Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Father (3)

Originally, I had planned to resume serving regular customers after the cooking duel.

But after returning from the actual combat, my thoughts changed.

'I'll just end the business with the executives' meal and use the rest of the time more efficiently.'

Since the meeting with the battalion commander had ended appropriately,

now it was time to increase my survivability and prepare the shop so it could run smoothly without me.

So, after finishing our lunch service, we gathered in the open space in front of the shop,

and big-jaw big brother scratched his chin and said,

"Why do I have to teach this kid?"

For reference, 'this kid' meant this guy.

"B-boss. Am I really going to learn swordsmanship?"

The brown-haired little brat looked at me with a burdened gaze.

Maybe he was touched—his voice trembled a little.

"Yeah. It's not often a beginner gets to learn directly from the company commander, so work hard."

"Yes, sir! I'll do my very best!"

Naba gripped the arming sword with his trembling hands.

In the hands of this tiny kid, it looked less like an arming sword and more like an oversized bastard sword.

"Haa, damn it. I'm already busy training myself..."

Ralph was still grumbling.

In the end, I hit him with a straight fact attack.

"How much have I done for Ralph so far? Helped you get revenge on Keil, promoted you from the 2nd-rank to the 4th-rank, even got you promoted to company commander. Should I go on?"

"You rotten punk. Fine, fine!"

"As I said earlier, I don't need you to teach mana. Just body techniques and swordsmanship."

"Hmph. Alright! Get over here, brat. Pay attention and hurry up!"

"Yes, sir!"

Watching all this, Plerine was sitting in the shop's doorway and spoke in a flat tone.

"Good luck."

Her voice was completely devoid of encouragement.

Naba shot her a sideways look.

The reason for Plerine's attitude was that she opposed Naba's swordsmanship training.

'She hates war. She probably also hates seeing someone close to her learn how to kill.'

But, of course, I ignored Plerine's opinion and forced through Naba's swordsmanship training.

I determined that Naba needed to grow in combat power to cover my absence.

'Leaving Plerine as the only combatant also makes me uneasy.'

I felt this even more acutely when Plerine fainted.

No matter how strong she was, she couldn't use clone techniques.

So, I planned to strengthen Naba as well, preparing for Plerine's absence.

'After all, Naba has the qualities of both a hero and a Demon King—Nanabas Lokario.'

Lost in these stray thoughts,

Naba came rolling back to reality, tumbling on the ground.

Degeururuk.

"Ian, do you think maybe this kid should start with a short sword? That arming sword looks way too much for him."

"No, it's fine. That's just right."

"Hmm. If you're going to butt in like that, why don't you teach—"

"Shall I remind you again of all I've done for you?"

"Get up, brat! How long are you going to lay there?!"

Naba got up before Ralph's scolding was even finished.

But there was something different in his eyes.

'That's not normal.'

A peculiar power seemed to glimmer in his pupils.

It felt like more than just a simple light in his eyes.

"!!"

At that moment, Naba flawlessly copied Ralph's preparatory stance.

His feet, waist, shoulders, and the angle of his sword; truly a perfect posture.

Even Plerine let out an "Ah!" of admiration,

and Ralph muttered in shock,

"How can he do it right away...?"

That little brat wielding an adult's arming sword without mana was next to impossible.

Big-jaw big brother shot me a look, as if wanting an explanation, but I just shrugged.

I couldn't be bothered explaining that what Naba had was an ability—called an 'Inung' or a 'Gift.'

"Our Naba's a genius! Lucky you, Ralph. It must feel rewarding to teach him."

"You rascal."

Ralph's tongue was sharp,

but his eyes curved happily.

"Alright! From now on, we're moving quickly through the basics. Don't miss a thing, brat!"

From that moment, Ralph enthusiastically taught Naba the basics of swordsmanship—the Dominating Sword form.

Watching them, I unluckily thought of Jeros.

'That bastard. He half-assed teaching me, didn't he?'

Ralph's experience was truly exceptional.

He taught with systematic theory and concepts.

Under such a fine teacher, a kid with the qualities of a hero grew rapidly.

It was almost absurd to watch.

'He's wielding a sword as big as himself with ease. His sword form is clean and unwavering.'

It really was the right choice not to insist on a short sword, but stick with the arming sword.

The hero Nabas in my memory used to swing a greatsword nearly two meters long.

'Phew. So many of my precious characters disappeared to that greatsword...'

Leaving those sad memories behind as I watched Naba's training,

"Why did you call me again, boss! I'm busy as hell and you keep making me come and go."

Dunbell showed up complaining.

