BRAND NEW WORLD-Chapter 65: A New Day at the Moonshine Shop

--Royal Visit--

I had expected King Siegfried to come and take a look—but I hadn’t imagined he would arrive this quickly. It seemed he was truly eager to see his daughter.

Then, I sensed another presence inside the carriage.

As I turned my gaze toward it—

"Theodore! Come out this instant!" Queen Anastasia called.

A red-haired boy stepped down from the carriage reluctantly. The moment our eyes met, he immediately ran and hid behind the queen.

"Theo?" Daisy called out.

"Daisy?" the boy replied.

Theodore, who had been hiding, suddenly stepped out after seeing Daisy.

"Daisy, do you know him?" I asked.

"He’s the leader of the gang I told you about, Mom," Daisy replied.

"Ah~ yes, I remember."

"Theo, why are you here? And why are you riding in a carriage with the king and queen?" Daisy asked innocently.

"Er... um... I..." Theodore stammered, avoiding her gaze. Panic was clearly written on his face.

"Theo, did you run away to the city again?" Queen Anastasia asked coldly.

The sharpness in her tone made Theodore’s face turn pale instantly.

But soon, her cold smile faded as she let out a deep sigh.

"...Sigh... Quickly, introduce yourself."

"M-my name is Theodore von Rahms. I’m ten years old. N-nice to meet you," Theodore said, glancing at me briefly before hiding behind the queen again.

"I apologize for his behavior. He is not usually like this," Queen Anastasia said.

"It’s alright. He’s still a child, after all."

...Is he still afraid of me?

"Please, come inside."

I then led King Siegfried’s group into the living room.

• •

"My apologies if the place feels rather modest."

"Oh, not at all. You are far too humble, Lady Luna," King Siegfried replied.

Seated before me were King Siegfried, Queen Anastasia, Prince Theodore, and Princess Vernotta.

Beside me sat Daisy, Rima, Radhimar, Rania, and Bartasz.

"High Priest Radhimar? So you are here as well?" the king asked.

"Haha, of course. There is no way I would miss such an important occasion," Radhimar said proudly, crossing his arms.

...Honestly, I wondered the same thing.

Is it really fine for a high priest to be here... working as a servant?

"Lady Rania and Sir Bartasz are here as well..." Queen Anastasia noted.

"The academy is currently on break, so I wished to spend time with my mother while helping her," Rania replied.

"The same here. I’ve already given instructions to my subordinates, so I’m free to assist," Bartasz added.

"My... devoted children truly surround you, Lady Luna," Queen Anastasia said.

"Thank you. They are indeed my pride."

"...."

"By the way, where is Prime Minister Allan?" I asked.

"Ah, about that..." King Siegfried turned his gaze away. "He has some matters to attend to. He will join us later."

Hearing this, Queen Anastasia let out a soft sigh.

Ah... he must have slipped away without telling her.

"Oh, yes. This idea of using servant outfits is unique," Queen Anastasia said. "I heard it came from you, Lady Luna?"

"It was actually an idea from an old friend of mine. I simply happened to remember it and decided to try it."

There was no way I could say it came from Earth.

"I would quite like to try it myself," she added.

"Ana—! I mean, Your Majesty must be joking," King Siegfried said in surprise.

"Of course I am joking," Queen Anastasia replied with a sly smile.

...But that didn’t feel like a joke.

"Since we are already here, allow me to show you around."

While waiting for Prime Minister Allan—who would arrive with several researchers, mages, and blacksmiths—I guided them around the house.

In the yard near the house stood a wide wooden terrace with a roof of polished timber. Inside, intricately carved tables and chairs were neatly arranged, exuding a refined elegance.

This would serve as the dining area for visitors.

However, the royal group showed little interest in it.

Instead, their attention was drawn to the cages at the far corner.

Two medium-sized cages and one large cage stood side by side.

"Are these the enclosures of your magical creatures, Lady Luna?" King Siegfried asked.

"That’s correct."

Inside one of the cages, Putih was sleeping, while Bamby and Arimby were playing nearby.

Noticing our presence, Putih opened its eyes, while Bamby and Arimby immediately ran toward us.

The royal guards reacted instantly, hands moving toward their swords.

Theodore quickly hid behind the king.

