Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

42 – It Looks Fine to Me?

Deppo couldn’t believe that a bandit just attacked a passing knight on the street.

“It’s surprising that the Empire still has such poorly managed areas.”

I wonder if it’s due to their fearlessness, or because they really don’t know the level of a true knight in the countryside.

The bandits had looked down on him.

It must have been because he was not wearing the heavy armor that signifies his status as a knight.

After all, it was not possible to wear heavy armor while traveling this far, so he had come in light armor.

“What a pathetic sight.”

Defoe clicked his tongue.

If another fellow knight had seen this, they would have definitely laughed.

“Tsk.”

Having dealt with the defeated bandits, he looked at a small rural domain not far away.

“The Lorang domain… I’m sure that’s where Lucas lives…”

He reflected on the conversation he had with Lucas before he left.

-I’m going to open a restaurant in my hometown. I want to live comfortably.

A restaurant, huh?

“I wonder if a restaurant would do well in such a chaotic area. It’s worrisome.”

Wouldn’t he end up wasting his retirement money in vain?

No. He believed that Lucas’ cooking skills would work anywhere.

How should he put it?

Did he have the charm that captivates people’s taste buds?

He possessed the power to make the proud Imperial Knights use our restaurant instead of their own.

‘I heard he was even recruited by the Imperial Knights.’

But it was said to be scrapped due to Princess Diana’s strong opposition.

Of course, it was just a rumor going around among the knights in the barracks, so it was difficult to verify the truth, but he was a man who was acknowledged for his cooking skills to that extent.

‘That rumor seems true.’

Defoe recalled the moment when Deputy Commander Andy suddenly came to find him.

-“I heard he was the knight who shared the most stories with Lucas in the Knights Order. Please visit Lucas’s hometown.”

-“The princess wants him to return to the Knights Order.”

The princess personally ordered to search for the knight who had left the Knights Order.

There had never been such a case before.

It was an exceptional event.

-‘The food from the changed chef after Lucas left was tasteless.’

The princess must have known it too.

“He said he would run a restaurant in his hometown, I wonder if he still does.”

Depo swallowed the saliva that gathered in his mouth.

He was already looking forward to eating real food after a long time.

Lucas’s food, which had helped him endure the tough training of the princess’s knights.

It was not just simple food.

It was an art piece that contained the joys and sorrows of the Knights Order.

-‘Was art too much?’

Anyway.

He entered the Rolang territory with anticipation.

And not long after.

“Lucas? Ah, Roman Lucas? I haven’t seen him since he left.”

“He never came back since he became a knight.”

“I heard that the people of the Lucas family who survived went up to the capital and are living well. What’s going on?”

Depo realized that Lucas had not returned to the Rolang territory.

In any case.

“Something big must have happened.”

Gurgling!

Depo held his loudly rumbling stomach and bit his lip.

Roman Lucas, who said he would open a restaurant in his hometown, was not in his hometown.

“How should I put this?”

He scratched his head.

***

At the same time, Camilla was sorting out the backlog of work at the headquarters of Golden Wagon.

It had taken her almost a month just to travel to taste Lucas’s cooking.

No matter how well she had set up the system of Golden Wagon to run smoothly without her, a one-month absence left a significant void for the leader.

Even after returning to the capital, she had been stuck at the Golden Wagon headquarters for a week, unable to leave work.

Although the postponed work would be finished today, it did not mean she could go out again.

The reason was simple.

She had too many ideas from the Britain territory.

First of all, the bulletin board that Lucas had set up in front of his restaurant.

It was a useful system not only for the honest reviews of the visitors but also for knowing what menu options they had chosen.

Merchants could understand what customers liked, and customers could check the shop’s main menu and reputation.

She planned to use the same bulletin board system for the upper part of the Golden Wagon.

“In the upper left corner of the bulletin board, where it’s most visible, write down the employees’ recommended list… It might be a good idea to offer gifts only to those who have written down their impressions on the board.”

She intended to add a slight variation.

The upper part of the Golden Wagon, unlike Lucas’s restaurant, needed a more diverse approach as it sold more than just food.

It could also be a strategy to place highly praised items on the main sales floor.

‘I should send a gift to Lucas for giving me a good idea.’

In addition, it was also part of the job to secure a sales outlet for bullfighting that she had received from Lucas.

‘Maybe this opportunity will change the perception that bullfighting is only tough.’

Camilla looked at the map on the wall.

– Britain territory.

A rural territory at the southern end of the empire.

Although it had its own fertile land, it was always pushed down in the development priority list as it couldn’t keep up with the production volume of the western continent, which had vast plains.

A quiet land where nothing special drew the attention of the empire’s merchants.

‘Something special has emerged there.’

Lucas’s Knight Restaurant.

She bit her lip as she held the pen in her hand.

She discovered its uniqueness before anyone else.

She even secured a monopoly contract on the trade rights of the Britten Territory.

It meant that not only did she have a monopoly on all the items sold in the Britten Territory, but her Golden Wagon would also have the top priority right to enter the market.

It didn’t mean she could monopolize the food of the Knight Restaurant.

However.

She would be able to prominently display the name of the Golden Wagon at the empire’s most famous tourist attractions.

She would be able to engrave a new image of the Golden Wagon in the minds of many nobles.

The most delicious food in the most excellent market.

She was confident that it would be much bigger than the wealth gained from the mines.

And she would put in the most effort to display that name.

If Lucas had heard, he would be furious, but he had no way of knowing because he was busy greeting customers at the restaurant.

It was necessary to start building the teleport gates in the major cities leading to the south as soon as possible.

