A Sinful Waste of Black Iron
Yang Seoran stared at me with a serious expression, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. Gongson Yeongji froze instantly; she had never seen Yang Seoran look so solemn. Even I, who was used to being greeted with a deafening "CHIEF CHEEEEEF!!" every time we crossed paths, was taken aback.
I had temporarily forgotten that Yang Seoran was, after all, the Little Sword Queen. Her striking beauty—enough to make even Seonwoo Seol keep her guard up—usually got buried under her daily theatrical shouting, leading me to perceive her as merely a hyperactive girl.
"I see... Chief Chef, you are not a swordsman, so..."
Is she actually accepting my reasoning? As Yang Seoran nodded and repeated those words to herself, I replied with a light, casual smile.
"Of course. At the end of the day, I am merely a chef and a martial artist who fights with his fists..."
Gongson Yeongji shook her head vigorously. No, that's not it!
I was about to add a few more words to correct whatever misunderstanding Yeongji was anticipating, but in that exact moment, Yang Seoran snapped her head up. Her eyes glared at me, a chaotic storm of panic and sheer absurdity swirling within them. Her mind might have tried to rationalize it, but her body simply refused to accept the reality.
Just as Gongson Yeongji had predicted, Yang Seoran let out a scream of utter disbelief.
"HOW!!! HOW ON EAAAAARTH!!! How could you forge kitchen knives out of Black Iron?!"
My ears rang. As if screaming wasn't enough, she lunged forward, looking ready to grab me by the collar. I decided it was time to administer a quick sedative. It felt a bit improper to do this to a young lady of her age, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Gathering a tiny spark of energy in my middle finger, I launched a preemptive strike on her forehead.
Thwack!
A crisp, clear sound echoed from her forehead. Yang Seoran immediately clutched her brow, glaring at me with teary, indignant eyes.
"Ow!!! That hurts!!! Why did you hit me, Chief Chef?!"
Excellent. She was back to her usual self. A few more words should do the trick.
"Now, now. Calm down. What exactly is this?"
"A kitchen knife! A kitchen knife!"
"Exactly. It's a kitchen knife. And a kitchen knife is a blade, is it not?"
"I fail to see what that has to do with anything!"
"What is the definition of a sword or a saber?"
Yang Seoran hesitated, then grumbled in her typical petulant tone. "A weapon with a short hilt but a long blade... used for piercing or slashing!"
I countered her textbook definition with a textbook response of my own. "The hilts of these two kitchen knives are designed to fit perfectly in one hand, so they are short. The blade length is just under one cheok. Daggers are often much shorter than this, so wouldn't you say these blades are quite long?"
"But they are meant for cutting ingredients!"
"Ah, now that is blatant discrimination against blades. Tell me, Lady Yang, can you not cut a radish with your sword? If you use your sword to slice a radish, does it suddenly degrade into a mere kitchen knife?"
"Th-that's...!"
"Therefore, a kitchen knife is also a blade. What is so wrong with using Black Iron to forge a blade?"
Yang Seoran's eyes darted back and forth frantically.
"Furthermore, isn't the formal name for a kitchen knife a pyeondo? It literally has the word 'blade' in its name. It is highly illogical to claim it isn't a blade."
My absurd argument only worked because Yang Seoran was someone who naturally believed everything I did was right. Right now, her pride as the Little Sword Queen—who couldn't bear to see precious Black Iron wasted—was locked in a fierce battle with her devotion as the Student Council President, who admired my deep care for the students. Since her conflicting feelings were about to make her head explode, I needed to throw her a lifeline.
"The Principal gave me this Black Iron as a reward. I can't exactly sell it, and it wouldn't be right to give it away. Even if a martial artist like me forged a magnificent sword with it, it would only end up gathering dust as a decoration."
"Mmmgh...!"
"So, I used it to forge the kitchen knives I use every single day. It is an object that never leaves my hand. In fact, don't I spend far more time holding this blade than most swordsmen spend holding their swords?"
It was true. Very few people practiced their martial arts with real swords all day long. Even Gongson Yeongji, the only dedicated sword user in our group, only trained with a real blade for an hour or two a day. Fortunately, Yang Seoran eagerly grabbed the lifeline I threw her.
"If that is your perspective, then I suppose it could not be helped! I shall accept your reasoning!"
