Novels online

Episode 6

#6. MSG of the North (5)

15 days later.

A group of people appeared in Haven..

All five of them were riding horses, and the robes that covered their faces and the glimpses of metal armor that could be seen underneath them made anyone guess that they were of unusual status..

In particular, the horses they were riding were so majestic that even an outsider could say they were famous horses..

‘He is a top-level mercenary or knight.!’

Seeing this, the guard guarding the city's main gate signaled a stop in a nervous tone..

“stop!”

In response, the five people riding the horses pull the reins and slow down..

“Those who come from where and for what reason... … Is it?”

As the five stopped speeding and approached, the guards asked in a stern yet polite tone..

“I stopped by Magyeong because I had some business to do..”

In response to the soldier's question, the man in the lead answered coldly while showing something in his arms..

“high, high castle?!”

What the man showed was a seal indicating that he was a knight of Lancelet..

“insect!”

The soldier who saw this raised the standard he was holding even closer and saluted..

“barrel, pass!”

So the five knights entered Haven..

“Quickly report to the centurion.!”

I heard the sound of a soldier quickly appointing a replacement and reporting to his superiors from behind..

If it was a knight from Lancelet, not just any other knight, this was something the guard captain and the mayor should know..

“Are you going to meet Mayor Haven and the guard captain??”

A knight who sensed the soldier's behavior behind his back asked the senior knight next to him..

“no. It won't be long.”

In response to the knight’s question, the superior wearing a deep robe shook his head..

The superior's body was small compared to the knights around him. The voice was also that of a woman..

“Anyway, I'm hungry because I've been riding a horse for a long time..”

Instead, the superior muttered while rubbing his stomach..

“Would you like to have a meal at Pauline's Inn??”

The knight who heard the muttering to himself asked,.

“I have a separate place to eat..”

The superior shook his head..

“Is that so??”

“okay. This time I got a letter from Polly, praising the food at a place called Jack's Inn..”

“Are you poly? No, what are you going to do if you run an inn and praise other inns??”

“In the letter, they asked me to eat there and stay at their inn. They said the Jack Inn wasn't that big so they couldn't accommodate five horses..”

“Truly Polly is an honest and honorable man..”

“It seems so.”

‘How delicious is it??’

‘If Polly praises it highly, it means it's really delicious.…….’

The four knights from the High Castle simply followed her decision, but they were also curious..

“I have to leave the horse to you for now, so let's start at Pauline's Inn..”

“All right. By the way, I still wonder if there is a dish that is better than Polly's cooking skills..”

“That guy praised it so it must be at least similar. Let’s go and unpack first..”

The five, with empty stomachs, rode horses and hurried to Pauline's Inn..

“hmm……?”

On their way, a strange sight caught their eye..

People standing in a long line in front of an ordinary inn.

“line! get in line!”

And a boy who appeared to be in his teens was dividing the line into three groups..

The three lines were unique: one line was filled with people in shabby attire, each holding a bowl and a spoon;.

A person in ordinary clothes is standing there..

There was a single row of well-dressed people standing there..

“Takeout line! 10 people allowed!”

Next, a man who appeared to be the inn owner came out from inside the inn and ordered the people in line to enter. The man had a bandage on one arm..

At the innkeeper's shout, people dressed in shabby clothes entered the store..

And within a few seconds, he filled his bowl with stew and came out with a bright expression on his face..

“Guards and officials go this way.!”

It was also impressive to see people who appeared to be soldiers and officials going straight into the inn without waiting in line..

“I guess that's the inn Polly was talking about..”

The five knights from Lancelet widened their eyes at a scene even more absurd than the contents of the letter..

* * *

The five knights from the Grand Duke of the North, also known as High Saint Lancelet Castle, looked around the Jack Inn, which was crowded with people, for a moment and then left..

First of all, I wanted to leave the horse to you..

“It's lunch time, but it's quiet..”

The five of them moved to the Polly Inn, the largest and most luxurious inn in Haven, and tilted their heads as they looked around the inside of the inn, which was particularly quiet even though it was meal time..

“That's because we all ate at Jack's Inn, knights..”

To this, an employee working at the Polly Inn responded politely..

“iced coffee… … . I saw it on the way.”

“Nowadays, the entire Haven is in an uproar whenever meal time comes..”

“Is it that delicious? When I passed by earlier, I saw that the smell of stew was peculiar..”

“I tried it once, but I have never had such a delicious stew in my life..”

The employee answered the article's question with bleary eyes. Saliva flowed from the corner of his mouth as he spoke..

“Can't you see the innkeeper Polly? Where did you go?”

Next, the knights visited Polly, the innkeeper..

“Mr. Polly will be waiting in line at Jack's Inn right now. I'm really into it these days..”

“It's a competing inn, that's right.?”

“They say they study the secret recipe and eat it every day..”

The five knights from Renslet were dumbfounded by this absurd situation in Haven..

“It's so delicious?”

“It's fascinating. If you have cooking skills, Polly will never be outdone anywhere..”

“If the stew is delicious, that's it, isn't it??”

“Did you put too much salt in it??”

“If it's that delicious, isn't it expensive??”

At the same time, I was curious too..

“Let's talk more.”

The driver threw two fairy tales to the waiter and asked for a detailed explanation..

“At the inn I saw earlier, there were people in various outfits standing there..”

“Yes. The food prepared and sold at Jack's Inn is not that expensive. It's about 2 cups per bowl of stew..”

“A bowl of stew costs 2 copper? That's not expensive?”

“Once you taste it, you will definitely feel that 2 Cooper is cheap. It's completely different from the stews sold elsewhere.!”

“……?”

As the waiter continued, something occurred to the drivers' minds..

“no way… … . Did you add any spices??”

“surely! The smell I smelled as I passed by earlier was not the smell of ordinary stew..”

