【The Old Man of the Expelled Inn Unwittingly Dominates Today Too】Although I Want to Lead a Slow Life, for Some Reason the Strongest Beauties Who Hold Important Positions in the Country, and Were Once My Disciples, Gather Around Me Asking to Be Hired – Even Though I Only Taught Them a Little～ - Chapter 50: The Old Man Goes to the Treasury

“Baldo-sama~~ this way~~”

From deep within, I could hear Liena’s lively voice. We are in the treasury of the Natol Royal Castle. The king had said to take something as a reward.

I had refused when offered the key to the treasury, arguing it was improper, but the insistence was so strong that I had no choice but to accept.

“Let’s take something you like~~”

For some reason, Princess Liena was in high spirits. I wondered if this was right… It made me worry about the royal family, wondering if they were okay with behaving like this.

But the treasury was not what I had imagined. I expected a mountain of sparkling gold and silver treasures, but instead, there were more modest items, and the room was dimly lit.

“Baldo-sama~~ how about a sword? This one looks amazing~.”

“No, my sword is still fine, not broken yet.”

“Eh? You use it until it breaks!? Ah~~ I see. Baldo-sama, you use everything in the inn until it breaks, right?”

Indeed, I tend to use things until they break.

Of course, anything customers can see is replaced if it gets dirty or worn. But nobody sees my sword, nor would they be interested.

“But since it’s a reward~~ why not just hold it for now~~ here, take this.”

Liena, with an angelic smile, handed me a sword from an extravagant box.

It felt rude to outright refuse, so I took it.

“Uhm…”

“Umm, Baldo-sama, that is the divine sword Excalibur.”

Liena read the label on the box.

“Hmm…”

“Look, it suits Baldo-sama perfectly~~.”

“…”

“What’s wrong? Baldo-sama, you haven’t reacted much since a while ago.”

“My hand hurts…”

“Eh?”

The handle was overly elaborate and uncomfortable. Simplicity and ease of grip are preferable.

“That’s a shame~~ It suits you so well, Baldo-sama. Plus, it’s worth about 500,000 gold coins if sold. Maybe you could sell it if needed~~.”

—Hmm?

What did Liena just say!?

“Shall we take it back to sell, then?”

Liena was about to take the box.

“Wait, wait, Liena. Let’s leave this here.”

I desperately tried to stop her. 500,000 coins… I couldn’t even imagine how many loaves of bread would buy.

Having such an item in the inn would only make me restless. I wished to be spared from that.

“Don’t you like any of the swords? Then, how about some armor?”

Liena grabbed my sleeve and dragged me towards the next section.

“Wait, Liena. I’m an innkeeper, not a soldier. I’d prefer something more practical than that.”

“Hmmm, practical, you say… For the inn… Oh! Please wait here for a moment.♡”

Wait? Was she going to look for her gear?

—After waiting for 10 minutes.

“Baldo-sama~~ this way, please~~”

Following her voice, I found…

—!?

Liena and Milene were wearing bikinis.

What are these young ladies doing!? Seriously!

“What are…!?”

“What do you mean? We’re choosing armor. Bikini armor has strong magical resistance; it’s excellent.”

Ah, this is armor… To me, it just looks like bikinis.

“Baldo-sama~~ how do I look?♡”

Liena was twirling around, her chest bouncing.

“My armor is a bikini for the saintess, Baldo-sensei.”

A bikini for the saintess!?

—And then Milene started twirling too.

Her chest was just as bouncy as Liena’s.

“Baldo-sama~~ should this be our summer uniform~~?”

No! Not!

The reason is that my pathetic sense of reason doesn’t last even a minute.

And probably, it would be a bad idea for all the male guests as well.

“Come on, strip now!”

“Eh~~ If I strip, I’ll be naked, you know~~ Is that what you prefer~~♡”

What is she talking about? No, Liena’s words are correct… No, that’s not right!

Anyway, I need them to change clothes immediately. I will have a nosebleed if I see any more of their… assets.

However, as I look around, there isn’t much I want.

Everything seems unusable.

“Master Baldo~~ There are lots of books over here~~”

Indeed, a vast amount of books are piled up everywhere. Let’s see…

“Ancient Magic and Magical Equations”

“The Complete History of the Natol Kingdom”

“The Book of Forbidden Arts – Enslavement Edition”

“Hmm, isn’t there anything more recent?”