I immediately praised her, satisfying both her pride as a swordsman and her loyalty as a fan. "As expected of the Little Sword Queen. Your heart is as vast as the ocean."
"Hmph! Still, I cannot help but feel that the Black Iron was terribly wasted!"
With those words, Yang Seoran peered deeper into the wooden chest, likely checking if there was anything else inside besides the two kitchen knives.
"There are other kitchen knives in here! They look quite valuable!"
"Do they?"
Inside the chest, though not made of Black Iron, lay a variety of kitchen knives forged from exceptionally high-quality steel. It seemed to be a gesture of gratitude from Lee Mok for curing his son, Lee Song's Severed Meridian Syndrome. I would have to keep these safe and bring them along whenever I traveled.
"At least you didn't do something truly insane, like forging a spoon out of Myriad Year Cold Iron!"
"If I did that, even the Wulin Alliance Leader would probably come and slap me."
"You know that, yet you still forged kitchen knives out of Black Iron!"
Ah, she trapped me with a leading question again. I only managed to appease her anger after promising that if I ever found Myriad Year Cold Iron, I would absolutely use it to forge a proper sword or saber.
As I gathered the knives back into the chest, I realized the spoon and chopsticks I had requested were nowhere to be seen. Huh? Wait, where is my spoon? It was definitely there when I first opened the chest.
Just as I was about to rummage through the chest again—
"Ahem."
Gongson Yeongji let out a soft cough. Could it be? Did our wonderful, clever, and adorable prodigy pull it off?
Without saying a word, Yeongji slightly lifted her sleeve. Beneath the fabric, a dark, blackish spoon was faintly visible.
I had managed to talk my way out of the kitchen knives by arguing they were technically blades, but a spoon was an undeniable, absolute waste of Black Iron. Yang Seoran would have thrown a massive fit. Oh, Yeongji, you absolute angel. How could she be so incredibly quick-witted? I made a mental note to prepare a mountain of the less-sweet snacks she loved later. If not for her, Yang Seoran would have hounded me to death.
Relieved, I glanced out the window and asked Yang Seoran, "By the way, isn't it almost time for class?"
Yang Seoran looked outside, estimated the time, and nodded.
"Ah, indeed! One must never miss class! Chief Chef, I shall see you later! Junior, let us hurry!"
"Y-yes..."
As Yang Seoran stepped out of the room first, Gongson Yeongji quickly handed me the spoon and whispered, "Be careful, Chef Yoon."
"Thank you, Yeongji."
Seriously, she was like a devoted daughter. There was no better junior in the world.
The evening glow dyed the stone courtyard of the academy in a warm orange hue. Since everyone had finished their dinner, I had a brief moment of leisure, so I took a slow stroll through the academy grounds with Seonwoo Seol.
"It's getting quite chilly in the evenings now."
"Indeed. Is autumn already upon us?"
"What's delicious in autumn?"
I pondered Seonwoo Seol's question. While it was hard to find anything that didn't taste good in autumn, there was one particular delicacy that stood out during this season.
"Since we are inland, it is hard to find here, but gizzard shad is incredibly delicious in autumn."
"Gizzard shad? I've never heard of it."
"It's a saltwater fish that gets nice and plump in autumn. You stun them while they're still lively, clean out the innards, and grill them right there over charcoal... Just thinking about it makes my mouth water."
The ones with a rich, yellow layer of fat were amazing when grilled, but they were also incredible sliced raw, dipped in sweet-and-sour chili paste, and wrapped in lettuce and sesame leaves for a crunchy, savory bite. It was a shame that I couldn't eat proper raw fish in the Central Plains. Since people here mostly ate freshwater fish, it was hard to experience the unique flavor of saltwater fish. Gizzard shad was a magical fish, after all—so delicious that it was said to lure back a runaway daughter-in-law.
Come to think of it, going fishing on a rocky shore sounded like a lot of fun. I wanted to take a vacation and go sea fishing sometime in the future.
"Well, besides gizzard shad, there are plenty of delicious things. It is the season of harvest, after all. Pears, apples... oh, and figs grow in the south."
"Figs! I ate so many of them when I was young that I got sick of them!"
"If you eat too many, your mouth can get a bit sore. But if you place a thin slice of cured meat on top and take a bite, the sweet and salty combination... it's truly incredible."
The sweet-and-salty combination was a universal truth, even in the Central Plains. Seonwoo Seol seemed to automatically visualize the taste, tapping my arm excitedly.
