Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

16 – ★★★★★ – Recommended Menu: Grilled Pork Belly – This is the story of when I first became an apprentice knight. In the past, I was willing to do anything to train my swordsmanship. [More]

Lancelot.

He was the mentor who taught Ivan, the male protagonist in the romance fantasy novel I read, titled .

Of course, there was no exact description of the process of Ivan becoming the best knight.

It was only mentioned that Ivan had received the teachings of the hidden Sword Master of the Empire and became stronger.

Even after achieving great success, it was described that he often visited his mentor to practice and improve his skills.

The female protagonist, Monica, was even jealous of such a Lancelot.

His first appearance in the novel was when he directly helped Ivan, who later raised an army to confront the tyrant Diana.

Lancelot stood at the forefront of Ivan’s army, which was charging to take control of the imperial city, facing the knights of the empire.

At that time, Lancelot’s dialogue still stood out vividly.

“Ivan, if you want to defeat the emperor, you must conserve your strength. Lead your elite troops to the palace. I will hold them off.”

Lancelot, the author’s favorite character, was described with great care even until his last moments.

“It’s not a waste to sacrifice one life for my unworthy disciple.”

Lancelot, who faced off against the Iron-blooded Knight Andy Wormeden, the right-hand man and ruthless executioner of Emperor Diana, eventually had his heart pierced by her, but he launched a final blow that took away her left arm. In that scene, I unknowingly shed tears out of empathy.

“At this point, it should be enough as a final gift for my disciple…”

To me, Lancelot was a great character who willingly sacrificed his life for a new era from the moment he appeared until the end.

It was certain.

But how could Lancelot be such a shameless meat plunderer?

It was the moment my illusions came crashing down.

In the novel, he was such a cool knight.

What is this…

It’s like encountering a middle-aged man having a refreshing drink of makgeolli while hiking?

Bak-sseug-mugja, kyaet-jana!

Why the hallucinations…

He was middle-aged, but considering he stole my meat, he didn’t look so pleasant.

Was he a knight of the British nobility?

It wasn’t specified which estate he belonged to.

It just said he lived in seclusion in the countryside.

Well, being a British noble was enough for the countryside.

The land was not barren, but because it lacked lucrative mines or special materials and was far from the capital, development didn’t progress well.

And he was leading the knights here.

I didn’t know the reason, but there must have been some story.

But what mattered to me wasn’t his story.

‘It’s still before Princess Diana becomes a tyrant.’

Originally, this was the time when Ivan should be receiving Lancelot’s guidance and undergoing a stormy growth.

Didn’t it say he approached the level of a master in just a year due to his insane talent?

The story of the novel I read, began in earnest next year when Princess Diana became empress.

Upon becoming empress, she purged the aristocratic faction on a massive scale and aimed to strengthen imperial power.

Of course, because it was too extreme, she faced backlash from the aristocrats and the people of the empire, resulting in five bloody purges and a nationwide rebellion.

In the process, a significant part of the male lead’s family fell, and the male lead himself became a target for elimination.

And the female lead, Monica, saves the male lead in such a situation.

That was the beginning of the story in the novel.

So, the fact that I’m escaping now means it’s still before the story begins.

I thought I’d escaped to the countryside just at the right time.

But why on earth are you here?

Princess Diana still has about a year left before she becomes the emperor like in the novel.

And the fact that Lancelot is here means…

No way.

Right?

“Is your hand getting embarrassed?”

I stopped thinking and looked at Lancelot’s hand.

Yeah.

Upon thinking about it, even if Ivan was here, it shouldn’t have been any of my business.

After all, he was supposed to train with Lancelot here and leave when the time is right.

It meant that he had nothing to do with me unless I formed a connection with him.

Becoming friends with someone who will later become a traitorous scoundrel?

Absolutely not.

I completely refuse.

It’s better not to expect good things to happen later just because he’s the protagonist of a novel.

How many people die around him before Ivan succeeds in the rebellion?

Ivan survives because he is the protagonist.

I am not.

I’m just a cook.

A petty commoner who opens a restaurant and prays for the storm to pass under the eaves.

That’s right.

Let’s not get involved more than necessary.

Just let me go.

Just like escaping from the princess, I could have escaped from them too.

I had enough confidence.

All I had to do was stay quiet as if I were dead.

“The owner of the Knight’s restaurant, Lukas.”

“Thanks to you, I had such a delicious meal.”

“But I lost half of mine because of that, you know?”

My voice inadvertently became irritated.

It was surprising that this man was Lancelot, but more than that, it was the anger of a person who had their food taken away.

They say not to mess with a dog while it’s eating.

