After ten minutes of eating, everyone received their beverages as the Barkeeper stood in the middle of the tavern, smiling.
Grimhild was eating her pickled eggs, and Fhiron chugged down a mug of ale while everyone stared at him with an embarrassed chuckle.
Stepping forward, the Barkeeper clapped his hands together, catching everyone's attention.
"Listen up, everyone!"
They all glanced at him while Grimhild had her chin resting on the table.
"Drinks are on me! I'll be paying for everyone in this tavern, here tonight!"
There was an immediate silence… until the chairs scraped, and glasses raised.
One man near the fire let out a long "Hah!!" and slammed his mug down while another laughed.
A woman in the corner grinned through broken teeth, and the whole place seemed to exhale, like tension finally let go of its grip.
"You're serious?!" Someone shouted.
"Dead serious!" the barkeeper laughed, patting the heavy coin pouch Grimhild had given him earlier. "Had a good customer tonight. Real good!"
He looked over at Grimhild, who had one eye barely open above the table, still chewing.
Jean raised his cider with a grin.
"To Grimhild with her absurd wealth and mysterious taste buds!"
"To Grimhild!" Shouted Fhiron, thrusting his mug into the air. "And to pickled eggs!"
Grimhild let out a muffled groan and waved her hand in the air half-heartedly, still recovering from her sixth egg.
Elizabeth giggled, sitting next to Grimhild as she nursed her with a cup of water.
"You really can't handle eating too many at once, can you?"
"They're… heavier than I remembered…" Grimhild muttered.
Zarutha, sitting in front of an untouched mug of cider with a straw sticking out, sipped daintily and swished the drink around in his beak.
"It's got a kick. I like it, very very much!"
Kyto took a long drink from his cider, glancing around at the loosened atmosphere.
"It's nice… seeing everyone like this. Laughing, and eating."
Elizabeth nodded as she lowered her voice.
"I know right? I never experienced this back at home."
"Ahaha, well yeah, it makes sense! You're a rich girl, Liz!" Kyto said chuckling.
For a moment, the tavern lit up with excitement. Everyone was happy and thanked Grimhild with drunken stares.
A soft folk song eventually played in the background from a man with a chipped lute by the hearth; he didn't sing but let the strings play a beautiful melody beneath his fingers.
Fhiron slammed his empty mug down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Now that's a drink! You've got more where that came from, right?"
The barkeeper laughed.
"You got a belly for it?"
"I've got a forge for it!" Said the Elf King, grinning.
Chroliosa shook her head.
"God's help everyone if he gets tipsy... I can already tell he's the type to cause a ruckus."
Grimhild raised her head finally, one cheek still slightly puffed from the last egg.
"If either of you catches on fire, I'm banishing you into the rain outside."
They all laughed again, except for Zarutha, who nodded seriously.
"I approve of rain banishment!"
The barkeeper returned to their table, wiping his hands on a cloth. His eyes were a little red, but his smile was as real as ever.
"You all… really saved my week." He said, quieter now. "I wasn't sure how I was going to pay the barley vendor next week, or keep the roof patched before winter hits."
Grimhild nodded. "Mmm. Thank you for the pickled eggs." She said with a groggy expression.
"Heheh, no problem!" He looked at the bag again, patting it. "People like you don't usually show up in places like Loreanzus."
"We're not people like them." Jean said.
The barkeeper gave a half-nod, half-smile.
"I guess you're better, then. This place was run down by Vrunemir and his men. Every month we have to give them resources… or they'll take everything we have." A saddened expression crossed his face. "That's why… others avoid our village. It's ugly, and run down on the outside."
"That doesn't matter" Grimhild replied, finishing her water and setting the cup down. "Even if it's unappealing to the eyes, people can still be happy. Look around you."
She leaned back slightly, scanning the room again. The villagers were still drinking and eating with lighthearted faces.
There was laughter in corners, even a grumpy-looking woman was now taking cider from a man who kept spilling it on his boots.
It wasn't peace, but it was the closest thing this village had in weeks.
"Yeah… I guess you're right." Said the Barkeeper.
