The New Law
Fortunately, Ria seemed not to have woken.
Bang bang bang bang bang—!
The door was pounded hard enough that it might shatter.
I went downstairs and carefully opened it.
“Who is it…?”
Outside stood a middle-aged man with a scruffy, bristly mustache.
“Hey, young man. Haven’t seen a little girl? Red eyes, brown hair.”
My heart plummeted.
“Ah… no, I haven’t.”
“No… word around is she was seen coming into this restaurant…?”
The man frowned and eyed me with open suspicion.
“Hmm… I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen anyone like that…”
“Hmm… really? Well, I’m that girl’s father, you know… Ha… she ran away.”
This man… was Ria’s father?
His features were sharp enough, but his hair was greasy and plastered flat, his untrimmed mustache a mess… dandruff flaking onto his shoulders…
“You know how it is once you reach that age, right? Red eyes. Red eyes are the seeds of calamity. Folks call them Blood Eyes.
Of all things, my third daughter was born with Blood Eyes… a real disgrace to the family. I’ve been fretting over how to deal with the little brat…”
My teeth ground together.
Don’t you dare call her that.
“But get this! Just now I heard some wonderful news. You might have heard too—
Starting tomorrow, every last Blood Eyes will be forcibly executed under the laws of this kingdom. Isn’t that splendid?”
My breath stopped.
I thought I must have misheard, yet my mind retained every word Ria’s father had just spat out with perfect clarity.
“Wh… what? Executed?”
“That’s right. A bill the queen just passed. A law every citizen, myself included, will adore.
Just hand them over legally to the Royal Court and they’ll take care of the rest. I can rid our family of its headache without getting a drop of blood on my hands.
And anyone who turns in a Blood Eyes even gets a special royal reward—ten silver coins.”
My heart hammered wildly.
What… what… what the hell is this…
And a reward? What kind of bullshit is that…
“Hey, why so shocked? Isn’t it a good thing if the Blood Eyes get executed?”
“Ah… haha… ha… yeah. The children of the evil witch disappearing.”
“But the real problem isn’t that. That rotten brat stole money.
I just told her to go earn some drinking money, but the cunning little thing stole it instead… Blood Eyes really are evil from birth.”
My hands clenched of their own accord.
But… I had to endure.
“Ha… haha… ha…”
“So I took the stolen money back and beat her black and blue, yet she was so gluttonous she wouldn’t let go of the meat bun she’d stolen no matter how hard I hit her.
When I tried to snatch the bun, she bit my hand and bolted out of the house.”
It was disgusting. I felt genuine revulsion.
A man without a shred of sympathy or feeling.
How much must Ria have suffered under a father who did not even treat her as human?
“So while I was searching for her, about two hours ago the law was proclaimed—all Blood Eyes are to be executed, and anyone who catches one gets a reward.
I have to catch her somehow and hand her over to the Royal Court… but I have no idea where she went…”
“If… if I find her… I’ll be sure to tell you.”
“Alright. I’ve talked too long. I’ll be off. If you hand that kid over to me, I’ll split the reward with you. Umhahaha!”
“Y… yes. Goodbye…”
“Rotten brat… where the hell did she go…”
Ria’s father muttered as he shuffled away with a swaggering gait.
Gulp.
This was bad…
If… if Ria were discovered for real…
My body was trembling.
“What the hell is wrong with this world.”
My head throbbed.
“Kill them just because their eyes are red? And it’s not even catching a criminal—a reward?? How could they pass such a law… ah…”
Honestly… I was scared.
If Ria were found… I, who had been hiding her, might be punished as well.
It was only one rare eye color. How… how could they do this?
“Ria, you absolutely must not come down from the second floor. Understood?
If you need the bathroom… just use that bucket.”
“Yes! Uncle Raon.”
Ria nodded brightly.
To earn money I had to keep the restaurant running, and while it was open Ria could only move about inside the private living space on the second floor.
If she were discovered… there would be no future.
The only bathroom was downstairs, so in the small storage room upstairs I set out a bucket for her to relieve herself, several cloths for cleanup, and a water jar.
Then… I opened the restaurant.
“Raon~ one potato stew here~”
My place saw a fair amount of traffic.
There were quite a few regulars, and while it never became packed, word among acquaintances that the food was good meant peak hours were always busy.
“Two beers and a honey apple here~”
“Cheese Meat Roll here too~”
“Yes~ just a moment~”
Busy, busy.
Is Ria all right?
I ladled the thick potato stew I had been simmering and carried it to the customer’s table, then laid thinly sliced meat neatly across a wooden cutting board and sprinkled salt and pepper just enough to give a pleasant bite.
“Now to fill the insides.”
Finely chopped onions and herbs, along with the cut cheese, went onto the meat.
I rolled it tightly with my palm, secured it firmly, skewered it, and set it over the fire.
As the flames licked the meat, the cheese inside swelled and melted; fat sizzled and dripped onto the flames.
Wiping sweat, I finished the dish—our restaurant’s signature menu that I had developed, the Cheese Meat Roll.
Customers loved it.
