Chapter 4

Chapter 4
004. Seafood Risotto
In the morning, I drove to an outlet mall and did some shopping.
At noon, I stepped back inside the Barrier.
Inside, dawn was only just beginning.
‘I wonder if the knight made it safely through the night.’
Even if Monsters were scarce here, it was still dangerous.
If she had been attacked in her sleep, even someone as strong as her could have been in trouble.
However, seeing the camping equipment untouched from yesterday, it seemed there had been no intrusion.
As I approached the tent, she stepped outside.
“Seon-u, you have returned.”
Her eyes were slightly swollen compared to yesterday.
She must have cried a great deal.
She likely had not even had the time to grieve properly until now.
“Was everything all right during the night?”
“Yes, it was. Thanks to you, I was able to rest peacefully and recover for the first time in a long while.”
“That is good to hear.”
“If not for you, I would have gone hungry and failed to even treat my wounds properly. I was truly at my limit. I might not have survived the night. Once again, I thank you.”
“It was nothing. Truly. More importantly, please take this.”
I handed her a shopping bag from the outlet.
“What is this?”
“A change of clothes.”
The garment she currently wore—a linker beneath her armor—was torn in several places and stained with blood.
Through the rips, her skin was visible.
Only then did she quickly cover her chest with both hands.
‘She only just realized.’
It had been rather awkward to look at.
She accepted the clothes with her left hand.
“Thank you.”
“They are free-size women’s clothes. They should fit. I bought something comfortable for movement.”
“You bought them? From where...?”
Ah.
I had not told her that I could leave the Rift whenever I wished.
Should I explain? For now, I deflected.
“There are ways. In any case, please change first. I will prepare breakfast.”
“Yes.”
I began cooking at once.
For breakfast, I decided on a creamy risotto.
First, I heated olive oil in a large pan and sautéed minced garlic and chopped onions.
I added washed Arborio rice and stirred until it became slightly translucent.
Then I poured in white wine and let the alcohol evaporate before adding whole tomatoes and vegetable stock.
‘Better fully cooked than al dente.’
The slightly firm texture of al dente might feel too unfamiliar to her.
I added seafood that I had sautéed separately in another pan and continued cooking slowly, adding stock as needed.
While I cooked, she emerged, now dressed in gray activewear, watching with interest.
“I have been curious since yesterday. Were you a chef?”
“Yes.”
“I knew it. Your skills seemed extraordinary. The food is incredible.”
“I am glad it suits you.”
The risotto was finished.
I divided it between two bowls.
I plated fresh salad greens and drizzled them with my homemade yuzu dressing before placing everything on the table.
“Please enjoy.”
“Is it truly all right for me to accept yet another meal? And the clothes as well.”
“You said you would hunt a drake for me. Consider that repayment.”
It was a joke.
She did not seem to take it as one.
“I shall certainly do so.”
“Haha... focus on your recovery first.”
“Understood.”
She took a spoonful of seafood risotto.
“It is nutty yet slightly tangy, smooth yet deep and full-bodied. The flavors envelop my mouth.”
She described it well.
She appeared to be of noble birth; she must have tasted many delicacies.
“Of all the chefs I have met, your skill is the greatest.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I speak sincerely.”
The greatest joy of a chef was to see someone enjoy a meal and to have one’s skill acknowledged.
She smiled as she ate.
“In your world, where would your skill rank?”
“Well... I would say near the top of the industry.”
After all, I had helped Pungjeong maintain Michelin three-star status for two consecutive years.
“I see. Then I must truly hunt a drake. I cannot imagine how delicious it would be if you prepared it.”
“Haha...”
Why did she sound so serious?
It was difficult to imagine that slender frame hunting a dragon-like Monster.
After the meal, we shared tea and talked.
At one point, she pursed her lips.
“I am no longer a knight. Please address me more casually.”
She must have felt burdened by being called Lady Knight.
“Ah... then shall I call you Lady Emeria?”
