Sharp mockery hidden behind a veneer.
Thick veins bulged and writhed on the back of Damian’s hand. I tried to quickly pull my hand away, but it was already too late.
As Damian’s strength, fueled by surging anger, tightened around my wrist, the pain felt as if my captured wrist would break. I couldn’t scream thoughtlessly at this timing, so I pressed my lips firmly shut, but at this rate it was only a matter of time before it bruised. No, more than that, I was more worried that my bone would snap first.
But there was something scarier than my arm flying off here.
The moment those two really started fighting, it wouldn’t be my arm that was the problem—my entire inn would go flying.
“Shut your mouth, human.”
…I’m already keeping it shut though.
As if suppressing his anger, a low growl—like a beast’s cry—leaked from Damian’s throat.
Making that kind of sound with a human face?
At that peculiar sight, I forgot the pain for a moment and stared at Damian.
But that was only for one second.
Every time his gleaming red eyes glared at Jeffrey, the force squeezing my wrist became fiercer.
Eventually my face contorted in pain, and even though I bit my lip hard, a groan… leaked out through my teeth.
It was extremely fortunate that I’d trimmed Damian’s nails just before. Otherwise, by now his nails would have dug deep into my flesh and drawn blood.
As what felt like an hour but was only a minute passed, sweat poured profusely. While enduring the pain and gritting my teeth again, a feeling of wretchedness suddenly washed over me.
This bastard or that bastard—not a single one of them cares about me.
If a fight breaks out here right now, I’ll be the only one worried that the entire inn will go flying.
I felt like the owner of a fruit shop caught in the middle of a villain and hero fighting.
You know what I mean.
While the two clash, all the fruit rolls onto the ground and there’s that pitiful supporting character going “Oh no, my fruit….” That was exactly my situation right now.
No, come to think of it, I’m an extra, right? Just as the wretchedness kept welling up and my eyes were about to sting, Jeffrey glanced at me, then obediently nodded.
“Let’s do that. I don’t particularly have anything to say to that side either.”
With that single remark, the standoff between the two men dissolved, and the atmosphere that seemed about to explode the inn instantly settled.
…What just happened with this situation?
Unable to understand the situation, I just blinked with a dumbfounded face when Jeffrey quietly approached me.
With each step he took closer, Damian bared his teeth, but Jeffrey lightly ignored that threat. Then he stopped in front of me and extended his hand.
“Your hand.”
“…What?”
As I blinked stupidly, Jeffrey smiled gently.
“Give it to me. You’re hurt, aren’t you?”
At those words, Damian looked at my wrist. Soon seeing how red and swollen it was, he released my hand with a flustered expression. I slowly rotated my throbbing wrist, then held it out to Jeffrey.
Just like when he’d healed my burn before, Jeffrey gently wrapped my hand, and soon white light burst forth.
The pain gradually disappeared, and the white light gradually faded. Even though I’d experienced this sight once before, I gaped in wonder the entire time while Jeffrey’s gaze remained fixed on my hand.
“You’re quite obediently letting yourself be held.”
“Uh…. What?”
I made another stupid reply.
At this point, I was confused whether Jeffrey was speaking while ignoring context, or if my comprehension was lagging behind. Seeing me with my mouth half open, Jeffrey raised the corners of his mouth mysteriously.
“For me to touch your hand even once, you have to be injured like this.”
It didn’t take long to understand his meaning.
I blinked a couple times, then soon nodded awkwardly.
Jeffrey dismissed my reaction as insignificant and shrugged his shoulders. Then, ignoring Damian, he began his lesson that wasn’t a lesson, as always.
Of course, that information was absolutely necessary for me.
It wasn’t about noble factions or fashionable accessories. I’m not a noble, and my only luxury is adding a few more pieces of boiled meat on top of my gukbap—what use would I have for that kind of thing?
What Jeffrey taught me was much more trivial and, at the same time, things that would be serious if I didn’t know them. The empire’s old superstitions, eating habits, etiquette for greeting guests, even customs that would be embarrassing to ask about anywhere.
They sounded trivial but were things that would be strange not to know.
In Korean terms, it was like whether you take off your shoes when entering someone else’s house or not—that kind of difference.
It was precisely that subtle territory where if you didn’t know, you’d hear “That person doesn’t even know basic manners.” Just look at Damian right now. Isn’t he staring with an incredulous look from the side?
