He watched me for a long time before reaching out a large hand to ruffle my hair. The warmth conveyed in lieu of words made a corner of my chest ache with a strange, dull throb.
Instead of acting smug, I barely managed to catch my breath and muttered softly, "...I'll think about it."
When he gave a short nod, I hurriedly looked away, turning my head. Then, grumbling as I usually did, I spoke up.
"See? This is why I call you an old-timer."
Slap!
Getting smacked on the back was, well, only to be expected.
***
Back at the inn, I packed a generous amount of meal-kit soup for Gilbert. Before leaving, he scanned the inn for a long while before asking, "What about Happy?"
A cold sweat instantly trickled down my spine.
"...He was all healed up, so he left on his own."
Gilbert frowned slightly, muttering in a low voice, "I see. Anyway, things will be quiet for a while, so take the money you've earned and go on a trip or something. There's nothing more futile than dying with money you never got to spend."
"What a jinxed thing to say."
Gilbert didn't respond. He cast a glance toward Damian instead. He looked at him deeply, as if confirming something, before giving me a brief farewell and turning away.
I watched his silhouette grow smaller in the distance and whispered, "...I hope he makes it back safely."
"He is no ordinary human."
At the sound of the voice behind me, I turned to find Damian standing there with his arms crossed. His crimson eyes were fixed on the direction Gilbert had vanished.
"Ordinary humans cannot kill monsters within the Border."
"...What?"
"Perhaps outside the border, most of those are weaklings that were chased away or fled. But those living in the Monster Forest are different. They are the strong who have defended their own territory."
At his words, I held my breath for a moment.
Come to think of it, an innkeeper killing a monster with a frying pan is bizarre. I had simply nodded it off because of his overwhelming physical size.
Wait, was Damian’s injury also the result of that kind of territorial dispute?
...No, there was something more important.
"...Did you hear all of that?"
"Hmph."
His answer was a single snort.
They say birds hear the talk of the day and rats hear the talk of the night. Now I had to add monsters to that list. I really had to watch my mouth from now on.
***
Just as the customers and Gilbert had predicted, the flow of people to the inn cut off completely. Thanks to that, the inn was quiet for the first time in a long while. It was so silent I could hear the sound of my own breathing.
"It’s been a while since it’s been this quiet."
Despite saying that, I felt uneasy inside. For someone who lives off business, peace is often a harbinger of bankruptcy. Gilbert had nonchalantly told me to go on a trip, but only those who have actually rested know how to enjoy leisure.
"Well, it looks like someone over there is enjoying it just fine."
Damian was the incarnation of such idleness.
In the middle of the day, with sunlight streaming in, he occupied a corner table that no one else sat at, crossing his legs as if he were in his own living room. In his hands was a Rubik's cube, one of the items I had summoned while testing the inn's features.
He was twisting the red, green, and blue faces with a dead-serious expression, trying to solve it. Watching him for a while, a hollow laugh escaped me.
"Is that really so fun...?"
I muttered to myself, shook my head, and headed toward the kitchen. I was planning to make some rice when a leisurely voice followed me.
"What kind of seduction have you prepared today?"
By now, even he knew the seduction was just food, so I answered casually.
"We’re just having the leftover soup."
"Again?"
Again? You're a freeloading parasite who moved in uninvited! You should eat whatever I give you!
But, as always, I kept a bright smile and continued.
"Soup is wonderful. It’s a hearty meal with the perfect trifecta of protein, fat, and carbs. It’s the warmest, most complete meal humanity has ever created."
The moment I finished speaking, he set the cube down with a thud.
The red face was pointed upward, and the moment that color overlapped with the look in his eyes, the air grew noticeably cold.
"Even the same trick gets boring if it's repeated."
"..."
It was a short sentence, but it carried a low, underlying threat.
And only after being suppressed by a single sentence did I feel it in my bones. the man before me was a monster.
In truth, the only reason I had been able to act bold in front of Damian was because of the unique nature of this 'Inn on the Border.'
I had calculated that he wouldn't use violence recklessly with so many customers around, and I had a shallow belief that a sentient monster wouldn't commit senseless murder.
And... I even had the arrogance to think that since he seemed simple, I could manipulate him to my will with a little flattery.
