[Side Story] Summer In Greek City (1)

Summer in Greek City is very similar to Korea. The high humidity and intense heat are alike.

In absolute temperature, it’s a bit cooler than a Korean summer, but considering this world has no fans or air conditioning, it feels much harder to endure.

Ironically, the heat makes the restaurant more popular.

Because, no matter what, our beer is cold. Soju too.

“Why is the beer so cold here, unlike other places?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

“That’s because I know a wizard.”

The secret to staying cool in this heat?

It’s magic. If I just say “magic”, no one asks further. Still, with how hot it’s been lately, fewer people are willing to climb the hill.

Can’t be helped. Even the promise of a cold drink doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the strength to get here.

“Master, is there any food that gives energy?”

Even the Greek boy showed up with a tired face, complaining about the heat.

“Everyone in town looks exhausted. The weather feels like a volcano erupted or something.”

“Yeah, no reports of volcanoes nearby, but the weather definitely seems insane.”

“Exactly…”

The ice in the boy’s cup clinked as he replied.

After the boy left grumbling, Mr. Knoll appeared, looking completely dead inside.

“Damn, this weather’s gonna kill me. I swear!”

Not just his face—his dialogue was dead too. But I’m used to his dramatics by now, so I just shrugged.

“You seem pretty alive to me. Death doesn’t look close.”

“It’s just an expression! But seriously, people might actually drop dead climbing this hill. The heat! The slope! Ugh…”

Either way, Mr. Knoll’s topic was the same as the boy’s: the miserable weather.

It was hot. The heat inside the restaurant, compared to the coolness of the lair, felt even more extreme on the skin.

Giving him alcohol in broad daylight would get him in trouble with Mrs. Rayne, so I handed him a cold glass of ice water, just like I did for the boy. He drank it immediately.

Gulp gulp gulp gulp.

Unlike the boy who sipped slowly to cool his mouth and gut, Mr. Knoll downed the entire cup in one go, crunched on the ice, and shoved the empty cup back at me.

“More, more! And hey, if you’ve got beer, that’d be even better!”

“Nope! It’s not even your business hours yet, Mr. Knoll.”

“Damn… I know, I know! But just one drink…? No? Not even one?”

“If you bring me a handwritten note from Mrs. Rayne giving permission, sure.”

“Ugh. Fine, just gimme more water!”

At my words, Mr. Knoll quietly accepted another cup of water and brought it to his mouth. After downing it in one go again, his shoulders drooped and his face crumpled with worry.

He’d had this same expression when he first came in. The water had relaxed his face for a moment, but now he was right back to that look.

“More importantly—Rayne! Rayne’s the problem, I tell you! Rayne!”

“What about her? She impose a drinking ban? Did she do something again?”

Hearing “problem”, I thought maybe she’d done something again, but Mr. Knoll shook his head frantically.

That expression was familiar. I’d seen that desperate look before.

Right—this was just like that time he thought Mrs. Rayne was cheating and lamented like he carried the world’s suffering on his back.

He hadn’t made that face since then—this was the second time.

If Mr. Knoll’s acting like this, something must really be up with Mrs. Rayne.

Though back then, it turned out to be all in his head—this might be the same.

“So what’s going on?”

Still, it might not be baseless panic, and if something is wrong with kind, responsible Mrs. Rayne, that’s bad. So I asked seriously.

Then Mr. Knoll’s hands started trembling.

Yeah, something was definitely wrong.

“Mr. Knoll?”

I stepped out of the kitchen and approached the silent Mr. Knoll. Not just his hands—his back was shaking too.

Why is he this anxious?

Maybe it was because my face got serious too, but finally, Mr. Knoll started explaining in a stammer.

“S-she’s… Rayne’s collapsed! The heat’s gotten to her—she’s lost her appetite and hasn’t eaten anything but water. She’s so weak she can’t even stand up, and I’m scared something really bad’s going to happen…”

Mr. Knoll bit his lip, looking like a wreck.

“That’s not okay!”

Finally, he yelled and jumped to his feet, clutching his head with both hands.

He looked genuinely traumatized.

Normally a boisterous man, but when it comes to Mrs. Rayne, he turns into a lost lamb searching for its mother.

“You’re right, it is hot—but this is serious. She collapsed… Did you have Miss Elena check her?”

Elena and Rayne are actually pretty close.

Even if they weren’t, Elena would never do a half-hearted checkup.

So of course she must’ve been examined. When I asked, Mr. Knoll nodded.

