Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Suspicious Meat Shop
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3 PM.
It was an awkward time to open a restaurant here. Most folks wandering the market at this hour were jobless adventurers kicking empty cans around.
'They even avoided the taverns on purpose for the reservation.'
Adventurers, with time and money on their hands, naturally gravitated toward bars and brothels. Drunks were camped out 24/7 everywhere, so to enjoy some quiet time, you had to steer clear of those joints.
The place I'd picked was a butcher shop tucked away in a quiet corner.
Kline-Remil Meat House.
Kline was the owner's name. No booze on the menu, just thick cuts of meat. Perfect spot to bring Bori for a meal.
I'd burned three silver coins to rent out the whole damn shop for one meal. No sane adventurer came to this town just to chase gourmet food, so nobody griped about the buyout. And since it was just one sitting, the owner happily agreed.
"You inside?"
- ding-a-ling.
I pushed open the door and stepped in.
"Huh?"
But the bald guy who'd taken my reservation—the one called Kline—was nowhere to be seen.
- rustle.
Behind the counter sat a woman with a yellow bob cut and red eyes, idly flipping through a newspaper. She looked bored out of her mind, sighing heavily over and over.
Did she miss the bell, or did she not expect customers at this hour? Even as I walked in, she kept up the weary sighs.
"Haa..."
Her face screamed I don't wanna work. It was so blatant that even I, the customer, started getting annoyed.
"Hey. Can't you see a customer just walked in?"
"Sigh. Yeah, yeah..."
- flip!
She roughly folded the paper, tossed it aside without a glance my way, and turned to fix her hair. Then, dripping with irritation, she said,
"No idea why you'd come to this place, but I'm not in the mood to entertain you. Just eat your damn food quietly and—"
"What the hell kinda bullshit is that?"
"...What? W-wait. You."
- whip!
She spun around sharply.
Her red eyes went wide like a startled rabbit, perfectly capturing her shock, relief, and utter confusion—like she'd seen something inexplicable.
"You're a girl?"
"Last I checked."
"No, I mean—"
"What about me?"
The woman fumbled for words, closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh. When it finally ended, her voice softened a bit.
"...Sorry for the misunderstanding. I thought my dad was selling me off. He said you were an important customer and told me to handle you alone. With all the shady connections around here..."
"Not interested in you. And what kinda dad sells his daughter for three silvers?"
"Ah, right. Whatever."
"Anyway, the bald guy confirmed it, yeah? Pets allowed?"
"Oh, yeah. Dad did say a big wolf was coming... Wait. You mean a literal wolf—"
I grinned and shouted,
"Heeere, Bori! Come on in!"
The second permission was granted, I called for Bori. He'd been waiting patiently outside and started squeezing through the door at my command.
The way his fluffy fur bunched up as he wriggled in was hilarious and adorable. It even made me chuckle.
"Keng!"
"Uh..."
Once inside, Bori shook out his crumpled fur. A puff of gray fluff flew off, landing right on the yellow-haired woman's shoulder.
Her mouth hung open as she pointed a trembling finger at him.
"D-Dad didn't say it was this big..."
"No take-backs. You have any idea how much hassle it was reserving this place?"
She flexed and unflexed her finger, her eyes twitching like she was having spasms. No fear in her gaze, just pure panic. And that merchant vibe—she was clearly calculating.
How the hell do I feed this thing?
That was her look.
"W-wait a sec. Let me grab the menu."
The air carried that distinctive meaty tang—unpleasant to some, appetite-whetting to others. An ambiguous scent teasing my nose.
I fell into the former camp. Never been big on meat. Hard to digest, maybe. Even after my body got a total overhaul, that part stuck. Still, I ate it when I could. Protein was essential for staying active.
And hey, three silvers bought quality.
'Places with no flavor and tiny portions are rare as hell. Mmm.'
- sizzle...
Petting Bori, I glanced toward the kitchen and spotted the woman sweating bullets.
She'd introduced herself as Remilia.
I hadn't noticed at first with her half-assed service, but she was tall. Easily over 170 cm. Proportioned nicely too. Breasts... twice mine, at least.
Judging her figure, a bit lacking in shape, but damn, what a waste for a backwater joint. That dandelion-yellow bob and ruby-shine eyes were standout.
