When The Cute Godkiller Opens A Tavern [OP Mentor, SoL, LitRPG]

"Food can be improved, but I'm fortunate to have found good people." ~Shallies Mythernal

As expected, Schooner's home was one of the more luxurious looking houses in Cinterbrim Town. It had a larger courtyard than those she had seen in the area, surrounding the entire establishment. A large fence with an equally grandiose gate, with gaps being just wide enough to let people admire the brick-walled home. There were a couple of sheds, and even a large, roofed garage where his mana-engine vehicle was currently parked.

All in all, the Mayor's establishment could easily compete with those of the middle-class families of El'doron Kingdom's capital city. Truth be told, it wasn't a luxurious display of wealth compared to the truly iconic and powerful people. The Favored Adventurers, those deemed by the gods worthy of their attention. Even politicians paled in comparison to them.

"Were your parents great adventurers?" Shallies asked Grace as a couple of servants opened the gates for them. "If they prefer to keep it private, I can just ask them directly."

"Dad became a Dragon Berserker before retiring from his adventures. Mom did the same after ascending into Elemental Archmage. They're not exactly trying to hide it."

Both were Hero Classes, a tier below Favored. Shallies nodded along both to Grace's answers and her realization. That was a good enough reason for them to be able to afford such a home and win the hearts of Cinterbrim Town's citizens.

The escaped seraph, however, would still pose a threat to them. He had two Hero Classes. They weren't that high of a level, as far as Shallies could remember, but the tier difference alone would put Schooner at a disadvantage. If Elesia would be there to provide cover, however…

Shallies stopped herself. They're not even on the chase…

Pushing the thought aside, she and Grace followed the appetizing fragrance coming from inside the house.

Within were marble tiles and pillars with walls that sectioned off parts of the house. First, was the living room, or what Shallies might call a hunting lodge. Soft sofas and a porcelain center table, imitating a large rock, nestled on top of a fluffy carpet. On the wall were taxidermies of mystical monsters. Low-level ones. There was a cozy fireplace as well that was currently providing much needed warmth.

Grace led Shallies further inside. They passed the dining room and the kitchen, where she caught a whiff of some boiling potatoes. Heading out from the backdoor, they found Elesia grilling some steaks and fish in the backyard. Schooner was nowhere to be found.

"You two are early," said the cook. "I'll need a few more minutes to finish up."

"Can we help?" Shallies asked. "Or just me, if Grace still needs to pack some things."

"Oh, there's no need, Shallies. You're our guest today. How about you brew her and Apple some of that tea, Grace?"

Elesia flipped the steak, causing a satisfying sizzle from the grill as it was tasked with charring up the other section of the meat. There were nice grill marks on top of the steak, providing a mouthwatering anticipation.

Shallies gulped down, making sure she didn't let drool out. Her stomach wasn't exactly cooperating, however.

"Ah, sorry," she said when her tummy complained about being hungry.

Elesia sent her motherly smile. "Don't worry. I'll call you when the food's ready."

With that, Grace brought her back to the living room. "Take any seat you want, I'll go make some tea."

"Thank you."

Now alone and with nothing much to do, Shallies quietly divulged the chase to Apple. As expected, the fairy wasn't particularly happy about the news. Much like her master, she was more than content to not get involved with it.

The discussion wasn't enough to pass the time, and the two eventually found themselves bored. Schooner arrived to the rescue.

The orc had a deep frown, and Shallies quickly knew what it could be about. When he saw her, however, he quickly eased up.

"Didn't expect you so early, Shallies," he said with a smile.

"I met your daughter halfway while I was roaming around the market."

"She inside?"

"Yes."

His smile vanished as he approached closer. "Did you know she tried to get involved in a fight a few minutes ago? With an illegal seraph, no less."

The question gave her pause. She technically didn't make a promise to the girl, but she also didn't want to get involved in this potential family affair. Shallies chose not to answer directly.

"She's pretty energetic."

