Regardless of Eddie’s confused state of mind, work had to be done, so Eddie kept busy that afternoon as well.
He somehow managed to calm Ketron, whose condition was quite poor, and got him to lie down on the bed, patting his chest to help him fall asleep comfortably.
“I hope it’s nice and quiet while Ket sleeps, with absolutely no one making noise so he can rest comfortably.”
“…”
“I mean absolutely no one.”
He didn’t forget to give the holy sword meaningful looks, just in case it might say something to Ketron.
After making sure Ketron had closed his eyes, Eddie left the room and called out to Gerold, who was sweeping the courtyard that had been dirtied by the earlier incident in front of the inn and taking care of various other tasks.
“Gerold, let’s try making a new menu item.”
They needed to work on the new menu that would be launching soon.
Gerold had no difficulty learning the final version of the new inn menu that Eddie had decided on after much deliberation.
With his good manual skills and perhaps with the help of magic, Gerold’s speed was impressive; he was essentially doing the work of ten people by himself.
But watching him, Eddie felt a bit guilty rather than pleased.
Eddie’s inn—was this really okay?
Such thoughts naturally arose in Eddie’s mind. If this were modern times, this would have already been reported to the Department of Labor.
Eddie was the one starting projects, but Gerold was clearly the one doing all the hard work. And considering that he had delivered a message from this ‘E’ person today, he seemed to be acting as some sort of liaison as well… How many people’s worth of work was he handling?
“It’s complete.”
While Eddie was lost in these complicated thoughts, Gerold perfectly recreated the new breakfast menu set.
“Wow.”
Despite his troubled mind, Eddie couldn’t help but genuinely admire it. The glossy udon noodles in clear broth, and next to it, rice topped with perfectly soft-boiled eggs drizzled with just the right amount of sesame oil and soy sauce.
Along with that, a small salad and meat dish made with vegetables and meat bought directly from the market—the whole meal had a magical power to stimulate appetite even though Eddie had already eaten.
As expected, familiar tastes were truly powerful.
But the enchantment with this delicious-looking food didn’t last long. Instead, it only pricked Eddie’s faint conscience.
The conscience of a boss who had left most of the work—cleaning, dishwashing, cooking, greeting guests—to Gerold alone.
“Um, well. Gerold.”
Eddie scratched his cheek as he called out to Gerold.
“Yes.”
True to his always obedient nature toward Eddie, Gerold responded quietly.
After hesitating for a moment, Eddie finally spoke slowly.
“Gerold, what do you think of me?”
Oh, now that he said it, the nuance was…
Feeling that the nuance seemed too strange, Eddie was about to wave his hands in embarrassment when Gerold looked at him quietly and said,
“As a servant I only follow orders; there’s no need to ask for my opinion.”
At this unexpected answer, Eddie responded with a confused “Huh?” But Gerold continued as if Eddie’s reaction didn’t matter, speaking as if it were the most natural thing.
“I am your hands and feet.”
“…”
“And they do not betray their master.”
There was no hesitation in his voice as he willingly declared himself to be Eddie’s hands and feet.
“Always do as you wish.”
I will simply follow, Master Eddie.
With those final words, Gerold, who rarely spoke at length, finished speaking.
Eddie’s gaze became somewhat dazed.
Before all this talk about hands and feet, Gerold had referred to himself as a “servant.”
Whose? Eddie’s.
Yes, now that he thought about it.
Eddie belatedly noticed one fact.
Gerold always called Eddie “Master Eddie,” using the highest honorific. A normal employee would typically call him “Boss” or if using his name, perhaps “Mr. Eddie.”
But he always called him Master Eddie. As if he were a master Gerold had to serve.
As if the subject was not the inn, but “Eddie” himself.
Eddie now realized he had been under a major misunderstanding.
Gerold was not merely a capable employee of “Eddie’s inn.”
He was a capable subordinate of “Eddie.”
He was simply working for the inn because Eddie wanted to run it.
Though it might seem trivial, this difference was quite significant.