If I really hadn’t known, I would’ve become a weird guy.
Perhaps this was the first survival skill needed in this world. I felt like I should pay 1 Gold for this lecture rather than for useless magic circles. Even if I did, it was a lecture that wouldn’t be regrettable.
When the lesson ended, I bowed my head and said.
“Thank you again today.”
I meant it.
Moreover, today there were no unnecessary touches, no subtle hints hoping for compensation. And it was a clean transaction that ended with just a smile without presenting burdensome Gold.
Rather, I wanted to give him something—that says it all.
So I stood up to go to the kitchen and give him a meal kit at least, but Damian, who had been quiet, suddenly stood up abruptly. The sound of the chair legs scraping the floor rang out particularly sharply.
“Sion, why are you giving food to that human?”
“What?”
The look in his eyes as he stared at me was no joke. It was as if his gaze alone could crush a person. I thought it might be killing intent, but it was something more complicated than that.
And for some reason, I felt like I’d seen that look somewhere before.
When was it? It was when I got a strawberry picking part-time job in winter at the place where I’d done the sweet potato digging part-time job.
I remembered that puppy and brought snacks, but that day it wasn’t visible. But there happened to be a cat in front of the warehouse next door, so I just gave it to the cat.
I was watching it eat happily with satisfaction. But I felt a piercing gaze, so I turned around to see the puppy watching me from afar.
With ears drooping and eyes wide, like a creature that had been betrayed.
That was exactly Damian’s expression right now.
Betrayal, hurt feelings, incomprehensible grievance—all tangled together on his face.
……Wait, but what is there to feel betrayed about here?
Is giving someone a bowl of food such a big crime?
Eventually I scratched my head and answered.
“Well, because I’m grateful.”
“You didn’t receive money.”
Since he’d watched my penny-pinching nature up close more than anyone since his Happy days, Damian’s question was genuinely curious.
Of course I knew too.
That the word ‘free’ was the most unfamiliar word in the world to me.
However, while I gave Joel, who secretly came in before, a bowl of food out of pity, this time was out of gratitude?
I’m a rather conscientious human who clearly gives and receives, I’ll have you know.
I shrugged my shoulders and hastened my steps toward the kitchen. Then Damian unfailingly followed behind me.
“I didn’t receive money, but I received information instead.”
“Information?”
Damian looked at me with an expression of disbelief, then glanced at Jeffrey sitting obediently and asked back.
“How is something like the reason they’re enemies with the neighboring empire useful?”
I could only give an awkward laugh at those words.
Right, among the stories Jeffrey told me was this. The reason the Chevalier and Tarmo Empires became enemies.
From what I heard, hundreds of years ago at a banquet, the Tarmo Emperor’s wig flew off in the wind, and the Chevalier Emperor who saw it laughed and said.
“Your crown is quite light.”
With that one remark, a battle of face more persistent than war began.
But wasn’t that Tarmo’s fault?
They should have secured the wig more firmly. It seemed like a rather witty remark thrown out to get past the situation, but they got offended by that and have been fighting for hundreds of years?
But how famous is that story? Even now, when people in the empire catch someone lying, they say “Your wig’s flying off, shut your mouth.”
Seeing my awkward smile, Damian wrinkled his nose.
“And it wasn’t blown by the wind but by magic. By that mage’s family at that.”
My goodness, I’m glad I heard about it. The demon knew it well, but I was the only one who didn’t.
Internally, I revised the emperor I’d thought was witty from being sensible to just being a fucking bastard. Making fun of someone with hair loss is a sin, a sin.
For Damian, it was probably part of his scheme to drive a wedge between us, but rather it made me feel even more grateful to Jeffrey for telling me such trivial things.
I quickly grabbed a meal kit from the kitchen, then handed it to Jeffrey who was about to leave. Next to me, Damian watched with either sullen or resentful, protesting eyes, but I lightly ignored him.
In business, customer management is life. Managing VIP moods takes priority over a sulky part-timer.
“Thank you! You can cook this right away.”
Jeffrey bowed his head slightly and received the magic pouch—the meal kit. His fingertips carefully fiddled with the pouch string, then stopped there. I thought he would lightly greet me and turn around right away, but he seemed to have something to say, so I obediently waited as well.
