The innkeeper replied, "…A night is five coppers. The food is fufu and vegetables; meat costs an extra copper. Sometimes, you might get day-old bread with canned fish."
Lira looked around the inn in disgust, 'This place was far beneath her lord', she thought. She glanced outside and noticed the day hadn't gone by much.
"Gin." She swallowed hard just saying the name, believing it was still disrespectful to address her lord so casually, even if it was a fake name.
"Yes, Frieren?" Raya answered.
Lira was momentarily stunned, 'Who is Frieren?'. It didn't take long for her to realize that her lord was still playing his role.
She decided to do the same.
Taking a bold step that made her heart race, she held onto Raya's arm, pressing herself against him, resting her head on his shoulder as she spoke in a soft, complaining tone.
"I don't like this place. It's dirty… a place where only the wretched stay, even the people here disgust me. Perhaps we should look for another inn."
Raya resisted the urge to facepalm, 'Didn't I just tell her not to cause trouble?' he asked himself.
Before he could reply, before he could explain that better inns were located deeper in the district and cost silver or gold rather than copper, several people in the tavern had turned towards them, faces darkening at her words.
"You've got a filthy mouth for someone that looks beautiful," one of them said angrily.
Raya and Lira ignored the remark and continued facing the innkeeper.
The innkeeper himself was clearly irritated, though he was used to comments like that.
Cheap places attracted cheap judgments, and his tavern served those who needed shelter more than comfort.
"Pardon my partner," Raya said calmly. "Do you have two rooms?"
The innkeeper opened his mouth, clearly about to refuse…
"Hey. We're still talking to you."
A man stood up from one of the tables. Unarmored, broad, and muscular, he looked like someone accustomed to intimidation.
"I think there are too many flies here," Raya said casually to Lira. "Buzzing around and hurting my ears."
"Oi, that's not funny."
The man approached, his tone threatening. A metal gauntlet creaked as he clenched his fist, having slipped it on while standing.
His gaze shifted to Lira, lingering far too long.
"You two sure know how to piss someone up," he said. "But I'm generous. Lend me your woman for the night, and I'll let this go."
"…Hahaha." Raya couldn't help but laugh softly. He raised a hand to stop the angry Lira from stepping forward.
"What's so funny?" the man snapped.
"Oh, nothing," Raya replied. "You just sound exactly like what you are. Pathetic."
The man's face flushed in embarrassment.
Raya's expression cooled, "Tell me," he asked, "are you someone important here or in this town by chance?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"I see," Raya said. "Then I won't waste time."
In a single motion, he grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
The man had no time to react. His breath left him in a sharp gasp as his feet kicked uselessly in the air. The surrounding patrons froze, stunned by the effortless display of strength.
Raya then threw him across the room.
The man flew across the tavern, crashing into a table as wood splintered and objects shattered. The man's scream echoed as he hit the ground, then stopped as he fainted.
"…So," Raya said calmly, looking at the remaining men at the table, "does anyone else want to continue this?"
They immediately lowered their heads, "N-No! He went too far!"
"We're sorry!"
"…Good," Raya replied. "Then pay for the damage."
"Y-Yes! Of course!"
Coins were hurriedly being gathered.
Raya turned back to the innkeeper, "Two rooms," he said again.
The innkeeper nodded stiffly, handing them a key, "Upstairs, but we only have one room left."
Lira's eyes lit up for a split second, sharing a room with her lord…She quickly lowered her head, heat rushing through her body.
"I'll check the room first," she said. "For safety."
Raya simply just nodded, unaware of her thoughts.
"Here is all that we could gather," one of the men said, bowing as he offered the coins.
"Why are you giving it to me? Give it to the innkeeper. It was his property you destroyed, not mine," Raya said casually as he went to sit down.
The people silently agreed that the handsome man was not someone they could mess with. Everyone began minding their own business.
After a while of awkward silence in the tavern…
Someone finally broke it. "I heard a new demon lord has been born. The scouts from the top guild sent to observe the situation in demon territory are all said to be dead."
Raya turned slightly, his attention drawn to the conversation. Two men and a woman sat nearby.
Judging by their clothes, they looked like adventurers, though weak and poorly equipped.
"Where did you hear that?" another person asked. Even the speaker's teammates looked curious.
"This morning, when I went to sell horned rabbit meat," he said, glancing at his companions before looking back. "It might still be a rumor for now, but it's not baseless. It's everywhere in the Adventurers' Guild."
"Oh… no wonder…" someone else chimed in.
Soon, the entire tavern grew noisy again, even louder than before. Some people looked visibly worried about whether the news was true.
Lira came down from upstairs, surprised to see the inn lively once more, not that she cared.
She walked straight to Raya. "The room is safe and barely manageable," she reported.
"We'll be heading out for now," Raya said as he pushed his stool back and stood up.
The movement immediately silenced the tavern again, all eyes were on him.
Lira nodded and stood as well. Anywhere her lord went, she was willing to follow.
"Mr. Innkeeper, we're heading out for now. We'll be back." With that, Raya and Lira stepped outside.
Immediately after they left, someone muttered.
"Besides being handsome and strong, there's something strange about him. Something that commands presence and attention… like… like an…. overlord."
Everyone, including the innkeeper and the man Raya had thrown earlier, now bandaged, all nodded in agreement.