No Money? Then Pay with Your Body
No Money? Then Pay with Your Body
The unfamiliar seasoning assaulted her tongue.
A salty punch and a sharp sting that prickled her mouth.
It was spicy.
"Hoo."
The heat seared her tongue — something she'd never experienced before — and she exhaled without thinking.
Until now, salt had been the sole seasoning in her life.
Very rarely, she'd eaten human cooking. Each time, the unfamiliar taste of spices had caught her off guard.
She'd marveled at how a species that had been eating meat for so long had developed such a wide range of preparation methods.
As a carnivorous fundamentalist, of course, she believed the meat itself was what mattered. She'd never much cared for flesh slathered in heavy sauces.
But.
This was different.
The unbearable spiciness set her tongue ablaze, yet somehow her chest felt clear — wide open, like a window flung wide. Probably because of the meat flavor that followed right behind.
The Tuu meat melted in her mouth.
Impossible.
She'd taken down more than ten Tuu in her life, and never once had she tasted meat so impossibly tender.
How clean was that kill?
Over the years she'd devised and studied every trap, refined her approach, cycled through methods. A Tuu raged until its very last breath, burning through its body's fat reserves. Killing it fast meant severing its windpipe before the fury could spoil the flesh. Her personal record stood at one minute and twelve seconds — from the moment the beast began fighting her in earnest to the moment it died. Even the meat from that kill hadn't tasted like this.
This was a single stroke. Unlike her trap-aided scramble against the clock, a true, clean, single stroke.
Flavor didn't lie.
The deep, rich essence of the meat punched straight through the seasoning and coated her tongue.
Mmm...
The abundant fat slipped into every last taste bud, and the harmony of fat and lean flesh satisfied the carnivore's hymn singing in her heart. She understood the very instant she tasted it: the man standing before her was a knight of absurd, outrageous skill.
She wanted to learn. She wanted to ask how he'd hunted the Tuu.
But first.
Gulp.
There was still plenty of meat left on the table, waiting for them. Just a little more, then.
She was fishing out pieces one by one with her spoon when the owner asked:
"Good, right?"
A single simple question. Andrea nodded as though bewitched.
"I — I can't deny it. It's good."
"It'd be even better with rice."
"Rice? This... grain?"
"Yes. Beef bibimbap. The trinity of vegetables, grains, and meat achieves a perfect harmony."
"Vegetables, delicious? That's impossible."
"You said the same thing before you ate the meat."
"If it isn't good... will you tell me your secret?"
"Secret?"
"The secret of how you hunt Tuu."
"Fine."
Andrea smiled inwardly, certain of victory.
There was no way it could be good.
She'd eaten vegetables to the point of nausea — more in one human lifetime than most humans ate in several. She knew every last note of their flavor intimately. Even if by some miracle it was good, she could always argue that only the meat was good, not the vegetables, not the grains.
Determined to pry out his hunting secret, she scooped up rice, vegetables, and meat in a single spoonful, just as he'd instructed.
The red-stained rice, the vegetables holding fast to their own colors, the meat dyed a deep brown — it was beautiful.
She swallowed hard. Then opened wide.
"Ahh."
Rice, vegetables, and meat filled her mouth at once.
Chew-chew, crunch!
The yielding grains of rice, the crisp snap of vegetables, and threaded through it all, the texture of the meat. The juices that bled from the vegetables as they tore between her teeth mingled with the spicy seasoning. Normally, that astringent, vegetal bitterness would have repulsed her. She tasted none of it.
Before she'd even finished processing the flavor, the meat's juices rushed in — pop-pop-pop — claiming their place.
Delicious.
It was simply delicious.
She'd never eaten plant-based food this good in her life. Wait — it had meat mixed in. Did that make it a meat dish?
"Well?"
"...It's... good."
"Vegetables can be delicious, with the right preparation."
"..."
She had no choice but to concede. The man had skills — as a knight, and as a cook.
"Try the Doenjang-jjigae as well."
"But this is..."
"A stew made with fermented soybean paste. Despite how it smells, the taste is nuttier."
"Ugh..."
Visually, it was a bit...
But everything this man had served her had been undeniably good. If anyone could make plants taste like that, maybe this really was food. If it was some kind of filth meant to mock her —
I'll use it as an excuse to get the Tuu hunting method out of him.
She lifted the spoon and drank the broth of the Chadol Doenjang-jjigae, translucent fat glistening on the surface.
Spicy!
The fat was savory!
The smell was bizarre, but the taste wasn't actually repulsive.
The seasoning wasn't to her personal taste, but it was still good — the heat, the tenderness of the meat, the harmony of assorted vegetables.
Excellent. Truly excellent. The appearance was a bit strange, but she could now state with certainty: it wasn't excrement.
"It's... acceptable."
"That's all?"
"Yes. The meat is good, and the seasoning isn't bad, but... it's not something I'd eat often. This, though — this was better."
She dug the spoon back into the bibimbap and took another bite. The numbing heat soothed the frustration of losing the Tuu, smoothing it over.
"Hoo. It's... spicy. But good."
She chugged water, washing the burn from her mouth.
"I didn't even make it that spicy, and you're really struggling."
"Ack — ahem!"
Her eyes fell on the last dish: the Spicy Pork Kimchi with Tofu.
