Chapter 7: The Inn
The inn of Ban was a simple two-story building that looked old but sturdy compared to the surroundings as it was made of stone. On the side, there was a thatched roof where three Chocobo were tied up and nibbling on fodder. It was unclear whether they belonged to the guests or were kept by the inn.
When I opened the wooden door from which voices could be heard, it felt like a tavern on the first floor. Although it was still before dusk, five or six men were already loudly cheering and raising orange liquid-filled tankards, nibbling on green beans. Some of them glanced at me as the door opened and looked at my out-of-place attire of a sweater and jeans, but they quickly returned to their conversation.
I wonder if they're already drunk. That's a relief. I don't like being the center of attention.
A girl dressed like a waitress called out to me. "Welcome~. Are you here for a meal or are you staying overnight?"
She looked like she was in middle school with her dark brown hair tied into pigtails, and she was a slender, cheerful-looking girl who seemed like she was going to develop more in the future.
I didn't come here just to eat or stay overnight; I also came to drink. I wonder how old I look, or rather, I wonder if there's an age limit for drinking in this world.
"I want to stay overnight."
"Oh, you're staying overnight. Daddy! We have a guest staying!" Ah, so she's the daughter of the innkeeper and the tavern's hostess.
Then a man with a typical tavern owner's appearance, with a red face and a beer belly, came out of the kitchen. Thank goodness he didn't resemble my father.
If I consciously focused on him, the display "<Merchant LV6>" appeared. It was the "Discern" skill. I see, I need to be aware of wanting to know about the other person to make it work.
But it doesn't show "Innkeeper" or "Tavern Master" on the display. Regardless of their actual occupation, maybe in this game world, those types of jobs aren't independent? Or perhaps service providers registered with the commercial guild are all considered merchants?
However, there seems to be a job and a skill called "Cook" and "Cooking" respectively.
Anyway, when I looked at the daughter again with renewed awareness, nothing came to mind. Maybe she doesn't have a job yet.
She smiled at me with a slightly flushed face. My heart skipped a beat.
"Oh, sorry. You're probably wondering what I was looking at, huh?"
Meta-bo-san moved his gaze around, as if trying to pry into my identity, even looking at the hair that grew a bit too long under my sneakers, which I planned to cut once the center was over. He then asked in a nonchalant tone, "Are you a traveler? If you share a room, it's four copper coins for one night. There's a single room available for one silver coin. Hot water for bathing is included as a service."
Considering what's ahead, it would be wise to save money and stay in a cheap shared room while also gathering information. But for me, who's bad at socializing, sharing a room with a stranger is nothing but torture. And there are things like dolls that I don't want others to see, and also concerns about security.
"I was recommended by Lady Carenna, the lord. I prefer a private room if possible."
"Are you an acquaintance of the lord? Then I'll give you a large room for two silver coins and eight copper coins as a special bonus."
No, he recommended an even more expensive room... It seems that the lord's power didn't work in a favorable direction.
"No, in that case, I'll take a private room for one silver coin."
"I see. Breakfast is a simple one but included in the price. Dinner can be added for one copper coin, but alcohol is extra."
He must have seen me as a lowly customer since the tone of Meta-bo-san, who seemed a little disappointed, returned to normal.
I didn't know the going rate for food, and to be honest, I was too tired and hungry to walk anymore, so I went ahead and accepted the offer of including breakfast and dinner, paying one silver coin and one copper coin in advance.
With that, my remaining assets were three silver coins and four copper coins.
In terms of currency value, one silver coin is roughly equivalent to a few thousand yen for a business hotel's single room, while one copper coin is worth a few hundred yen for a cheap meal.
Let's remember that one silver coin is like a 5,000 yen bill, and one copper coin is like a 500 yen coin.
Assuming that magic stones can be sold when hunting monsters, you can get a bounty of 5,000 yen for one orc. Of course, I don't know what to do if I can't use that magic called purification.