Schooner sat opposite her and dejectedly ran a hand over his face, sighing as he tried to diffuse what irritation he had in his head. "I'm at an impasse. On one hand, I know I must scold her for being too reckless. On the other, doing so might put the beginning of her adventuring career off the wrong foot."

"It's not a question of might, I think," Shallies quickly suggested. "All that should be on her mind right now is direct preparation for her first quest, or relaxing in preparation for it. It's a sensitive case."

With these words, she expressed her advice clearly to the orc. It was now left to his interpretation. Hopefully, Grace would come out of this unscathed or with just a mild scolding at most.

The half-orc in question appeared, saw her dad, and returned quickly to the kitchen to bring out a fourth cup. She approached daintily as if to stalk, trying to gauge her dad's mood while asking Shallies for a signal.

She chose not to oblige.

"Hey Dad," Grace said after she understood that no help would come her way. She placed the tea set on the rock-table. Shallies poured one for herself and another for Apple who happily took a dip.

"Want some tea?" asked Grace, pouring one for herself and her dad.

Schooner took a good, long look.

"Something wrong?" the half-orc asked nervously.

Ultimately, he gestured for her to join them. She followed and took the seat beside Shallies.

"I've spoken with Ben," he began while taking a cup. "You'll start tomorrow at first light. Make sure you have all your preparations done before you sleep."

Now, the ball was in Grace's hands. Shallies quietly observed as the half-orc mulled over her options. She was quite easy to read, but Schooner chose not to address it, allowing for his daughter to make the first move.

"Umm…" the half-orc started. "I think I did something wrong, Dad."

"You're pertaining to the chase with the seraph?"

Grace blinked. "Yes, but I didn't know he was a seraph."

Schooner nodded. "When you go tomorrow, your encounters will not be the same as they were back in the academy. Assess before you engage, understood? Get this chase out of your head for now, Grace. We can discuss that after you return. For now, concentrate on your quest."

"Mind if I ask what happened to the seraph?" Shallies asked, trying to prevent any awkward silence from hitting the atmosphere.

"Chased him out of town. Hopefully that's the end of it."

"Thanks, Dad," Grace said, breathing a sign of relief. "I appreciate you holding back for me."

The father grunted just in time for Elesia to call out. Shallies, having been the observer for the most part, caught herself also holding her breath. She had been prepared to intervene in case the argument got heated, but Schooner was a parent who had most likely gone through the same conundrum when he had been starting out. He knew how important this first quest was for his daughter.

It made Shallies reminisce, but it was from a time millennia ago. The memory, strong as it was, had had its details faded and embellished beyond recognition. It wasn't worth dallying over something that even the history books had forgotten.

Besides, food awaits, and she was beyond starving.

"Hello, I'm looking for Ben or Marisa. I was told I could procure some produce here?"

Now with a full tummy, Shallies went on to continue with her main agenda in Cinterbrim Town: to buy stuff for her tavern. She intended to taste test the local ingredients so she could adjust her recipes accordingly.

In addition, she wanted to improve Elesia's Grilled Steak with Mashed Potatoes. It was one of the best steaks she had ever tried, but for some reason, it didn't come with any sauce aside from the stock gravy poured on the mash. One specialized for steaks was paramount. It was basically as important as the entrée itself. The sauce, alone, could elevate the meal twice over.

"Yes, who's asking?" called out a human woman who emerged from behind an aisle of vegetables. She had short hair, raven black, matched with hazel eyes. Just like most of the women Shallies had had the chance to meet recently, she possessed a better endowed body than the semi-retired Godkiller.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

It's fine… I'm used to it.

"Hi, Marisa, I presume? I'm Shallies. I just moved into the house west outside of town, and I'm planning to organize a supplier for my tavern." She opened her System Console with the documents provided by Mayor Schooner as proof, since she had come here on business. "I'd like to purchase some of your produce so I can test them for my recipes."

Marisa barely gave the console a glance. Her smile at the face of opportunity gave away all the schemes that were running inside her head. Shallies became wary. While not all schemes were bad by nature, business-minded people tend to pull the bits' favors towards their purses.