Elizabeth pulled her legs up slightly on the bench and leaned into Kyto's side. He didn't pull away… but only blushed.
Elizabeth soon yawned politely, like a cat.
"I think I'm going to sleep well tonight."
Jean stretched his arms over his head.
"As long as no Hexbeasts show up before dawn, I'll call this day a miracle."
Zarutha sipped his cider again.
"Famous last words…"
Grimhild closed her eyes for once—not to think—just to rest, but a soft knock on the tavern door broke the moment as the barkeeper turned, frowning.
"Strange…" He muttered. "No one should be out in this weather… It's pouring outside. Maybe another group of adventurers?"
He sat down his cloth and moved to open the door.
Outside, the rain fell steadily, and in the dim lantern light stood a boy, no older than twelve, with mud up to his knees.
"Huh? Lorence? What are you doing out here?"
His eyes were wide with his chest rising with breathless effort. He looked up at the barkeeper, "I need to see those people!" Walking past him, he moved toward the table of adventurers.
"E-Excuse me! Are you the group of adventurers who entered this village?" He asked with a shaky voice.
Grimhild opened her eyes again as the boy stepped forward.
"Please... we need help."
Everyone in the tavern stared at the child as if they knew him. He had this fierce look in his eyes, filled with determination.
"Please… can you protect our village?! Tomorrow… Vrunemir and his men will come! They'll take our resources and get away!" He lowered his head with an angry look. "Me and my mom and don't have the resources to give to them. Our house and everything will be burned down!"
The Barkeeper kept quiet with a frown before approaching the young child, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Lorence… if it ever comes to that, we'll have your back. Let's leave these people out of this."
"No!" Lorence slapped away his hand, balling his fists. "If we pick a fight with them, we'll lose, and you know it, Mister Fienta!"
Everyone in the tavern lowered their heads as their moods soured instantly.
"I see…"
Grimhild rose from her seat as the legs of her chair scraped against the floor once she stood with an unreadable expression as always, but this time, her eyes were sharper than glass; locked onto the boy like she'd just heard something dangerous.
"Vrunemir…" she said quietly, like the name itself had weight.
Zarutha's feathers fluffed.
"That's… not a name you hear lightly."
Jean's casual smirk faded. "You mean THE Vrunemir? The one who is working alongside Dracula to overthrow Mesnil and kill King Lancelot?"
"Mm. The tyrant king." Grimhild confirmed with a low and steady voice. "He is a narcissist, even naming his Kingdom after himself. He is a man who calls himself king but rules like a butcher. He conquered the throne through blood and kept it with fire."
The tavern went silent.
Kyto stood up slowly.
"I heard of him before, but never have I seen him or his men."
Grimhild nodded.
"He's known for starving out border settlements and taking resources. He rules with fear and power."
The boy, Lorence, gritted his teeth.
"So you know how dangerous he is…?"
Grimhild stepped toward him, kneeling to his level.
"I know of him. I've seen the kind of world he creates. Fields burned for taxes unpaid. Children taken for conscription. Women offered to generals as tribute. He doesn't just want to rule. He wants submission."
Mister Fienta lowered his eyes with an exasperated sigh.
"That's exactly what it's been like. Every month, soldiers in his crest come through. We give them what we have… and they take more anyway."
"It's true…" Said a villager across the tavern.
"We give them what they want, but it's never enough." Proclaimed another.
"Then I will help all of you." Grimhild said at last with a firm voice. "You and your mother won't lose your home. Not while I'm here."
Lorence blinked, completely stunned by her kindness. Tears immediately formed in his eyes as he tensed up.
"Y-You mean it…?"
Grimhild gave a single nod.
"Tomorrow, when Vrunemir's men come, they'll find this village isn't afraid anymore."
Fhiron grinned.
"Looks like we've got work to do."
Everyone in the tavern smiled, but one of them remained worried.
"Are you sure you can handle them? They have powerful mages… one of them even knows Destruction Magic!"
Grimhild turned to face the worried villager, smiling confidently.
"There's no worry. I can handle it."
Outside, the storm kept falling, but inside, a fire had begun.