6. Liyue Branch (8)
Spring Water Village was bustling with activity like never before. Every corner of the small rural village was filled with tourists, and colorful street stalls were lined up, enjoying the festive atmosphere. The majority of the people wandering the streets were Mond people, but there were also people wearing Liyue costumes. They were all people who came after hearing about the ‘Gourmet Festival’ held in Saemmul Village.
The preparation period was only one month, which was a difficult time for rumors to spread on the Tivat continent, where communication methods were limited. At best, rumors spread throughout Mond. However, Spring Water Village was in the midst of enjoying a reputation among gourmets from Liyue. Travelers in Liyue who heard rumors about the ‘Gourmet Festival’ immediately returned to Liyue and spread the rumor, and thanks to that, even a few people from Liyue were seen at today’s festival.
Some of them were looking at the stalls that had opened with quite serious eyes. They were probably merchants from Liyue. Recently, as I became a huge success with Mond’s dishes on a series of commercial trips, interest in Mond was growing in Liyue. In such a situation, when a ‘Gourmet Festival’ was held, I came to see if there was a place where I could make money.
When it came to matters related to ‘Mora’, it was a matter befitting Liyue merchants, who were famous for being stubborn next to Snezhnaya merchants. Perhaps, depending on their efforts, they may be able to receive rewards commensurate with their spirit of challenge. The street stalls exhibited today were that flashy.
First of all, ‘Angel’s Share’, which Mr. Dai Luke personally attended, and ‘Cat Tail Bar’, which Diona visited after hearing that a festival would be held in his hometown. These two alone divided the liquor industry in Mond, and in addition, famous restaurants such as ‘Deer Hunter Restaurant’ also rolled up their sleeves for the first time in a long time. This was because consumer sentiment, which had been depressed due to the Pungma Dragon incident, was taken into consideration.
The festival was the perfect day to open your wallet. And this excited atmosphere also affects subsequent consumer sentiment. The sense of liberation that we have finally escaped the Wind Demon Dragon incident and the sense of security that we have returned to daily life is bound to have an impact on future consumption patterns. Above all, the majority of street vendors participating in today’s festival shared a sense of purpose of wanting to restore the atmosphere of Mond, which had been stagnant. In fact, despite my mediation, the Knights of Pebonius and the cathedral also actively supported the ‘Gourmet Festival’.
Thanks to the help of many people, Saemmul Village’s ‘Gourmet Festival’ was a success. The streets were filled with people’s laughter, so much so that it was a waste to leave it as a festival that lasted only a few days. It was rare for so many people to gather in one place during this period when Mond’s representative festivals, the Harpastum Festival and the Windbloom Festival, were not held.
The faces of the street vendors were also bright. They seemed to be busy without even a moment’s notice. And at a special corner in Saemmul Village, ultra-fresh wild boar meat from Saemmul Village was being sold, and it was so popular that the quantity purchased per person was limited. In this long-running festival, not only wild boar meat from Saemmul Village but also various food ingredients are distributed and sold. Therefore, even if a lot of wild boar meat is sold in Saemmul Village, there is bound to be inventory left over as time passes. This is because there is a limit to the amount a person can eat. And I was planning to dispose of the remaining inventory.
It was good for Saemmul Village because there were more tourists, for Mond, it was good for the economy to be revitalized again, and for me, it was good to be able to get wild boar meat from Saemmul Village. What a wonderful festival this is. I admired myself and drank the water from the canteen. I had just returned from Liyue.
In front of Mr. Duraf’s house, the place was being temporarily used as the festival’s management headquarters. Next to me were several residents of Sammul Village, including Mr. Duraf, and several other characters who would be active in today’s festival. Of course, most of them were people I knew.
The boy leisurely pulling the strings of the harp next to me was the same. A boy with light green eyes and a mysterious aura. At first glance, he had a slender and small body that made it difficult to tell whether he was a boy or a girl, but his gender was said to be ‘male.’ Of course, considering his true identity, his physical gender did not mean much. His name was ‘Venti’, but his true identity was ‘God Barbatos’, one of the seven gods of the Tibat continent and the ruler of the wind element.
