Chapter 18: Suspicious Bodyguards (3)
-Clatter.
“What on earth is going on?”
“You’re here? I didn’t even hear a car—did you walk?”
“You’re back!”
“Yes, I’m back, but what are you doing right now? And what is this energy?”
“Pfft, amazing, right? I taught her myself. Look at this. I just gave her a rough explanation, and Ria’s divine power is strong enough to reach the Heavenly Realm! At this level, ordinary yokai wouldn’t even dare come close.”
“If I just open and close my hand like this, it gets super bright!”
She boasted with such a bright expression that I almost ended up praising her.
As expected, Ria was the root of the problem(?).
To be precise, the real issue seemed to be the Elder who made Ria this way, but now wasn’t the time to dig into that.
“Ugh, the whole place is in chaos because of that right now.”
“Huh? Unless someone has divine power in their body, they shouldn’t even be able to sense it—so what’s the commotion?”
“I don’t know the details either. Ria, please undo that for now.”
“Yes!”
-Whoooosh.
As Ria waved her hand at the mysterious symbol floating above her head, the blue light that had been radiating in all directions was absorbed back into her body.
“But what do you mean the outside is in chaos?”
“Don’t even ask. Everyone is coming in looking half-dead.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. But now that the energy’s gone, they should be coming in soon.”
They didn’t seem like bad people.
If they were, the ring made from divine stone would have reacted first.
Sure enough, before I even finished speaking, a woman wearing a hat decorated with peacock feathers and a man in a leather jacket burst into the café.
“Huff, huff, first place! We—we’re first! Wait, no. One, two, three... fourth place, damn it!”
“Haah, haah… I feel like my heart’s going to explode.”
“Huh? Aren’t you guys under that raccoon dog?”
“Gu-gu-gumiho Elder?!”
“You know them?”
“They’re the ones who guard the Divine Tree on Mount Gyeryong. When that raccoon dog leaves the tree, these folks watch over it.”
“So that’s what happened. Anyway, Elder, please suppress your energy a bit too. They look really uncomfortable.”
“Oh, my divine power is so strong that it leaks out uncontrollably!”
“Don’t lie. You can suppress it, you’re just too lazy, right? If someone faints in here, it’ll be all your fault. Hurry and rein it in. I’ll go outside with Ria to check if anyone collapsed.”
“Tch, you’ve got sharp eyes—I can’t fool you at all. Fine, brat.”
And so, without even changing my clothes, I had to go back out and spend quite some time managing the messy traffic.
(What the hell! Why is the Gumiho Elder here?!)
(How should I know?)
(Shouldn’t you have heard something from the Mountain God?)
(He just said the Divine Tree felt unstable, so I sprinted over!)
The shamans gathered around each table in small groups were in the same boat as the first two who had arrived.
Those who had followed without knowing the reason were busy complaining, and even the shamans who had heard the Mountain God’s words firsthand at Mount Gyeryong were voicing their frustrations.
(But is that person really the Gumiho Elder?)
(…….)
(…….)
At the absurd question, the two people silently stared at the naive shaman sitting at the same table.
(I only received my divine calling recently…)
(She’s right. Like the Mountain God, she’s a divine beast who’s lived since the Three Kingdoms period.)
(Then isn’t she a good person? Why is everyone so scared?)
(She might be, but she doesn’t particularly like humans. If there’s a sinful soul, she’ll erase them before they even reach Yeomra. Fall out of her favor and—slash.)
The Haedong Sinyuh subtly mimed slicing her neck with her hand so that only the naive shaman at her table could see.
“Hic!”
Only then did the shaman, who finally grasped where she was, let out a surprised hiccup without realizing it.
In the eyes of these sacred beings, they were already no different from criminals.
Borrowing heavenly power to glimpse celestial secrets.
And seeking material gain by revealing those secrets.
All were grave sins.
Thus, their claim of protecting the Divine Tree wasn’t entirely pure.
It was a way to build good karma to lessen their burden, and today, they had rushed here hoping to receive a divine artifact from the new guardian of the tree.
Besides, the Gumiho yokai’s terrifying reputation preceded her—even without hearing it firsthand.
Her most famous tale involved eating human livers, after all.
For these people, the desperate sprint toward the café, enduring divine energy, had been preferable.
At least then, their lives weren’t hanging by a thread.
(But the person who just went outside was seriously scolding the Gumiho Elder. How powerful must they be?)
This time, even the Haedong Sinyuh couldn’t answer.
‘They scolded the Gumiho Elder? A divine beast who’s lived over 3,000 years?’
They had seen it with their own eyes, yet it was so unreal that they couldn’t even question it.
At other tables, people were blankly staring at the door Jinseong had exited through—seeming only now to realize what he had done.
Fortunately, since Ria’s power had dissipated, the people now running into the café looked far more relaxed than before.
Though they were still sprinting in with all their might.
“No one else is left, right?”