Eddie stared blankly at the man who declared himself his servant. Though his appearance seemed cold, and he did indeed have cynical aspects, Gerold had been faithful to Eddie from the moment he opened his eyes in this place.
The only time he had opposed Eddie’s decisions or expressed dissatisfaction was when Eddie brought Ketron inside.
Other than that, he had never opposed any of Eddie’s decisions or shown dissatisfaction with what he was asked to do.
Upon realizing this, Eddie made a decision in his heart.
“…Gerold.”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to hire a new employee for you.”
Eddie said with a resolute voice. Perplexity filled Gerold’s blue eyes, and he could be seen tilting his head. As if he couldn’t understand how this conversation had led to that conclusion.
But Eddie was serious.
If Gerold was a person for Eddie.
Wouldn’t they also need someone for the inn?
But beyond that, the thought that this was worker exploitation wouldn’t leave his mind, even if Gerold did declare himself Eddie’s servant.
As expected, Gerold nodded without questioning Eddie’s decision.
“I will make flyers and post them.”
Of course, Eddie only realized later that this too was just adding one more task to Gerold’s workload.
* * *
Plop.
“Ugh.”
When Eddie finally collapsed his tired body onto the bed, evening had fallen and darkness surrounded him.
Just that morning, he had thought the biggest event of the day would be finalizing the breakfast menu, but as if mocking him, events of unimaginable scale had struck Eddie one after another.
Augustine’s appearance, Ketron’s panic, E’s message, the Emperor, Gerold.
And, Eddie.
“…”
With a sigh, Eddie buried his face in his pillow.
The most concerning thing was undoubtedly Ketron’s unstable condition, but the most shocking was the original Eddie.
It was something he had thought about several times already. Who exactly was the original ‘Eddie’ in the story?
The owner of an inn that, while humble, was located in an exceptionally prime location. No family came to visit, and he didn’t seem to have friends either.
The only person around was the magician Gerold, who for some unknown reason was handling minor tasks in such a place.
And the fact that the forgotten holy sword hero Ketron happened to collapse right in front of Eddie’s inn.
…Was all of this just coincidence?
When Eddie discovered Ketron collapsed in front of his inn, he had thought: could such an incredible coincidence really exist?
He probably also thought he was lucky.
But what if none of it was coincidence?
What if everything in this world, including himself, was being controlled by some force behind the scenes?
What if he too was merely one of the pawns?
If so, what was ‘Eddie’s’ role in the story? Why had Lee Jeong-hoon become Eddie specifically?
The more he questioned this, the more Eddie felt a guilt-like emotion pricking at his skin.
Ever since his possession, Eddie had carried a corner of guilt in his heart.
As if he had stolen ‘Eddie’s’ life.
Isn’t this a concern all possession subjects would have at some point, unless they had inhabited the body of someone already dead?
Moreover, this was his second life. Since everyone was basically given only one life, this was a sort of bonus.
But if that bonus came at the expense of someone else, it couldn’t help but be a burden on Eddie, who had been an utterly ordinary citizen.
Although all this had started as a force majeure beyond Eddie’s control, if an absolute being were to appear right now and say, “Oh, my mistake. Could you give that body back?”, could he hand over this body without any qualms?
“…”
Probably not. He was no longer Lee Jeong-hoon but Eddie now.
Eddie sighed deeply. No amount of sighing seemed enough. His chest felt tight.
This feeling—a vague sense of frustration he hadn’t felt since he first accepted his death and possession—was depressing.
Come on. In times like these, sleep is best.
In that overwhelming uncertainty, Eddie curled up his body and closed his eyes.
Perhaps because he was mentally exhausted, Eddie fell asleep without even properly recognizing that he was doing so, as if his consciousness simply shut off.
How long had he been asleep?
At some moment in the early dawn, Eddie’s eyes suddenly flew open. Having fallen asleep almost like passing out, he looked around with a momentarily confused face before belatedly realizing he was not alone.
Someone had entered his room in the stillness of dawn.