“Please call me Ria.”
“Very well, Ria.”
She was twenty-eight, three years younger than my thirty-one.
Soon she said she wished to bathe and headed toward the distant lake.
I tried to dissuade her due to her injuries, but she insisted she would be fine.
Though she carried her sword, the sight of her limping worried me.
Still, I could not follow a woman who was bathing.
***
Some time later, Ria returned with fresh bandages and clean hair.
She looked entirely different.
‘She could outshine a celebrity.’
The dirt that could not be wiped away yesterday was gone, revealing skin like white jade. Her silver hair shone.
“From now on, I shall focus on recovery—to repay your kindness.”
“Very well.”
I could hardly stop her from healing.
She sat upon a stone and closed her eyes.
She exhaled deeply, and a blue aura enveloped her.
‘It feels like something from a martial arts or fantasy film.’
I refrained from making noise.
Armed with a small axe for protection, I inspected the alarm lines I had set up.
As I walked, I noticed something.
‘The forest smells wonderful.’
Especially the scent from the trees.
Though I was no arborist, my knowledge from studying smoking chips told me these trees were unlike any on Earth.
Perhaps some would make excellent smoking wood.
Curious, I began smelling various trunks.
‘This one is too strong.’
Conifers like cypress and pine, though fragrant, were surprisingly unsuitable for smoking chips.
‘This one would likely produce bitterness.’
For a chef, the sense of smell was vital.
It revealed freshness, flavor, ingredients, even cooking methods.
And I possessed an innate gift for smell and taste.
‘My mentor in Italy was envious.’
He called it a blessing to perceive fine details.
Saltiness, sweetness, acidity, bitterness, umami.
Doneness and texture.
That harmony was cooking philosophy.
It was why Pungjeong maintained three stars.
The head chef, however, could not grasp those subtleties.
I had heard it had since fallen back to one star.
‘Most of the staff left after I did.’
Only Yu Seon-yeong had remained, clinging to false hope.
Thinking of it soured my mood.
‘Focus. Find suitable wood.’
I found one with promising aroma.
Further testing would be needed.
One tree stood out.
“That smells good.”
It bore fruit—pear-shaped, reddish.
I leaped and plucked one.
“It smells like something between apple and cherry.”
I wanted to taste it.
It might be poisonous.
But perhaps not lethal in small amounts—and I was Awakened now.
Justifying myself, I sliced away a tiny piece and tasted a bit the size of a watermelon seed.
“It tastes like apple and cherry as well.”
Sweet. Delicious.
As I considered another bite—
[SCREECH!]
A chilling cry rang behind me.
Instinctively, I ducked.
Something sliced through the air above my head.
‘A Monster...?’
I had grown careless.
‘Foolish!’
I looked up.
It resembled a woman’s torso but had the beaked head of a bird and enormous wings.
A harpy.
But larger than known C-rank harpies. Its talons were massive.
A superior variant.
It circled, then dived with a shriek.
‘Damn, it is fast!’
Twice a man’s size, faster than a hawk.
I barely rolled aside.
Had I not been Awakened, I would have died.
It attacked relentlessly.
Its speed was overwhelming.
Its talons grazed my calf.
I swung my axe, but it folded its legs and slashed my shoulder.
“You vile creature!”
It was fighting intelligently, inflicting incremental wounds.
I needed to end it.
I formed a plan.
I would throw the axe at the moment of its dive.
If successful, I would run toward Ria.
‘Here it comes!’
I raised the axe overhead.
If I failed, I would die.
It descended diagonally.
Not yet...
Now!
I hurled the axe with all my strength.
‘Direct hit!’
But—
CLANG!!
It wrapped itself in wings glowing red, deflecting the blow.
Still, it bled slightly.
‘Damn it!’
It only grew angrier.
I ran, rolling desperately.
My injured leg slowed me.
I could not dodge this one.
Was this how I would die?
Just as its shadow fell over me—
Something flashed toward me like lightning.