Working awkwardly with the fork and spoon, she managed to pick up a piece of tofu and dabbed some of the stir-fried meat and cabbage-like vegetable on top. She'd watched a human eat it on her way in, so she had a rough idea.
"What's this?"
"Spicy Pork Kimchi with Tofu. Kimchi and Pog shoulder, stir-fried together. You eat it with the tofu."
"Pog? Why not Tuu?"
"The two don't pair well."
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed. With the meat ratio that high, she'd let herself hope — and it wasn't even Tuu.
Her hand kept moving anyway. She'd eat first. Evaluate second.
If it was bad, she could always use the Tuu hunting method as leverage... She didn't even notice she was now treating that as her go-to excuse just to keep eating the man's cooking.
She cut the pork-kimchi-tofu into a manageable bite, balanced it on the spoon, and put it in her mouth.
The soft tofu dissolved, its silky texture and mild nuttiness wrapping around her spice-tormented tongue. Next came the cabbage — less spicy than before, with a curiously sour tang, yielding gently as she chewed. Then the meat, right behind it. Three flavors crashed in at once, drumming against her tongue in rapid succession. It was like taking a triple thrust from a Quick Sword master — her tongue had no defense.
Delicious.
She realized she'd stopped evaluating entirely and was simply enjoying the meal.
Once, her culinary pleasure had been the act of tearing into Tuu meat while drunk on the triumph of the hunt — a moment that fed her pride as a knight and as a warrior, a celebration of carnivorous joy. Now, she wasn't thinking about any of that. She was just eating.
When she came back to herself, every dish was clean. Well — she'd only fished out the solids from the Doenjang-jjigae, leaving most of the broth behind. It was delicious, but... she was an elf. That was her limit. It was genuinely delicious. Truly delicious. The visuals, though — they just didn't sit right with her.
"Did you enjoy your meal?"
"Yes. Thank you. I ate well — truly satisfied. I never imagined Tuu could be this tender. Your skill at taking down the beast amazed me. Your cooking amazed me twice over."
"I'm glad. It's been an honor to host our establishment's first elven guest."
"You don't need to be formal. I'm not stubborn and hidebound like other elves."
Belly full. Tuu consumed. Now she wanted to ask what she'd really come for.
"I'd like to ask one thing."
"Before that, I have a question of my own."
At the owner's words, Andrea nodded.
"Go ahead."
"You said the Tuu was your familiar. Could you tell me why it ended up in our village?"
That was all? An easy question.
"Ah. I'd set traps to hunt the beast. Tuu meat grows richer the faster the kill, so I was driving it toward the trap to finish it as efficiently as possible. It smashed through the trap and fled into the forest. I lost it."
Not finishing the beast herself had been a disappointment, but it had led her to a man of real skill — and an excellent meal. A net gain, honestly.
"So this bull destroying farmland, threatening the village, and attacking our soldiers... that was all because of you?"
"Well, I suppose you could say so. But thanks to that, I met a capable knight like yourself..."
"Haah. I kept wondering whose mess this was, and it was you the whole time?"
"Eh... uh? What did you just say?"
Andrea blinked at the owner, whose entire demeanor had flipped completely. What was wrong with him? He'd been perfectly genial a moment ago.
"Do you have any idea how much damage you've caused? Farmer Gilbert over in Conwell Village — his whole year's harvest is ruined because of you. A soldier named Simon broke his arm and can't even do patrols now, so he's got no income. And me? I got dragged in on my day off — couldn't rest, just slicing and grilling and running around like a lunatic. You get that?"
Lucas's momentum drove Andrea back a step before she realized she'd moved.
"Is... is that so? I'm sorry. But when you're hunting, things sometimes..."
"Ah-ah. Did you or did you not screw up?"
"I... screwed up."
"Then you owe restitution, don't you?"
"Well — before that, I'm not sure the fault is entirely..."
"Not? You just heard about poor Gilbert and Simon, and you're telling me you're not at fault?"
"That's not what I..."
Lucas heaved a sigh and continued.
"Two hundred gold in compensation for the farmers who suffered from the Tuu. One hundred gold for Simon. And for me — working on my day off, all that labor — fine, call it goodwill. I'll drop my share. Three hundred gold total."
"That's absurd..."
"Plus the three dishes you ordered comes to forty-five silver. Three hundred gold and forty-five silver. Let's settle it cleanly."
"B-but the bull wasn't my—"
"Didn't you call it your Tuu earlier? And you just admitted responsibility. It's a done deal."
Andrea's mouth closed.
Three hundred gold. There was no way she had that kind of money. She'd lived a long life, but she'd never actively involved herself in human society. She carried just enough coin to get by — a hundred gold at most. She could sell the knight's sword she carried and easily cover three hundred, but...
Thank you for saving my life. This blade will serve as proof that you are the knight who protected me.
It was a gift from a human who had helped her find even a small foothold in the human world. More than that, the sword was indispensable for smooth travel. She couldn't give it up.
"I... have no money."
Her voice had shrunk to nearly nothing. She'd meant to be defiant, but she'd already sized up the man's abilities. She wasn't going to charge headlong into a fight she knew she'd lose. All she could do was hope for mercy.
"No money?"
"..."
"Hoo. Then there's no helping it. You'll just have to pay with your body."
Andrea saw it: Lucas's tenacious gaze fixed squarely on her.
She flinched and covered her chest.
"Wh-what are you planning to do?"
"You're paying with your body."