Chapter 757
Simon and Maelyn walked side by side along the beach road.
Today, Maelyn was, so to speak, the queen of the beach. Draping a sheer robe loosely over her shoulders, brushing aside her long sky-blue hair as she walked, it was only natural that people’s gazes would gather on her.
Even Simon, walking right next to her, couldn’t help but be conscious of it.
“Is it okay though?”
Maelyn suddenly asked with a smile in her eyes. Simon flinched and looked straight ahead.
“W-what is?”
“The Student Council President of Keyzen threatened a civilian, didn’t he?”
“N-no, that wasn’t a threat, it was more of a warning….”
“I’m joking! You looked so stiff.”
Maelyn covered her mouth and giggled. Simon gave a vague smile in response.
“Anyway, thanks for helping! Of course, I could have dealt with those fools with one blow by myself.”
“…Naturally.”
While she was chattering cheerfully, her eyes suddenly widened and she stopped walking.
“Huh, wait a sec, stop there!”
“?”
Once she confirmed Simon had stopped, she strode right up to him.
Close enough that if she leaned in, they would touch, Simon’s face flushed with heat.
“Hmm?”
Unbothered, Maelyn placed her hand on her own forehead, then pressed it against Simon’s. Dissatisfied, she did it again, checking the angle.
“Ah, seriously! Did you grow taller over the break? Back in the first year we were about the same!”
She stomped the ground with her slipper as if indignant.
“Maybe it just feels that way since it’s been a while?”
“No, you idiot! You definitely grew. The angle’s different! Now I have to look all the way up to….”
As she said that, their eyes met. Their breaths mingled for a moment, their faces burning red, before both stepped back almost simultaneously.
“S-shall we go?”
“Y-yeah.”
The two resumed walking, eyes fixed ahead.
Simon thought once again that swimsuits really made it impossible to know where to look. He quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, we need to meet up with the others too. Have you seen Dick or Kami?”
The brightness on Maelyn’s face dimmed. She pressed her forehead and let out a deep sigh.
“…That stupid commoner, I saw him.”
“Really? Then why didn’t you join up?”
“Ah, just—”
Maelyn folded her arms, her voice sour.
“He looked busy. I didn’t want to bother pretending to know him.”
“?”
“Ugh, you’ll see!”
With her sky-blue hair swaying, she strode off ahead.
Soon, the two left the luxurious noble beach area and returned to the bustling public shore.
And right where Maelyn pointed, they easily found Dick.
“Grilled fish! Try grilled fish topped with cheese and salsa sauce!”
Surprisingly, he was running a business.
He wore a Hawaiian-style shirt tossed loosely over swim trunks. On his head, a breathable summer hat, sunglasses perched crookedly above it.
He was operating a food cart on wheels. Though shabby, it was brightly painted, decorated with care.
Three pans sizzled on the griddle at once, grilling fish. Beneath the cart was the menu board:
<Special Grilled Fish – 40 silver>
<Two for 70 silver>
<Extra sauce 5 silver>
<We’ll cook it crispy! Fish variety random!>
Even a goofy smiling face illustration, definitely Dick’s touch.
“…He’s so embarrassing.”
Maelyn muttered, covering her face.
“As a student of Keyzen, he has an obligation to maintain dignity! What is he doing here grilling fish, and that smell is such a nuisance!”
“He’s a bit away from the parasols, so it should be fine.”
Business seemed decent. Just then, a customer approached to order.
“Oh no! Sorry, sir!”
Checking his stock, Dick scratched his head.
“Looks like I’m almost out of ingredients. If you wait nearby, I’ll restock quickly and throw in a freebie… oh?”
He spotted Simon and Maelyn at once. Bursting into laughter, he waved vigorously.
“Simon! Maelyn! Over here!”
“Ugh.”
Maelyn scowled, Simon waved back with a smile.
“Hey, Dick! You’re the same as ever.”
“Perfect timing, hahahaha!”
Dick ran over and shoved them forward.
“You’ll help, right? As fellow student council members and Class A mates, you gotta!”
“Hey! Don’t push!”
* * *
A little later.
Sizzle!
Simon stood in an apron, grilling fish at the cart.
‘Hot.’
He wiped his forehead with a towel Dick had given him, flipping fish lightly with a flick of his wrist.
The skin crisped in the oil, and with chopsticks he checked if the flesh flaked tenderly.
Then he plated it in a paper tray, drizzled lemon juice and sauce, added garnish. A proper dish complete.