“Hmm, the atmosphere isn’t bad? “Siwoo, I didn’t know you had a talent for festivals.”
“I’m just a proposer, but I haven’t actually done anything to prepare for the festival. Rather… “Why on earth are you here?”
That’s how I responded to Venti’s sly voice. Venti burst out laughing at my question. It was a clear laugh.
“Ahahahaha, the festival has started, so how could this Venti be left out? I came at a legitimate invitation as the best bard in Mond Castle. “I plan to serve as a judge for ‘Cooking Competition’ in the near future.”
At the same time, Venti narrowed one of his eyes. It was a playful glance.
It was a ‘cooking competition’, and come to think of it, there was something like that. It was an event planned as the highlight of the ‘Gourmet Festival’, and the finalists were me and Brooke. Of course, there were cooking competitions for amateurs before that, but those were just appetizers.
I may not say it myself, but the price of my name is quite expensive. First of all, he served as a financial advisor to the Knights of Pevonius, one of the highest positions in Mond, and was the owner of a huge merchant with the funny name of ‘Siwoo Merchant Marine’, and was also a colleague of the ‘Honorary Knight’, the hero who saved Monde. And even before that, my name was widely known as ‘Chef.’ From the beginning, I first started in the food business, and since then, cooking has become inseparable from me.
The tourists from Liyue also had the same expectations of me. Rather, it would be bigger than the people of Mond, not less. To the people of Liyue, I was a new star that emerged in the three-party war represented by Yuurijeong, Shinwolheon, and Manmindang. Even Hyangneung was talking about me as a ‘rival’, so it was inevitable that they would be curious about my cooking skills.
Of course, my opponent, Brook, was not easy either. Even if he claimed the title of ‘Saemmul Village’s Meat Master’, there would be no problem. His cooking skills were previously recognized by Xiangling, and he was a master craftsman who has satisfied even the pickiest gourmets of Liyue. I heard that Brook also enjoyed a reputation that was booked up on a monthly basis before the Wind Demon Dragon incident. So it was natural that interest would be drawn to the match between me and Brooke. Even more so in Mond, which is famous for its many luxurious people.
Honestly, it was a little burdensome. However, I was reluctant, and I still had an ace up my sleeve. And even if I lost to Brook, the blow to me wasn’t that big. It’s been a long time since I left the restaurant industry and pursued a career as an entrepreneur. Of course, there may be pride issues, but in the first place, I never had anything like pride as a ‘chef.’
Because I was not a ‘chef.’ To put it bluntly, he was just a person who used the ‘cooking’ function in a kind of foul way. If I were to be called, wouldn’t a more appropriate expression be ‘superpower’ rather than ‘chef’? Although they may all look similar to others.
However, the fact that the judge was ‘Venti’ was a bit surprising. I felt even more embarrassed that someone I knew was the judge. A complaining voice came out of my mouth for no reason.
“‘Judge’… “Now that I think about it, what criteria do you use as a judge?”
This was around the time when I started complaining like that. I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder behind my back. It was a firm hand. My gaze naturally turned backwards.
A man with bronze skin was standing there with a relaxed smile. It was a man with dark blue hair and a shoulder decoration resembling a Duke feather.
“Well, maybe it’s in the order of awareness? Because, I was also invited as a ‘judge.'”
That relaxed voice was still the same. I sighed deeply. ‘Keia’, the cavalry commander of the Knights of Pebonius and my drinking buddy. Two of the judges already had a connection with me. I couldn’t help but grumble even more.
“…… If this continues, Brook might object to the result? “These are not my connections at all.”
Kia let out a small laugh at my words, and Venti comforted me with a cheerful voice.
“Don’t worry too much, Siwoo. Even though it’s like this, I tend to distinguish between public life and life.”
I guess so. I grumbled internally, recalling Venti’s record. Wasn’t he a god who gave up on ruling Mond because he was too lazy to work? Thinking about the day he lost his strength and was attacked by Signora, he felt like his heart was sinking again. Even Lumine got hit that day.
As my expression did not improve, Keia continued to provide support fire. He said in a voice filled with laughter.
