Chapter 91

Chapter 91: Capable Subordinates Keep Increasing

Encouraged by the Hunter customers' support, I finished preparing for the lunch service and opened for business.

Feeling bad about being absent for five days, I decided to offer food free of charge today.

One serving per person only.

Additional orders would naturally require magic stones.

Today's menu was a simple set of steak, soup, and salad.

The restaurant bustled with customers.

'Apparently there are 115 people total on the Fourth Floor of the Rift right now.'

The three front-of-house staff who stayed at the restaurant outpost had tracked the headcount and informed me.

Thirty-two people were out hunting, they said.

That meant 83 potential customers.

A very large number.

'The headcount grew while I was away for those five days.'

It would only keep increasing.

Guilds and parties that had visited the Fourth Floor once gained confidence and returned repeatedly.

There was even a guild that had visited for the fourth time — a first.

That guild was the Frost Flower Guild.

"It looks like you have a lot of customers. Want me to help out?"

Han Se-a, guild master of the Frost Flower Guild, said this after finishing her meal, walking over to the open kitchen.

"We have enough hands, so it is all right."

"I see. By the way, is the Sword Saint not coming today?"

"No, he is off duty today. He is on guard duty tomorrow."

"Got it."

The reason she had come to the Fourth Floor four times was probably to see the Sword Saint.

She admired him as both her mentor and a father figure.

In any case, Ria was helping with plating beside me, and with three front-of-house staff, the kitchen ran smoothly even with a full house. No extra help was needed.

'Still, it would be nice to have one more kitchen staff member.'

I did not know when it would happen, but once Ria became pregnant, she would not be able to help with the work.

I should consider recruiting a Hunter with culinary experience.

And so, today's lunch service also came to an end.

Once the last customer had left, Maxim, who had been watching quietly from a corner, approached and said,

"My lord...... I mean, Seon-u. Good work today."

"Thank you. Was it not boring just watching? You could have rested."

"I could hardly rest while you are working, Seon-u. Rather than bored, I was impressed."

"By what?"

"The precision of your craftsmanship in cooking was truly remarkable. It would put dwarves to shame."

"You think so? Even so, my dexterity is limited to cooking. I could never match the craftsmanship of your people. Anyway, you must be hungry. Let us eat."

"Understood."

I began grilling T-bone steaks for our meal.

Ria plated the potato puree and truffle cream soup.

'At dinner yesterday, Maxim mentioned that the dwarven staple diet consists of meat and relton, a root vegetable similar to potatoes.'

Today's main ingredients happened to include the dwarven staple.

Maxim licked his lips in anticipation.

'He was raving about yesterday's dinner too.'

Well, that made sense.

The jerky and boiled relton he had given me during those five days of starvation — in hindsight, they had been extremely difficult to eat.

The jerky reeked of gaminess, and the relton was aggressively astringent.

For a dwarf who had been eating that kind of food, tasting fresh food free of gamey flavors would naturally be delicious.

I finished the dishes and set the table.

Ria, Maxim, and the three front-of-house staff pushed two tables together and began eating.

Maxim sliced the tenderloin portion of the T-bone steak with his knife, speared it with a fork, and tasted it.

His eyes went wide.

"How is this possible......? How can meat taste like this?"

"Is it edible?"

"More than merely edible, Seon-u. This is the most delicious meat I have ever had in my life."

Hmm, to that extent?

It seemed that Gillieta, the world the dwarves came from, had a less developed food culture than Ria's Continent of Bellinta.

Or perhaps they simply lacked livestock with tasty meat.

"Please eat as much as you like. If it is not enough, I will make more."

"Thank you. It truly is delicious."

For a chef, a guest who enjoys the food is the best kind of guest.

Even if he was not technically a customer.

The three front-of-house staff spoke with pride.

"Our Chef really does have incredible skills."

"Right? Even when grilling the same cut of meat, it tastes way better when Seon-u Oppa makes it."

"Obviously. He is the best chef in Korea."

They were flattering me too much.

"Do not go around saying that. You will just get criticized. There are so many talented chefs in Korea."

The three shook their heads firmly.

"Even so, our Chef is the best. He ran a top restaurant even before his Awakening, and now his senses are even sharper."

"Exactly, exactly."

"If you went on 'Leave It to the Fridge,' it would be insane. Other chefs struggle to finish even one or two dishes in the time limit, but you could effortlessly knock out three main courses in fifteen minutes."

I could not deny that.

After Awakening, my cooking speed and precision had reached a completely different level.

If I had multiple burners, I could produce any number of dishes within the given fifteen minutes.

I gave up trying to argue.

Then Ria smiled and said,

"You should actually go on 'Leave It to the Fridge' someday. You enjoy watching that show, Seon-u. They have been sending casting offers nonstop, too."

It was a show I enjoyed.

Not just that one — I enjoyed all cooking shows.

From variety to documentary.

I even watched foreign cooking programs.

"I will think about it."

Having listened to our conversation, Maxim said,

"My lor...... I mean, Seon-u. You are a remarkable chef."

"I would not say remarkable, but cooking is indeed my profession."

"After tasting your cooking, I am fully convinced of your remarkable talent."

It was just a steak, yet he praised me so highly.

In any case, now that Maxim was a companion, I would make sure he ate well.

"It might be disappointing that the person you waited so long for turns out to be a cook, but regardless, I will make sure your meals are satisfying for as long as you are by my side."

