Episode 188

“Mr. El, this is the Ma’a Noodles.”

“Ah, thank you. It smells great.”

It didn’t take long for Bissera to bring out two bowls of noodles. Rurin looked at the noodles placed before her and then glanced at me.

Then, sniffing the air, she spoke.

“What is this? Is this something you eat?”

“Yeah. It’s noodles. Of course, it’s something you eat.”

I handed her a fork and picked up chopsticks myself. However, Rurin just poked at the noodles with the fork, clearly not pleased.

I decided to start eating first.

Slurp.

Hmm. Not bad. Although the unique smell of a Ma’a bird could put some people off, it’s quite tolerable at this level. The taste is excellent.

Moreover, I heard that people in this region actually enjoy this smell, so it’s not a drawback here. Since this isn’t a tourist spot, the smell won’t be an issue at all.

Kind of like Korea’s cheonggukjang or Japan’s natto, maybe?

And the noodles are decent too.

But objectively speaking, it’s the kind of dish any restaurant could make. It lacks any distinctive quality. It’s simply a traditional dish of this region. In that case, it’ll inevitably lose in price competition.

“If this keeps up, I’ll have to buy a hunting permit for Ma’a birds from the lord, but I might not even be able to afford it next year. Then I’ll have to close the restaurant…”

When I offered help, Duran groaned, lowering his head. So, I placed a hand on his shoulder and replied,

“It’s fine. I’ll find a way to bring back your customers, so don’t worry.”

Then, I turned my gaze to Bissera.

“We just need to change our approach a little. Let’s add a unique touch to the dish and win back the customers. Simple.”

There’s something called chicken shabu-shabu.

Even with the same ingredients and noodles, a different way of eating and a slightly distinct flavor can become a hit.

So, the method to try is shabu-shabu.

“You! I don’t like this.”

Apparently not pleased with the taste, Rurin chewed on the noodles and frowned.

“This is all we have here. You’ll get used to the flavor as you eat. Come on, eat up. It’s better than starving.”

“Ugh.”

Though she groaned, it seemed hunger got the better of her, and she reluctantly slurped down the noodles.

“I’ll make something tasty for dinner later, so just eat a bit for now.”

I whispered so no one else could hear, and her face lit up at the suggestion, nodding enthusiastically.

“I’ll show you a dish later. First, I’ll do some market research. Don’t worry, I’ll help you completely turn things around.”

As I said this, the mother and son both looked at me and nodded in unison.

They seemed unsure of my cooking skills, but their eyes were filled with absolute trust and high expectations, likely because I had led victories in wars.

After finishing the noodles, I headed to the village with Rurin for market research. The town was mid-sized—not too large, not too small. Five villages surrounded the lord’s central castle.

As we walked further, we found the restaurant Duran had mentioned. It was a two-story establishment. Since it wasn’t far away, selling the same traditional noodle dishes would definitely have a big impact. It was obvious that offering identical dishes would leave no chance of competing.

“Welcome!”

“Two people. Do you have a table?”

Noticing that the first floor seemed full, I asked, and the staff directed us to the second floor with a professional smile.

“There’s no space on the first floor, but would you like to go upstairs?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Though the restaurant had two floors, the first floor wasn’t particularly spacious.

Even so, being fully packed meant business was thriving. Most customers were eating noodles, though a few were having steamed dishes.

This northern region developed noodle dishes using flour because pheasant-like birds were abundant, making eggs easy to obtain.

In other villages in this area, bread is also considered a traditional food.

On the other hand, the southern region’s staple food is rice.

It’s similar to how on Earth, the West developed wheat farming while the East cultivated rice.

Greek City, being centrally located, has a mix of various influences.

Rurin grumbled about eating something strange but went back to playing with her ring. I dragged her along to this restaurant.

She hadn’t lifted her head once along the way, but once seated, she suddenly looked around curiously.

It seemed that sitting down finally made her realize the change in environment.

“Ha! Where is this now? Did we teleport?”

“What are you talking about? Have you ever seen me use teleportation?”

“Then what is this? Did the restaurant get bigger?”

“We moved! Moved! What nonsense are you saying? Get a grip. Stop staring at that ring and look at me. Me.”

“You?”

No, wait. That didn’t come out right. I quickly corrected myself.

“Never mind. Anyway, just pull yourself together.”

“Huh?”

But Rurin’s gaze changed. She took her eyes off the ring and started looking at me. Sitting right next to me, she turned her whole body to stare fixedly at me.

She didn’t even blink.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“What do you think? I’m looking at you.”

“I take back what I said earlier! Sit properly, okay?”

“Got it.”

She faced the table again, but this time rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head to look at me. Ugh, forget it. Just forget it.

“Here’s the menu.”

In the meantime, a waiter brought over the menu. Their customer service was neither overbearing nor lacking—just right. I forced myself to ignore Rurin’s gaze and looked through the menu.

Let’s analyze the problematic pricing.

The price for these noodles is indeed a bit cheaper. A little difference can add up, and for people who eat noodles as a staple, even a small difference feels significant.