'No wonder she got suspicious when I booked the place so eagerly.'
I got it.
This town crawled with uneducated pervs.
"Here ya go—your honey ham!"
And out came the first dish.
Honey ham.
A massive hunk of meat slashed deep, slathered in honey, and oven-roasted to perfection. The textbook glazed ham specimen.
"Heh heh heh..."
Finally, a proper meal at a real restaurant.
I sliced off a big chunk with the knife, revealing the juicy pink flesh inside.
Made the reservation worth it. No interruptions, no shitty bald-ass adventurers leering. I'd hear two catcalls per visit just eating normally.
"This glorious first bite goes to Bori!"
I speared it with a fork and offered it to him.
"Keng!"
Bori chomped it eagerly, juices bursting everywhere. Table got messy, but who cares? Just me. One wiped table later, Remilia'd probably appreciate it.
"Good, right?"
"Keng."
Who you sticking that snooty nose at?
Greedy boy.
I read Bori's vibe and cut myself a tiny piece. My share. Laughably small compared to the portion, but fair with Bori's appetite in mind.
Plated my honey ham separate, shoved the rest to Bori.
I was beaming proudly at his ravenous feast when—
"...What the hell are you doing?"
Remilia arrived with the next dish, face twisted in disbelief.
I answered calmly.
"Feeding Bori."
Her expression crumpled.
"D-does that mean our food's worse than dog chow?!"
"Nah, didn't the bald guy say anything?"
"My dad's name is Kline, not Baldy!"
Face flushing, Remilia realized she'd lost it and simmered down.
"Dad just said a wolf was coming and to treat it nice. Didn't know it was a real one..."
"He nailed it. I'm here to feed Bori proper grub."
"Haa..."
She sighed, face screaming where do I even start?
I pouted, feeling unfairly accused. Was feeding your pet human food that weird? Not freak-show level, surely.
Remilia eyed the massive Bori, licked her lips, tightened her apron, and declared,
"Fine. You two... no, one person and one beast. You're all customers, so I'll treat you right. I'll bring every ordered dish at once. It's all going to that wolf anyway, right? No way a customer eats that much."
"Ehehe. Obviously. I couldn't finish half this."
"Don't skip the bill, or Dad'll hunt you down."
Feisty one. Working unscathed in an adventurer town? No ordinary girl.
Facing this giant wolf without flinching, still tallying costs—she had some backup plan.
- crunch, snap...
After that, it was pure devouring. By Bori, not me. He loved crunching bones whole.
My only worry: him getting hooked on people food. Reservation plus food came to five silvers. Couldn't handle that tab.
- scrape.
Then Remilia approached and plopped down beside me.
"He's really packing it away. Makes sense with his size, but..."
Remilia watched Bori's feast alongside me. She'd seemed reluctant at first, but now she was hooked.
"Come to think, I never caught your name. Mind sharing?"
"Raon. Kim Raon."
"Kimu... Huh?"
"...Just call me Raon."
Damn beak-nosed wrecker. Proper nouns like my name always trip people up.
Remilia watched Bori a while longer until interest waned, then propped her chin and turned to me.
"You an adventurer?"
Backwater meant no rumors of me yet. I puffed up proudly.
"Heard of the girl who commands a Gray Wolf? Genius tamer hogging all the C-rank quests...!"
"Dunno. Only tamer nickname circulating lately is one."
"Wha? What's that?"
"Wolf's Bride... or something."
I squinted, baffled. Wolf's Bride? No tamer by that name, and I was the only one active nearby...
"They say she's sweet as honey. Rumors are getting weird."
Remilia stared straight at me.
"......"
My face heated up.
"Ah, come on! We're just close! B-bride? People are ridiculous. Ha, haha..."
"Talking about you, huh?"
"N-no! Just doting on him! What's wrong with that? Others call me a beast-fucker—total nonsense! Logically, I—"
- pfft.
Laughter burst out.
"Nobody said it was weird."
Ah.
Shoot me now.
"Guess it means you're that close for rumors to spread. Even I'm impressed watching. Gray Wolves are tough to tame. No whip or anything... Kinda curious how you did it. Not really the bride, though."
"Just friends. Friends! And I'm no tamer. Got no training."
"Then?"
Floundering under Remilia's question, I blurted the first decent answer.
"...Just call me an Animal Lover."