Chapter 95. The House of the Undead

Midterms were over, and the academy returned to its daily routine.

“I have to dig up weeds again as soon as the exams are over?”

Inette was grumbling while pulling out weeds.

She was now handling the hoe almost like a farmer.

Gusto, who was pulling weeds beside her, answered as if it were natural.

“Didn't you play in the common room over the weekend?”

“Play? Who played! I was making a new plan, you know?”

Inette huffed.

“Do you have any idea how it feels when the plans you made to execute right after midterms go down the drain? I thought I could go to Marcellent on the weekend.”

Then Tunia said while pulling out weeds.

“Radel went out, though?”

“That's what I'm saying! Why can he go and I can't! Where did Radel go!”

Inette shouted as if roaring and looked for Radel.

He had been pulling weeds nearby until a moment ago, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Gusto answered instead of Radel.

“If it's His Highness, he went to guide the friends over there. They aren't very skilled at pulling weeds.”

In the Alchemy class required for first-years, there were now hardly any students who couldn't pull weeds properly.

It was because Radel would appear before they knew it and guide them with warm eyes.

Whether it was what those friends wanted or not, it was true that their skills improved dramatically after Radel visited.

Moreover, since all the students who bought the Beginner Alchemy Set that Radel was selling like hotcakes worked wearing straw hats, the herb garden was increasingly filled with what looked like skilled workers.

“It is only natural that Professor Marianne gave His Highness an outing permit, seeing how hard he works for his friends.”

Inette, who had gone to Professor Marianne to ask for an outing to Marcellent and got rejected, was already upset.

She was told she needed a valid reason to go out, so she couldn't help but be envious of Radel.

“I have a reason too!”

“What's wrong with everyone?”

As Radel returned after helping his friends, Inette shrieked.

“Because I'm envious!”

Radel realized the situation and grinned.

“What's there to be envious about. Isn't this week an outing week anyway, so everyone can go out?”

“Right, if I couldn't go out this week either, I would have seriously set the school on fire. I heard a really fun shop opened recently, and I want to go there too.”

Inette talked about the newly opened shop in Marcellent and her shopping list, then asked Radel.

“Come to think of it, did you buy what you said you would? You said you were going out to buy something.”

At Inette's words, Radel answered with a nonchalant face.

“I did. Want to go see it this weekend?”

* * *

“……What is this?”

Inette blinked.

An unbelievable sight unfolded before Inette's eyes.

The place Radel took Inette and Gusto was a building located next to the downtown area of Marcellent.

“You bought this?”

Inette asked again in disbelief, and Radel nodded.

Gusto was slightly admiring it from the side.

“It's a wonderful shop.”

“Right?”

Radel said to the two with a proud expression.

“Since the house was so usable, I didn't even need to change the interior much.”

There was a shop on the first floor of the house Radel bought.

It looked like a general store, and people were coming out excitedly, chatting with hands full of shopping bags.

“Does this make sense? Buy two, get one free!”

“The owner must be giving things away because it's the grand opening!”

Inette listened to what people were saying and looked at the building again.

It was written in large letters outside: 2+1.

Having already seen Radel sell things like that at the academy, Inette wasn't surprised.

However, the fact that he opened a shop in Marcellent was more shocking.

‘He liked doing business that much!’

The sign of Radel's shop read Dice Store.

“Dice? What does that mean?”

“It means we have everything (Da-isseu).”

Radel's tenacity to sell anything that could be sold was palpable.

Inette entered the shop with Gusto, feeling bewildered.

“Welcome, Boss.”

As Radel entered the shop, employees wearing matching aprons greeted him.

But they were somewhat familiar faces.

Inette could recall where she had seen these people.

Aren't they the Black Fang guild members?

“Don't tell me you……?”

When Inette asked in surprise, Radel nodded.

“That's right, they are Tunia's siblings. They are talented individuals, so it would be a waste to just leave them be.”

This was also the reason Radel wanted to buy the building quickly.

Because he thought it would be good if the Black Fang guild members worked at his shop.

When he put them in service roles, it was just as expected.

Perhaps because they had trained to control their emotions, they were skilled at dealing with customers.

“You said everyone was looking for new jobs, so you were working here?”

Does Tunia know this too?

As soon as Inette had that thought, a familiar person came out from inside.

It was Tunia wearing a Dice Store apron.

“You, you?! Why are you here too?”

Inette was so surprised that her mouth wouldn't open.

To think that Tunia was also working here!

“I need to earn tuition, so I decided to work part-time on weekends occasionally.”

“No, even so……!”

Tunia shrugged.

“The hourly wage here is good. My siblings are satisfied too.”

“I'm glad everyone is satisfied.”

As Radel said that, Tunia turned around with a cold expression and said.

“I'm grateful to you. Then I'll get back to work.”

Ding.

[Target's affinity exceeds 10.]

Although Tunia's expression was cold, Radel could feel that she was genuinely grateful upon hearing the notification sound.

