Sword Lord (2)
Sword Lord (2)
We followed the Sword Mistress jollae-jollae (trotting along). As we followed the Sword Mistress out of the hotel, a limousine with a black glossy finish came into view.
In front of the car was a man in a black suit wearing sunglasses. As the Sword Mistress approached, the man bowed politely and opened the back door. When the man greeted us too, we received the greeting, feeling a bit bewildered.
Entering the car, I saw it had a face-to-face seating structure. As I went inside, I could feel the Sword Mistress looking at me with a faint smile. Lee Ji-ah sat next to me, and Kim Harin sat opposite Lee Ji-ah.
The seats were plush. The feeling of sitting there was comfortable too. So that's why the car is expensive.
"I've never ridden in a limousine before~"
Lee Ji-ah looked around excitedly. Then, she looked at Nam Da-yoon and checked the mood.
"Um, may I take a picture?"
"Yes. Feel free to take as many as you like."
With Nam Da-yoon's permission, Lee Ji-ah excitedly started taking pictures of this and that. I felt thirsty for no reason, so I picked up a water bottle next to me.
"Are you thirsty?"
"Yes."
"There are drinks too, do you want one?"
"Do you have Zero Coke?"
Nam Da-yoon paused.
"Zero Coke...?"
"Yes, don't you have any?"
I smacked my lips at Nam Da-yoon's reaction. Zero Coke is one of the drinks I enjoy, so to think it wasn't there. It's a drink I like for its crispness. Well, it's more niche than regular Coke, so it's natural, but...
"No, we have it. Of course we do. It's a drink Siwoo liked."
"Is that so?"
Nam Siwoo, was it? To like Zero Coke, he was a guy with some pretty likable traits.
Anyway, while she was using polite speech with others, she was switching back and forth between polite and casual speech with me. Since she's older than my past life's age, it wasn't particularly uncomfortable, but...
It seemed like she was projecting her long-lost younger brother onto me. It might be an uncomfortable thing for some people. But as far as I'm concerned.
'It's a sweet deal.'
Honestly, it is a bit unpleasant, but is having the Sword Mistress as a connection something ordinary? She's confirmed to be the next High Rank hero, and she's a beauty, and well, she's a beauty.
She opened a can of Zero Coke from the refrigerator installed in the car and handed it to me. Chi-ik, a pleasant sound rang out inside the car. I asked as I took the Zero Coke from her.
"By the way, where are we going?"
Lee Ji-ah, who had been taking pictures for a while, asked Nam Da-yoon.
"We are currently heading to Cheongsikdang."
I could feel Lee Ji-ah and Kim Harin being surprised at the mention of Cheongsikdang. I was surprised too. Cheongsikdang was extremely famous.
In this world, as magic engineering developed, various fields emerged, and there was magic that enhanced flavor using magic.
A.k.a. Taste Magic.
In the game, players were interested in it because you could get all sorts of buffs just by the act of eating, but since it was tricky to learn and the efficiency wasn't great, it was a magic everyone gave up on.
As I thought that far, I remembered that when all the characters in the game tasted food infused with Taste Magic, they all praised it highly.
And the person who runs Cheongsikdang is someone specialized in cooking, even among unique traits. They are a person who evoked praise for moving the world with just food.
I remember the name was Lee Jang-geum. As you can tell from the name, she was a character modeled after the famous Dae Jang-geum, known for her cooking.
Another name for Cheongsikdang is the restaurant with the taste of heaven. Even in the game, it was a place hard to set foot in even after gaining a certain level of status.
"A-are we going to Cheongsikdang? The one that has the taste of heaven?"
"Yes."
Nam Da-yoon said briefly to Lee Ji-ah's question.
"But can we just go there? I heard you have to contact them at least a month in advance to make a reservation and get a seat..."
I said, recalling knowledge from the game. To my question, Nam Da-yoon smiled and said.
"Jang-geum and I... no, I am friends with her."
"Really? That's amazing."
She was putting on a stern expression, but the corners of her mouth were twitching. Anyone could see she was dying of happiness at my compliment.
"Come to think of it, you've been using polite speech the whole time, please speak comfortably."
"W-would that be okay?"
"Yes, we're more comfortable with that."
Nam Da-yoon paused at my words.
"Like 'Siwoo-ya', or 'Siwoo's younger brother' is fine too."
Come to think of it, 'Siwoo's younger brother' felt a bit awkward. So let's compromise on 'Siwoo-ya'. Thinking that, I spoke to Nam Da-yoon.
"Try saying 'Siwoo-ya'."
"S-Siwoo-ya."
At my words, Nam Da-yoon shyly called my name softly.
"Yes. Please take care of me, Noona."
"Noona...?"
Nam Da-yoon paused at my words.
Oops. Was that too rude? I was just about to correct myself.
"Noona... huh. That's nice."
She seemed to like the nuance quite a bit, nodding and smiling as she muttered.
