Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 68 : Granfen (1)

Granfen (1)

Even after raising prices on Harper's advice, the shop was still busy.

Amazingly, there was not a single decline in customers.

― Boss. Raising it by this little is nowhere near enough.

... Honestly, the price hike was small.

Harper had said I could raise it more considering the unique nature of my food,

but I wanted to do it as slowly as possible.

'Because I want to protect the wallets of the few civilian customers.'

I appreciated those who came for the taste rather than the buffs.

Of course, from a business perspective, this might seem like a foolish choice.

But it's not as if I'm being reckless about it.

I have a reliable backer, don't I?

'If the worst comes to worst, I can go to the Grey Fortress and sell coarse salt.'

Since I was busy for the time being, I'd have to consider the circumstances and timing,

but having a cheat key like "show me the money" in real life felt amazing.

Meanwhile, I was hiding quite a few things from Clara—

from the fact that Plerine was a mage,

to how I sourced my ingredients through the [shop window].

Since Clara had worked as an ace at Wyvern Tail for a long time, I still couldn't trust her 100%.

I watched Clara for a week.

'The result was nothing but satisfactory.'

She had a good personality, did her job well, and got along with the other employees.

Like a true professional, she generously shared her know-how.

I couldn't help but wonder how we ever worked without her.

'That's probably why prideful Plerine even said, "She's good at her job."'

Of course, the folks at Wyvern Tail must be feeling some pain—

no, not just some, a lot.

But that's just how things go in this line of work.

... Keep your expression under control, Ian.

If you suddenly smile, the employees might think you're weird.

Anyway, it's been a week and two more days since the shop underwent several changes.

"They say she's coming."

A soldier customer said this with a gloomy face,

and the colleague sitting across from him answered,

"So it wasn't just a false rumor?!"

"Looks like Sergeant Ricky has arrived and is making his report."

"Sergeant Ricky from the Special Investigation Unit?!"

"Yeah! Those dumb beastkin from the same unit as Heroni, in the end!!"

"S-Son of a—!!"

The two, agitated, began hurling curses at their main enemy, the beastkin,

and ended up ordering the least popular item on the menu.

"Two beers over here! Quickly!!"

The two soldiers brought their mugs to their lips as if to down them in one shot, but immediately set them back down.

They hadn't even drunk a few sips.

"... Should we move somewhere else?"

"Let's do that."

They would probably head to Wyvern Tail now.

'... Guess our beer really doesn't stand out much.'

It was a pattern I'd been seeing often lately,

but I had no time to worry about how the drinks tasted.

The atmosphere in Granfen village was rapidly, terribly deteriorating.

"Boss. Do you think it's true?"

Plerine asked dryly,

but the mere question meant she was worried about Legion.

'He was that impressive and reliable—the Special Investigator Legion.'

Even though I met her just once, she was overflowing with personal charm.

So I put my hope into my words.

"I hope the rumor isn't true."

Since two days ago, rumors had circulated in the village that Legion was dead.

Of course, no one had believed it at first.

But as time went on, the rumor started to take the form of reality,

and now people were even saying Legion's corpse was on its way.

'What's more, they said the Special Investigation Unit's sergeant had arrived and was filing a report.'

If that were true, then chances were Legion really was dead, against my wishes.

'Damn it.'

It was no wonder the whole mood in Granfen was deflating.

The symbolism of Special Investigator Legion and her popularity among soldiers had been significant.

I still couldn't forget the look on Ralph's face as he praised her.

Sure enough,

even the officers who came for dinner had gloomy faces.

Even the ever-poker-faced battalion commander was full of wrinkles today.

'The battalion commander must have a headache.'

Company Commander Devanne from the 3rd Company was still out-of-service, being in a coma,

and now the Special Investigator was said to have died.

This was more than a headache—surely it was torment.

But these were problems for the commanders to worry about and handle.

Even in these times, I needed to keep my wits about me.

'If I'm not careful, I could get swept away and die myself.'

Once the officers who quietly finished their dinner left,

I told the three employees besides Plerine to take a break.

