Demon Bookshop 6

Paul lay on his bed for a while, wiggling his toes. His eyes had already opened a while ago, but he couldn’t take a step out of the blanket. His entire body was drained of energy and couldn’t move.

 

‘Since the boss hasn’t come to wake me up, I guess it’s not opening time yet.’

 

Paul didn’t know what time it was because the basement room had no sunlight. Still, he had an accurate watch with him. Of course, it wasn’t the broken wristwatch.

 

‘Grrrrr’

 

“I’m hungry…”

 

It was his belly button clock that sounded in the quiet room. He slowly got up, thinking that he should eat something. He then looked for his glasses by the bedside.

 

“Get up! Let’s eat!”

 

Someone kicked the door and stormed in as if reading Paul’s mind. Paul froze for a moment in surprise, then came to his senses when he recognized the owner of the voice.

 

“So you were already up today? Wait, what’s with that look on your face? You must have thought ‘It’s you again?'”

 

The other party easily revealed his innermost thoughts. The owner of the familiar easy-going voice with a smiling face was the bandit who Paul had asked the boss to spare.

 

“Why are you here? This is my room, isn’t it?” Paul asked, giving a wary glance from under his blanket.

 

“Aigo, our sleeping bookshop princess~ You didn’t know that you slept for three days? That day, the Bear Merchant Guild was taken over by the Wolf Merchant Guild. Thanks to that, I also became part of the Wolf Merchant Guild.”

 

“…I slept for three days?”

 

“That’s right. If you didn’t wake up, I was going to give you a kiss instead of the prince.”

 

She smacked her lips regretfully, and Paul screamed without realizing it. She saw it and spoke with a big smile.

 

“Hey, what am I supposed to do if you hate it so openly? Anyway, that wolf said he was too busy, so he told me to help with the bookshop work until you woke up.”

 

“That wolf, is it Pablo-nim?”

 

“Yeah~ I owe you a favour, so for the past few days I’ve been working with that Fomor I don’t want to see. But now that you’re up, I can finally escape!”

 

Surely, she was wearing a black apron which was Kshatrit’s uniform. The boss wouldn’t have given the apron to just anyone, so Paul soon relaxed his guard. Then Paul suddenly recalled something from her ‘Fomor I don’t want to see’ phrase.

 

“The Fomors led the demon race and started a war 100 years ago, didn’t they? Thanks to them, all the humans died.”

 

Paul was pretty sure she said that humans had become extinct because of the Fomors… But he couldn’t bring himself to ask her. If it was true, then he wouldn’t know how he would look at the boss. Fortunately, she kept on chattering so Paul couldn’t think about anything else.

 

“Hey, don’t keep being like that and try what I made before it gets cold. I’ve been a slave for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve cooked for someone. You know, those bear cubs had stopped me from entering the kitchen. Hey, are you listening to me?”

 

“Don’t keep calling me hey. I said my name is Paul.”

 

“Did you get upset because I called you hey? Fine, fine, Paul!”

 

“Don’t make fun of me. What’s your name?”

 

“I’m Ia. Feel free to call me noonim.”

 

“How old are you to make me call you noonim?”

 

“Twenty-two. You look like you’re twenty, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“As expected! Hurry up and call me noona. If you don’t like noona, then onnie is okay too. Ahahahahaha!”

 

Paul didn’t expect her to reply like the last time, but she smiled and answered each of his questions. Her attitude towards him seemed a bit different too.

 

“By the way, how was my dish? Actually, I haven’t tasted it myself, but it should be edible, right~?”

 

Pushed by her enthusiasm, Paul couldn’t help but take a bite and he was hit by a shocking taste. It was a taste that he couldn’t describe in words (in a negative sense of course). Paul quietly put down the utensils and changed the subject.

 

“You’re working under Pablo-nim now?”

“Yeah~ but that wolf promised to free me from slavery if I worked for him. He looks around your age, but he must have a lot of money. Surely enough to take in the Bear Merchant Guild at once. Would he live miserably like people like me who were born as slaves?”

 

She was talking endlessly and putting what she was going to give Paul in her own mouth. Then, realizing it wasn’t good to eat, she spat it out.

 

“Hey, no, Paul! It’s my first time to try doing this. Just wait here, I’ll make it again.”

