Chapter 80
I left Sanctuary behind, leaving its wounded innocence in my wake.
I’d brought back something delicious for the carnivorous elves.
When I got back behind the wheel, I found Lee Jae-wook and Kim Sang-cheol waiting in front of my car.
The two of them kept looking around as if they were searching for something right in front of the hood.
What they were looking for was painfully obvious.
Me.
I got out and called to them.
“What are you two doing?”
“Gah!”
“Hyung!”
Both of them jumped and stared at me in shock.
Lee Jae-wook even let out a yelp and hopped in place.
Seeing him bounce like a fish on a cutting board made me feel a little sorry.
I hadn’t thought they’d be that startled.
If this had been inside a gate instead of a parking lot, they probably would’ve thought a monster was approaching and drawn their weapons.
“Hyung? Where on earth were you?”
“Exactly. We were worried sick, thinking you’d been kidnapped or something.”
“I was in the car the whole time.”
“Huh? In the car?”
I answered casually, too lazy to explain Sanctuary.
Both of them frowned at me at once, looking like they thought I was talking nonsense.
Whatever. I ignored them and opened the delivery app.
[Korean, Chinese, Japanese....]
As soon as I opened it, the food categories popped up on the screen.
What should I order so the elves would eat happily and feel deeply grateful to me?
“Oh. Did you tell Do-hee and Taecheon that I vanished?”
I tossed the question out as lightly as I could.
“No. Not yet.”
“We were going to, but Jae-wook said we should figure out what happened first....”
“Good. If I disappear again in front of you, don’t think about telling them.”
“......”
No answer.
I took my eyes off the screen and looked at them.
The two of them were staring at each other, both looking awkward, as if they didn’t know how to respond.
That was only natural.
If they listened to me, they’d be disobeying Do-hee and Taecheon.
Even though they were already in league with me.
Still, they probably wouldn’t want to falsify their report.
Especially since they knew Do-hee and Taecheon had only put surveillance on me because they were worried.
So I added one more line to make the decision easier for them.
“I’m going there and back on my own, so don’t worry. It’s not a dangerous place.”
“Ah....”
It was a safe place I could come and go from without any trouble, so there was no issue even if they didn’t report it.
It was a sanctuary by name. What danger could there possibly be?
It wasn’t even something worth reporting in the first place.
“If that’s the case... then, right?”
“Um. We’ll do that.”
“Good thinking.”
Satisfied with their answer, I nodded.
Then I pressed the order button for the menu on the screen.
A cartoon lion with a lunchbox strapped to its back started running frantically across the display.
Underneath it, a line appeared: it would take about thirty minutes for delivery to arrive.
“I ordered food. You guys are eating too, right?”
“Ah, of course.”
“If you’re treating us, I won’t refuse.”
I’d ordered the food for the elves, but I’d included portions for Jae-wook and Sang-cheol too.
And naturally, I’d also made sure to order enough for the three women probably still killing time at Jae-i’s Blacksmith.
It would’ve been too heartless to order exactly what was needed and then head straight back to Sanctuary.
While the three of us were chatting about this and that, the delivery riders arrived.
They set the food down and hurried off again.
Since there were so many mouths to feed, I hadn’t ordered everything from one brand; I’d ordered from several places instead.
Even so, I’d kept the flavors to exactly two categories.
“...Eighteen chickens? Why did you order so much chicken?”
“It’s a traditional food in our country.”
“...Huh? Chicken?”
What I’d prepared was a dish with a long and storied history.
Half fried, half sauced.
One whole chicken per person, too.
This would surely win over the hearts of the carnivorous elves.
Just you wait, you elves who shattered my childhood innocence.
After handing five chickens to the two of them, I went back into Sanctuary.
＊＊＊
When I returned, the elves were gathered around Saessak.
The young World Tree glowing with blue light, the elves seated around it in a circle....
The sight had a solemn air to it, like priests gathered in prayer.
I had no idea what they were doing, but I didn’t want to interrupt, so I approached carefully.
Sniff, sniff.
My consideration turned out to be a waste.
The smell of thirteen chickens was overwhelming.
As I got closer, they kept sniffing the air, and soon all twelve elves opened their eyes and looked at me.
More precisely, at the square chicken boxes in both my hands.
“Um, am I interrupting? I brought food....”
“Interrupting? Not at all. But did you already cook this?”
“I bought it.”
“Ah.”
“I hope it suits your taste. It’s one of the most popular foods in our country.”
“Then it must be delicious.”
Patria stood and walked toward me.
The other elves followed him and came up in front of me too.
They were already hungry, and now that the delicious smell had reached them, they seemed unable to hold back.
Watching them lick their lips made me suspect thirteen chickens might not be enough.
Actually, I’d included a portion for myself too, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.
For now, I’d hand them out and see.
If it wasn’t enough, I could always order more.
“Thank you, Manager.”
“We’ll enjoy this, Manager!”
The elves lined up and took the chicken boxes one by one, in order.
As they received them, they thanked me.
The last one to get a chicken box was the female elf the elder had called Regina.
“Please enjoy.”
“Th-thank you....”
Her face turned faintly red as she accepted it.
