Chapter 365
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 365
Chapter 365. The Head Chef of Geumgyeru (2)
With only a few days left until Captain Yong-eungwan decided to finalize his selection, I decided to learn more about Geumgyeru.
It wasn't simply because I was bored.
I had so much work to do!
It's just that I'd be really sad if a place that makes food delicious enough to impress my parents disappeared.
After finishing our meal, we went down to the first floor.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“It was really delicious.”
We said goodbye to Jang Eun-ok and left Geumgyeru.
“Father, Mother, please go ahead. I'll pay and follow you.”
“Alright.”
I asked Lu Ju.
“How much is it?”
“Yes, the total is...”
The bill was much higher than I expected.
But with food this good, it was worth it.
“We would like to reserve the third floor again for tomorrow evening. Would that be possible?”
“Yes, that would be fine.”
Tomorrow, I plan to have a gathering with my peers whom I met for the first time.
“Then, I will reserve the third floor for tomorrow evening as well.”
“Yes, I will prepare everything.”
“Then, I will be going now.”
I bowed with clasped hands and left the place.
When we were a little away from Geumgyeru, Jin-yu Musha said, “Master, it was about Hwang Suk-soo earlier.”
“Liege, about Hwang Suk-soo earlier.”
“Yes.”
Did Jin-yu also sense something strange?
It was strange for a martial artist to be working as a butler in a place like this, and his aura was a little strange too...
“He was an assassin.”
Ah... Now I understood why his aura felt so strange.
It was as if he wasn't even there, even though he was right in front of me.
His lack of presence seemed to be a characteristic of his inner arts.
But putting that aside, the important question was why someone like him was working there.
“If he's an assassin, does that mean he's working as a butler to kill someone?”
“I don't think so.”
Jin-yu Musha shook his head.
“He's definitely a former assassin, but he's not one now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don't smell blood.”
I tilted my head at Jin-yu's words.
“Then how do you sense the smell of blood?”
“Huh?”
“To be honest, I don't really know.”
When I see someone, I feel uneasy or alert.
Thanks to that, I've been able to escape danger several times.
But Jin-yu said it was the smell of blood, and I was curious about that.
“Does it really smell like blood?”
Jin-yu nodded in response to my question.
“Yes, it does.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
I wasn't the only one who was surprised. The other bodyguards also looked surprised.
Seo Woo stroked his chin and said,
“Come to think of it, I heard something like that before. Assassin who have reached a certain level can smell their fellow assassins.”
Jin-yu nodded.
“I gained that ability after surviving more than thirty near-death experiences.”
“....”
Those words left me speechless.
Jin-yu Musha had told me before that the process of training assassins was the ultimate test of cruelty.
Gaining such an ability meant that he had endured a great deal of suffering.
It was admirable that he hadn't gone mad despite crossing the line of death countless times.
That was probably because he had something supporting him.
I still don't know what that is.
“Anyway, after that, I became able to find assassins no matter where they were, and I also became able to know their level.”
Ah... That's why you were so good at finding assassins.
“Ah, the level I'm talking about is not just martial arts, but the level of an assassin.”
Seo Woo added.
“Of course, the higher the level, the better you are at killing someone.”
That's true.
Martial arts are often used for spiritual training, but generally speaking, they are a form of killing.
“However, that doesn't mean they are good at assassination. Martial artists prefer to kill openly rather than secretly.”
“That's true.”
That is why martial artists have so many enemies.
“What Jin-yu Musha referred to as level refers to how stealthily one can kill.”
“So there are ranks among assassins as well.”
“That's right.”
I heard Jin-yu Musha's telepathy in my mind.
- The highest rank is “Assassin King.”
Assassin King? If it's Assassin King...
I turned my head and looked at Pal-gap.
Palkap was always by my side, as if he wasn't even there.
“Is there anything you want me to do?”
“...No.”
***
Hwang Seok finished cleaning the kitchen and came out.
“Are you done cleaning?”
“Ah, Eun-ok.”
It was Jang Eun-ok, the head of the kitchen, who called him.
She was his wife, whom he could look at over and over again.
She wrapped her arms around Hwang Seok's waist from behind and asked.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
He caressed her arms and said.
“It's just because autumn is coming...”
“I see.”
Autumn.
Autumn was a special season for the couple. It was in autumn that Hwang Seok gave up his sword and took up the knife.
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
“You're the one who worked hard.”
There were quite a few group customers that evening. Eunhae Trading Company rented the entire third floor for a meal.
It was tiring to prepare such a large amount of food, but they earned a lot of money, so they were able to give the waiters extra money.
“You must be tired. Go home and get some rest.”
“Let me stay a little longer.”
Huang Seok smiled softly at her words.
To be honest, before he met her, he had never imagined a future like this.
“I would have failed my mission, been tortured, and died, or committed suicide.”
She was the one who gave meaning to his life and gave him courage when he had no dreams or hopes.
It was because of her that he was able to quit being an assassin.
He recalled how tense he had been a few days ago.
An assassin had come to this restaurant as a customer.
And it was someone who had reached the level of a master assassin.
Even assassins had levels.
When they first started out, they were called “child killers.” It meant they were like children.
Once they became skilled at killing, they were called “king killers.”
When they became true assassins, they were called “assassin masters.”
The next level was “killing the king,” the highest level.
It was a level where, if you set your mind to it, there was no one you couldn't kill.
The strange thing was that among the group of assassins who had reached the level of “killing the king,” there was one who had the aura of “killing the king.”