“No problem. I’ll do it. Please don’t waste the ingredients for no reason!”

 

Paul forgot about his lack of energy and quickly followed Ia toward the kitchen on the first floor.

 

When he came up to the bookshop, he noticed that the clock on the wall had already passed lunchtime. Paul found the boss standing by the bookcase, waved his hand and shouted.

 

“Boss!”

 

“Paul.”

 

He quickly approached and lightly touched Paul’s forehead with his cold hand, causing his neck to shudder.

 

“Fortunately, you don’t have a fever. But still, get some more rest.”

 

“It’s alright. I’ll get better soon if I eat well and sleep well. By the way, boss, have I really been lying down for three days?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So it was true. Just like then…”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing. How was our bookshop all this time?”

 

“That female human helped out.”

 

The boss frowned slightly as he looked at Ia, who was dealing with a demon customer. No matter how obedient she was, wasn’t Ia the culprit who kidnapped Paul? Besides, she also openly expressed dislike for Fomors. Just imagining how cold the atmosphere at the bookstore must have been while he was sleeping gave Paul goosebumps.

 

“Oh… Rather, you haven’t had lunch yet, have you? I’ll prepare it right away.”

 

“It’s okay, don’t overdo it.”

 

“No, why does this guy’s bookshop have so many customers talking nonsense? It’s really frustrating that I can’t just recklessly stab them all. Really frustrating.” At that moment, Ia came to Paul with a grim face. Normally, the boss would have driven them all away with his scary look, but this time he didn’t seem to do that.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

In response to Paul’s question, Ia glared at the demon leaving the door with all her might.

 

“That demon that just left. Well, they kept staring at my face, so I asked why they were staring, and they said there were shadows on my face and I had to offer a sacrifice to my ancestors to receive a blessing. What ancestors? I don’t even remember my parents’ faces well!”

 

“Then what?” Paul asked in a troubled voice.

 

“I told them to get out before I break the earthen pot with the edge of the book I was holding. They asked me what it was, so I replied, ‘The earthen pot is your head.’ Then they ran away with their tail between their legs!”

 

“Even so, how could you say that to a customer?”

 

Compared to Paul’s astonishment, she replied calmly as if it wasn’t a big deal.

 

“You call that thing a customer? Yesterday, some peddler brought in a bunch of weeds and asked to exchange them for books. Honestly, if it were meat, I would’ve secretly exchanged them behind your boss.”

 

Paul glanced at the boss. Fortunately, the boss’s expression didn’t change. But the boss was a man whose expression hardly ever changed after all.

 

“And this morning, they even came to persuade me to join a multi-level marketing scheme, asking me if I want to sit on a pile of money. Who doesn’t like money? When I asked if a human slave like me could join, the demon suddenly frowned and said they didn’t know I was human.”

 

“So… so what happened next?”

 

“So I said exactly that. ‘Get lost if you don’t want your earthen pot broken. For your reference, the earthen pot is your head.’ Geez~ I didn’t know before that a bookshop wasn’t a place to look down on. At this rate, even a ‘golden goblin’ might show up.”

 

When Paul heard her ‘get lost’, he pressed his temples. Then, as an unfamiliar word came out, he asked again.

 

“A golden goblin? What’s that?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of a golden goblin too? It’s a demon whose whole body shines with golden light. They carry a wrapping cloth and travel around the village to sell rare goods. They say that just looking at their goods makes time fly by.”

 

“So there’s something like that.”

 

“I’ve never seen them either. Didn’t they say that they come like the wind and then disappear like the wind? Come to think of it, why are there so many things you don’t know? Golden goblin is a pretty famous story. And you can’t even speak the demon language. Something’s fishy.”

 

Paul was startled but whistled and nonchalantly went into the kitchen.

 

‘It tastes just right.’

 

After a while, Paul showed off his cooking skills and set up the table. The beef stew was boiling merrily, giving out a delicious aroma. The combination of meat and vegetables made the observer’s mouth water.

 

“Boss! Please have a meal. Ia-nim, you too.”

 

The expressions of the boss and Ia, who sat facing each other at the dining table, were not good. The boss raised his eyebrows, and Ia was sitting with a face as if she was chewing on poop. It was obvious to anyone that they didn’t like each other. But that was only for a moment, as Ia’s eyes widened after eating Paul’s dish.

