Starting Today I'll Work As A City Lord

On the second floor of Drunken Night Restaurant, Kevin and many noble scions had gathered, anxiously awaiting the results of Catherine's treatment.

They had originally planned to go to the castle but were blocked by Ben, leaving them no choice but to grumble and head to Drunken Night Restaurant instead. There, they ordered a table full of dishes and began feasting.

Now, each of them was slumped in their chairs, clutching their stomachs. Their lips and chests were stained with greasy soup, and the table was a complete mess—clear evidence of the fierce battle they had just fought with their food.

"Hic!"

Kevin let out a satisfied burp, a chicken bone still dangling from his lips. He occasionally chewed on it, looking like a complete rogue—utterly lacking the manners of a noble.

"Everyone, how's the food here?" Kevin spat out a bone and remarked casually, "It's only a notch below the cuisine of the royal capital. For such a remote little place, this is quite a rarity."

"It really is rare," A nobleman with a mustache agreed. "But the portions are way too stingy. A couple of bites and it's gone."

This man was Scott, a fellow viscount like Kevin and the nephew of some earl. Recently, he had also been trying to cozy up to the Fourth Prince.

However, Scott also had his eyes on Dahlia, though he didn't dare pursue her too openly because of Catherine's brother. This cowardice made Kevin look down on him.

Their blatant nonsense made the nearby waiter roll his eyes so hard they nearly fell out. Could they at least look at the spotless plates on the table while complaining?

From starting with a refined, dignified manner to eventually grabbing food with their hands, and finally resorting to licking the plates clean—this entire process had already happened twice.

That's right. The food on the table now was actually the second round that Kevin, Scott, and the others had ordered.

At first, they barely had an appetite, too worried about Catherine's condition to eat. But after that first bite? Catherine's illness was immediately shoved to the back of their minds.

A frenzy broke out. The first table of food was devoured in mere minutes. As for the bloody incidents that occurred mid-meal… well, best not to mention those.

"Your chef is quite good. Tell the one who made these dishes that I'll pay him 100 copper coins a month to cook in the royal capital." Kevin turned to the waiter, speaking with an air of arrogance.

For a chef from some rural backwater to cook such delicious food—this tip was already worth it. If he could bring the chef back to the capital and open a tavern, it would definitely be packed with customers. Set the prices a little higher, and he could make a fortune in silver coins every day.

"I'll offer 120 copper coins to bring him to the capital," Scott immediately followed up, glancing at Kevin with a hint of provocation.

Kevin narrowed his eyes. Oh? Trying to outbid me?

"130 copper coins."

"150 copper coins." Scott said indifferently.

"Hmph, 200 copper coins." Kevin snorted.

"210 copper coins." Scott sneered.

"I'll add another 10." Kevin scoffed.

"..."

What started as a simple bid had escalated into a full-blown competition. From 100 copper coins, they battled their way past 500, now raising the stakes one coin at a time. At this point, it wasn't about the chef anymore—it was about face and who would come out on top.

The waiter's expression was full of awkwardness. Why do all the customers seem so strange? The last group had ordered nothing but soup, and now these two were trying to poach the chef.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Whoever offers the highest price gets to take the chef with them." Scott waved dismissively, completely confident in his logic.

In his mind, even the best head chefs in the royal capital only earned around 2 silver coins a month. There was no way a chef from some backwater town would refuse over 500 copper coins—he should be more than happy to leave.

The waiter, still smiling, replied, "Apologies, gentlemen, but our chefs will not be leaving Drunken Night Restaurant. Besides, their monthly salary is at least one silver coin."

"Pfft—!"

Some of the nearby guests couldn't help but burst out laughing. They looked at Scott and Kevin with amusement—these two had been fiercely bidding, yet their final price wasn't even half of what the chefs were actually making.

"Cough, cough…" Both Kevin and Scott turned away awkwardly. So they had been making fools of themselves this whole time?

Trying to save face, Kevin quickly shifted the topic. "I wonder how Miss Catherine is doing… That noble doctor has been inside the castle for hours. Do you think he actually knows how to treat her?"

Scott sneered. "Hmph. A remote little town like this—what kind of skilled witch doctor could they possibly have? If something happens to Miss Catherine, they'll have to take responsibility."

Kevin turned to an elderly woman sitting nearby. "Witch Doctor, what do you think? Can Miss Catherine be cured?"

The old woman chuckled softly. "Heh… It's too late. I'm afraid Miss Catherine won't make it through the night."

She didn't need to explain further—everyone immediately understood what she meant. Catherine was as good as dead.

The truth was, the Witch Doctor had no confidence in curing Catherine at all. She had treated patients with the same illness before, and every single one of them had died. Even bloodletting therapy had been useless.

"If something happens to Miss Catherine, the Duke won't let us off the hook." A young noble panicked.

"Tch… What's there to be afraid of?" Scott sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Catherine didn't die because of us—she was killed by the nobles of this city."

His voice deepened as he added, "Dahlia is responsible too. She kept blocking our efforts to help."

Kevin stared at Scott in shock. He's even throwing the woman he wants to pursue under the bus? Typical. This kind of ruthless opportunism was exactly why Kevin had never respected him.

Still, Kevin wasn't about to let himself get dragged into this mess either. He quickly stood up and shouted, "Let's go! We must punish that noble for causing Miss Catherine's death!"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

"It's all that damned noble's fault—he killed Miss Catherine!"

"And Dahlia! Hah, one of the so-called 'Five Extraordinary Women of the Capital'? More like a murderer! She kept stopping the Witch Doctor from treating Catherine—she was obviously jealous of her talent!"

A mob of furious nobles stormed out of the tavern. The bigger they made this scandal, the less blame would fall on them.

And when the Duke came for vengeance? The Lord of Sedona City would make the perfect scapegoat.

"Hold on, gentlemen. Settle your bill first—your total comes to seventeen silver coins." The waiter blocked their path with a polite but firm smile.

"What?! Seventeen silver coins? You might as well be robbing us!" Kevin's eyes widened. No matter how good the food was, this was outrageous.

"Sir, you ordered five signature dishes. Each one costs three silver coins." The waiter calmly unfolded the menu and added, "I even rounded down the small change for you."

"Uh…" Kevin was at a loss for words. The prices were right there in black and white.

The waiter's smile faded slightly. "You're not planning to dine and dash, are you?"

The city lord had made it clear: anyone who eats without paying is a freeloader. And freeloaders get sent to the first floor—to wash dishes. The dishwashers down there were already quite busy.

"Of course not! It's just seventeen silver coins." Kevin gritted his teeth as he reluctantly handed over the money. In his entire life, he had never spent this much on a meal.

"Thank you for dining with us. Please visit again." The waiter swiftly took the silver coins, his professional smile snapping back into place.

"We're leaving!" Kevin turned and stormed off with his group. Come back next time?

Hah. Next time, he'd make sure to order something cheaper.

As they disappeared from sight, the waiter tossed the silver coins in his palm and sighed, shaking his head. "Fools. They have no idea the city lord just saved someone from the brink of death."

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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.

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