“Miss Rosa, that troublesome dwarf is here again. Can I leave him to you?”
“Got it. Leave it to me.”
It had been nearly a month since she started working at this Labyrinth Tavern, and compared to when she first arrived, Rosa had become much more composed.
Although she was often stared at by new adventurers because of her distinctive pointed ears and appearance, she had grown accustomed to such gazes.
Yes, habit was a terrifying thing. Even the strange maid outfit that she initially found unbearably embarrassing to wear had now become something she enjoyed.
Compared to the plain linen clothes bought in the city, this maid outfit felt much more comfortable and allowed for easier movement.
Many of the other waitresses who joined the tavern around the same time even wore their two sets of maid outfits backward. Of course, there was nothing wrong with that.
If there was one downside, it was that when everyone took time off and traveled to the city called Moravia, the number of people approaching them increased.
Dangerous for girls? Not really, since they usually traveled in groups. Besides, the two sisters wearing collars around their necks were no ordinary fighters.
Without the ability to use magic, she probably wouldn’t stand a chance against them.
It was just a pity that the locks on their collars were welded shut with a special material—such bad luck.
Back to the point, that chubby, big-bearded dwarf had come to the tavern where she worked once again.
This guy always ordered several bottles of Baijiu here, along with a few dishes to go with the drinks, and got himself thoroughly drunk.
If no one skilled in Awakening Magic came to sober him up, he could easily stay slumped over that table all day long.
Sometimes, a human mage accompanied the dwarf. If he was around, Rosa wouldn’t need to wake the drunken dwarf herself.
Unfortunately, today the dwarf had come alone, so it was up to Rosa, who could use magic, to maintain order in the tavern.
“Mr. Uzo, here are the five bottles of Baijiu and the sweet soy beef you ordered.”
“Oh, thanks, Miss Rosa. If all elves were as considerate as you, that would be great. Oh, and keep the change—consider it payment for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”
Oh? So this guy was at least somewhat aware of how much trouble he caused others.
In that case, couldn’t he just drink a little less every time? She really couldn’t understand why dwarves were so addicted to alcohol.
“That’ll be ten Gold Coins. Here’s your sixty Silver Coins change.”
“Still as meticulous as ever. I wish that Sasha would learn a thing or two from you.”
Maybe from living among humans for so long, this dwarf wasn’t as stubborn as other dwarves. He even knew about “tips.”
Unfortunately, the tavern’s owner—a blonde loli named Su Yao—strictly forbade such things. Rosa herself didn’t know why.
“Wait a moment, Miss Rosa. You’ve been working here quite a while, right? Can I ask who owns this tavern?”
The owner? What did this dwarf want to know about that? Su Yao hadn’t said she couldn’t reveal her name.
Besides, since Rosa was responsible for delivering ingredients to the Labyrinth Tavern every morning, if he cared to wake up early and wait in front of the tavern for a bit, he could probably guess who the owner was.
“May I know what you want to discuss with my boss?”
“Cooperation, of course! It’s such a pity that such good liquor can only be found here. I wish the Labyrinth Tavern would open in the city where I work.”
Typical dwarves. Aside from crafting gear, their minds seemed to be consumed mostly by drinking.
“That’s unlikely. After all, not every Dungeon has a Safe Zone like this one.”
The real problem wasn’t that. Other dungeons couldn’t use monsters as ingredients.
Although Rosa didn’t know how Su Yao managed it, he was able to eliminate the “pollution” tainting the magic inside the monsters’ bodies.
But that was a trade secret. Of course, no part-time elf worker would be told such information.
“I see? What a pity. Well, at least I can buy some liquor from her to take back. Without this wine, what’s the meaning of living?”
“I’ll ask my boss when I get the chance. Of course, that’ll be after work…”
What an exaggeration. He’d only been drinking this kind of liquor for half a month. Judging by his words, the life he lived before that must have been meaningless.
After answering, Rosa turned and left. She planned to sober him up later and didn’t want to be delayed any longer by this guy.
“Wait, Miss Rosa, I have one more question.”
“Tch.”
That troublesome guy again.
With no choice, Rosa turned back and gave a professional smile. “Mr. Uzo, yes?”
“You just smacked your lips, didn’t you?”
“You misheard.”
“Is that so? Well, then I want to ask if Miss Rosa knows how often the large treasure chest in the deepest room on the first floor of the Dungeon refreshes?”
“Sorry, I really don’t know. But I’ve heard that the chest was refreshed not long ago.”
After answering this last question, Rosa quickly left, unable to stand the dwarf’s smell of alcohol any longer.
However, she had only taken a few steps when she heard the creaking sound of chairs and tables moving behind her.
“Ah.”
The big-bearded dwarf grabbed his absurdly large axe and rushed outside in a hurry.
He didn’t even bother finishing the Baijiu or the dishes on the table.
“Mr. Uzo, what about your drinks and food?”
“Oh, Miss Rosa, now is not the time to talk about that. Just pack these up for me, and if you can’t, sell them to someone else!”
Well, no need to sober him up anymore.
She wondered what kind of treasure could possibly make such a heavy drinker give up the fine liquor in front of him.
She had heard that the treasure chest at the dungeon’s deepest point was guarded by ten Minotaurs at once. This guy… wasn’t he heading straight for death?
His chubby figure and stubby limbs made him look like a poor fighter.
Magic? Sorry, she sensed no magic aura from his body at all. Unless he had a magic tool blocking perception, it meant he hadn’t trained any magic whatsoever.
“Ah, what a troublesome guy!”
Though noisy, leaving him to die like that didn’t feel right. After all, his daily spending in the tavern was a significant boost to income.
According to the Labor Contract, any excess “performance” beyond the quota would count toward a bonus.
No choice but to follow him and see what was going on.
“Sorry, please tell the boss I’m taking half a day off. I’ll make up the time later!”