Anyway, the currency value is significant information that I acquired today.
By the way, didn't the captain of the gatekeepers say that the meals at this inn weren't that good? Even the people drinking only had some beans for snacks besides the alcohol.
I remembered that after being led to my room on the second floor with my tired feet.
The single room for one silver coin was a really small room of only about 2-3 tatami mats with just a simple bed and nothing else. If it didn't have a small window, it would have been like a prison cell.
With this, 5,000 yen per night is too expensive.
If converted to modern Japanese purchasing power, a silver coin would be worth around 4,000 yen, and a copper coin around 400 yen.
However, the cleaning was well done, and it didn't feel uncomfortable.
I was told it was room 6 and guided there, but there were two digits engraved on the door, and the left side looked like the number "2" I saw at the guild. So, the right side must mean "6" and it's the second floor's room 6.
In other words, it's written horizontally from left to right. This area is modern or Western-style.
Soon, a middle-aged, slightly chubby woman who wasn't quite the owner but close to it brought a small bucket with steam rising from it and a cloth that looked like it had been crumpled with old clothes.
She's the same level 6 merchant as the owner. The two of them have been running this inn together. If their levels were extremely different, you might start to suspect something about their family situation. It's a dangerous skill.
Her face looks a bit like the poster girl, so she's probably the mother too. In about 20 years, that thin girl will grow to be twice her size...
Before deciding to marry a girl, you should meet her mother, they say. Of course, it's irrelevant to me, who has a girlfriend history equal to my age.
Maybe the hot water in the bucket was heavy, but she was huffing and puffing as she climbed the stairs. Like her daughter, she was bright and pleasant.
"This is hot water and a cloth to wipe yourself with. Please leave it outside the door after using it."
They have good service in this regard.
In any case, as an inn, it might be better to have guests clean themselves up so that the room and bedding aren't dirtied by dirty guests.
In reality, I walked, ran, and fought, sweating and even getting orc blood on me.
I'm already numb enough to not feel the smell myself, but in my original world, I'd probably be so dirty that most stores wouldn't let me in.
"There's no bath here, is there?"
I asked, hoping for a miracle.
"A bath... do you mean a bathing area where you soak in hot water?"
The auntie asked in surprise.
"Is there a bathhouse?"
"Well, joking aside. Did you come from far away? I've heard that there is a bathhouse in the lord's mansion."
Well, that makes sense. Except for ancient Rome and such, I feel like the culture of commoners taking baths was only developed in modern times.
If I become rich in this world, I will definitely promote the spread of baths. And at that time, I will educate people about mixed bathing from the beginning.
Yeah, I have a goal to live in another world now.
"After changing, if you leave your clothes and bucket out, you can also do laundry. But since you can't pick it up until tomorrow afternoon, you have to stay for multiple nights."
"Oh, I forgot. I don't have any underwear or anything."
"I don't have any spare clothes, but there's a secondhand clothing store two houses down. And there are various shops at the corner of the central street square that have everything. It's popular among young people in this town."
"I'd better get some clothes before wiping my body with hot water."
"Well then, if it's okay with my family's hand-me-downs, I'll give you a set."
"No, not with your husband's size..."
"Don't worry. My son who is a hunter has some hand-me-downs."
They apparently use the unsold clothes for cooking at the tavern downstairs.
In the end, I was able to get clothes and underwear that young people in the town wear for one copper coin. The underwear was like pumpkin pants, but it had been properly washed, so there was no problem.
I handed over another copper coin and asked them to wash what I was wearing.
Alone in the room, I stripped naked and used the hot water to clean my entire body. I washed my face and hands, washed my hair by dipping my head into the bucket, and scrubbed my body with a cloth that had been soaked in the water.
After a while, I lay down naked on the bed.
I finally felt revived.
Then, at a good timing, I heard the voice of the old lady from outside the room. Dinner was ready.
Now that I had some clothes that I could blend in with, I was going to try eating in another world for the first time.
