Chapter 97

Since the description was clearly insufficient, I added more (3/31)

"Wow, it's really green, isn't it?"

What appeared was a dish made by simmering roasted meat with finely chopped herbs. At the bottom of the plate was a layer of rice, which seemed to be eaten together with a spoon.

"The green in the green stew is just what it looks like."

"This doesn't seem very spicy for a dish from this town..."

"Come on, eat it! It'll get cold!"

Seeing that I was hesitating, fascinated by its appearance and smell, Hasiran called out. She didn't seem angry, but rather genuinely wanted me to enjoy it while it was warm.

If so, it would be only right to comply.

"Thank you for the meal."

After murmuring these words, I brought the dish to my mouth, scooping it up like curry rice. The refreshing aroma I had noticed before eating was almost gone, and only a fragrant scent filled my mouth.

...It's not spicy. But it's a mysterious taste.

I was taken aback, having imagined a spinach curry from its appearance. The first taste was sour.

"Is this... yuzu?"

It's a citrus fruit, as sour as a lemon, which has been dried and simmered. After that, the umami of the meat, whether beef or lamb, spread.

In short, it was a dish that removed the spiciness of curry and added sourness and fragrance. For some reason, it felt nostalgic.

"It's a unique taste... but it's delicious."

"Good, I'm glad."

Seeing my face, Tera seemed relieved and brought the stew to her mouth. After taking a bite, she nodded slightly and began to chew with a look of enjoyment.

The meal progressed.

I was almost finished, gathering the last few bites of rice from the plate when I heard the door open.

"Welcome."

Hasiran's cheerful voice echoed. The customers were a pair.

"Auntie, the usual."

"Me too."

"Okay, okay, just wait a moment."

The "usual" must be a regular order. They were probably regular customers. The men sat down roughly on the chairs.

"Man, it's frustrating, my skills are getting rusty."

"Same here. Can't find any prey."

Then they started complaining. From their conversation, they seemed to be hunters. Glancing at them, they were wearing jackets without a single scratch and new leather shoes.

"No, that's not it. All the prey has been eaten by the monsters."

"I see. That's why you can't find any."

"Yeah. Can't find what isn't there. There's nothing we can do."

It seems they had a fruitless morning. It's unclear whether they were bothered by this or not, but it must have been disappointing. They certainly didn't look happy.

As Hasiran arranged the dishes on the table, she asked the men.

"Oh, did you go to work today?"

"We went for the first time in a while. Since the monsters are gone, our compensation is also cut. We have to work."

"But from the looks of it, you didn't catch anything, right? Then it's better not to serve you alcohol."

Hasiran said this and returned the cloudy drink in the ceramic cup to the tray.

"What's the big deal? A little drink won't hurt."

"You have work in the afternoon, right? Don't get drunk and go into the forest."

The man tried to take the drink, but Hasiran didn't let him.

"You can go into the forest tomorrow. Just give it to me."

"No way. If we drink like we did yesterday, your wives will scold you."

With that, Hasiran took the drink into the kitchen.

The men, watching her go, started complaining.

"Man, it's such a hassle, back to work tomorrow."

"Thanks to the Trench Worms, we had it easy until yesterday. Who killed them, anyway?"

"Seems like explorers from Iralin. I saw several of them at the gate yesterday."

As soon as the Trench Worms were mentioned, Tera frowned.

She was having trouble finishing her last bite.

"What a nuisance. Thanks to the Trench Worms, we were doing fine."

"Nobody was inconvenienced, so we wish they had been left alone."

No, I can't. I can't listen to any more of this.

"Tera, what are you going to do after this? To Helena's place?"

I spoke in a louder voice, trying to change the atmosphere. I couldn't let Tera hear this.

But it was no use. The men continued their conversation, ignoring us.

"Who cares about the townspeople? He must be an idiot."

"Anyone can see that it's better to have monsters. What a nuisance."

"Hey, you guys!"

Tera slammed her hand on the table and stood up. The spoon fell to the floor.

"What's your problem? Is it really better to have monsters? Is it better not to be able to work in the forest?"

"What's your problem, girl, all of a sudden?"

The men, taken aback, looked at Tera and me, not understanding.

"Answer me. Are you really better off without the monsters?"

Sighing, one of the men replied.

"We never said it was better not to work."

"But you're saying it's better to have monsters."

"That's not what we're saying."

I watched the men argue, my head cool.

Yes, they welcome the monsters.

I opened my mouth to stop Tera.

"You're wrong, Tera. These people aren't thinking that way."

"But..."

"What they're thinking is that it's an excuse for their laziness, a way to justify not working."

"Huh?"

Ignoring the men's anger, I continued talking to Tera.

"In short, they just wanted an excuse not to work. The result doesn't matter to them. From their conversation, it seems they wanted to live off the money and drink every day."

Not just not working, but wanting a reason not to work and the money to go with it.

But that's not the real issue.

What caught my attention was something else.

"Nobody was inconvenienced." This suggests they realized the monsters were a controlled, safe presence.

They knew the monsters were placed there for the town's benefit, yet they didn't speak up.

They noticed the injustice but remained silent, enjoying the benefits.

They failed to do their job as hunters, turned a blind eye to the crime, and even used it to live comfortably.

I hate people like that.

Objectively, the appearance of monsters in the surrounding forest was a situation that needed to be addressed.

Tera, who spoke up and sought help, was called a nuisance.

I had a good reason to start a fight.

"You brat, you're mocking us."

"Too bad. The Trench Worms are dead. Now you have to go hunting."

"So what?"

"If you're good enough hunters to catch prey, that's fine. Of course, you can do better than me, right?"

I said this, looking at the men, who seemed ready to resort to violence rather than argue.

"Hey, hey, what's going on! If you want to fight, take it outside!"

But the fight was stopped by the shop owner.

"But, we..."

"If you want to continue, take it outside. This is a place to enjoy a good meal."

The men, looking embarrassed, left their unfinished meals and departed, looking very slovenly.

They were the kind of adults who laugh at a child, the kind of people I don't want to emulate.

And Hasiran, who bravely stopped the fight, looked very cool, making the last bite of the dish taste even better.

Hasiran turned back and bowed apologetically to us.

"Sorry. They haven't worked in a while, so they were in a bad mood."

"No, we were the ones who started the fight, Tera and I."

"Because they said it was better to have the Trench Worms... I couldn't help it..."

I bowed, matching Tera's dejected mood.

"I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Don't worry about it. How about I bring you something to cleanse your palate?"

"That's not necessary."

Ignoring my refusal, Hasiran went into the kitchen.

I watched her go, sighing and smiling.

"Thank you very much for today."

After enjoying the meal, we left the shop. The food was delicious. But I was annoyed that Hasiran wanted to hear my story from Tera.

I couldn't tell her that we were fleeing for our lives, so I just said we were recent acquaintances.

Tera, on the other hand, seemed disappointed that I ended the conversation so abruptly, as if she wanted to tell Hasiran everything.

The food was delicious, but Hasiran was a bit much.

"What a strong personality."

"She loves gossip and talks too much. That's the only thing I find disappointing about her."

"Well, that doesn't really matter for a cook, does it?"

I guess some people might want a shop with that kind of human touch. Probably.