Chapter 32. He Had a Lover.

Not long after my conversation with Simon concluded, the meal was ready.

In terms of time alone, it had taken quite a while, but considering they had literally started by catching a cow, one could also say it was fast.

This time, too, the menu was steak.

This was a ranch, not a restaurant, so it was only natural that I couldn't expect any elaborate cooking.

“This is the beef my ranch is proud of. I hope you enjoy it. You two, you worked hard today, so eat as much as you like.”

The main purpose was to serve Simon, but Pol and I were also provided with beef steak.

Of course, the amount of meat was different at a single glance.

The meat on Simon's plate was twice as much as the meat on mine and Pol's plates.

It was blatant discrimination, but I could understand since she considered Simon a lifesaver.

Simon cut a piece of meat first and put it in his mouth, and the rest of us followed suit and sliced our meat.

‘I think it might be better than the finest beef back home.’

I was surprised by how much more delicious it was than I had expected.

I wondered if this was what the so-called highest-grade Wagyu, the kind that costs tens of thousands of won per piece, tasted like.

Though I'd never actually eaten it, so I couldn't make an accurate comparison.

‘Is it because we’re eating it right after it was butchered?’

As I was slowly savoring the taste of the meat, Pol suddenly let out a bizarre scream.

“Uheoeung-eoh-eong!!”

“W-what's wrong? Is it too hot?”

Grainy looked over Pol's condition, flustered.

“This is the most delicious meat I've ever had! I'm so moved-!!”

Pol chewed the meat while shedding tears.

Crying over a piece of meat?

It was clearly an overreaction, but I knew he was being sincere, so I felt a sense of pity.

If it was his first time eating beef after living on monster meat until now, he could very well react like that.

The others, besides me, had a similar reaction.

Even the stingy Grainy went so far as to console Pol.

“Eat slowly. There's plenty of meat. You, too, tell me if you want more.”

She took the opportunity to speak to me as if she were doing me a favor.

‘As if she’s doing this for me.’

In the first place, she said she had butchered a new cow, so there was more than enough for four people.

She would probably sell the rest in the city tomorrow.

It would have been nice if she had just given us plenty from the start.

Perhaps she just wanted to make it obvious that she was being considerate of her benefactor in her own way.

“Is it, to your liking?”

“It's delicious. So much so that I'd like to buy a whole cow.”

Simon also gobbled down the meat.

“Oh my! Buy one! What are you talking about! We would have all died if it weren't for you, Sir Liatro. I'll just give you one.”

She would just give him a cow?

Was she in her right mind?

But looking at her eyes, she was serious.

She seemed so moved that she was willing to offer up a cow she had cherished so dearly.

“I have a conscience, too. It can't be easy for a woman to run a ranch all by herself, so how could I accept such a precious cow? I'll just accept the sentiment.”

Simon declined with a smile.

“How can you be so kind-hearted!”

Was this something to be called kind-hearted?

The price of one cow was not a significant amount to Simon.

It seemed he was just at a level of having a conscience.

……And his true personality was vicious.

Anyway, Grainy's attention was focused entirely on Simon, and Simon, for his part, was busy answering each and every one of her questions.

In the meantime, Pol and I focused on the meat.

“Brother, should we buy a cow too?”

“Do you even know how much meat is on one cow?”

In a world without refrigerators, there was almost no way to preserve meat.

The two of us could never eat it all before it went bad.

And wouldn't it be too much of a waste to make precious meat into jerky?

It was obvious that it would be a desperate waste of money, and spending money on something like that was the biggest waste of all.

* * *

“By the way, is there a reason you work so hard at a ranch in a place like this?”

In the middle of our meal, the question I had asked yesterday came out of Simon's mouth.

Uh-oh, that was a landmine.

My appetite was ruined by the bomb that dropped in the middle of a delicious meal.

“……It's not that great of a story.”

Her expression stiffening slightly, Grainy silently put down her fork and knife and stared at her steak.

“I apologize if it was a sensitive topic.”

“No. It's not. You must be curious. Everyone asks the same thing.”

Grainy shot a glance at me.

I was just sitting here quietly, so why was she giving me the side-eye?

“It wouldn't be right to hide it even from the person who risked his life to fight for this ranch.”

Technically speaking, Simon had never risked his life.

He had swiped away even the Arachne Queen.

So, this was directed at me and Pol.

In the situation where the Arachne were swarming, Grainy had shown that she valued the ranch more than her own life.

That had made me even more curious.

Why on earth was she so obsessed with a ranch like this?

There were plenty of other ways to make money.

“It's a common story. A long time ago, when I worked as a mercenary, I had a companion. We relied on each other, crossing the line between life and death, and at some point, we developed into lovers.”

Grainy began her story in a wistful voice.

It was a love story I hadn't expected.

Even Pol, who had been ferociously stuffing meat into his mouth, stopped moving and focused on Grainy's story.

“He really liked beef. He said his dream was to earn money as a mercenary and eat beef every day. It's a childish story, but even that was lovely.”

A faint smile appeared on Grainy's lips.

An undisguised longing could be felt in Grainy's voice.

“I told him that wasn't realistic, and that we should just run a ranch ourselves. The two of us together, in a place where no one's eyes could reach—to live a peaceful, happy life for the rest of our days. But……”

Grainy's voice grew heavier.

It was easy to predict the story that would follow.

Grainy was running the ranch alone.

It meant that their dream had ultimately not come true.

‘She said she was a mercenary.’

It wouldn't be strange if one of them had died.

The death of someone close was a common occurrence for a mercenary.

After her lover's death.