Closing time was coming soon, but most importantly, it was time to organize the information gained today.

"They said the body they confirmed might not even be Legion's, right?"

Plerine responded to my question.

"They'd know Legion better than we would. I'd bet it's really her. They even say her collapsible six-section staff was found."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

In the end, there was no twist.

Legion was dead, and the body had arrived in the village.

That meant big trouble for me.

Most in Granfen insisted it was the work of the Heroni,

but there was a much higher chance it wasn't.

"The one who made the minor Demon Realm did it, right?"

The one who tried to make Gardoc the Demon King.

It was obviously a scheme of the outsider who created the minor Demon Realm.

Plerine nodded, seeming to agree with my opinion.

"Everyone in Granfen was shouting that Legion was the one who purified the minor Demon Realm. So they went looking for Legion, and killed her."

This matched my thoughts exactly.

My insides churned.

I'd thought the matter of the minor Demon Realm would just quietly blow over—damn it.

Who would have expected this mess.

Of course, from that guy's perspective, he would have had to find Legion.

How did she purify the minor Demon Realm?

What happened to the OOPArts "Fragment of the Firmament" used as a sacrifice?

So I absolutely had to find something out:

'When Legion died, did she mention us?'

Though I didn't know Legion well, she wouldn't have confessed first.

But in this harsh, medieval world, there's always torture.

In the end, my reasoning reached this conclusion:

'There's a high chance the guy who killed Legion found out about me, Plerine, and Ralph.'

"... That's as far as my guess goes."

"Hmmm."

Plerine was silent for a moment as if she was lost in thought, then spoke up.

"I'll go check."

"Hm? Check what?"

"Legion's corpse."

"?!"

"I'll sneak in and check it personally. See how she died, and whether there are signs of torture."

That was it.

Even if I couldn't, a 6th-circle mage could sneak in and examine Legion's corpse.

The problem was that there wasn't much time.

"We have to check before the body is cremated."

"I'll go now."

"Be careful. Don't get caught, no matter what."

Creak. Without another word, Plerine vanished.

*

After sending Plerine off, I closed up the shop with the remaining three employees.

Before work started, Clara had asked after Plerine, but I made something up.

I said she'd be late returning because I'd sent her on an errand.

"......"

We worked in silence.

Clara, who had become the mood-maker at the shop, kept her mouth shut.

She, too, was being affected by the negative atmosphere in the village.

'The sharper residents have already started leaving.'

There was no reason for civilians like miners and prostitutes to stay in a garrison town where things looked grim.

No matter how desperate for money, it's not worth risking your life.

In other words, unlike Harper and Naba, who had nowhere else to go, Clara did have the option of escaping.

She must have been conflicted inside,

and her expression showed it the whole time.

But a pro has to finish their job like a pro should.

We finished up smoothly and each went to our rooms.

For reference, the employees' rooms—Harper and Naba shared one,

while Plerine and Clara shared the other.

With hardly any overnight guests, I had told them to use one room each for welfare,

but Harper had strongly objected.

Turned out she was stubborn beyond what I expected.

'Would she be this stubborn even if she knew how much the salt sold for at Grey Fortress?'

I imagined it, but probably they wouldn't change at all. Anyway, Ian, stop with the stupid daydreams.

I need to focus on how I'll survive from here on out.

Flop.

I lay down on the bed to think intensely.

Up until yesterday, I would go to the training center after work, so I got a bit restless now, but—

Knock knock.

"?"

There was a knock at my door.

For a brief moment, the battalion commander and squire Schutmann came to mind, but it couldn't be them.

It had to be one of my employees.

"Who is it?"

"Boss, um..."

The owner of the returning voice was an unexpected person.

"It's Clara."

Why her? I thought briefly,

but remembering the look on her face at closing, it made sense.

She must have something to talk about.

'And a boss has a duty to look after their subordinates' mental health.'

I got up, preparing myself.

She might be about to say she was going to leave.

Creak.

The door opened, and a freckled white woman appeared.

She had the kind of face that would trigger a man's protective instinct.

Her eyes were brimming with tears... ahem.

'Her pajamas are... rather bold.'

