Chapter 99

It was a world where even human lives were treated as resources.

Even if a wicked seed who muddied the waters of society was dragged away by something that was neither a monster nor anything else, no one was genuinely worried about the missing person.

They were just curious.

“Would he be dead by now?”

“What was the time of disappearance confirmed by the Information Processing Team?”

“It was around 4 PM on the 22nd.”

“Today is the 24th. Roughly two days have passed… It seems we can count him as deceased.”

“In that case, how he was killed will also be a topic of interest.”

“He might not have been killed but made into a toy.”

“It is evaluated as having considerable intelligence, so that is a possibility.”

Due to the situation where they couldn't identify the exact identity of the ‘Black Cape’, the Association's employees had no choice but to predict and judge it by comparing it to humanoid monsters.

And when they thought about how humanoid monsters treated humans who broke their rules, grim speculations naturally arose.

“If he was killed cleanly, I think we can reconsider the meaning of ‘punishment’. Doesn't that mean there's no personal grudge?”

“It could have been an intention of ‘cleaning up’ rather than ‘punishment’. It’s only natural to want to get rid of a human who broke one’s rules from sight, so you can't say there's no personal grudge.”

“We’ll need to know the outcome for sure to be able to adjust the response level for the ‘Black Cape’…. There was also advice from the former Research Team Leader, Hunter Yu Seong-un.”

The Black Cape when it encountered polite and good people and showed goodwill was not that important.

For the Association, which had to consider all sorts of dangerous variables, what was important was how this thing, which might or might not be a monster, would harm humans.

“Is there no way to track the missing person’s location?”

“According to the witness’s testimony, he did not carry a location tracking device.”

“Well, it’s uncertain if such an item would have worked anyway.”

“Still, it is not enough to simply handle it as a missing person case and conclude the agenda.”

“Is there no separate way to summon the ‘Black Cape’?”

“We have not yet been able to find information on that.”

In the midst of the orderly commotion, the Association President opened his mouth.

“Let’s request cooperation from the 3 Great Guilds.”

“…From all 3 Great Guilds, you mean?”

“Yes, please contact the heads of each guild.”

“Understood.”

Only the executives gathered in this room knew that another name for the ‘Black Cape’ was ‘Jio's Portrait’.

The person who had bought it at the auction was none other than the collector Bisabeol, the guild master of the Collectors.

Therefore, requesting cooperation from the 3 Great Guilds here was no different from a request to ask the Black Cape directly about the outcome of the Hunter Park Eun-gyeom disappearance case.

It was a direct and blatant request that could displease Bisabeol or the ‘Jio's Portrait’….

“The Collector will be more than willing to help as long as we show that we only intend to not touch the artwork. The reaction of the ‘Black Cape’ is unknown, but the curators of the Collectors will manage it directly and grasp the situation, so if things get really dangerous, they will exercise restraint on their own.”

Above all, judging by the direction the Collectors were moving, there was a high probability that the curator currently in charge of ‘Jio's Portrait’ was the Gardener Yu Seong-un.

Since he was a very serious person when it came to dealing with beings of the Source, there was no harm in trying either way.

“We will conclude this agenda item here.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Then the next agenda is….”

The Association was always busy.

So, receiving help from friends was sometimes a necessary thing.

***

Meanwhile, in the peaceful cabin within the portrait.

“Today’s content.”

I declared.

“Has been decided as Gambas.”

“Kururururuk.”

Honey cried out in joy.

“Kuruk, kkuk, kururururururu.”

“Calm down, son. Gambas don't fly over like you just because you rush it.”

Although the name of the ‘Black Cape’ had become widely known in the world, especially in Korea, the detailed circumstances were none of my business.

The owner of the ultimate positive mindset, who had accepted the life of a portrait because he didn't want to pay rent, was peacefully contemplating his meal today as well.

“I said Gambas for now… hmm.”

For the excellent gourmet and big eater Seo Jio, the biggest content of his life was deciding what to eat.

Living in the dream cabin abundant with time, stamina, and capital, I freely exhausted my mind and body on preparing meals.

“Gambas al ajillo is the original official name, though.”

“Kuru?”

“Gambas means shrimp, ajillo means garlic.”

“Kururu…?”

“Yes, a direct translation would be stir-fried shrimp and garlic.”

In fact, although I said I would make ‘Gambas’, what I was going to make today was completely different from the original.

“In the first place, it’s not even going to have shrimp in it.”

