22 — Cheese (1)

“It’s been a while.”

A familiar figure entered the sunset-lit restaurant. It was Miltain, the mercenary who had gifted Buldak Bokkeummyun to Mr. Ment.

“It’s been a while.”

I greeted him warmly, but he looked exhausted. There’s only one reason he hasn’t been around for a while: after that day’s gathering, the mercenary group had gone out to protect the caravan.

“You haven’t been around for a while. Are you just returning now?”

“Yes? Yes, that’s right.”

If he had just come back from work, he should be lively, but this man was sighing deeply. Miltain pulled out a bar stool and sat down, looking at me with longing eyes.

“Can you give me that drink from last time? What was it? Soju?”

Cheap and strong, soju fits the bill perfectly. The rare whiskey like The Macallan I gave to the Elder of the Black Dragon isn’t something I can just offer anytime.

“And for snacks?”

“Snacks… anything is fine. I just want to get drunk.”

The young man sighed again as he accepted the bottle of soju.

I don’t know what’s bothering him, but if his goal is to get drunk, not to fill his stomach, clam soup is the best snack. Though it’s a bit of my personal preference.

Spicy soup goes best with soju!

I took out the clams I had stored in the magic refrigerator. I had personally gathered them using magic near the sea. They were perfectly desalinated. However, I don’t know what they’re called here. Since freezing technology isn’t developed, they might not even have a name in inland areas.

Judging by appearance, they are lily family clams. Very similar to vongole clams. The broth tastes similar too, so I think they might be the same kind.

I added some stalk vegetables that provide a refreshing taste to the clam soup. And vegetables from the bean sprout family are essential too.

As it boiled, the aroma made even me crave soju. Clam soup really shows its true value when eaten with soju.

“Here, don’t just drink plain soju, try it with this dish.”

I don’t know his story, but when someone wants to get drunk, it’s probably best to let them. I’m all for it.

“Thank you. Do I just eat it as it is?”

“Yes, mercenary.”

As I nodded, the young man slowly started eating the clam soup with a spoon. Soon, his face brightened, and he spoke.

“Wow! This is good! It’s spicy but not hot… It goes perfectly with this drink. This is exactly the feeling I wanted while drinking. Beer just doesn’t cut it…”

Miltain downed the soju shot as he gulped the broth. It was like a scene from a street food stall. Nostalgic memories came to mind.

“Did you get into some trouble? The earth seems to be collapsing.”

The reason I made the bar table was to interact with customers. If he didn’t want to be bothered, he would have sat at a four-person table. Psychologically speaking.

Moreover, people tend to become honest when drinking soju. They tend to babble unnecessarily.

The young man looked up at me, ate another spoonful of clam soup, drank again, and then hung his head, about to cry.

“The truth is, my Senior, my Senior… got seriously injured because of me. Because of me!”

A senior?

The only person he respectfully calls ‘Senior’ is Mr. Ment. So, that means Mr. Ment got injured.

“Mr. Ment?”

I asked in surprise, and Miltain slowly nodded.

“Yes, he was trying to help me when we encountered a band of robbers…”

The young man trailed off there.

“Did he get stabbed instead? Is Mr. Ment okay? What happened?”

Curious, I pressed for more details. Miltain shook his head and began to speak.

“No, he fell off a cliff and got seriously injured all over his body.”

“All over his body?”

That’s no ordinary matter. Serious injuries all over the body mean life-threatening wounds.

“The doctor said that even if he recovers, he’ll probably limp and will have to retire from mercenary work… But my Senior told me not to worry, that it wasn’t my fault…! I am truly… a pathetic guy. Why did I obstruct his view! Idiot! Just die, die.”

Miltain slapped his cheeks, blaming himself. It was indeed surprising.

“Hmm, I didn’t know that. Mr. Knoll didn’t say anything either…”

“That’s because I just got back today…”

Of course, considering Mr. Ment’s character, it’s not surprising that he got hurt protecting a beloved junior. It’s unfortunate that the injury is severe enough to force retirement, but there’s nothing that can be done now. If he had received help from an elf’s high-level healing magic like Great Healing right after the injury, it might have been different, but it’s too late now.

Healing magic is useless for aftereffects.

Healing magic is mainly effective for external injuries like bleeding and torn flesh. It doesn’t have much effect on internal injuries.

“I see. I should visit him in the hospital. We’re not strangers, after all.”

“Yes… By tomorrow, the news will spread, and people will come from all over. My Senior is that kind of person. If only I had fallen instead! One more bottle! Please, one more bottle!”

Miltain started opening another bottle of soju. He needed to drink. At least to lessen his guilt tonight.

“Yes, drink. Drink. I think it’s best for you to drink.”

I brought him a few more bottles of soju. But after finishing two bottles, Miltain passed out. It seemed his tolerance couldn’t keep up.

It’s not a usual service, but…

I had no choice but to let him sleep on the bed under my room on the second floor. The smell of soju filled the air.

And the next day.

The young man woke up looking like he’d been through hell. It was much later than I usually woke up. He grabbed his head, expressing his hangover with his whole body.

“Where am I…”

“This is the second floor of the restaurant. You got drunk and quietly fell asleep. If your habit is just sleeping when drunk, that’s fortunate.”

If your habit was clinging like our house dragon, it would be very troublesome.