She remains alone, lonely, protecting the ranch that was their shared dream—

It was a sad ending.

However, my prediction was wrong.

The emotion Grainy held was not sadness.

“Because that bastard threw a fit, saying he was going to be some Guild Master or something!!”

Unable to contain her anger, Grainy slammed her hand on the table.

“…….”

Grainy's old companion.

A Guild Master.

Was it just my imagination that one person's face came to mind?

“I'm the one managing the ranch we made with a loan! And all that son of a bitch does is come by to eat once in a while!”

Grainy seemed to be getting more and more agitated.

After panting for a long while, she finally ran outside and came back with a bottle of liquor.

The story that followed was a denunciation of the Guild Master, completely unrelated to the ranch.

With the addition of alcohol, it became no different from a drunken rant.

Pol immediately lost interest, and I, too, only half-listened.

Only Simon was listening, agreeing with every word Grainy said.

“But you still love him, don't you?”

“That's the biggest problem! Wade, this son of a bitch……. That bastard doesn't even know a person's heart……”

Now, as if she had forgotten who Simon even was, she clung to him and poured out her resentful words.

Even then, she repeated what she had said, over and over again.

‘So that's where her obsession with the ranch came from.’

Living apart, she must have felt insecure.

The ranch was their shared dream, the proof of their relationship.

She might have worried that if the ranch disappeared, their reason to be together would vanish with it.

That the ranch might be the only reason for her existence.

In any case, this too was a form of affection.

Though I didn't want to get involved.

* * *

After drinking herself into a stupor, Grainy lost consciousness at some point, and as the night deepened, we each went to sleep as we saw fit.

I was worried that the esteemed Simon would be reluctant, but surprisingly, Simon reacted as if he were used to it.

He said something about being a ‘Knight Order’ in name, so he was accustomed to field situations.

I had dozed off for a moment when I was awakened by the presence of someone moving, and I saw that Simon was up.

The outside was faintly brightening.

“You're not sleeping more?”

“My business here is done, so there's no need to waste time.”

To be moving at dawn just for that.

Looking at him this way, he seemed rather diligent.

“Then I'll get ready too.”

“What? Why?”

“We have to go to the Imperial Capital together, right?”

Weren't you going to take me straight to the Sword Saint?

That's what I thought?

“At your age, can't you get to the Imperial Capital by yourself?”

“…….”

I was furious.

The top of my hit list was fixed with Luke's name, but I would have to write Simon's name right below it.

“The Master is still imprisoned, so even if you go to the Imperial Capital right away, you'll just be hanging around. Prepare slowly and come.”

Simon smiled faintly and waved his hand at me.

“I'll be on my way now. See you in the Imperial Capital.”

“Travel safely.”

Looking at him like this, it was hard to feel that he was such a terrifying monster.

If it weren't for the armor, he'd be no different from a loafer.

“Umm……. Brother, are you going to the Imperial Capital? Won't it be dangerous?”

Pol slowly got up and approached me.

It seemed he had woken up to the sound of me talking with Simon.

“I'm going to become a disciple of the Sword Saint.”

“……!”

Pol's half-closed eyes shot wide open.

“I'll probably be able to learn swordsmanship properly. I've arranged for you to go too, so you should know.”

“Brother……!”

I had decided on my own without asking for Pol's opinion, but Pol wasn't the type to care about such things.

He just looked at me with a face full of emotion, his hands clasped together.

‘There's no reason to hide anymore.’

The purpose of coming to this ranch was to find peace from those after the sword manual.

But now, there was no need to worry about mercenaries and the like.

I just had to say that I had decided to become a disciple of the Sword Saint and had destroyed the manual.

‘I can just kill some time in Dejong and then head to the Imperial Capital.’

My mind was at ease.

Looking out at the leisurely ranch scenery, I even felt like I was on a vacation.

The sight of the sun rising beyond the horizon was brilliant.

A little later, Grainy also came to her senses.

Grasping her head as if her hangover was severe, Grainy gulped down some water, looked around once, and then asked.

“Ugh. Where is Sir Liatro?”

“He has already left.”

There had been talk of selling a cow before she started drinking, but in the end, it was just passed over.

“Damn it. I've shown him a disgraceful sight.”

It seemed her memory was intact even after drinking to the point of blacking out.

For that embarrassing memory to be so vivid. Maybe losing one's memory after drinking was a blessing.

“We're thinking of leaving soon as well.”

“Where to?”

I briefly explained the situation to the frowning Grainy.

That I was going to become a disciple of the Sword Saint and would be returning to Dejong for now.

Grainy's eyes widened for a moment at the words ‘disciple of the Sword Saint,’ but it was another part that she reacted to most fiercely.

“You're just going to leave after I even fed you beef?”

It wasn't like she only gave it to us.

We had just gotten a share on the side of what was being offered to Simon.

I had a lot to say in rebuttal, but since I had eaten the meat, I kept my mouth shut out of tact.

After rambling on for a while about the duties an employee must observe, Grainy suddenly furrowed her brow.

“I feel like, I'm forgetting something important.”

She had been out of her mind because of the Arachne attack, so it wasn't strange for her to have forgotten a thing or two.

After pondering for a moment, Grainy's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

“I was supposed to inform the Lord that the Arachne Queen is dead……!”

“The most dangerous one is dead, isn't it? It doesn't really matter if you tell him a little later, does it?”

To me, who couldn't understand why she was so flustered, Grainy spoke in a desperate voice.

“If the Lord commissioned the Knight Order to handle the Arachne Queen, the contract will get complicated……!”

A terrifying contract problem was waiting for us.

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