…Judging by his imposing attitude, he didn’t seem to have any intention of just leaving. In the end, even though it was my day off, I brought out gukbap made with the remaining broth. Of course, without the special seasoning.
Lionel stared intently at the soup, then slowly shifted his gaze to me.
“Now that I think about it, I heard there’s a special buff that appeared recently. What kind of alchemy is that?”
Buff? The only thing that came to mind was the ‘Love Spell.’
I smiled brightly and said.
“Ah, the Love Spell. It’s usually 1 Silver, but shall I do it for free today?”
Lionel obediently nodded his head. With the hope that Lionel would come often too, I wholeheartedly made a hand heart and chanted the spell.
“Slurp slurp, happiness in a bowl of gukbap, do your best, ttukbaegi! With the power of love, kyang!”
“…….”
In that instant, Lionel’s golden eyes shook violently.
Shock, as if he’d seen something unbelievable. Well, I mean…. To him, it probably looked like a full-grown adult acting cutesy. But it’s an actual menu item, okay?
When I smiled awkwardly, Lionel squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head back and forth, then took a deep breath as if to compose himself before scooping up some gukbap.
And then.
Clatter—
“Customer?”
Lionel’s face, frozen the moment he took a bite, was nothing if not serious. He’d dropped his spoon, and I cautiously observed his complexion, but there was no sign of his expression softening.
“……How?”
What, why is he acting like that?
Lionel only let out incomprehensible murmurs before hurriedly getting up. Then he just slapped down the money for the gukbap and left without looking back.
His retreating figure seemed like he was running away—no, perhaps he was urgently avoiding something. I looked at him in bewilderment, but Lionel wasn’t even in the mood to listen to me.
……Well, at least I got paid this time.
And so, the next day.
That day, before opening for business, I tied Happy to a pillar in front of the shop. The day before yesterday, a customer had complained that “fur was floating around in the gukbap.”
In the end, they made a scene, pounding on the table demanding a refund, so I had no choice but to give them their money back. But even giving them a hundred concessions, that wasn’t my fault.
“His fur is dark red to begin with.”
And that customer’s hair was pure white.
I’m so wronged I could die. Grumbling, I was tying Happy to the pillar when the guy stared blankly at me before sniffing with his nose. Then he sharply turned his gaze and—
Thud!
Kicked the food bowl with his foot.
Clatter, thunk!
The bowl rolled and stopped when it hit a stone. When I looked up, he still had his eyes half-closed as he looked me up and down, then slowly swished his tail.
……In the end, he’s asking for food.
“Wait.”
Sighing, I brought out a bowl of gukbap, and Happy immediately stuck his nose close as if he’d been waiting. His ears perked up—the smell must have been good.
Soon he sat down in front of the bowl, lowered his head deeply, and chomp, chomp, chomp. He started eating.
This foul-tempered demon beast.
Shaking my head, I went into the inn.
A day had passed since I put up the part-time job posting, but naturally, there were no applicants. Of course not. Even Gilbert’s inn in the village had part-timers running away constantly, so who would come to an inn on the Boundary? Rather, if someone did apply, that would be more suspicious. They might have sinister intentions to murder the owner and take over the inn.
In the end, I was doing everything alone today too—from food preparation to serving to cleaning—so a familiar adventurer customer struck up a conversation.
“It must be hard doing everything alone. Shouldn’t you hire someone?”
“I actually put up a posting, but there’s no one applying. Well, I only posted it yesterday though.”
At my words, the customer gave a hopeful response that someone would come soon, but in both our eyes, the same thought was circling.
……As if anyone would come. To this place on the Boundary.
“Ah, at times like this, I’d borrow even a cat’s paws if I could.”
When I sighed while looking outside, the customer followed my gaze toward the door. Then they reached out toward Happy, who was visible through the gap, and said.
“Pspsps.”
However, Happy bared his teeth sharply and growled.
“Haha, such a small thing but quite fierce.”
“Hahaha……”
I laughed on the outside, but inside, the words ‘He may look like that, but he’s a demon beast’ rose up to my throat. Happy must have been annoyed because he kicked the food bowl again with a thud.
As the soup splattered and rice scattered on the ground, my patience scattered too. But what could I do? I’m probably weaker than this demon beast. My insides were boiling, but with the mindset of placating him, I scooped out more gukbap and offered it again.
“Here, let’s eat quietly this time.”
Happy turned his head slightly and glanced at me sideways, but eventually stuck his nose close and chomp, chomp— started eating.
“Really……. I seriously need to teach him some table manners.”
