Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint chapter 484

484 – Cows Go “Moo”

Kitchen Gluta. A well-known restaurant in Enda. Gluta must have become famous not only because of its good ingredients and excellent skills, but also because of the introduction of a delivery system. By introducing a pension container to the dishes, which was the biggest concern for delivery, they expanded their business and succeeded in establishing their position before the latecomers caught up.

I too have ordered from Gluta’s service a few times and was satisfied, but I can’t just sit still when I almost got stabbed by a knife. Selling pork pretending it’s beef and endangering me? You deceived me knowing full well? I should be compensated for this, right?

“Owner, come out!”

“Woof! Come out!”

As I forcefully pushed open the door of the shop, where hot steam was rising, I shouted.

“Selling pork pretending it’s beef? What a terrible thing to do to a customer! Return my money immediately and compensate for the medical expenses!”

“Woof! Compensate!”

I entered with a strong momentum and shouted, but Kitchen Gluta, unlike a famous restaurant, didn’t even show a shadow of a customer. I thought that if I went into the restaurant and made a scene, they would at least give me money, even if reluctantly.

“What’s this? Did it go bankrupt here?”

“We’re open as usual.”

A heavy voice came from inside the kitchen.

“I heard someone was causing a scene in my shop.”

A man with a large build walked out from the kitchen. His height was so tall that even though the ceiling was quite high, he had to slightly bend his waist when coming out of the door. The white clothes and apron he was wearing couldn’t hide the imposing appearance of a humanoid over 2m tall.

Above all, the curved horns on his head. Like a piercing, a single horn revealed his true nature.

Kitchen Gluta’s owner and head chef. Also, a bull Beastman. Gluta looked down at me, exhaling through his nose.

“It’s one of two things. Either you’re a pig Beastman or a customer who’s fallen victim to those guys. Judging by the lack of ears, I’d say you’re a customer.”

While it meant the Beastman had no ears, somehow, I heard it as a promise to remove my ears. Quickly regaining my manners, I clasped my hands together and politely replied.

“…Yes. That’s correct. I recently got scammed, and I got a bit too excited.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“We treat customers like kings. Don’t worry. We won’t grill your face on a hot plate.”

If not a customer, does it mean they would grill the face on a hot plate? hahahaha. Why does it sound like it’s not a joke?

Thank goodness, it’s a customer.

“First, before apologizing… customer. Did you really eat pork without knowing?”

“Of course. How would I know?”

“Isn’t there a distinct taste difference between pork and beef?”

What? Really? There’s a significant taste difference between pork and beef? Aren’t all meats just meats? Why didn’t I know?

Thinking about it, there’s only one reason. Damn military rations. Always compressed and processed meat, even that once a month, I couldn’t tell if it was pork or beef!

“…There are people like that in the world.”

“An outsider who settled in En-de to make money? If so, I’m even more sorry. I never thought such a person would exist.”

Damn it. Why am I the one feeling more embarrassed when he’s the one who got scammed? If he had come to the store himself and read my mind, I wouldn’t be fooled. Even delivery guys mindlessly deliver beef soup, how would I know!

Anyway, I received a cool apology, but an apology made only in words is half-hearted. Sitting in the chair, I straightened my chin a bit and spoke with some courtesy.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“As a store owner, I have my pride. If you show me the receipt, I’ll compensate you accordingly… but.”

Gluta reluctantly continued.

“Realistically, giving back all the money to the customer is difficult.”

“If you have pride?”

“No money.”

What? Why is this so blunt? No, more importantly.

“A place this big and famous, and it has no cash? You expect me to believe that?”

“There’s a reason for it.”

“What is it?”

“Customers must have experienced it too. That’s why they’ve come to me.”

Suddenly, it makes sense. Even someone as bold as me was visited by them, causing a scene even in the restaurant.

“The pig men?”

“That’s right. Specifically, a group led by the piglets. Orcs, in other words.”

Calling them piglets is a derogatory term for looking down on pig men. Calling them orcs was a title used when pig men were once symbols of fear. Both titles were mentioned simultaneously from Gluta’s mouth.

To understand why these two titles emerged, you first need to know about beastmen. Beastmen are races that inherit some characteristics of animals. However, as human advantages are not completely lost, beastmen generally have more exceptional physical abilities than humans.