“Recent, you say? This one might be relatively new.”

“What’s this… ‘King Mateus’s Muscle Training’… What is this?”

“Yes, it’s a muscle training book your father wrote in his younger days. It was so unsellable that, out of pity, they kept one copy in the treasury.”

No… “Recent” isn’t supposed to mean several decades ago… Flipping through, I see a bunch of mediocre posing magic photographs of the king. This definitely wouldn’t sell.

We need something guests can quickly read in the lobby or dining area.

First, I shouldn’t be looking for such a book in the treasury.

“Master, Sera would like this.”

“That’s quite a thick trivet.”

“Sera’s firepower is so strong that any commercial trivet burns immediately.”

“Ah, Master Baldo, Sera. That’s a book.”

“Eh! This is a book? Looks like a thick iron plate. What’s this ‘Village of Heroes’?”

“It’s a book about the hero who defeated the Demon Lord long ago.”

“A book, huh… It can’t be used as a trivet…”

“It’s fine. No one reads it anyway. Besides, the book is made of iron and has advanced fire-resistant magic applied so it won’t burn.”

That’s okay, then…

If the royal family has approved it, it’s fine. Besides, Sera seems to like that iron book.

—Huh?

“There’s something stuck to the iron book?”

When I peeled off the stuck book, I was immediately transfixed.

“All About Anpan – The Story of How Anpan Went From Its Beginnings to Conquering the World”

—It looks incredibly interesting!!!

“This! Liena, this! This! This!”

I’m so excited I can only say “this.”

“Alright, alright, calm down. Let’s wrap this up along with the iron book.”

“O-Okay…”

“But, a hero’s book and an anpan book… That’s quite the mismatch in genres.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Sorry, I can’t properly converse because I’m still too excited.

“Hehe, even now, it’s clear you really like anpan, Master Baldo.”

“Y-Yeah…”

After that exchange, quite some time has passed.

It’s about time to head back, so I gather everyone. But where did Alesia go? I haven’t seen her for a while.

Ah… there she is!

She’s peering into a wooden box in a corner.

“Alesia, have you found something you like?”

“Teacher… this.”

Inside the box was a doll. A white puppy doll.

“Ah~ This is a magical doll. A dog type.”

“Eh! So, it’s like a pet version of Sera?”

Alesia gazes intently at the doll.

“Alesia, you want it, don’t you?”

Sword Saint Alesia nods vigorously, her cheeks slightly red.

Although Alesia gives off a tomboyish impression, she likes cute dolls and small animals. She hadn’t shown such interest after joining the knights, but since she started working at my inn, she has begun to show this side of herself more.

“If this is like Sera, it operates on a magical stone, right?”

“Yes, Master Baldo. According to the manual, the magical stone goes here…”

Liena fiddles with the puppy’s rear.

Damn… the same maker as Sera… why would they place the magical stone there…

When I imbue the magical stone with 【Fighting Spirit】 and insert it into the puppy…

“Bark, bark!”

It starts moving! Wagging its little tail, it’s dangerously cute!

Alesia lifts it with joy.

Liena, Milene, and Sera pet it, and it makes a “Kuun” sound.

“Se-Sensei, please pet it too.”

“Okay, let’s see…”

Chomp!

I was bitten…

In a split second, I managed to block it with the iron book Sera was holding, but now there’s a clear set of teeth marks on it!

It seems that, just like Sera, it became a powerful dog after infusing it with my 【Fighting Spirit】.

Is it okay to bring it back home?

“Ah~ Shiro-chan, you shouldn’t bite, no no~!”

“That’s right, Shiro~ You gotta listen to what I say~”

“Well, well, Shiro is quite strong, isn’t he~”

“Shiro, you’re friends with Sera.”

Now, everyone has even given it a name… Looks like I have no choice but to take it back.

So, it’s named Shiro now.

Well, it might at least become a good watchdog.

Yap yap!

Shiro gets sandwiched between the bosoms of Liena and Milene.

This guy… I’m kinda jealous.

And so, a new family member (?) was added to the inn “Father’s Lodge.”