Dragons And Robbers (1)

There is always crime occurring in the city. Especially in Greek City, there was one big problem.

The lord of the neighboring city, who caused a huge problem, failed to clean his mess up and got caught.

Although the authorities kept changing, none could properly manage it, and recently it has been almost neglected.

Due to the neighboring territory being so devastated, Greek City has been suffering from a steady influx of bad elements.

“How about there?”

“No, that’s too busy an area. The soldiers will come quickly. Think, think!”

Milun and Voil were currently scouting a store to rob. Having come from the neighboring city, they were very pleased with the peaceful appearance of Greek City.

In that city, due to the worsening security, there were very few stores or restaurants open.

Doing business meant getting robbed, so who would run a business there?

But Greek City was the exact opposite.

A very bustling and livable city.

Shops are lined up everywhere. Business seems to be going well. So it’s perfect for a big score.

The only problem is the good security, so Milun was trying to find a place where the soldiers would be slow to respond.

“But we’ll be killed if we don’t pay by today, Milun! We have to get money somehow!”

“Yeah, that’s why we’re doing this. So be quiet.”

They belonged to a bad organization called Grone in the neighboring city. Voil lost the tribute money they had to pay to the boss, so they had no choice but to come to Greek City to get money.

“We’re going to run away after taking the day’s earnings anyway, so let’s find a store that does good business but is in a quiet area. Yeah, it’s better to ask.”

“What? What if we get caught?”

Voil questioned Milun’s suggestion. Milun sighed and continued.

“You idiot. Just ask if there’s a quiet, good restaurant around, you fool. And we’re going to run away right after taking the money, so what does it matter?”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”

Voil scratched the back of his head with a dumbfounded look.

Anyway, Milun thought that if Voil didn’t have the advantage of being strong, it wouldn’t be worth hanging out with him.

“I’ll follow your lead. I’m strong but not very smart.”

“Who’s arguing? If you hadn’t stupidly lost the tribute money, we wouldn’t be here doing this, damn it.”

“I’m sorry…”

Voil trailed off. Milun sighed again at that sight.

Milun and Voil were both orphans. Since childhood, they had been taken in by a pickpocket organization in the neighboring city. As orphans, they had no choice but to join the pickpockets to survive.

That was the only way for abandoned orphans to survive there.

Anyway, having spent many years together, Milun couldn’t abandon Voil. Thinking this, Milun entered a nearby general store with Voil.

“Excuse me, we’re looking for a good restaurant. Is there a place around here that’s a bit quiet and has good food?”

“Oh, you’re from out of town?”

“Yes.”

The owner of this general store was close to Rayne. So naturally, the place she recommended was already decided.

“Yes, there is a place famous for its good food. It’s a bit quiet, so it meets your criteria. If you go north, you’ll find a road going up a hill. Follow it, and you’ll find a restaurant.”

“Oh, really? Thank you!”

Milun thought he had gotten good information, nodded repeatedly, and left the store. A restaurant on a hill. Such good conditions made him grin ear to ear.

A well-doing restaurant in a remote area. A good restaurant means good sales.

Better than this fly-ridden general store.

Milun thought it through and made a decision.

“Hey, Voil, let’s scout it. We’ll hit it late at night, when business is done. We need to check out the restaurant and the escape route first.”

“Oh, got it.”

Voil nodded vigorously at Milun’s words. And the two headed up to the restaurant.

Sizzle!

The smell of grilling meat spread everywhere. El was grilling uka tenderloin on a hot plate. The top-grade uka tenderloin, freshly brought from the ranch, was deliciously cooking on the grill.

The tenderloin was thickly sliced, bled out, seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices, and then aged for a while.

The reason for grilling the tenderloin thick is to keep the inside rare, that is, to keep the inside red while making the outside crispy.

“Ah, that sound is nice.”

El murmured to himself, entranced by the sound of the meat cooking. Grilling tenderloin is always right. Because it’s uka tenderloin.

Then El finely chopped garlic, onions, and scallions and sautéed them in a pot. Especially the onions, which he sautéed until they were slightly brown.

This spreads the aroma. The smell of the vegetables sautéing in the oil.

Sometimes, this aroma stimulates people’s appetites more than the smell of grilling meat.

Then El added soy sauce, liquor, oligosaccharides, and other secret seasonings and sautéed them vigorously with the vegetables.

He also grated radish. To combine the grated radish with the tenderloin.

The dish El was making was a steak, yet not a steak.

A steak bowl.

Sniff, sniff.

Rurin crawled into the kitchen, sniffing the air because of the good smell.

“Sniff! Nice!”

Next to her, Sereina also inhaled the steak smell and exclaimed the same thing.

“What are you doing here? Get out. The red one shouldn’t be in here.”

“Why are you making a fuss? The owner isn’t saying anything!”