"Disappointing? Not at all. If anything, you are far more impressive than I expected. You are friends with a dragon and Fenrir, no less. You are also the de facto lord of the Fourth Floor of the Rift. And on top of that, you are generating substantial income through your restaurant business. I can only marvel at your business acumen."

"Ahem! The rest may be accurate, but I am not exactly a lord......"

Ria smiled and said,

"You are practically the lord of this place."

"Am I?"

If Ria said so, then so be it.

At the mention of "lord," Maxim lightly tapped his fist against his palm.

"What if you truly made this place your territory?"

"This place, a territory?"

That was actually something I had been planning to an extent.

The plan to erect walls or ramparts and establish a base settlement.

But I pretended not to know and listened to what Maxim had to say.

"Yes. I surveyed this area, and it is far too exposed. It seems extremely vulnerable to monster threats."

"That is true."

"What if you built fortress walls at a certain radius around this restaurant and established a territory? You could also set up various amenities for the people who visit — places where they can stay and relax."

This dwarf knew his stuff.

He was saying essentially the same thing I had been thinking.

"Actually, I have been thinking the same thing."

"Oh, is that so? As expected, your business instincts are exceptional."

"Haha! But it has only been a thought. The problem is that I have no laborers or construction experts."

"If it is laborers and construction experts you need, worry not. You have me, Maxim Eckard. Please put me and the members of the Eckard family to work. I believe Acresia connected you with the Eckard family precisely for this purpose."

That was reassuring to hear.

Having the Eckard family dwarves assist would be an enormous help.

'The castle that had been Eos's home was magnificent, after all.'

I had been told that it was the Eckard family's ancestors who had built it.

"I would be very grateful for your help."

"It is I who should be grateful that you are giving the Eckard family a purpose. And......"

Maxim paused briefly before continuing.

"The Eckard family exists to serve you, the successor of Acresia. Please allow us to address you as our liege lord. That is the very reason the Eckard family exists."

Maxim rose from the table and bowed to me at a ninety-degree angle.

A man who appeared well into middle age, bowing deeply to someone young.

"Please, do not do this......"

"I will not straighten my back until you grant permission."

Stubborn man.

If that was how they preferred to address me, so be it.

"Very well. I grant permission."

"Thank you, my liege!"

And so, I formally took the Eckard family into my service.

Being called "my liege" really did make me feel like a lord.

"We got sidetracked into serious talk mid-meal. Please eat before the meat gets cold."

"Understood."

***

Today was the day some welcome faces returned.

"Eriksson, Santos, welcome back."

The two arrived in front of the countryside house.

They were here to travel to the Fourth Floor of the Rift through my Gate portal.

"Good to be back."

"......Good to be back. But, Seon-u, you have changed."

Santos noticed my transformation.

"Sharp eyes. I underwent the Third Awakening."

Both were surprised at my words.

I also told them that Acresia had reached S-Rank.

"......Congratulations! You must be stronger than us now."

"Damn it, he finally surpassed us."

Santos offered congratulations.

Eriksson was frustrated.

"So what skills did you get?"

I willingly told Eriksson about my newly acquired skills.

After hearing everything, the two exchanged glances.

What were they thinking?

In any case, I was in the middle of preparing for the service and needed to head back right away.

"Let us head back for now and talk this afternoon."

"All right."

I sent them through the Gate portal and then traveled back to the Rift restaurant myself.

Time passed, the service ended, and after cleaning up, Eriksson and Santos called me over, saying they had something to tell me.

Behind the two of them, the Sword Saint also approached.

Eriksson looked at me with determined eyes and said,

"Use your Sovereign's Bond skill on the three of us."

I had been planning to test the skill on them.

But I had not expected them to request it first.

"I am happy to use it, but once it is used on someone, there is a six-month cooldown before it can be reapplied after release. On top of that, being apart for more than a month triggers an automatic release. So using it on all three of you requires careful consideration. Let me first test it on just you, Eriksson."

Eriksson shook his head.

"We do not want a temporary contract."

"Then?"

"We want a permanent one."

"A permanent one......?"

"What I am saying is, we are willing to be your subordinates from now on."

Subordinates......

The S-Rank trio wanted to become my subordinates?

Eriksson continued,

"You said you are creating a guild, right? Joining your guild would make us your subordinates anyway. So we are just getting a head start."

Even so, "subordinate" had a negative ring to it.

"What do you mean, subordinates? You are comrades."

The Sword Saint stepped in.

"We are comrades and employees at the same time. And the three of us sincerely wish for you to use your Sovereign's Bond skill on us. It is partly because we want the stat boost, but also because we genuinely recognize you as a worthy leader."

A worthy leader.

What aspect of me had they seen?

I thought I had a fairly objective view of myself, and I could not quite understand it.

Regardless —

"What if I give unreasonable orders after the Sovereign's Bond is formed?"

"Haha! You are not the kind of person to do that, Seon-u. And even if you gave an order we did not understand, we would trust there was a good reason for it and would not refuse."

Eriksson and Santos nodded at the Sword Saint's words.

"Exactly. If we disobey and the bond breaks, we would have to wait out a six-month cooldown. So even if the order seems unfair, we just have to trust the reason and follow."

"......Agreed."

They trusted me that much.

I was slightly moved.

I spoke to the three of them.

"Even with the bond in place, I will never issue an unreasonable order. No — there will never be a need to issue orders among comrades in the first place. Just continue living as you do now, doing whatever you wish."

Within the restaurant, I might give orders as a chef to kitchen and floor staff.

But outside of that context, there would be no occasion for it.

"Does that mean you are granting permission for the bond?"

"Of course. Let us do it right now."