WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Convenience Store Clerk the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 6: A Queen Is Still a Queen
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“Auntie Friella! Let's get those supplies moving, chop-chop!”
“I'm sorry!”
The troll foreman's shout rang across the construction site.
Even a former elf queen like her had no choice but to bow and scrape before the troll foreman.
Without him, she couldn't earn the money she needed to get by.
In Taepyeong City, money mattered more than anything.
Without money, living in this city was impossible.
“Tsk. Elves cost a lot to hire, so get a move on!”
“Understood!”
Friella had smiled and bowed to the foreman, but once she saw him walk away, she clicked her tongue.
“Tsk... If he weren't the foreman, I'd just...!”
Her fist twitched, but then she let out a heavy sigh.
“Forget it. This won't make anything better.”
Her spirits sank.
Back when the Elven Forest was still lush, she could never have imagined being treated like this.
But times had changed. Now there were more cities than forests, and even elves who had only ever lived in the woods had to keep up.
Most elves had left the forests and moved to cities. Friella was no exception.
As their queen, she had to set an example.
If they all stayed in the forest, it was obvious they would go extinct.
She had been among the first to move to Taepyeong City, and she hadn't shied away from hard, unpleasant work.
Of course, the easygoing life she'd led in the forest had made the change a bumpy one.
Still, she was managing to adapt.
How many humiliations had she suffered along the way?
This was nothing.
Besides...
'I'll let you off today.'
She was in such a good mood today that she could overlook little things like this.
After all, for the first time in her life as an elf, there were signs of romance on the horizon.
-RomanceElf: Oooh... Where would you find a young man these days who'd willingly use his own card to pay for a total stranger? That's 100% a green light.
That had been the first comment on the story she'd posted.
The gallery member's reply, assuring her that it was a green light, had encouraged her.
'Elves are exceptionally good-looking, after all.'
Even back in the Elven Forest, Friella had been famous for her beauty among the elves.
A high elf queen with looks and a figure everyone admired.
Apparently, not even the sweat and dust from construction work could hide her beauty.
“It wouldn't be strange for him to fall for my looks.”
Hehe.
Of course, even if it really was a green light, she couldn't do anything about it right away.
She knew that too.
To him, she was nothing more than a construction worker.
The elf queen?
She knew perfectly well that the authority of her position meant nothing in Taepyeong City.
So she'd have to take her time.
She didn't want to let this chance slip away.
After spending so long alone, loneliness had tormented her terribly.
The clerk wasn't handsome by elven standards, but he had pleasant, decent looks.
'He's rather my type, too...'
Friella didn't even know the clerk's name yet.
She'd told him hers, but she hadn't heard his.
For now, couldn't she just let him get used to seeing her, build up some affection, and grow closer to him?
Besides, he was human.
Humans had long been known to find elves sexually attractive.
“Enjoy your lunch break, everyone! We'll meet back here at one!”
“Ahem. Shall I pay him another visit today?”
She needed to show her face often.
She didn't need to buy anything, and her pockets were empty since she hadn't been paid yet. Still, there was nothing difficult about stopping by to see him.
With that thought, she went to the convenience store.
But when she arrived...
-You dare mock me? You have already swindled me, yet you show no shame!
Shing!
At the convenience store, she found a Death Knight threatening the clerk with a drawn sword.
Torn bread bags lay on the counter.
And peel-off stickers.
The Death Knight was radiating fury.
The clerk stood helplessly before him.
She knew that Death Knight.
Before Taepyeong City had been founded, back when the Demon King's Army and the Human Alliance had yet to sign a treaty and the war against the Demon King's Army was in full swing.
Back when there had still been quite a few humans left.
She'd encountered this former Demon King's Army corps commander on the battlefield several times.
Now unemployed.
The Death Knight, Agunda.
These days, this jobless fool apparently missed the Demon King and collected Demon King's Army peel-off stickers. And now he was causing a scene.
“Huh? What's going on here?”
What on earth was that lunatic thinking, drawing a sword?
“Hey. You going to put that sword away?”
At her words, the Death Knight Agunda turned around.
-Elf queen... It has been a while.
“What do you think you're doing, causing trouble in a convenience store?”
-Hmph. If you know nothing, shut your mouth, you bitch. This is between me and this swindler.
“Swindler?”
-Indeed. This convenience store has swindled me. The chance of finding a peel-off sticker of a low-level monster like a slime in Demon King Bread is clearly less than 5%. Yet today, I got seven slimes. Moreover, I did not get a single corps commander sticker. This is an act of deception against me...
“...Tsk.”
She'd thought there might be some serious reason.
“You're making a scene in a convenience store over that?”
Unbelievable.
“Get lost. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let this slide.”
-Absurd. What right do you have to decide whether to let this slide, you bitch?
“Then I suppose you want to die again for old times' sake? I don't recall you ever beating me.”
-...You have nothing to your name and work as a construction laborer, yet you dare run your mouth.
The Death Knight's sword pointed at her.
It had been a while since anyone had gotten on her nerves like this.
One eyebrow drew down as she looked at the clerk standing behind her.