She looked embarrassed to be receiving something for free.
Well, I could understand that. They were from a different race, and after meeting me for the first time, they were already getting fed by me. It made sense that she’d feel awkward.
I should probably look away a little so they didn’t feel self-conscious.
“As expected! I thought I smelled oil, and it really was fried food.”
“How can fried food have a golden shine like this?”
“This red one... it’s spicy?”
“It’s not just spicy. It’s sweet too!”
“I’ve never eaten chicken like this before...!”
Hmm....
I’d meant to look away so they wouldn’t feel awkward, but there was no way I could do that.
The elves eating the half fried, half sauced chicken with such obvious delight was genuinely a spectacle.
And they kept talking about the taste the way a streamer might dramatically exaggerate their reaction to food, so I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
“I’m glad I bought it boneless....”
The elves used the wooden chopsticks like forks.
Not a single one used them in the intended way.
I guess they didn’t even have the concept of chopsticks.
I’d worried they might not be able to handle them like Koreans did, which was why I’d bought boneless chicken in the first place. Looks like that was the right call.
With boneless chicken, they could just pick it up and go.
“Um, Manager.”
“Yes?”
Regina raised her right hand to call me.
I smiled and looked at her.
She lowered the hand she’d raised and lifted the other one instead.
In her pale, slender left hand she held a plastic bottle filled with black liquid.
Cola.
“What is this black liquid?”
“Ah, that’s cola....”
Could elves even know what cola was?
Of course not.
“No, a carbonated drink....”
There was no way she’d know that either.
How was I supposed to explain cola?
“Ah, I see. So this is a drink.”
While I was still struggling, Regina picked up what I was trying to say and nodded.
Thank goodness she could understand even my clumsy explanation.
She shook the cola bottle back and forth and examined it, then opened the black cap.
Wait, she shook it?
“Ah, hold on-”
Hiss!
The fizzing sound rang out so loudly and briskly that it drowned out my voice.
“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
Right after that, I heard Regina’s breathless cries of panic.
She froze in the same position, trembling as she stared at me.
Black cola dripped down from her white hand.
Still unable to pull herself out of her confusion, she asked carefully, “D-did I... do something wrong?”
“No, no. That’s just... how it is.”
“Huh...? That’s how it normally is?”
Regina tilted her head, completely lost.
The other elves, who had been examining the bottle out of curiosity, cautiously set their colas down.
It seemed cola had become a dangerous object in their eyes.
Damn it, chicken needs cola!
“Manager, do you really drink something this dangerous...?”
“Dangerous....”
I had to clear up this misunderstanding quickly.
Otherwise I might be branded not only as the World Tree’s manager, but as a human who drank dangerous beverages.
I picked up a fresh cola bottle from the chicken box.
“It’s because there’s carbonation inside. As long as you don’t shake it, it’s fine. Like this.”
I opened the cap carefully.
Unlike when Regina had opened it, all that came out was a small hiss, and the cola didn’t overflow.
I took a drink without putting my lips directly on the bottle.
The cool, sweet taste spread through my mouth.
“Oh....”
The elves let out murmurs of awe.
Seeing that it didn’t spill over, they seemed interested again.
Patria picked up one of the cola bottles from the chicken box and said, “I shall try it myself.”
As an elder, he was trying to set an example.
The elder elf carefully copied my actions.
The cola hissed as he opened it, and then he drank immediately.
“......!”
Patria’s eyes went round.
He looked at me with a face bright with excitement.
“Oh. This is truly astonishing!”
“Right? It’s good, isn’t it?”
“That’s all? It feels as though explosion magic is going off one after another inside my mouth!”
Maybe because of his reaction?
The other elves cautiously opened their bottles and drank the cola too.
Those who tasted it reacted just like Patria, staring at one another in shock.
“Ooh! So that’s what the elder meant!”
“It really does feel like explosion magic has gone off!”
“I thought something black like this would taste dreadful....”
“I’ve never had a drink this sweet in my life.”
Whew. Thank goodness.
They all seemed to like the cola.
I walked over to Regina and handed her the cola I’d already taken a sip from.
“Here.”
“Ah... it’s all ri-right!”
“It’s not all right with me.”
Half the cola in the bottle she was holding had already disappeared.
If I’d told her earlier, she could’ve had a full, cold bottle all to herself.
She lowered her head deeply and thanked me.
“...Thank you.”
“Enjoy it.”
With that, I moved away from the elves.
I meant for them to eat in peace without worrying about me.
While I leaned back against Saessak’s trunk, the elves rapidly devoured the chicken and cola.
Watching them eat the chicken so neatly....
Maybe it was because I’d brought food from our country to the elves, but I felt a strange sense of pride.
Along with that swelling pride, the number of hungry elves listed in the quest kept dropping fast.
Before long, a quest notification popped up in front of me.
D-rank World Tree Quest completed!
The elves feel grateful to the World Tree Manager!
They currently hold affection for the World Tree Manager.
As a result, deeper conversation is now possible.
“Chicken is always the right answer.”
World Tree Sapling says it wants to eat chicken and cola too.
......
Chicken and cola for a tree?
Hmm. That might be a little much.