“Enjoy your meal.”
Simon wiped his brow again as he handed it over.
The customer, who’d been staring blankly at him, startled, accepted the dish.
“Thank you!”
“Yes, next please.”
Just as Simon was getting the hang of it, Dick came running back with a new bag of ingredients.
“Whoa, you’re good at this! How many did you sell?”
Dropping his supplies with a crash, Dick immediately matched Simon’s rhythm—flipping a third pan, deboning fish without looking.
“About six.”
“Nice, nice.”
Noticing the long line of customers, Dick grinned in satisfaction.
“See? Better working together. Right, Maelyn?”
“Die!”
From the cart front, Maelyn shrieked.
“Get run over by a carriage, fall off a cliff, drown in the sea, and die as miserably as possible!”
“Look at her, Simon. Who talks to a friend like that?”
She was in charge of promotion, holding up a signboard.
A beautiful girl in a swimsuit holding a sign naturally drew eyes.
Her face was crimson, dripping red like juice, as she squeezed her legs together and screamed.
“Hey! How long do I have to hold this?!”
“Until closing?”
Dick answered while chopping vegetables. She shook her head furiously.
“No way! I absolutely won’t!”
“Come on, even President Simon’s working. You’re just gonna slack off? No conscience.”
“Grrr!”
Maelyn ground her teeth, growling.
“A lowly commoner dares use me for your petty business? You’re dead when this is over!”
“Uh-oh, Maelyn, your arm’s dropping.”
Instinctively, she raised the sign high again—then realized, blushed, and shouted.
“Don’t order me around!”
“Please hold the sign high, I beg you.”
Whether it was her effect or not, the line only grew longer, attention piling up.
As they say, humans adapt.
An hour later, Maelyn seemed either resigned or accustomed, even speaking to passing customers. She changed her pose, hugging the sign to rest her arms.
Seeing this, Dick suddenly suggested,
“Hehehe! If your arms are too tired, want a different role? How about a celebratory song for the show….”
Whack!
The edge of Maelyn’s sign struck Dick square on the head. He staggered, collapsing.
“See, told you to stop teasing her.”
Simon chuckled bitterly.
“Hey, I gotta make up for all the teasing I missed over break.”
Dick, even while bleeding, flipped the fish with skill.
* * *
By the time the sun was setting, business had ended.
[Sold Out]
Dick proudly hung the “Sold Out” sign on the stall, stretching wide with a satisfied face. Then, gazing at the crimson sky, he shouted,
“Ahhh! That feels rewarding.”
Simon and Maelyn, who had come to help, collapsed onto the sand as if falling. Simon covered his face with a towel, while Maelyn massaged her numb arms.
“Thanks so, so much, both of you! Dinner’s on me, I’ll treat you big tonight.”
“You think you can make up for working me to the bone with just dinner?”
Maelyn, riled up, jumped to her feet and stomped toward him. Dick raised both arms as if to say “do as you will”, but unexpectedly, Maelyn didn’t strike him. Instead, she held out her palm.
“Hand it over, my pay!”
“Huh?”
“I at least deserve wages for my labor!”
Dick raised his brows at her words.
“Hmm, can’t we just replace that wage with the value of our friendship?”
Maelyn’s brows shot up.
Mana around them prickled in response, showing how angry she was. Taking a deep breath, she shouted,
“You—trash! You greedy miser who only knows money!”
“I’m so sorry for being late!”
Maelyn froze mid-yell, turning her head. A frail old man came running, sweating profusely.
Dick smiled warmly.
“Welcome back, boss.”
‘Boss?’
Simon and Maelyn looked back and forth between the two.
“Forgive me, my wife suddenly had another fever. I hope I didn’t trouble you too much, asking so much of my young friend….”
“Aw, think nothing of it. I’m a fellow merchant too.”
The old man dropped his eyes with a gloomy look.
“Haah, business isn’t good, is it? I barely sold two yesterday….”
“Not good?”
Dick stepped aside, pointing at the stall.
[Sold Out]
The bold “Sold Out” sign hung proudly.
The old man’s jaw dropped.
“H-how could this be…!”
“It’s simple! I just remodeled the stall and changed up the recipe. Come, I’ll show you!”
Dick pushed the old man toward the stall.
“Just grilling plain fish won’t sell. Even if the price is a bit higher, you have to dress it up. The sauces are key, see here—I wrote down recipes. All made from ingredients bought here at the market, just mix them in. And these vegetables too….”