 

“Hey, did you put in drugs? How come it tastes so different even though we used the same ingredients?”

 

“That’s all about skills.”

 

“I hate to admit it, but it’s really good! Why didn’t you open a restaurant instead of a bookshop? If that were the case, you would’ve built a building now. Paul, if you’re not going to eat the food in front of you, give it to me.”

 

The boss didn’t say anything, but he was moving his hands diligently. Paul looked at the two and looked proud.

 

‘Ding-dong’

 

Just as Paul was considering whether to really give up the bookshop and open a restaurant, the bell on the door rang.

 

“I’ll go out! You two finish your meal.”

 

Paul, who had been picking up the food diligently, spoke.

 

“ยินดีต้อนรับ!”

 

‘Welcome!’ Paul shouted as he left the kitchen. However, he soon became speechless as he saw the other person.

 

The demon who opened the door was wearing only a straw hat and boots without clothes and carrying a large wrapping cloth on their bent back. At first glance, they looked like a strange-looking human, but their skin flashed golden from head to toe.

 

“It’s a golden goblin!”

 

“Whaht, reahly?” Ia shouted as she followed behind. 

 

“I want to mention just in case, you can’t take things away by force!” Paul hurriedly said when he saw her reach into her apron pocket.

 

“Oh~ why? Good things are good, right? If you turn a blind eye this once, I’ll share some with you!”

 

As expected, she was about to take out the dagger hidden in her pocket.

 

“No, you can’t! This is our bookshop! And Ia-nim now belongs to the Wolf Merchant Guild. Would Pablo-nim be pleased if he knew?”

 

“Tsk. I got it, I got it. Anyway, even if you look cute, being like this isn’t cute at all.”

 

As Ia’s grumbling subsided, the golden goblin, who was watching the two, finally spoke.

 

“ข้า, ขาย. เจ้า, ซื้อ?”

 

“What did they say?” Paul asked in response to the Goblin’s words. Then, Ia suddenly replied with the exact same expression and tone as the golden goblin.

 

“I, sell. You, buy?”

 

Paul laughed a little at the unexpected impersonation. Normally, Paul would have chased them away like other peddlers, but he wanted to take a look at the golden goblin’s merchandise this time. Besides, he might even have <Prelude to the Battlefield>. 

 

“Excuse me, boss, can we just take a look?” Paul cautiously called out to the boss who was eating.

 

“Sure.”

 

With the boss’s permission from afar, the golden goblin carefully unwrapped the large wrapping cloth and spread it on the table.

 

As Ia had said, various strange objects came out. There was a ‘Mysterious Gold Coin Pouch’ that was small in size but endlessly filled with gold, a ‘Phoenix Feather Pen’ that could write in the air without paper, a ‘Janus Potion’ that could change one’s gender for a day, a ‘Lethe River Water’ that could bring up memories of past lives when drunk, and even a ‘Nintendo Demon Crossing Limited Edition’ that was really hard to get.

 

“What’s this?”

 

Paul picked up the emerald-coloured jewel in the middle. The jewel shone brilliantly and was extremely attractive.

 

“Hahahahaha!”

 

Suddenly, Ia, who was next to Paul, pointed at him and laughed like crazy, making him confused.

 

“Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”

 

“Don’t you know what that is?”

 

“I don’t know. It just looks like a jewel. What is it?”

 

“Well, is there anything you know? That’s ‘Adamantium!'”

 

“Ada…mantium? I’ve heard of the name. Isn’t it the hardest mineral in the world?”

 

“Yes, yes! But it’s something that no one can touch. Do you know why? Like its name, only a ‘virgin’ can touch it with their bare hands! Hahahahaha!”

 

Exactly five seconds later, Paul, who understood Ia’s words, blushed and hurriedly put the mineral down. Then the golden goblin took the adamantium and displayed it in its original place.

 

‘Wait, I think the golden goblin just touched it with their bare hands?!’

 

Paul realised that Ia had fooled him.

 

“Why are you playing around when you’re not an Imp? It’s se-sexual harassment. This!”

 

“Sorry. I won’t tease you again~ But I didn’t think I did it either~”

 

Paul, who was red up to his neck, was about to yell at Ia when the golden goblin handed him something with their sparkling hands. It was a small book with a green velvet cover that felt nice to the touch.

