First Task Failed?

That night, after the tavern closed, the Wild Boar Inn staff gathered for a meeting. Everyone except Margaret had aching muscles and tired bodies. Mila and Carolyn were a given since they had to move throughout the tavern to serve customers, but Rod and Marco weren't better off because they had to concentrate so that they could complete orders quickly and without error. A single slip-up from them could increase the workload of everyone else, so they were in very demanding positions.

"I already mentioned it last night, so I won't repeat myself, but how were you planning on getting through the day if Carol didn't come back to help?" asked Margaret.

Mila was naturally glad that her ideas brought prosperity to the tavern, but the overwhelming amount of work that came with it put a damper on her joy.

"I admit it. I was on a high while working, but now I can say for certain that we wouldn't have been able to handle everything without her. Thanks again, Carol."

"Appreciate it, Carol."

"Thank you, Carol."

Following Mila, Rod and Marco also thanked Carolyn.

"It's fine. You've already paid me, so I was just doing my job."

After work was done and Mila tallied the expenses and revenue, she gave Carolyn 10 silver coins. Assuming she worked 20 days in a month, this amount per day would accrue to 2 gold coins a month, so Carolyn immediately tried to give it back. This was Mila's response.

"You'd be right to assume I wouldn't normally pay a waitress this much, and it's not entirely from the business account either. Part of the extra is from tips while the rest is my personal funds. I know you might feel uncomfortable, but Carol, you really saved us. So as a show of my appreciation, please accept it."

When she heard that, Carolyn simply couldn't find the words to refuse anymore, so she settled by having Mila put the money towards extending her stay at the inn.

"Speaking of your job, Carol, what are you gonna do when you're not working at Rome's place?" Margaret asked.

Carolyn had explained to the family that Rome had given her the rest of the week as vacation, but not so much about what she was planning to do for that period.

"He said I have the week off, but it doesn't feel right to not at least stop by. I plan to head there in the mornings to see if Mr. Rome needs help and then come back here."

"He would probably be fine either way, but it's your vacation, so do what you want."

"Yes."

"Honestly, we could use the extra hands, but don't feel pressured to help us out. I'll try to hire someone else to help man the floor before the week is over," said Mila.

"It's okay. I just don't have much to do outside of work. Oh, but I might not be back before the lunch rush tomorrow."

"Like I said, don't worry about it. We'll figure something out."

"That's right. Sis is surprisingly good at coming up with ideas. Even if it was her ideas that got us so busy to start with."

"That was a few words too many, musclehead. Anyways..."

Given how tired they all were, the meeting ended after a quick discussion about what to expect the next day. As they split up, Carolyn was going to head to her room, but Margaret stopped her.

"Miss Margaret?"

"Stay with me for a bit."

Carolyn wasn't sure why Margaret stopped her, but she didn't have an urgent reason to leave, so she stayed in her seat. Once everyone else left the tavern, Margaret lowered and slowly voiced her feelings.

"Carol. For helping the kids, and for helping me, thanks."

That was it. That was all Margaret said before lifting her head, but tears built up in Carolyn's eyes as she tried to respond. She didn't think she had repaid her debt to Margaret, but hearing Margaret's 'thanks' was an even greater reward than the 10 silver coins that Mila gave her.

"No, it's..., I..., It's, an honour."

With an exasperated shrug, Margaret moved closer, wrapped her arm over Carolyn's shoulder and began gently tapping it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

As the tears spilled over, the rhythmic tapping brought back a nostalgic memory.

'Mom...'

...

Eventually, Carolyn stopped crying, and the two went to their respective bedrooms. Although she was tired, crying made her feel a little refreshed, so Carolyn wiped off her body and changed clothes before going to bed. The next day, she got ready for work at the Continental Courier Service as usual, and greeted the inn family before leaving. Margaret was inside the tavern this time, but she still wasn't allowed to work and was only there to advise. She didn't view Mila's mystery drink idea in a positive light, but she did like the combo meals that were added to the menu and thanks to her long years of service, she could suggest other combos based on customers' eating habits.