There must have been a reason why such people came to the restaurant where I worked.
Did they come to hear about me and recruit me?
Either way, I wasn't happy about it.
So I was extremely nervous, but...
“Wow! This is really delicious!”
“That's right. Can we order another one?”
“We already ordered another one.”
“...Can't we?”
“...Order it.”
They just ate all the chicken and left.
He looked closely to see if they had left anything behind, but there was nothing.
All he could tell was that they had cleaned the bones so thoroughly that there was no meat left.
He couldn't even tell if the chicken he had made was spicy or soy sauce flavored.
He was puzzled, but then they visited again.
Only then did he learn that they were members of the Eunhae Trading Company.
That day, the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company called for him, saying he wanted to express his gratitude.
To be honest, he didn't want to meet them, but he couldn't refuse a guest's request.
And then... he saw it up close.
Those who have reached the realm of killing have already stopped killing for quite some time.
There was almost no smell of blood.
And there was no smell of blood at all from someone with the aura of a king of killing.
It is said that kings of killing can hide the smell of blood, but this was different.
He was just a servant.
Only then did he realize that he had been overly sensitive.
“Hwang-rang.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Do you regret leaving that path?”
“How could I? I regret not leaving that path sooner.”
He turned around and caressed Jang Eun-ok's face as he spoke.
“You look tired. Go inside and rest.”
“Let me stay a little longer.”
“I'll be right in. Go inside.”
Only then did she nod and go inside.
Hwang Seok stared at her back, and when she was completely gone, he turned around and said.
“Come out.”
At his words, someone appeared in front of him.
“I see you again.”
“Greetings, senior.”
“Senior? You've already left that path, so you're no longer my senior.”
“That's why I call you senior.”
“...?”
“I, too, have left that path.”
“So... why did you come looking for me?”
“I came to deliver a message from my liege.”
“A message?”
“Yes. He said that if anything happens to Geumgyeru, and you can no longer eat spicy chicken stew, you should ask for his help.”
“...?”
“It seems that my liege is very fond of spicy chicken stew.”
“Is that so?”
Then, he suddenly became curious.
“By the way... Does your liege know about your origins?”
“Of course. It was my liege who rescued me from there.”
“Then who is the one with the energy of the king of life?”
“Ah, it's my attendant.”
“Attendant?”
“Yes, my liege's attendant. Both my liege and I are aware of his talent.”
“But he's not making use of that talent?”
“He is making full use of it.”
“What do you mean? To me, he just seems like an attendant...”
“Yes. He is making good use of his talent as a page. I am teaching him the art of assassination, and he likes it, saying that it will help him in his work as a page.”
“And your liege?”
“He doesn't care at all.”
“What a strange man. Your liege...”
“He's not strange, he's just amazing.”
With that, Jin-yu continued.
“So, please do not forget your liege's message.”
***
As soon as I returned to the inn, I went straight to my room.
I had work to catch up on.
I worked for a while.
“My lord. It is Jin-yu.”
“Come in.”
The door opened and Jin-yu entered.
“Did you deliver the message?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
I asked him to pass on a message to the head of Geumgyeru.
Based on my memories from my previous life, something was about to happen that would cause Geumgyeru to disappear completely.
I didn't know what that was.
But I think it's better than just standing by and watching it disappear.
I'm waiting for Captain Yong-eung-wan to make his selection, and my father said he has some business to attend to, so he'll be staying a little longer.
.
.
.
It was morning.
Today, I decided to go to Baekyeom Trading Company.
This is because the head of the Baekyeom Trading Company officially invited me.
And tonight, I have dinner plans with the junior captains Bok-yoon, Sa-gang, Han-baek-geon, and Dam-sim, who are still staying in Jeonam.
The place is Geumgyeru.
Delicious places should be widely known.
“I'm off then.”
“Have a good trip.”
“Be careful.”
“Yes.”
I said goodbye to my parents and left the inn.
I stopped by the market to buy some gifts and headed for the Baekyeom Trading Company.
“Where are you from?”
Perhaps it was because they dealt in iron, or perhaps it was because of the recent unfortunate events.
The gatekeeper was very stern.
“I am Eun Seo-ho from Eunhae Trading Company. Today, the captain...”
Before I could finish, he bowed his head respectfully.
“I am the captain of Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Please come in! We have been waiting for you.”
Even I was taken aback by the sudden change in attitude.
“And...”
The gatekeeper continued.
“I heard that you saved our Young Master. We are truly grateful.”
From his words, I could tell how much the Trading Company valued Ho-kyung.
I replied gently.
“I only did what I had to do.”
“I knew you would say that. Let me show you in.”
I followed his guidance and entered the building, then followed the attendant who came to greet me to the reception room.
As I sat down on a chair in the reception room, a maid served me tea and snacks.
Wow...
I couldn't help but admire the tea and snacks.
I could tell how the Baekyeom Trading Company felt about me.
In fact, all guests should be treated equally, but in reality, that is not easy.
The price of refreshments varies greatly, and it is impossible to serve expensive refreshments to all guests.
Therefore, those who have had many experiences can understand how they are being treated by the refreshments served to them.
And that is how it should be.
This is to prevent relationships from being damaged by inappropriate words or actions.
The snack they brought me is dried apricots topped with honey and sprinkled with gold powder...
Is it okay to eat this?
I guess it means they are grateful to me.
As I drank my tea, I realized once again that I had done the right thing in saving Ho Kyung.
I suddenly remembered the feeling of unease I had felt when I saw him.
What was it?