Chapter 154: The Next Pope Seat? (1) After traveling along the main road that cut through the middle of a dense forest and arriving at the entrance of the Holy Land, Jinseo turned off the food truck and got out.
Since it was a city so large it was several times bigger than Selphier Castle, which they had visited just before, he could feel its grandeur just by looking into the city beyond the entrance.
As the center of the Heirem Order, there were no dazzlingly luxurious buildings or ornaments in sight; instead, most of what could be seen were white buildings symbolizing the Order.
In the stillness, the sight of clergy in white vestments walking slowly between the buildings left a strong impression on Jinseo.
"So this is the Holy Land."
Even though the food truck had been designated as a sacred relic of the Heirem Order, Jinseo himself still was not a believer.
Coming all the way to the Holy Land in that situation left Jinseo with a strange feeling.
"Have you never been to the Holy Land of the religion you believe in, Jinseo?"
"It's so far from Korea that it's not somewhere you can easily visit. And I've never really thought I wanted to go, either. Like I said before, I'm a lapsed believer."
"I see."
"But while she was alive, my mother often said she wanted to visit the Holy Land. Of course, the Holy Land of the religion she believed in."
"Ah…."
Unable to find words, Fedora Artran made the sign of the cross, closed her eyes, and offered a prayer for Jinseo's late mother.
Jinseo, however, did not particularly mind, and stepped a little closer to the entrance to look into the Holy Land more carefully.
The more I look, the more I feel my heart becoming reverent. Still… is this really okay?
Jinseo planned to sell bunsik in the Holy Land, with tteokbokki as the main item, and he had already received full payment from the Order.
But now that he had actually arrived, a strong doubt rose up—was it really okay to sell bunsik in a Holy Land with such a holy atmosphere?
Jinseo had sold bunsik without hesitation even at Kaysus Cathedral, but in a Holy Land where the entire city itself was holiness, he worried it might be irreverent.
"Your Eminence, is it really okay for me to sell bunsik over there?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Well, since it's the Holy Land, a holy place…"
"That is precisely why I believe tteokbokki, among bunsik, must be presented. Within the Order, there are still many who express doubts about tteokbokki's efficacy. I believe we must prove it clearly on this occasion."
Seeing Fedora Artran's confident attitude, Jinseo gave a small smile and let go of his worry.
"But it's taking longer than I expected. Jinseo, I'm truly sorry."
"No. You said I wouldn't even be able to enter under normal circumstances, didn't you? If you're trying to make an exception to something that violates the rules, of course it will take time."
According to the Order's rules, non-believers are, in principle, forbidden from entering the Holy Land.
Jinseo was in an ambiguous position: he was the owner of the sacred relic, but not a believer of the Heirem Order, so a meeting was underway regarding whether to allow his entry.
So Jinseo was waiting in front of the Sacred Gate, the entrance to the Holy Land, until permission was granted for him to enter.
"This won't do. I think I'll have to go in myself. Please understand."
"Yes. Then I'll wait here."
"I'm really sorry. I'll come back as quickly as I can."
Fedora Artran apologized repeatedly, then entered the Holy Land, and several members of the church knight order who had escorted her followed after.
The remaining church knights waited at the entrance with Jinseo.
"Aren't you cold?"
Seeing the church knights continuously exhaling visible breath, Jinseo worried.
"I'm fine. Once winter truly begins, this level of cold is nothing."
"And thanks to this strange item Mr. Jinseo gave us, we're actually warm. It doesn't seem like it has magic on it, yet it keeps giving off heat…"
They rubbed the mysterious item Jinseo gave them—a hot pack—back and forth between their palms and the backs of their hands.
"There is a garment called long johns. If you wear it under armor, it will be much warmer. I have a few extras—should I give them to you later?"
"We are simply grateful for Mr. Jinseo's kindness."
"And if there's anything else you need, I'll get it for you within reason. It looks like your hands are badly chapped…"
Jinseo explained the useful items he had relied on during military service one by one, and promised to share them with the knights.
"You? You used to be a soldier?"
"I served for about two years. In Korea, military service is required for almost all men."
"I see. No wonder it felt like we spoke the same language…"
"Haha. Korea where Mr. Jinseo lives and here really are the same."
Even if the world was different and the place you lived was different, hardships in the military were much the same.
Jinseo chatted with the knights he had met for the first time today, the conversation blossoming into talk about the army.
In the meantime, soldiers who had finished patrolling around the Holy Land recognized the church knights and saluted.
"Then is that carriage the sacred relic we've only heard rumors about—the food truck?"
"It truly has a strange shape. I don't know what principle makes it move without being pushed, but it seems worthy of being designated as a sacred relic."
The soldiers gathered around the food truck, fascinated as they looked at the structure of the food truck, something they had never seen in their lives.
"Mr. Jinseo, could you share a little of the bunsik we ate earlier with our brothers as well?"
"They'll like tteokbokki. I really loved it."
Hearing the church knights' request, Jinseo looked at the soldiers' faces, turned red by the cold wind.
Right. They're soldiers too.
Having gone through extreme cold-weather training twice, Jinseo could not just look away from soldiers standing outdoors in the cold.
Normally, he would have treated them to snacks or drinks they could consume quickly and easily, but in cold weather, nothing beat hot food that warmed you from the inside.