The cost would be significant.

‘As long as I can monopolize the usage rights, it should be enough to turn a profit.’

Even if it wasn’t possible, it didn’t matter.

It was fine as long as she had a monopoly.

As she thought about it, suddenly she grew hungry.

“I want to eat soon.”

Camilla let out a sigh and regained her appetite.

The taste of the tofu was still vivid in her mouth.

She had gone to eat Chadol Doenjang, but what remained vividly in her memory was the freshly cooked tofu.

She wanted to return to the British territory quickly.

“Definitely a money-making item.”

Camilla murmured as she thought of Lucas’s food.

Knock knock.

“Lady, it’s me, Kobi.”

“Come in.”

Behind the entering Kobi was the chef from the Golden Wagon.

On the cart that the chef brought was a silver tray.

“It’s a beef rib made using the ribs of the bull you brought.”

It smells good.

Although it was not as good as Lucas’s, she liked the smell because it was made from excellent ingredients.

She would have to be satisfied with this while she couldn’t go to the restaurant.

“Put it there.”

“Yes.”

She walked over to the dining table in her office.

As she sat down in her chair, she looked at Kobi.

“Kobi.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“When was the schedule for the acquisition of the newly established mines in the northeast?”

“It is scheduled to continue for a month starting from next week. After heading to the northeast by portal, we proceed with auctions with other companies…”

One month.

Too long.

“Cancel all that schedule.”

“But Lord Sangdan, didn’t you emphasize that the place would be commercially viable?”

“It’s too good to miss. I want to go there myself and seize it.”

Camilla smiled.

“But you ended up finding a place with even higher commercial potential, didn’t you?”

She pointed at the map of the Britten territory on the wall.

“Then, the auction for the northeastern mine is….”

“You, Kovi, should go. You have the skills to handle it well.”

“But I already have my own tasks to manage…”

“You can delegate those tasks to others, can’t you? Don’t tell me you wanted to take charge of the Britten territory?”

“…No, that’s not it.”

Camilla laughed while looking at Kovi, who seemed to be racking his brain.

Transparent intentions.

“Kovi, you can do it. And if you successfully acquire the northeastern mine, I’ll let you have a share of the profits.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Of course, she wouldn’t be able to go to the knight’s restaurant until all this was finished.

Camilla swallowed those words inside.

There was no need to dampen his confidence.

‘This is a punishment for secretly eating at Lucas’s restaurant without me knowing.’

Camilla gave a smile, gazing at Kovi who seemed to be full of anticipation, and then cut a piece of meat and ate it.

It’s such a pity.

A real shame.

***

On the third day since Andrea declared a full vegetarian diet,

“….”

Within a few days, Andrea, who had become noticeably thin, was staring intently at my lunch, the spicy pork belly.

“What are you doing?”

“……”

She was mumbling something in a small voice, but I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.

As I tilted my head slightly and approached her.

“It looks delicious. It looks delicious. It looks delicious. It looks delicious. It looks delicious……”

“Imagine combining that meat marinated in pepper paste with rice wrapped in lettuce, and topped with heaps of bean paste – it must be heavenly.”

“Since it’s pork belly, not the front leg, the harmony between fat and lean meat will be even more beautiful.”

“I want to eat it. I’m eating it with my eyes right now, but I want to eat it more intensely. I want to eat pork cutlet too. I want to eat marinated beef in soybean paste too. I want to eat the grilled meat we had last time too. No, I just want to grill the meat on the bone and eat it.”

She was reciting her thoughts on food as if it were an order.

Even as I got closer, she didn’t notice my approach and continued to stare at the meat.

Before the fixated Andrea, only a fresh salad was present.

It was a completely vegetarian menu without a single piece of chicken breast.

“Do you want to eat it that badly?”

Only then did Andrea look at me.

“……I can’t. I have to…lose weight.”

Now I understood why she suddenly started practicing the Elf Step and adopting vegetarianism.

‘She thinks she’s gained weight.’

I looked at her lower belly.

To my eyes, she had a perfect figure without an ounce of excess fat.

Could it be that the standards of elves and humans are different?

‘Maybe she’s just too strict on herself.’

Andrea’s body was different from other elves, with well-defined muscles.

It was not a body that could be easily achieved with just any training regimen.

This clearly indicated the seriousness of her self-discipline.

But she had gained a little weight?

Maybe she couldn’t stand it.

But if she didn’t eat anything to the point her sanity breaks down, it would be troublesome.

If she couldn’t get her act together because she wasn’t eating properly, I was the one who would have to suffer the consequences.

I picked up a piece of meat with my chopsticks and held it out to Andrea.

“Huh? Why is the meat coming towards me?”

She unknowingly opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue at the sight.

Shivering.

The tip of her tongue trembled.

It seemed like a battle between the instinct to eat and the reason not to.

“Eat it. Or you’ll collapse.”

“No, I can’t… I’ll gain weight…”

“From what I can see, you’re fine.”

“Re-really?”

“Yes.”

I was sincere.

Right now, she didn’t look like she was gaining weight, but rather she looked moderately healthy, with a good complexion.

“Just eat and exercise.”

“……”

A drop of saliva pooled at the tip of her tongue and fell.

She looked at me as if seeking permission.

“If you’re really worried about gaining weight, eat this and help me prepare the ingredients at dawn.”

That was the signal.

Maybe she wanted to hear that.

It’s okay to eat.

That’s what she said.

Andrea, with her mouth wide open, bit into the sliced pork belly I had given her.

“Uwaaah!!!”

Her face flushed red.