Chapter 135

Just because Ju-hyeon had finally come to his senses, it did not mean he was afraid of Black Cloak now.

"You have awakened after quite some time, so I prepared porridge for your first meal."

"You know how to make porridge too?"

"I may not look it, but I know how to make most dishes."

"It smells wonderful. Thank you."

Having recovered his energy while he slept, Ju-hyeon smiled amiably and expressed his thanks.

'A monster is cooking porridge??'

Of course, that was separate from what he felt inside.

Inwardly, Ju-hyeon broke out in a cold sweat amid deep bewilderment and a truly absurd state of mind.

An evil god who cooked by hand, served that food to a human, and expressed pride in his own actions.

A large part of the reason he was not immediately frightening was because of that absurdity.

'No, even if he is an evil god, this is... If anything, calling him an evil god makes it even stranger.'

The Association had reported Black Cloak as a monster, but Ju-hyeon, who had built up a certain amount of experience himself, knew the reality.

From time to time, the Association would hide the truth for various purposes in the name of the greater good.

This seemed similar.

But he still could not understand it.

There were very rare cases where a god would serve a meal for the sake of a mere human.

But no matter what, they did not cook it themselves.

'On top of that, if I think of this world as a kind of dungeon, it becomes even harder to explain.'

'Among monsters, only those that meet the qualifications can create dungeons of their own.'

'But gods... A god shouldn't have anything that could be called a dungeon they stay in, should they?'

Ju-hyeon stopped thinking around there.

"... It's good?"

Because the porridge was delicious.

"This is the best porridge I've ever eaten in my life."

"It makes me happy that you are enjoying it."

"Why is porridge this good? Is this allowed?"

It was not some ridiculous flattery.

It was shock and astonishment that truly came from the heart.

Ju-hyeon did not particularly like porridge.

Porridge was usually food meant to greatly swell up what little rice there was, or else food eaten when one was sick.

But the porridge Black Cloak served was so delicious it made his brain ache.

"Porridge can be this good?"

"From a cook's standpoint, that was the happiest praise I could hear."

"You're amazing. This flavor and texture... I don't think I'd ever get tired of eating it every day."

For the first time in a long while, pure admiration came out of him instead of social maneuvering.

"It's really good."

Uncharacteristically, he kept saying the same thing over and over like an idiot.

The grains of rice in the porridge had nearly melted away, so its softness was similar to thin rice gruel.

But the fluffy traces of rice still remained, giving it a texture that crumbled softly, as though the rice grains from well-made sikhye had been simmered warm like a restorative meal.

And just as gently, the nutty savor and sweetness unique to rice spread through his mouth.

The vegetables tucked here and there were chewed with a mellow warmth as well, and in particular, the generous amount of meat added a hearty fullness.

'It feels really filling somehow...'

Beef bone broth?

"... Did you use beef bone broth?"

"Well guessed. You have a talent for gourmet food."

"A t-talent is a bit much..."

"Thank you for savoring it so deeply."

A bright smile bloomed over that pale face.

For some reason, Black Cloak looked genuinely pleased.

"I gave you a small portion because it was the first meal. Would you like more?"

"Ah..."

When he came to his senses, he saw the empty bowl.

"... If it isn't too much trouble, please."

He felt extremely embarrassed, as though he were causing trouble for none other than an evil god, but shamelessly accepted another bowl.

"Would you like more side dishes as well?"

"Yes, if you would..."

"It's good to see you eating so well."

Though it was porridge, it was a dish with an impressive sense of fullness.

But perhaps because he truly liked seeing someone eat well apart from that, Black Cloak brought back a larger bowl filled to the brim with porridge.

"I think the first portion I gave you was too small, so I increased the amount."

"T-Thank you."

"I made it to be as easy to digest as possible, but it would be best if you did not overeat."

"Yes... I'll do that."

The porridge Black Cloak served melted smoothly in his mouth like cotton candy.

Even as he could fully feel the shape of the rice grains, the texture seemed to melt over his tongue, and he could tell just how much care had been taken in rolling the rice.

'And it somehow feels like a restorative dish.'

It seemed to have a faint scent of medicinal herbs too...

"..."

Medicinal herbs?

"... Um, Black Cloak... sir?"

"You may call me by the name Jio, Mr. Ju-hyeon."

"Yes, Mr. Jio. Does this perhaps contain medicine?"

"...? I did not add any medicine separately."

"I see."

"Aside from the rice, I used ingredients produced here."

"Ah, thank you for explaining."