"Ugh, you're making me crave it so much!"
"If we have time later, let's look for a place that sells figs."
When that time came, I would bring a whole slab of cured meat with me. As we walked in the cool breeze, I noticed a crowd still gathered around the Four Seas Hall.
"There are still people in front of the Four Seas Hall. Haven't they been gathered there since this morning?"
Seonwoo Seol craned her neck to look toward the Four Seas Hall, then chuckled softly as if she had figured something out.
"You know that Eastern Depot eunuch? Ha Migwa, or whatever his name is."
"What is that eunuch doing over there?"
"I heard they're holding meetings there every single day. They say they need to draw up measures because Princess Bohee is here. That's why the Brocade Guard soldiers are standing guard there day and night."
"Is it really that serious? She's only staying for a few weeks, isn't she?"
"She is a princess, after all. They're probably using all sorts of excuses to cater to her convenience, with Ha Migwa leading the charge."
Was that so? The Princess Bohee I saw didn't seem like that kind of person. Well, if Seonwoo Seol said so, I should believe her. Who else would believe her if not me?
"Man, the subordinates really suffer because of their superiors."
"Tell me about it."
"Don't you do that often too?"
"When did I ever?"
"For example, the Vice Commander of the Shadowless Unit?"
"...He does it because he wants to, okay?"
"Hmm, I highly doubt that."
He probably did it out of sheer loyalty, not because he actually enjoyed it. If I argued any further, she would definitely pout her cheeks and deny it, so I decided to let it slide. As we chatted, we saw a man hurriedly leaving the Four Seas Hall.
He was heading straight toward the Inner Dining Hall. There shouldn't be anyone there but the servants at this hour. What business did he have there?
"Hmm. Smells like work."
"Why don't you take a break today?"
"Well, it's not like I have a job with strict clock-out times. If they order me, I have no choice."
So, I slowly made my way toward the Inner Dining Hall.
"What? Chef Yoon isn't here?"
"He's probably out for evening training or a walk right now..."
"Sigh, time is of the essence. Where on earth did he go?"
The conversation between the Inner Dining Hall servant and the unfamiliar man reached my ears perfectly. I looked at Seonwoo Seol, who squeezed my hand and whispered softly.
"I'll be waiting in the Inner Dining Hall Master's Office. Go ahead."
"Will do."
Since Seonwoo Seol had given me her blessing, it was time to clock back in. I wondered if they would pay me overtime. As I entered the Inner Dining Hall, I saw a eunuch badgering the poor servant.
"Then where can I find Chef Yoon..."
Standing behind the eunuch who was pressuring the innocent servant, I whispered softly.
"If you turn your head, you'll find him right away."
"Who are you—eek!"
The eunuch jumped in shock upon seeing me. Now that I looked closely, he was the same eunuch who had been with Ha Migwa when they barged into the inn. No wonder he was startled.
"My name isn't 'eek'. You must have the wrong person."
As I tried to walk past him into the kitchen, the flustered eunuch blocked my path.
"Ah, Chef Yoon! It's an emergency!"
"I know it's not."
"Pardon?"
"You're just worried Associate Director Ha will throw a fit—no, make a scene—if you don't bring it quickly, right?"
"Uh, ah... How did you know?"
"I've worked under people too. I've dealt with plenty of superiors throwing tantrums. I know how it is without you telling me."
I pulled out a chair from the Inner Dining Hall, sat down, and asked, "It doesn't seem like you need my fists, so it must be about food."
"Correct. Associate Director Ha is currently with Her Imperial Highness, and the two of them must work late into the night."
"And?"
"They require a late-night snack while they work..."
"Doesn't Her Highness have her own imperial chefs?"
"We prepared a meal, but she insisted she wanted something she could eat while working."
"Did Her Highness say that?"
"I am not entirely sure... but the order came from the Associate Director."
Sigh, what a pain. Whether it was Ha Migwa or Princess Bohee, they were both troublesome. So they needed a late-night snack they could eat while working? Who did she think she was, the Earl of Sandwich? Wanting a meal you can eat while working.
"......Hmm?"
"Is something the matter?"
"No, I just thought of the perfect dish. It'll take about... two gak. Come back then to pick it up."
Come to think of it, I had never made a sandwich-like food in the Central Plains. I heard imperial food was quite bland. Shall I make something that bursts with umami?