 

‘It’s not <Prelude to the Battlefield>. <The Old Days>? Is this the title?’

 

Paul examined the contents and was surprised to find that it was written in the human language from beginning to end. He forgot about the adamantium and asked Ia.

 

“Ia-nim, can you ask how much this is?”

 

Before Ia could open her mouth, the golden goblin quickly typed the amount into the calculator as if they understood. When Paul saw the price on the calculator, his eyes widened. It was ridiculously expensive. Even worse, Paul didn’t have a penny on him now.

 

“Return it if you’re not going to buy it.”

 

At Ia’s voice imitation, Paul couldn’t help but hand the book back to the goblin. Then a big hand suddenly emerged from behind Paul and grabbed the book.

 

“I’ll buy it for you.”

 

He turned around to see the boss who had approached unnoticed.

 

“Oh! It’s okay, boss. I think it’s too expensive.”

 

“It’s fine. It’s not that expensive,” he said, looking at the price on the calculator. That’s right! The owner was someone who seemed to run a bookshop because he thought it would be fun. Paul quickly agreed.

 

In fact, there was another reason why the boss said so. The moment he looked at the book, he felt subtle magic from it. Fortunately, it wasn’t a bad one.

 

‘How interesting. It’ll be worth having it.’

 

In the end, the boss bought a book on the spot and handed it to Paul. Ia, who was watching from the side, turned her head with a ‘tsk’ sound, clearly not happy with Paul reaching out to the Fomor again.

 

“Huh? Is this a signed copy?”

 

But when Paul looked closely, he realized that it wasn’t a new book. Someone’s name was written on the front page. Whether it was a book dedicated to someone or was the person’s own name, it was the same name as the main character in the novel.

 

“I don’t think it’s a signature…? Wait, this was an old book, right? Scammer! Give me a discount!”

 

However, the golden goblin, who had already received gold from the boss, folded the wrapping cloth and feigned ignorance. In a sense, he was a real merchant.

 

‘I’m sure you understand everything I’m saying!’ Paul was upset but it couldn’t be helped because it was too late. Instead, Paul brought a black ballpoint pen from the cash register drawer as if he had thought of something.

 

“Boss, please write your name here instead.”

 

Paul drew two lines on the name on the front page with the ballpoint pen. The boss nodded and wrote his name in human language. Paul read it out loud.

 

“Edmond Dantes…? Perfectly fits, boss!”

 

“Perfectly fits?”

 

“Your name perfectly fits you, boss!” Paul said with a thumbs up. 

 

Although it was only finding out his name, he felt a little closer to the boss. Paul held the book he had been given closely.

 

Then, as if it was the work of magic, the contents of the book in Paul’s arms began to change. The main character of the book was now changed to ‘Edmond Dantes’. However, it would be some time before Paul would read the novel starring Edmond Dantes as the protagonist.

 

“I’m going, bye!”

 

The golden goblin, who had his wrapping cloth packed, waved goodbye and left the bookstore door. Ia quietly followed, and Paul who saw it also followed her in a hurry.

 

“Kik!”

 

As expected, Ia, who had quick hands, had already grabbed the golden goblin. The golden goblin let out a weird scream as they saw the sharp dagger at their throat.

 

“Pablo-nim! Look, over there!”

 

Ia, who heard Paul’s shout, accidentally let go of the Goblin. Then the golden goblin ran away without looking back. It seemed that the rumour that their legs disappeared like the wind was not entirely wrong.

 

“Hey! It’s outside the bookstore, isn’t it!”

 

Ia shot Paul a look of being the victim. But Pablo suddenly appeared next to Paul with a stern face. She hurriedly shoved the dagger into her pocket and smiled as if nothing had happened.

 

“Aigo~ Boss, you’re here? Now that Paul is awake, I can go back to the merchant guild, right?”

 

“Ia, what were you doing?”

 

“What? I just grabbed the golden goblin to return what they left behind. What can I do when they’re surprised by my beauty and screamed?”

 

Pablo looked at Ia with a suspicious look, but soon greeted Paul with courtesy.

 

“Teeter-nim, I apologize for the late greeting. Is your body okay?”

 

“Yes, I’m fine. What about you, Pablo-nim?”

