36
Before returning to the inn, Set knelt down on one knee and examined Yeon Ji-ho’s leg. The inside of the bandage wrapped around his thigh was lightly soaked with blood.
“…I clearly told you to not hold back on the high-grade healing potions for Apophis.”
“They said they used a lot of high-grade potions. I’m not sure, but it doesn’t hurt much anymore… Ugh!”
The moment Set carefully wrapped his hand around the back of Yeon Ji-ho’s thigh, Yeon Ji-ho let out a groan and squeezed his eyes shut. Startled, Set looked up.
“Ji-ho?”
“It, it still hurts a little.”
“To think that high-grade healing potions wouldn’t work this well, what on earth… No, this won’t do. Ji-ho, let’s go see a healer.”
“No, no. I’m really fine. I’m definitely getting better.”
Perhaps the comparison Set was making in his mind was with the beasts of Gorgon. Born with extraordinary traits, they usually had a recovery ability that was incomparable to ordinary people.
Even Isquis, who had been hit by Set’s thrown sword, flew around freely the next day without using a single potion. The speed at which Yeon Ji-ho’s wounds were healing was quite normal. It just wasn’t satisfactory in Set’s eyes.
“But still, Ji-ho.”
“If you’re really worried, then please support me, Set.”
“…Alright.”
Set, after Yeon Ji-ho’s firm refusal, ultimately retracted his suggestion to go to the healer. Instead, he tried to support Yeon Ji-ho, adjusting his position until he finally lifted him up gently.
“No, you don’t have to go this far…”
“Ji-ho, you’re as light as a feather, so it’s fine.”
Logically, an adult male couldn’t possibly be as light as a feather. Yeon Ji-ho was starting to worry that Set’s infatuation might be more serious than he thought.
It was strange that he kept calling someone so ordinary pretty, and saying he was as light as a feather… No matter how he thought about it, it was simply that Set had a thick infatuation.
“What about food, Set?”
However, being held by Set made his legs feel much more comfortable. Since he was supporting his knees and back without touching the wound, Yeon Ji-ho could converse without worrying about his walking speed.
As Set walked briskly, Yeon Ji-ho asked him questions he had wanted to ask during their separation.
“Eat moderately…”
“Apophis said you haven’t eaten anything at all. You haven’t eaten either, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Having taken responsibility for Set’s meals since they were in Korea, Yeon Ji-ho felt upset every time he heard that he had gone hungry. In ‘Hadad’s Star’, the beasts of Gorgon often skipped meals due to wars or missions, and among them, Set was the most serious.
The settings in the novel that he had passed over without much thought became so bothersome when they approached reality. Yeon Ji-ho, nestled in Set’s arms, fell into thought for a moment.
“Ji-ho? You don’t need to worry that much. I don’t feel hunger well.”
“…Still.”
“Thanks to you, I haven’t felt hunger at all during this time. That alone is enough to last at least a week.”
The more Set spoke, the more Yeon Ji-ho’s lips drooped down. Set, who was carefully observing him while holding him, began to feel anxious as well. No matter what he said, Yeon Ji-ho’s mood didn’t improve.
“…By the way, I heard there’s a dish called ‘Galus Roast’ here.”
Set wanted to prepare a delicious dinner for Isquis, who had suffered, and Apophis as well. However, it had been a few days since they arrived in this world, and Yeon Ji-ho’s bag was out of main ingredients, even the kimchi.
While searching for a solution, Yeon Ji-ho suddenly recalled the ‘Galus Roast’ that Hadad had brought him. That dish, which was so covered in sugar that it was hard to swallow even a bite.
“Galus Roast? Ji-ho, how do you know about that…?”
“Hadad brought it to me.”
Immediately, Set bit his lower lip in response. Galus Roast. Hadad must have had a chef from the royal palace with him, and it seemed that Hadad had prepared a very luxurious meal for Yeon Ji-ho.
Thinking back, when he met Yeon Ji-ho again, he seemed to have no physical issues. Unlike Isquis, who had been confined in a cart.
Somewhere in Set’s heart, a feeling of frustration welled up. The best he could do right now was to lay him down in an old inn room and fetch a high-grade potion. He couldn’t prepare a very delicious meal or a luxurious carriage like Hadad.
“But it really didn’t taste good.”
“…Was that so?”
“I couldn’t eat even a bite and threw it all away. Ugh, I never want to eat it again.”