"When your employer calls, you come without whining."

"Hmph. You're the very definition of an exploitative boss."

Dunbell pursed his lips,

but I could see he was actually pleased inside.

He definitely liked me as a chef.

"Alright, Ralph, you're going to have a tough time. Naba, do your best!"

Without waiting for Ralph's response, I took Dunbell into the kitchen.

"So, what can I help with today?"

"Nothing. There's nothing for you to help with today."

At this, Dunbell looked truly disappointed and pouted.

"What? Did you call me just to chat?"

"Of course not. First, put on an apron."

"Hm. Okay."

Yesterday, while preparing the executive's special meal with Dunbell, I educated him on hygiene.

When I found out this lunatic walked around outside and even slept with his apron on, I was at a loss for words.

'So I guess today, he came to the shop without his apron on.'

"All set! I put on the apron, scrubbed my hands with coarse salt. So what do I do now?"

Such obedient words made me proud.

Now, as the boss, it's time to reward him.

"Starting today, I'm going to teach you my world's recipes, Dunbell."

That was why I'd called Dunbell over.

Just as I was raising Naba as a combatant to cover my wartime absence,

Dunbell needed to make Korean food in my place.

As the head chef of Happiness Gukbap's second branch, he had to make Korean food.

So I'd decided to pass on my recipes to him from today,

'Why the hell does he look so unenthusiastic though?'

I thought he'd be thrilled, but Dunbell just blinked blankly.

"Huh? What did you say, boss?"

"Didn't you hear me? I'm teaching you all my recipes. The most popular dishes from the world I lived in."

"I mean, I like the idea of you teaching me your world's recipes, but..."

With a puzzled expression, maybe touched, maybe flustered, Dunbell asked,

"By the standards of your world, how much should I pay you? I'm supposed to pay a regular fee, right?"

So this is what they call 'getting caught in your own trap.'

*

A week passed.

In that time, nothing especially interestisng happened.

If I had to pick something, maybe that Naba became immersed in swordsmanship?

Ralph watched Naba's Dominating Sword for about two days,

then said there was nothing more he could teach—Naba already surpassed him in the Dominating Sword.

'He doesn't have mana yet, so he can't learn the sword forms.'

Instead, Ralph put Naba in the soldier training center.

He said it would be better for him to spar with other soldiers of similar skill to get real combat experience.

As a result, the soldier training center was thrown into chaos.

'A once-in-a-thousand-years swordsmanship genius has appeared!'

A little kid with no mana winning against adult soldiers using only Dominating Sword—

even in a duel with a squad leader of the 2nd-rank, he nearly won.

Eventually, yesterday, the battalion commander called Naba during a meal.

That old man offered to sponsor Naba so he could go to the capital and learn real swordsmanship.

'At that moment, I almost panicked.'

Thankfully, our little kid's will was solid.

― I am satisfied with Granfen.

That's what Naba said, smiling at me.

He was so forthright—who did he take after?

That made me proud, but also hurt my heart.

It was good news for me, but for Naba, it was the loss of a big opportunity.

'Maybe I should give this month's Employee of the Month to Naba for April.'

Aside from that, there was nothing unusual in the week.

As I tidied up the shop, the same as always,

"Boss! I'm back!"

At that long-missed voice, I quickly left the kitchen.

The shop had been so rowdy with only Plerine and Naba there.

"Harper! What took you so lo—"

—I couldn't finish my sentence.

Harper was only gone a week,

meaning he only spent about a day in Grey Fortress.

"Did you make good money?"

Maybe that was too blunt.

Harper scratched his head and laughed.

Behind him was an old man I hadn't seen in a long time.

"Your complexion looks better, owner."

"Oh! Have you been well?"

It was the craftsman old man from the stonemason guild.

Behind him were two carts laden with building materials and some workers.

Harper had only taken fifteen shillings for travel expenses and two casks of makgeolli.

'If that many stonemason guild members came, that must mean!!'

I could feel my eyes widening.

I stepped closer to Harper and patted his back.

"Well done, Harper. You did so, so well."

I didn't even need to ask how much he made to feel full with satisfaction.

Sorry I ever doubted you, Harper.

"It was nothing. I'll finish unpacking and report to you right after."

"Do whatever you want."

At this rate, I didn't know who to award Employee of the Month to for April.

Harper turned to call outside the shop.

"Adventurer, could you move the food supplies first? Stonemason guild members, please wait a moment."

Per Harper's instructions, the adventurer hefted a sack and brought it into the shop.

"What's that?"

"I bought some ingredients the boss will love."

Damn, I almost called Harper "big brother" out of habit.

