Chapter 93: Table Talk
A large man sat nervously in a suit that didn’t suit him.
It was so tight that just sitting still could have popped a button, and since he kept shifting his position, the clothes were truly on the verge of tearing.
The sight of such a giant awkwardly fidgeting on a small chair seemed almost pitiful.
His teacher, or perhaps it was more fitting to call her a friend—a young girl—had gently suggested he try going out to eat with her.
And this was the result of that fleeting suggestion. An hour of waiting. Since he had paid a deposit, the staff didn’t say anything, but even he couldn’t help but feel the awkward stares.
After a long time of fidgeting and twirling his mustache, a white-haired woman finally approached his table.
Unlike her usual self, she was all dressed up, her hair neatly braided. She looked so beautiful that everyone passing by couldn’t help but take a second look.
What business could such a delicate woman possibly have with a hulking muscle-bound man? Everyone in the restaurant shared the same curiosity, sneaking glances at them.
“...Ahem. You’ve arrived, my love? Were you on your way back from some sort of party? Considering how heavily armed you look.”
“Heavily... armed? What do you mean... Ah.”
For a moment, the woman thought he meant she had come with a weapon, but soon realized he was referring to her makeup, something out of the ordinary for her.
“Well, um... I was just meeting with the Crown Prince! It’s not like I hurriedly dressed up after ages just to look good for you, or anything!”
It was an awful lie, but the man’s heart was as pure as the untouched snows of the frozen wastelands, so he genuinely believed her.
“Oh dear. Then I shouldn’t have called you. You must have already eaten and be tired...”
Though it was a disappointing conclusion for the man, he thought it might actually be for the best and began to get up.
“...Wait. If you’re treating, I could eat. It’s not like I just woke up from a nap and I’m hungry or anything.”
Her lie was laced with truth. She didn’t want her efforts to go to waste.
Especially since she still held onto the compliment he once gave her, saying she’d look prettier with her hair braided.
“Is that so... Then, as usual?”
“Yes. All meat, please.”
The man’s sincere advice that she should eat some vegetables was blocked by her conviction that such things were for the weak.
“...You’re the weird one. How can you only eat meat once a day?”
A diet of three meals a day, with every dish made of meat—that was the strange thing. The man swallowed his doubts and passed the order to the waiter.
Soon, the sounds of the bustling kitchen signaled that their meal was being prepared, and the man broke the awkward silence.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation. You’ve seemed stressed lately, and I wanted to help in any way I could.”
“...Thank you. Um... Is that all you wanted to say?”
The two of them hesitated, unable to reveal their true feelings, leaving the onlookers exasperated. But the couple didn’t even realize they were being watched.
“Well... How’s your studying going?”
Not wanting the conversation to end, the man quickly grasped for a new topic.
“Ugh, don’t even mention it. I feel like I’m dying. I’d rather go back to learning etiquette from my mom... If Hoyeon hadn’t been dragging me around by the hair, I might have actually failed.”
He could imagine how much she must hate it, recalling how she used to be a tomboy as a child.
“Since we’re on the subject, may I ask carefully... What do you think of Miss Hoyeon?”
“What do I think of Miss Hoyeon...?”
From gratitude to studying, and now to Hoyeon—the conversation’s random shifts made even the woman feel something was off.
“Well... She might seem scary, but she’s actually really gentle and truly devoted. Though sometimes she acts like she doesn’t understand people’s feelings.”
“...So you think so too. Truthfully, I find her a bit frightening.”
“Frightening? Why?”
She found herself unexpectedly caught in a conversation where the person she liked was talking behind the back of her friend. She couldn’t make sense of it.
“...It feels like she’s fundamentally different. Like, at her core, she’s something else entirely. But I don’t mean to say she’s evil or anything.”
“Is that so...?”
Throwing out random thoughts, they somehow kept the conversation going until their food arrived, and both felt it was time to say what they truly wanted to say.
““Actually, I...””
***
Hmm. My ear itched, so I rubbed it with my hand. Someone must be talking about me.
