A Pungent Doenjang Smell Overwhelmed Veronia

After the hunting competition ended.

"Please, teach me! I'll do anything!"

Veronia showed up at the restaurant again today and dropped to her knees in front of me.

I'd assumed she'd head straight back after the hunting competition she and Andrea had staked their pride on. When we'd first met, she'd introduced herself as Lilyan's top fighter, and Lilyan was home to the most famous arena in the south. A star of that caliber couldn't afford to take this much time off.

And yet here she was, causing trouble outside my shop for the fourth straight day.

"I want to learn that ultimate hunting method you spoke of, Lucas! The one that made that tough tuu meat so tender!"

Letting her taste the tuu meat had been the trigger. I'd shown her the difference between the game she hunted and what I brought down, then laid bare every flaw in her technique—and apparently, that had left quite the impression.

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know this isn't something you'd share lightly! I'm not trying to be stubborn! I'll do anything within my power! So..."

She'd come early again today, timing her arrival before we opened. When she flung the door open while we were prepping ingredients, Andrea and I glanced over, then went right back to work. Same speech as yesterday, I figured.

The one mercy was that she didn't show up during service hours. Her groveling-knees-on-the-floor routine was strictly confined to pre-opening and our break time.

Which made sense.

I'd kicked her out once when she tried it mid-service. Too much fur flying around.

-I'm busy, so stop shedding everywhere and come back later!

-Awooo...

She'd shown up right in the middle of the rush, and I'd snapped at her. I still remembered the sight of her retreating, ears and tail drooping after the eviction notice.

"Hey, are you even allowed to be away from Lilyan this long?"

"It's fine! I have no matches scheduled! And even if one came up, I could simply decline!"

She puffed out her chest and shouted, eyes gleaming.

"What do you think? Isn't that impressive? A chance to become the hunting master of the fighter who has an entire great city wrapped around her finger! I consider this a rare opportunity! So..."

"Give it up. The boss never taught that method to me, either."

Andrea cut her off mid-flow.

"That's probably because he doesn't trust you!"

"Excuse me?"

"If I were his employee, Lucas would have already passed every secret technique on to me! I am an exceptionally skilled Wolf Clan warrior, after all!"

"You lost that match!"

"I lost because my knowledge as a hunter was lacking—I do not believe my skills are inferior to yours!"

"Oh, you want another round? I've been holding back, you little—"

"Care to test me? I'm ready whenever—"

And off they went again.

I'd thought my ears were getting tired lately, and now I was fairly sure those two were the cause. Veronia seemed naturally loud, but Andrea was the surprise. She just could not let Veronia's provocations slide. I didn't remember her being like that before.

'Is she just venting all her customer-service stress onto Veronia?'

Maybe I should give her a day off.

I set those thoughts aside and broke them up.

"Enough. That's it."

"Have you finally decided to teach me? As I said earlier, taking me as your disciple would be an honor for you as well—"

"I'm not teaching you."

"Ghuh!"

My flat refusal hit Veronia like a blow. Her jaw dropped.

That was the fifth rejection. You'd think she'd be getting used to it by now.

"Pfft!"

Andrea took one look at Veronia's stunned face and clapped a hand over her mouth. A laugh still slipped out, though.

"Wh-why not? I can perform just as well as that pog elf!"

"I told you last time. The fur."

"..."

"Customers don't appreciate it when someone brings a shedding animal into a restaurant."

Honestly, Veronia would make excellent staff. The problem was that she was a beastkin—and a particularly fluffy member of the Wolf Clan at that. Just look at that coat. Every idle swish of her tail scattered fur whether anyone noticed or not. And she wanted to serve tables? Prep ingredients in the kitchen? I could already see the complaints rolling in about hair in the food.

'Guests, fine. A beastkin employee? No.'

"So go home."

"No! Teach me!"

"No."

"..."

She looked like she was about to cry.

Right then, the door opened and the knights walked in.

"Sir Lucas, a fine afternoon to you."

"Oh? Miss Veronia, you're here again today!"

"That donkatsu smell is wonderful."

They spotted Veronia on her knees in front of me, registered it without much interest, and settled into their usual seats. The first day she'd pulled this, they'd all been visibly thrown.

-First an elf, and now a beastkin...

-What kind of charm does Sir Lucas have that they all cling to him like this?

-Isn't that Veronia? Lilyan's top fighter?

-What's a celebrity like her doing here?

They'd huddled and whispered like housewives settling in front of a morning drama, spinning wild theories in their heads.

-Could it be... a love that transcends species?

-Nah, that's debt. She borrowed too much money from Sir Lucas and can't pay it back. So she's begging for forgiveness.

-Oh, maybe she's pleading for him to enter the Lilyan arena?

Of course, the moment Veronia's mouth opened and the words "teach me your hunting method" came out, they'd had to sheepishly crumple up their little fantasies.

"Customers are starting to arrive. Go home."

"Ngh! I-I'm not leaving this time!"

"Are you serious?"

"..."

Veronia met my eyes, then brushed off her knees and stood.

"Ha-hahaha. I'll come back later."