At my offhand comment, Happy raised his head. His eyes were strangely bright and alert. As if asking, ‘Who’s telling who to do that?’
Right, manners my foot. I’ll be grateful if I don’t get cursed at.
Somehow, mixed with sorrow and lament, I let out a whining sound for no reason.
“It seems busier these days.”
“There’s going to be a big subjugation soon.”
A subjugation? Well, isn’t that something that happens all the time? Yet strangely, everyone had tense looks in their eyes. Wondering about it, I turned my head, and another customer with a friendly-looking face added in a low voice.
“Traces of human habitation were found near the unidentified corpse.”
“Traces?”
“We haven’t found anything particular yet, but there were definitely paved paths or traces of someone’s handiwork.”
“…….”
“So the story that it’s evidence of demon beasts raising humans is now spreading like an established fact.”
So it’s finally beginning.
A corpse is discovered, and traces of human habitation are found nearby. That would soon lead to the Saint and Theorde’s first journey—the prologue to the main story of the original work.
I nodded, putting unnecessary strength into my hands. ……Is the real trouble finally starting to break out?
Perhaps noticing my expression had darkened, one customer casually asked.
“Why, don’t you ask the Knight Commander? He seems to come often.”
“Oh come on, it’s an honor just to have such an esteemed person visit. What right do I have to ask such things?”
The customer nodded, saying “That’s true.” Then soon added with a subtle smile.
“Still, since he smiles, I thought you two were pretty friendly.”
I wasn’t puzzled about why they said such things. After all, Theorde didn’t get the nickname ‘Cold-Blooded Swordsman’ for nothing. These days he does smile occasionally, but isn’t he famous for being a man who never showed a single emotion? The very fact that he smiles is rare.
Of course, having read the novel, I know.
That Theorde is serious about food. Right, he’s just a food fanatic.
Though it was lamentable that I was the only one who knew this fact, somehow I also felt smug. Is this the privilege of someone who’s possessed a character?
So I just shrugged my shoulders.
“People naturally smile when something’s delicious. What’s so special about it?”
At my words, laughter burst out from the neighboring table. I waited for their laughter to stop, then carefully asked.
“When is the subjugation?”
“In two days. It’s not like the high-ranking people will move directly though—it’s us wanderers gathering to go.”
“For wanderers, your thighs are thicker than the pillars of my inn though?”
At the joking flattery, the customer let out a pleased laugh.
Even in that gap, my mind was recalling the original work.
In the original work, mercenaries and adventurers drew the demon beasts’ attention, and in the meantime, Theorde and the Saint secretly entered the demon beast forest to investigate. The current story had a similar flow.
When I casually threw out a few more words to compare with the original work, the customer glanced at me for a moment, then chuckled.
“Why, are you interested in the subjugation?”
“No way. I’m very timid.”
At my answer, the customer snorted. It was an attitude that said they’d heard something ridiculous.
“Isn’t it a bit funny to say you’re timid while working here?”
“Hahaha….”
Well. It was a funny thing to say.
Being at an inn closer to the Boundary than anyone else while claiming to be timid. I smiled awkwardly, then quickly moved to another spot when I heard another customer calling.
The inn was bustling until late evening. Perhaps because of the upcoming subjugation, it was full of adventurers trying to nourish themselves well, or those just enjoying this noisy fervor.
The smell of steaming gukbap mixed with the sound of clinking glasses, blending with people’s boisterous laughter—it was loud enough to shake the ceiling.
However, as always, this commotion subsided with the appearance of one man.
Ding-a-ling—
None other than Theorde Valen Hart.
Perhaps because it was his first time coming at night, his impression seemed even more cold. His silver hair seemed to hold the moonlight, shining even in the darkness, and when he entered the interior, it gleamed sharply again under the soft lamplight. I followed his footsteps and guided him to a seat.
“Welcome, customer!”
When our eyes met, he smiled very faintly. Soon, handing him warm gukbap as he sat down, I started a conversation.
“I heard there’s going to be a big subjugation soon—you must be getting busy too, customer?”
I’d heard the other customers earlier say that ‘high-ranking people won’t come,’ and through the original work I also knew that Theorde wouldn’t directly participate in this subjugation, but I threw out the words as if testing.
At my innocently casual question, he blinked once slowly, then answered in a low voice.
“…Right.”
A short answer. That was all. No more words followed.
I too didn’t continue the conversation and just nodded before passing by. As my busy footsteps going back and forth through the inn subsided, and the steam from the ttukbaegi remaining on the dining tables died down, only the smell of gukbap and the glow of lights remained quietly inside the inn.
