Chapter 217: Have You Eaten Yet?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217: Have You Eaten Yet?
Tonight, we plan to stay near the Gate.
Among the information I extracted from the Dark Elf Elder was a location likely holding a 'Fragment.' Since it was close to the Gehenna Gate, my plans unexpectedly shifted to heading there tomorrow.
Flying back and forth between Korea and Hawaii was exhausting anyway, and I was told an incident would occur at the Gate before long.
'They said Permush would appear at the Gate soon, too.'
Permush, the 4th Corps Commander, was planning to invade the Human Realm. And through the Gehenna Gate, no less.
I interrogated the Dark Elf Elder on how she would arrive, but he played dumb. I even threatened him with my sashimi knife, but his response remained constant: he didn't know, he really didn't know!
"Phew."
I let out a sigh. My head throbbed with complex, troubling thoughts. I couldn't even figure out where things had started going wrong. As I dragged a hand down my face, an exclamation reached my ears.
"Wooaaaaah!"
This was a temporary outpost provided by the Hero Association. Though it was only a three-person tent, it still had all the essentials: a makeshift mini-fridge, a folding table, and portable chairs. They were all makeshift, but I was satisfied with the amenities.
And crouched in front of that mini-fridge like a totem pole was Hon. The faint glow from inside illuminated her face.
That's right. I ended up sharing a tent with Hon. Though she wore human skin, a dragon was still a demon. Even if I tried to reassure people, deep-seated prejudice wouldn't disappear overnight. It was understandable that they felt uneasy.
So I, as her guardian (?), agreed to take charge of Hon. Only then did Director Seong nod in relief, saying he could rest easy if the Heavenly Sword was watching her. I deliberately ignored the questioning look in his eyes.
'Explaining Hon's existence would make things far too complicated.'
I shifted my gaze and glanced at Hon. Truthfully, I had considered sending her back to Korea alone.
But I, Kang Geomma, had become a man who could no longer be satisfied with airplanes. Even the private jet granted to the Seven Stars was now nothing more than a heap of scrap metal to me.
'Since her existence has been caught anyway... can't I just ride Hon instead of a private jet?'
Just then, Hon pointed at the fridge and spoke.
"Geomma-nim! Look at this! There's meat, and meat, and more meat!"
As expected, her mouth was covered in drool. It seemed as though she diverted all her body's moisture solely into producing saliva.
After selecting a cut of chilled meat, she trotted right over. It was a thick, meaty rack of beef back ribs.
Hon looked up at me with an earnest expression.
"Um... Geomma-nim, by any chance..."
Her eyes sparkled intensely. For a moment, her image overlapped with that famous meme of Puss in Boots.
"Could you grill this for me...?"
A portable stove sat right there on the table. Hon, who had lived among humans for a month now, couldn't possibly not know what it was.
Which meant her asking me was because she wanted to eat meat cooked specifically by me. I knew my cooking was delicious, too.
'I'm a bit tired, but... Hon did work hard today.'
During the battle, Hon had devoted herself to rescuing the heroes. She cast barrier-type magic, significantly reducing casualties on the human side. Thanks to her, many lives were saved. She even managed to support the Sword Emperor at the same time.
She had fulfilled her duty beyond perfection.
Ideally, I really wanted to buy her Triple (A+++) Hanwoo. The problem was that Triple Hanwoo didn't exist.
'I'm sorry, Hon. For fooling you with a mythical meat that doesn't even exist.'
But even if I couldn't give her Triple Hanwoo, I was confident I could turn 1+ into 4+.
"You did a great job today, so I'll make you something even better than plain grilled meat."
When I held out my open hands, Hon passed over the ribs she had been clutching with both hands. Her eyes were resolute, as if she were handing over a fallen comrade's keepsakes.
I opened the fridge to inspect the ingredients. Green onions, garlic, onions, soy sauce, and more. It had everything except what it didn't have. A menu instantly popped into my head.
"This'll do."
I took out a frying pan and heated it on the stove. With a flick of my wrist, I coated the entire bottom of the pan with cooking oil.
Sizzle.
I threw in the ribs immediately. Crackle, crackle. A sound like falling rain resonated inside the frying pan.
After searing the outside of the meat as if flash-frying it, I pulled it out. The downpour briefly ceased.
I stacked the golden-brown ribs layer by layer. This sealed the natural juices inside the meat.
"You can't eat it yet."
Out of the corner of my eye, I stopped Hon as she crept toward the meat. Guilt making her defensive, she snapped back.
"Cold meat isn't tasty!"
"I'm just letting it rest for a moment. Besides, I only seared the outside, so the inside is probably dripping blood."