She pushed through the door and left, ears and tail dragging in defeat. But I knew full well she'd come charging back in, full of energy, the moment break time rolled around.

"You could have chased her off more firmly, you know. Why do you keep leaving the door open for her to come back?"

Andrea clearly didn't appreciate Veronia's repeated visits.

"Are you jealous?"

"J-jealous? No. I-It's just... I started wondering if I'm not enough on my own..."

Andrea fumbled her reply, unable to meet my eyes. Ever since the hunting competition a few days ago, she'd been avoiding eye contact noticeably more often.

"The two of us are more than enough for now."

"Right? Where else would you find an employee as capable as me? Right?"

She brightened visibly, then tilted her head in thought and looked at me.

"What do you mean, 'for now'? Does that mean you'll need more later?"

"If we get more customers and a bigger space. Could happen."

"..."

Andrea chewed on her lip for a moment, then spoke up with some effort.

"Even if new staff come in, the main hall—the one that communicates with the kitchen—that's still my domain."

"Naturally. You were the first employee."

The corners of Andrea's mouth twitched upward.

"And, you know. The day I made that hunting bet with Veronia."

She hesitated, then continued slowly.

"Thank you for helping me. Honestly, when I saw that Veronia had brought down a tuu, I thought I'd lost. And I had some confidence in myself as a hunter, too."

"It's not something you need to thank me for. I wasn't favoring your side."

"Huh?"

"I said I'd judge fairly, and I did. I wasn't taking sides. You won because your kill was cleaner—better suited to the purpose of a hunt."

I finished and added one more thing, looking at her.

"And you really did finish it well. Clean work."

Andrea, who'd been listening quietly, broke into a grin.

"You really are different from other humans, boss. Most of them would lie through their teeth just to curry favor with an elf."

"What brought this on?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say thank you. My self-esteem went up a little, I guess?"

"If you've got that figured out, go exercise."

"...I will."

Andrea fled toward the knights to take their orders.

"What can I get for you today? We got some nice meat in."

She was smiling, noticeably more at ease with customers now.

The restaurant picked up speed again.

***

Back in her lodging after Lucas had thrown her out, Veronia slumped and grumbled to herself.

"This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠makes no sense! Rejected because I shed fur? By that logic, no beastkin could ever work in a restaurant! So what am I supposed to do to get hired?!"

She wanted to learn.

Veronia was desperate to know the hunting method Lucas had used—the one that had taken down a tuu so cleanly the meat came out tender and supple.

At first, she'd thought it was a lie. A hunting technique that could tenderize tuu meat? She'd never heard of such a thing. But then there'd been the meat he'd brought. And the way he'd deduced her entire hunting method just by looking at her kills. She'd had no choice but to be convinced.

So her curiosity had been piqued. What kind of skill did this man actually possess?

'Keeping an elf as an employee... he's clearly no ordinary man...'

Had they settled their relationship through a one-on-one duel? Or had they decided dominance through a hunt, the way Veronia had tried?

If so, Andrea's impressive hunting skills made sense. Fighting a stronger opponent was one of the surest ways to grow stronger yourself.

Of course, Veronia had no idea. She didn't know that Andrea had become Lucas's employee because she'd let a tuu get away. Or that Lucas's cooking had been piling more and more debt onto that same tab ever since.

"I want to know. I really, really want to know!"

To learn the hunting method, it seemed like she'd have to become an employee first. The problem was that he clearly had no intention of hiring her.

"What do I do?"

How could she learn that method?

She was deep in thought, turning the problem over and over, when it hit her.

"Wait. Does it have to be as an employee?"

A customer. A regular who spent generously and supported the business—that might change Lucas's attitude.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

She was a genius. Truly the Wolf Clan's finest warrior. Who else could pull off this kind of conceptual breakthrough?

"Of course!"

Pride swelled in her chest. Flexible adaptation to circumstances—that was the mark of a true warrior. Charge in headfirst like an idiot, and you'd only break yourself.

"Perfect! It's still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lunchtime, so I can go eat right now!"

She'd order the most expensive things on the menu. Lots of them. Get on his good side, and then she could casually ask.

"Great food and a lesson to go with it—that's twice the satisfaction!"

Her mood lifted as if she'd just eaten something sweet.

Veronia left her lodgings and headed straight for Lucas's Knight Restaurant. She turned the menu over in her head as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she walked. That stir-fried marinated meat, the bulbaek? Or maybe she could ask him to grill up another one of those don-mahawk things, like last time. She planned to avoid anything made with that doenjang seasoning at all costs. That smell did something to her head.

And then a thick, dizzyingly masculine scent hit her nose.

That smell. The smell of doenjang. The smell that carried the dense pheromones of a male.

"What in the..."

Veronia clapped a hand over her nose before she knew what she was doing.

Her head throbbed.

'Lucas, what kind of dish are you making...'

Through the hand pinching her nose shut, Veronia looked up and saw her.

"Now this is what doenjang ought to smell like. I like it."

A red-haired woman in elegant clothes, standing in front of the restaurant, smiling.