Especially, it seemed her mind was at ease because her siblings' problems were resolved.

“You prepared a lot in a short time. You've worked hard.”

Gusto said to Radel.

Radel had gone out to Marcellent a few times even on weekdays with Professor Marianne's permission.

‘To even take in the Black Fang guild members……. As expected, he is a thoughtful person.’

If only I had realized sooner and been of help to His Highness.

At Gusto's words, Radel smiled awkwardly.

“Actually, I only checked in the middle. The Spear Guild helped a lot.”

From the products to be placed in the shop to the display and employee training, the help of Cronin, the heir to the Spear Guild, was significant.

When Radel said he was opening a shop, Baron Grandal Spear also spared no support.

Thanks to that, he was able to open in a short time.

Radel was worried that Cronin seemed to be overworking himself, but Cronin stopped him, begging the Prince to only focus on his academy classes and please not come out here, so Radel left everything to him and focused on his academy life.

Of course, Cronin just wanted to finish the work quickly and get away from Radel, but Radel, not knowing that, could only be touched.

Introducing a good broker and helping sincerely until the shop opening.

He was a truly grateful person.

“No way…….”

Why is everything so fast?

Inette looked around the shop, feeling dazed.

There were many cuter items displayed than she expected.

“Well, there are some things worth buying.”

As Inette mumbled that, something popped into her head.

Dice Store.

‘Didn't I hear there's a really fun shop next to the newly opened Dice Store?’

Inette had even modified her plan to go play after hearing news about that shop.

Item No. 1 on the to-do list after midterms.

That rumored shop which replaced ‘Go shopping in Marcellent’!

Inette went outside just in case.

Then she saw people lining up and waiting for their turn.

Moreover, weren't they holding something happily in their hands?

“Skull-shaped cotton candy?”

Seeing people lining up excitedly holding oddly cute skull cotton candy, Inette felt strongly convinced.

It must be that fun shop she heard about in rumors.

Inette asked Radel, who happened to come outside.

“Do you know what that shop is?”

“Of course, I know.”

Radel answered with a nonchalant expression.

“That's our shop too.”

“What?!”

Inette's eyes widened as much as they could.

Looking at where Radel pointed, there was a sign that read ‘House of the Undead’.

“There was originally a dungeon in that house, so I recycled it. If you go inside, ghosts and undead monsters appear. It's a shop where people experience that.”

Inette couldn't understand.

They don't run away because ghosts are scary, but go to see them?

“Undead appear, and that's fun……?”

“Yeah. Since they aren't real undead, it's fine.”

Radel answered nonchalantly.

Just then, someone walked out of the House of the Undead.

He staggered out with a very tired face, recognized Radel, and approached.

It was someone Inette knew too.

“Did the magic go well?”

“……Yes. I changed the skeleton color. Because there were so many complaints.”

“Right, red isn't visible in the dark, so changing it to white is better.”

From their conversation, Inette could figure out what was going on.

It seemed they were showing fake ghosts or undead monsters by casting illusion magic.

“Did you see that just now? Plates and chairs moving around?”

“I saw it! I was so scared when passing through the living room that I almost gave up.”

“It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it now. That was scarier than the undead monsters.”

Two people wearing skull headbands passed by, rubbing their arms.

“Ugh…….”

Inette unwittingly shivered at the sound of the two people chatting.

Even knowing it was magic, it seemed like it would be scary.

Inette asked Radel just in case.

“What magic is used to move the chairs?”

“That's not magic.”

Inette froze upon hearing Radel's words.

Unaware of Inette's state, Radel began discussing with Armandy.

“How about showing a ghost on the way from the living room to the basement?”

“I think it's better not to see the ghost. Since she's doing so well.”

“That's true. Because there's a real one there, after all.”

When Radel said that, Armandy nodded.

“Certainly, the real thing is different.”

Inette got goosebumps at their words.

‘R-real……?’

Of course, what Radel and Armandy were talking about was the house fairy.

When the house fairy found out that Radel had bought her house, she was very happy and said she would repay the kindness from now on, but Radel flatly shook his head.

- Why? Do you hate me because I'm not helpful?

To the house fairy who was on the verge of tears, Radel asked for something else.

There was a job suitable for this house fairy separately.

It was the job of following people around in the ‘House of the Undead’ and moving objects.

For the fairy who couldn't hide her presence anyway, this role fit her aptitude perfectly.

When people entered the ‘House of the Undead’, they passed through the living room first.

Then, they were startled out of their wits by tables moving on their own, portraits changing positions every time they looked again, and plates suddenly flying around.

Since the house fairy realized that although people couldn't see her, they enjoyed being surprised because of her, she cheered up.

- I like this job!

Naturally, Radel liked it too.

Could there be another business with such low maintenance costs and almost non-existent labor costs?

Radel smiled as he looked at the people lining up holding skull headbands and skull cotton candy.