“What is this human guy doing here?”

It’s already noon. I woke Rurin up to feed her. Rurin looked quite displeased seeing Miltain. Why is she annoyed though?

“He drank and fell asleep at the restaurant, so I let him sleep here. Normally, I would have kicked him out before he got drunk, but given the circumstances…”

“A guest? Why is a guest sleeping in my territory? He must have a death wish! And your room, your room is exclusively mine…!”

I pressed my hands against Rurin’s temples and said,

“Why is my room yours?”

“There’s such a thing!”

Rurin grabbed my hands with her own, sending a protesting look.

“When we move to the lair, this place won’t matter anyway, right? So let your territory be downstairs, downstairs.”

I whispered clearly into the dragon’s ear and then turned to speak to Miltain.

“Anyway, it’s already noon, so why don’t you pull yourself together?”

Miltain nodded, frowning deeply, as if his head hurt. There were two Rurins.

“When we move to the lair, you and I should share the same room!”

Rurin lost interest in Miltain immediately and started prancing around, shouting about the future.

Ignoring Rurin, I hurried to prepare for Mr. Ment’s hospital visit.

Since he’s a regular customer, I should visit him.

“Rurin, come here, hold this.”

I can’t go empty-handed, so I prepared something special all morning.

“What is this! It’s stretching!”

“Right?”

“Oh?”

“Hey, how far does it go?”

I wanted to surprise her, but Rurin acted silly. She pulled the heated mozzarella cheese all the way to the restaurant entrance.

Anyway, the food I prepared was pizza.

It’s a very common food on Earth and enjoyed by people worldwide, but it doesn’t exist in this world.

I fired up the oven for the first time in a while.

I took out the dough I had let rise since the morning.

The tomatoes around here taste amazing, so the pizza will undoubtedly be delicious.

An Italian pizza with a tomato base topped only with mozzarella cheese.

And a Korean-style pizza loaded with monton mushrooms, top-grade uka sirloin steak, potatoes, bacon, and all sorts of delicious ingredients.

Rurin lay on the table, playing with the stretchy mozzarella cheese, while I focused on making the pizza.

---

“By the way, why hasn’t Mr. Ment gotten married?”

I asked Miltain, who was guiding me, and he shook his head.

“Well, being a mercenary means you’re rarely home, so it’s not a popular choice for a marriage partner. My Senior doesn’t seem to have any special thoughts on it either. I’ve been dumped by women for the same reason more than once!”

“Really?”

The sorrow of a mercenary. Indeed, a job that keeps you away from home is not popular for marriage. Mr. Knoll and Mrs. Rayne were both mercenaries, though.

When I visited Mr. Ment’s house, Mr. Knoll and Mrs. Rayne were already there. And for some reason, even the elf Elena was there. Rurin was busy with construction. Perhaps because it was her lair, she was working hard despite grumbling. The area under the hill was almost fully excavated. Only the finishing touches remained.

“Hello. How did you all end up gathering here?”

Mr. Ment had bandages on his leg. He was sitting up in bed.

“Oh, El, you’re here?”

Mr. Knoll, who was sticking close to Mr. Ment, glanced at me and greeted me in passing.

“Mr. El, you’re here?”

Mrs. Rayne clasped her hands and approached me with a delighted expression.

“Ah, Mr. El!”

Elena stammered with a peculiar reaction.

“To such a humble place…”

Finally, Mr. Ment nodded his head.

Different reactions.

“Senior!”

Miltain, about to cry, ran to Mr. Ment and almost hugged him.

“Get off, you fool! I told you not to worry about me and just do your job.”

The two started bickering.

Mrs. Rayne was the one who approached me. Thinking it was a good opportunity, I whispered cautiously so Mr. Ment wouldn’t hear.

“Is it true that he might limp for the rest of his life?”

“Yes, unfortunately… I asked Ms. Elena to come just in case, but she said it’s too late.”

Elena subtly approached and peeked over. Her long ears aren’t just for show. She must have overheard our conversation because she stood behind Mrs. Rayne and whispered.

“That’s right. It’s already too late. I heard it’s been several days since the injury. The external wounds have healed, but the nerve tissue has already been compressed and fused, so there’s nothing I can do… I’m sorry. If I had been there at the time, it might have been different, but…”

“There’s no need for you to apologize, Ms. Elena.”

I looked at Elena. Our eyes met directly. When they did, she turned her head and hid behind Mrs. Rayne.

What’s this?

“Right. Mr. El, thanks to you, my thoughts have changed a lot!”

Elena’s voice came from behind Mrs. Rayne. Seeing that, Mrs. Rayne gave a strange smile.

“Pardon?”

“Oh, it’s nothing!”

One had a strange smile, and the other was waving her arms. What’s going on?

Leaving the two odd people behind, I approached Mr. Ment.

“You’ve been through a lot. Please recover quickly and visit the restaurant. Without you, Mr. Ment, our sales are down.”

“Oh, yes, yes! That’s right? I should go. Absolutely.”

This person also had a strange reaction. Mr. Ment looked at me with a peculiar gaze. Why the strange look? Why is everyone acting so weird today?

“Right, let’s go have some soju!”

Mr. Knoll clapped my back.

Thank goodness. Everyone was being weird, but Mr. Knoll was fine.