 

“As I mentioned, we beastmen recover quickly.”

 

“I’m so glad. I thought my heart was going to stop that day…”

 

Paul, who recalled the scene of Pablo being stabbed again, said in a hoarse voice.

 

“Thank you for your concern, Teeter-nim. I’ll invite you to the lamb skewer restaurant anytime when you’re available.” Pablo said to Paul, wanting to cheer him up after he had been lying down for a few days. In Pablo’s opinion, eating something delicious was the best way to recover. However, it seemed difficult for Paul to leave the bookstore for the time being.

 

“Oh! That first wish! Wasn’t the lamb skewer restaurant called Mama?”

 

“It’s Mimi.” Pablo smiled, revealing his white and even teeth at Paul’s answer. Even today, this human was incredibly cute.

 

“By the way, Teeter-nim, what is the second wish you were going to say?”

 

“Well, my last wish is…”

 

Paul spoke cautiously while looking at Pablo’s large, silver-white tail.

 

“…Can I touch your tail just once, Pablo-nim?”

 

“What…?”

 

“Hahahahaha! Awesome!”

 

Upon hearing Paul’s words, Pablo was taken aback and asked again. Ia, who was listening next to them, also burst into laughter with widened eyes.

 

“You mean… my tail?”

 

“Actually, I wanted to touch it from the first moment I saw it. I’m sorry, is it rude of me?”

 

“Hey, you really don’t know anything, do you? What the tail means to beastmen… Hmph!”

 

As Ia tried to say something, Pablo quickly covered her mouth. Like Ia who had lived among the bear beastmen was trying to say, ears and tails were very important parts for them. So allowing someone to touch them also meant that the relationship between the two was that special.

 

‘However, no matter how I look at it, Teeter-nim’s wish was something I can grant right away.’ Pablo, who was covering Ia’s mouth, thought for a moment and replied. “It should be okay if it’s Teeter-nim.”

 

“I’ll really touch it a little bit.”

 

With Pablo’s permission, Paul carefully reached out for his big wolf tail.

 

‘It’s stiffer than I thought. I expected it to be softer. The feeling is really nice, though.’

 

However, Paul didn’t know Pablo was putting a lot of strength on his tail.

 

‘…!!’

 

The moment Paul touched Pablo’s tail, he felt as if it was engulfed in flames. The flames seemed to move here and there at Paul’s touch. Pablo smiled innocently and looked at Paul who was touching his tail with a bewildered expression. At this moment, Pablo’s heart was pounding abnormally hard.

 

***

 

‘You, just wait and see!’

 

‘I got you!’

 

Ia, who climbed onto the wagon, looked angrily and mouthed some words without Pablo knowing. Paul stuck his tongue back at her without losing. He was so busy dealing with Ia that he didn’t realize Pablo had been fidgeting since his second wish was granted.

 

“Then, Teeter-nim, we’ll be on our way. Please give my regards to the boss.”

 

“Pablo-nim, see you next time! Safe journey!”

 

Paul waved his hands as he saw off Pablo’s wagon. After he saw the wagon leaving Moires in the distance, his hands trembled as if he was disappointed as he went back to the bookshop. 

 

On the way to Wolf Merchant Guild, Ia tilted her head and asked, “By the way, boss. Bear beastmen got extremely angry when someone tried to touch their ears or tails, you know? That’s why I intentionally scared them by ripping off their ears.”

 

“You shouldn’t.”

“That’s not the important point right now. I guess wolf beastmen are different. I didn’t expect boss to let them be touched so easily.”

 

“It’s the first time for me to allow anyone to.”

 

“Usually, aren’t only those who swear loyalty to the guildmaster or those who have a certain relationship with them allowed to touch?

 

“…It’s the same for us wolf beastmen. Please be careful.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Ia smiled as if she knew something while looking at Pablo, whose voice trembled slightly.

 

“Then the wolves must have ‘that day’ too? When ‘that day’ comes, the bear beastmen run wild regardless of whether one was a slave or not, so it was quite difficult for me to keep my body safe.”

 

“That’s a rude thing to say. Please refrain from saying more.” Pablo replied with a firmer tone as he drove the wagon harder. Watching his expression, Ia folded her eyes and smiled as if she found it amusing.