But instead of attacking, Bamby and Arimby leapt into Daisy’s arms, happily licking her face.

"Ahaha... Bamby... Arimby... that tickles!" Daisy laughed.

The tension instantly melted away.

"You’re not afraid of them?" Theodore asked, peeking out.

"No, they’re kind," Daisy replied.

"Is their fur soft?" he asked again.

"Very soft. Do you want to try?"

Theodore shook his head, his face still pale.

Everyone burst into laughter.

After that, we briefly walked along the lakeside before guiding them to the VIP area.

This area was separate from the public section and featured more luxurious furnishings. Located on the second floor, it offered a wide view of the entire lakeside.

After exploring for some time, they decided to rest.

Since it was break time, I offered them some snacks.

I worked as the chef alongside Rima, Lusserina, and Abiyasa, while Rania, Radhimar, Bartasz, Verni, and Lenti served as waiters.

Daisy helped where she could.

• •

A few minutes later, Verni and Lenti returned carrying two plates and placed them on the table.

"What is this?" King Siegfried asked.

"This is crispy tofu."

"Crispy... tofu?" Queen Anastasia murmured.

They each took a piece.

"Mm... delicious!" Theodore exclaimed.

"Mm! I never knew tofu could be prepared like this," Queen Anastasia said.

"The texture is crisp, yet still soft inside," King Siegfried added.

Before long, both plates were empty.

"More!" Theodore demanded.

"This crispy tofu is truly excellent. May I request the recipe?" Queen Anastasia asked.

"Of course. Some of the recipes here can be purchased through the Merchant Guild."

Introducing the food here, then selling the recipes through the guild...

What a clever strategy, King Siegfried thought.

Soon, the sound of another carriage approached.

This time, it was a dark blue carriage.

From it emerged Prime Minister Allan, along with several robed individuals who appeared to be scholars.

"Since they’ve arrived, let us head downstairs," King Siegfried said.

We returned downstairs together.

After exchanging greetings, we moved to the equipment room containing armor and potions.

The "common" weapon section held various weapons, but nothing particularly caught their interest.

Thus, they quickly moved on to the "uncommon" section.

"Ohh!" a female researcher exclaimed.

She took out a magnifying glass with a magic stone embedded at its base.

A magnifying glass?

Back in the game, such an item was consumable—used only once.

But now, it had become a reusable tool.

Not only the researchers, but even Prime Minister Allan, King Siegfried, and Queen Anastasia used it to examine the items.

Meanwhile, Theodore seemed bored, so I asked Daisy to play with him.

"I’ll watch over them," Rima said.

"Ohh! Remarkable!" a male researcher exclaimed.

For the next hour, the researchers carefully examined each item.

Once they finished, they decided to continue their discussion after lunch.

The royal group returned to the dining area.

They then submitted a list of weapons and armor they wanted to purchase.

Meanwhile, outside—

Visitors had finally begun to arrive.

The festival had truly begun.

We all became busy serving customers.

Verni occasionally glanced toward Radhimar, who was busy attending to other guests—but he didn’t notice her at all.

To my surprise, many familiar faces appeared:

Axxel, Key, Ekin, Tarma, Ares... even Gale.

Elise and her group also came.

Unfortunately, Deva couldn’t attend, as he was assigned to secure the capital.

For the first time—

All former players had gathered in one place.

We shared stories while enjoying the beautiful scenery by the lakeside.

This also gave me a valuable opportunity to recruit them for the upcoming expedition to the Forbidden Land.

Time passed quickly as we talked.

Before we knew it, the sky had turned orange, and everyone began returning to the city.

It made me realize—

It would be ideal to build an inn or hotel here someday, given the long distance from the city.

But that would have to wait.

After the last guest left, we busied ourselves cleaning up.

By the time we finished, night had fallen.

"Haah..." Radhimar sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Being a servant is far harder than I imagined," he added.

"Agreed. The day started slowly, but once customers began arriving, they just kept coming," Rania said.

"And most of them came to see Mom, Daisy, or Mama Rima. Some even came just to see Lu," Bartasz added.

"Right... they’ve practically become idols," Lenti said.

"...."

"Good work, everyone. Thank you for giving your best today. We still have two more days—so let’s keep pushing forward."

"YES!" everyone shouted in unison.

After that, we shared dinner before finally ending the day.