Especially with a mine behind the mountain extracting iron for swords, many workers seem to dine here, and for them, cheaper is always better.

The reason the first floor is packed at this hour is because of the mine.

During the war, it was a closed mine, but now it’s the era of peace.

Let’s confirm the taste, for starters.

The menu was more varied than Bissera’s restaurant. It reflected the region’s specialties—Ma’a Noodles, Ma’a Stew, and a full lineup of Ma’a dishes.

“Alright, we’ll have two bowls of noodles, please.”

“Thank you!”

The waiter took the menu.

Staaare—!

And Rurin was still staring at me.

“Rurin, I told you to stop staring.”

“You asked me to look, so I will! Isn’t this the first time you’ve ever asked me to look at you? I’ve always been watching you! Though sometimes secretly! But now, openly being told to look—it’s amazing.”

Oh, really?

With her saying that, I couldn’t really retort. Secretly watching sometimes? That’s kind of cute.

“Alright, then look as much as you want.”

“Got it! Hehe.”

Staaare—!

Rurin’s gaze softened again. It wasn’t glaring, but rather like a gentle breeze lightly caressing me.

“Did you clean the floor?”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Make sure you do it well. Take care of it properly! A dirty restaurant is absolutely unacceptable!”

I overheard a conversation that bothered me, so I looked down to the first floor. A woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, was giving orders to the restaurant staff. Is she the owner?

She’s quick with her cooking.

Soon, another waiter brought the noodles. So, I immediately asked my question.

“Excuse me, is that person on the first floor the owner?”

“She’s the manager. The actual owner, technically speaking, is the manager’s father.”

“Ah, I see. That explains it.”

“Why are you asking about that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought it was impressive that someone so young is managing such a big restaurant.”

“She is impressive. Anyway, enjoy your meal!”

The waiter set the noodles down and walked away. Steam was rising from the bowl, and the smell was almost identical to Bissera’s cooking.

Shall I try it?

“I’m not eating this.”

Rurin sniffed the air, not taking her eyes off me. Then, she scrunched up her face.

“Yeah, you probably don’t want to eat the same thing again after just finishing your bowl.”

“Just watching you makes me feel full.”

The warmth I feel isn’t from the soup, but from her gaze.

Anyway, I made an effort to ignore it and slurped up the noodles.

The noodles are good.

The broth is good.

The cooking is almost indistinguishable from Bissera’s. This place’s noodles are made in larger batches, so they’re a bit less chewy, but it’s not something noticeable enough to affect business.

Shall I taste the broth?

The broth has the same distinctive smell.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm?”

“As expected.”

“As expected?”

“The solution is…”

“The solution?”

“Hey, why are you repeating everything I say?”

“If you’re done, let’s go. I really don’t like that smell.”

Once again, Rurin declared that she disliked the Ma’a bird. However, I refused to leave. Where would I go? I was stuffed after eating two bowls of noodles.

“Go? I can’t move, I’m too full!”

“What? Then I’ll just teleport us back to Lair.”

“No, no, we need to go to Bissera’s restaurant. We haven’t done anything yet, how could we leave?”

“What? Are we not going home today?”

Rurin frowned again, clearly displeased by that idea.

“More than that, I’m too full to move. Oh no, my stomach.”

Rurin suddenly jumped out of her chair, grabbed my arm, and pulled her face closer to mine.

“Isn’t that stomach my pillow? It’s so cute, I haven’t seen it in a while.”

“Huh?”

As I subtly exposed my stomach, an unexpected comment came from her.

“And your lips are cute too. Hehe.”

Rurin still didn’t engage in strong physical contact first, but casually grabbing my arm or touching me was nothing unusual.

However, today, she brought her face closer, giggling, and placed her finger near my lips.

Why her hand?

Soon, Rurin’s finger touched my lips. I had no idea what her intention was.

What is she doing?

“You got this on you! It was cute. But I’ll take it off. It’s a bit funny too. I don’t want other humans laughing at you.”

“Oh, really? What is it?”

The piece Rurin removed was a topping from the noodles.

“Was that all stuck on me? I swear…I don’t want to move, and now this?”

“Hmm. Then…”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll carry you!”

“What?”

Am I hearing things? What did I just hear?

“Really?”

I asked again, and Rurin nodded firmly.

“Really? In that case, I won’t decline. Let’s head back to that little restaurant. No teleportation, right?”

“Hehe, get on my back!”

Rurin turned her back. I got on her back. Even though I’ve been with Rurin for a long time, this is the first time I’ve ever been carried by her.

Her back was warm.

But since Rurin is small, my feet started dragging along the floor—something I’ll keep secret.

When we went down to the first floor, we drew the attention of everyone there, which is no secret either.

“Aren’t I heavy?”

“What do you think of me? You’re as light as a feather.”

“Oh, really? As light as a feather? Well, that’s…”

It’s expected that I feel light to a dragon, but feather light?

“But what’s this? You’re the one who said you’d carry me first?”

“Well, of course.”

“Of course?”

“There’s a reason for it.”

Rurin didn’t answer. This time, I really couldn’t understand what she was thinking.

What could that reason be?