'This man… cannot be a normal human. No normal human can carry a dire wolf around or even have it be captured in a trap. I should be careful and unravel the evil plan this man has.'
The station master looked at the lanky and not-too-powerful-looking man in front of him.
No, not even a man. The person looked like he was barely in his 20s but had all the burden of the world on his shoulders.
There were dark circles under those wise-looking eyes and a prim and proper appearance that looked… kind of weird now that he thought about it.
He had never seen anyone wear clothes like the shopkeeper in front of him did. And yet, he could not find himself to think that they were weird.
This could only mean one thing — the person in front of him was not human and the station master had not even realized that until now.
"You should take your time confirming things, station master. Otherwise, you will keep doubting yourself. And that is not a fun feeling to have."
The shopkeeper advised the station master, which made the station master flinch.
It was as if the shopkeeper had read his mind somehow and found out what he was worried about and decided to speak up about that.
'This man is dangerous. I need to quickly report him—'
A small yellow strip of paper was kept in the station master's desk at all times and it was a special communication tool he had to contact the police in case of emergencies.
He turned around to use it so that the shopkeeper wouldn't see what he was doing.
The name the shopkeeper had spoken was Henry, and as far as the station master knew, there was only one person in the police with that name — General Henry.
So he decided to write to the man.
[There is someone here asking me for a favor. They say they are the shopkeeper of the bookstore and that General Henry would know what that means.]
The note was burned, and now it was a waiting game.
The reply came not even five minutes later. A new note reappeared in his hands.
[I can vouch for him, station master. The shopkeeper is a higher being and he has helped me out a lot. You don't need to worry about him harming anyone.]
The note was pink, which indicated that it came from the police. And the handwriting on the note certainly belonged to General Henry.
'H-Huh-! T-This person is so great that the general felt the need to reply himself? No, I cannot take just the general's word for it. I need to ask the duchess as well.'
So he repeated the question. And once more, the reply came — but this time, on a purple paper.
[I can vouch for him, station master. The shopkeeper… is a special guest of mine. Please treat him as you would treat me.]
The duchess had spoken as well, and with that, the station master had no choice but to agree with the shopkeeper.
"Please return in about 15 minutes. I will let you know the decision then."
The station master told the shopkeeper… not that he needed to. He already had his answer.
But he did need to save face, even if just a little bit. And if the shopkeeper was as great of a person as he kept hearing, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to make an enemy out of him.
"I understand. Then, I will wait for your word."
The shopkeeper left the room and the station master melted into his seat before he let out a frustrated sigh.
"Fuck-! I almost made a blunder because of my cautiousness. I better be careful in the future and take extra good care of the 'business' the shopkeeper is suggesting."
With that, the only thing left to draft was the paperwork, and once that was done, it was time for the station master to call the shopkeeper back.
__________
'Fuck-! My heart is beating so hard in my chest. It feels like it is about to leap out any second. Ugh, it's beginning to hurt now.'
I clutched my chest as I got out of the station master's office. It was safe to say that I had never felt this nervous in my life before.
No, scratch that… I had felt such nervousness too many times. I was like that during most of my tests… and the results announcement… and even my interviews.
'That sounds… so bad when I think about it. Doesn't that just make me someone prone to panicking?'
I asked myself as I looked at myself in the mirror.
Unlike what was going on inside my mind, my face betrayed nothing and looked the same as ever.
I splashed some water on my face before I headed toward the station master's room. As soon as I arrived, the door opened and the station master gave me a surprised look.
"Ah-! You are here? Anyway, please come in. Your identity has been confirmed and I have drafted the contract for you. As for the money… I will agree to 5 gold coins a month. Any more and the taxes will become too heavy for us."
The station master told me and that was one aspect that I had missed.
'Tsk, to think that taxes are a problem even in this time period… does that mean I have to pay taxes as well? How does one do that?'
Another worry had been added to my ever-growing list of worries. Capitalism truly was the biggest danger I had in this world.
"Storekeeper, are you alright? You have not moved…"
The station master asked as he looked at my frozen hands and I quickly gave him a smile.
"I am fine, so there is no need to worry about me. I was… just thinking about something else for a moment. Now, where do you want me to sign? And can I read the contract once to make sure everything is fine?"
I asked, hoping that the station master wouldn't take any offense.
The station master passed me the contract and it was only 4–5 pages. Unlike the modern contract, it was written in larger words and was much easier to decipher.
'Thank God it is simple and does not have millions of words to go through. It also looks fairly standard.'
Most of the contract was hand-drafted, which was why it was not too long.
I felt confident signing the piece of paper and felt reassured that I was not signing my life away because of it.
"Now that all the formalities have been taken care of, please follow me. I will show you the station. You can select where you want to operate your business at."
The station master told me and I followed him outside.
I wanted to select the perfect place with the most traffic but also keep it out of the way of the rush traffic.
And as I looked around, my eyes suddenly fell on a pillar that felt like it would be the perfect place to put down my claw machine.
The last ray of sun illuminated the spot perfectly and made it stand out, and I understood what I needed to do.
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