486-484 Guild vs Shokai




 I was curious about the oden shop run by Bacchus.

 Bacchus is half god, half man, and has been alive for thousands of years.
 He's almost a god, but he's an incomparable drinker and has spent thousands of years of his life making, drinking and propagating sake.

 The other day, we talked about how important it is to have snacks with which to enjoy sake, so he opened an oden shop as part of his experiment.
 As part of his efforts, he opened an oden shop and opened one himself, serving delicious sake.

 I was very worried about the fact that the god of sake was in the customer business.

 I had planned to check on him often to prevent trouble, but my wedding, Arowana and I's wedding, Demon King's dieting, and various other things have put me off.

 .....
 I was going to live a carefree life in this world, but now I find myself getting busy.

 Well, I guess I'll just have to accept it as part of my homework.
 This is how I came to check on Bacchus in my spare time.

 Now, how did the Sakagami's oden shop change while I was away from it?
 Is it still thriving?

 I took a peek....

    * * * *

 There was a conflict going on.

 A corner of the demon city where Bacchus' oden shop is located.
 There, dozens of powerful demon men were staring at each other.

''A micro guild, don't get your head out of your ass!
I could say the same thing, you commercial dog! Don't think you'll listen to me if I let capital take care of things!

 It's pretty nasty.
 Why is the situation in this oden shop so inextricable every time I visit?

Oh, you're a saint. Welcome.

 On the other side of the bickering men, Bacchus, the old man in charge of the store, was cooking up oden as if nothing had happened.

'I've been worried about you lately when you haven't shown your face. Have you been cheating on me at another restaurant?
You should come up to the farm and show me your face.

 Whenever he finds something he's crazy about, he hangs on to it.
 He has been repeating this for thousands of years and is a demigod bacchanal.

 As expected of an uninhibited goddess, he has inherited the blood of an uninhibited goddess.

There may be a lot of talk, but it's polite to order first when you sit down.
Okay, I'll have daikon radish and chikuwa and a piece of deep-fried tofu, please.
Drink?
'I don't drink in the afternoon. I'm in the mood for lunch right now, and if I had a meal, I'd just want one.

 Because the otsuwa is so thick, the oden at Bacchus' restaurant goes well with rice.
 If they served oden at lunchtime, it would surely sell well.

 In fact, rice was served.
 White rice with oden on the side is very tasty.

So what is it with these guys who are blocking business so badly in front of the store?

 While I was tucking into my delicious oden, a group of sweltering men were pushing and haggling with each other in front of the store.

 That must have made it difficult for customers to come in.

"Well, all I care about is serving good sake and oden to the people!
'As usual, you're only interested in what you're interested in...!

 This god is like this every time and if we were to face him properly, we wouldn't be able to talk about it.
 We need another solid commentator here.

"Verena.
Yes, sir.

 Verena, who was accompanying me, was seated next to me, taking a bite out of a chikuabu.

''Wait a minute, until you finish eating this...?
''Calm down and eat.''

 Since Bacchus's Oden shop is located in the Demon City, it's essential that I get a transfer magic personnel to send me there to visit.
 It was Verena who would serve as that.

 And if you think about having them show you around the inside of the Demon City, Verena, who formerly belonged to the Demon King's Army, is the one to hit the spot.

''........Thank you for the meal. .........Well, the one side that is arguing in front of the store is probably the people from the tavern guild, right?
Yeah, he was there the other day...?

 They were the ones who had shut down Bacchus when I visited this oden shop before.
 In the Demon City, there is a guild that should be called a mutual aid society for every type of job, and if you don't belong to it, you can't open a shop.

 In the past, Bacchus' oden shop had been censured by the tavern guild for operating without a permit....

''Didn't Bacchus solving the problem by revealing himself?
'For a profession that involves alcohol, Master Bacchus is a patron saint. I remember the special case was granted and the permit was issued immediately.

 As expected of Verena, who was also involved in the aftermath, she knew very well.

''But then the quarrel with the guild is all settled, right? Why are you causing a ruckus in the storefront again?
That's probably a reason on the other side, isn't it?

 The other side?
 Well, being in a tussle means you have someone with whom you have a clash of opinions.

 If you look closely, the crowd of men is divided in half and they are staring at each other as if they are in the heavens.

''Tussling with the guild.......who the hell are they?''
'Once you understand that, you'll understand the reason for the confrontation, but before you do, please give me an additional halfpenny.

 Verena seems to like the concoction.

'Gobo-ten and Shirataki for me too.

 Thanks to the delicious oden at Bacchus, we're not getting anywhere.

    * * *

Woo, woo, woo, woo...!
I'm so hungry.

 When we're satisfied, we finally step into the fray.

So what are you guys fighting about?
What are you doing, old man? You're a stranger, get off your ass!

 Great swordsmanship.
 I tried to intercede, but he wouldn't listen to me at all.

'Enough! What do you say we chase them off by force?
"Rough guilds are quick to resort to violence. If you insist, you'll learn that it's not just your money that's inferior.

 No, the rancor is building up and is now on the verge of an outburst.
 If this continues, a brawl could break out right in front of Bacchus' shop.

If that happens, it could destroy Bacchus' shop. If this happens...!
Would you like my magic barrage to wipe them out?

 And Verena.
 She's gotten really robust, too.

 When the time comes, I'll ask her, 'Please! I tried to do it, but....

'Don't do it, it's unseemly.'

 There was a voice that conquered the ruffians ahead of me.
 And this voice was familiar to me, and me too.

 He is.........

"Isn't that Mr. Shax?

 The great man who leads the merchant association in the Demon Kingdom!
 What does a man who knows our farm well come to visit us?

Well, well, my dear saint. We're meeting in the middle of nowhere and it's not so unexpected.

 Mr. Shax noticed me and greeted me reverently.
 He's as shrewd as ever.

''There's no way you wouldn't be involved in the restaurant run by Bacchus-sama, you know.
No, it's a restaurant...?

 Don't you think that's a bit...?

Our people have made a fool of themselves. I know it must be very disappointing to you, Mr. Sage, but for my sake, please forgive us...!
No, no, no...?

 No, no, no...?
 The head of the company is indeed very good at what he does?

So the people on the other side who are having trouble with the guild are from the Chamber of Commerce?
I don't know what to say. I've instructed them that those of us who belong to the Chamber of Commerce, even if we're at the end of the line, have the opportunity to be seen by our customers, so we should always act gracefully and not offend them...

 You're doing a thorough job of training your employees, aren't you...?


Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's the idea?

 Another newcomer to the show.

Don't you talk to me like that, Shax? You keep talking shit like that, and I'm gonna take you down like you did in the old days! This tavern guild's guildmaster, Samijra, is!