He was watching her and Agunda with bewildered eyes.
She waved a hand at him.
“I'll take care of this problem customer.”
It had been a while since she'd had a chance to show what she could do.
* * *
The fight was over in an instant.
It had been too fast for me to see.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Blue light surged from Friella's body, and then it was over.
-Guh...
“Apologize properly for harassing the clerk.”
One thing I clearly remembered was the Death Knight floating in the air, helpless against her power.
The Death Knight's armor tumbled to the floor. The black soul inhabiting it vanished for a moment, then returned to its original state.
Yet the store remained quiet.
I still knew nothing about Taepyeong City, but I could put two and two together.
I could tell just how extraordinary the sword the Death Knight had drawn was.
I could feel how powerful the tingling force in the aura coming from his body was.
I also understood why he was a level 5 problem customer. He had power that made him almost impossible to drive away.
And she'd subdued a monster like that in one go.
The incredible feat she'd shown me was definitely beyond any ordinary person.
“That was... amazing.”
A queen really was a queen, apparently.
She'd taken down a level 5 problem customer, a Death Knight that even veteran convenience store clerks dreaded, in a single blow.
Her fluorescent vest with “Safety First” written on it and the hard hat on her head made her strength stand out even more.
An elf smashing a Death Knight while dressed in construction gear.
Was it just me, or was that kind of cool?
The Death Knight put his sword down, apparently having lost the will to fight.
Black haze shimmered around his body.
The red eyes glowing inside the armor turned toward me.
After a wary glance at Friella, the Death Knight bowed his head to me.
-I... I'm sorry. I caused a disturbance. I apologize.
“Please take all of this with you.”
Accepting the apology, I held out the bread in its torn-open bags.
-Understood.
He was more obedient than I'd expected.
After gathering up the bread, the Death Knight left the store like a dog fleeing with its tail between its legs.
“Tsk. Why be so stubborn if that's how it's going to end? Agunda's never beaten me, either.”
“Are we going to be okay? He won't come back for revenge, will he?”
“Don't worry. I won't let that happen. Despite appearances, that one's a coward. After a beating like that, Agunda won't come back.”
“...”
I quietly listened as Friella spoke, watching the Death Knight disappear into the distance.
“You saw that regeneration, didn't you? A persistent one. That's how Agunda survived despite losing to me time after time. Such a nuisance. Whew. Back in my day, hordes of enemies like that came at us all the time. We had to fight several of those monsters at once. You have no idea how hard it was... If it weren't for the Hero and the other ability users, Taepyeong City would probably belong to the Demon King's Army.”
Flushed with victory, she gave a shrug.
She was pouring out far more information than I'd asked for, but I smiled and listened.
Yesterday, she'd been a problem customer. Today, she was my hero.
“Ahem. Agunda will come back later to apologize. If there's any more trouble, call me. I'll take care of everything.”
Had she noticed the boredom in my eyes as she talked about the old days?
She cleared her throat and changed the subject.
“Thank... you.”
“H-hmph! Helping those in trouble is an elven virtue, so think nothing of it.”
The corners of her mouth kept twitching upward.
“Would you like to buy a bag of Elven Chips?”
“I'd like that, but I don't have any money today. I didn't bring any branches to barter with, either...”
Why had she come to the convenience store without any money?
That question only lasted a moment.
I decided to give her a small gift for being my hero today.
“I'll pay.”
“You'll pay? Really?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, that problem customer left without any more trouble. I should repay you.”
“Oho~. You're a more considerate clerk than I thought. Very well. If you're offering, I won't refuse.”
She'd been avoiding my eyes while admitting she had no money, but she brightened at my offer and headed for the snack aisle.
“Lalala♩♪~~.”
Humming, she brought back a bag of Elven Chips.
“You can bring another one.”
I'd never seen her look so happy.
Once I'd paid for the two bags...
“By the way.”
Standing in front of the counter, Friella hesitated, watching my reaction.
“What's your name? I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other often...”
“Kim Mincheol.”
“Kim Mincheol. I can call you Mincheol, right?”
“Of course.”
“Hehe. Then, Mincheol, if you ever find yourself in trouble, call Friella. I'll come and sort it out, just like today.”
She laughed freely and hugged the two bags of Elven Chips to her chest.
“I shall enjoy the tribute you've given me. Thanks to you, I'll have a pleasant day.”
As if her business here was done, she turned around with a proud air and walked out of the store.
For a moment, I saw that same noble figure who had subdued a Death Knight in one blow.
There was no doubt she was an extraordinary elf.
But before the automatic door had even finished closing...
-Ta-da~♩♬♪!!!
A loud trot ringtone blared from her pocket.
“Oh, yes! Boss! Oh dear, I'm sorry! It's lunchtime, so I stepped outside the Tower for a moment... We need to finish the work quickly? Understood! I'll be right there!”
The moment she answered the phone, the high elf queen bent into a deep, groveling bow.
Watching that fluorescent vest disappear into the distance, I couldn't help letting out a quiet laugh.
Footnotes:
Trot is a Korean popular music genre often associated with older listeners.
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