Chapter 145 : Upheaval (1)
Upheaval (1)
At this point, I had to admit it.
Granfen had become my second hometown,
and Happiness Gukbap was my precious sanctuary.
To me, it was 'home' in the truest sense.
That's why I couldn't stand it and flung the door open roughly,
Bang!
Instead of the savory aroma of meat broth and rice,
I was greeted by a pungent, sour stench that stung my nose.
"What is this smell......."
My shop, Happiness Gukbap, had completely vanished without a trace.
Where the dining hall used to be filled with tables and chairs,
Wooden barrels were neatly lined up, making the place subtly muggy compared to outside.
My brain quickly realized what had happened.
'Oh, right. I'd decided to renovate this place into the brewery and make Wyvern Tail the main branch.'
No wonder. Even though it was almost mealtime, there was no line outside.
With a strange feeling, I looked around what had become the brewery out of Happiness Gukbap.
It seemed wider, as if all the room's walls had been knocked down for efficient use of space.
Yet the kitchen remained unchanged.
As I entered the kitchen, I immediately understood why this part was kept.
'They left it as a boiler room.'
Plerine's magic and the stonemason guild's craftsman's masterpiece was humming in one corner of the kitchen.
That seemed to be what maintained the temperature of the brewery.
Even to my untrained eyes, the renovations looked pretty clean.
'Who knew it would feel both so good and so sad that the shop runs smoothly without the boss.'
A smirk twisted my lips at the changes made in my absence.
Of course—this was possible thanks to the capable third employee, Harper.
With these thoughts, I was about to leave the now-brewery—
"Ah."
The broken lock tumbled on the ground, catching my eye.
I must've broken it myself in my rush to open the door, having lost my sense.
"Tsk."
Causing an accident right after coming back,
Now seeing the employees was truly embarrassing.
'Do I have to fix it before I leave?'
I picked up the remains of the lock and tried to piece them together, but I quickly gave up.
I was hopeless at handiwork except cooking.
Clatter, clack.
As I was thus delayed in returning home,
"Hey, you! Halt!"
A sharp voice called out from behind me,
and another one, sharper and laced with killing intent, added,
"Are you bold or just stupid, you brat? Daring to rob Granfen's treasury?"
Granfen's discipline must be the best in the North.
Look how alert even an ordinary guard waiting in the village was.
I smiled contently and turned around calmly, intending to show my face, but—
"Stand still—!"
Suddenly, I had to dodge a blade coming at my torso.
Thwack!
Hmm.
I only meant to dodge,
But unfortunately, my survival instinct kicked in and I reflexively front-kicked.
"Queng!!"
Keil, the guard squad leader, bit his tongue from the blow to his chin and fell back, bleeding.
... Well, actually it wasn't just instinct—I meant to hit him once I saw it was Keil.
"L-leader!"
His partner called out, turning for Keil,
But I quickly grabbed his shoulder and said,
"Attacking the squad leader who's just returned victorious from war? You've got guts, guard?"
Even I was surprised at how menacing and sinister my voice sounded,
And the assistant guard snapped his head at me.
Then, the moment he saw my face—
"Eek!"
In an instant, the guard's face turned pale blue, body trembling.
"S-sorry for not recognizing you, Squad Leader Ian! It's just that lately, lots of outsiders have been targeting Granfen's makgeolli..."
That made it clear why Keil and the others had overreacted.
No wonder. I recalled Keil calling it Granfen's "treasury".
Come to think of it, there were far more barrels in the brewery than I'd expected.
Granfen's reputation must have been rising in the North lately.
'Harper, that guy. Just how well have you been doing while I was gone?'
Feeling elated, I wanted to burst out laughing,
But I held back, deciding to save the celebration until I received Harper's full report.
Instead, I narrowed my eyes at the guard in front of me and asked,
"Say, are you any good with your hands?"
"With my hands?"
Surprised by my odd question, the guard blinked and replied,
So I pointed to the broken lock and latch.
"Know how to fix this?"
"No, sir. If a guard like me had that kind of skill, I'd have joined the supply corps and gotten better pay. Hehe."
Such a loser-like answer almost made me sigh aloud,
But in fact, his words gave me a hint.
"That's right. You're a guard. Security is your specialty."
I couldn't resist curling up both corners of my mouth and continued,
"From now on, you'll guard Granfen's treasury, the makgeolli brewery, as a guard. Got it? Stand right here and don't move."
I gripped his forearms and set him up right in front of the door.
He looked just like an NPC blocking a doorway in an online RPG.
"Huh? But, um, it's almost time for my shift change—?"
"What? Without you guys, the makgeolli's at risk of leaking outside right now. And you want a shiiift chaaange??"
Not even Korean corporals near the end of service would pull off thuggy behavior like this,
But I couldn't help putting on airs because he was Keil's underling.
"You gonna guard the entrance or not? Huh?!"
Hic!
As soon as I finished, the guard hiccupped,
Nodded his head like mad as an answer.
Good. Now that I had a human lock, I could leave with peace of mind.
"Work your tail off."
With Ralph's signature farewell, I headed off in the direction of the former Wyvern Tail, now the main branch of Happiness Gukbap.
And of course, I made sure to step lightly over Keil, sprawled on the ground as a bonus.
*
Life is a series of lessons.
I'd just learned one more, a moment ago.
No matter how trivial, you have to stay calm.
Rush or let your guard down, and something unexpected will happen.
'Like how I accidentally broke the brewery's lock.'
I dreaded how the employees would react to this news,
But it was fine.
As long as I didn't repeat the same mistake!
So this time, I headed for Wyvern Tail on foot.