“hahahahaha, but it can’t be helped, right? “If you go by popularity on Mond, it would be harder to find people who are not in your network.”
I grunted and moaned. It was as he said. I was the financial advisor to the Knights of Pebonius and the Colossus of Mond. Of course, Brooke was an excellent cook, but when it came to her personal connections, she was far behind me.
In the end, I had no choice but to give up. It was a little embarrassing, but it was something that could not be helped. Above all, in today’s cooking competition, not only the judges but also the tourists would receive one point each. Their evaluation would also be reflected, so it was a loss to worry about being seen by people I knew in the first place.
I shrugged my shoulders. It was a sign that it could not be helped. A lame joke came out of my mouth.
“Lastly, I think it would be perfect if Lumine served as the head of the judging panel.”
“Is that ‘Chairman of the Jury’ over there?”
I jumped up at those words. My eyes followed Keia’s gaze. Yes, there was. A little far away. There stood a girl with light golden hair.
Even the sun burning in the sky was not impressive compared to those scarlet eyes. It was inevitable that the attention of passers-by would be focused. But those views were not particularly important to me or her.
As soon as Lumine saw me from afar, she waved her hand. Her face brightened when she saw me. It felt like the world became a little brighter. I also shook her hand and said hello. He said he would stop by the festival when he left the hotel today, but it looks like he has finally arrived.
Lumine was not the only person who came to see the festival today. Paimon was next to Lumine, and Mona and Fissle were seen a little distance away. As always, they were giving off a somewhat cold vibe, but as soon as they saw my face, they all smiled as if it had never happened before.
Three rare beauties and one unknown guide. Venti, who was watching the four people waving at me, said, “Hmph,” And his face turned into a mischievous boy’s face as he remembered a naughty prank. It was a mischievous smile.
“So Si-woo, which of those three are you?”
As I was greeting Lumine and the others, I frowned at Venti’s question. I wonder if it was that problem again, but if you think about it, it was my fault, so I cleared my throat and sat down again. Anyway, I’ve set up a time to meet up with my colleagues, including Lumine, later.
I conveyed my thoughts to Lumine and her group with a final glance, and pretended like nothing had happened.
“…… What are you talking about?”
“Hey, I know everything.”
However, Venti showed no sign of letting go like this. He smiled and said something meaningful. Also, Keia was not one to indulge in making fun of someone. He soon helped Venti with a sly voice.
“The rumor going around is that there are three of them? Looking at it today, it seems quite possible…….”
“Not yet.”
I answered immediately. It was because I felt a sense of crisis that if things continued like this, rumors about me would spread. Venti and Keia waited for the next words with expectant eyes.
“…… No one has chosen yet. So please don’t do that, I’m already so confused, it’s killing me.”
Kia was the one who burst out laughing at my complaint. It was a giggling sound of laughter. He has a bad personality, I grumbled to myself, but Keia looked happy about this situation.
“But, you brought it all on yourself, right? “That’s why it would have been better if I had chosen an honorary knight from the beginning.”
There were circumstances behind everything. But that would be a long story, so I decided not to say anything. I could just complain about it at a drinking party next time, but there was no way that a guy born on the continent of Tivat would know my conflicted feelings between reality and the continent of Tivat.
Of course, sometimes Keia would look somewhat lonely. I couldn’t know about that until Keia told me about it herself.
As I was quietly drinking water from the canteen, Venti made a sound that I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or comforting.
“Or really, how about picking all three? “Mond is a city of freedom, so surprisingly, everyone might not care.”
Instead of answering, I glared at Venti with a dissatisfied look. Venti laughed as if it was a joke and turned his attention back to the festival site. I thought it was certain that I would be made fun of for this issue for a while. I can’t blame anyone, really.
I was killing time by chatting with Keia and Venti. A mumbling sound was heard from somewhere. It was mainly among the people of Liyue.
Keia and Venti, who were talking to me, looked in the direction of the murmur. A girl was walking there.
Black hair with a bluish tint, the back of the head braided in the traditional Liyue style. And she was an innocent-looking girl with lively golden eyes. As if she was in trouble, she touched the back of her head and let out an embarrassed laugh, “hehehehe,” And then her eyes met mine.
