◈ 099. [Side Story] Jupiter Junior (2)
Jupiter immediately shook his head.
“Don’t underestimate the frontier. It’s running very tight here. There are many eyes watching. There are not many gaps.”
“Huh huh?”
“Above all, the commander, the 3rd prince.”
Remembering Ash, Jupiter smiled bitterly.
“It’s completely different from his reputation in the capital. It’s not that you have a wide field of view, but it seems like you’re writing some sort of future poem.”
Junior made a noise.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a commander so highly regarded by my grandmother.”
“You seem like a nobleman with a lot of things in mind. It would be more beneficial to receive an honest salary than to be punished for making a fuss. Because it pays well… … .”
“okay?”
Junior shrugged.
“Then it can’t be helped. I will have to work here for a while.”
“what?”
“This is the way to meet the prince. Did you suggest it yourself? Aren’t you going to work?”
Jupiter, who had been dazed for a moment, hurriedly stood up from his seat.
“Don’t do that Junior! You promised me! I won’t use magic!”
“Ahaha! Are you worried about me now?”
Junior showed the left side of his face, which was covered by his hair, to his grandmother.
“’Come now’?”
“… !”
Jupiter didn’t say anything and flinched back.
Giduk- Junior
, who was staring at the grandmother as if he was cute, tidied up his hair and waved his hand as he left the hospital room.
“Rest well, grandma. You look very injured.”
“Wait a minute! Junior! talk more… … .”
“You’ve worked hard all your life doing all sorts of dirty things to make money, my grandmother.”
Junior turned around from the entrance and smiled bashfully.
“Now I will earn it.”
Cute like a fox, but also conspiring… … It was such a smile.
“My grandmother should spend the rest of her life in peace. is not it?”
“… .”
“See you later~”
Kung. The door is closed.
The sound of her granddaughter’s footsteps walking down the hallway gradually faded away.
“… .”
Jupiter was standing there blankly.
throbbing.
It hurt.
Not the injured body, but a certain point of memory engraved in the brain. It has been sorely stung.
The scenery of that burning village… … .
throbbing. throbbing.
“Hey… .”
A suppressed moan leaked from Jupiter’s mouth as he stumbled and collapsed onto the bed.
“It’s all something I brought on myself.”
The old soldier’s one eye was full of deep regret.
“every… It’s my karma… … .”
***
After leaving the mercenary guild, Lucas and I headed to the city center.
Their destination was ‘Etty’s Honey’, the only inn in Crossroads.
“Would you like to see how much the operation has improved over the past ten days or so?”
The other day, I had given an order to improve the operation of the inn.
Since I plan to entrust the operation of the hotel to be built in Crossroads to the inn crew here, I hoped to maintain the minimum hotel management capacity. that was the test.
So, upon entering the hotel,
“You are here, my lord!”
“Are you here!”
The entire inn crew came out and bowed to me.
Everyone is wearing a suit I haven’t seen before. what?
Besides, the interior of the inn has been changed in a flashy way.
It was obviously a bit old, but it was a friendly and warm neighborhood inn.
Aren’t there red carpets now? Isn’t there a chandelier hanging from the narrow ceiling? too much too much!
“… What’s this.”
As I panicked, the inn owner greeted me from the inside with a confident face. This person was also dressed up.
“How are you, lord!”
“No, how are you sleeping and what is this?”
“Didn’t you say you would leave the operation of the state-owned hotel to us?”
The owner pahaha- laughed and patted his chest.
“So I prepared in advance! I thought of this hotel as that hotel and changed everything from the etiquette of the staff to the hygiene management props!”
“… .”
No, it’s good to be full of enthusiasm.
I’m over this far… … No, I didn’t expect to work hard. I just meant to clean up or do a little hard work.
“So what! I tried transforming the inn like this with the feeling of vomiting blood and cutting bones for ten days!”
The owner opened his eyes and looked up at me.
“Are you entrusting us with the operation of the state-owned hotel?”
“uh… .”
I do this, of course.
“pass!”
Wow-!
As soon as I said it, the owner and the hotel crew all embraced each other.
Anyone who sees it will know how childish the Olympics are.
However, the completion of the hotel would have taken nearly a year even if the magic construction technology was fully mobilized. What if it’s already like this?
‘Still, it’s good to be motivated.’
I broke out in a cold sweat while looking at the high-class interior that didn’t suit the narrow inn.
The owner clenched his fist towards me and revealed his aspirations.
“I will definitely make the hotel a specialty of this Crossroads and make guests flock to it like bees!”
“… .”
No, I have no intention of developing a proper tourism business. I have no intention of being beaten like a swarm of guest bees.
I’m just doing this to catch a few high tier heroes.
I couldn’t say that, so I just laughed with my hands behind my back. Cheer up.
“I’ll put the hotel up soon… .”
At least this is my conscience. haha.
***
Leaving the inn, I found the head of the masonry and carpentry union.