The only commonality was that I would be using olive oil with its slightly bitter aroma and plump garlic.

But since the cooking method would be quite similar, I decided not to bother changing the name.

“Honey, you know the Club Trumpet we saw last time, right? If you go to the storage, there are some Club Trumpets that Dad has prepared.”

“Kuruk.”

“Go down with Dana and bring up as much as you want to eat, including Dad’s and Grandpa’s portions. If there’s anything else you want in the storage, bring it up too.”

“Kururururu.”

Honey nodded vigorously, then flew off with a flutter and sat on Dana's head.

Dana, who had been lying sprawled out like a cat spilled on the subtly warm floor as a spring breeze gently blew, flailed its two front paws.

“Kuru.”

“…Myaaaaa….”

Streeeetch―.

Dana, who got up and stretched out in an arch, moved its feet with quick little steps.

I nodded, watching my two children disappear with a small basket made to fit Dana's body in their mouths.

“They get along well.”

“Kuu?”

The Sun God asked if it was okay for Dana to go to the freezing cold ice storage, but I shook my head.

“Dana is not a family member I painted, so she might be affected by this forest, but perhaps because her body is naturally cold and, strictly speaking, she is not an ordinary creature, there were no problems even when she went to the ice storage. I don't know if she goes to other dangerous places, but Dana won't get sick just because it's cold.”

After reassuring the household elder, I thought to myself.

‘He’s particularly concerned about Dana.’

I could understand that feeling. Honey would come on his own to receive his daily share of attention and affection, but if Dana was left alone, there were many times I didn't even know where the kid was.

‘She doesn’t even cry when it’s not mealtime….’

When she didn’t particularly feel like eating, she would disappear altogether, which seemed to be a great source of worry for the Sun God.

I didn't think anything serious would happen to the child who had survived well even in that harsh ‘Jewel Water Vein’, but since Grandpa said so, I could certainly respect his feelings.

“Then I’ll first….”

Seafood gets tough if heated for too long.

The Club Trumpet that Honey and Dana would bring would be added almost at the end, so I just needed to do the rest of the work.

“Since Honey and Father don’t particularly enjoy spicy food, I will add the spices moderately.”

“Kuu, ku.”

“Yes, I will adjust it well so that only the aroma can be enjoyed, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“Kuu….”

“It’s true that spicy food was not that common in Giovanni’s world. It’s understandable that you would find it unfamiliar.”

I generously poured olive oil into a shallow, wide square pan.

“But in Edlen village, spicy food was quite developed.”

“Kuu?”

“I also thought it was unusual. Usually, in coastal villages where fresh seafood is readily available, they don't use spicy spices much….”

Basically, while spices were used to enrich the aroma, they also had the purpose of covering up the bad smells of ingredients.

It was common even on Earth to use strong and pungent chili powder to mask the gamy smell of meat or the fishy smell of seafood.

“Well, it was a hot and humid climate. The annual temperature range was large too. It was a perfect environment for ingredients to spoil, so they might have extended the preservation period with spiciness… or aimed for a sterilization effect.”

Above all, although the specialty of Edlen village was shellfish like the Club Trumpet, there was a neighboring village whose specialty was spices.

It might have been a good environment for spicy food to develop in many ways, as it was easy to obtain that kind of spice.

“One of the signature dishes of Edlen village was spicy fried fish. It was a menu item often sold at the tavern, and if you requested, you could get extra dry bread to dip in the red oil.”

“Kuuu…?”

“Although it was spicy, it went particularly well with bread thanks to the unique aroma of tomatoes and the savory oil of the fish. The fish used for it was particularly oily and plump, and the oil that came out from it was truly magnificent.”

“Kuu….”

“Thinking about it now, it would have been nice if pasta noodles could have been added.”

Recalling that memory a bit, bread and noodles were planned to be served with the Gambas I was making this time.

“For bread, I have the ciabatta and baguette I made last time, and it would be good to toast both of them lightly in the stone oven once. Which do you prefer, olive ciabatta or cheese ciabatta? There is also a baguette baked with dried tomatoes.”

“Kukukuku….”

“Yes, you are wise. As per Father’s words, I will put out a little of each. I don't know about Dana, but Honey takes after me and is quite a big eater, so he will be able to enjoy it without leaving any food behind. It’s a good thing I baked the bread in advance.”

Yu Seong-un, who knew that I had a great interest in cooking, would often give me ingredients as gifts.

