Chapter 9

# 9

Chapter 3. Chicken and Falenqu

"How delicious can it be?"

The bald mercenary beside him chimed in.

"I can't trust your taste. You always eat strange spicy things."

At this, Miltain waved his hand and strongly denied it.

"No, I've tried it myself, and I think you'll be satisfied."

You can't believe it? Making even such a customer satisfied and recognized is also a kind of achievement. I carefully threw the chicken, which had been put to sleep, into the boiling oil.

Plop. Plop.

-Sizzle!

The symphony of the sizzling batter and oil. The sound was so loud that all the mercenaries turned their gazes toward me. Lulin, who had just returned after serving the beer, which was not the canned beer they usually drank but the commercial one, in a beer glass, with a blank expression, looked at the chicken.

The look in his eyes was one of desire. A situation that needed to be addressed.

"You have your own share, so don't touch it and serve this first. Got it? We're in this together, so do it with all your heart! Understand?"

"Got it! We're in this together!"

"Right, so hurry up and move it."

Bone-in chicken and boneless chicken. Half and half. Lulin, either entranced by something or intimidated by my presence, began to serve the chicken plates to the table in a surprisingly proper and diligent manner.

The mercenaries stared at the crispy chicken in front of them with a very curious look. Mente picked up a chicken leg with his bare hands and bit into it, revealing the white flesh. Steam rose from the flesh.

And the crispy batter and skin. Upon hearing the crispy sound, the mercenaries, one by one, picked up the chicken and brought it to their mouths.

"Huh?"

"Oh!"

The reaction was immediate. It was only natural. Chicken and beer are a soulful combination. Especially the garlic-flavored chicken, made with various secret recipes and Muntan mushrooms, couldn't possibly be tasteless.

"Mente! What's with you? You, who are called a taste destroyer, found all this?"

"What did I tell you, guys? Just eat quietly!"

As his comrades were satisfied, Mente began to laugh loudly.

Knoel and Reine at the bar table also had admiring expressions. Especially Knoel, who found the boneless chicken very curious, stuffed it all into his mouth, chewed it, and drank the beer.

As I continued to fry and serve the chicken, a beer and chicken party broke out in the restaurant.

As the atmosphere grew warm, Miltain subtly approached and gave a nod.

The meaning of that nod was obvious. It was a request to present the dish he had asked for. I nodded in response. Then I took out the spicy chicken stir-fry.

After boiling water, I cooked the noodles. After draining the water, I put the noodles in the pot and mixed them with the sauce. Just in case, I also prepared the cheese stir-fry from the warehouse. If it's too spicy, I plan to mix it in. My goal isn't to make them suffer, so if they can't eat it properly, I need to neutralize it. My task is to convey Miltain's feelings to Mente.

Since I've been paid.

If you put your heart into it, regular customers naturally follow.

"Mente, would you like to come to this bar table?"

I pointed to the seat next to Knoel and spoke to Mente.

"Huh?"

"Actually, a junior asked me to do something. He wants to thank Mente and has prepared a special dish for you. He said you like spicy food?"

"This guy?"

Mente turned to Miltain with a surprised look.

"No, there's no need to explain it in such detail..."

Miltain soon blushed and squirmed. It's hard to see a handsome man, who looks so cool, blushing.

"Anyway, since it's like this, please try it. Hahaha!"

"Hey, you! Mente is the only senior here!"

"Exactly!"

"This guy? I did a good job for him too?"

The other mercenaries, unable to bear the warmth, raised their voices. They are mercenaries, after all.

I placed the steaming spicy chicken stir-fry in front of Mente, who was sitting next to Knoel. Mente looked at the spicy chicken stir-fry with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Is it very spicy? Will it be okay?"

"That's exactly what I want. It seems he heard me complain sometimes."

Mente nodded and picked up a fork.

"By the way, this isn't a dish we serve in the restaurant. It's a special dish prepared just for you."

"Really?"

"Even if you ask for it again, I can't make it, so you should keep that in mind."

Mente nodded and brought the spicy chicken stir-fry to his mouth.

"I can't eat very spicy food, but this looks delicious. The smell is so strong..."

The other mercenaries, who were curious about the dish, made gestures as if they were choking Miltain. The dragon next to me scrunched up its face, almost trembling with fear.

"Humans are foolish creatures. To eat such food... Ugh!"

Seeing this, a bit of mischief arose in me. So I offered the leftover spicy chicken stir-fry in the pot to Lulin. Lulin took a step back in shock.

"Get it away. It's a weapon more painful than a breath attack! Are you trying to kill me?"

"No way. To call a dish a weapon... Do you want to try it again?"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Lulin screamed and fled to the second floor.

