A Surprise Guest

By the time Carolyn had finished singing the lullaby, Lety was deep in sleep, along with a few other young children inside the church. As for those still awake, they snapped out of their trances and tried to ignore her, but her song had cemented itself in their memories.

Soon after, Derrick returned to the church holding a big bundle of cloth with Benedict behind him. Carolyn could now see the way forward, but she still felt insecure around Benedict because she wasn't sure if her decision was a good one. Once Derrick put down the bundle of cloth near Lety's sleeping space, he checked her temperature by placing a hand on her cheek. After a sigh of relief, he looked up at Carolyn, then looked back down on Lety and mumbled.

"...Thank you."

His awkwardness tickled Carolyn's playful side, but she didn't tease him.

"You're welcome. I'll leave the medicine with the Priest. She should be better with rest and I'll come back to check on her tomorrow, but if anything happens you can talk to him."

"Mmm."

He was so meek that Carolyn couldn't help patting his head, much to his disgruntlement, before getting up to speak to Benedict.

"Mr. Benedict, this is the medicine for Lety. Given her condition, I'd prefer if she didn't have to use it, but I'll leave the decision up to you."

"I see. I'm glad to have your trust, but why do you think I'll be a good judge of whether to give her this medicine?"

"I can't say it all here but, you learned from the doctor, didn't you?"

Carolyn didn't specify, but both of them knew who she meant by 'doctor'.

"I'm interested in hearing how you figured that out, but very well. I will keep an eye on them."

"Thank you. I'm still thinking about it, but I should have an answer for you regarding that other matter when I come back tomorrow."

"I'll look forward to it."

Meanwhile, the lunch rush had started at the Wild Boar Inn. The crowd was no smaller than the day before, so with Carolyn still out, it seemed that the staff were in for a rough time, but fortunately, they were able to secure an extra pair of hands just in time.

"Mystery cocktail to Table 7."

"I'm on it!"

Busily moving between tables with dishes in both hands was Kanna. She was looking for Carolyn and had already searched for her at the Continental Courier Service, so she came to the inn next. After learning that Carolyn hadn't returned to the inn, Kanna planned on waiting for her and asked if there was anything she could help with in the interim. That was her mistake.

When Mila asked her to take over as a waitress in Carolyn's place, Kanna accepted without considering it for too long. She thought that a tavern with a rowdy reputation like the Wild Boar Inn wouldn't have that many customers during the day, but the lunch rush quickly proved her wrong. Her service experience allowed her to slip into the role without any trouble, but while serving a seemingly endless crowd was a task she had done more than once, she still dreaded every moment.

During the latter half of the lunch rush, Carolyn returned to the inn. After she squeezed past the line of waiting customers and went into the tavern to help, she spotted Kanna acting in her role.

"Kanna?"

She might not have heard Carolyn clearly, but her ears had become attuned to the sound of the door, so Kanna lifted her head to see who had entered.

"Carol!"

Sincere joy entered her polite service smile once Kanna saw her and, though she wished she could rush towards her for a hug, she still eagerly waved at her. For slightly different reasons, the two were relieved to see each other, but the temporary manager got their heads set straight.

"Oh, you're back, Carol. We should be good out here, so could you help Uncle Rod in the kitchen?"

"Ah-, yes!"

Carolyn felt some disappointment that her reunion with Kanna was cut short, but she didn't hesitate to follow Mila's request. She was so decisive that she missed the moment seeped into Kanna's eyes at the sight of losing a potential comrade on the front lines. All jokes aside, they were able to get through the lunch rush without incident.

The inn family would usually make their own lunch during downtime, since it was cheaper that way, but they didn't force Carolyn or Kanna to do the same. While the rest of the staff recharged from the crowd, Carolyn left the inn to have lunch with Kanna as she didn't want to bother Uncle Rod and she was too tired to cook.

Carolyn and Kanna went nearby to a food stall and bought a couple of meat skewers. Putting aside Kanna, Carolyn could afford to spend a little more at a restaurant, but they both agreed that it was more important to get something in their stomachs as fast as possible. Given all the trouble she had gone through in the slums district, only to help with the lunch rush after returning, Carolyn was especially tired.

After quickly finishing a skewer, Kanna asked, "Is it usually that busy, Carol?"

"No. It used to be much less crowded, but the recent changes to the menu have attracted a lot of new customers."

"New customers? When the city's like this?"

"Yes, surprising, isn't it? It's thanks to Ms. Mila. Miss Margaret hasn't been feeling well, so she had to manage the inn in her place, but I don't think anyone expected she would do this well. I'm sure that once Miss Margaret recovers and they finetune the details, the inn will surely flourish."

"If I hadn't gone through that serving hell, I might think you were exaggerating, but I believe you. That means I made the right choice too."

"Hmm?"

While Carolyn wondered what Kanna was implying by her last statement, Kanna finished her last skewer and turned to face her.

"Carol, I heard you were looking for me over the past two days. I'm sorry for not contacting you," said Kanna with her head lowered.

At first Carolyn was rendered speechless by her sudden apology, but then a gentle smile formed on her face.

"Please raise your head," after waiting for Kanna to straighten up, Carolyn continued, "I was really worried about you, but I know you had your own troubles to handle. I heard about what happened at Green's Housing Supplies."

"Oh, that makes this quicker. I did consider accepting his offer. Even if I had to leave first, I could always send money back and eventually bring my family over, but that would simply be an extension of what I'm doing now. I wouldn't be able to pursue my dream that way."

"I see."

"Is that all? You don't think I'm reckless for throwing away an opportunity like that with all these sky-high taxes?"

"I might not have known you for long, but I don't think you're the type of person to take a risk without making careful consideration. If you've thought it out, then I support your decision. I do wish you would tell me what this dream of yours is, though."

"Hehe, it's still a secret for now. I'll need some advice from Mila and Ms. Margaret, but I'll tell you once I finalize everything."

"You're only making me more curious by saying that, but fine. I'll patiently look forward to it."

"Thanks, Carol."

"It's nothing much."

Shortly after, the two returned to the inn, where they met another surprise guest.

"Oh, Carol, you're back."

"Mr. Rome?"

When she saw the muscular man sitting at a table next to Marco inside the tavern, Carolyn could immediately tell that it was Rome, but there was some uncertainty in her tone because of his attire. Instead of the business formal suit she was used to seeing him in, he was now in a plain cream shirt that barely hid his rigged torso and a pair of black pants that was tight enough to outline his muscles. He fit these clothes much better than his suits, but it was still a surprise to see him wearing them.

"Hey, I told you I was going to visit, didn't I?"

"You did. I just didn't expect it to be today."

"Carol, this is?"

"Oh, sorry. This is Mr. Rome Taylor, Assistant Branch Manager of the Continental Courier Service and my direct superior."

"Sounds kinda pretentious when you put it like that, but yea. You can just call me Rome, little lady."

"Thank you, Mr. Rome. My name is Kanna. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Haha, I wondered if it was just Carol, but maybe the youth really are more polite these days."

"I'm pretty sure they're just exceptions, Uncle Rome. Though I guess most people would act polite when they see someone with muscles like yours."

"Hahaha! Is that jealously I hear, little Marco?"

Marco had a frown on his face as Rome strongly patted him on the back, but his eyes showed that he didn't actually hate the interaction. This was the first time Carolyn had seen them together, but it was easy to tell that the two were close.