"...You're cooling down meat on purpose? Why?"
I considered briefly explaining the concept of resting, but decided against it. I would explain it through flavor instead. Just wait, Hon. From now on, the grilled meat Choi Seol-ah made for you will look like cardboard.
'Just as I came to view airplanes as mere scrap metal.'
I quickly stir-fried the vegetables in the rendered fat. Green onions, garlic, onions—I threw in all the aromatic vegetables that contained the soul of Korea.
"Woah..."
Prepping vegetables beside me, Hon twitched her nose. She had realized that this aroma was extraordinary.
Her pouty face from being denied the meat relaxed in an instant.
I poured in an entire bottle of soy sauce. I boldly tossed in sugar chunks and starch syrup as well.
No measurements needed. My hands were more precise than a digital scale.
"Hon, dragons breathe fire, right?"
"Ah, yes, yes! Of course!"
Time to put on a bit of showmanship. To be honest, I was getting excited too.
"Humans can breathe fire too."
"Huh?!"
Pop! I popped open the cooking wine cap with my front teeth and splashed it from high above. A stream of alcohol spiraled down, sucked straight into the pan.
The alcohol sacrificed itself to be reborn as pure umami. Its catalyst was fire. Crimson flames erupted over the pan.
"Flambé."
Hon's clear pupils reflected the dazzling fire show. She marveled like a young child seeing magic for the first time in her life. With a faint smirk, I refocused on cooking. A sweet and savory aroma filled the inside of the tent.
Drip, drip. The sound of dripping water. A flood had finally burst from Hon's mouth. So she had even more drool left to produce? Impressive.
'Well, it's only natural.'
Sweet and salty. A violence of flavor that stimulated every peripheral nerve—the culmination of Korean culinary science. Exposed helplessly to this assault, Hon's eyes went hazy and unfocused.
"Can—can I eat now? I think it's done. The rice is done too. Please? Please?"
Hon stamped her feet in anxiety.
"There are still five minutes left, so wipe up the drool you spilled on the floor while you wait."
"Yeees..."
The finishing touches. I stirred with a wooden spatula so the sauce soaked in evenly. Doing it recklessly would crush the meat and vegetables, so skill was required.
"Waaaah. What's the name of this dish?"
Hon asked after finishing her cleanup. Clearing her mind while wiping the floor must have finally brought her curiosity back.
"LA galbi. Hm... wait, let's tweak the name and call it Hawaii galbi."
Hon muttered blankly.
"Hawaii galbi... Hawaii galbi... Hawaii galbi... Hawaii galbi..."
She had become a captive of Hawaii galbi.
* * *
"I have something to discuss with you. Do you have a moment? Hm?"
The Sword Emperor arrived at Kang Geomma's tent. Right then, a sweet, mouth-watering aroma drifted out.
Spellbound, the Sword Emperor pulled aside the tent flap.
"...?"
Was her name Hon? The dragon was collapsed flat on her back in front of the dining table. Across from her, Kang Geomma was staring at her passed-out figure with an incredulous look.
The Sword Emperor hastily placed his hand on his hilt.
"What happened?! D-Don't tell me the dragon couldn't resist her true nature and went wild, so you took her down?!"
At the words "took her down," the dragon's closed eyes snapped open. Immediately hopping up, she began eating with combative ferocity.
Hon burst into a storm of exclamations and lamentations.
"It's delicious, it's so delicious! It's delicious enough to make me lose consciousness! Ahhh...! My whole life was lived in vain! I, Hontail—hereby swear—to dedicate my entire life to Geomma-nim!"
Since she was chewing vigorously, Hon spoke in fragmented sentences.
Kang Geomma, looking slightly appalled, served her some of his own meat.
"Finish chewing before you talk. Rice grains are flying everywhere."
"Yes!"
Kang Geomma turned his gaze toward the Sword Emperor.
"Ah. You're here too, Sword Emperor. Have you eaten?"
The Sword Emperor's grip on his hilt slackened.
"I haven't eaten yet... but what was that situation just now?"
"Hon ate the meat dish I cooked, let out a 'Eek!', screeched, and fainted. After that, it was exactly what you saw."
"What...?"
Delicious enough to lose one's senses? Wasn't that the kind of exaggerated reaction that only happened in the media?
But... watching her devour it so ravenously, it didn't seem like an outright lie.
For now, the Sword Emperor accepted the invitation to eat. Still holding onto his hilt, he took a spot at the table.
Whether the Sword Emperor sat down or not, Hon didn't care. To be precise, she didn't even notice. Hon was far too busy shoveling Hawaii galbi into her mouth.
