Chapter 46
A week passed.
A quiet morning at the inn.
Jeong Yushin was sitting at the counter with his chin propped on his hand.
“Ptooey, ptooey!!! How can food be this terrible?! Innkeeper, come out!”
The rabbit beastkin huffed angrily and raised their voice.
Jeong Yushin rose from his seat and approached the rabbit beastkin.
“Is it really that bad?”
“It’s complete trash!”
“I agree.”
Jeong Yushin nodded.
Tarman’s cooking could not be called delicious, even as an empty compliment.
“Where did Darmong go?”
The rabbit beastkin asked.
“He’s away for a while to take care of something in his hometown.”
“Tsk.”
The rabbit beastkin clicked their tongue and rose from their seat.
Jeong Yushin watched the beastkin’s back as they stormed out, then went into the kitchen.
“Tarman.”
“Yes, Lord Ska.”
“I heard you were good at cooking.”
Tarman scratched his head. His completely shaved scalp, bare of even a single hair, glistened with sweat.
“My friends praised my cooking and said it was delicious.”
“A customer just slapped me. He said it was really awful.”
“R-really?”
“I’m lying.”
“...”
“Tarman.”
“Yes.”
“I suppose this is where our association ends.”
Tarman’s eyes went round like a rabbit’s.
“What?!”
“I’m lying.”
“Urgh.”
Tarman clutched his heart and staggered.
“I need to hire someone. Someone who’s good at cooking. Go to the monster dismantling shop and bring Snub Nose here.”
“···You knew?”
“That you’re Aldein’s contact? Everyone in this neighborhood probably knows. While you’re there, find out how Silva is doing, too.”
“Understood.”
Tarman took off his apron and left the inn.
Jeong Yushin closed the shop and sat at the counter.
He folded his arms and fell deep into thought.
From Aldein’s words and actions, and from what he had seen in the Eastern District of Labyrinth City, he could infer that people even worse than the slave hunters were lurking somewhere.
The problem was that he could not be sure whether those people had noticed him.
Perhaps he was simply being overly self-conscious.
But there was no harm in preparing for the worst. Besides, the remnants of the slave hunters might come disguised as cooks.
He needed Aldein’s help.
He needed a sieve to filter out the trash.
There was a saying that birds of a feather flock together.
The people of the underworld would obviously recognize their own kind.
Jeong Yushin waited quietly.
A few hours later.
Tarman and Snub Nose entered the inn.
“Lord Ska.”
“So? Nothing happened?”
“No.”
“I’m trying to hire someone. Help me out.”
“Understood.”
Snub Nose bowed his head and answered immediately.
Jeong Yushin turned his head and looked at Tarman.
“Once we find a cook, you’ll serve. The food is absolute trash.”
“Yes.”
Tarman answered in a dejected voice.
They put up a huge notice in front of the inn announcing that they were looking for a cook.
Snub Nose transcribed Jeong Yushin’s requirements for him. He was a clever fellow. A talent Jeong Yushin found increasingly valuable, one might say.
“I hope you won’t get your hopes up too high.”
Snub Nose said this.
“Why?”
“You’re a Barbaroi, Lord Ska. I think applicants may assume you’re looking for a female cook.”
“···Let’s wait and see.”
One day. Two days. Three days.
The inn was dead quiet. No one applied. On the fourth day, Jeong Yushin rose from his chair at the counter.
“Tarman.”
“Yes.”
“You look like you don’t have a single worry. Can’t you see that the inn’s fate is hanging by a thread like a candle in the wind?”
“...”
“Go. Go outside and at least shout that we’re looking for a cook.”
“Yes.”
Just as Tarman began staggering toward the inn door, it opened.
Clatter!!
“I heard you’re looking for a cook.”
A small fox beastkin with yellow fur stood at the inn entrance and called out confidently.
Jeong Yushin narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the fox beastkin. Then he looked at Snub Nose.
“Is this right?”
“You should at least conduct an interview.”
Jeong Yushin nodded and pointed to the seat across from where he was sitting.
“Sit here.”
“Hiiu.”
The short fox beastkin ran to the table and struggled to climb onto the chair.
