Chapter 2

# 2

Chapter 2: Friends and Soju

Only after my cooking was recognized did I start receiving various meats from Mr. Knoel’s butcher shop. He was so kind that he would even go out of his way to get things I needed. Especially, being able to get specific cuts of meat was a significant gain. Sometimes, I even used organs that aren’t commonly used in this world for my dishes.

However, today’s visit was clearly unusual. For one, the person who always came with his wife was here alone. Even though they always bickered, it was just on the surface. Moreover, this man, who was known for his craftsmanship, was not the type to leave his shop easily. Given the time, it was certainly an unexpected visit.

Anyway, after finishing the preparation of the pork belly, I heated up the frying pan with cooking oil. The cooking oil, pepper, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and other basic ingredients I use in the kitchen are all summoned from the modern world. I store them in containers from this world to avoid any sense of incongruity. People might be curious about the ingredients, but they won’t feel out of place.

Since there’s no electricity, summoning electronic appliances would be useless. Electric magic is a destructive spell, not a power supply. I don’t have that kind of knowledge anyway.

To reduce the sense of foreignness in the restaurant, I didn’t rely on summoning for kitchen tools. The utensils and kitchenware in the restaurant are all made from metals produced here, like various pots and large iron plates. They are made in Fantasy.

Of course, these items are not common in this world. They are crafted by dwarf artisans and are hard for ordinary people to obtain. But at least they are made from materials and by people from this world, so there’s no sense of foreignness.

Having modern artifacts in the restaurant would be too strange.

Anyway, while I was grilling the pork belly in the same way as before, Mr. Knoel tapped the table.

“Hmm, what was it? That transparent liquor, can you give me some of that?”

“Do you mean soju?”

This was surprising. On the first day I served soju, he said it didn’t suit his taste. But every time he came, he would ask for soju. He always claimed that beer was the best, even though beer exists in this world and is a popular drink. There are also distilled spirits and fruit wines.

Of course, distilled spirits and fruit wines are expensive in this world.

Another surprising point: drinking at lunch. In this world, it’s rare for someone to start drinking soju in the middle of the day unless something significant has happened.

So, I’ve felt something was off about Mr. Knoel since he arrived. But if a customer asks for something, I have to give it to them.

I handed him the soju in a transparent glass bottle. Mr. Knoel started drinking it straight from the bottle.

“This, the more you drink, the sweeter it feels and it helps you forget bad things. It was strange at first, but it’s not bad. Actually, the more you drink, the better it gets. Hahaha, just like my wife. The more I live with her, the more I love her.”

“If she’s so lovely, why are you drinking soju at lunch?”

“Shut up!”

Mr. Knoel waved his hand and took another drink.

“Is this really just soju? How can it feel so sweet and pleasant?”

“That’s the charm of the drink.”

“Hmph.”

Actually, the soju is a diluted version with aspartame, a compound that gives it a sweet taste. Distilled soju is difficult and expensive to make. For the restaurant, diluted soju is the best option for large-scale use.

It’s cheap to sell and doesn’t burden the customers.

Of course, the diluted soju is a summoned item from the modern world.

Mr. Knoel kept drinking despite his snort. When I placed the finished pork belly in front of him, he picked up his fork.

After taking a bite, he reached for the soju again.

“Ah! I’ve tried other drinks you’ve given me, but this pork belly and soju really go well together. They’re a perfect match.”

“That’s why they’re called a soulful combination.”

“Exactly. Damn! I need to get drunk! Anyway, your cooking is the best.”

Mr. Knoel, who rarely gives compliments, kept drinking and eating.

“Mr. Knoel, is something bothering you?”

It was clearly not normal, so I asked for the first time. Mr. Knoel fell silent.

“What’s going on?”

This man, who always satisfies both the quality of the meat and my requests, is a person who embodies craftsmanship. He’s one of the essential people for the restaurant to run smoothly. For him to be in this state at lunchtime...

But Mr. Knoel remained silent. He just kept drinking. After finishing two bottles and getting completely drunk, he started mumbling.

“Raine is acting strange. Strange, I tell you.”

“You were just saying you love her. What’s strange about her?”

“She’s having an affair.”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head in disbelief. Raine, who scolded Mr. Knoel but respected him and thought only of her husband, was a model of a devoted wife. For her to have an affair...

“That’s not true. What makes you say that? Did you see it with your own eyes?”

“I didn’t know until now, but every month! Every month, she goes out for a day. I thought she was meeting a friend once a month. But I recently found out! On the days she goes out, she dresses up more, so I followed her, and...”

“And?”

“This damn woman! She was meeting my old colleague! I wanted to kill him right there, but I love Raine. I can’t live without her! More soju!”

“Oh, Mr. Knoel.”

My head started to hurt. If he’s talking about an old colleague, it’s probably from his mercenary days.

