Chapter 98: Latte is horse...(6) "Captain Malcolm, isn't it? What is going on here?"
"Mr. Jinseo, what is going on with you?"
The two men asked the same question, staring at each other with faces that clearly said they had no idea what was happening.
Malcolm had no clue why Jinseo—who should have been at Falstead Castle—was here driving a food truck, and Jinseo had no clue why Malcolm—the captain of the Raven Mercenary Corps—was here.
In the end, it was only after each of them explained their circumstances that they finally understood each other's situation.
"I see. I had no idea something like that happened in the Doren Kingdom. I only knew rumors that a dragon had awakened."
"Well, you were in another kingdom, so it makes sense you wouldn't know."
"But it's truly strange. Even if it's bunsik… to think it could calm a dragon's anger..."
"To be honest, I still can't quite believe it myself."
A dragon withdrawing her anger over a single drink of cola.
This otherworld was already beyond Jinseo's ability to understand, but Charlotte sitting on a stump and drinking cola had long since pushed it far past that line.
"Either way, it's an incredible relief that everyone is safe."
"Luck was on our side. And it's nice that I don't have to go all the way to Falstead Castle just to find the food truck. It's just that… since we couldn't properly finish this request, I don't think we can buy a whole bunch like before."
Back when he took Marquis Horus's request, Malcolm had an unpleasant experience where they nitpicked everything and docked his pay.
Even now, thinking about it made him form a bitter smile.
At least back then, there had been grounds to curse the client...
But this time, the mercenaries had done nothing, so Count Magus's side had almost no reason to pay the promised wages.
"We did receive the upfront payment, but that'll only cover travel expenses back and forth. I'm fine, but I'm worried about the other guys."
"So my fault means these mercenaries won't get paid?"
"Huh? Eek! N-No, that's not it!"
Charlotte, who had been secretly listening at some point, suddenly leaned her head out over Jinseo's shoulder.
Malcolm recoiled in shock and stepped back.
"Anyway, it's certain your mercenary corps won't get paid, right?"
"T-That's probably the case."
"Hey. Tell the highest-ranking human in that knight order to come out."
Charlotte extended her right hand and pointed at the Magus knight order, who had been mere bystanders.
But not a single person—neither knights nor soldiers—had the courage to step forward in front of her.
"Five, four..."
Charlotte spread her right hand and began folding down her fingers one by one from her thumb, counting down out loud.
"Three, two..."
Right before her ring finger folded, the knight commander in armor walked toward Charlotte.
He kept taking deep breaths, trying to suppress his fear.
"My apologies for the late greeting! I am the one who leads the knight order under Count Magus—"
"Save the introduction."
"Yes! To have the honor of meeting the supreme being—"
"Drop the modifier right now. Just call my name. Charlotte. Charlotte."
"Y-Yes, yes! It is an honor to meet you, Lady Charlotte."
"Good. Here's the point. Who drove off all those monsters?"
Charlotte planted both hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and looked down at the commander with an arrogant gaze.
"O-Of course, it was Lady Charlotte."
"Good. I'm glad you know."
Charlotte nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Then I should be the one getting paid for dealing with the monsters, right?"
"Y-You are absolutely correct!"
"But I'm not interested in pocket change, so pay those mercenary kids you brought properly. Normally I wouldn't care, but I don't feel like letting it slide when that mercenary captain over there knows Jinseo."
"Yes! Understood."
"And if you skim even a little… you know what happens, right?"
"We will pay the full amount without a single coin missing!"
With a single order from her, the Raven Mercenary Corps's standing changed in an instant.
They were known for good skill and reputation, but they had not had any outstanding achievements in recent years.
And yet now they had instantly become an armed group with a dragon as backing.
"All right, done. Now you can relax and buy some bunsik, insignificant creatures."
Charlotte gave Malcolm's shoulder a few casual pats as she passed, then returned to the stump.
Malcolm, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly slapped his own cheeks to come to his senses.
He had joined Count Magus's forces expecting a fierce battle, but thanks to the dragon's help, there were not only no deaths—there was not even a single injury.
And now he had the assurance that the wages he thought he could not receive would be paid in full.
All that remained for him was to enjoy everything the food truck had to offer.
"Mr. Jinseo! You're going to sell, right?"
"Yes. Before that, just a moment."
AI, repaint the food truck gold.
{Understood.}
Fwaaat.
A fierce light burst out from the food truck for an instant, then vanished.
The mercenaries who had been diligently eating choco X pie all turned their eyes toward the food truck at once.
"Huh? That's the food truck."
"When did it get here?"
"Ah… to think the food truck would come all the way here..."
Seeing the gold food truck burned so vividly into their memories, the mercenaries' eyes widened, bright smiles forming on their faces.
A few months ago, they had found a shop that gave them happiness they would never forget.
They had bought bunsik, snacks, and drinks—things they would never regret spending all their pay on—and enjoyed them to their hearts' content.
But after everything they bought ran out, they only waited for another chance to meet the food truck, planning to visit Falstead Castle after finishing this request.