Jeong Yushin watched, then lifted them and placed them on the chair.
“Thank you kindly.”
“All right. Do you know how to cook?”
“Of course.”
“You’re rather small. How do you cook?”
“I possess summoning magic.”
The fox beastkin thrust out their flat chest and raised their chin.
“What are you summoning? Cooking? Or a familiar?”
“A familiar.”
The conversation went nowhere.
“So you’re saying you’ll have your summoned creatures cook?”
“That’s the idea.”
“Summon one.”
“Watch closely. Hup!”
The fox beastkin fiddled with their small hands, then spread them toward the table.
There was a flash of light, and something appeared on the table.
Jeong Yushin’s eyes widened.
‘What is this?!’
Three small, colorful slimes appeared on the table.
“W-what are these?”
Jeong Yushin asked with difficulty, barely managing to collect his dizzy thoughts.
The fox beastkin pointed at the red slime crawling across the table.
“This friend is Nalleum. Cute, right?”
“...”
“This blue friend is Mongmong. What do you think?”
“This green one is Chopchop. Ehehe.”
Jeong Yushin stared blankly down at the slimes.
After watching them squirm and crawl around on the table until he could stand it no longer, he raised his head.
“So you’re going to cook with these friends?”
“I-I can do it!”
It seemed the fox beastkin had more to show him.
The fox beastkin closed their eyes and muttered something.
“Hup! Transform!”
At the fox beastkin’s incantation, the slimes squirmed and transformed into different shapes.
They transformed into a bear beastkin, an elf, and something resembling a strange blob.
Jeong Yushin pointed at the shapeless blob slime.
“What is this?”
“It’s a dragon.”
So dragons really did exist. This really was a fantasy world.
That aside.
Jeong Yushin spread his palm and wiped down his face.
How could he turn the fox beastkin down nicely?
He was deeply troubled.
Jeong Yushin looked down at the fox beastkin and slowly opened his mouth.
“Er... it’s certainly an impressive talent, but your abilities have nothing to do with the duties of this inn...”
Jeong Yushin stopped speaking and looked at the fox beastkin.
“Uuu. I don’t know what that means.”
Round tears welled up in the fox beastkin’s large eyes.
The stares of Tarman and Snub Nose, who were watching him intently from the side, pricked at him.
Jeong Yushin sighed.
“Come to the inn sometimes and put on a show.”
“I’m hungry!”
‘Oh, this is killing me.’
Dealing with the small fox beastkin’s stubborn demands was harder than fighting while exchanging knife thrusts.
Just then, Snub Nose smiled warmly and took some coins from his pocket, holding them out.
“Buy something tasty with this.”
The fox beastkin’s eyes sparkled at the copper coin Snub Nose offered.
“Wow! Thank you, uncles.”
The fox beastkin politely bowed at the waist, then scampered out of the inn.
The three men sitting at the table folded their arms and looked at one another.
“Does that kid not know what a Barbaroi is? They’re fearless.”
Jeong Yushin grumbled as though dumbfounded.
Snub Nose gave a wry smile.
“It is strange. Still, it’s not a bad start.”
“I hope so.”
Jeong Yushin said this while looking toward the inn entrance.
A short while later.
“Are you that Barbaroi?”
‘What’s with this old man now?’
A white-haired dwarf sat across from Jeong Yushin at the table and stared intently at him.
“Sir, please clarify which Barbaroi you mean.”
“I mean, are you that good Barbaroi who doesn’t rape?”
“I am that very man. The only man who has stood upright in Labyrinth City.”
“In all my years, I’ve never seen the likes of you.”
The old dwarf muttered blankly.
“Sir, did you come to apply for the cook position?”
“No?”
The dwarf sat there vacantly and looked up at Jeong Yushin.
Jeong Yushin looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh.
“Whew. Please go over there. You’re rejected. Next.”
“You’re an interesting fellow. Let’s meet again sometime.”
The old dwarf climbed down from the chair and walked out of the inn.
The next applicant sat in the chair.
A figure in a robe wearing a crow-beak mask and carrying a suspicious bag over their shoulder.
“You did come to apply for the cook position... right?”
“···Buy this.”