And while this semi-retired Godkiller possessed treasures that could easily buy the entire town, she wasn't so gullible that she'd let people take advantage of her. Besides, haggling was one of the primary survival skills that every adventurer had to learn on their own, since the System wouldn't provide that for them. Art of words and charm and witty counter-schemes were just a few of the other mundane things that Shallies found interesting now that she had started paying more attention to them.

She caught herself accidentally expressing her own smile.

"Well, you've come to the right place, lass," Marisa said, expanding her smile to a wide grin. It was genuine, as far as businesswomen went. Honest happiness at the prospect of a sale and the potential to acquire a new, regular customer. "Do you have a grocery list with you?"

Nothing wrong with that. I like straightforward people.

Shallies produced her list. It wasn't exactly exhaustive, only enumerating essential ones she knew that the countryside would have for sure, and a few that she wanted to try her luck with.

All sorts of meat, common fish, vegetables, aromatics, eggs, lots of eggs. She even listed different types of bread, some condiments she knew were common enough, including some niche ones. All sorts of cooking oils, and a variety of cooking wines, though she wasn't hopeful for these. And a few other odds and ends.

"Mind if I get a copy?" Marisa asked as she went down the list. "Give me a few minutes to check the availability of everything."

Shallies did as asked.

"You can browse around while you wait. Might find yourself a few more things."

"Thanks, we'll do that," Shallies said as Apple emerged from her Manaweave Coat to look around on her own.

Marisa, after quickly getting over her surprise from the teacup fairy's appearance, went around her own grocery store, vanishing into another aisle. Meanwhile, Shallies looked around, amused at how familiar this place looked when compared to the ones in the main city.

She quickly found a sectioned-off place, designated as the butchering area. Peeking at the window of the door showed all sorts of hanging meat and a bald man currently busy carving a carcass. Their eyes met, and she reactively waved. When he waved back and beckoned her over, she knew that she had to enter. He stopped working to meet her halfway.

"Are you lost, little miss?" he asked.

I'm going to get a lot of this again from now on, am I?

Shallies sighed and ignored the question. "Are you Ben? I talked to Grace and Mayor Schooner. They said I could find you here."

"Yes, that would be me." Realizing this was something more than a case of a lost child, Ben removed his gloves, hung his apron, and washed his hands before gesturing for Shallies to continue their talk outside the meat shop. "What can I do for you, miss?"

"It's Shallies. I talked to your wife and asked her to help me out with my grocery list. But I'm also here to provide some support for your upcoming quest with Grace. I thought it would be proper to ask for your consent first before I give my buffs. Free of charge, of course. I just want to give Grace the best start she can possibly have."

"Oh, so you're that Shallies," Ben said. "Mayor Schooner said a lot of nice things about you. I see, I see. Well if your buffs are for free, there's no reason for us to reject them. Let me get my wife."

Shallies raised hand. "Actually, I want to ask a few questions first so I can assess which buffs I should provide."

"Oh, sure. Go for it."

"Can you give me your Classes? Preferably your levels as well."

Ben shrugged and opened his System Console. "I can just show you my Class information, if you want?"

"It feels rude to read them out," Shallies replied. "It's better if we talk about it."

"Ah, didn't think the young folk still practiced the old traditions," Ben said while closing his console. "That's good to know. I'm a Level 48 Brave Ranger, while Marisa's a Level 49 Wood Stalker."

It was a good combination of Advanced Classes, which were a tier above the Base Class. Brave Rangers fought at the front, circling around opponents with their high Agility, while Wood Stalkers pinpoint weak spots from the shadows and avoid detection. They were also perfect for scouting, and protecting a newbie like Grace.

Coincidence, or Schooner really thought this through…

"What about gear?" she asked.

"We're lacking in that department, actually," Ben said, scratching the back of his head. "We only really kept our weapons and sold everything else. So we're making do with common, regular equipment. Shouldn't be a problem for a scouting mission."

