12. Seonghwangcheong comes forward (2)
That evening.
When Cadenza came, Deus and Yulgeum were already sitting side by side eating dinner.
Before I knew it, Deus was spending the evening here.
It was thanks to Zeke’s cooking skills.
To be sure, his talent as a chef may have been much greater than his ability as a warrior.
“See you again. Mr. Zeke.”
“hello.”
“What are you here again?”
“Hello, Mr. Deus. But the beauty here is…
“It’s Yulgeum.”
“hello. This is Cadenza version of Holy Peach. “He is an investigator of the Seonghwangcheong Office.”
“I heard the story.”
“It’s mainly swearing, right?”
“About 60%?”
Deus said, looking at Cadenza with frowning eyes.
“What do you want to know?”
“Should I turn around and ask? Would you like me to tell you directly?”
“Do what’s comfortable for you.”
“Zeek, what percentage was your pureblood test score?”
“Isn’t the report posted?”
“Yes, it came up. That’s why I’m asking. “What percentage was it?”
“I do not remember.”
Cadenza turned his eyes to Zeke.
“Don’t you remember Zeke too?”
“ah• . I
said, “Let’s be honest. “The report says it’s 4.2 percent, but I can’t believe it.”
“That’s right. 4.2 percent.”
“As expected, it was a false report.”
“yes?”
“The report said 3.62 percent.”
“ah! That’s…
When Zeke hesitated in embarrassment, Deus opened his mouth instead.
“He is an orphan and a 14-year-old boy from a family of contracted warriors with no power or money, so they said he would report it a little lower because it would be difficult for him to live if his pureblood level was high. “If there is a problem, ask the person who reported it.”
“Is that the setting?”
“Stop talking about settings. Now that you know what you want to know, why don’t you go away? “Because the taste of alcohol goes down.”
“I am a guest too.”
“I don’t accept customers like you.”
“There is no need to be so hostile. “I came because I wanted to help Mr. Zeke.”
“For those bastards who talk like that, I’ve never seen anyone really help. If you really want to help, help quietly and out of sight. “I think Zeke’s life will improve dramatically if you mail him 10 gold pieces every month.
”
“Such a large amount of money is unreasonable.”
“If you can’t do it, it’s gone.”
Yulgeum tapped Deus on the shoulder.
“why?”
“Do it in moderation. If you’re an investigator at the Holy Emperor’s Office, you’re a high-ranking person who can deprive Zeke of his qualifications ex officio. Even the lord of Joryx Castle here wouldn’t be able to treat him carelessly.”
“That’s true. But that’s not what I came here for. The story keeps focusing on me, so why not change the mood a bit? Who casted a strengthening spell on him when he was hunting the giant three days ago ?
Are you Mr. Deus? Or is it Mr. Yulgeum?”
“Did you see it too?”
“Yes, I saw it clearly. I can hardly feel any magic power from Mr. Deus. That means… Mr. Yulgeum is the wizard of this party, right?”
” that’s right.”
“indeed. Excuse me, but may I ask your grade? Have you officially registered with the Wizards Association?”
Instead of answering, Yulgeum took out a small nameplate from his sleeve.
“ah! “This is the first time I’ve seen an Ace of Spades… in real life.”
“what is that?”
Cadenza smiled and answered Deus’ question.
“Could it be that you did not know what kind of wizard Mr. Yulgeum was and accepted her as a companion? When wizards register with the association, they are issued cards according to their level. Spade, Diamond, Heart, Clover are divided into four attributes and are ranked from Ace to Ten.”
“So the executive is King Queen Jack?”
“That’s correct.”
“I just put it on the card appropriately.”
“If you disparage me like that, it’s true. “You can think of the Ace card as evidence of someone who has no further advancement as a magician.”
“Of course.”
Yulgeum is the god of dragons.
In fact, that card may have been made properly now. Or maybe they are traces of living among humans hundreds of thousands of years ago.
“Even considering that Mr. Yulgeum
is an Ace-rank wizard, it would be reasonable to say that Zeke, who completed the giant hunt on his own, is G-rank.”
“no. That’s from Lexia…
“You don’t need to be humble.”
“I just ran away.” Deus abruptly interrupted their conversation.
“If you’re a guest, why don’t you order something to eat first?”
“Oh, excuse me. Please give me something delicious in moderation. It’s time for dinner…
“In moderation. “That is even more disrespectful.”
“is that so? “Then, shall we take a look at the menu?”
He glanced at the menu hanging above the carriage-like table.
“Stir-fried garak noodles? “Would you please give me that?”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
“What is Garakguksu?”
“It’s thick noodles.”
“Oh, it looks like some type of pasta.”
“It’s a noodle dish with a completely different texture compared to the southern region because the type of noodles is different. “It’s cheap and easy to enjoy, so
it’s famous as food for the common people around here.”
The nobles of Joryx Castle imported semolina, a type of wheat called durum, from the south, but they were growing plain wheat here.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“Yes, please leave it to me.”
The cheerful sound of knives danced across the cutting board, and the ingredients were thinly sliced and neatly prepared.
Cadenza, who was watching Zeke’s hand movements closely, suddenly found himself forgetting why he had come here for a moment.
I tried to change the topic to that story, but
it was difficult to talk to Zeke because he was focused on cooking.
While I was thinking for a moment that there would be another opportunity, the dish was completed.
“I’m out here.”
Thinly sliced vegetables and meat stir-fried with thick noodles and a few spices and soy sauce.