Actually, calling someone 'Noona' or 'younger sibling' is no big deal, but if the subject is someone who finds it hard to form human relationships, the story changes.
Beside me, Lee Ji-ah was going "Daebak," and Kim Harin looked at me with a surprised expression.
Nam Da-yoon pulled out her phone and handed it to me.
"Can you put your number in too?"
"My number?"
"Don't tell me you were planning to act like a stranger after going this far, Siwoo?"
No way. I shook my head vigorously at her words.
The reason I paused was because of the discrepancy between the her I knew and how she was acting now.
Watching her, I thought of the Nam Da-yoon in the game. She always had a cold expression, hunting villains. Nam Da-yoon was someone who drew lines in human relationships with polite speech. An existence whose conquest route wasn't open to the two heroes.
Perhaps this is Nam Da-yoon's true personality.
I recalled Nam Da-yoon's unique trait. Unique trait: Sword Control. It was a trait that allowed her to manipulate swords at will. Her trait was something I needed.
'Actually, I wasn't even expecting it.'
Perhaps her conquest might be much easier than I thought.
We arrived at the restaurant. On the main gate, "Cheongsikdang" was written in Chinese characters, and the handwriting was so excellent it could put Han Seok-bong to shame.
A man wearing a warrior's outfit that you'd only see in historical dramas blocked us.
"Do you have a reservation?"
"Yes. I made a reservation for Nam Da-yoon and 3 others."
Nam Da-yoon said, stepping in front of the group. The man's eyes widened for a moment upon seeing Nam Da-yoon's face, then returned to normal. He turned on a tablet for a moment and checked something.
"Yes. Nam Da-yoon and 3 companions. Confirmed."
As the man smiled and cleared the way, we went inside.
"The atmosphere is no joke~"
"Tell me about it."
Lee Ji-ah muttered in admiration. I nodded in agreement. Cheongsikdang was built like an old palace. Traditional Korean instruments like the gayageum or geomungo were playing, and every single wooden decoration was antique.
"I will guide you."
We were guided by a woman in a hanbok and went inside.
Glancing around, I saw famous celebrities, actors, politicians, and heroes. It wasn't just me observing them, as I could feel intense gazes from around us. Roughly speaking, feelings of surprise.
At the same time, there was a figure approaching us from afar.
"May I have a moment of your time?"
A Westerner wearing a white suit, with golden semi-curly hair and an impressive, greasy gaze, greeted us. No, to be precise, he greeted Nam Da-yoon while looking at her.
"It's the Hero of the Middle Assault, Christian."
"Is that guy the younger brother of the Knight of the Sun?"
I heard murmurs.
Knight of the Sun.
Gawain, a member of the Knights of the Round Table, created through strict selection in England.
Christian is a Hero of the Middle Assault, called the real deal even among heroes. And he is the younger brother of a High Rank hero, of which there are not even 1,000 in the world.
In other words, he tries to hit on Nam Da-yoon with a confident expression, possessing the three-beat combo of an excellent background, handsome looks, and outstanding ability, but.
"It's good that you know it's rude. Please don't be rude from next time."
Nam Da-yoon ignored him and walked on.
A woman who looks at men like stones and burns with revenge against villains. That was the Sword Mistress. She had no interest in men, which was also the reason why I had given up on obtaining her unique trait.
"So cool..."
Lee Ji-ah muttered softly.
I don't know what's cool about it. Maybe it's because she possesses such outstanding ability that she doesn't care about the other person's background or ability.
Anyway, we went inside. I looked at the menu. The menu had course meals written on it. There were mountain vegetable courses with pumpkin or herbs, and regular Korean courses; there were so many options that I was agonizing over what to eat.
Having sweated from training before coming here, I wanted to eat a meat dish with a large portion, but that dish was too expensive, so I hesitated. Why does a course meal cost 1 million won each?
"What would you like to order?"
"The usual."
While I was agonizing, Nam Da-yoon ordered elegantly.
"I'll have the same as Nam Da-yoon-nim."
Kim Harin made the wisest choice. At Kim Harin's words, Lee Ji-ah also said.
"I'll have the same thing, please."
With this, everyone except me chose the same menu. For some reason, the atmosphere felt like I had to order the same thing too. Well, I'm at a restaurant, so what does quantity matter? Taste is what's important.
I was just about to order the same thing.
"Siwoo, how about this?"
Nam Da-yoon said, pointing at the menu for me. She recommended the course I wanted to eat the most. A whopping 1 million won course meal.
No matter how shameless I am, I don't think one should spend that much on a single meal.
"No, this is too expensive..."
"It's fine. I'm buying it for my younger brother, so what's the problem."
She said with a slight smile. Refusing when she's gone this far would be more rude to her.
"Then, I'll eat well."
"Okay. Three of these courses and one meat feast course, please."
"Yes, understood."
The waiter in a hanbok bowed politely and retreated.