Looking back, it was a ridiculous delusion. No matter how famous this place was for its food, most of the customers were out on subjugation missions, and the inn was currently empty. Right now, in this vast hall, there was only fragile little me and this terrifying monster, Damian.
And yet I was acting this bold? If he hit me just once, I’d probably end up as a half-dead heap on the floor.
Furthermore, Damian was a character who didn't even exist in the original story. No information, no background, aside from his name, he was a total mystery.
If he decided to kill me right now? It was the perfect day to be silenced forever.
I suddenly began to imagine it.
The innkeeper found as a cold corpse one day. People would grab a drink and say, "I heard he finally got eaten by a monster, eh?" "He was young... what a shame."
In this inn, where the scent of soup wafted every morning, the savory aroma would be replaced by the smell of blood. Someone might leave a single chrysanthemum in front of the shop. And then, someone would click their tongue and add, "Still, the soup there was really delicious."
A life where the review of my shop's food comes before my own funeral.
The strangely realistic imagination made my stomach churn. I moistened my dry lips with my tongue and braced myself.
Right. In times like these, you have to act crazy to survive. The thing a crazy person fears most is someone even crazier than them. And when it comes to money, I can be crazier than anyone.
Pushing the thoughts aside, I quickly plastered on a cheerful expression and made a heart with both hands.
"However! Today’s meal is a Boiled Pork Wrap Special, made with mountains of love!"
I squeezed out my soul to deliver the high-toned pitch.
"With the power of Shion’s love~ the taste is doubled! The calories are doubled! Happiness is a bonus! On a tiring day, how about a bite of love hotter than soup?!"
I even winked and stuck out my tongue playfully.
...However.
No matter how much I tried to lighten the mood with laughter, the air remained frozen solid.
While I was sweating bullets delivering a life-or-death service pitch, the man sitting across from me was watching me with his arms crossed, looking like a judge on a panel.
With those red eyes, he looked at the heart, then my face. Then the heart, then my face.
...Are you scoring me?
Dammit, this is miserable! Truly miserable!
I’m pouring my soul into this service pitch, and you’re giving me that look?!
While I was screaming internally, Damian slowly nodded.
"Fine."
What is? The heart? The pork? Or my desperate survival instinct?
...I don't know. Whatever it was, I'm glad it’s "fine."
I quietly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to myself. at least I survived another day. I never knew that fact could taste so sweet.
I hurried back to the kitchen, feeling Damian’s stinging gaze on my back. I did my best to ignore it and tied my apron.
Since I had boiled the meat this morning, steam billowed out the moment I opened the pot. The deep, rich scent of meat hit my nose, and when I lifted a slab of pork with metal chopsticks, the surface glistened with moisture.
Tak, tak, tak.
The sound of the blade hitting the cutting board filled the kitchen. I sliced the meat into uniform thicknesses along the grain, stacked them neatly on a plate, and washed lettuce, garlic, and peppers to put in a bowl.
The sauce was, of course, Ssamjang that appeared out of thin air. A finished product that didn't need fermenting. In this moment, I truly wanted to bow down to the food conglomerates.
"You people are the true saints..." I muttered, opening the lid. As the savory scent of soybean paste spread, tears almost welled up in my eyes.
But I couldn't afford to get emotional, there was a monster behind me. I wiped my eyes and snapped back to reality. I placed the dishes neatly on a tray and stepped out into the hall.
Damian set down the cube he had been fiddling with and looked up. As our eyes met, I flashed my professional business smile.
"Here it is! Today’s special! The Boiled Pork Wrap Special, filled with love!"
As I set the plate on the table, the warm aroma spread instantly, and Damian’s nose twitched. He stared at the meat for a long time before looking me straight in the eye.
When I smiled at him again, Damian flinched slightly before turning his gaze back to the plate.
He reached for a fork, so I quickly held out a pair of chopsticks.
"Uh-oh, it’s illegal to eat this with a fork in Korea. It’s basically the same as biting into a whole wrap!"
Damian looked at me with a puzzled expression. It was a look that said, 'What language are you speaking?' Still, he obediently took the chopsticks, moving his fingers awkwardly.
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