The smell of soy sauce cooked in a concave pan stimulated my appetite. Cadenza sat there without any expectations and swallowed the saliva that had formed as the fragrant aroma exploded. And then I took a bite of the noodles.
“This is really… delicious.”
Deus, who was drinking soup next to him, agreed with his words.
“yes?”
“Yes really.”
“I was surprised too. Isn’t the warrior’s blood actually the ability to cook? “Even the devil would fall in love with this.”
“You are the manager.”
“I’m serious.”
Cadenza stuffed the noodles into his mouth again.
It was a dish and a setting that did not suit the idea of eating one or two pieces at a time with elegance. The moment
I filled my mouth, chewed it, and
passed it down my throat was the moment I could truly taste the food.
“This is…
“I don’t know what you came here to dig up.”
Deus opened his mouth again.
“Why don’t we just go back? “I’m not trying to do anything bad.”
“It’s quite the opposite. If he is a G-class hero, I want to treat him accordingly. G-class heroes are extremely rare. There are less than 100 people across the continent. “A warrior who reached G-class at the age of 14
deserves special treatment.”
“That’s annoying.”
“Why…
“I achieved this feat thanks to the weapons I spent a lot of money on. “My physical ability isn’t up to that level.”
“All G-class warriors have weapons appropriate for them. In fact, the conditions should be considered similar.”
“Anyway, it’s just meddling.”
“That’s really strange.”
“what?”
“Most warriors want their ranks to rise, but you
want the opposite.”
“Do you want to know why?”
“yes.”
“If the rating goes up too much, it will be difficult for me to take advantage of it.”
Cadenza opened his mouth in bewilderment and stared at the other person.
“What is that…
“Didn’t you come here knowing everything? Zeke is a warrior without a rain hill. Since I had no money and no power, I almost wouldn’t have been able to even get evaluated. They say they will give you a free screening once you graduate from high school? But since Zeke
couldn’t afford to go on to high school, he had to live his whole life as a grade-eligible worker.”
Zeke smiled bitterly.
Deus continued.
“I am a rich man. Anyway, there is a lot of money, but there is nothing to say about status. The fastest way to rise in status is to become a warrior’s companion. And that hero becomes reasonably famous. But if I become too famous, I too will be exposed to the sun. “I don’t like that.”
“It’s so black inside.” “
Isn’t it good if both black and white can benefit each other ?
What Zeke needs most is money, so I solve that problem and gain the status of a suitable warrior’s companion. Is there a better relationship than this win-win situation? “Don’t let the rolling stones disturb it.”
“This is nothing but a loss for Zeke. A G-class hero is close to a high-ranking noble. Support from Seonghwangcheong will also increase hundreds of times compared to now. “You are just taking advantage of Zeke.”
“Hey rolled stone.”
“It’s a cadenza.”
“What are you going to do if Zeke’s grade isn’t as good as you thought?”
“yes?”
“What are you going to do if you take him in and test him and decide that he is roughly a Class A hero or a Class B hero?”
“But he hunted giants.”
“Because I didn’t do it alone. So what do you do if it’s not as good as you thought? “Can you guarantee the G-class treatment you sugar-coated?”
“We promise to provide coverage appropriate for that grade
.”
“Even if you are class B, the pension is only one silver coin per month.”
“You just have to do the work that suits your grade.”
“Is there a future there?”
“You mean the future?”
“Do you mind about Zeke’s dreams and hopes? Does it mean that eating just three meals is enough? “You’re from a rich family, right?”
“What does that matter?”
“Do you think you can achieve anything just by working hard on your own? “The story that no matter how many times you fail,
if you try hard you will eventually succeed, feels like common sense.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“This is why young masters can’t do it.”
“Are you mocking my efforts?”
“I’m not laughing at your efforts, I’m laughing at you who don’t even know who it is that makes it okay to fail. Zeke has lived a life where once he fails, that’s the end of it. Do you want to say that we are living like this because we didn’t put in the effort to get to this point? “Unless you’re a G-class person for shaking up something you barely achieved?”
Cadenza was speechless.
“If you’re done with it, get out. “I will raise Zeke, so don’t touch him.”
“The warrior is a precious heritage of mankind.”
“Then why don’t you manage it properly? “Why does a hero who may be a G-class man have to work as a bellboy and not even go to school?”
Cadenza was once again at a loss for an answer.
I put down the price of the food and bowed my head.
“I will come back again.”
“You really can’t understand what that bastard is saying.” Cadenza left without saying a word.
“Zeke.”
“Yes, Deus.”
“Sprinkle salt.”
“That’s not even possible. “I think he wants to do a good job.”
“I didn’t feel it.”
“yes?”
“That bastard is D-class.”
“Is that true?”
“Would a D-class person born with a silver spoon in his mouth really care about the G-class? It’s just entertainment. A G-class warrior born like a mutant in a poor family of contract warriors .
What could be more gossip than that? “I’m just trying to take you away as a noble’s plaything.”
Yulgeum said after mixing a drink with alcohol.
“It’s so crooked.”
“is it?”
“Well, if you dig deep… I can’t say it’s not true at all, but there’s no need to interpret human kindness with such malicious intent.”
“Okay, okay, let’s just say I’m crooked.”
“It’s not hitting, it’s crooked, right?
“It was also incredibly twisted.”
Yulgeum filled Deus’s drinking glass.
After drinking three drinks in silence, Zeke made a new snack and set it down in front of him.