“Ah, Siu!”
‘Hyangneung’, I woke up to the appearance of a friend I invited. Xiangling quickly ran over and threw her body away. It was a fairly high hill, but it didn’t seem to be that high for Hyangneung, who had ‘God’s eyes’. Because those with ‘God’s Eyes’ had a level of strength that was different from that of ordinary people.
Hyangneung landed in front of me with a thud. He maintained his balance with both arms. She came straight to me without even stumbling.
I smiled at her and greeted her.
“It’s been a while, Hyangreung.”
“Yes! “It’s been a while, hehehe.”
When I held out my hand, Xiangling immediately took her hand with her shy face. Soft palms, how can the hands of a girl who cooks have such a pleasant texture? I swallowed that admiration inside. This was because there were more than one person who was interested in Hyangneung.
The event officials, including Mr. Duraf, looked dumbfounded by the sudden appearance of Hyangneung. Even though I had seen Hyangneung’s face before. The response was that they could never have imagined that I would have invited Hyangneung.
As always, Keia was observing the relationship between me and Hyangneung with a knowing smile on her face. She was also making an interesting face, humming. In the end, it was Kaya who couldn’t control her curiosity. He asked me
“Siwoo, who is that person?”
Ah, as if I had finally come to my senses, I got up and stood next to Hyangneung. I introduced her to Kia and Venti, who were probably her first acquaintances.
“My friend. His name is Hyangneung, and his occupation is a chef. It is especially famous in Liyue. And… ….”
I stopped talking and looked at Hyangreung. Hyangneung was a little stiff. I guess he didn’t expect to be introduced so suddenly. I put my hand on her shoulder. It meant to relax.
“…… “It’s my secret weapon prepared for today.”
Because you had to help me in the cooking competition later. There was no point in talking if I was just this nervous.
However, it seems that the part that Keia and Venti were actually interested in was something else. Venti asked again with a mischievous smile.
“…… “Are you a woman?”
I was about to say that it was a misunderstanding, but in the end I had no choice but to sigh again. Yes, it was all my fault. The innocent Xiangling just tilted his head once again.
**
The cooking competition, which can be said to be the highlight of the festival, was held in the evening. Among the festivals that lasted for several days, it was the time when the largest number of tourists gathered. Tourists from all over Mond and Liyue were willing to wait to taste the cuisine of the two famous chefs.
The crowd was not at a level that a small rural village could handle. This was especially true because it was a spring water village with hilly terrain. The cooking competition was scheduled to take place in front of Brook’s restaurant located on a hill, but the crowd stretched halfway up the spring village. It was common knowledge that it was difficult to get a glimpse of the highlands from the lowlands. In the end, due to the unexpected crowd, the confrontation took place in front of Saemmul, which can be said to be the center of Saemmul Village.
I was prepared, but the crowd was bigger than I expected. I cleared my throat to calm my awkward mood. Anyway, cooking was going to fulfill its ‘cooking’ function. There was no reason for me to be nervous. Hyangneung also had a carefree face.
Hyangneung was the person who handled the hundreds of customers who flocked in every day. It would have been nice to think that we had passed the point where we would make mistakes due to being nervous in the presence of so many people. Rather, what Hyangneung was interested in was something else.
The ingredients I prepared for today, Hyangneung was looking at them with sparkling eyes.
“Wow, this is meat I’ve never seen before…” Siwoo, where did you get this?!”
I smiled proudly at Hyangneung’s reaction. It would be the first time I saw it. When I say rare, it means it was a rare material.
“That’s right, I got it from the snowy mountain in Mond called ‘Dragon Spine.’ Because it is a very cold place with temperatures ranging from dozens of degrees below zero, species that went extinct a long time ago are frozen. “This is how we saved wild boar meat from extinction.”
‘Dragon Spine’, a snowy mountain that exists in Mond. It was a place where one could learn about the environment of Mond, which was said to have been covered with snow and ice in the past. Long ago, there lived an evil dragon called ‘Durin’ in Mond. When Durin constantly threatened the safety of Mond, God Barbatos sent his apostle, the wind dragon Dvalin.