Dog beastmen have sensitive senses and agility.

Sheep beastmen have thick fur and a sense of balance that easily navigates steep paths.

Cow beastmen have strong strength and patience.

Horse beastmen have overwhelming speed and endurance.

Those with the advantages of animals excelled in their respective fields.

In contrast, the advantage that pig men have is… survival.

They don’t catch diseases easily. They eat anything well. They have many children, and, like beastmen, their senses are sharp, avoiding dangers in the wild.

Naturally, the population of pig men increased gradually, and they formed clans to dominate the land. At that time, they were called orcs, not pig men.

But that’s an old story.

As civilization spread across the continent and the land controlled by nations expanded, the clans, who were once primitive, gradually declined. The pig-shifters, who were strong in numbers, either refused to submit and died, or shamefully surrendered.

It’s a common story. The downfall was as great as the once glorious history. The pig-shifters were pushed down to the bottom of society, labeled with the derogatory term “Piggy” on their heads and backs.

Gluta folded her arms and snorted.

“Those bastards who used to count slowly started to actively engage a few years ago. When everyone in Endeh agreed to advocate for better treatment of the Piggies… gradually, they began to force Piggies into high positions in Endeh, forbidding the consumption of pork. Now, not only the people selling meat but also those eating it are being harassed.”

“There are all sorts of crazy people. But it seems like they haven’t harassed you here?”

“No, they haven’t. Those who tried ended up with broken noses.”

…Looking at those bulging muscles and tough skin, I can believe it. Yeah.

“The Piggies couldn’t handle me, so now they’re resorting to terrorizing the customers who come to the restaurant. They follow them and attack. I couldn’t stop the ambushes that happened outside the store.”

“It’s because of you.”

“The number of customers decreased, and our business partners suffered. The losses were so great that I had to endure the humiliation and switch to beef. But it’s impossible to completely change our business partners, prices, and recipes. So, pretending to be defeated by the Piggies, I switched to beef and changed the menu. It was fine for a few weeks.”

“Of course, Orcma found out, and I became a prime example, right?”

“Seems like it. It doesn’t seem like the customers were hurt, but… that’s not important. Orcma probably wanted to make sure that the fact that the customers were attacked was known.”

Right. The Piggies who stabbed me were amateurs, and the place they stabbed didn’t affect my life. It seems that the fact that they stabbed me was more important than the intention to kill.

Orcma. Orcma. For a secret organization, their actions are quite trivial. Trivial things are important, but… it seems insufficient to attract the attention of a regressor. The regressor is probably too preoccupied with the Wolf King to care about Orcma.

The pig-shifters who prevent the consumption of pork. As I pondered that sentence, Gluta’s horns caught my eye.

“Wait a minute. You’re a cow-shifter, aren’t you?”

“Clearly.”

“Then why did you say you sell beef soup?”

“There are several reasons. First, if I’m replacing pigs, there’s no meat better than beef for soup. Also, as a cow-shifter, it seems fine for me to sell beef.”

I sell, and I am the one who sells. I know what it feels like. But that’s not what I wanted to ask.

“Gluta, do you have any aversion to using beef?”

If a pig-man has an aversion to pork, does the same mindset not apply to a cow-man?

In response to my question, Gluta let out a deep sigh. The sigh was so deep that his lips trembled with a bluish hue.

“Not really. Certainly, I have it.”

“But you sold it, didn’t you?”

“Rather than a petty aversion, my store, my customers, and my pride come first. Even if the price was right, I would have switched to beef. That’s not a lie.”

It was a plausible remark. However, unlike previous statements, it lacked a firm conviction.

“…But when the price of beef soup didn’t come out. There is a sense of relief in myself. That is also clear.”

‘When I cut off the same horns and put them in a pot. When I boil the soft head meat. A repulsive sensation lingers in my hands. Above all, when I try to taste it…’

Gluta, who slightly shifted his body, let out a frustrated expression.

“So, even though I dislike pigs, as a fellow cow-man, I understand their anger. To some extent.”

Through the conversation, and through his solitary nature, the emotion I felt while reading Gluta was not sympathy or embarrassment. It was anger. Just the direction was slightly different.

It feels like the military is a country that only eats beans, leaving them unable to taste the meat.