"You said you had something to discuss."
Kang Geomma set out a new plate. The Sword Emperor replied with a slightly dazed air.
"It's about the 'Nephilim Shrine' you plan to visit tomorrow. I came to give you a few warnings regarding that place."
"I see. Then let's talk over food. Cold food doesn't taste good. Tell me if it's not enough; I made fifteen servings because of Hon."
At those words, the Sword Emperor glanced at Hon. She looked delicate, but her appetite was no different from an elephant's.
The Sword Emperor soon shifted his gaze to the served food. Beef ribs simmered in a reddish-brown sauce. The glistening fat, the aroma—every single element stimulated his salivary glands.
'A dish I've never seen before.'
Born into the most prestigious house, the Nibelung family, the Sword Emperor had grown up a gourmand. He had mastered cuisines from all over the world long ago, and his palate was notoriously picky. In recent years, nothing had truly delighted his tongue.
'And yet.'
The Sword Emperor's Adam's apple bobbed. How many decades had it been since he last drooled like this?
The Sword Emperor stabbed a piece with his fork. After inspecting the rib closely, he carefully placed it in his mouth.
"...Uh... uh."
Two small groans.
The Sword Emperor fell backward.
* * *
It was ridiculous. The Sword Emperor, who had claimed he came to give warnings, focused entirely on eating. Throwing away his aristocratic dignity, he was busy gripping ribs and tearing into them.
Hon went without saying. She even mixed her rice with the sauce and scraped every last grain clean—and nobody had even taught her how to do that. A miraculous learning speed, strictly limited to eating.
The hectic dinner came to an end. The mountain of Hawaii galbi was reduced to bare bones.
I stepped out of the tent to get some night air—partly to air out the tent, and partly to get the smell of meat out of my clothes. Right then, the Sword Emperor also stepped outside.
"Ahem, ahem."
He coughed awkwardly. Extremely embarrassed, even his ears were red. Still, he managed to open his mouth.
"That was an extraordinary taste... In my seventy years of living, I've eaten all kinds of dishes, but I've never tasted anything like that."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Silence fell once again. After a few minutes of quiet, the Sword Emperor suddenly asked.
"Do you know the meaning of Nephilim?"
"I heard about it briefly in class. Offspring born between angels and demons."
"Oh, so you do pay attention in class."
"It's almost time for the second semester final exams."
"Hahaha. At any rate, if you know what a Nephilim is, this will be easy to understand. The 'Nephilim Shrine' you intend to visit tomorrow is a sanctuary shared by humans and majin."
The Sword Emperor dragged over two portable chairs. We sat down and talked.
"Did you know? The god worshipped by us humans and the majin is the same. Though the branches differ, the roots are identical."
"The same god? Didn't all gods go extinct back in the Age of Myth?"
"I am not talking about such minor, dime-a-dozen gods."
The Sword Emperor shook his head. For a fleeting instant, the Milky Way decorating the night sky flashed ominously.
"There is only one True God. Well, if you took class, you ought to know that much."
There was no way I couldn't know; it was the being that gave me power.
"The Nephilim Shrine is a holy place to commemorate 'that God.' It's a place visited not only by humans, but by demons as well. Though nowadays, humans almost never visit, leaving only demons."
The Sword Emperor looked at me intently.
"I have only one warning for you. No matter what happens there, do not draw your sword. Doing so could escalate into a major catastrophe."
"Ah... yes, thank you."
Concern filled his eyes, but he soon stood up. Then, as if something came to mind, he added:
"Ah, I'm just asking out of curiosity, but you and that dragon aren't... in that kind of relationship, are you?"
I was momentarily struck dumb. That dragon? With Hon, of all people? I shook my head vigorously.
"Absolutely not. I mean, we aren't even the same species to begin with."
"...Didn't I just say? Humans were born between angels and demons."
"That's completely different from this!"
"Humans and majin are capable of reproduction too. It's just unprecedented."
Crazy old man.
"Ahem. If you're not in that kind of relationship, then I'm relieved. Anyway, thanks for the dinner."
Leaving only those words behind, the Sword Emperor hurriedly departed. Just then, Hon emerged, rubbing her sleep-filled eyes.
"Geomma-nim, aren't you going to sleep?"
"...I'll go in after a bit. Go to sleep first."
Hon nodded and went back into the tent. I stared at her back.
'A shrine visited by both humans and majin...'
Originally, I intended to go alone. But it seemed I needed to adjust my plans slightly.
Intuition was telling me: Take Hon with you to the shrine.
And I trust my gut.