Chapter 15: The Golden Carriage to the Capital (1) The day after the unknown intruders attacked the food truck.
The food truck saw an unexpected boom, with customers coming by out of concern for whether Jinseo was safe.
Anyone who had used the food truck even once showed up in droves, letting out relieved sighs as they naturally placed bunsik orders.
As a result, Jinseo broke into a sweat trying to handle the flood of orders.
"What kind of punishment do you want for those bastards? I'll punish them through the proper legal process, but I'll let you choose the method. That way, you can vent your anger, even if only a little more."
Lord Oswald, while worrying about Jinseo, casually asked whether it would be better to cut off an arm or a leg.
But by modern Korean standards, it was brutal, so Jinseo asked for a different form of punishment.
Of course, he added that punishment itself absolutely had to happen.
If they let it slide like nothing happened, the same situation could happen again.
"So you're safe. Thank goodness. By the way, you said the ones who tried to harm you came from Peyden Castle, right?"
After hearing Jinseo's answer, Painfolt teleported somewhere with the same teleportation magic he used to arrive.
Not before buying the maximum daily amount of ice cream—three.
He wasn't speaking harshly, but the way he clenched his jaw made it feel like something serious was about to happen.
Peyden Castle isn't going to get hit by a meteor… right?
Jinseo didn't want even people unrelated to this incident to get dragged in, so he hoped Painfolt would step in only to an appropriate degree.
"How dare they… try to harm you and the food truck! Are you alright where you got hit? Where is it? Here? Is it here?"
The regular who reacted the most intensely was Fedora.
With "blessing" and "healing," which only clergy could use, she insisted on treating Jinseo.
No matter how many times he repeated that he wasn't hurt, Fedora wouldn't back down, and Jinseo ended up taking off his shirt to prove he was fine.
"I'm so relieved you're safe… I am relieved, but!"
Fedora let out a sigh of relief, but she grew even angrier at the fact that there was now nothing for her to do.
She's not going to have inquisitors storm Peyden Castle… right?
After Fedora stomped off in a huff, Jinseo silently prayed again.
And while he was at it, he also prayed that the special tteokbokki in the plastic bag she was holding wouldn't get used as a torture tool.
"You came later than usual today." Jinseo greeted Jason and Foltan with a smile when they came to the food truck.
Only when it turned 9 p.m.—later than usual—did the two men finally arrive after finishing their gate duty, and exhaustion was plain on their faces.
"The work environment's been a bit harsher than usual."
"Even things we used to let slide, we have to deal with properly now."
Because of the intruders' attack near the gate a few days ago, Falstead Castle's security had been tightened.
It might seem excessive for an attack on a single restaurant, but the story changed when the place had a significant number of notable regulars.
The mages of Doren Magic Tower—one of the top magic towers in the Doren Kingdom—and its dean, Painfolt.
The clergy of Kaysus Cathedral—one of the holy sites of the Heirem Order—and Cardinal Fedora.
On top of that, once rumors spread that the Castle Lord secretly frequented it, people even said it was fortunate things ended at only this level.
"I'm sorry it feels like you're getting caught up in this because of me."
Maybe because of that.
The plate Jinseo set in front of them held more bunsik than usual.
"What are you talking about? None of my colleagues blame you, so don't worry."
"What matters to us is that the food truck's safe."
Jason and Foltan brushed aside Jinseo's concern with smiles and started eating diligently.
"Lately, it's weird—I've been craving soondae more than tteokbokki."
"For me, I've really been wanting gimbap fries. Did my taste change?"
"Of course, both taste best when you dip them in tteokbokki sauce. Right?"
"Right. That's the truth."
Watching the two of them eat and chatter warmly, Jinseo scooped something with a ladle and began pouring it into paper cups.
"Drink this too, and take your time eating."
"This is… from in there?"
Jason blinked as he noticed something that hadn't been there before—a square metal container in the food truck with something inside it.
"This broth is free, and that started selling from today."
Jinseo had spent some of the mileage he'd accumulated to install a piece of equipment and add a menu item.
It was still a bit early, but the colder the weather got, the more it would shine as bunsik.
Fish cake skewers.
"Oh! Really? Give me one!"
"Me too!"
"You can take them out yourselves. Put the dipping sauce in the small dish and use it."
The moment Jinseo finished speaking, Jason chose a wide, flat fish cake, while Foltan picked a long, round one.
"This wide one—that's the one that goes in tteokbokki, right?"
"Yes. But it's good even if you just eat it like this."
Fish cake was already used in tteokbokki as an ingredient, but even by itself, it could fully serve as bunsik.
Unlike the tteok-twi-gim-soon set that made you wait after ordering, fish cake was something customers could simply take from the broth and eat right away.
And the hot fish cake broth served along with it was also another hidden menu item.
"Khh… I feel the fatigue just melt away."
"The fish cake's good, but the broth is incredible."
"It'll be even better once winter comes. It'll warm you right up."
The skewers left after stripping off the fish cake started stacking up in front of them.
