Editing Skill Tree Goddess:Volume1 Bonus3 (section)

==Bonus Story 3: The World Seen from Behind the Counter==

Queen Size had been rapidly growing as a business in recent years, making it one of the best known in the entire kingdom.

Enoisa Holysign, manager of the Queen Size inn in the capital, was almost always found lazily leaning on the front counter.

She lived for messing with the brave adventurers who patronized her inn.

…''Oh, here’s one now.

Her arrow-like tail stood erect.

She could tell the long-term residents apart based on how the floorboards creaked below their strides. But this wasn’t a skill unique to her. She was pretty sure the long-term residents could do the same with each other.

Next, she heard voices coming from the stairs.



“What was your underwear doing balled up there, Lady Seliphenia!? For that matter, you have way too much stuff in there for an inn room.”

“Oh, c’mon, Gilbezos. You should’ve just pocketed them as soon as you found them.”

“Hm? What in the world could I do with them?”

“Oh, dear. That is quite a high-level question there. Is this a ploy to get me to say it out loud for you?”



Once the footsteps arrived on the first floor, Enoisa raised a hand in greeting while still leaning on the counter. It was her usual daily ritual.

“Good morning, Gilbezos. Now, a question: what is this aroma wafting in from the kitchen?”

“Hm? Now that you mention it…it’s kind of stinging my eyes. I can’t imagine wanting to eat whatever that is. No, wait, don’t tell me!?”

“Tah dah! Today is the once-a-week gross food day☆”

“Nooooo!! I completely forgot about that!”

…This did help prevent him from losing track of the day of the week, but he didn’t see any advantage beyond that.

“What exactly is it? It isn’t going to be a surprise mystery dish, is it?”

“Hmm, I guess I can announce this one in advance. It’s sticky acid fish made by stuffing a catfish’s belly full of lemons.”

“Ugh. …So it’s going to be sour, huh?”

His caution was understandable.

Still, it would be sour. That was better than something super spicy or bitter insect juices. Or so he thought as a gross foods rookie. Sour was actually the most dangerous option for a gross food because it could mask whether or not the food was spoiled.

…On the other hand, these things tended to be weirdly popular with the female customers for health and beauty reasons. A lot of young women would show up for just the food on these days.

“And catfish is actually good if you cook it normally.”

“The fried catfish we had at that waterside village was great. Better than chicken, I’d say.”

There was still time before the sticky acid catfish was ready, so Gilbezos and the goddess chose to kill some time.

“We’ve stayed at this inn awhile, but I still don’t know where all the doors lead. What’s behind that door back there?”

Gilbezos was indicating a back door the guests generally didn’t use. It was only meant for bringing in and carrying out food and supplies.

“Then there’s these stairs leading down…wait, does that mean this place has a basement!?”

“Gilbezos, why would you want to explore a dank place like that?” said the goddess. “I recommend exploring inside my clothes instead.”

The basement was where the food was stored. The temperature and humidity had to be carefully maintained for raw ingredients that hadn’t been dried or smoked.

…That said, why did adventurers get that sparkle in their eyes when it came to exploring? It was like they couldn’t relax until they had opened every drawer and locked door when they entered a building.

Enoisa gave him a languid smile.

“Now, now, Gilbezos. You and that outlaw who is sharing your single room without paying us can continue playing in the dining hall. There are plenty of supplies there.”

The dining hall was well supplied with games. From the standards like billiards and darts, to playing cards which were something of a gray area.

“Enoisa, don’t you have to register that as a casino?”

“Not according to the kingdom’s rules. We don’t hire any dealers and the inn doesn’t set the rates. So as long as it’s nothing more than the guests playing games together and opening their wallets when I’m not looking, we’re not responsible. I mean, how can I prevent something I’m unaware of?”

“That doesn’t sound entirely legal.”

“The adult world is complicated♪”

Each guest room had its own bath, but there was also a fairly large washing area on the first floor near the entrance. After all, the guests were all adventurers on long journeys or returning from a dungeon. They couldn’t use a normal bath to wash the mud and blood from their clothes and boots. …If they did, they would get slapped and thrown out of the inn.



“Hey, hey, look what I can do, Gilbezos. I tied a knot in this cherry stem with my tongue☆ Want to try a kiss next?”

“What are you doing? Maybe you should go sit under the waterfall in the washing area to wash all the impure thoughts from your mind.”

“Kyah, look how high you are, Gilbezos! Okay, now for a staring contest☆”

“Hey, stop! This is beyond the pale!!”



Watching Gilbezos and Seliphenia enjoy themselves from a short distance away, Enoisa narrowed her eyes in appreciation of this peaceful era.

Including how it provided peace for herself.

…''I chose to step down early and abandoned all those monsters who adored the Demon Lord. And now I’m going as far as to make a living by supporting the adventurers and serving them our traditional shadow recipes once a week. I suppose you could call that deplorable behavior.



''But you know what?

''It’s second nature for the villains to betray their friends♪

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