Chicken is Still Warm (2)

Two four-person carriages were entering the Island of Knowledge from the direction of the Dungeon City.

Judging by their opulent appearance, the two carriages, undoubtedly carrying important individuals, arrived at Luminor Academy just in time for the evening of the sixth day.

“…Finally, we’ve arrived….”

As the carriage door opened, the first person to spill out as if exhausted was a small mage with red hair.

Starting with Agnes, who descended using a staff longer than her own height as a walking stick, the members of the Hero Party began to step out of the carriages one by one.

“We finally made it…”

“…I’m tired.”

“We were in the dungeon for four straight days, and came back right after clearing it. It’s only natural to be tired.”

“I’m still full of energy, Hero-nim! Enough to re-enter the dungeon right now if I put my mind to it…”

“What are you talking about? You went in so confidently yesterday and almost got into trouble. You need to calm down, Natalie.”

The members of the Hero Party chattered noisily, each saying whatever they wanted.

Although it seemed quite chaotic on the surface, they were a party that had been together for almost two years, so everyone was accustomed to this kind of collective monologue-like conversation.

…And what’s more, among these eight mixed-gender party members, three women were vying for the Hero.

Since these three women already understood their own feelings for the Hero better than anyone, they constantly watched each other, stopping at nothing to close the distance between themselves and him.

“…Seraphine-nim, it’s about time…”

“I know, Luke. Could you distract the others for a moment?”

“Leave it to me.”

The Princess and her escort and exclusive maid exchanged strategies in low voices.

The first to move was Luke, who busily worked to secure alone time for the Hero and the Princess, and Seraphine, who seized the opportunity to naturally ask the Hero out for an evening date.

“Hero-nim, if you happen to be free this evening, perhaps we could have a simple meal before returning to the dormitory…”

“…Hero, I’m hungry. Let’s eat nearby.”

“……..”

Silena naturally thwarted Seraphine’s plan to secretly call out the Hero alone.

It was a moment when countless conversations passed between the two through their fiery gazes.

‘You two were together alone for days on the way back from the Witch’s Forest last time. Are you really not going to yield even a few hours this evening to me?’

‘Nope. I’m not yielding. And you always call the Hero over every day, using the excuse that you have something important to say. How underhanded.’

‘I really do have important things to say when I call him!’

‘Lies. How many times have you intentionally not mentioned me and Celista when calling him, then claimed you ‘forgot’ to tell us when we showed up? I’m not falling for it anymore.’

It was a silent conversation between the two that ordinary people couldn’t even understand, let alone participate in.

Since only one of the three couldn’t participate in that silent conversation, the Princess and the Elf naturally formed an alliance.

‘Alright. Then let’s form an alliance just this once. For now, that woman is the most dangerous.’

‘…That, I agree with.’

A week ago, Celista had received a judgment from the Temple of the Sun’s puzzle that she and the Hero ‘were in love.’

Since the two of them judged her to be the most dangerous person, they changed their strategy to join forces and exclude the Saintess this time.

If they were going to compete, they had to at least create a similar starting line. If it was difficult to move forward together, they had to at least pull her back to their side, even if she had already charged ahead.

“Speaking of which, Celista Saintess-nim. It’s already evening, shouldn’t you be heading back to the Church soon?”

“Ah, yes. Since I’ve returned to the Academy… I should report my return…”

“Ah, then I’ll escort you…”

“Ah, Hero-nim! Actually, I was thinking of holding a meeting about the distribution of rewards for this dungeon clear. Would now be a good time? I was thinking of doing it over a meal at a nearby shop.”

“Here? It’s fine by me, but what about escorting Celista…?”

“I will escort Celista Saintess-nim safely, even if it costs me my life, Kyetmajosyegigot Bolt-nim.”

“Since Luke is saying that, wouldn’t it be fine? And even if Celista Saintess-nim doesn’t, Hero-nim, you need to provide your opinion on the distribution of dungeon rewards, don’t you?”

“…That’s true, but there’s no need to do it so urgently, is there? And if it’s such an important discussion, it would have been better to do it in the carriage earlier…”

“I forgot. The Hero didn’t let me sleep properly for four straight days. You beast.”

“…Don’t say things that can be misunderstood, Silena. I only couldn’t sleep because of the dungeon raid. And besides, the reason you couldn’t sleep properly was just because you weren’t used to the sleeping arrangements…”

Seraphine and Silena successfully distracted the Hero and excluded Celista.

“How long are we going to stand around here? If there’s no important discussion, I’m going in first.”

“Ah, then Natalie and I will also head back first.”

Furthermore, Agnes, who felt tired from the prolonged conversation and tried to escape, and Thomas, who wanted to spend time alone with Natalie, also declared their departure.

Seraphine smiled inwardly, thinking things were finally going according to plan, but her impromptu scheme was too easily shattered by the Hero’s simple whim.

“Don’t do that, let’s just have dinner together and hold the meeting. Celista doesn’t need to go in right away either, does she?”