Not only new recipes, but methods to get fresh ingredients, ways to cut costs.
He had also renovated the stall, replaced the worn-out wheels, and redone the menu board with a modern look.
And most importantly—
“When you use regular charcoal fire, the flame blows out with the wind, and the heat doesn’t spread evenly to the fish. So I changed the method. We use scraps of magic stones to fuel the fire.”
Seeing the flames blazing evenly on the grill, the old man was at a loss for words.
Dick grinned.
“You know that general store over there? I arranged to buy magic stone scraps three times a month for 50 silver.”
“……”
“And this, today’s earnings.”
He set down the coin tin, packed full with today’s profit.
“Use this money to buy your wife’s medicine.”
The old man’s eyes welled up.
“…Why are you doing this for a stranger like me…?”
“Haha! Stranger? Merchants build bonds with strangers in minutes to sell goods. That’s what we do.”
Dick walked off with a laugh.
“Of course, no merchant moves without gain. Truth is, in two years I’m starting a business with magic stone scraps. If you’re satisfied with my methods, maybe you’ll buy my products then. Consider it securing a future customer.”
Tears streamed down the old man’s face.
“…Thank you, truly… thank you…!”
He kept bowing his head over and over.
* * *
A cool breeze blew.
Against the backdrop of the sunset sky, Simon, Dick, and Maelyn walked along the beach road.
“You were cool back there, Dick.”
Simon grinned teasingly, nudging Dick with his elbow, then suddenly hooked an arm around his neck in a half-headlock. Dick laughed awkwardly, waving his hands.
“Haha, sorry for dragging you two into it! I only wanted a snack, but after hearing the boss’ story, I couldn’t just walk away.”
“Thanks to your help, the old man has new strength to carry on. I hope his wife recovers soon too.”
“Of course!”
Walking a bit behind, Maelyn hesitated, then locked eyes with Simon. He jerked his chin toward Dick in signal.
‘Ughhh, fine, I’ll do it!’
Tap tap tap!
Her face flushed bright red, Maelyn strode quickly ahead to block their way.
“Hey! About earlier… when I called you a miser.”
“Oh, that?”
Dick clutched his chest dramatically.
“Yeah, that hurt, you know. Even merchants have honor! Being called a miser is—”
“Ugh, shut it! I’m talking! So I…!”
“So you…?”
Dick leaned exaggeratedly, cupping his ear as if straining to hear.
‘Even I find him irritating.’
Watching, Simon smirked. Maelyn’s anger flared onto him.
“You—you lunatic! You made me say it in a way that sounded wrong!”
Unable to hold it in, she kicked Dick’s shin. He yelped, clutching his leg, hopping in pain.
“Weren’t you trying to apologize?!”
“How can I apologize when you just mock me? And with your usual behavior, of course anyone would misunderstand!”
“What about my behavior? Isn’t it fine?”
“Idiot!”
Hahahaha!
Simon burst out laughing, wrapping one arm around Maelyn and the other around Dick’s shoulder, leading them forward.
“Ah, feels like we’re already back at school.”
At that, Dick and Maelyn also smiled.
Simon then asked,
“Now we just need to find Kami. Do you know where she is?”
“Heh.”
Dick stroked his chin.
“I have a hunch!”
* * *
At the same time.
Berino Commercial District.
Crowds murmured, gathering around.
“Excuse us!”
“Coming through!”
Sasha, Arthur, and Molly pushed through the throng to the scene. City guards were already investigating.
“Thanks for your hard work!”
When Arthur barged past the cordon, the guards frowned.
“What are these brats?”
“Get out of here.”
Arthur shouted,
“We’re involved! I’m the Mercenary Ki—aaagh!”
Sasha coolly kicked his knee to make him crouch, then yanked his ear. She explained to the guards,
“We’re working under orders from the city’s hotel owner. This idiot’s an advanced mercenary.”
When Sasha dropped the client’s name, the guards quickly recognized it, apologizing and stepping aside.
Molly, however, folded her arms, clearly displeased as a princess to see such favoritism.
“How much power does that man hold in this city, that even guards on duty bow like that?”
“At least it makes our job easier.”
Sasha’s eyes swept the scene. The plaza bore huge claw marks, with bloodstains visible.
She inspected carefully.
“Found anything?”
“Yeah.”
Sasha raised her head.
“This has nothing to do with us. We need to stay out of it.”
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