#851 Highly-Sophisticated Coffee Shop

Huh? What?

A spell?

I didn’t quite grasp what Mr. Shax just said.

His chant was so rapid-fire that my ears couldn’t keep up.

“Now, Lord Saint, please place your order!”

“What?!”

How could I possibly recite some high-level Path of Destruction-esque incantation?

That’s asking too much of a customer!

In times like these...

Time for the last resort!

“Um, I’ll have whatever you recommend...!”

This is my go-to strategy, a surefire way to communicate! 

Whatever they bring, just drink it silently, and all will be well!

“Understood. What size would you like?”

“Size?!”

“We have Tall or Grande. Which would you prefer?”

T-T-T-T-Tall?

Tooru?!

What’s that, a thunder god?!

It sounds like something a self-proclaimed mythology buff would boast about with a smug look!

Aren’t S, M, and L the standard sizes?!

Someone better standardize this before Emperor Qin Shihuang throws a fit!!!

“...J-Just the regular size, please.”

“Tall it is, then. Understood.”

Somehow, I managed to complete my order.

It was a tough battle.

Perhaps the toughest I’ve faced in years?

With my regular-sized coffee on the tray, I finally move away from the counter...

“Brilliantly done, Lord Saint! Such an exemplary order!”

Mr. Shax applauds me.

For some reason, I felt only emptiness.

“It’s a revolutionary system, isn’t it?! Instead of ordering from your seat, you do everything at the counter first - order, receive your items, and pay! It eliminates so many inefficiencies, a truly rational setup!”

“R-Right...!”

“This system is especially popular among the time-conscious elite demons! The store’s design targets such clientele with a clean, upscale ambiance. You must have noticed, right, Lord Saint?”

“Uh, yes?”

True, this place does have a more upscale vibe than the last café I visited.

The clientele all seems well-dressed, giving off an elite demon-salaryman vibe.

“In the Demon Capital nowadays, bringing your Makuu Book to this coffee shop, Starshax, and work while enjoying a coffee is trendy!”

“High standards, huh...?!”

For a country bumpkin like me, this is an aura I can’t penetrate.

Pandemonium Trading Company... Only such a leading commercial organization could create such a highbrow coffee shop.

“Hmph, a store that picks and chooses its customers won’t last long!”

That was Mr. Samijrah from the Izakaya Guild.

He followed us here?

“Customers should be treated equally! Our chain strives to ensure enjoyment for everyone, regardless of age or gender. That’s the key to survival!”

“While it’s a noble sentiment that all humanity is equal, the reality is that everyone has vastly different lifestyles. Isn’t it a merchant’s duty to tailor their target market accordingly and execute more fitting marketing strategies? Seeking a lowest common denominator without considering this is just laziness.”

Sparks flew between Mr. Shax and Mr. Samijrah in a heated debate about commerce.

Oddly enough, it fits in this classy coffee shop.

“LORD SAINT!!!”

“Yes?!”

Just as I was quietly sipping my coffee, the conversation suddenly turned to me.

I almost choked.

“Lord Saint, what do you think?! You finished our sandwich set, so surely you agree with us!”

“What nonsense. Lord Saint ordered so gracefully in our establishment. Standing here suits you perfectly, Lord Saint…!”

This is bad.

Taking sides here means making an enemy of the other.

In such cases, either choice creates conflict.

And here I am, fresh out of a hellish ordering ordeal, only to face another trial so soon?!

“Uh, well...!”

“...”

“…Another coffee, Grande, please.”

There was no other way out but to drink and deflect.

***

Thus, I ended up stuffed to the gills with coffee, resembling nothing less than a beer barrel.

I haven’t even fully digested Mr. Samijrah’s sandwich set yet.

My belly, having surpassed its limits, forced me to cut short my inspection tour.

And the place I fled to was Mr. Gray Silva’s café. 

“Hahaha, it seems even the esteemed Lord Saint has met his match with the sandwich set.”

Mr. Gray Silva chuckles at my sorry state.

But it wasn’t just Mr. Samijrah’s hefty meal that did me in; there were also the impressively high standards at Mr. Shax’s place.

It was beyond my wildest dreams.

Who would have thought such fierce competition in coffee shop management existed in the Demon Capital?

Each establishment asserts its own unique character, targeting specific clientele in its business strategies.

In such a milieu, Mr. Gray Silva’s ability to run a café is nothing short of remarkable, isn’t it?

To imagine a small, privately owned business surviving amidst the cutthroat competition of major chains seems almost an impossible feat.

As I thought... Mr. Gray Silva must be applying his battle-hardened mercenary survival skills here.

“I’m just a humble hired barista. My blood-smeared knowledge doesn’t serve much purpose in this peaceful corner of town,” he says, calmly polishing a coffee cup. “Our café’s survival owes more to you than to me, Lord Saint.”

“Huh? Me?”

“You’re the one supplying our café with coffee beans, right? Those beans sourced from some paradise on Earth – they offer a taste unlike any other.”

The coffee craze in the Demon Kingdom took off after discovering an island inhabited by demon relatives across distant seas.

Up until then, there had been no contact with the inhabitants of this distant island, but as exchanges grew, coffee beans produced there began to flow into the Demon Kingdom.

The coffee brewed at Mr. Shax and Mr. Samijrah’s mainly uses beans imported from the Demon Isle, setting them distinctly apart from Mr. Gray Silva’s café. 

Here, we exclusively use beans grown on our farm.

Since I was the one who proposed this café, I’ve got to see it through to the end.

“I may not understand the finer details, but the coffee brewed with your beans is undeniably superior. That’s why, even amid corporate giants, customers specifically come to us.”

“I see.”

So, that’s how he maintains a basic level of sales and keeps the business afloat...

I recall Mr. Shax and Mr. Samijrah, whom I passed on my way here, strongly promoting their shops while insistently asking for bean supplies.

I thought, why not ask Letasreit directly... but was that actually a plea for coffee bean supply?

“Our little shop’s main weapon, I’d say. Despite the plethora of coffee shops springing up, we have regulars who come seeking this particular taste. I’ve even had to raise the prices a bit.”

“Why?!”

“If I don’t make it slightly less accessible, it seems unfair to other shops. And this quality, indeed, is too luxurious for a beginner with a modest salary. Too much luxury early on doesn’t bode well.”

Words of a retired mercenary laden with life’s hardships.

By raising the prices to a level not easily affordable, it clearly distinguishes the café from the many others around, helping to distribute customers in a balanced way.

Such a contribution to the community is admirable.

Incidentally, most of the profits from this café go towards reconstruction aid in the Human Kingdom.

Mr. Gray Silva’s broad perspective on business strategy is truly commendable.

...However.

Is it selfish of me to wish that the café I helped establish would flourish even more?

Now, more than ever since its opening, I want to develop a business strategy that will make everyone go “Ah!” and draw attention to this place.

For that to happen...

Right, a new menu it is.

==========

*Emperor Qin Shihuang standardized the Chinese script, currency, and system of measurements, and expanded the network of roads and canals, among many others.