novelraw Chapter 18 : Korean Food (1)
Chapter 18 : Korean Food (1)
Chapter 18 - Korean Food (1)
In the end, I had no choice but to graciously open the door for the customer.
Creeak.
“Welco—”
I came face to face with a dazzlingly bald head that left me speechless.
'Why is this person here?'
No wonder. To think he knocked so politely, unlike the other medieval bastards.
'Oops. This is no time for that.'
I straightened my upper body, struck my left chest with my right fist, and shouted.
“I swear on iron!”
“May loyalty and righteousness shine upon you.”
The bald Battalion Commander returned the salute with a gentle smile.
“Ho ho ho. The angle of your salute is a work of art. I'd believe you even if you said you were a Duchy soldier, not an outsider. Ho ho ho.”
“Th-Thank you, sir!”
“May I come in?”
“……It would be an honor!”
An honor, my ass.
……
The shop has never felt this quiet before.
Because his every footstep felt so loud to me.
Clomp. Clomp.
The bald Battalion Commander looked around the inside of the shop and said.
“It's even shabbier than I heard, I see.”
If it were Bert's shop, I would have just let it slide, but now that it's become my shop, those weren't pleasant words to hear.
'And I even sprinkled coarse salt and cleaned so diligently.'
Of course, even after cleaning like my life depended on it, I did feel its limitations.
The rotting wooden pillars, the tables and chairs that are almost all broken.
That's why I had decided to remodel everything completely someday.
'I should move up the schedule a bit.'
It wouldn't be a bad idea to take a break from business and renovate when it's difficult to procure ingredients.
“Ahem. Where should I sit?”
“You can sit wherever is comfortable.”
“Ah, is that so?”
The bald man sat at the table closest to the shop entrance.
“Battalion Commander. Excuse me, but what brings you to our shop?”
A natural curiosity that arose because someone of the Battalion Commander's stature had appeared out of the blue, and alone at that.
“Ho ho ho. You're as straightforward as ever, I see.”
“I apologize if you were offended.”
“Not at all. I like fellows like you. Ho ho ho. And didn't I fail to pay for the bread I ate at the last demonstration?”
“Ah…… That's right.”
You don't have to pay for that, though.
“I came to pay for the bread, and while I'm at it, to have a meal as well. I was curious because this shop has been so popular with my soldiers lately. Ho ho.”
“Indeed, its popularity has certainly grown a lot recently.”
It was to the point where it practically felt like a soldiers' diner, or a mess hall.
“Thanks to you, Battalion Commander, our income has increased a lot.”
“Ho ho ho. I'm glad you acknowledge it.”
Before those words could even end, the shop door burst open and two familiar guards entered.
It was the big-jawed Squad Leader Ralph and his squad member, Loos.
“Ian! The usua—……?!”
The two of them stopped dead in their tracks like broken robots, then soon performed a military salute and shouted.
“I swear on iron!”
“May loyalty and righteousness shine upon you.”
“Have you two also come for a meal?”
“……N-No, sir! We, we just stopped by as part of our patrol!”
Jeros was the same; are all the guards bad actors?
“Is that so? What a shame. I was planning on treating you to a meal.”
“Treating us, sir! That's unthinkable! Th-Then, we'll be on our way because of our duties!”
And with that, Ralph and Loos immediately left the shop as if fleeing.
“……”
During my military days, I too found the Battalion Commander to be a very difficult person to be around, but I can't even fathom how much more difficult it must be in this world.
Running away like that, I get it.
'Since it's come to this, it'd be nice if they spread a rumor that the Battalion Commander is here.'
So that as few customers as possible come, now that the pumpkins are gone.
“……Well, this worked out. I can eat in peace now. Ho ho, ho ho ho.”
He was laughing on the outside, but it was a Battalion Commander whose face showed a slight hint of disappointment.
“Hmm. I'm getting a bit hungry now, so I'll have a meal, please.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander. Please wait just a moment.”
I immediately went into the kitchen, heated up the potato stew I had prepared and put it in a bowl, placed a Fondue Bread on a plate, and served it at the Battalion Commander's table.
“Hmm.”
But the Battalion Commander stared blankly at the food on the table and said.
“From what I hear, your potato stew has no effect whatsoever.”
“Ah, yes. That is correct.”
It seems rumors about that have already spread.
“I came today because I wanted to eat the rumored pumpkin soup. Is there no pumpkin soup?”
Ah, this is awkward.
Extremely awkward.
“I'm sorry, but since it's winter, we've run out of pumpkins, so it's difficult.”
If it were another soldier or customer, I would have dealt with them smoothly and smoothed it over with a discount.
Of all people, for the Battalion Commander to come and ask for pumpkin soup.
“Instead, the Fondue Bread still has its effect, and the potato stew is also excellent, so please try them.”
“Hmm. A shame. To be honest, I've tried this bread before, and I was hoping to try another, more ‘interesting’ food besides this.”
It seems the Battalion Commander came to eat a food with a different effect than the Fondue Bread.
“Judging by the taste of your Fondue Bread, I'm sure a fellow like you must have another ‘enjoyable’ dish, no?”
