Burgers And Boys (1)

“Is this the restaurant?”

“I don’t know what restaurant you’re talking about, but it is a restaurant.”

A teenage boy walked in, looking around. Judging by his nice clothes, he seemed like the son of a wealthy family. His casual speech also supported my guess. His demeanor indicated he was a noble’s child.

Of course, a customer’s status doesn’t matter. Being a noble doesn’t change my attitude. To me, he is just another customer.

“I overheard the maids saying something interesting. They said you serve fried Palenque here, is that right?”

Palenque again?

These rumors are like a pot of boiling water. They rise quickly but cool down just as fast. Ever since I started supplying Palenque to Mr. Knoll’s shop, these types of customers had disappeared. But now, another one is here looking for Palenque.

“I’m sorry, but if you want to eat Palenque dishes, you’ll have to go to Knoll’s butcher shop in the market.”

“I can’t do that, so I came all the way here.”

I had declared that I wouldn’t serve Palenque dishes for a while, so I refused, but the boy looked troubled and his eyes welled up.

The more I looked, the more he seemed like a noble’s child. But it was odd for a noble child to be wandering around alone. What is this boy?

“Due to certain circumstances, we can’t serve Palenque dishes for now.”

“Why?”

The boy’s face remained sorrowful. Then he pulled out a communication rune from his pocket.

“Here’s the money. I really want to eat that Palenque dish. Our cook’s food is too boring. I’ve heard it’s a unique dish and I really wanted to try it. Of course, there are many other things I want to eat and try, but I’ve decided on this first!”

“There are unique dishes other than Palenque. Would that be okay? I can prepare it right away if it’s not Palenque.”

“Really? Since I’m already here, I might as well try that. It must really taste unique, right?”

The boy sighed in relief and sat at the bar table.

I nodded and started preparing the food. Something kids like. Something that would whet his appetite.

The pinnacle of such food is a hamburger. Not the kind like hamburger steak, but the fast-food hamburger.

Of course, what I make is much more high-end than fast food.

I put the bright red uka meat I got from Mr. Knoll’s shop today on the cutting board.

I prefer the bright red over the dark red. Korean Hanwoo beef has exactly this fine color.

What I like about Mr. Knoll’s shop is that they handle uka meat that perfectly suits my taste.

I grill the tenderloin steak cut into the right size on the griddle. Uka tenderloin. That is, beef tenderloin sizzles on the griddle, emitting steam.

I grind onions and garlic, add pepper, and pour modern demi-glace sauce to make the sauce. Then I add red wine to enhance the flavor.

Is it too luxurious for a hamburger? Hehe.

The red wine is a high-end wine called Chambertin. Putting such a luxurious wine in the sauce. It doesn’t matter since I have such treasures.

That’s why the food prices at the restaurant are very low, but the quality is very high.

Anyway, top-notch tenderloin steak, top-notch sauce. And a soft-boiled egg made from the rare Palenque eggs in this world.

The reason all these ingredients are ready is that this top-notch hamburger was a dish for Rurin.

Whether it’s one, two, or three.

It doesn’t matter.

I cut the freshly baked bread and place the juicy meat on it. Then I place the soft-boiled egg on top and gently break it. When the yolk starts to flow over the meat, I add fresh vegetables.

Onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. Each has its own name here, but for now, I’ll just move on. Finally, I drizzle a ladle of secret sauce to finish it off.

Ah, I forgot one thing. I took out the monton mushroom powder stored under the kitchen. You can’t skip this powder in meat dishes. It’s natural MSG. The magical powder of this era. Monton mushroom powder. Adding this will truly complete it.

No, no. That was a mistake. It won’t be complete until I add the other slice of bread.

“What on earth is that person doing?”

Just as I was about to finish the dish, the boy pointed to a black-haired monster sprawled on a table in the shop and asked.

But the best way to live long is not to care about beings other than Rurin.

“Oh, that’s just a pathetic employee sleeping on the job. You can ignore it.”

“Sleeping on the job? That’s unimaginable in our house.”

“Oh, do you have many employees at your house?”

“We don’t call them employees. They’re maids, butlers, those kinds of people.”

“Ah, I see.”

He’s definitely a noble’s child. I don’t know which noble family he’s from, but it’s still suspicious for a noble’s child to be wandering around without a guard.

Anyway, the dish is complete.

Even if it’s suspicious, I still serve the food. That’s an unchanging truth no matter what happens.

“The dish is ready.”

The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of the hamburger set on the plate. The hamburger is a dish unknown in this world. The idea of combining bread and meat is a revolution here.

“This is…”

The boy blinked and picked up the hamburger with a blooming expression.

“Amazing. Our cook at home could never come up with a dish like this.”

“Young Master!”

The boy’s eyes sparkled as he said that, but he failed to take a bite of the hamburger because several men burst into the restaurant. I frowned, and the boy shook his head with a look of despair.

“Young Master! We’ve been looking for you for a long time. What are you doing in a place like this!”

“Ah… well, you see.”

The boy’s eyes wavered. With a very desperate expression.