I had already looked for a few places to build a hotel, and it was to figure out where would be good, what level of construction would be possible, how much the budget would be, and so on.
“I think the location would be better here!”
“No, it is difficult to carry materials there. Rather, here… … .”
“Even if it is a little more difficult when carrying materials, the view is important for a hotel! Rather, here!”
The two heads of the union looked at the map and continued a heated discussion, and eventually suggested that I go to the site directly, saying that words alone would not work.
We drove around the city in a wagon, inspecting the best place to start building a hotel.
In the end, it was late at night when the location was confirmed and a rough estimate came out.
“Just Your Highness. We can build it.”
The union leaders spoke cautiously.
“It would be better to hire a proper architect to build a facility like a hotel. The beauty of the exterior is also important.”
“Hmm, that makes sense.”
I shook my head.
“I should visit the capital once… .”
We also need to find a good architect. You also need to contact a specific merchant for magic stone distribution.
‘About other imperial families… … I need to find out.’
I also want to find out about the princes who become Ash’s brothers.
So I want to visit the capital once, but there are still many problems right in front of me.
The distance to the capital is too far, and I don’t have enough time to go there.
I was told to start by securing materials.
The Masonry Guild and the Carpentry Guild are in charge of rebuilding the southern outpost, so they’ll be busy for a while.
“The forward base comes first. Gather materials for building the hotel more slowly.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Ending a meeting that took longer than expected.
“Whoah… … .”
I put my tired body on the carriage and return to the mansion.
Tring!
[End of autonomous exploration!]
A message indicating that autonomous exploration has ended is displayed.
It must have been 8 hours already. I quickly checked the results window.
[Level Up Characters]
– Dion (N) Lv.17 (↑1)
– Ayla (N) Lv.16 (↑1)
– Rock (N) Lv.16 (↑1)
– Hessen (N) Lv.16 (↑1)
– Chei (N) Lv.15 (↑1)
[Dead and Injured Characters]
– None
[Acquired Items]
– Normal Potion: 2ea
– Flame Enchantment Scroll: 1ea
– Lesser Clan Manastone: 12
Simple .
There are no injuries, and it seems to have gone well without any major incidents… … .
“… ?”
wait for a sec.
I see something strange.
I looked at the Acquired Items tab again. Did I see something wrong?
– Lesser Clan Manastones: 12
It wasn’t a mistake.
“Aaaaaaagh!”
Unknowingly, I was frightened and screamed.
Lucas, startled from the driver’s seat, stopped the carriage and put his head inside the carriage.
“Master?! Are you okay?! What are you doing!”
“consanguinity… Say… … ?”
I opened my mouth and shivered.
Exploring the dungeon under the lake before the stage starts is also a scouting job.
Because you can figure out what kind of monster will appear in the next stage.
And if this system window isn’t gone, the enemies the party dispatched to the autonomous exploration this time encountered are blood relatives.
‘Stage 5 hostile corps… … A blood relative?!’
What is a blood relative?
In other words, a vampire.
It refers to the vampire and the entire army under his command.
Even in < Protect the Empire >, it only appears in the second half… … It is the highest rank monster species!
“Crazy game! Why is this on Stage 5?!”
Another dark event?! Or is the game just broken now?!
Grabbing my hair, I felt Lucas’ startled gaze and finally calmed down. that’s right Let’s calm down for a moment
‘It’s not too late to listen to Evangeline’s report, check if there is a dark event, and then judge Ader’s goddamn director.’
Shaking my head, the real me smiled awkwardly at Lucas.
“… let’s go back to the mansion.”
“Yes yes? Are you all right? If you have a headache, an old chronic disease-”
“Ah, it’s okay, so let’s go back! hurry! Fast as hell!”
In my wake, Lucas quickly started riding again.
Inside the wagon that flew toward the mansion, I organized my thoughts.
If the stage 5 enemy corps are really blood relatives.
Can you win with the current party composition?
“… .”
no it’s too much
need to be further expanded. More soldiers, stronger heroes, better items… … !
It was then. On the way back to the mansion, I saw a familiar woman in a robe walking along the side of the road.
Jupiter’s granddaughter. SSR class Elementalist.
It was Jupiter Junior.
“Stop the wagon, Lucas!”
“yep!”
Kiki-Ik-!
The wagon wheels came to a halt with a long burst.
When I opened the wagon door, Junior stood calmly facing me in the thick dust of the wagon.
“Jupiter Jr.”
A choked voice came out of my mouth. But it was unavoidable.
“You have two choices. Forcibly conscripted or hired by me of my own free will.”
“… .”
“Which one would you choose?”
Junior smiled like a fox and glanced towards the inside of the carriage.
“Is it okay if I ride next to you, Your Highness?”
I reached out. Holding my hand, Junior lightly pushed his body into the carriage.
The door closed and the carriage started moving again.
As the mansion covered in twilight approached, I realized it.
Hell.
It’s not just the name of hell difficulty, but the real hell- is approaching here on the monster front.