“Y-yes? B-but if the report is late, the Bishop-nim might…”

“The Geology Exploration Class is, after all, about dungeon raids, so even the reward distribution is part of the class. How could the Bishop-nim scold you for not returning yet when the class isn’t over?”

“I-is that so…?”

“If you’re really worried about getting scolded, I’ll go with you and we can sort it out then. Seraphine, you think this is a good idea too, right?”

“…………Yes. That’s an extremely natural and rational suggestion, Kyetmajosyegigot Bolt-nim.”

Now there was no justification to send Celista away separately, and since Seraphine couldn’t refuse the Hero’s words in the first place, her helpless affirmation was a natural outcome.

In the end, the Hero Party decided to have their final meeting over dinner, a little later in the evening.

“I’m tired…”

Agnes, whose sudden rest was thwarted, merely trudged along after the group with a disgruntled expression.

“But will there be a restaurant where we can all eat together at this hour? Most shops around here only have four-person tables. And we didn’t even make a reservation…”

“There’s a place I recently got to know personally, want to go there? I’m sure they’ll be accommodating if I explain the situation.”

“A place Hero-nim knows personally…?”

“Yeah. The owner there said business wasn’t doing so well, so I shared some ideas for new menu items.”

“…You really get up to all sorts of things, don’t you?”

Kyetmajosyegigot Bolt and his party continued walking, casually accepting Agnes’s grumbling complaints.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“I never knew there was a place like this on the Island of Knowledge. Did you know about it, Lillith?”

“…No. It’s my first time discovering this place too, Young Master Ethan.”

Drawn by the fragrant scent of chicken, I unconsciously led Young Master Ethan by the hand into a chicken restaurant.

Coming to my senses belatedly, I tried my best to act nonchalant, emphasizing that I, too, was unfamiliar with this place.

“What should we get? Looking at the menu here, this ‘Spicy Chicken’ looks delicious.”

“Seasoned… Spicy Chicken is tasty, but if you only eat one kind, you tend to get tired of it. So, in my opinion, choosing the Half-and-Half Menu, which includes Crispy Chicken, would be the most rational choice.”

“…You can just be honest if you’ve been here before, Lillith. I’m not going to scold you for coming here without me.”

“Ah, no. That was purely me thinking from the perspective of the shop owner. They could just sell full single-dish menus, but the fact that they specifically include a Half-and-Half Menu means the owner also knows that this Half-and-Half Menu is more delicious.

If that weren’t the case, there’s no way they would prominently display a Half-and-Half Menu, which requires two separate cooking processes, on their menu.”

“…You’re right. Now that I think about it, Lillith’s words make sense. I was short-sighted.”

…I almost got caught trying to order based on my habits from my previous life, but I think I managed to gloss it over somehow.

After that conversation, Ethan and I ordered one Half-and-Half Chicken, a plate of French Fries, and a glass of cold Ale each.

‘To think I’d be able to have chicken and beer again in this world.’

I roughly know how this restaurant came to be. It’s probably the result of Kyetmwa clearing the sub-quest ‘Secret of a Good Restaurant.’

A sub-quest where you teach one of your 「Recipes」 to a restaurant on the shopping district street of 『Luminor Academy』 and help a failing business recover.

It wasn’t a main quest, but since the reward was ‘royalties,’ it was a quest that was definitely beneficial to clear for securing funds.

When I cleared it in my previous life, no matter which menu I chose, it was all pretty much the same, so sometimes I’d do chicken, sometimes Jajangmyeon, sometimes pork belly, I just did it casually. But it seems Kyetmwa, that guy, coincidentally had the good sense to pass on the chicken recipe to the shop owner.

Thanks to that, my heart was strangely pounding at the thought of tasting a dish from my hometown that I had practically forgotten about.

‘How many years has it been since I last tasted chicken?’

It’s been almost seven or eight years since my memories from my previous life returned, so rounding up, it’s nearly ten years.

Of course, I had forgotten about it for a while, so I didn’t experience any withdrawal symptoms from not eating it, but still, if I could eat it, a Korean person’s chicken is something they’d want to have regularly.

…Being drawn in here as if enchanted meant it was now impossible to set the mood with Ethan at a French restaurant, but there’s no point regretting it now. For now, I just have to enjoy what this place has to offer to the fullest.

If Ethan truly hasn’t forgotten his promise to me, he’ll bring up the topic of rewards himself, even if I don’t initiate it.

“Half-and-Half Chicken and French Fries, and cold Ale, here you go!”

For now, let’s just focus on the taste of home right in front of me.

As I thought that, I picked up a piece of chicken with my fork, along with Ethan who was sitting across from me, and just as I was about to put it in my mouth and savor it.

“Alright, here it is. We should be able to talk more comfortably here.”

“…Is this that place?”

“It smells… interesting. Is it a roasted chicken place…?”

“According to my elven deduction, it’s probably not chicken. From the smell, it’s definitely a place that mainly sells seafood…”

…Suddenly, familiar voices began to be heard from the now bustling entrance of the shop.