A week had passed since the penniless prince started staying at the cheap inn.
Where did he get the money to stay for such a long time?
The answer is, he didn’t pay.
Licht didn’t pay, claiming he was the leader of the Hero Party and the First Prince of the country, threatening that if they didn’t let him stay for free, they would be in for a world of hurt.
Furthermore, he even got three proper meals a day, morning, noon, and night, which were originally paid for at the inn.
During the day, he hit on girls in the city, enjoying himself until late every night before returning to the inn.
Sometimes, he even brought them back to the inn, making noise until morning.
The innkeeper was greatly troubled by this.
And finally, he complained.
“Hey, how long are you planning to stay here without being a customer! Pay your dues properly!”
“Huh? I’m the leader of that Hero Party, you know? You’ve got quite the nerve talking to me like that… Besides, the fact that a prince like me stayed at this rundown inn will add prestige, right? I think you should be grateful instead?”
“I don’t know about the Hero Party, but thanks to you, we’ve been getting nothing but complaints.”
“Hmph… Then maybe I should just give up on the Demon Lord subjugation. After all, I’m working day and night to save the world, and you won’t even let a penniless me stay at your inn.”
“Guh…”
Just then, another customer in the inn spoke up.
“Eh! Are you Licht-san, a member of the Hero Party!?”
The customer was a C-Rank Adventurer who didn’t know much about Licht’s situation.
“Well, yeah… More like the leader, though.”
Licht got carried away. However, that would backfire on him.
“Um… If you don’t mind, could you fight me!? I really want to learn from the Hero Party.”
Licht conveniently manipulated his memories.
He had forgotten that he couldn’t even beat a D-Rank monster like a Wolf.
“Very well. However, I’ll need you to pay for my hotel expenses as tuition.”
At this time, Licht was trying to make him pay for the luxury hotel he had gone to before, not the cheap inn.
While thinking that swordsmanship instruction was a pain, he was delighted that he had found a new place to freeload.
The match took place behind the inn.
Licht launched the first attack, brandishing his sword, but the C-Rank Adventurer could clearly see its trajectory.
He easily parried it and landed a counterattack.
That was the end of it.
“Huh?… Um? Licht-san, I want to learn from you… Why aren’t you going all out?”
“Sh-Shut up! You cheated just now!? How dare you cheat in a one-on-one match, you scoundrel!”
Licht was angry, but of course, he hadn’t cheated at all.
Fed up with being scolded for a situation he didn’t understand, the C-Rank Adventurer went home.
He left behind enough money for one day’s stay at the cheap inn on his way out, probably because he had received swordsmanship instruction…
“Damn it… Just you wait, all of you, underestimating a prince like me…”
The innkeeper said to the prince groveling on the ground.
“Alright, I’d normally charge more, but I’ll make an exception and consider this enough for all your past accommodation fees. Your Highness?”
Licht had all his money taken away by the innkeeper and became truly penniless.
He couldn’t stay anywhere anymore, and the King wouldn’t let him return to the Royal Capital.
From now on, Licht would become an even lower-ranked, bottom-tier adventurer, mainly doing jobs like cleaning public toilets and transporting and disposing of garbage in the city, but that’s another story.