Of course, it's not that I don't have one.
“Actually…… as you say, Battalion Commander, I do have something.”
The Korean dish whose recipe I was going to refine tonight to sell starting tomorrow.
“Is that so?”
The Battalion Commander's stiff expression loosened, and he looked pleased.
“I was planning on selling food from the world I lived in soon, but I'm not fully prepared yet. I don't think it will meet your satisfaction.”
I said, observing the Battalion Commander's expression, but he instead stroked his mustache as if he found it even more interesting.
“Oho. Food from the world you lived in, outsider? That makes me even more curious.”
“It might take some time. Is that still alright with you?”
“That dish also has something to it, doesn't it?”
“It will probably be even better than the Fondue Bread.”
Before long, the corner of the Battalion Commander's mouth stretched into a wide smile.
“Better? In that case, it doesn't matter. I can wait as long as it takes. Ho ho ho!”
I was briefly taken aback by the Battalion Commander's subtle madness? Or quirkiness?.
But I came to my senses and spoke.
“Please wait just a moment. I will bring it out as quickly as possible.”
……
The Korean dishes I can make through my ability, the Shop Window, are very limited.
Dishes with rice as the main ingredient, like steamed rice, or porridge.
I could make a risotto of sorts, but that's not Korean food, so I'll pass.
Because I have to clear the Korean food quest.
If that's the case, between steamed rice and porridge, which one should I serve the Battalion Commander to satisfy him?
'Let's go with porridge!'
Visually, porridge seemed better than steamed rice.
Because it's similar to the stew that these medieval guys often eat.
However, I didn't decide on the 'White Rice Porridge' that I had fed to Naba and Jeros.
It is absolutely not because of that bastard Jeros's evaluation that 'it's not as tasty as the pumpkin soup'.
'The bastard doesn't even know what good taste is.'
To think he'd undervalue my cooking.
Anyway,
The name of the dish I plan to sell starting tomorrow and will serve to the Battalion Commander right now is—
'Vegetable Porridge!'
My judgment was that since it has a more diverse taste and a more colorful appearance than white rice porridge, even the medieval guys would accept it without resistance.
'Shop Window.'
I immediately opened the Shop Window and purchased the ingredients that weren't in the kitchen.
In truth, the only ingredients I had were potatoes and onions.
'150g of rice, one 100g carrot, 90g of chives, 4.5ml of sesame oil, 5 cloves of garlic. Purchase.'
And so, a total of 10pt.
For one meal, that's a lot of points.
Because if I spend 10pt on a dish and sell it, but only get one Satisfaction point in return, that's a whopping 9pt loss.
'I can't even figure out how I should set the price.'
Looking at it this way, you could say that sugar is overpowered in this system.
Since you can earn multiple points from a single purchase.
Or perhaps it's an intentional design, telling me to earn points with sugar and use them on other foods.
'Anyway, let's think about the miscellaneous stuff later and just make it first.'
I placed a clove of garlic on the cutting board, pressed down on it with the side of the knife to flatten it, and then minced it by tapping it with the knife handle.
'If I had it my way, I'd want to use all 5 cloves.'
The guys here might be sensitive to the smell of garlic, so I compromised with one clove.
Not adding it would hurt my pride as a Korean, and I couldn't call a vegetable porridge without garlic a Korean dish.
Instead, I put my heart and soul into mincing it.
So that they couldn't even feel the texture of chewing garlic.
Next, I washed the knife cleanly and started chopping the carrot, onion, and potato.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The moment my specialty, knife work, shines.
I feel the corners of my mouth rising without me realizing it.
'It's even more fun using mana.'
It feels even flashier than the knife work in the anime I watched as a kid, ‘Cooking Master Boy’.
Still, I didn't get excited and only chopped them to a suitable size.
Now that the vegetable prep was finished,
I put sesame oil in the cast-iron pan and started by stir-frying the minced garlic.
When the garlic turns golden brown, I add the onion and carrot and stir-fry them until they're fragrant.
Then I added the washed rice and stir-fried it all together.
After this, it's similar to the white rice porridge.
Pour water and stir-fry, and when it gets stiff, pour more water.
And at the final moment, pour in the diced potatoes and the boiled water together.
The reason for adding the potatoes last is for a variety of textures.
Also, if you add them too early, it becomes too sticky because of the potato starch.
I season it with coarse salt.
Soy sauce would be more delicious, but the points are expensive, so I cost-effectively sprinkled in coarse salt.
And I have to taste it before serving it to the customer, so slurp.
“!!”
It's delicious.
It's incomparably more delicious than the white rice porridge I ate for lunch.
The flavor and umami from the vegetables were, as expected, amazing.
Good. As a finishing touch, I'll finely chop some chives and sprinkle them on top,
'Vegetable Porridge, complete!'
Thud!
I placed the wooden bowl, with steam billowing from it, in front of the Battalion Commander.
It would be perfect to eat this with some napa cabbage kimchi on top.
“This…… looks like a thick stew.”
the Battalion Commander said, as if intrigued.