My hand that was holding his couldn’t help but grow tense.

“Hehe, you really have a lot of strength.”

“It’s because I eat a lot of good food.”

“Hehe, it’s fitting to call the restaurant a knight’s place.”

He let go of my hand with a hearty laugh.

“Hymer told me that there is a restaurant that teaches the proper manners to the knights in the neighborhood. I came here right after I returned. I didn’t know that you don’t do the business.”

Seeing him apologize so neatly, I felt a little relieved.

“When I ate pork belly for the first time, I thought I wanted to make you my disciple.”

A disciple?

This man says something scary.

But I’m not going to do it, okay?

I escaped the capital because I didn’t want to be involved with the main characters like you.

Besides, becoming Lancelot’s disciple means that it’s no different from the rebellion in the first place.

I don’t want to be tied to treason and be hanged.

“You’ve already reached such a high level, it’s too great for me to teach you.”

It seemed that a ridiculous misunderstanding had arisen because of the chopsticks fight earlier.

However, I didn’t bother to correct it.

Being wrapped up in a ridiculous misunderstanding is better than getting my head chopped off.

Go ahead and misunderstand me all you want.

“Ah, I must repay you for the meal.”

Lancelot took out the sword hanging at his waist and handed it to me.

“What is…this?”

“It’s my beloved treasure, the Sword of the Lake.”

The Sword of the Lake?

Hold on.

This was the sword that the original male lead had.

Why is Lancelot giving me this precious gift meant for the protagonist?

“Why…?”

“I originally intended to give it to my cherished student, but I changed my mind. It’s only natural to give a gift like this to someone who has granted me enlightenment.”

“Enlightenment…you say?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Lancelot again.

He was gazing at me with deeper eyes than when he first saw me.

A gentle and powerful gaze.

Did he really gain enlightenment while eating real pork belly?

Does that make sense?

“I’m just a humble country knight with nothing to give, so I hope you understand my gratitude coming in the form of this sword. Consider it payment, including my apologies for causing a disturbance.”

“Wait, are you saying you’ll come back?”

“Yes. You’re the one who granted me enlightenment, aren’t you? A leisurely meal enjoyed under the moonlit night. It taught me that constantly pushing oneself is not the only way to grow.”

Another ridiculous interpretation unique to the knight.

Is it typical for knights in this neighborhood to be like Heimer?

As I stood there blankly staring at the sword, Lancelot forcibly placed the sword into my hand.

“Sir Lancelot…”

“I’ll accept your refusal. But please, accept it. My honor is at stake here.”

No, wait.

Isn’t it my life that’s at stake?

Although I was worried about how the rightful owner of the sword would react…

I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.

‘Do you know Ivan? Are you one of the Emperor’s henchmen? Die!’

I didn’t have the confidence to face him if he suddenly drew his sword and attacked.

The man was a Swordmaster.

A Swordmaster who had just achieved a new level of enlightenment.

He was not an opponent a mere cook who dished out food in a kitchen could handle.

“Next time, I’ll come during business hours. It would be great if we could share a good meal together then.”

I wish he wouldn’t come at all.

That thought rose to the tip of my tongue and then receded.

Refusing customers?

In the neighborhood businesses, it was an absolute taboo.

So, there was only one answer I could give.

“You are always welcome, customer. Haha.”

Damn it.

A weak and powerless cook like me is pitiful.

All I can do is hope he doesn’t bring Ivan with him.

***

“Delicious.”

Lancelot returned to his own castle and muttered softly.

It had been a long time since he had experienced such a lavish meal.

He had filled his stomach with plentiful food and his head with new revelations.

It was a day when both his body and spirit were fully nourished.

Had he ever been this obsessed with food before?

No.

Never.

To a knight, food was merely a tool to replenish energy.

He had always said as much to Haimer, who was obsessed with gourmet food.

-“Eating is for survival. Don’t try to eat delicious things. You should know how to eat anything in order to survive any situation.”

He had said.

And yet, this food was so delicious that Lancelot completely forgot about his dignity and focused only on the meal.

-“A truly delicious restaurant has opened. If you eat there, sir, your mind will surely change.”

“Samgyeopsal…”

It was a food full of a knight’s romance.

He liked the idea of being able to cook and eat it outdoors, with the sky as the roof.

Of course, lighting a fire on the battlefield was suicidal, but it was a food that could at least be eaten during camping.

“How long has it been since I ate, and I’m already drooling.”

Lancelot suddenly recalled the situation where he had fought over the last bite.

He forgot his dignity and threw his heart into it to eat the last piece.

Though he hadn’t used mana, he had put all his effort into his chopstick skills.