“Yeah… Of course she did. But there’s no illness. Elena said it’s just the heat overwhelming her. She gave her some herbs to help, and even used healing magic, but Rayne’s appetite won’t come back. The weather’s just too much, and she still can’t eat…”

“Ah, her appetite!”

Heat is one of the worst ailments. People can die from it; it happens even in the modern world.

“Yes! Her appetite! Please bring it back, I’m begging you. This is my lifelong request. Please!”

Mr. Knoll raised his clasped hands and bowed his head, desperate.

“You, you’ve worked miracles before!”

With how he clasped his hands and bowed like he was praying, he was clearly sincere. Not that I needed convincing—I would’ve helped anyway.

“Even if it’s not your lifelong request, of course I’ll help. It’s Rayne, after all.”

“R-Really? Then… thank you… But do you actually have a plan?”

Appetite, huh…

In a world where heavy, greasy food like bread and meat are the norm, it’s natural to lose your appetite in the heat, especially if your body’s on the frail side.

So what would be good?

A light pasta?

Mrs. Rayne liked noodle dishes like pasta. Maybe a garlic-heavy version that boosts energy would work?

Or maybe go with cold noodles altogether?

Spicy food helps in the heat, though not too spicy since she’s unwell. Something tangy and refreshing might be better.

In that case, there’s a perfect Korean dish: in this heat, nothing beats cold spicy noodles: bibim-guksu.

This world doesn’t really have the concept of cold food. Hot dishes are the default.

So if I make bibim-guksu, would it be the first cold dish introduced to this world?

“Yes. I’ve got an idea. I’ll cook something and bring it down. Go back and take care of Mrs. Rayne for now.”

“Really? You really have a plan? Really really?”

Mr. Knoll grabbed both my arms, wide-eyed, and kept repeating himself.

So I nodded seriously.

Mr. Knoll shouted “Got it!” and ran down the hill like he was flying.

He’d just been complaining about the heat, but he bolted down like a man on fire. That’s love. They’re a good couple, so of course I’ll help.

Now, time to make the sauce. With bibim-guksu, the sauce is everything.

And the noodles? Buckwheat, of course.

When it comes to cold noodles, buckwheat is king.

Noodles made from nutty buckwheat flour, rinsed in ice water until they’re chewy and springy.

The dough, of course, I’d knead using compression magic. Not by hand or foot, but magic-made noodles.

Toss that with sauce, and it’s bibim-guksu. If I made broth instead, added cucumber, radish, pear, and thinly sliced brisket, it’d become naengmyeon.

But the broth might be a hard sell in this world, so bibim-guksu is the better bet.

The sauce starts with gochujang. Mix in vinegar and sugar just right, add cold ingredients like lettuce, cucumber, ice—it’s not hard to make something that looks and tastes refreshing.

Mix the noodles thoroughly with the sauce, use the melting ice as a lubricant, swirl it up with your chopsticks and slurp it down—perfection!

I started making the sauce and pulled the noodles, but then realized I was short on vegetables.

And I didn’t want to use anything from the storage since our time-stopped pantry needs Rurin to open it, and it’s still morning. No way she’s awake.

Which means… Time to head to the market.

The lair is always pleasant. In summer, it stays cool regardless of the outdoor heat, and in winter, it’s cozy no matter how cold it gets outside.

It maintains a constant temperature because Rurin cast powerful 10th-class magic on it.

She can stop time, so keeping the temperature stable is child’s play for a dragon like Rurin.

Jack-of-all-trades, master of all magics—that’s what dragons are!

To dragons, magic is universal. A solution to all problems.

It’s not the same as an air conditioner’s chill. It’s a natural coolness, like spring flowers drifting in the breeze.

The reason the fluffy Luruns can live comfortably in the lair is all thanks to Rurin’s magic.

So unlike the sweaty citizens of Greek City, our dear Lady Rurin had been enjoying a blissful sleep—until her eyes suddenly snapped open.

“Mnya?”

She let out her signature drowsy mumble and rubbed her eyes.

Her hair stuck out in all directions, but her face looked oddly composed, hardly like someone who just woke up.

Normally, Rurin doesn’t wake up on her own. She stays asleep until El wakes her.

And when El does wake her, it’s his voice that marks the start of her day.

But on rare occasions when El doesn’t wake her and it gets past 2 or 3 p.m., hunger finally forces her to open her eyes.

Even Rurin can’t sleep all day. El knows this, but if left alone, she tends to wake up too late. He usually wakes her by noon.

So if El hasn’t woken her up it means he’s really, really busy.

Realizing she’d woken up alone, Rurin puffed out her cheeks and sluggishly got up from the bed.