The battle that followed continued for several days. In the end, victory went to Wind Dragon, who received the protection of the wind god. The evil dragon fell into the snowy mountain screaming and was never seen again. According to one legend, Durin did not die but was sealed in the snowy mountain.
However, on the day that the evil dragon was defeated, the wind dragon was not safe either. The wind dragon was seriously injured and fell into a deep sleep, and was reborn as a disaster threatening Mond due to the conspiracy of the Abyss Church. It’s a shame that he’s come to his senses now, but if he hadn’t, a tragedy might have occurred where Mond and the Wind Dragon, who had protected Mond in the past, would engage in a bloody fight.
Dragon Spine, which has such a sad legend, was transformed into a sacred place for adventurers after the death of the evil dragon. Because unknown lands have always called for young people with many dreams. However, what the adventurers at the time did not know was that Dragon Spine was not just a ‘mountain of snow and ice.’
Snow piled up to your thighs, and strange monsters that have absorbed the power of the ice element. And the cold wave reaching tens of degrees that takes away body heat, and the rugged terrain that makes it impossible to tell where is where. In addition, the periodic snowstorms were so fierce that it was impossible to see even an inch ahead. The first generation of adventurers in the snowy mountains were not properly prepared for this extreme environment, and more people went missing than returned alive.
But now, the exploration led by the Adventurer’s Guild has made some progress, and even the ancient creatures there have been discovered. One of them was the ‘frozen wild boar meat’ I prepared. The adventurer who discovered this said that some of the frozen wild boars suddenly came back to life and nearly died, but I decided to think it was just the adventurer’s characteristic bravado.
A frozen creature moves again? That wasn’t something that happened at tens of degrees below zero. There had to have been the intervention of some powerful ice element to freeze it literally in an instant. However, the adventurer’s words did not seem to be empty words. ‘Frozen wild boar meat’ that was naturally thawed at low temperatures was of better quality than most quick-frozen meat. It must have gone through a rapid cooling process.
Hyangneung observed the wild boar meat with even more interest as I continued to explain in a hesitating manner. Xiang Ling poked the wild boar meat with her fingers. On the outside, the meat quality was so good that you couldn’t tell the difference from refrigerated meat.
“It’s fascinating… “It would be difficult to preserve the quality to this extent without the fairly strong power of the ice element.”
Hyang Lung said that in an admiring voice. I was a little skeptical about that too, but I soon put my mind to it. That wasn’t my thing. It’s something adventurers and scholars should do.
“Of course, but I guess it’s nice to have secrets hidden in the snowy mountains, right? “I’m in business, so as long as the product is good, that’s enough.”
Hyangneung nodded her head as if she agreed with what I said. And then she clenched her fists, her eyes showing her will.
From Noble mtl dot com
“That’s right, it’s hard for a chef to even care about the condition of the ingredients. “Siwoo’s attitude as a chef is also great!”
“No, I’m not a ‘chef’, I’m a ‘businessman’… ….”
Hyangneung, which I saw after a long time, was still the same. I felt like my words had been misinterpreted, so I tried to explain, but I couldn’t.
Soon someone came from behind and hugged me. That cozy weight, and the feel of the soft cheek touching the back of my neck.
It was obvious who it was. Because there was a cone hat at the edge of my field of vision. As soon as I realized who she was, I stopped her and sighed loudly.
It was more than I imagined that we would stick together after seeing each other for so long. Soon a sonorous voice reached my ears.
“Siwoo! See you again, have you had any pain so far? “Have you thought much about me?”
There were many unanswered questions. I tapped my conical hat and signaled it to fall. Of course, that wasn’t the reason he was defeated.
Dark blue hair resembling the night sky, and pale green jade eyes. She was a beauty. It’s too much for me. She was leaning her face on my shoulder and smiling slightly.
“Mona… “Everyone is watching now.”
“Yeah, so?”
Mona’s voice answering my embarrassing voice was refreshing. For a moment, I wondered if I had misunderstood something.
“Everyone knows that I like you anyway, right? Now I have to pay attention… “What?!”
