Chapter 2: The first dish after returning home: Chicken Cutlet (2)

“Uh… Selly? You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you.”

“Are you feeling okay? Did something happen?”

“I want to talk to you face to face, but can you let go for a bit?”

Shake, shake.

“Come on, it’s been 10 minutes already…”

Shake, shake.

Selly, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, had changed a lot from the memory I had of her.

I guess she’d become a little more spoiled compared to before?

At first, I tried to step back and talk to her, but I gave up and patted Selly’s head.

She calmly accepted my touch.

‘If it were before, she would have pushed my hand away.’

I guess she’s really happy to see me.

Well, it’s only normal to overflow with emotion if a family member, who was lost so long ago that we didn’t even know if they were dead or alive, came back.

I’d written letters from time to time, but you can’t know for sure without seeing someone in person.

As Selly and I quietly embraced each other, Olek, who I didn’t know had arrived, clicked his tongue.

“Raising a daughter is useless. Is that really how much you like it?”

“Let it go now. Don’t make it harder on the guy with the injured leg.”

“The leg? Did you hurt your leg?”

Selly, who had been silent until then, finally broke the hug and looked at my leg.

When she saw my prosthetic leg, her expression froze, and then tears started rolling down her face.

“I’m sorry…”

“Why is Selly sorry?”

“If I… If I hadn’t asked to go watch the mercenaries, this wouldn’t have happened…”

It seems that Selly believes I was forced to join the mercenaries because I left without saying anything.

At that time, the situation on the frontlines was dire, so such things happened often.

I joined voluntarily, but I’m not sure if I should call it a blessing.

The mercenaries actually thought highly of me.

Wiping Selly’s tears, I shook my head.

“It was my choice. You did nothing wrong.”

“But Kyle, your leg!”

“My arms are still fine, right? Even without one leg, I’m fine. Well, it might be a little harder to carry you around like before.”

At my words, Selly, who had been crying, looked at me with a strange expression.

“When… when did all of this happen…?”

Alright, time to change the subject.

I decided to switch topics.

“Anyway, it’s been so long since we met like this. Are you going to keep doing this? Let’s eat and talk. Uncle, you haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“Yeah. I smell something delicious. Did you cook this?”

“Yeah. I finally got to show off my skills. I didn’t have time for it before.”

At my words, Selly finally looked at my dish.

She tilted her head.

“What’s this? Bread? It smells like something fried in oil?”

“It’s a dish from where I used to live… It’s better to try it than for me to explain. Sit down.”

“Okay.”

At my words, Olek and Selly sat down, and I handed them a plate with chicken cutlets.

Selly, unfamiliar with the dish, carefully took the knife.

Crisp!

The crispy coating crumbled with a pleasant sound.

The chicken breast was sliced smoothly and entered my mouth along with the crispy coating.

Selly, with a small piece of chicken cutlet in her mouth, chewed and then opened her eyes wide.

“How is it? Is it okay?”

“Yeah! What is this? It’s amazing!”

Selly’s expression, which had been tearful earlier, brightened up as though the sadness had been a lie.

She seemed to be thinking that she needed to eat more and immediately cut more of the cutlet and put it in her mouth.

It felt worth the effort I’d put into making it.

My eyes shifted to someone else.

“Uncle, you—”

Munch, munch, munch—

“…No, never mind. Keep eating.”

Uncle Olek, not even bothering to cut it, picked up the chicken cutlet with his fork and ate it whole.

I couldn’t help but let out a faint laugh at his tough eating style while I cut my own piece and put it in my mouth.

Crisp! Crisp! Crisp!

Delicious.

First, the crispy texture of the coating and the soft chicken breast inside create a layered experience.

And thanks to the short cooking time, the moist meat harmonizes perfectly with the buttery oil absorbed by the coating.

The finishing touch is the spread of butter and cheese flavors on my tongue!

This savory, umami taste is truly the cheat code of the culinary world.

And then, a subtle cheese aroma lingers?

It feels like my tongue and stomach, which had been tortured by tasteless meals, are finally celebrating as if they are getting real food.

However, I did feel a slight regret about the taste.

‘The lack of ingredients is noticeable.’

This chicken cutlet is delicious, but not perfect.

The pepper and paprika powder should have balanced the richness and monotony, but since they were missing, the balance didn’t quite match.

I smiled bitterly to myself.

‘What’s the use of looking for what’s missing.’

Though not relatively perfect, this chicken cutlet is still a wonderful dish.

Fried meat is usually delicious, and if the seasoning is right, it’s hard for it to be bad.

Especially when I think about the meals I’ve had traveling here.

What is the typical meal for travelers?