“I barely managed to escape, and they already found me…”

The boy’s hand moved quickly, as if determined to at least taste it.

But the men were faster. They grabbed the boy’s shoulder. He struggled and was pushed, losing his balance and bouncing onto the table next to him. Unfortunately, it was the table where Rurin was lying.

“If they find out you ate in a place like this, there will be trouble. With the Lord bedridden, you need to take better care of yourself. Come on, the Young Lady ordered us to bring you immediately.”

“Alright….”

The boy’s shoulders slumped his and he couldn’t utter a word as he followed the men. As he left, he kept looking at the warm hamburger. His eyes were filled with regret.

But eventually, he seemed to give up and lowered his head. As he was being dragged out, he placed the rune he was holding on the table at the last moment.

Then he disappeared out of the restaurant.

Thanks to the commotion, Rurin woke up and looked at me with a slightly annoyed face, furrowing her brow.

“What are those?”

“I don’t care what they are. I told you to clean the table, not to sleep! Got it?”

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

“You weren’t sleeping? Did that come from your mouth? Or this mouth?”

I pulled on the dragon’s mouth. Her lips were dragged along, pouting. Rurin frowned.

“I wasn’t sleeping, so I don’t know! But it smells delicious!”

Rurin, pretending not to know, ran over to the table where the boy was sitting. Then she looked at me, her mouth watering. She looked like a puppy waiting for permission to eat the food in front of her.

Can I eat this!

That phrase was written all over her face. She couldn’t say it out loud, maybe feeling guilty, and just attacked me with her eyes.

“Alright, eat it, eat it. Jeez.”

“It’s my meal! Hehe!”

Rurin grabbed the large hamburger and started devouring it. She liked the meat so much that she ate even faster. No, she put the whole hamburger in her mouth and chewed.

The hamburger I made was about the same size as the ones from famous fast-food chains. In other words, it was impossible to eat it in one bite.

Putting something like that in in one bite?

How many people can put that in in one bite?

Ah, well, she’s not human. She’s a dragon, after all.

While I was convincing myself, Rurin shouted with sauce all over her mouth.

“It’s delicious! The rich sweetness and the meat’s juices overflow and create a harmony in the mouth, with the crunchy vegetables and the meat’s tenderness, it’s amazing!”

She mumbled with her mouth full. Translating it, [It’s delicious. The rich sweetness and the meat’s juices overflow and create a harmony in the mouth, with the crunchy vegetables and the meat’s tenderness, it’s amazing.]

I’m grateful she’s enjoying it, but why does it give me a headache? I held back from telling her to eat more quietly. She wouldn’t listen anyway.

I turned my attention away from the headache-inducing dragon and picked up the rune the boy had left behind. From the conversation, it was clear that the boy was the Lord’s son. In other words, the future Lord.

The Lord of Greek City is Count Greek. As the future count, the boy probably holds the title of baron for now, since he hasn’t inherited his father’s title of count yet.

When he formally inherits the count’s title, he becomes the count. Until then, he’s a baron.

Of course, whether he’s a baron, count, or king, it doesn’t really matter. But I want to give him high marks for leaving money behind, even when he was almost forcibly taken away. It means he’s not just a spoiled kid.

It’s funny to judge based on just this, though.

The important fact here is that I’ve already accepted the money.

If he hadn’t left the money, this story would be over.

But since I’ve taken the money, I have to let him eat my food. If my cooking wasn’t tasty or he didn’t like it, it wouldn’t matter. But the boy’s gaze at the hamburger was earnest.

In other words, he wanted to eat but couldn’t, even though he paid. I can’t allow that. He paid, so I have to let him eat to feel satisfied.

“Hey, dragon.”

“What is it?”

“Finish that and let’s get to work.”

I started making the hamburger again. With the sauce made, I just needed to cook the meat. After making the hamburger, I wrapped it layer by layer. There was only one way to deliver it before it got cold.

“Work?”

“Remember the scent of the people who came earlier?”

“Hmm, if you mean the kid, I remember.”

“You remember well for someone who was sleeping.”

“They woke me up! I almost ate them but held back!”

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go to where that boy is.”

“What? What do you mean?”

I wiped the sauce off the dragon’s mouth with a tissue. She stayed still while I wiped it, but voiced her objection once I was done.

“Are you telling me to teleport just by scent? Even I can’t do that!”

“What’s impossible about it? Come here.”

I dragged Rurin outside the restaurant. Then I pointed to the Lord’s castle.

“Go to that castle and teleport to the place where the scent is strongest. You can at least do that, right?”

“You’re always making me clean and serve, now adding more work! When do I ever get to rest!”

“That’s funny. Who’s the one always sleeping somewhere whenever I give them work?”

“It’s not me. That’s a definite fact.”

“It’s you. You! Stop whining and let’s go. The food’s getting cold. Won’t you listen to me?”

For teleportation, the caster and the person has to be completely close. If something went wrong, they’d become lost in time and space with no way out. So I hugged Rurin tightly from behind, holding the wrapped hamburger in one hand.