
“Can I make one request?”
“What is it? Go on.”
“You’re not the first guest here—ah, of course, no charge. But you’re the first guest, right?”
“Ah, so that’s how it is?”
They said I didn’t have to pay, but if that meant I was a guest, then I was a guest.
“Since it’s such a rare occasion, how about you be the godparent of this place?”
“Godparent?”
“Yeah.”
Inessa nodded.
“Could we name it after you, Your Majesty?”
“Inessa, that’s too forward. Maybe we should come up with a name first, then ask Your Majesty to approve it?”
“Ah! Right! That’s better!”
“No, wait—”
She held up a hand to stop him.
“Sorry, no go on that one.”
“Why not?”
“Just… no.”
The name “Bragadariu” floated into her mind.
That’s how the people of this world—of my country—would probably go about it.
It’s… not entirely bad, but it’s definitely going too far.
“I’ll come up with something.”
“Are you sure?”
“Call it fate.”
Thinking up a name isn’t exactly a big deal.
Honestly, it takes slightly more effort than crafting something, or drawing a magic circle in DORECA and tossing in materials, but it’s not worth sweating over.
She thought for a moment. Tavern. Izakaya…
An izakaya could be one kanji character, two hiragana, or a mix of both.
That seemed safest.
…Nukure?
“No way, that’s not happening.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just forget it. That’s pushing it. It’s a slave-related name.”
“Really?!”
Inessa latched onto it. Her eyes sparkled, somehow.
“Eh…?”
“Are you sure this is really okay?”
“Huh? I mean, she’s a slave, right?”
“Not in other countries, but here—this is the king’s land. Slaves are special here. They even get names tied to that status.”
“…Really? You’re sure?”
Inessa nodded, briskly.
“…Alright, just wait a sec.”
She stepped outside, then returned with a leftover wooden plank.
Using DORECA, she summoned a single brush. With that brush, she wrote characters onto the plank—turned it into a sign.
She carried it back inside and showed it to Inessa.
“Are you really sure about this?”
The kanji read “奴れい”—one kanji character, two hiragana, a casual mix that looked just like a izakaya sign.
“Wait… does this actually mean ‘slave’?”
She couldn’t read it, of course.
“Yeah. Exactly that. Slave.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Congratulations, Miss Inessa!”
Inessa beams, clapping hands.
Really… is this okay?
Conclusion: seems like it was the best choice after all.
The royal-approved izakaya, "Nukurei," would become the busiest shop in the area.