Just spice. Magical food ingredients originating from the Eastern Continent and reaching the North through the Empire..

Heavenly Powder traded for the same amount of gold.

Recently, all nobles on the continent, including the empire, are excited about it..

“If you added spices to the stew, a reaction like that would be possible..”

One of the drivers nodded, remembering the spice-laden stew he had on his birthday last year..

“Say something that makes sense. We also eat spices in small amounts only on special occasions, so does it make sense to add them to a stew that only costs 2 copper??”

To this, another article next to it also added.

“Even now, finding spices in the North is harder than finding stars in the sky..”

Spices were originally rare, but recently they have become even more precious. This is because the empire unilaterally raised the price of spices..

For this reason, these days, not only the nobles but also Grand Duke Arina would tremble when eating food containing spices..

In this situation, would you sprinkle spices on a 2-cooper stew? It made no sense in common sense..

“really! If you pick up a bowl and pick up the food for takeout, they even give you a discount of 1 copper..”

“takeout?”

“Additionally, Haven's soldiers and officials can eat a bowl for free while on duty..”

“……?”

Then, the driver's eyes widened in surprise at the employee's further explanation..

The employee continued speaking to those drivers..

“And I don't think it's the spice from the Eastern Continent that you just mentioned. Our owner, who lives at Jack's Inn every day to research the secret recipe, said that he mainly uses commonly available weeds and roots..”

“Is it worth making that much flavor out of weeds and roots??”

“However, the items that Arad, the chef at Jack's Inn, requests from adventurers and city children are all weeds..”

“Arad?”

“yes. This is a person who suddenly appeared in Haven one day. My original job is a therapist, but I'm also really good at cooking..”

“He's a therapist and makes money working as a chef.……?”

“Cooking skills are good, but above all else, Arad salt is the key..”

“arad salt?”

“yes. Like spices... … . No, it's one of Chef Arad's secrets to making it taste even better. Our boss has been living at Jack's Inn for several days trying to find out the secret to Arad salt..”

“Mmm…….”

The more they listened to the employee's explanation, the more suspicious the drivers were about a person named Arad..

“That Arad guy is suspicious..”

“Maybe he's a warlock.”

“Is Arad salt like opium that captivates people??”

“Maybe Polly's letter was a distress signal.”

Curiosity and doubt naturally spread into suspicion and caution..

“…….”

The female knight, who was the only woman in the group and had the highest status, simply listened to the knights and employees in silence..

* * *

The five knights from Lancelet arrived in front of Jack's Inn..

Even though it was well past lunch time, the line in front of the inn was still there..

Still, it wasn't as long as before..

“Everyone make your way!”

“Do not prevent the performance of official duties!”

And they didn't have to wait in line in the first place.

I heard that soldiers and officials can get a free bowl of stew each without having to wait in line..

“It's a knight! It's a knight from Lancelet.!”

“It's a high castle! Everyone get out of the way!”

The status of knight is meant to be used in times like these..

Even if they are wandering around the North, hiding their identities as much as possible..

Unless it was a top-secret mission, he tended to reveal his identity when necessary..

“Oh my, what are the knights of Bonbon doing here??”

When they enter the inn, the inn's owner, Jack, is the first to come out and greet them..

“hmm?! A knight in a high castle……?”

“I haven't heard of a knight coming from Bonbon.?”

The mayor and officials of Haven, who came first and were eating, slightly narrowed their eyes and looked at the five knights who had entered the inn..

“I don't think it's an impersonation…….”

“Who is it? I can't tell because everyone is covering their faces.…….”

“City, Mayor! Those people…….”

Meanwhile, Polly, who was eating next to the mayor, recognized the drivers and hurriedly whispered to the mayor..

“uh? … … Huh up!”

The mayor's face immediately turned pale after hearing Polly's explanation..

‘fizzle!’

One of the knights who saw this made a cold gesture..

The mayor and officials of Haven, including Polly, nodded their heads frantically..

“Who is the chef here named Arad??”

The five knights who prevented the disturbance in advance then asked the inn staff and the inn owner..

“What's going on?……?”

In response, the innkeeper Jack asks with worried eyes..

‘what? What's the problem??’

The knights from the main city seemed to be higher-ranking people than I thought..

I couldn't help but feel even more nervous as I saw the mayor and officials of Haven, who had come and eaten first, unable to move..

“No. I guess I should try the food first. I will order.”

“Ah, yes! What would you like to order??”

“Give me five bowls of stew first..”

“All right.”

There was no room in the inn. However, when the five knights arrived, some of the people who had not left even when Haven's mayor and officials were present quietly left..

It looks like there's something holding it back..

The knights only remembered the faces of the people who secretly left and did not bother to follow them..

Instead, I sat in the empty seat they left..

“W, here… … . Stew, stew... … . came out.”

As soon as I sat down, a boy waiter who appeared to be the son of the inn owner brought out stew..

“Huh……!”

“What on earth does that smell like?……!”

“This is my first time smelling such a fragrant and savory scent..”

The drivers who saw the stew right in front of them had their pupils shake greatly as they smelled a good smell for the first time in their lives..

A delicious smell, like a more condensed version of the smell they had smelled outside, disturbed their empty stomachs..

“The ingredients of the stew were also very… … . Looks delicious.”

“It looks better than the stew in Bonbon..”

“Everyone, come to your senses! Just in case, wrap yourself in mana!”

The drivers took a deep breath and scooped up the first scoop..

“…….”

The female knight, who was silent, also generated mana in her body and put the stew into her mouth..

“?!”

“!!”

And the five of them silently trembled on the spot..

My eyes, which had been very tense, suddenly became hazy..

“…….”

Gulp.

Haven's mayor, officials, innkeepers, and guests watched this scene with tense eyes..