A dragon, scared of spicy chicken stir-fry and running away.

The strongest race in the world. Defeated by spicy chicken stir-fry. It could be a headline in a newspaper?

Hiss!

At the same time Lulin fled, Mente inhaled the spicy chicken stir-fry into his mouth and began to chew.

"This is..."

Sweat appeared on Mente's forehead, but it seemed he could endure it.

"Amazing, LC. This is the best spicy flavor I've ever tasted, and it has a subtle taste of Falenqu... Wow."

As he spoke, the spicy flavor seemed to intensify, and he groaned while staring at the dish. But his fork didn't stop. He continued to inhale the noodles. The slurping sound seemed to stimulate the appetites of others, especially Knoel, who was next to him, and he joined in.

"Come on, how delicious is it to make you choke with emotion?"

He recklessly picked up the noodles with a fork and stuffed them into his mouth.

The reaction was immediate.

"What is this! Ah! I'm dying! To eat this? You're crazy!"

Knoel, reacting just like a dragon, jumped around and ran outside.

Reine shook her head at the scene.

"Phew. This is painful, yet it has a kind of addictive quality. My mouth feels like it's on fire. Ha."

Mente remained calm. The other mercenaries, who watched with disgusted expressions, soon turned their attention back to the chicken.

"So that's the true form of a taste destroyer."

"If Mente finds it spicy, it's already death. Ignore it, everyone."

"Still, this boneless chicken is convenient and delicious, isn't it? Here, more beer!"

In the end, Knoel was the only victim.

Mente finished a plate of spicy chicken stir-fry, and the chicken party continued.

***

There is a small epilogue to this Falenqu-related incident.

It started with the word of mouth among the mercenaries.

After treating the mercenaries, many people came to the restaurant to try the Falenqu dish. As a result, the restaurant became bustling.

However, it couldn't be liked just like that. After all, the customers were drawn by the name "Falenqu." So I put a limit on the number of Falenqu dishes sold. The reactions were two-fold: those who ate other dishes and left, and those who grumbled and left.

In the former case, I was confident I could turn them into regulars. But the latter case was more common. Thanks to this, the bustling shop finally regained its stability.

I was very glad for this stability.

Only those who come should come. As I said from the beginning, money is not the most important thing.

Ultimately, it's one-on-one with the customers. I feel a sense of achievement by seeing their satisfaction. I liked it.

If there are too many people, it becomes impossible. On the other hand, there aren't enough customers to operate on a reservation system. Right now, it's only the reputation of Falenqu causing the commotion.

So I decided to temporarily get rid of the troublesome Falenqu. The current bustling is not because of the taste of my dishes.

I already have the best way to get rid of Falenqu. It's a win-win situation. Even if it's not needed, there's no reason to kick away a money-making opportunity.

Because of this, after finishing the lunch service, I went to Knoel's shop and invited the two of them to the Lemon Forest.

Knoel and Reine. Their shop is not doing well, to put it nicely. Knoel, shouting about craftsmanship, only puts high-quality meat in his shop. Even then, he doesn't make much profit. Moreover, he often rejects sales if he's not satisfied.

Furthermore, when they came to my shop last time, I overheard this:

"Dear, because of what happened last time, I want to come often, but this month is tight. Think of this soju as the last."

The food at the restaurant is cheap. But there is a decisive difference. I have treasures stored, and they don't. The difference is too great.

Regular customers who come over the hill to my restaurant.

Especially Knoel and Reine have been very helpful to me. The meat I bought from Knoel's shop was satisfying enough for a dragon, the strongest carnivorous monster.

That doesn't mean I can serve the dishes for free. They are not people who give help without reason. So I thought of a way to catch two birds with one stone.

I decided to put Falenqu on the market and remove the "Falenqu restaurant" label. Since the Falenqu in the market will only come from my hands, it won't be a loss. At the same time, it's a way to help Knoel and Reine.

The Lemon Forest, an unexpected place. The couple, unable to refuse my earnest request, asked what was going on.

"LC, why did you suddenly call us to such a place? Is something wrong?"

"Especially you, Knoel. Are you running away because the restaurant is failing? Are you saying goodbye?"

Especially Knoel's eyebrows kept twitching, which seemed to be genuine concern rather than sarcasm.

After all, Knoel always brought bugs when he came. Moreover, the Lemon Forest is like a passage out of Grac City. Did they misunderstand it as an escape?

"That's not it. Actually, too many people are coming for Falenqu, and it's becoming a nuisance."

"Oh my! Really? Congratulations!"

Reine smiled genuinely, without a hint of jealousy. She is a beautiful person. It's sad to see her hands wrinkled from working hard for Knoel.

"It's not all good. Because too