After thinking briefly about what would be best, Jinseo recalled a winter snack you could not leave out, and opened the back door of the Additional Trailer.
"Instead of bunsik, I'll let you try something you haven't had yet. Please wait a moment."
Entering the Additional Trailer, Jinseo took out the steamed bun steamer he had used last winter.
Since he had washed it clean and stored it in Interspatial Storage, even though nearly a year had passed, he only needed to install it as it was.
"The cold wind~ chills∼ both cheeks…"
Jinseo murmured the song from a steamed bun commercial as he placed the steamed buns into the steamer one by one.
Then Jinseo went into the food truck kitchen and took out paper cups, while the soldiers watched his every movement without missing a thing.
"It'll take a little time, so at least wet your throats with this first."
While steaming the buns, Jinseo poured heated Fish Cake Soup into paper cups and handed them out to the church knights.
"Hoo… ha… this salty broth is incredible."
"Just this alone warms you up inside. It's the best."
The knights and soldiers already looked satisfied with only the Fish Cake Soup, but from Jinseo's perspective as the one feeding them, he could not be satisfied at all.
The Fish Cake Soup was only to buy time.
The moment Jinseo opened the steamed bun steamer, one of the strongest winter snacks revealed itself along with white steam.
"There are three kinds: sweet red bean steamed bun, vegetable steamed bun, and pizza steamed bun. First, pick any one and try it, and then you can have more of the one you like."
Jinseo handed each knight and soldier a steamed bun and a carton of white milk, and he also distributed them to the soldiers guarding the entrance of the Holy Land.
"How is it?"
No one answered Jinseo's question.
"Is it not good?"
When Jinseo asked again, the knights and soldiers, with steamed buns in their mouths, shook their heads.
"Is it good?"
At the third question, everyone eating the steamed buns nodded at the same time.
After silently finishing one steamed bun, they ate the second and third in the same silence, and only after choosing a fourth steamed bun did they begin to speak.
"This white sweet red bean steamed bun that symbolizes our Order… it is truly delicious!"
"I don't particularly prefer sweet flavors, so I like the same white vegetable steamed bun far more. Ah, of course, the sweet red bean steamed bun is delicious enough as well."
"This yellow pizza steamed bun is a flavor that inspires admiration no less than the others!"
After eating one each of the three kinds, the knights and soldiers each chose another steamed bun that matched their taste and ate it.
"Mr. Jinseo, do you have any other bunsik?"
But there was no way the stomachs of soldiers who had suffered outdoors in the cold could be filled with only four steamed buns.
Having anticipated this, Jinseo prepared various bunsik while they ate, and since he expected tteokbokki to be the most ordered, he began making plenty of it.
"Ah, wait a moment. For times like this, I have a video I filmed—would you like to watch it once?"
After briefly explaining the video, Jinseo came down from the kitchen holding the TV remote.
Fedora Artran already checked it first, saying there was nothing problematic in the advertisement video filmed in the Girvante Kingdom.
Still, before entering the Holy Land, Jinseo intended to have other clergy confirm it again, and since this was a good opportunity, he decided to play it here without needing to find people specifically to monitor it.
"Wouldn't it be better if you chose bunsik you like? Pick what you want among the bunsik shown here."
When Jinseo turned on the large TV, the screen filled with a view of Selphier Castle filmed from above.
The viewpoint of the footage, filmed using Owl like a drone, gradually lowered and showed the bustling restaurant district inside the castle, then even showed the royal palace at the end of the central boulevard.
"That's… isn't that Selphier Castle? My hometown?"
One of the knights gathered around the food truck stared at the large TV with eyes that could not believe it, then slowly approached the screen.
"Yes, that's right. Are you from the Girvante Kingdom?"
"I lived in Selphier Castle before I devoted myself to the Order, but… I didn't realize my hometown was such a splendid place."
"Welcome to the food truck, stranger. I am the eating king, Lanster II of the Girvante Kingdom."
"Y-Your Majesty!"
At the sight of Lanster II on the TV screen, the church knight from the Girvante Kingdom hurriedly stepped back, then dropped to one knee and paid his respects.
Now he was someone who had devoted everything to the Order, but as a man from the Girvante Kingdom, he could not bring himself to lift his head before Lanster II's image.
All that reached his ears were Lanster II's voice enthusiastically explaining various bunsik, and the sounds of eating.
But even without confirming it with his eyes, he could be certain.
In Girvante, the nation of cooking, no one lies about food.
Especially a king—he could only be more sincere about cooking than anyone in the kingdom.
He firmly resolved to taste every dish Lanster II described.
"All right, that's the end of the video. Which bunsik should I bring out first?"
The moment Jinseo finished speaking, the knight who had been kneeling on one knee the whole time sprang to his feet.
"If it's food His Majesty personally recommends, it can't possibly be bad! Mr. Jinseo! Please give me every bunsik that appeared in that video!"
"That will be difficult."
"T-then… ugh…."
When Jinseo refused with a smiling face and without even a hint of hesitation, he fell into anguish.
"Right, is there anything in the video you just watched that might be a problem?"
"There is."
At Jinseo's question, another knight answered with a serious expression.
"It makes me far too hungry."
"Ah… yes…"
Looking at the knight speaking with such solemn seriousness, Jinseo was left without words.
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