Otherwise, why would my ear itch just as I stuffed my mouth full of meat and was chewing away?
“Hoyeon, what’s the East like?”
As always, this guy had a knack for saying the most random things. Usually, before asking something like this, shouldn’t there be some sort of buildup? Like a long lead-in before casually dropping the question?
“...What do you mean?”
His face had been so gloomy lately, like someone burdened with all the worries of the world. I wanted to give him a sincere answer, but he needed to be specific about what he was asking.
“No, I mean... the quality of life, happiness... stuff like that. Which side seems better to you?”
Ah, so that’s what he was curious about.
“Well, obviously my hometown is way better. Nobody goes hungry, no one struggles because they lack money. There’s no crime, and every village sings praises of God's grace.”
And if you wanted to learn something, you could learn it. Each village had a guardian spirit just in case of emergencies.
They even did aptitude tests from birth to determine the best job for everyone.
I left out the part about the sacrifices. That role was only given to those who were so hopelessly untalented that they should never have been born, or to volunteers.
Even then, there were far more volunteers than untalented people.
Come to think of it, wasn’t it a bit too hasty to decide Iris had no talent? She was prett—
...Though, when I think about it, everyone back home was good-looking.
Yeah. Iris really was suited to be a sacrifice. Keeping her alive would just waste resources. Even I could see that her only strength was being pretty.
“I see...”
Dogeon listened to me with all his focus, like I was giving a lecture.
He seemed like someone researching a place before moving there. Whatever it was, I had a feeling he was planning to go back to my hometown with me when this was all over.
Hmm, I wonder if there’s a room for Dogeon back home. We only build what’s necessary, so I’m not sure if there’s space for him.
If I asked my mother, a room would appear in an instant, but it felt wrong to burden her with such a trivial request.
There weren’t many downsides to mention, so I only told Dogeon about the good parts. The lack of entertainment facilities wasn’t really an issue.
When you’re surrounded by friends, do you really need that kind of stuff?
“...Ah, thanks for telling me. I didn’t realize it was like that... It’s completely different from what I imagined.”
“What did... nom... you think it’d be like?”
I had gotten so excited while talking that the meat had started to cool. If the fat hardened, it’d be impossible to eat, so I quickly stuffed it into my mouth.
“To be honest... I thought it was a place where no human could possibly live.”
Gah! His sudden confession nearly sent the food down the wrong pipe, but I somehow managed to swallow it all.
“Guh...! Ugh... R-really? Wup... kuh.”
“You okay?”
Okay, my ass! Spicy oil almost went straight down my windpipe!
“...Yeah, somehow. Whew... Anyway, tell me why. You almost killed me, you know.”
Dogeon then explained bit by bit why he thought that way. Rumors from merchants who had visited and the overall uncertainty of the information.
Blah blah, on and on.
Listening to him try to justify himself in such a hurry, I had to admit there was a certain logic to his concerns.
“Hmm... I see. So it’s because of rumors... Humans, I swear.”
“Huh? What did you just say, Hoyeon?”
Oops. I must’ve said that out loud. Since he was human, I didn’t really want him to know.
“Oh, just talking to myself...”
It seemed he had no intention of pushing further, as he just poked at his food absentmindedly.
“...So, Dogeon? How are things lately?”
I didn’t specify what I meant on purpose, but as expected, Dogeon’s expression darkened again.
Yup, things weren’t going well for him. All my hard work had paid off.
I even gave that bald guy a little push, setting him up for a nice meal out. The church folks got along just fine on their own without any help.
Camilla and Iris would run off the moment I stood next to Dogeon. Yup, perfect.
“...Well. Things aren’t going too well.”
Not “a little,” right? It must feel like everything’s completely stuck. That’s because I’ve been running around behind the scenes.
“I can’t exactly cheer you on... but hang in there. If you keep trying, things might work out.”
Of course, he’d end up by my side eventually.
I buried my true thoughts deep inside and offered him nothing but empty encouragement.