209 – Journey to the North – 2 –

The food in the north was generally tasteless.

The harsh cold of the north meant that the people there prioritized nutrition over flavor in their food, which was why it was so bland.

Greasy.

Strong-tasting.

Salty.

James loved everything about the north, except for its cuisine.

Early one morning, James went down to the kitchen, deep in thought about what to make for breakfast for the two guests staying at the inn.

He had no idea what kind of food they would like.

They were rather unpleasant people, but they were still guests. They might have seemed crazy and eccentric, but they also looked like nobles and had given him a lot of money.

So, from early morning, he put on an apron and went to the kitchen.

“Hmm…”

James wanted to make an exceptional dish for the guest who had come to the North after a long time.

“Guest from the North, what brings you here?”

“Well, I… No, I was just curious about the North.”

“Yes?”

“I wanted to see the culture and food of the Northerners for myself.”

“That’s a great reason to visit.”

Since he had been paid, it was only right to serve him a proper meal. On top of that, James’s love for the North made him want to treat the young man who had come to the North for such a wonderful reason to a fantastic dish. His mind wouldn’t stop pondering.

“…I guess it’s time to put in some effort.”

James rolled up his sleeves and put on a serious expression, but James, a native of the North, still couldn’t decide what to make.

To be honest, James hated Northern food.

He was confident in his cooking skills, but he couldn’t help but feel insecure about the basics. James set his jaw and focused on making breakfast.

Two hours later.

James tasted the stew he had simmered in a large pot and shook his head.

“…It’s bland.”

The thick broth that coated his mouth felt even blander than usual to James. The Northerners would have been overjoyed, but he had a bad feeling that it wouldn’t suit his guests’ palates.

James, who lacked confidence, began to hear a loud roar in his ears.

-Air raid… warning!!!!!!

James’s shoulders twitched at the strange sound coming from the second floor, and he looked up.

“What the heck?”

-Air raid warning!!!!

James shook his head as he held an empty frying pan in one hand.

It seemed like the monsters had awakened.

With trembling hands, James hurriedly set the table as he waited for the guests to come down. And soon enough, he could see the faces of the guests coming down, stretching.

“Haah…”

The first to come down was a man with fiery red hair. His name was Ricardo, wasn’t it? He had told James to call him comfortably, but it was difficult for James to do so after seeing a suspicious amount of money in his pocket yesterday.

Ricardo nodded slightly as he looked at James.

“You’re up.”

“As the innkeeper, I can’t afford to sleep much. Hehe… Good morning.”

“Yes, good morning.”

“Was the room not cold? I tried to make it as warm as possible.”

“Yes, you heated it so well that it was rather hot. Haha.”

Ricardo smiled as he looked at the food on the table. James gulped as Ricardo approached the table with a slight smile, seemingly satisfied with the menu.

“You’ve prepared breakfast. It must have been a hassle, but thank you.”

“Oh, no. It’s not. I received a lot of money, so it wouldn’t be right to just let you sleep.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Even while they were talking, the young man kept sneaking glances at the food on the table.

Once at the lamb prepared as the main menu.

Twice at the soup prepared as a side.

Three times at the baguette that would fill his stomach, blinking his eyes slightly and smiling with an unfathomable expression.

“Hmm… Is this a northern breakfast?”

James swallowed his saliva and replied,

“No… I usually eat lightly in the morning, like bread or beef jerky…”

“Then this must feel like dinner or a banquet on a special day.”

“If you insist on putting it that way… Is there a problem?”

“No. I was just curious.”

The young man shrugged and headed towards the stairs to the second floor. He stopped, tilted his head slightly, and spoke to James.

“Can I cook starting tomorrow morning?”

“…”

“Oh, I don’t mean anything by it. I thought it might be too much trouble. I didn’t mean to be misunderstood.”

“Oh, you don’t have to…”

“I’ll pay for the use of the kitchen separately. I’ll make sure to stay out of the way when there are other guests.”

“Is there a problem? It might not look like much, but it tastes good.”

“There’s really no reason. The young lady likes the food I make…”

“Then what…”

James looked at the spot where the young man had disappeared and clenched his fists. It felt like his northern food was being looked down upon.

It wasn’t outright contempt, but there was a sense of hesitation.

As a northerner, he felt he had to protect his pride.

Even though he personally disliked northern food.

*

I led the young lady to the first floor and sat her down in front of the lavishly prepared table, pinching her cheeks.

“Miss.”

“Hmm…”

“Wake up. You need to eat breakfast.”

“Ugh… Breakfast…”

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the lady shook her head groggily and stared blankly at the food in front of her.