Set, who had been feeling gloomy, brightened up strangely upon hearing that the food didn’t suit his taste. The fact that Hadad’s side, filled with good and valuable things, was uncomfortable for Yeon Ji-ho made him inexplicably happy.
“So, about that, Set.”
“Yeah, Ji-ho.”
“Is ‘Galus’ meat hard to find in the market?”
“No. The sugar that’s sprinkled on top is expensive, but the meat itself is relatively cheap. It’s probably sold in the market of this town as well.”
At that, Yeon Ji-ho’s face brightened. The first taste of Galus Roast had been terrible, but looking back, the taste of the meat itself was decent. Whatever animal it was, even the breast part looked moist and tender like leg meat.
Yeon Ji-ho hugged Set’s neck and sparkled his eyes.
“Then please buy some Galus meat.”
“Ji-ho, you can’t be…”
“Yes, I’m going to cook.”
Anyway, the thought that he had found meat similar to chicken in Korea sparked an idea. However, unlike Yeon Ji-ho, Set was not pleased with the idea of him cooking.
“…But your leg hurts.”
“It’s not to the point where I can’t walk. When cooking, hands are more important than legs.”
“Still, you should recover for at least today…”
“Except when I’m cooking, I’m always resting. I can recover then.”
While moving, Isquis kept watch, Apophis managed all the baggage, and Set took the lead. Only Yeon Ji-ho, who had no talent for battle, had nothing to do.
Today, he had entered the inn due to his wounds, but starting tomorrow, he would have to move busily again. He wanted to help them in any way he could.
As Yeon Ji-ho wrapped his arms around Set’s neck and earnestly wished, Set finally sighed and nodded.
***
Fortunately, Yeon Ji-ho was able to borrow the kitchen of the inn. It was a very small inn with no guests other than themselves, so it was possible.
The kitchen had an old stove and a pot that looked usable despite missing some teeth. Yeon Ji-ho nodded in satisfaction, as he didn’t expect anything grand from the kitchen.
And behind Yeon Ji-ho, Set was anxiously following him around. He kept glancing to see if blood was seeping from Yeon Ji-ho’s bandage every now and then.
“Wow… I’ve never used a Chinese knife like this before.”
There were only two knives in the inn’s kitchen, both of which were the kind Yeon Ji-ho recognized as Chinese knives. They were just ridiculously larger than the ones he usually saw. As he picked one up, Set approached and snatched the knife from his hand.
“I can handle the cutting.”
Though he had sliced people with a knife, he had never prepared ingredients except for the last time Yeon Ji-ho had ordered, yet Set showed confidence. When Yeon Ji-ho smiled and thanked him, his eyebrows twitched.
Yeon Ji-ho began to look around the vegetables in the kitchen instead of the main ingredients that had not yet arrived. All of them had been paid for in advance to the innkeeper.
Even here, the vegetables looked slightly different. Yeon Ji-ho managed to pick out only those that were somewhat similar to the vegetables he could see in Korea.
“Please chop this, this, and just this into suitable sizes.”
“What do you mean by suitable…?”
“Um, the shape doesn’t matter much, just cut them into bite-sized pieces.”
At those words, Set began to chop them into sizes that were literally suitable for eating. However, since that standard was Yeon Ji-ho, he cut them slightly smaller than average.
Just then, a black wing fluttered into the kitchen. Isquis, seeing the narrow kitchen, folded his wings and tucked them into his back, then approached Yeon Ji-ho and dropped a huge paper bag in front of him.
Blood was dripping from the paper bag.
“Here, the Galus that’s been prepared! I’ve brought it in pieces as you ordered, Ji-ho-nim.”
Although Yeon Ji-ho knew how to prepare a raw chicken, he had asked for the Galus because it seemed like a completely different animal, but fortunately, Isquis had done the errand properly.
“But usually, Galus is smoked whole. How are you going to cook it like this?”
“I’m not going to roast it.”
The moment Yeon Ji-ho saw the Galus, the thought that came to his mind was ‘turkey’. Of course, the texture was closer to chicken. This meant that Galus meat could possibly replace chicken.
Yeon Ji-ho smiled and pointed at the Galus. Then he boldly said,
“I’m going to make steamed Chicken with this.”
No, to be precise, steamed Galus. Yeon Ji-ho quietly murmured that complicated dish name to himself.