Bread as hard as stone and soup as thin as water.

And jerky that’s salty enough to replace salt!

Even at inns we occasionally stopped at, what they served was something like eternal stew.

It was that kind of dish, made by throwing in whatever ingredients were available and boiling it constantly.

Even as a modern Korean, trained on army stew and bibimbap, I couldn’t help but lose my appetite at the overwhelming look of it.

‘Fortunately, it seems to suit the taste of the people here.’

I paused my meal for a moment and watched Uncle Olek and Selly eat.

Uncle Olek had already finished his portion of the cutlet and was now picking up onions and corn.

Selly, too, was completely absorbed in her meal, her expression focused.

Uncle Olek, having cleared his plate, wiped his mouth and then asked me.

“Where have you been eating all this time?”

“Are you seriously asking me that now? How long has it been since we last met?”

“No, I just thought you looked too neat to be someone who’s been farming. But this… how on earth have you ever eaten something like this? Are you a prince or something?”

“Why does that matter? What I’m saying is, it was delicious.”

“It was incredible. If I ate like this every day, even my wife in the afterlife would get jealous and come down.”

As I chuckled at his absurd expression, Uncle Olek made a disappointed sound.

“It would have been perfect with beer.”

“That sounds great. Where’s the beer? It’s been a while since I had a big meal with you.”

“No, we need to eat and get back to work.”

“Oh, are you still busy these days?”

“Don’t even mention it. The mayor is pestering me daily about collecting military equipment. Does he think military equipment grows in the fields?”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

I felt a sense of doubt about Uncle Olek’s complaint.

‘I heard that the war is almost over, but why are they still gathering military supplies?’

Is it that the front line situation hasn’t reached here yet?

I briefly thought about it, then shook my head.

‘No, let’s stop thinking about it. We’re not part of the warrior party anymore.’

It’s the mayor’s job.

In other words, it’s the kind of thing an old adventurer like him shouldn’t be involved in.

It’s a bad habit of mine to keep poking my nose into things I shouldn’t.

I should’ve learned my lesson after losing my leg.

‘I’ll live for myself now.’

I really need to open a chicken shop soon.

While I was lost in those thoughts, Uncle Olek asked in an indifferent tone.

“So, have you thought about what you’re going to do with your life?”

“Huh?”

“If your leg’s like that, walking around is out of the question. It’s time for you to settle down.”

“Ah, yes. You’re right.”

“If you haven’t thought of anything else, come to the forge starting tomorrow and help me with my work. Once you’re used to it, you can take over.”

“Huh? What? Suddenly?”

Startled by his sudden declaration, I asked again, and Uncle Olek replied as if it was no big deal.

“I can’t leave the forge to a daughter who can’t even hold a hammer. You’ve helped quite a bit, and since you’ve lived by the sword, you probably have the stamina.”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Do as I say.”

When I didn’t answer right away, Selly intervened.

Selly looked worried.

“You’ve been through all that outside. Don’t go out anymore, stay here. If anything happens when you go out again, I… ”

I felt my heart warm as I listened to Uncle Olek and Selly’s words.

I had lost my family in this new world.

But I already had a new family.

I just hadn’t realized it yet.

With that feeling in my heart, I responded.

“Thank you, Uncle Olek. Selly. I really appreciate you thinking of me like that.”

“Well-”

“However, I don’t think I can take over the forge. I already have something else I’ve decided to do.”

“What?”

Selly’s expression hardened at my words.

Uncle Olek asked.

“What do you want to do? What are you planning?”

“A chicken shop.”

“A chicken shop? What’s that?”

“It’s a restaurant. A place specializing in chicken dishes.”

“Are you going to sell what we just ate?”

“There’s even better food than that.”

“Better than this? Ha, looks like you won’t be needing to suck your fingers after failing.”

Uncle Olek nodded at my words and said,

“Then, take Selly with you.”

“Take her? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you’ll need someone to serve food and clean, right? Hire her. Or just take her along.”

“Shouldn’t you ask Selly if she wants to go?”

Selly immediately replied.

“I’ll do it!”

“Is that alright?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

“There are plenty of empty buildings these days, so find a suitable one. As for cooking tools, you can use whatever’s in my forge. If there’s something you don’t have, let me know, and I’ll make it for you.”

“Thank you, Uncle Olek.”

“Before that, your prosthetic limb should come first. Eat up, then come to the forge. I’ll make you a sturdy one.”

“Didn’t you say you were busy? If the mayor says something-”

“Who cares? If he’s annoyed, tell him to make it himself!”

Wow, is this the strength of a medieval blacksmith?

I admired Uncle Olek’s abilities anew and accepted his kindness.