The city of Münhel in the Sacred Empire
With a population of 200,000, located between the Bohemia region and Benetsa, this place was a transportation hub and also the homeland of Emperor Matthis, boasting a scale and power second to none within any city of the Sacred Empire.
A place with a rich history and tradition.
At the heart of this massive city was a famous pub.
Known as Casheit, it was one of the finest breweries in the Empire, with a myth that once you’ve tasted its beer, you would never forget the flavor.
A place filled with great fame and exceptional drink.
Naturally, it was always bustling with people, and the inside of the pub was lively with patrons shaking off the burdens of their tough day over drinks.
A vibrant place, distinct from the chaotic circumstances of the continent.
And at its center, as always, was a woman skillfully carrying beer mugs.
A maid dressed woman, balancing several hefty beer mugs in each hand, smoothly moving between the tables.
With her flowing, slightly tied back red hair, sparkling ruby-like red eyes, and strikingly beautiful complexion, she radiated a cheerful smile as she presented the beer mugs to the customers.
“Here you go! Your ordered beer has arrived!”
With a voice brimming with energy that could brighten the atmosphere around her, she spoke.
The customer receiving the beer felt a significant drop in today’s stress levels and happily accepted the glass.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Yes, please call me anytime if you need anything.”
With those words, she quickly moved to serve the remaining beer mugs to other guests.
Listening to her vivacious voice, the customers managed to momentarily forget their burdens and enjoyed the pure pleasure of the situation.
In every way, she was serving as the atmosphere-maker of this pub.
Once all the beer mugs in her hands were gone, she returned to the counter to carry the next batch of drinks and snacks.
“Polena, please take this to table five.”
“Of course! Understood!”
Responding with a lively tone to the kitchen staff’s call, Polena resumed her energetic steps to serve the drinks and dishes.
A short while later, Polena arrived at table five.
In front of her were a pair of guests – a man dressed as a traveler and a woman clad in paladin armor.
“Here, young guests! Your ordered drinks and food have arrived.”
Just like always, she radiated energy toward them.
However…
“Thank you.”
The man replied in silence, while the woman spoke in a quiet tone, as if he were about to face his impending doom.
Polena tilted her head slightly, not losing her smile, and said to them.
“Oh dear.. It looks like something’s bothering you? To be making such a gloomy face while drinking in this splendid place.”
“…Sigh…”
“Yes.. there’s a bit of a situation..”
The man answered with a heavy sigh, while the woman spoke with a bitter tone.
In response, Polena smiled brightly and slyly suggested,
“Is that so? What could possibly be troubling such a pretty lady and a gallant knight to look so miserable? If you’re okay with it, I, Polena, could lend an ear to your troubles.”
She had served here long enough to play the dual role of a waitress while ensuring the atmosphere remained lively.
Throughout that time, she had listened to countless people’s troubles, deriving joy from helping them reclaim smiles while drinking in this space.
To her, this pair, who alone seemed out of place by maintaining a gloomy atmosphere during such chaotic times, represented a ‘good target’ to brighten up.
“Come on, share your worries. As the old saying goes, a burden shared is a burden halved, right? If there are troubles, let’s talk about it freely.”
Polena said with her beaming smile.
Seeing her determination, the two felt a growing sense of inevitability to open up and, aligning with her encouragement, began to speak up about their frustrations.
And the content they revealed was… vastly different from what Polena had anticipated…
Much heavier than she expected.
*
As we poured out our frustrations casually, the confident Polena moments ago began to wear a slightly awkward and much more serious expression compared to earlier.
“I see.. It ultimately deals with Emperor Matthis.”
“Yes, because of that, us travelers are feeling many insecurities.”
“That makes sense. Considering the person slated to be the next emperor…”
Nodding slowly in agreement, Polena recognized Cazerose’s point.
They had only just heard from a contact introduced by Shylock about the news of the emperor’s death.
Until the official declaration of the emperor’s passing and the funeral was held, they needed a bit more time for the news to settle, making their information considerably ahead of the general populace.
However, despite understanding this, her reaction was much more grave than they had initially thought.
In this world without internet or newspapers, relying solely on the official proclamations proved significantly limiting for understanding information.
It was almost impossible to gauge the repercussions of the emperor’s death or the behavior of his successor, unless you were well-informed merchants or nobles.
Yet here was Polena, who worked in a tavern, seemingly already aware of the aftermath, which took them by surprise.
Honestly, while sharing their thoughts, they had considered she might struggle to grasp the issue or brush it off lightly, but she showed an unexpectedly serious reaction.
As if she felt that something inevitable had finally arrived.
Despite their confusion, upon reflection, they started to recognize this wasn’t too far-fetched.
“Wait.. if you think about it, working in a pub means she might actually be quite informed about international affairs… There are numerous customers from various regions here, so gathering information should indeed be easier…”
Thus they convinced themselves of this possibility.
At that moment…
“Well, even so, honestly, worrying about this won’t help us at all, right?”
“Well… true…”
“Yeah, true…”
Caught off guard by her rather pointed comment, they automatically found themselves agreeing.
Seeing their reactions, Polena’s face adorned with a warm smile continued.
“That’s right! So, let’s drink and enjoy ourselves! There’s no value in worrying about things we can’t solve now, right? If a problem truly arises, that’s a concern for later. For now, let’s just smile and enjoy this moment!”
“…Ha..ha…”
“Well, it’s not wrong…”
With her words blending flirtation with wisdom, they recognized they couldn’t outwit Polena’s charm, and a hint of a smile crept onto their faces as they raised their mugs.
However…
-BANG!
“What?!”
The next moment, a sudden loud noise echoed from outside.
Their gaze shifted towards the source of the ruckus, and the once cheerful expression on Polena’s face abruptly turned cold.
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