“In my world, it's a dish called 'juk'.”
“What? Juk? As in 'kill' (juk-yeora)?”
Being Korean, I never thought it was strange, but now that I think about it, 'juk' is a strange name.
“That's right. This juk is made with vegetables, so it's called yachae-juk (vegetable porridge).”
“Hmm. How strange. It's like a thick, rich stew. Ho ho ho.”
“Please, try it.”
“I see. Then I shall have a taste.”
The Battalion Commander, with a curious gaze, ladled a spoonful of the vegetable porridge.
As the steaming spoon moved towards the Battalion Commander's mouth, all sorts of thoughts ran through my head.
'What if his reaction isn't much different from Jeros's?'
Was it a mistake to add the garlic?
There was Miwon in the Shop Window, should I have used that?
No. Instead of Miwon, I should have added a pinch of sugar.
'Dammit.'
Even though I hadn't raised my eye power,
The moment the Battalion Commander put the spoon in his mouth looked like it was in slow motion.
Chew.
The Battalion Commander slowly placed the empty spoon on the table and closed his eyes.
And he worked his mouth.
Chew. Chew.
Is it delicious?
Just as I swallowed dryly without realizing,
Slowly, very slowly,
The bald Battalion Commander's brow furrowed.
'The forehead of truth!'
This was the same Battalion Commander who had furrowed his brow after eating the Fondue Bread at the demonstration.
That Battalion Commander wrinkled his brow in the exact same way.
No, it's even deeper than last time.
The Battalion Commander opened his eyes.
The corners of his eyes had become moist.
“You, you are truly……”
“……”
“A fellow who is truly good at cooking.”
What a relief.
It worked.
It wasn't the white rice porridge I gave to Jeros,
but the vegetable porridge I made for the Battalion Commander had clearly delivered an impression greater than that of the Fondue Bread.
“That's high praise!”
“First, I'm going to eat.”
From then on, the Battalion Commander inhaled the vegetable porridge without another word.
Even though it must have been hot, he blew on it to cool it and ate without resting.
When does a cook feel the most proud?
Isn't it precisely a moment like this?
< The customer is satisfied with the food. >
< You have obtained 1 ‘Satisfaction.’ >
The Battalion Commander, who had scraped the bowl clean, spoke.
“Hmm. You said the effect would be better, and you were right.”
I don't know if the bonus effect of the vegetable porridge is the same as or different from the white rice porridge,
But in any case, the Strength buff from the rice must have been applied.
“I feel my competitive spirit from my youth rising. It makes me want to go to the training grounds right now. Ho ho ho.”
Hmm. I want to stop him, since the buff will probably wear off by the time he arrives.
“I've heard that outsiders sometimes have some kind of ability, and it seems yours has manifested through cooking. I quite like it. Ho ho ho.”
“I'm relieved to hear you say so.”
“It's good that you seem to have equipped some manners now. It looks like Jeros taught you a lot.”
“Yes. I've learned a lot of things. It's just that the tuition was a bit expensive.”
“Did Jeros ask for money in return for teaching you?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“1 shilling per hour.”
Though, to be precise, it was the amount I had proposed.
“What?! Ho ho ho! That's the funniest thing I've heard recently. Ho ho ho ho!”
This bald bastard. Is he taking it as a joke or what.
I'm still feeling bitter about the large sum I spent back then.
“Amusing, amusing. It seems an outsider like you fell into my battalion because of my good fortune. I'm truly lucky. Ho ho ho.”
I was contemplating what to say to his way of speaking, which made it impossible to tell if he liked me or if he was just praising himself.
“Well then, it's time to pay the price.”
The Battalion Commander grinned and placed a single coin on the table.
“?!”
At the brilliantly shining silver shilling, I almost let out a gasp without realizing but barely managed to hold it in.
'1 shilling for a single bowl of porridge?!'
This is a total jackpot.
At 1 shilling, spending 10pt was worth it.
“Ho ho. This is for the bread I ate at the last demonstration.”
The Battalion Commander took out another silver coin, placed it on top of the shilling on the table, and said.
“This is for the meal I had today.”
2 shillings? But the Battalion Commander still didn't stop.
“Lastly, this is a tip because I'm sorry you couldn't receive any customers because of me. Ho ho ho.”
No wonder, even though I kept hearing the sound of salutes while I was in the kitchen, only the Battalion Commander was in the hall.
Customers had come and then left.
'This is even better.'
To have earned 3 shillings from a single dish.
Dopamine exploded in my head.
Ah, no. I can't just stand still like this.
“Thank you, Battalion Commander!!!”
With the most disciplined expression of my entire life, I gave him a military salute.
“I will repay you in the future with even more delicious and effective dishes!”
< The customer is satisfied with the service. >
< You have obtained 1 ‘Satisfaction.’ >
“Of course you should. Ho ho ho. So, about that, I still have some things I'm curious about. Can you answer them?”
“I will answer anything with all my heart!”
As long as you give me more money!
“Ho ho. Right, right. About…… this shop and your master, Bert.”
“Yes!”
“Did you kill him?”
……What?