Of course, my irrepressible longing and the gathering mana pushed me to walk faster.
'What is this, some teleportation technique or what?'
Practically running, I arrived at the Wyvern Tail in no time...but—
"What the heck is this."
I was just as bewildered as when I'd come to the former Happiness Gukbap, now the brewery.
Yet, though the surprise was similar, this was of a totally different flavor.
In front of the former Wyvern Tail, now Happiness Gukbap, it was truly,
'A sea of people!'
Customers overflowed.
With a glance, I could see over a hundred people waiting to enter outside.
It was a scene familiar only at Korea's trendiest best local food places.
All the customers looked perfectly at ease, as if used to such a crowd.
It was a sight you'd only see at the most renowned shops back in Korea.
And here yet again, I had to call Harper's name:
Every customer held a small wooden stick in their hand.
There was a number written at the end—it looked like a waiting ticket.
But wait—
'Am I really the owner of a famous best local food spot like this?'
When that realization hit, my heart started pounding.
Before I knew it, my eyes grew hot, overwhelmed with emotion.
Saved by my father and always wishing for this moment—
My earnest wish to make Happiness Gukbap a top best local food spot had finally come true.
I swallowed the sudden rush of saliva and moved again.
Chak, chak.
With steps more confident than ever, I headed toward my kingdom.
"Huh? Isn't that black hair?"
"Ian? You're back!"
"You came back alive!"
Customers who recognized me greeted me with smiles.
I returned their greeting with an easy grace.
"Hello there~. Ahem."
Maybe the best local food owner act suited me too well.
Without realizing, my tone turned affected and nasal.
Get it together, Ian.
The moment I stepped inside,
A boy with a short ponytail tied up ran out.
Apparently hard at work, sweat dotted the brown-haired kid's face here and there.
I couldn't help feeling proud in that moment—
"Number 49 custome...."
Naba, catching my eye from a good distance away, froze as our gazes met.
Time itself seemed to stop.
"......."
I too went stiff matching Naba, as I checked the kid's hair.
Thank goodness—the streaks from the Demon King and hero hadn't spread.
Plerine must have taken good care of him.
But—
"Um, excuse me. I'm number 49. Can I go in?"
A waiting customer, sensing the mood, hesitantly approached and asked, but Naba just stood there.
"......."
Hmm. How long could this stay like this?
Wasn't it time for Naba to move? —Just as I was thinking,
Tatataat.
Naba ignored both the customer and the actual boss, darting into the shop.
And moments later,
"The boss is back!!"
For a second, I doubted my ears.
I could sense for sure in Naba's echoing voice that—
'There was mana infused in it?'
My mind grew muddled.
Demon king Nabas and hero Rio both fought with gift-based powers, not mana.
How did Naba manage to acquire mana?
'Could it be Plerine?'
As I thought this,
Thump, tatataat!
A huge commotion rose from inside the shop, snapping me back to my senses.
And then—
"Boss!! You're here?!!"
That damn old fatty Dunbell came running at me.
He was dashing forward with a bright smile, holding a broad Chinese cleaver in one hand.
'Damn it. How disgusting!'
To think the old man welcomed me so sincerely made me feel genuinely gross,
My instincts as the boss zoomed to Dunbell's apron.
'I told him so many times to take it off before stepping out of the kitchen!'
Well, if he really missed me longed for me that much, I could look the other way.
And of course, right behind Dunbell was Harper.
"Boooss!!"
Harper, out of nowhere, was wearing a monocle on one eye.
He looked even more like a genius type now,
But that wasn't the only change.
'Did he start exercising?'
Unlike before, when he was tall but thin and scrawny,
He'd bulked up a bit, maybe from muscle or some weight gain.
He still only just barely outgrew that skinny look,
But I liked that he had changed for the better.
"Oh my. Boss Ian!"
Surprisingly, that wasn't the end of it.
While Dunbell and Harper were tearing toward me with all their might,
Even the other employees were hurrying toward me with quick steps.
"We missed you, boss!"
"Boooss!!"
Huh, I could understand Dunbell and Harper, but you guys too?
Weren't your shared years working with me far too short, since you were originally with Dunbell?
'And Clara's not here, for real?'
What on earth had happened while I was gone to bring about this reaction?
My curiosity hit its peak.
And just then, the regular customers leisurely stepped outside, showing their faces.
Unlike my employees, they didn't make a fuss.
Still, their faces and expressions alone showed how glad they were to see me.
'Yeah. This is why people run a shop.'
I was especially moved.
Compared to when I first left Granfen and returned from Grey Fortress,
The welcome now was truly a world apart.
'So everyone missed me, huh.'
Was it because I'd gotten attached to Granfen and risked my life to protect it?
It felt like the village was paying me back in kind.
'You've worked hard; you can rest a bit now.'
But these warm, fuzzy thoughts didn't last long.
Thwack!
Dunbell caught me in a bearhug, making me lose my temper.
"Boss! Welcome back! I'll show you how much my cooking has improved!"
"So glad you're back, boss! There's so much to report, I didn't know how to summarize. Now's the perfect time to check things!"
These crazy guys clearly had only cooking and management in their heads.
"Okay, enough! Let's head in first!"
Even as I tried to stop them, the two kept chattering about the skills they'd refined and developed while I was gone.
Then—
"Boss!"
Naba came running out belatedly, calling out.
I'd thought maybe he was crying alone, but that wasn't it.
Then I noticed Naba was holding a neatly folded piece of paper.
Naturally, my gaze drifted to it,
And only then did I realize what was strangest about the current situation.
'She's missing.'
Plerine was nowhere to be seen.