A stew with braised lamb.

A soup with finely chopped broccoli topped with pine nuts.

A lavish breakfast spread that included even freshly baked baguettes. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at it.

“Meat?”

“Yes, it’s meat.”

“Ricardo made this?”

“No. The innkeeper made it. You should thank her.”

The lady looked at James, who was standing awkwardly in front of the table, and bowed her head.

“Thank you.”

“You should say, ‘Thank you very much.'”

“Thank you very much.”

As expected, the lady had good manners.

I smiled faintly and added some marinated lamb to her plate.

“I’ll eat well.”

“I’ll eat well.”

The young lady watched me.

She held a fork as if asking for permission to eat and looked at me steadily. I nodded, placed a cushion on her lap, and smiled.

“Please eat first.”

“Yes.”

I looked at James, who was standing next to me with his hands clasped together politely, and pointed to the empty chair.

“Mr. James, please sit down and eat with us. There’s too much food for two people.”

“It’s not that much!”

“You said you were on a diet.”

“…That’s right.”

James sat down reluctantly at my urging and started grabbing forks.

And then.

I could hear the cold answer of the young lady, who became colder than anyone else on the subject of food.

“It’s tasteless.”

The young lady said bluntly, sticking a fork into the meat on the plate.

“This meat is tasteless.”

Like a villainess, the young lady stood in front of the chef and spat out cold words without any consideration. She was talking in a loud voice that James could hear, saying that the food was tasteless and asking how the meat could be tasteless if it was cooked properly.

“It smells so gamey.”

“…Cough.”

“It’s so tough.”

“…Ugh.”

“Ugh.”

“…”

“It’s too sweet.”

James’ complexion turned pale as he listened to the cold words coming from the young lady’s mouth. I’ve heard the young lady say harsh things many times before, so I could empathize with his feelings…

But what can we do?

It’s not as tasty as my first dish.

I looked at the empty plate with a forced smile. I knew it wouldn’t be tasty from the smell coming from the kitchen.

After emptying the plate, I lowered my head to look at the young lady’s sullen expression and said to James,

“I apologize. Our young lady has a rather picky palate… Young lady, you should apologize.”

“Why! I can’t say it’s tasty when it’s not! I’ll get indigestion!”

“Even if it’s not tasty, it’s not polite to say that in front of the person who made you breakfast.”

“Ugh… I’m sorry. But it really wasn’t tasty.”

James remained silent, staring down at the table. James, who was tightly gripping his fork and knife, seemed to be quite hurt by the young lady’s honest words.

I carefully spoke to James while wiping my lips with a napkin.

“I’ll cook lunch from now on.”

-Bam!

James slammed his fist on the table and shouted in a loud voice.

“If you’re so good, then do it!”

“Yes.”

“What?”

James tilted his head with a disapproving expression at my blunt answer, which I uttered without a shred of hesitation.

I faced James, smiled faintly, and said,

“I’m quite skilled at cooking.”

I, who am fairly talented at cooking, made eye contact with James and smiled gently.

[James Lv. 55]

Occupation: Innkeeper/Retired Adventurer

Favorability: -10

Favorite Conversation Topics: Our lovely daughter/Compliments about the inn/Compliments about the food he makes/The North/Alcohol/Delicious food

Disliked Conversation Topics: Insults against the North/Northern food/Bland dishes/Monsters/Lunatics/Truth

I thought I could sufficiently satisfy James because I knew what he wanted.

I rolled up my sleeves and headed towards the kitchen. Since I had plenty of time, I planned to cook a dish that would take quite a while, and I told James, who was staring blankly at me,

“Do you like soups?”

“…”

“Would you like to follow me?”

James followed me, and I said,

“If you simmer pork bones like this with…”

He was impressed by my skillful knife work, which I had honed while working part-time, and he remained silent.

After taking a bite of the dish I had prepared, James looked at me with eyes filled with emotion and said,

“What is the name of this dish…?”

“It’s dwaeji gukbap (pork bone soup with rice).”

“…”

James tightly held my hand and said.

“Do you have any intention of dating my daughter…?”

As expected, the rumors weren’t wrong.

*

A cold wind blows.

A bone-chilling cold wind was blowing from the north.

Somewhere in the north.

The remnants of the pagans were chanting strange spells while surrounding a giant magic circle. Though it was difficult to hear the details, one thing was certain: the giant demon in the center of the magic circle was writhing in agony.

One of the remnants of the pagans opened his mouth slightly with a sinister smile.

“Shall we begin the sermon?”

The moment the man finished speaking.

The demon inside the magic circle began to transform into a horrifying figure.