However, Mona’s calm tone of voice soon stopped. With a huff, Mona’s new model fell to the ground. And with a narrow gap, a purple charge passes by. An ominous, crackling sound.
The arrow missed and landed in a tree far away. It was a nearly straight trajectory, the work of a skilled archer. Mona suddenly came up from a position a little away from me and sent a fierce gaze behind me. At the place where the arrow flew, there stood a girl with golden hair.
The girl was holding her bow and aiming it somewhere, and her pissel seemed unconcerned whether Mona was glaring at her or not. Fissle just clicked her tongue in pity and said,
“Oh, I missed it.”
“…… “What are we going to do now?”
Mona’s reaction to that couldn’t have been good. Her fierce spirit began to spread around Mona. I raised my head, and Hyang-reung had a puzzled look on his face.
Hyangneung was with those two during the last trip. So I could have been even more embarrassed.
“Hmph, there’s one more fox clinging to my servant… My servant seemed to dislike me too, so I was just doing my duty as a princess. “It is the duty of a noble person to protect her servants.”
“…… Oh yeah?”
Mona and Fissle’s cool gaze met in the air. A cold sneer formed on the corner of Mona’s mouth. It was a smile that chilled a corner of her heart.
“I have a story to tell between Siwoo and the ‘adults’. “I’m sorry, but can you leave the ‘little one’ out of it?”
“…… What?”
Now it was Fissle’s turn to narrow his eyebrows. She took a step forward as if in tears. She was forced to intervene. But before I could say anything, a voice intervened.
“…… “Why don’t you both stop?”
And then a pure white girl walked out. Light golden hair, and scarlet eyes. Although she had a slender body, there was an unknown atmosphere in her gait. A strange feeling, as if if she walked, she would have to step back.
This was a woman who turned her pure white clothes, flowers, and even her twilight setting the sky on fire into decorations that made her stand out. She is truly a person worthy of being the main character of this world.
My first companion, Lumine, looked at Mona and Fissle with emotionless eyes and said.
“There are hundreds or thousands of people waiting for Si-woo right now. What if some rumor spreads? “It’s ugly.”
Fissle, who had lost her mind for a moment at Lumine’s words, snorted and eventually hung her bow on her back again. Because it wasn’t wrong. Mona finally gave up her fierce momentum and crossed her arms and glared at Lumine with her dissatisfied eyes.
It was around the time that Lumine passed by Mona. Mona’s lips were sweet.
“…… “What’s wrong with our jealous princess?”
Lumine’s steps stopped. Lumine’s cold eyes turned to her Mona. Mona just returned her gaze without saying anything.
The moment they stared at each other in silence ended when Lumine opened her mouth.
“…… I’m glad? “Because Siwoo is there.”
A voice without pitch. However, the temperature was noticeably lower. While saying that, Lumine continued to whisper in Mona’s ear.
“If we are not careful from now on… “That tongue might be cut in half.”
Despite Lumine’s harsh warning, Mona just snorted and looked away. Lumine glared at Mona with her fierce eyes for a moment, but soon took her steps again. She then stood in front of me who was watching with her head shaking.
Lumine smiled her welcome heart. It was a surprising change in her attitude. The next moment, Lumine burst into my arms.
“Siwoo…… !”
Mona and Fissul were immediately moved to tears at that sight, but Lumine’s point was on her mind and they only went away for a long time. No matter what, Mona and Fissle were precious people to me. Just as I couldn’t sever my relationship with them, it was natural that Mona and Fissel didn’t want to cause trouble to me.
And also, it was always the case that Lumine hugged me when I came back. I then briefly enjoyed the feel of the lovely girl in my arms. It smelled good. When she held Lumine in her arms, she felt like she was back.
I put a bitter smile on my face. I don’t know how returning to Mond ended up being such a thrilling event, but the fact that Lumine was always waiting for me remained the same.
“We met at the dorm this morning too, Lumine. “Wasn’t the way there difficult?”
“Yes, it was okay…” And Siwoo has been busy since he came back, so I haven’t even seen his face a few times.”
Then Lumine glared at me slightly. However, there was an affection that could not be hidden in those eyes, and I could tell that she was just complaining, which was close to her cuteness.