“Yes! I don’t feel any more energy! Oh, but if someone died, we wouldn’t feel their energy, so maybe they’re dead!”
“Let’s go inside…”
I decided to pretend I didn’t hear that last answer.
“We’re back. It seems like everyone made it in safely. Hm? But why is everyone sitting like that?”
They weren’t sitting in a relaxed posture.
All twenty-something people were sitting upright like soldiers being inspected by a division commander.
“My, everyone must be tired—why didn’t you at least offer them a cup of warm water? There’s clearly a kettle on the stove.”
“Hmph, I figured if they were thirsty, they’d get it themselves. You know how they put up signs in pubs these days?”
“‘Water is self-service’?”
“That’s right!”
“Well, this isn’t that kind of place, so hurry and serve everyone a cup. I’ll go bring something out.”
“W-We’ll pour it ourselves!”
“Good! The younger ones should be moving around. No sense of seniority these days.”
The shamans who had intended to hand the kettle to the Elder very politely began pulling out their own cups and pouring water.
They moved with lightning speed.
Of course, the first people to receive cups of water were the Elder and Ria.
Leaving behind the rather awkward scene, I entered the kitchen and once again opened the old recipe notebook.
-Rustle. Rustle.
The pages with the menus and instructions numbered barely more than ten.
Finding a drink to help with fatigue among them was incredibly easy.
‘Ssanghwa Tea
A bit of water + 3 scoops of powder + 1 jujube + 1 egg yolk floating on top’
This ssanghwa tea was essentially the café’s signature drink.
Even I, who hadn’t visited many dabangs, knew about ssanghwa tea with a floating egg yolk.
And it was a perfect chance to use up that tray of eggs I’d bought with good intentions but were now on the verge of expiring.
Making 25 servings at once was no small task, but thanks to my experience making coffee, the familiar movements helped me finish prep faster than expected.
While the kettle boiled, I placed generous spoonfuls of ssanghwa powder into the lined-up cups, added one dried jujube each, and the prep was done.
-Whistleeee.
The kettle boiled.
I carefully poured water into the cups and stirred them with a spoon, filling the kitchen with a savory aroma.
And the key point was the egg yolk.
Rolling them around between the shell pieces to carefully separate the yolk, I placed one into each cup, and they ended up looking quite appetizing.
Two hands, four trays full of cups.
I had no choice but to call for help again.
“Elder! Please take this! And don’t make the other guests do it!”
“Stop bossing me around. I’m a paying customer too, you know.”
“But I’m short on hands—please just carry this one.”
“Tch, that rascal always disappears saying he’s busy at times like this.”
Grumbling, the Elder still promptly took a tray, and in the blink of an eye, the serving was done.
Thanks to the guests who gathered and hurriedly accepted their ‘rations’ in a fluster.
“I was going to serve coffee, but you all looked like you needed something restorative, so I made ssanghwa tea. Let me know if you’d prefer a different drink.”
“No, thank you! This is great!”
“Much appreciated!”
“Well, it’s nothing fancy, but please enjoy it.”
Something felt strange. I’d noticed it earlier, but everyone was being overly polite. Was it because of the Elder?
“Pfft, what are you so curious about now?”
“They seem too afraid of me. It’s understandable with you, but I don’t see why they’d be like that with me.”
“There are more than enough reasons.”
“Sorry?”
-Slurp.
“Mmm, this is nice. The yolk adds a lovely richness.”
“It’s hot but delicious!”
“Pfft, eat slowly. There are people here who’d panic if you got hurt.”
Looks like he had no intention of explaining things easily.
The consequences of using the Elder as a part-timer had returned too quickly.
Oh well. I had no choice but to ask the people involved directly.
I approached the shamans who had arrived first and looked familiar, casually starting a conversation.
“Does the tea suit your taste?”
“Oh, yes! It’s really good!”
“No need to be so tense. By the way, what brings you here? I heard San sent you?”
“Yes, there's a Divine Tree here too, and the Mountain God said he couldn’t protect both, so he felt uneasy. That’s why…”
“So you all came here to protect the Divine Tree.”
Of course, that wasn’t the whole story.
They were avoiding eye contact like dogs needing to poop, nudging each other with elbows to make someone else speak, clearly hiding something more.
And with the Elder grinning ear to ear, making no effort to hide her amusement, I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
“Is there another reason?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, I wasn’t asking you. I was asking the one behind you.”
(Oh ho, you can see me?)
“I can. More precisely, I see you through this person’s eyes.”
Shamans naturally have their own patron gods, and those gods dwell in their pupils.
I hadn’t felt the need to face them directly to talk, but now I needed someone who could give me a clear answer. No more twenty questions.
But the mood suddenly grew weirder.
Even the Gumiho Elder, who had been smiling moments ago, now looked at me in disbelief.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“You brat… can you actually see the gods they serve?”
“Yes, and I’m talking with one right now.”
“What the…!”
Looks like I’d made another mistake somehow.