This world had no dishes that combined cheese with meat.
People tasting a Cheese Meat Roll for the first time usually found it strange: cheese, which here was only a snack, eaten with meat? Grandfather had thought it odd at first too.
But from eating cheese cutlets in my original world I knew the combination of melted cheese and meat was pure fantasy, and so I created the dish.
Those who were unfamiliar and suspicious at first… after one bite all tasted that fantasy and praised me.
Even Grandfather, who could be called a master of cooking.
“Hehe! Look here, young man! Mmm… the cheese inside this meat is a delicacy no matter when you eat it.”
After plating the Cheese Meat Roll and setting it on the table, I began another signature dish of my own invention.
Large-cut apples brushed with butter and grilled, then generously topped with apricot jam I had made myself and honey.
A light dusting of cinnamon finished it.
Named Honey Jam Apple.
This world had no jam.
I had not cooked much in my original world, but making jam was simple enough that I knew the method; using that recipe I could say I had invented jam in this world.
The thick sweetness of honey, the bright fruit flavor of apricot jam, and the caramelized apple combined into a dish perfect as either a drinking snack or a dessert.
It had also been one of Grandfather’s favorites.
Raon, you have a genius talent for developing recipes. Especially this jam you invented—it’s a sweetness I’ve never felt before… truly delicious. You could sell it.
When I first created the dish, Grandfather had been delighted.
“Wow, the flavor of the jam is spot on!”
Seeing every customer enjoy it made the day feel worthwhile.
After working the restaurant busily until evening and closing the door…
I climbed to the second floor and collapsed.
“Uncle Raon, are you very tired…?”
Ria asked, looking worried.
“Pfft… nah, it’s just work.”
Ria poked the Honey Jam Apple I had made with a fork and munched it cutely.
“Uncle Raon, did you really invent this yourself…?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“It’s just… it’s so delicious…”
“Heh… thanks for the compliment, Ria.”
I said it while stroking her hair.
“Isn’t it boring for you to stay only on the second floor like this?”
Ria shook her head desperately.
“No! No! I like it…! Not boring at all…”
“That’s good…”
“I like being with you, Uncle… I wish Uncle Raon was my dad…”
“Really?”
Ria nodded vigorously up and down.
“Yes!! I imagine every day that you were my dad!!
Because I like you as much as the sky and the earth!!”
“Pffft… but Ria, thinking about it, you call me Uncle? I’m twenty-three—that stings a little. Do I look old?”
“Ah…”
Ria looked flustered, dropped the fork with the honey apple still stuck on it, and tears welled in her eyes.
“So… sorry… sob… sorry…”
“Ah… no! No…! It was a joke, a joke!”
“Big brother Raon… sob… you don’t look old at all… you’re super young… sorry… I was wrong…”
“D… don’t cry, Ria… it was a joke. Just call me Uncle. Calling me big brother feels super awkward…”
“Sorry… sorry… sob…”
“Sorry… I’m sorry… Uncle is sorry. I won’t joke like that again. So stop.”
“Hic… sniff… yeees…”
Ria sniffling, buried herself against me.
Her small hands clutched my clothes tightly and would not let go.
She’s really anxious.
“Don’t worry. Stop. Is Uncle sorry for joking?”
“Yeees…”
Really sorry… I didn’t realize how fragile her heart was…
I want to cheer her up quickly… what would be good… hmm… ah!
“As an apology, Uncle will grant Ria’s wish. Is there anything you want to do?”
“Wi… wish? Umm… I… that…”
Ria took a long time.
“Tha… t… uh…”
“What is it? Tell me. If it’s something Uncle can do, I’ll grant it. Just don’t say ‘buy me a house’—Uncle isn’t rich…”
“The forest.”
“Huh?”
“I want to go explore the forest…”
“Forest??”
Unexpected.
I had thought she would ask for pretty clothes or something.
“Yes, I want to walk in the forest with Uncle and talk…
The village… people hate me so… the forest… has no people, so… walking just the two of us with Uncle would feel so good…”
Forest… it would be possible…
But how do I take her there?
If we walk together and get caught by villagers… straight to the court…
Aah… what to do…
“Ah… it’s not possible… sorry…”
Ria hung her head and shrank into herself.
Ah… my heart breaks when she does that…
In the end…
“No! I’ll do it!”
“Yes? Really?!”
Ria leapt with joy.
There was a way.
“Yeah. Then shall we go out to the forest tomorrow morning?”
“Yeees!!!”
Ria beamed with a wide, sparkling smile.
While Ria was still asleep, I stopped by the general store early in the morning.
I selected a very large backpack and a small coat that a child could wear.
When we went to the forest I planned to have Ria hide inside the big backpack so she would not be discovered,
and the coat was necessary because the weather was still chilly—so she would not catch cold while walking in the woods.
“Hey, young man, aren’t you the bachelor who runs that restaurant over there?”
The general-store owner lady spoke up.
“Yes? Yes, that’s right. What is it?”
“But buying a small coat a little kid would wear and… a bag this big—what on earth for?”
The lady asked with a suspicious look in her eyes.