Still, Shallies opened her own System Console and produced two equipment items. First, a pair of boots. Second, a short muffler cape.

"These boots are for you. Quickening Speedy Boots +4. You should already know how to use it. This muffler's for your wife. Blending Muffler of Zoom Sight +3."

Like any good adventurer, the man didn't even hesitate to accept the gifts. His words, however, needed more practice.

"Are you sure? I thought you were just giving away buffs."

"I am," Shallies started, "but I'm not giving these ones away. It's for rent, to help you out. I'll take them back after your quest."

"Oh, that makes more sense," Ben said with relief. "We don't really plan on adventuring anymore, so I wasn't exactly sure what to do with these after we're done with Grace's quest. Thank you."

"No worries. I can give you your buff now as well."

"Don't buffs usually only last for a few hours?" Ben asked while he stored the borrowed boots in his Class Inventory. "Shouldn't we acquire them tomorrow?"

"I'm a Guiding Star. My buffs can last for a few days up to a month if I concentrate them all in one person. For some of my Support Skills, we don't even have to be in a party."

"Then, you can give them all to Grace, no?"

"I extended her buff to a week. That should be enough for your scouting mission, right?"

Scouting quests tend to only be within two to three days. Shallies knew this. She simply wanted to subtly inquire if they had plans aside from just completing the quest.

"That's plenty enough, yes," Ben said without hesitation, much to her relief.

"Good. I'll extend yours and Marisa's up to a week as well."

"What's this extension all about?" asked the latter. She teasingly played the jealous wife as a joke.

"Shallies's helping us out to help Grace out, hon," Ben replied, lifting the muffler. "This is yours. Just for rent, note."

"Oh, fancy!" Marisa took the garment and even tried it on. "Thanks, Shallies! I'll take care of it for the meantime. So what's the extension thing all about?"

"My Guiding Star buffs," Shallies said as she began to work. First was Ben. "Bright Sun."

A halo behind Ben erupted with a bright light. Like with Star Shine, it wasn't blinding.

[Bright Sun activated. Duration: 3 days,] Stachie updated automatically.

"Buff Extend."

[Bright Sun extended. New duration: 7 days.]

"This feels amazing," Ben said. "I feel so powerful!"

"Bright Sun increases your resistance to all conditional effects, like poison or paralysis on top of what your Constitution provides. It also provides you with a temporary shield based on your Constitution and Strength Attributes, which is helpful since you can't rely on just dodging everything. The shield recovers every hour.

"I assume you'll be up front most of the time, so this Skill will let you draw the monsters' attention easily as well. Just make sure to hide it when you're sneaking around."

"I see, I see. This is great! I've never had a support buff before." Ben played around with the Bright Sun, turning it off and on based on his whims. While he did that, Shallies focused on Marisa next.

"Can I have something not that attention grabbing?" she asked. Wood Stalkers couldn't use star-based buffs since they would pinpoint exactly where she was hiding.

"I need a few more clarifications for your case, Marisa. Do you use a bow, or a crossbow, or a Mana-Emitter?"

"Specialized in bows. Just bows."

"So you prioritize your Strength first, yes?"

"For the bow damage specifically, yes."

Shallies crossed her arms. "What about your Agility and Focus?"

"Just enough Agility to balance and hop around tree branches and hiding spots. My Focus is a little lacking, so I stalk a little closer most of the time."

"I see. I think I have what you need." Shallies nodded and raised her hand. "Calm Void."

On top of Marisa's muffler, a line of dark smoke trailed behind her left shoulder, creating a one-sided cape. It was barely perceptible against her dark clothes.

[Calm Void activated. Duration: 3 days. Would you like to extend this as well, Shallies?] Stachie asked.

"Yes, please," she replied internally, but she still invoked the Skill to pretend like a normal adventurer. "Buff Extend."

[Calm Void extended. New duration: 7 days.]

Marisa twirled around, appreciating her new add-on. "What does it do?"