The crow-beak-masked figure abruptly took something from the bag and placed it on the table.
The voice was so hoarse that it was difficult to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
“What is this?”
There was a fist-sized glass bottle on the table. Pink liquid sloshed inside it.
“A potion that makes you happy.”
“Isn’t that a drug? Get out.”
Jeong Yushin growled.
“It’s an aphrodisiac. One that makes women go wild.”
“Same thing. Get out.”
The crow-beak mask clicked its tongue, put the glass bottle back in the bag, and rose from the seat.
“This medicine is expensive. I won’t give you a discount next time.”
“Rejected. Next.”
The masked figure left the inn, and the next applicant sat across from him.
A hyena beastkin with yellow fur. A long scar ran across one eye.
‘Oh?’
The scent of a master craftsman wafted from them.
Perhaps it was the aura of a lone eccentric who had devoted themself to a single path.
“Are you any good at cooking?”
Jeong Yushin asked the hyena beastkin with growing expectations.
“I don’t need that crap.”
Jeong Yushin’s expression hardened at the hyena beastkin’s words.
‘What is this one supposed to be...’
His patience was slowly reaching its limit.
The cook he wanted never came, while all sorts of strange people kept showing up.
“Are you that bastard? The one who suddenly appeared in the Eastern District and butchered the slave hunters?”
Jeong Yushin turned his head and looked at Snub Nose.
Snub Nose nodded.
Were they people from the underworld?
“That’s me.”
Jeong Yushin answered.
A competitive look appeared on the hyena beastkin’s face.
“You’re really the guy who killed thirty-one people by himself in a single night? You look awfully frail for a Barbaroi.”
“You judge people by their appearance? You can’t tell which is longer or shorter until you put them side by side.”
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
A sudden silence settled over the inn.
‘Did I say something wrong?’
What was going on?
Jeong Yushin turned his head from side to side, looking at the people around him.
Several applicants grabbed their belongings and hurriedly ran out of the inn.
The hyena beastkin’s face turned slightly red.
“S-surely? Are you suggesting we face ‘that’?”
Fuck.
“No.”
“I-I see. In any case, I have a proposal.”
“Tell me.”
“Join our clan. I promise you generous treatment.”
“Whew.”
Jeong Yushin leaned back in his chair and glared at the hyena beastkin.
He did not know what a clan meant, but he decided to understand it roughly as a group in the underworld.
“You want to hire me?”
“Yes. It’s a little different, but more or less.”
Jeong Yushin looked into the hyena beastkin’s eyes.
The hyena beastkin’s body flinched.
‘What’s with... those eyes?’
The sight of those strangely wavering eyes sent a chill down their spine.
Jeong Yushin slowly rose from his seat. A longsword had appeared in his hand.
“Don’t move.”
Everyone who had been trying to leave the inn stopped at once.
Jeong Yushin slung the sword over his shoulder and stood at the inn entrance.
Clang!!!
Thud!!!
Jeong Yushin locked the inn door.
He turned around and looked over everyone’s faces.
“Is anyone here from the Eastern District?”
A few people flinched. Others remained silent.
“So you’ve all heard? Rumors spread fast.”
Jeong Yushin swept back his black hair.
“Let’s make this clear. I didn’t kill those bastards for my own advancement or a higher bounty.”
Several people snorted.
Jeong Yushin ignored them and continued.
“Those bastards crossed the line. Explorers can fight and kill one another. This is Labyrinth City, after all. I understand that. But gouging out the eyes of children who knew nothing and tearing their mouths open before killing them? And then showing that to me? You’d be better off begging me to kill you. You pieces of vermin.”
Jeong Yushin’s eyes gleamed.
The silence in the inn grew even heavier.
“I don’t know what kind of bastards you are, but if you can do something like that and still walk around in broad daylight...”
“Lord Ska, there are no such people here.”
Snub Nose rose from his seat and tried to stop Jeong Yushin.
“Whew.”
Jeong Yushin sighed and rubbed at the corners of his eyes. He suppressed the murderous intent surging within him.
Thud!!!
Creeeeak!!!
He opened the inn door.
“Everyone except those genuinely applying for the cook position, get out.”
Most of them rose from their seats and left the inn.