Before they knew it, the number of fish cakes they'd eaten had passed ten, and the fish cake broth they'd been sipping had gone past four cups.
"Anyway, it's really a relief the culprit got caught. If they'd gotten away, the same thing could've happened again. I heard that merchant bastard they caught had a pretty obsessive personality."
"Is that so?"
After the intruders were arrested, Jinseo had believed the Falstead Castle side would handle things and hadn't paid attention to it.
"I heard there were already rumors in Peyden Castle that his reputation was bad, and this time he got caught properly."
"And yet he still managed to run his business."
"He must've fed the officials a lot of money. Because of that, I heard Peyden Castle got turned upside down over this."
Once Beirut's under-the-table dealings—made possible by bribing officials—were exposed openly, Peyden Castle couldn't possibly just let it go.
The day after the attack, Beirut was arrested, and all the shops he operated had to close.
All his underlings were dragged in as well, and even the officials tied to corruption had to suffer the consequences.
More than anything, the fact that it caused trouble for another castle made it impossible to brush aside.
"A colleague who works inside the castle said it was the first time they'd ever seen the Castle Lord that angry."
"That kind man?"
"If it had been someone from our castle instead of another castle's resident, there might've been blood."
As Jason and Foltan talked about what happened afterward, they kept working through fish cake.
While that went on, three men quietly walked toward the food truck.
"You've all worked hard."
The man in front placed his hand firmly on Jason's shoulder.
"Who—… Huh!"
Jason turned and froze solid.
Foltan, sitting beside him, was so startled that he dropped the fish cake skewer he was about to swallow onto the counter seat.
"M-My Lord…?"
"W-What brings you… h-h-here?"
Oswald didn't answer the two men who were stammering in shock. He only smiled silently.
"W-We'll be going now!"
Jason and Foltan gathered their gear, then hurriedly set their money down on the counter seat.
Then they stood side by side, saluted Oswald, and dashed toward the gate in a panic.
"This is why I only drop by right before closing… It can't be helped." Oswald sat at the counter with a bitter smile.
"How about covering your face with a hood like before?"
"Even if I do, I get found out because of the two behind me. And the fact that I'm a regular here has already become a rumor, so I don't think it's necessary anymore. It's not like I'm coming here to commit a crime."
Now a regular at the food truck, Oswald spoke casually to Jinseo, and Jinseo felt grateful for how much Oswald had been looking out for him.
"But today, as always… but what's that?" Oswald pointed at something he'd never seen before. "This is… fish cake that goes into tteokbokki, isn't it?"
"You can eat it by itself too. Try it."
"Can I just take it myself and eat it?"
"Yes. Being easy to eat is one of its advantages."
Oswald picked up a fish cake from the broth and took a bite.
"Hm. So you can just eat it like this."
After taking a bite, Oswald nodded and made a gesture that it was decent enough.
"It'd be nice if there was a saltier seasoning… This, then."
Without Jinseo even telling him, he poured soy sauce into the small dish, dipped the half-eaten fish cake, and finished it in an instant.
Jinseo poured fish cake broth into a paper cup and handed it to Oswald first, then to the two hulks behind him as well.
"Ugh… It's hot. Nice."
As Oswald drank the steaming broth, his expression softened and turned gentle.
Dan and Austin quietly sipped their broth too, but they formed faint smiles at the sensation of warmth spreading through their insides.
"I sent a personal letter to Peyden Castle's Lord. From now on, there won't be anyone from Peyden Castle who can harm you. There absolutely shouldn't be."
"You didn't have to go that far…"
"I know him personally, so it's fine. That man hates troublesome things. So he's been leaving things inside the castle unattended and letting them resolve themselves, but this time, I want him to come to his senses."
When Oswald finished the broth and set the empty paper cup on the counter, Jinseo refilled it with a ladle of hot broth.
"Whether Peyden Castle prospers or collapses isn't something I should meddle in. But if the fallout reaches my castle, that's a different story."
Oswald kept blowing on the steam as he drank, while Dan and Austin looked in opposite directions and drank little by little.
"Still, thanks to Dean Painfolt and the cardinal stepping in, it got resolved easily. Later, I'll have to meet them personally and express my thanks."
"How did the two of them help?"
"I don't know the specifics, but this is the first time magic and religion have felt this reassuring. But… ha…" Oswald suddenly let out a sigh and looked off into the distance. "What a shame."
"Yes? Is there something you dislike?"
"No, that's not it. It's just my schedule. I'm planning to leave the castle for a while. It's because of my son's matchmaking meeting, but since I'm going to the capital anyway, there are other matters I need to take care of as well."
Jinseo was about to congratulate him, but he held back, wondering if Oswald was feeling that way because of the matchmaking meeting.
"Counting the round trip time, it'll take about two or three months. To think I won't be able to enjoy your bunsik for that long… sigh…"
Oswald grumbled while looking at Nero, who was perched on the edge of the counter seat, with wistful eyes.
Jinseo couldn't find anything to say and only looked at Oswald.
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