"Calm Void increases your Focus and Agility stats by 30 each. It also makes you aware of anything hostile, up to five levels on top of yours, on a radius around you based on your Focus. Since you have enough Strength for your bow damage, this should be all you need. And you don't have to keep track of its visibility, it's barely noticeable, but you can still hide it if you want."

She turned to Ben to grab his attention. "Take note that if you hide your buffs, their effects become inactive. Practice hiding and revealing them so it doesn't take much effort. Your buffs will last for seven days. Oh, and it helps me keep track of you as well, until you enter the dungeon."

The married couple nodded sincerely. Marisa spurred as if she just remembered something important.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I have all your stuff accounted for, Shallies."

She blinked. "Everything? Even the cooking wines?"

"One bottle of everything you specified. I also took the liberty to add a few more that you didn't list down, same as for the cooking oil. Take a look and then let me know if you wanna keep them or not. Oh, and the condiments as well."

"I thought you two were Farmers?" Shallies shook her head. "Sorry, I thought farms had specific produce and that I would have to go around to different shops to complete my list."

"We are," Ben replied as he tried out his new boots. "We also own the largest warehouse in Cinterbrim Town. People rented storage space at first, then we realized we could just sell for them as well for a commission. A few Farmers don't open up shop anymore and just let us sell their produce now."

"That must take you out of your farm most of the time."

"We take rotations," Marisa said this time as she completed a copy of the updated list and passed it. "Our marriage basically united two entire families to work at the farm, the warehouse, and this grocery store."

"It's more like a shopping center now that I think about…" Shallies said. The two widened their eyes.

"I like the sound of that," Ben said first.

"Ben and Marisa's Shopping Center," Marisa followed, nodding with a wide smile. "Yeah. I like it."

Shallies perused the new list and liked what she saw. Marisa had even included special sauces and different types of cheese.

Just then, she remembered there was an actual, operational tavern in town.

"Does the tavern here also get their supplies from your shopping center?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Not everything, I don't think," Ben said. "The Swallowing Whale has its own farm, first of all. Plus they're a bit older than when we started co-selling, so they already established steady supply arrangements with the other farmers, and us as well. But since some of our products expanded to other neighboring towns, and even some from the city, we get orders from them for those specifically."

"Oh!" Shallies couldn't help but gasp. "Right. If you can export stuff, you can import, too."

"You weren't planning on going back to the city just for a few missing ingredients, were you?" Marisa asked with a mischievous smile. Again with her business-sense. "Give me the real list. If we don't have them all now, I'll make sure to include them in the next shipment."

Shallies walked down the road that Catelyn had made to connect her house with the town. She decided to return home early, inspired to make some sample dishes. Apple levitated boxes and bags of all the ingredients they'd acquired, smiling with glee since she also bought some new herbs for her tea.

The trees were familiar. Too familiar. Shrubs and bushes formed overgrown hedges, enclosing the path and completing the forest-like feel of the place. With each step, memories of Catelyn began to reach the surface.

Shallies could envision it, though she hadn't been around during their creation. She knew how the Biomekeeper made these plants grow. Delicate and purposeful. Her Skills had been refined in such a way that it had made her Favored peers jealous. Sure, Catelyn was the most recent memory Shallies possessed in the long line of friends and mentees throughout her life, but she had never seen anyone as gifted as her.

Finally, her stroll led her back to the gate Schooner had mentioned before. From here, she owned the land, and she could see no difference between the path beyond the border of her territory. Catelyn had cared for the entirety of this place equally.

Apple sat on her master's shoulder. The teacup fairy had been swimming in her own memories the entire time as well. She leaned on her neck, fondly gazing at the sights both real and remembered.

"I miss her too, Apple. I miss her, too."

As beings who no longer aged, the two had made a familiar connection with their senses of loss. It could never be avoided, but there was no point wallowing in sorrow. The only choice was to move on and live a full life while remembering those that had gone.

Shallies opened the gate and continued homeward.