I don’t know much, but I’ve heard that when you love someone too much...

You don’t want to lose them, so you might lose your cool and can’t think straight.

Humans can be like that, but...

Mr. Knoel, who wouldn’t believe anything he heard from others, seemed to have seen it with his own eyes. But from an objective third party’s perspective, Raine doesn’t seem like the type to do that.

“When did this happen?”

“Last month! And she said she’s going out again today. It’s definitely another affair. Damn. I’ve been boiling inside for a month, but I can’t take it anymore.”

If it was a month ago, it was after I served him the pork belly and got his approval. But now was the time to intervene.

“Are you planning to go home and kill someone after drinking?”

“I have to. I’ll kill him and then myself!”

“Wait, wait. How about we find out more first? I’ll look into Raine and find out the details. Don’t get too excited and just wait.”

“Really? You will?”

Mr. Knoel snorted and looked at me.

“Who is this man?”

“He’s a damn bastard. When we were mercenaries, he was my best comrade! We fought side by side, risking our lives! But after I quit, he never came to visit. Not once! I thought he was busy, but it turns out he was with Raine. Damn!”

“Even so.”

“What do you mean, even so!”

“Just go home. I don’t think Raine is that kind of person. I’ll investigate and then you can decide what to do.”

“Really?”

Mr. Knoel blinked. His love for Raine was so strong that he couldn’t confront her directly, only burning inside. I had never seen this side of him before.

Anyway, Raine and Mr. Knoel are people I consider friends, and I don’t want anything to go wrong. They are regular customers too.

If this ends in disaster, I won’t have a source for meat anymore.

So, I have to prove it.

There are several ways to do it.

I asked Mr. Knoel about the location where he saw his wife last month and sent him home. Then I went upstairs. There are two rooms on the second floor. One is my sanctuary, my room. Of course, I’m not here for my room. I opened the door to the inner room forcefully.

Bang!

Despite the loud noise, the giant monster sleeping on the bed didn’t budge.

“Gororororo.”

It’s making a strange sound while sleeping. I pulled back the blanket. Damn, she’s naked.

“Rulin! It’s better to get up now.”

“Gororororo.”

“Get up, you lazy monster!”

“Goror?”

“What’s with the ‘goror’? The sun has been up for a while. Oh, you lazy bug.”

“What?”

“What’s what?”

“Why are you waking me up? I was sleeping.”

She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and stretched.

I sighed and started dressing her with the clothes scattered on the floor. She accepted my help as if it was natural, rubbing her eyes.

“Phew.”

“Wake up already. Don’t dragons sleep for hundreds of years and then not sleep anymore? Oh, you lazy dragon. Get to work. Get to work.”

“Are you mocking me! A human! How dare you!”

“If you’re annoyed, go back.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then be mocked.”

“I don’t want that either! Why are you acting like this? Ugh.”

She flared her black eyebrows, her black hair waving. The black waves instantly revealed that she was a black dragon. In this world, black hair is rare, making it a familiar color from my hometown. That’s why I like her hair color so much.

“Using polymorph, you have to live with the same human sleep cycle. So, of course, you have to sleep. Haaaaa.”

“Shut up and get up.”

I yawned and pulled the black dragon’s legs, which were still in the blanket. It was a comical sight.

“Why are you acting like this today? You told me to sleep and not cause trouble!”

“I woke you up because I have something to do.”

“Something to do?”

She rubbed her eyes again and slowly got up.

Black Dragon Rulin.

A youngling of the black dragons, who make their home in the eastern continent. In human years, calling her a youngling is absurd, but in dragon years, she’s still a child.

Dragons are known as the kings of monsters and the source of fear for humans in this world.

But to me, they were different.

After obtaining a dragon heart ten years ago, the powerful mana I gained made even dragons not fear me.

Of course, the dragon lord’s heart, which he gave me under certain conditions, made me stronger.

Thanks to that heart, I could use magic to tear apart dragons.

This led me to be involved in a dragon war, where I met Rulin.

She was a homeless dragon after her lair was destroyed in the war.

Rulin came to the human world for the first time.

Dragons are born with advanced magical knowledge.

However, the image of dragons knowing everything is only true for those who have experienced thousands of years of life.

Having lived in the human world for thousands of years, they naturally have more experience and knowledge than humans. But Rulin, who had never experienced the human world and lived in her lair until she followed me, lacked common sense.

“If there were more humans like you, it would be a disaster for the dragon race. A disaster. How can you survive after eating a dragon heart?”

“That’s what I thought. Even the dragon lord was surprised.”

“By the way, my heart tastes bad.”

“I’m not eating it. If I eat another one, my body will really explode.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Rulin’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“I’ll take out my heart and make you eat it when I want to commit suicide. Will we die together?”

“Shut up!”