And now the food truck had come to them on its own.
"Raven Mercenary Corps, it's been a while. Business is open."
The moment Jinseo finished speaking, the mercenaries who had been sitting and eating choco X pie began slowly standing up one by one.
Then they all started running in the same direction at once.
Toward the food truck, where all kinds of food—including bunsik—were waiting.
"Choco X pie! One whole box of choco X pie!"
"Three bags each of switXh candy and nurungji-flavored candy! Ah, and the same for hardtack too!"
"It's really been a long time! Give me tteok-twig-sun-ra-gim!"
The reaction was so intense that Jinseo was momentarily flustered, but then he smiled as he recalled the past.
They were like this when I returned to Falstead Castle after two months, too.
"Understood. I'll sell choco X pie first. You two handle the other orders."
Jinseo calmly assigned tasks and processed orders quickly.
In no time, the food truck was surrounded by mercenaries.
And the mercenaries who fought through the fierce competition and bought what they wanted looked nothing but happy.
"Hey, let me ask you something. Is that black food really that good?"
One soldier who could not hold back his curiosity spoke to a mercenary carrying both arms full of food and snacks.
Instead of answering, the mercenary tore open a choco X pie and shoved it straight into the soldier's mouth.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Well? If you like it, hurry and go to the food truck. Everyone's stockpiling—this could sell out."
The mercenary's eyes narrowed in a thin smile as he brushed past the soldier.
"Ah..."
A moment later, once he regained his senses, the soldier let out an awed breath and wiped away choco X pie crumbs lingering at the corner of his mouth.
Sweetness still clung to his mouth.
His body, somehow, had recovered to peak condition.
Now he understood exactly why the mercenaries had coveted choco X pie enough to overcome even their fear of a dragon.
"So this is choco X pie..."
It was food worth tasting even if it cost a lot, but unfortunately, a single taste could never be enough.
As if possessed, the soldier walked toward the food truck.
And with him as the lead, other soldiers began cautiously following one by one.
Mercenaries and soldiers kept pouring toward Jinseo's food truck, which had suddenly opened for business.
Bunsik received praise from everyone to the point it no longer needed explanation.
Choco X pie, especially, was so explosively popular that they had to set up a separate stall just to sell it.
Soldiers who had been getting by on tasteless preserved rations completely lost their minds the moment they encountered the food truck.
To the point they forgot even the joy of returning home safely without fighting a single battle.
The knights who joined as customers later also tasted bunsik and the other food, marveling.
After one bite of choco X pie, the knight commander even seriously asked Jinseo if he could supply it regularly.
"We'll be counting on you from now on!"
After signing a contract with Jinseo on the spot, the commander returned to his men with a broad grin.
Holding a choco X pie box above his head.
"Hmmm..."
Meanwhile, the dwarves—left out of the choco X pie frenzy—stood in a line, studying the mercenaries and soldiers closely.
The dwarves' gazes lingered on their weapons and various pieces of armor.
"Hey, you. Was it Malcolm? Bring me that sword and shield."
"Huh? Me?"
Malcolm, crushing nurungji-flavored candy with his molars, pointed at himself at the sudden call.
If I refuse, will this turn into a diplomatic issue? But I don't want to hand my weapons to someone else so casually…
While he struggled over how to respond, Jinseo approached, carrying stacks of choco X pie boxes pulled from the additional trailer.
"Try handing it over once. There are quite a few skilled smiths among the dwarves."
"I-Is that so?"
Not knowing much about dwarves, Malcolm heard Jinseo's explanation and handed the sword at his waist to Geshtain.
"Hm… let's see."
Geshtain drew the blade from its scabbard and inspected the edge closely.
"I suspected it from the handle condition, and sure enough."
"Tsk. It's a good weapon, but you've used it way too roughly. And you didn't repair it on time either."
The dwarves who gathered around Geshtain clicked their tongues and threw out comments one after another.
"Well, we came in such a rush that I paid less attention than usual. Still, I did stop by a smithy in a hurry and had it repaired, but… is the condition that bad?"
"It wasn't your usual smithy, was it?"
"How did you know?"
"They just made the outside look nice and did a sloppy job. If a battle had broken out, you would've been starting at a disadvantage from the beginning."
They often laughed things off when it was not serious, but when it came to their specialty, dwarves were strict.
"Judging by it, your shield is the same."
"Then your armor too, perhaps..."
"You got taken for a ride. If it were me, I'd storm that smithy right now."
As Geshtain went on, Malcolm's expression gradually soured.
But the dwarves' expressions were even worse.
"This won't do. I can't stand it unless we fix it right now. I'll bring that out, so everyone help."
"Got it."
Geshtain pulled all kinds of items out of subspace storage and laid them out on the ground, and the other dwarves began assembling them with practiced movements.
As a result—since it was sized for dwarves—it was small by human standards, but a compact smithy with everything needed was put together in no time.
"Now, let's put some strength into it for the first time in a while!"
"Me too!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hissss.
After the unexpected bunsik sales came something even more unexpected—weapon repairs began in the small smithy.
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