“I’m also the owner here. What did you say? Oh! Yes, I’m the mistress, the mistress.”

Rurin confidently asserted herself as the mistress and put her hands on her hips. Sereina started to sneer.

“Mistress? A mistress who does nothing, sleeps all day, and isn’t helpful to the store?”

“You! Can’t you kick out the red one?”

“She came with Ms. Elena, so what can you do?”

“The elf is fine, but the red one, ugh!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, both of you get out. The kitchen is for cooking. You dragons.”

El chased both Sereina and Rurin out of the kitchen. They were a huge disturbance.

Finally, the two dragons sat at the bar table and started grumbling.

Elena looked at the dragons with a troubled expression but continued to eat her salad quietly while sneaking glances at El.

A plate of salad after the clinic. And side glances.

This was the greatest luxury given to Elena.

“Anyway, I’ll prepare yours soon, so be patient. I have a lot to do for other reserved guests, so it’ll take a bit longer.”

“Hello, Master!”

Speak of the devil, the reserved guest walked into the restaurant.

It was the Greek boy and Verna.

“You’re here?”

“Yes, Mr. El! It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

Verna bowed her head to El. She considered El her perfect benefactor and had seen his magic that day, so she always behaved very politely when they met.

“Mother, the food at the Lord’s castle is good, but eating Master’s food with you is the happiest thing.”

“Oh my, I agree about the taste. I’m looking forward to it today as well. And the dessert too!”

Verna smiled slightly as she expressed her wishes. Praising him in front of people made El feel a bit odd. Compliments were nice but a little embarrassing.

“Anyway, have a seat. The food is almost ready.”

“Understood, Master.”

“Oh, Ms. Elena is here too.”

Greek recognized Elena and nodded. Elena also nodded in return. She often went to the Lord’s castle for medical treatment, so she was well-acquainted with both Greek and Verna.

“Give me food!”

“Yeah, give me food. I paid the same, so why is mine later than Elena’s?”

“I didn’t pay, but give me food!”

And in front of them, the noisy duo was tapping their forks. El shook his head and concentrated on finishing the cooking.

He sliced the grilled tenderloin thinly, like slicing a steak. Of course, it was slightly thicker than that. This way, it’s cooked rare, with the inside bright red and the outside brown, creating a very appetizing two-tone color.

Then he placed half of the vegetables he had sautéed with the secret seasoning on top of rice and the other half on bread, then topped them with the sliced steak.

On top of that, he sprinkled stem vegetables and grated radish. The steak bowl and bread were complete. The red shining meat was a wonderful dish that stimulated the appetite.

“Here, four plates.”

El first served the food to the real guests, Greek and Verna, and then brought the food to Rurin and Sereina.

“Oh, it’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and it goes so well with this seasoning!”

With Greek’s exclamation, everyone nodded in agreement. After a while, the meal ended, and Greek approached El.

“Master, I have something to discuss. It’s related to the neighboring city, so I’d rather not do it in front of Mother.”

“Oh, then let’s step outside.”

The neighboring city was closely related to Verna, so Greek’s thought was correct. El thought so, served the remaining people dessert, and went outside with Greek, walking towards the ranch.

The soldiers moved quickly to light the way. They looked more like attendants holding lanterns than guards. In fact, there was no need for soldiers with El around, but Greek had no choice but to bring them along. It was their job, after all.

“Let the two guarding the restaurant go inside and have a meal.”

“Oh, yes, understood.”

Greek told the soldiers guarding Verna and then went up towards the ranch with El.

“Master, the situation in the neighboring city seems to be getting worse.”

“How bad is it?”

El, who had been dealing with the Red Dragon issue and dimensional travel, asked as he didn’t know the detailed situation. Greek shook his head with a troubled expression.

“It’s becoming a lawless world, almost like an anarchic state. It’s a target for crime itself. The appointed authorities keep coming and going without doing anything, and a new lord who was granted the territory doesn’t care at all. Being a central noble, he just takes the taxes and neglects the city, making the situation worse day by day. What should we do? I can’t say I have no responsibility.”

“Responsibility? There’s no such thing. This is the work of that lord.”

“But it’s where my mother was born and raised. Recently, whenever that place is mentioned, her face darkens, and it’s heartbreaking. Master, isn’t there any good way?”

At Greek’s question, El thought it might be necessary to visit that neighborhood once.

Come to think of it, there was a treasure in Greek Forest that the Greek family should rightfully possess. If they had that treasure, it might be enough to solve the problem.

They could drive out the current lord and expand Greek to that area. There were many ways.

“I’ll think about it a bit and get back to you.”

“Master, thank you. I still feel very inadequate.”

Greek shook his head, blaming his incompetence. But the current situation wasn’t caused by Greek’s incompetence.

El thought so and patted the boy’s back.