Ju-hyeon thanked him with a good-natured face, but his insides were nowhere near as peaceful.

'Ingredients produced here?'

It was information that left him no choice but to break out in a cold sweat inwardly.

Strength went rigidly into his smiling lips.

Ju-hyeon recalled the fairy-tale-like scenery he had taken in as soon as he woke.

That dreamlike sight that shook a person just by looking at it.

'What are the odds that ingredients produced in the mysterious grounds of a being with divinity are ordinary ingredients?'

An age overflowing with every kind of strangeness and mystery.

Among it all, Ju-hyeon had studied a great deal in order to be of help to the world.

In particular, he knew the influence the act of "eating" held within mysteries.

'Was I just... something... eating a mystery in the form of porridge far too boldly?'

But the porridge was delicious.

"..."

NOM.

Food had done nothing wrong.

'... This body was already thrown away anyway.'

Ju-hyeon had even intended to surrender to impulse and become an offering to Sankalut.

Even if he were to become something nonhuman in the arms of an unknown mystery at this point, well, it did not seem like it would be a great blow.

When he finished the meal with a strangely bittersweet feeling, Black Cloak asked.

"For dessert tea, would you prefer something clean, or a sweet tea?"

"... A clean tea?"

"Do you not enjoy sweet things?"

"That's not it, but when it comes to tea, I prefer something nutty..."

"A nutty tea."

Black Cloak, who made a gesture as though thinking of something, blinked twice.

"Most teas brewed from grains have a strong nutty taste."

"That is true."

"I will keep that in mind for the next meal."

"... Thank you?"

Ju-hyeon suddenly felt afraid because Black Cloak seemed to be showing a will to improve in entertaining his guest.

Even now, he was already wondering, "Didn't I just consume something from a realm humans should not eat?"

Soon after, Black Cloak brought out a cup of tea tinted with a warm shade of blue.

"It is a tea excellent for restoring immunity."

"Ah, I see. Thank you for your consideration."

For an instant, the suspicion, "Is it really only at the level of restoring immunity?" crossed his mind, but half out of resignation that his body was already discarded, and half bewitched by that rapturous scent, Ju-hyeon took the tea into his mouth.

The aroma was as sweet as cream, but the taste itself was clean.

"... It's nice."

"It is a tea brewed from flowers dried from this forest."

"I saw the forest you mentioned from the terrace of the room you gave me."

"Isn't it peaceful and beautiful?"

"Yes, looking at it made my heart feel at ease."

The moment the tea warmed his body, Ju-hyeon felt his reason growing clearer and clearer.

"...?"

Was it just his imagination?

'Calling this my imagination feels like too shameless a thing to do.'

What am I drinking right now?

'Something about this makes me uneasy. If I were an Awakened with an emotion skill, could I check it?'

Ju-hyeon, who was not an Awakened, did not know it well, but Baibamnil flower tea, when taken into an ordinary human body, reorganized the cells and made it constantly immune to minor illnesses.

When one consumed a panacea of The Root, a mere human brain could not remain sagging and exhausted.

There was a reason the previous visitor, Yu Seongun, had feared, "At this rate, I'll die before my time in a different sense."

But Ju-hyeon, unaware of that reality, merely sipped the delicious tea.

"Hmm..."

Now that his head was clear, only then did he feel as though he could breathe.

"Am I perhaps drinking a tea that is too precious?"

"What is there to be precious about when it comes to food? In the end, it goes into a person's mouth."

"That is true."

Human society, where people staked their lives on a single panacea or potion, came to mind, but Ju-hyeon did not go out of his way to bring up those humans' greed and desperation to refute Black Cloak's words.

Ju-hyeon was an excellent practitioner of social maneuvering.

Only then did Ju-hyeon gradually gain the motivation to grasp and organize the situation.

"I was very rude when we first met."

"I think I caused such rudeness because I was in such a chaotic situation."

"Thanks to your consideration, I believe I have recovered a great deal."

At the time, when he had been swept up in destructive impulses, he had quite literally given up everything.

But Ju-hyeon, who had roughly regained clear reason, began calculating the situation he was in.

There was no special reason for it.

It was simply the habit of someone skilled at social maneuvering who had lived his whole life measuring everything.

A habit that had allowed him to endure everything even from an unfavorable position.

"May I introduce myself properly?"

"As much as you like."

"I am Ju-hyeon."

"I have no surname, and I turn thirty-six this year."

"I am Jio."

"I have various names, but at present, I am twenty-nine."

"To receive help from someone so young leaves me with no face."

He spoke as though joking, but Ju-hyeon's insides were still a mess.