Naba spoke to the adventurer carrying the load.

"Please don't go into the kitchen, just put it in the front—!?"

But the little kid couldn't finish his sentence.

As the adventurer's face, hidden by the load, was revealed to Naba.

"Now you're ordering me around? You little traitorous brat."

Recognizing the adventurer's identity, Naba froze.

Then, with a pale face, he took a step back.

"Your cheeks got all plump—guess you're living the good life?"

Thunk!

The adventurer dropped the sack in front of the kitchen and stared right at Naba.

Of course, I was just dumbfounded.

'Is Jeros gone, and already he's acting out like this?'

It was a strange feeling, having trouble show up at the shop after so long.

Swish.

Plerine appeared in front of Naba.

"......"

Plerine stared wordlessly at the adventurer.

The nervous adventurer looked her over in confusion.

"What's this trash doing here?"

Clara tapped the adventurer's toes with a mop.

The adventurer frowned and whipped his head around.

"Clara?"

He recognized Clara.

But Clara, not even twitching an eyebrow, stared at him and said,

"Wow. Even trash talks."

Come to think of it, Clara could use mana.

She even looked like she could wield a blade a bit.

'Maybe she got rid of punks at Wyvern Tail, too.'

I marveled anew at her many uses.

The adventurer retreated, saying,

"Hmph. Can't even talk with an old colleague after all this time?"

That sly grin was pure punk.

When he got paid by Harper and left,

thud.

Naba slumped to the ground.

"Senior Naba, are you okay?"

Plerine asked, but Naba answered awkwardly.

"I-I'm fine."

Of course, Naba didn't look fine at all.

*

I found myself thinking this:

'Is our team the AvengXrs or what?'

Every employee is beyond competent.

No, not just competent—they shine.

'Even Harper's moving me like this!'

Harper brought back ten imperial gold coins.

Ten golden! Ten golden!!

And that was after paying the stonemason guild for construction.

Harper talked about pounding the pavement, holding auctions, people going crazy for the makgeolli—

whatever, whatever.

'Ah, whatever. Money is best!'

The fact that I finally had cash to pay Gerald made me happiest.

That dwarf kept pestering me: "When are you going to pay up? Or don't you have the money?"

It was annoying.

I almost showered Harper with kisses,

but I regained my composure after hearing Harper's business plan.

"Boss. Instead of running both shop 1 and shop 2 separately, let's merge them."

I replied like a knife.

"No way. Absolutely not."

I want to franchise!

But as Harper continued explaining,

"Boss, these ten golden weren't earned for nothing. To supply the volume we need, we should convert our shop's building into a brewery. Since we have heating systems, it'll only take minor modifications."

"Hmm?"

"Also, Wyvern Tail's building is three times bigger than ours. Let's make Wyvern Tail the main branch of Happiness Gukbap and add further expansions. It'll boost profits all around. Here, look at this, boss!"

He rattled off a bunch of professional terms and made my head spin.

In the end, I surrendered.

"Fine, whatever, just go ahead!"

Harper smiled slyly as he replied.

"I've already signed the contract with the stonemason guild."

... This guy?

Who taught him to scheme like that? Plerine? Naba?

I wondered, but

in the end, I went to bed that night in a good mood.

Kuuul. Kuuul.

In my dreams, I was stomping on Gerald's head and yelling,

"If you want money, bark like a dog, you dwarf."

"Woof woof! Woof woof!"

Beside me, Harper was spewing gold coins endlessly,

and I was flinging them over Gerald's face.

"Wahahaha!"

Just as I was enjoying a dream I never wanted to wake from,

Knock, knock.

"......"

Knock, knock, knock.

My eyes flew open.

I probably wore a truly miserable expression.

It had been so long since I had such a thrilling dream.

'Who is it. Who dares disturb my sweet sleep with a knock?'

Brimming with wrath even I couldn't suppress, I flung open the door.

"Kukuk. Who is it?"

"He-hiiik!"

I saw Clara, trembling in fear at the sight of my face.

She was still in that racy pajama outfit from before.

"Do you really want to die, Clara? Kukuk."

Despite my words,

my gaze kept focusing on Clara's glabella,

"That's nothing like him at all, boss."

"?!"

At Plerine's voice I came to my senses.

"How long have you been there?"

Plerine was right at an angle where I couldn't see her.

"From the start."

So that's how it is. Ha ha ha.

Whew, that's a little embarrassing.

"But why'd you two come together? And in the middle of the night, at that?"

Moreover, both seemed unusually serious.

My sleepiness vanished at once.