Some of those leaving glared at Jeong Yushin, while others nodded as though they had reached some understanding. There were also those too frightened to meet his eyes.
“Tsk. It’s hopeless.”
Jeong Yushin returned to his seat.
The hyena beastkin had not left and was still sitting there.
“Go.”
Despite Jeong Yushin’s dismissal, the hyena beastkin did not move an inch.
“You must have come to Labyrinth City because there’s something you want. No one is without desires. Tell me what you want. I’ll do my best to grant it.”
Snub Nose’s body stiffened at the hyena beastkin’s words. It was such an audacious pitch that Aldein would have risen up in protest if he had heard it.
“What I want.”
Jeong Yushin folded his arms and turned his gaze toward the inn entrance.
“Yes. Tell me. What do you want?”
Despite the beastkin’s prompting, Jeong Yushin remained silent.
How much time passed?
The beastkin was about to speak again when Jeong Yushin blurted out.
“It’s none of your business. Get lost.”
“Whew.”
The hyena beastkin sighed and glanced at Snub Nose.
“I see. I was beaten to the punch.”
The hyena beastkin rose from their seat and left the inn.
The empty inn was once again left with three men.
“Finding one person sure is hard.”
“It certainly isn’t easy.”
Snub Nose nodded in agreement.
Before they knew it, evening was approaching. The streets were growing dark.
“Should we call it a day?”
Just as Jeong Yushin was about to rise from his seat, someone was standing at the inn entrance.
A red-haired girl.
The rearguard of Kaal’s party.
It was Anne.
Tarman’s body stiffened.
Anne strode over and stopped across from Jeong Yushin.
“Anne?”
Anne bowed deeply.
“Lord Ska, thank you for sparing Tarman.”
Anne spoke respectfully.
So she knew everything and had come.
“All right. Did Tarman not tell you?”
“He hadn’t returned to his lodgings for a week, so I asked around in several places. He would leave only money in front of the door and disappear. I didn’t know what had happened, so I even quit my job...”
Tears welled up in Anne’s eyes.
Jeong Yushin and Snub Nose folded their arms and looked at Tarman.
“Ahem... ahem.”
Tarman turned his head and cleared his throat awkwardly.
“You two seem to have a lot to talk about. Go into the kitchen over there and talk.”
“Thank you.”
Anne sniffed and glared at Tarman.
“Tarman, follow me.”
Anne dragged Tarman into the kitchen.
Sobs, thudding blows, and the sound of something breaking came from inside the kitchen.
Jeong Yushin and Snub Nose folded their arms and glared at the innocent ceiling.
A short while later.
Tarman came staggering out, trembling, with a huge black eye.
Anne was smiling as though she felt refreshed.
Hmm.
“Anne, can you cook?”
Anne’s eyes widened at Jeong Yushin’s question.
“Pardon?”
“We need someone to cook at our inn. I’ll pay you a generous wage. What do you say?”
Tears welled up in Anne’s eyes again.
“Thank you.”
“All right. You seem to have separate lodgings, so go home today and come back at dawn tomorrow.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Anne repeatedly bowed at the waist in gratitude.
Jeong Yushin merely nodded, then looked at Tarman.
“That worked out well.”
“···Yes.”
Tarman spoke in a hoarse voice.
Anne grabbed Tarman by the collar and dragged him out of the inn.
Jeong Yushin rose from his seat, rummaged through the cupboard behind the counter, and took out a bottle of liquor and two glasses, bringing them to the table.
Jeong Yushin placed a glass in front of Snub Nose, tilted the bottle, and poured him a drink.
Trickle.
“You worked hard, Snub Nose.”
Snub Nose smiled faintly at Jeong Yushin’s praise.
“I’m glad you found a cook.”
Snub Nose said this as he raised his glass.
Jeong Yushin gave a small laugh and poured a drink into his own glass.
“First, I need to see her cooking skills. If they’re no good, I’ll think about it then.”
Jeong Yushin said this as he raised his glass.
“I feel like I keep saying this, but finding one person is really difficult.”
“I agree.”
Clink!
In the empty inn on a summer evening, the two men laughed and clinked their glasses together.