Despite more than 30 years of experience and subtle techniques, he had lost.

If this had been a battlefield, his life would have been gone from this world.

He had heard that the man was from the Royal Knights.

But at such a young age, he was a skilled person who could beat him.

“It doesn’t seem like an ordinary knight.”

Why on earth was such an expert in this countryside…

“Well, it’s not my place to say.”

Everyone has their own circumstances.

It was like when he left his lord several years ago and retreated to this place.

“I gained some enlightenment myself.”

– Whipping oneself isn’t the only way to grow.

– Sometimes, you need to give yourself some slack.

“That’s why it’s necessary to have a match with an equal knight.”

It was an enlightenment that made him not regret giving his sword as a gift.

He could choose something else as a present when his disciple became a knight.

With a small smile, Lancelot recalled the reason he left the castle for a short business trip.

The disciple he secretly took in.

A fledgling who couldn’t bring out his talent in a small rural village.

He took him in as a disciple because he pitied the puppy-like figure that got hurt and was cautious of people.

A child with such exceptional talent that he couldn’t help but raise him.

He had come to see if Lucas, the restaurant owner, would become a good senior to him.

It was a misjudgment.

Lucas was already an established man for him.

“I’ll have to tell Ivan, too. Impatience doesn’t solve everything.”

His heart trembled at the thought of bringing the child here one day.

It seemed like he would visit that restaurant quite often.

—-

★★★★★

The food changed my perception that it was just to fill my stomach.

I never knew that the belly of a pig could be such a delicacy.

The chewy texture of the meat and the rich flavor of the fat coexist, overpowering many other dishes by itself.

It was also a moment to realize that real taste lies not in the trick but in the weight of the ingredients.

Each moment of waiting for the meat to cook while looking at the moonlit night was incredibly charming.

The path of the sword was no different.

It’s not just about growing by focusing solely on growth and rushing.

Sometimes, looking down at my own situation and considering strengths and weaknesses…

[Read more]

Recommended menu: Chef’s special dish – Pork belly enjoyed while watching the moonlit night.

I want to say more about this, but the scenery of the moonlit night…

[Read more]

-Knight Captain Lancelot of the Author’s Guard-

—-

“What is this uneasiness?”

Ignorant Lucas shuddered with an odd sense of anxiety.

He felt a chill.

***

For a few days after opening, the store was busy running.

Wake up early in the morning, prepare ingredients, wait for customers.

During lunchtime, bureaucrats working in the area, including Heimer, visited the restaurant. In the afternoon, while preparing ingredients for dinner, the nearby chicken farm and ranch owner procured meat.

As orders piled up, the days passed chaotically—serving customers at night, reaching closing time before they knew it.

A week had gone by in the blink of an eye.

There hadn’t been a day as busy as the opening day, but it was still quite a hustle for a countryside restaurant.

“I never thought it would be this busy.”

There were more customers than expected.

Could that be why?

I had forgotten to go fishing at dawn every day to procure fish as I used to.

After all, people were content with just bulbaek, donkatsu, and chicken gizzards.

Of course, some of them did complain.

They said the menu was too limited.

‘Fair point.’

I should not be satisfied with this number of dishes.

I need to make a variety of dishes.

Why, you ask?

That’s my personal satisfaction.

Tasting the various dishes made by my own hands, and seeing customers enjoy the food that I enjoy.

It’s strangely gratifying.

I might have fled to rural territory to get away from chaos, but I couldn’t resist fine cuisine.

So, after a long time, I got up earlier than usual and went fishing on the beach.

“Great!”

Without realizing it, the corners of my mouth curled up at the long-lost touch.

I didn’t catch any halibut over a meter long like I used to, but I caught several pollacks, known as ‘bloom fish’ in this world, and mackerels, known as ‘arrow fish’.

It wasn’t a bad harvest.

“With this, it’ll be enough to serve a special menu for lunch.”

I returned to the restaurant with the freshly caught fish.

As I was preparing the ingredients,

“Excuse me.”

The noble with the blue hair who had visited before came back.

Wearing a neat dress, she stepped into the restaurant and sat at the table in front of the kitchen.

Then she silently looked at the menu.

“Does the fish dish here mean that it’s cooked with fish caught today?”

– Fish dish – 12 silver – The menu varies depending on the species caught that day.

She asked, pointing to the place written on the menu.

“Well, that’s true. But it’s not business hours yet.”

“I’ll wait. Isn’t it fine if I wait and watch here?”

She looked up at me, answering before my words were even finished.

There was something firm in that look in her eyes as if she had made a decision.

What was going on?