'Twenty-nine...? Surely he doesn't mean that literally. Is this some kind of play?'

'Or a role?'

'Considering most evil gods enjoy a kind of amusement, he may be immersed in the setting of a twenty-nine-year-old young man named Jio... Does having various names refer to how Black Cloak's colors changed?'

He was fully occupied with acquiring and organizing as much information on Black Cloak as possible.

'If my memory is not wrong, he has black hair now, but there were times he changed to platinum blond or red hair.'

'But even when his color did not change, there were times he acted as though his personality had changed.'

'If I compare him to a human, is he an actor?'

'Or perhaps the expression that he changes clothes really is more fitting.'

Ju-hyeon ran his fingers over the transparent glass teacup where blue tea rippled.

"You may already know this, but I worked at the Association's research lab."

"The Association's research lab. I understand it is a place with a rather harsh working environment."

"Yes, though there were various incidents, and I am currently suspended."

"It seems you had many exhausting matters. You need rest."

Black Cloak nodded and asked.

"Then what would you like for dessert?"

"..."

Is he listening to me?

'... Since the other party isn't human, I can't tell whether this might be consideration of some kind, or if he really has no interest.'

'He introduced himself as an evil god, so I tried reciting my misfortune, but there is no reaction... Why?'

The reason an evil god, no, simply a god, approached a human was because they wanted to use a toy they liked for a purpose they liked.

But Black Cloak did not seem the least bit interested in Ju-hyeon's unfortunate circumstances.

Ju-hyeon, who had cast out a kind of bait, was inwardly flustered, but as expected, he did not show it and answered with an amiable smile.

"Hmm, let's see. What desserts do you have?"

"There are small cakes, fruit pudding, and ice cream."

"In that case, may I ask for pudding?"

"Of course."

The pudding was soon brought by a plush teddy bear.

"..."

"Thank you for your help, Father."

The teddy bear is his father?

"Thanks to you, I always receive a great deal of help."

"Coo coo coo..."

Did it laugh with a coo-coo?

'I feel like I had a similar thought before I fell asleep.'

Feeling a strange sense of deja vu, Ju-hyeon forced his face, which was about to twist subtly, to straighten.

As someone who was not Awakened, he did not know that the Sun God was inside the soft-looking teddy bear before his eyes, but he did know it was not ordinary.

When Jio turned back to him, Ju-hyeon quickly put on a neat smile.

"Thank you for the pudding."

"Coo coo."

The teddy bear nodded, then took its own share of pudding and went outside the house together with a large cat.

Seeing Ju-hyeon look at the cat's swaying jewel tail, Black Cloak added an explanation.

"There are chairs and a table outside the cabin."

"The sun is rising, so perhaps he intends to enjoy a snack while watching it with Dana."

"Ah... Dana?"

"That is the name of the long-haired cat you saw just now."

"I brought her from a dungeon called Jewel Vein and began raising her, and at some point, she grew quite a lot."

"She is also a child I raise like a daughter."

"I see. I can feel your affection."

As expected, Ju-hyeon's insides were noisy.

'If it's a cat he met in Jewel Vein... jewel fur... long-haired... Is it an anti-cat after all?'

'But anti-cats were said to be monsters as small as kittens.'

'No matter how much time passed, they did not grow beyond that state, so people thought that was their complete form.'

'But there was room for further growth?'

It was information that, if reported to academia, would get him grabbed by the collar with someone demanding, "Where did you witness such precious information all by yourself?"

But Ju-hyeon soon swallowed a hollow laugh.

He wondered what all this worry was for when he had even been suspended from the Association.

"The pudding..."

"I added a fruit called goby fruit."

"There are fruits like that too. This is the first I've heard of it."

"It is the most common fruit in this forest, and its sweetness is strong."

"It has a lovely fragrance."

"I also aged and added a fruit called weeping hem."

"It seems like a great deal of care went into it."

Out of habit, he maneuvered socially with a good-natured smile and scooped up a bite of pudding.

"..."

"Is it delicious?"

"It's so delicious that I don't know if I'm allowed to eat it."

"It is not worthy of such excessive praise."

"No, truly..."

Whether it contained milk or not, the pudding was nutty and full of the sweet scent of fruit.

It quite literally melted in his mouth and vanished as though seeping into his tongue.

Even though a faint sourness lingered, the creamy flavor of the pudding was exquisite.

"..."

And he felt as though he was becoming healthier.

"... It's too good."

He was not quite sure whether it was truly just his imagination.

Why did my eyesight improve?