These included unique flours and vegetables that could only be bought in the current world, and I was happily indebted to Yu Seong-un.

‘I must serve him as my elder brother.’

He was full of adult composure, competent, and had a good personality, so he was very sociable.

To survive in this Hell Korea, I decided today as well to faithfully leech off of Yu Seong-un.

“Ah, it would also be delicious to eat the baguette with cream cheese and smoked salmon on top….”

Even if it wasn't salmon, putting thinly sliced sausage or ham on top was also a fantastic combination.

I brought the dried fish jerky from the ‘Breathing Sea’ that was drying in the yard and sliced it thinly and widely.

“Good, it has dried well.”

“Kuku.”

“Then I will leave the bread preparation to you, Father.”

I sliced the garlic I had prepared earlier, not too thinly, and poured it directly onto the pan that had not yet heated up.

The teddy bear, which was slicing a baguette studded with sun-dried tomatoes, turned to look at me at the sound of something pouring out in a rush.

“Ku?”

“Yes? There is no problem at all.”

“…Ku?”

“It’s normal for this much garlic to go in.”

“…….”

The teddy bear soon gave up and began to slice the baguette.

Thanks to being a doll with fingers, it seemed to be able to handle the knife, albeit precariously.

I felt relieved and continued cooking the Gambas.

‘You have to put the garlic in from a low temperature so that the aroma of the garlic infuses well into the oil.’

One thing to be careful about was that if you leave the garlic in the olive oil for too long, it will burn.

However, the garlic grown in this cabin forest was particularly firm and the cloves were large, so it seemed that the misfortune of it suddenly burning up wouldn't happen even if I left it in long enough to bring out the aroma.

“And….”

I picked up the dried Milky Way Mary.

“Where was the pestle?”

“Kuuu.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you for telling me.”

Thanks to the Sun God telling me, I was able to take out the pestle that had been stuffed in the cupboard.

The Milky Way Mary, well-dried in the sun, sparkled black and transparently, but its grains were too hard to be crushed by hand.

Grind, grind.

“…….”

A spicy and piquant aroma rose up.

‘It’s similar to pepper, as expected.’

Should I call it pepper with a slight hint of chili?

‘It’s not spicy even if I add a lot, so should I add a generous amount?’

The aroma of pepper is highly volatile, so if you leave it on the ground for too long, the scent doesn't last. But the Milky Way Mary didn't have that problem, and its intense aroma lasted for a long time, so there would be no problem putting it in the olive oil now.

“I’ve added the pepper too….”

Next was the Weeping Garok.

“I’ll only add a little of this.”

“…….”

“If the spicy aroma is too weak, it will be greasy and I won’t be able to eat much.”

“…Kuu….”

“You can trust this son.”

When making a dish with a lot of oil like this, dried spices were better.

This was because if moisture got into the hotly heated oil, a high-performance, eco-friendly bomb would be created.

‘And I had dried the Weeping Garok in advance for this day that would come someday.’

If you dry Weeping Garok in the sun for more than a month, it turns pink and produces a tremendous sweetness.

But when dried indoors, not in the sun, by lightly roasting it on a gently heated pan like grilling dried filefish jerky, its spicy aroma became stronger instead.

‘The feeling is markedly different from chili powder in that the color is still blue-green, but….’

Still, the aroma was roughly similar.

‘The sweet smell that made the aroma overly complicated has also mostly disappeared.’

The Weeping Garok, thoroughly dried with fire, was crumbly like thin, blue-green Hanji (korean traditional) paper and its edges were wrinkled like lace.

When the Weeping Garok, torn into appropriate sizes, went in, the spicy aroma, which had been dormant even with the Milky Way Mary, started to burst out.

“This is it.”

“Ku.”

“…….”

I, who had unknowingly clenched my fist, lowered my arm.

“…It won’t be that spicy.”

No, really.

At the unrelenting suspicious gaze, I volunteered to be the food taster just in case, but it wasn't that spicy.

If even Seo Jio, who didn't have a great tolerance for spicy food, could handle this much, it seemed there wouldn't be a big problem even if the teddy bear, whose very appearance screamed mild flavor, tasted it.

“Really.”

“…….”

“If a father doesn’t believe his son, who will believe me?”

“Ku.”

“Abuse of trust, you say? This is the kind of trust that exists to be used in times like these.”

Unfortunately, a spice-wimp's suspicion was not something that could be easily dispelled.

The adults, who had not aged in vain, continued their strange standoff until Honey and Dana arrived.

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