I listened to Lumine’s words and swallowed her spit. It certainly was. As soon as I got back, I was busy preparing for the festival.
For me, I was just fulfilling my responsibility, but for Lumine, it could have been disappointing. This was also to establish a position in Liyue first and support Lumine. If my relationship with Lumine became distant in the process, it would be a complete loss. Of course, just because I was busy for a few days didn’t mean that my relationship with Lumine would become distant.
“I’m sorry, Lumine. But please bear with me until today.”
“…… “It’s a promise.”
As Lumine said that, she fell out of my arms. Lumine was only out of my arms, but I was already feeling a little lonely. Lumine also looked a little dissatisfied, but she seemed to have a new interest.
Lumine pointed to Hyangreung with a gesture of her eyes. Hyangneung was still looking back and forth between Mona and Piseul. The two were still in a cold mood, and when they even looked at each other for a moment, they both nodded and turned their heads away. It was so different from the previous commercial trip that it seemed unbelievable to Hyangneung.
It was my sin. Although his heart was broken, Lumine asked me if I didn’t want to worry about Mona and Fissle.
“Now that I think about it, this is…” … ?”
I thought, “Ah,” And blamed my own insensitivity. Come to think of it, Lumine was the only one among them who had never known Hyangneung. I immediately introduced Hyangneung to Lumine.
“Lumine, this is Hyangneung. We talked a lot last time, right? And Hyangneung.”
Hyangneung looked at me in surprise as if he had finally come to his senses at the sound of my voice.
“Uh, yeah…… ?”
I pointed to Lumine standing next to me with a wink. Hyangneung’s eyes naturally turned to Lumine.
“This is Lumine. How many times have we talked about this? “I have one more colleague.”
And then Lumine and Hyangreung’s gazes crossed. Lumine was the first to step forward. She smiled brightly. However, it was not a warm smile like the smile he showed in front of me.
Rumi The smile that appears when you hide your true feelings. Or, on the contrary, it was a smile that appeared when she was in a bad mood. She approached Xiang Ling and held out her hand.
“Hello, my name is Lumine. As he was introduced, he is Siwoo’s ‘precious colleague’… I heard she helped Siwoo a lot. We ask well?”
The voice was filled with subtle caution, and Lumine’s eyes were sunken as she scanned Hyangreung. She seemed to be exploring the other person. Hyangneung remained silent for a moment at those words.
There was silence. As this happened, suspicion began to bloom in Lumine’s eyes, and Mona and Fissul’s gaze also turned towards Hyangneung. And just before Lumine’s eyes frowned.
Hyangneung grabbed Lumine’s outstretched hand with both hands. And soon an exclamation burst out.
“Wow, you are a ‘traveler’!”
Hyangneung’s sparkling eyes turned to Lumine. Lumine looked a little embarrassed.
“Uh, yeah…… ? Everyone calls me that…….”
“I heard it from Siwoo! They say you defeated the wind demon dragon that threatened Mond and saved people in danger? Amazing… “Then there must be some unique ingredients you tasted while traveling?!”
Lumine began to become more and more perplexed by the barrage of questions. Her trembling gaze turned to me. It meant asking for help.
But I shook my head. Unfortunately, I couldn’t handle Hyangreung either. Hyangneung and I were polar opposites.
“Well, so…” Well, that… I left all the cooking to Siwoo…….”
“Really?! I envy you… I can’t believe I can eat such delicious food every day! Then, maybe…….”
Hyangneung’s questions continued for a long time. Lumine looked at me pitifully, her face soon in tears as a storm of pure goodwill swept over her. She seemed like she couldn’t handle Hyangneung like Lumine or I, who was her first companion.
But what can we do? I just shook my head, and even Mona and Fissle did the same. I quietly started preparing for the cooking competition.
Lumine was released a while later, when Mona and Fissle had no choice but to approach Hyangneung to exchange their thoughts.
“What do you think? Is she as innocent as I said?”
“…… Yes, that’s right.”
Watching Lumine answer with such a tired expression, I burst out laughing at her.
As expected, Hyangneung was a great person in many ways.