When Carolyn arrived at work, she didn't receive any strange looks because Rome hadn't announced her vacation. She had arrived before Rome and found his desk overburdened by documents, so she tidied it up and waited for him to come into the office. However, even when it was two hours past the start of the workday, Rome was still missing. Rome sometimes came in late or missed work all together and would leave a message for her in such cases, but since she was technically on vacation, it was unlikely that he would leave a message in this case. There really was nothing much for her to do without Rome to assign her new tasks, so with a sigh of resignation, she packed up and left.

Given that she was leaving the Continental Courier Service earlier than expected, Carolyn considered heading back to the inn, but she had an appointment that was set far earlier in advance.

Since it was close by, she stopped at Sebas' cafe, but he still had no word on Kanna's whereabouts or how she was doing. With an added layer of gloom, Carolyn headed towards the place that she had promised to return to a week earlier.

She had brought her cloak, so she could move without drawing much attention, but the slums seemed more restless than she remembered it. Just by walking down an alley, it wasn't uncommon to spot recent bloodstains or a fight about to produce them. Carolyn was extra careful not to bump into anyone, but as for those who wanted to bump into her, she gently directed them to the ground. Carolyn didn't like to see people hurt, but she didn't intend to make herself a victim to avoid that outcome either. The trip would have even worse had her memory failed her, but thankfully she was able to find her destination without issue.

As Carolyn approached the church, she found a large gathering of children in the vicinity. At first, a few of them surrounded her, but once she lowered the hood of her cloak, they backed off. She didn't recognise all of them, but the ones that had seen her the first time seemed to have shared her appearance among the rest of them.

"Excuse me, is the Priest in?" she asked one of the children.

The small child scowled, but after looking back at a different child, they nodded.

"Thank you."

Carolyn knew the children wouldn't let their guards down for her easily, but she still wished to be on good terms with them. No one stopped her on the way to the church, so Carolyn opened the doors and entered.

"Welcome back, Ms. Carol. I trust you've been well since our last meeting."

In a manner similar to when they first met, Benedict stood in the center of the aisle leading from the doors. However, this time, there were more pieces of furniture and other items on the sides of the walkway. If the inside looked like an abandoned property before, it now seemed like a homeless shelter.

"Yes, you could say that. I hope you've also been well, Mr. Benedict."

"Thank you. The past week has been somewhat hectic, but nothing beyond my capacity. Come, let us continue this conversation in my office."

After Carolyn followed Benedict into his office, she saw that he had prepared tea for them.

"Please, take a seat."

"Thank you, but first I feel I should apologize."

"Apologize? For what reason?"

Carolyn thought her mistake was obvious, but Benedict looked genuinely confused.

"Naturally, for failing the task you assigned me. Not only did I fail to get employed at the Wild Boar Inn, I even took another job instead. I know you said there was no penalty for failure, but I believe I should at least say this much."

Although Carolyn was working at the inn, she wasn't a full employee, nor did she think of herself as one. She could have argued that her circumstances still counted as a success, but she didn't want to rely on any sophistry so early in her journey.

"Hmm, you're strangely earnest. And more so than I thought."

"What do you-?"

"Catch."

Though it was unexpected, Carolyn caught the object that Benedict threw at her and saw that it was a rolled-up map.

"This is, but I failed the task."

"I'm guessing you think you failed because your current role is a temporary one, but even if all you did was clean up after work was done for the day, I would still have considered it a success. Honestly, I should acknowledge your failure since you seem so sure of it, but I've already made the copy, so I'll let it pass this time."

Carolyn had explained nothing, but Benedict spoke with a perfect understanding of the situation. He did say that he would check on her, but she hadn't spotted him even once, so she thought he had only watched from afar. However, that assumption seemed to be wrong.

"Take your seat. I'll explain further over tea."