The tasks Silas expected to be boring or lonely turned out to be quite the opposite.
He had made a new friend named Beatrix. She wanted to discuss what he had told her further, but Silas needed to keep it a secret.
Silas didn't really know when he would be able to come back for her. He could only return if he was strong enough to protect her. He didn't want to give her false hope or risk her life because he wasn't ready.
Everyone knew the world was dangerous. The only way Beatrix's father, who owned the tavern, would let her leave with Silas was if Silas proved he was a powerful mage. Silas still had a lot to accomplish.
"Let's avoid talking about this for now," Silas said again, "can you keep this a secret? Honestly, I don't know how many months it will take for me to return, but I can promise you it won't be a year."
Silas felt sure he would become stronger with Malachar's help, so he thought a few months would be enough.
"Alright, alright," Beatrix said, "let's talk about something else. Like, do you really know how to cook? You know that if the dishes are bad, the customers will complain, and if they complain, my father will get angry with you."
Customers always expected the food to be just as good as before, or even better, never worse. Silas understood that, but he genuinely knew how to cook, so he remained calm and collected about it.
Silas prepared all the dishes Beatrix asked for with quick, careful movements. She knew each one well, as she had made them every day.
"How do you know what to prepare?" Silas asked her.
The customers hadn't arrived in the main room yet, but Beatrix already knew what they wanted.
"Those who eat here usually sleep here as well, obviously. To make things faster for them, we talk to them and write down the things they want for breakfast and lunch," Beatrix explained.
"Oh, makes sense."
Silas agreed it was a smart idea. This way, most customers would get their food right when breakfast or lunch started.
Some customers didn't stay overnight. They just stopped in for a meal before heading on their way.
At breakfast, the tavern filled up again. About ten customers were waiting, but their food was already prepared when they arrived.
Silas stood behind the counter, watching as people ate the food he had helped make. The tavern owner was there too, wanting to see how the customers reacted.
No one complained about the food. It was actually the opposite. One of the customers said, "This fried egg is even better than yesterday. Who made it?"
Hearing that, Silas felt a wave of joy. It was always nice to get a compliment from someone.
Beatrix, whom the customers already knew, pointed at Silas and said, "he did."
"Good job, kid!" the customer said, "I hope you can keep the job. You have talent."
Silas knew he wouldn't be keeping the job for long. He glanced at the tavern owner and saw his approving smile. Breakfast had gone well, and Silas's fear disappeared.
After breakfast, Silas cleaned everything—the dishes and the tables where people had eaten. Then he began preparing for lunch.
Silas barely had any free time all morning. After lunch, which went just as smoothly as breakfast, he still had to clean up.
Silas finally finished his tasks around 2 pm. He was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open.
The tavern owner walked over with a smile. "I'll show you to your room. Come with me."
They went upstairs, where all the rooms were located. Silas's room was just like the rest—simple and small, but very clean. The bed looked amazing, especially since he had last slept on a hard dungeon floor. Anything would feel better now.
The tavern owner also took a small sack from his pocket and handed it to Silas.
"There are a few coins in this leather sack," he said, "it is not much, but it will help you in your journey. You did a very good job today, so I think the room is not enough for what you did."
Silas hadn't seen that coming. He didn't have much, so every bit of money mattered for his journey.
The tavern owner didn't need to do that. He had only worked for one morning, so having the room for the day was already a good payment. The money was just a bonus that the tavern owner wanted to give him as a gesture of appreciation.
"Thank you so much," Silas said. "Are you sure this won't hurt you or your business? I don't want to cause any trouble."
A small tavern like this didn't make a lot of money. Silas just wanted to make sure the owner and his daughter would be okay.
"Don't worry about it," the owner said. "It's not much. You need it more than I do."
Then he left the room. Before closing the door, he said, "I'll let you rest now. If you need anything, just call."
Silas went straight to the bed. He was really tired. Malachar talked to him before he fell asleep.
"Tomorrow we'll keep going. I'll show you how to get stronger with the system I gave you. Don't worry, you'll get better quickly, so your girlfriend Beatrix won't have to wait long."
"Hey, stop it. Don't start with that. She's not my girlfriend. I just met her."
"But she's pretty, right? You can admit it."
"Well… yes, she's pretty, but that doesn't mean she's my girlfriend. Now stop talking and let me sleep."
Malachar suddenly started singing, "Lalalalala."
He only did it to annoy Silas. After a few minutes, he stopped, but those minutes felt like torture to Silas.
"This is just a warning. I can drive you crazy if I want to," Malachar said.
Silas smirked. "Do that and you won't return to your full glory."
"You always use the same argument," Malachar said with a sigh.
"Well, it works, doesn't it?"
He was right. Malachar went quiet, and Silas slept for the rest of the day.