I Was Transported To An Adult Game On My Deathbed

Nana and I carefully loaded the wooden plates onto the trays before carrying them upstairs.

At the door, I gave it a gentle knock with my foot, hands fully occupied.

Creak.

The door opened slowly, revealing Lena once more. Compared to earlier, she looked a little more refreshed, her natural charm now shining through. Without a word, she stepped aside, giving Nana and me enough space to enter.

The room wasn't what one might imagine for a dorm housing six girls. It was cramped—four beds pushed together on the left side, with a few dressers and chairs squeezed against the right wall.

"Grrr…"

The low growl broke the silence. A fierce-looking woman sat on a chair near the center of the room, her chin resting on the backrest she'd turned to face her. Her dark brown hair fell just to her shoulders, and tired gray eyes glared at me like I'd personally ruined her morning.

"Brat... you couldn't have let us rest a little longer?" Kana's voice dripped with irritation.

"Good morning to you too, Kana," I replied, brushing off her complaint as I approached her chair. Lowering the tray to her level, I held it steady.

"Hmph." She snorted, plucking a plate of food from the tray without another word.

Smiling faintly, I moved on to distribute the rest of the plates. Not far from Kana sat another young woman by a dresser, brushing her raven-black hair while staring into a shard of broken mirror. Her straight posture and fair skin lent her an aura distinct from the others.

I approached her side, careful not to disturb her routine, and lowered a plate onto the dresser. "Here's your breakfast, Miss Yana," I said softly, trying for a friendly smile.

Yana glanced at me briefly, her emerald eyes cold and dismissive. "Hmm," she murmured, then returned to combing her hair.

I let out a helpless smile and turned away, making my way back to Lena. She stood waiting, her gaze soft as I handed her the last plate on my tray.

"Enjoy," I said with a light bow.

"Thank you, love," Lena replied, giggling softly as she ruffled my hair with her free hand. My cheek twitched, but I held back any comment.

'At least there's some progress,' I thought, letting my mind wander as Lena's fingers mussed up my hair. 'Kana's grumpier than usual, but that's nothing new. And hey, Yana actually looked at me today—baby steps.'

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Nana setting her tray down near two of the beds. The two girls lying there hadn't stirred, their faces etched with exhaustion.

Lena, noticing my glance, finally removed her hand and sighed. "Last night was particularly hard on them. Let them rest a bit longer."

I nodded slightly, not trusting myself to say much. She wasn't wrong.

The night before had been brutal. A group of soldiers had come to the inn, causing a commotion that lasted until the early hours. Naturally, the girls bore the brunt of it, with Hannah and Mana—the two girls still asleep—suffering the most.

After resting the two plates down, Nana walked over with the tray clenched to her chest, "We can start cleaning now, Kayle." 

"Okay, I'll get the broom and cloth, you send the trays back to the kitchen." As I spoke I handed my tray to her.

"Mhm," Nana nodded softly before running off to the kitchen.

Lena giggled seeing the two of us interact, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Before she could say anything however, I quickly followed Nana out and headed to the store room to get the cleaning supplies.

***

Time trickled by, little by little.

After Nana and I finished cleaning the room, I had a brief rest period before lunch, which I used for some light exercises. My focus was on loosening my joints and bones. It didn't make sense to dive into strength training without the necessary protein to support muscle recovery and growth.

After lunch, I wrapped up the remaining chores with Nana's assistance before the inn finally opened for business.

The inn's services were divided into two parts. First, there were the night services offered by the girls, which accounted for roughly a third of the inn's income. The other two-thirds came from the food and drinks we served to those just looking for a meal.

The meals doubled as subtle advertisements. Regular customers often brought friends along, enjoying their time while the girls moved around the tavern, delivering food. If a customer took a liking to one of the girls, they could approach her and request her company. Once agreed upon, the girl would guide the customer to the backrooms. That, in essence, was the business structure of the Midnight Inn.

Of course, there was also the "subtle support" Nana and I provided—cleaning tables, washing dishes, guiding customers, and taking orders when none of the girls were available.

Walking up to one such table, I quickly cleared the leftover plates and scraps before heading into the kitchen. Boarrat was busy as always, cooking up a storm. Despite his hulking frame, he moved around the kitchen with surprising agility, his gruff muttering blending with the sizzle of food on the stove.

I handed the dishes to Nana, who was in charge of washing today, then turned back to the main area to clean another table. That's when I noticed Dale sitting by the doorway.

Like usual, his expression was impassive, betraying no emotion as he stood guard. In a place like this, nestled in the slums, having a few muscle-bound grunts around was essential to maintaining order.

"...?"

I paused mid-step, catching a subtle shift in Dale's expression—a slight tensing of his brows. On most people, it would've gone unnoticed, but for someone as stone-faced as Dale, it was practically a flashing neon sign.

His gaze was locked outside the open door. The sun had set minutes ago, and darkness had already swallowed the streets. Unlike the civilian district, where street lamps kept the nights well-lit, the slums had no such luxuries. The only illumination came from the flickering torchlight visible through the dirt streets.

Loud, rowdy laughter echoed closer, carried by a group of approaching voices. Among them, I recognized a familiar tone.

For a moment, my expression shifted, my jaw tightening briefly before I forced myself to return to work, ignoring the voices.

A few seconds later, the source of the commotion entered—several familiar faces clad in leather armor, steel swords sheathed at their waists. They walked in, making a ruckus loud enough to turn heads.

The girls who had been moving about the tavern froze in their tracks. Their expressions darkened, a subtle tension rippling through the room.

The soldiers had returned.