For a moment I didn't know where to look, but I somehow managed to aim at the spot between Clara's brows.

"What's up? What's wrong...?!"

As I asked, Clara shivered slightly with her hands clasped behind her back.

"I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"

"No. I'm not surprised."

Drip.

Finally, a tear rolled down Clara's face.

Ugh.

As her boss, I ought to help with her mental care, but—

'Damn. What is this.'

It was my first time with a woman sadly crying right in front of me—

I didn't know what to do or say.

... And it's absolutely not because Clara looks sexy in her pajamas.

Whatever, I just blurted out something.

"It's okay. Calm down for now—what's wrong?"

Clara sobbed, wiping away her tears over and over.

"The mood in the village is so scary these days. But being alone without Plerine makes it even scarier..."

This was Clara's weak side, which usually seemed so bright.

Just as I started to feel pity for her,

Sabo-jak, Clara took a step closer to me,

a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Could you stay with me, at least until Plerine comes back?"

Sabo-jak, sabo-jak.

Even the sound of her footsteps was very Clara-like—it was confusing.

No, honestly, saying it was the sound of her steps that made me uncomfortable was an excuse.

I wasn't clueless enough to not know what this was about.

Damn.

'Shit.'

I never expected to be caught between Han Chul Lee the modern man and Ian the medieval man like this.

Still, I was pretty impressive to keep my composure and not retreat in panic at a time like this.

'This is the kind of development only Japanese otaku would like.'

Unknowingly, Clara and I had gotten quite close.

Close enough to feel Clara's body heat and breath.

Without realizing it, my eyes were drawn to her rosy lips, and—

"I'm coming in, boss...."

She used the word to address me—boss.

"!"

My mind snapped back to reality.

Boss.

Right, I'm the boss.

If I were some medieval owner, I'd probably just say "Thank you" and let Clara in,

but at my core, I'm a modern boss.

'As a boss, I can't treat a subordinate as a woman.'

Tap.

I held Clara's shoulders and gently pushed her back.

Finally, I had enough distance to regain some composure.

"If you're scared, I'll stay with you. But not in my room—in the dining hall."

I closed the door.

"Let's go downstairs."

Clara's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ah, no. I want to be in your room, boss."

"It'll be ten years before you're allowed in the boss's room, Clara."

I chuckled and started to pass her,

but then Clara's eyebrow twitched strangely. And then—

"Quick-witted bastard."

A blade shot out from behind Clara's back.

A kitchen knife, reflecting candlelight, lunged at me.

Shwing!

"Die!!"

Shit, what the hell is this now.

***

Plerine had completely grasped the layout of Granfen Village.

After settling here, following Ian, she had wandered every nook and cranny of the village, preparing for any unforeseen event.

As a result, she had managed to arrive in front of Headquarters without being seen by anyone,

but she had not actually entered the building.

'They increased security.'

There were far more sounds of people both inside and outside the building than usual.

It was only natural, given the state of emergency.

This wasn't easy.

No matter if she was a 6th-circle, she was a mage.

She wasn't an assassin or a thief; infiltration was not her area of expertise.

'Can I really make it through without getting caught, just as boss instructed?'

As she was pondering this, a group of security guards coming off their shift and heading home caught her attention.

Among them, she spotted a particular soldier.

"Good work."

"I'm off. Keep grinding away, guys."

Without hesitation, Plerine quietly followed the middle-aged soldier.

Soon after, when her target had separated from the group and was alone,

Plerine snatched the guard and pulled him into a secluded spot.

Whik!

"W-who are you!"

The big-chinned guard captain started to draw his sword but stopped.

When the assailant pulled back her hood, a familiar face appeared.

"Ian's young lady?"

Nod.

Ralph asked with a bewildered expression.

"What is this, all of a sudden?"

Plerine took a brief breath and exhaled.

It stung her pride, but she had promised boss.

"Help me out, mister."

Ralph's eyes widened in surprise,

and then he cocked his head to the side.

"I'm not a mister... I'm a bachelor."

Plerine, totally taken aback by this unexpected fact, was left in shock.