"...... Is it something urgent?"

At my question, Plerine nodded and said,

"Senior Naba just left the shop."

* * *

A boy gripping a sword walked a dark, yet bright, road.

Dreuk. Dreureureuk.

The tip of the arming sword scraped along the ground.

Big-jaw uncle always said not to do that as it wore the blade down,

but right now, he felt certain he could cut anything regardless of the blade.

"Happiness Gukbap kid? Huh...?"

A woman recognized Naba and tried to greet him, but couldn't.

There were dark shadows beneath the boy's eyes,

and he was muttering as if possessed by something.

"Stop it, mom. I'm going."

At last, Naba stopped in front of a building.

He lifted his head to look up at it.

It was a place he knew well.

The shop where his mom worked and he was born.

"Is that guy here, mom?"

The voice that had been echoing since he started walking was gone.

But Naba took the silence as affirmation and walked into the building.

Dreureuk. Dreuk.

With this, I was convinced.

The 'knock' was an omen of disaster for me, more than just a jinx.

No, it was no longer just a jinx—it was more like a 'law.'

"A little while ago, Naba went outside the shop."

I felt my lips twitch.

I probably had a dumbfounded expression.

"At this hour? Never mind that—did you just let him leave?"

Plerine shook her head.

"No."

After work, when everyone had fallen asleep,

Plerine said she noticed something off about Naba.

Sure enough, Naba waited until dawn without sleeping,

and after confirming that Harper had fallen asleep, he quietly opened the door.

'Noticing all of this... Plerine must be a monster too.'

Plerine came right out of the room,

and blocked Naba's path.

"But in Naba's hand..."

He was holding an arming sword.

"Haa."

A sigh escaped me involuntarily,

but I gestured with my hand for Plerine to continue.

"Of course I told him not to go."

Plerine said she had no intention of backing down.

But the moment she saw the look in Naba's eyes,

she instinctively knew something was wrong.

'A sorrow and rage too deep to fathom.'

Those emotions poured out from all of Naba,

and soon, even that 'dark energy' that Plerine had noted when she first met him was seeping out again.

"Plerine, please. Step aside."

At Naba's voice, Plerine flinched without realizing it.

It was subtly different from any tone she'd ever heard from him before,

and soon, Naba raised his sword toward her.

Plerine was left with only two choices.

'Should I just let him go, or subdue him by force?'

The decision took an instant.

She knew that letting him go would end badly.

So just as she started to gather her mana—

'... Have I ever actually fought Naba before?'

She recalled all the days spent with Naba.

They laughed and worked together,

and although they often bickered, it was always verbal.

They'd never raised strength against each other.

As her judgment began to blur,

"Just for today."

Naba spoke.

"Please, just turn a blind eye today."

At some point, the tip of the kid's sword was trembling.

Naba must also have not wanted to fight, just like Plerine.

"Please, Plerine. I'll explain it to the boss."

In the end, Plerine turned her body and stepped aside.

Naba bowed his head in thanks and passed by her.

Even as the shop door opened, Plerine looked after Naba's back, hesitating,

"Thank you. For understanding."

—but ultimately, she couldn't go after him.

Respecting Naba's choice but feeling uneasy, she returned to the room,

where Clara, now awake, was sitting on the bed.

"Really. You just let him go?"

Even though Harper was clueless, Clara was a mana user;

of course she'd wake, with Naba radiating such ominous energy.

"For two people who were so close, I'm surprised. Let's hear your reason."

Plerine explained to Clara the conversation she'd had with Naba,

and once Clara finished listening, she let out a small laugh and said,

"You guys really show that you've never worked before, really."

Clara was right.

Both Naba and Plerine were new to the world of ordinary work,

and in this respect, Clara was the veteran.

"Listen up, Plerine. When problems arise between coworkers—"

"—You shut up and report to the boss."

said the present Plerine.

Clara nodded with her arms crossed.

Of course, my brain was on fire.

'I want to scold Plerine for letting the brat go but I kind of understand, and Clara, who immediately ran to the boss, is also problematic, but in this situation, it was the right move.'

Just before drifting off tonight, I'd still been comparing my members to the AvengXrs,

but they were still far from it, these employees of mine.

Being the boss really is tough.

"So what do we do, boss?"

Plerine's voice wavered.

A stranger would have thought it was plain, but

knowing Plerine, I could tell she was full of worry.

"Do we just wait for Naba to come back?"

Of course, I'd made my decision long ago.

"What do you mean, wait? We have to go find him right away."

A faint smile crept up on Plerine's lips.

"We're a bit late, but we can still catch up, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go."