The next day, Eddie had this thought for the first time while looking in the mirror.
I look ugly.
No matter how handsome a face is, when it swells up like a balloon, its beauty fades. His eyes were so puffy that even a frog prince wouldn’t feel out of place asking to be friends.
Hmm, Sebastian wouldn’t mind, but this face isn’t really something I want to show Ket or Gerold.
For Gerold, it was obvious he would make a fuss if he saw this face that clearly proved Eddie had been crying heavily last night, and as for Ket…
…I don’t want to show such an ugly face to Ket.
Maybe he should grab a disposable mask from the convenience store. A KF94 mask would probably hide this ugly face somehow.
Though he grumbled internally, Eddie ultimately began his day without wearing a mask.
In truth, Gerold handled most tasks with magic, and with newcomer Sebastian taking care of the remaining smaller tasks, Eddie didn’t have much to do.
Knock, knock.
Eddie knocked on the next room’s door, holding a broom and mop. Of course, he did this knowing Ketron would be out at this time.
Since Gerold seemed to have no intention of cleaning this room, Eddie had taken on the responsibility of cleaning Ketron’s room exclusively for quite some time.
“Excuse me!”
With no answer, Eddie entered the room.
The interior was very neat with hardly any traces of habitation. Eddie couldn’t help but admire the perfectly folded blanket. It was so crisp and angular it reminded him of military-style bed making.
The clothes Eddie had discreetly bought for Ketron while they were out together were also neatly arranged in the corner.
He had only bought a few things that wouldn’t bother Ketron, and even then, finding clothes that fit Ketron’s overwhelming physical proportions wasn’t easy, which made Eddie regret not being able to buy more.
Since many people in this world had clothes custom-made, perhaps he should look into that option.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Eddie’s gaze wandered around the room and fell on the holy sword.
After Eddie nearly got seriously injured once, the holy sword had been moved from beside the bed to a corner by the wall, where it now gleamed quietly.
“…”
Looks like he didn’t take it with him today.
As always when entering this room, Eddie stared at the holy sword as if entranced.
It truly is a magnificent sword, no matter how many times I see it. Such a shame that cloth completely wrapped around the blade.
After staring blankly at the holy sword for a moment, Eddie began cleaning. Thanks to Ketron’s meticulous nature, there wasn’t much dust.
As Eddie swept away dust with the broom and mopped the floor, reminiscing about the robot vacuum cleaner he once used so well, he started cleaning the floor in front of the holy sword.
Eddie lifted his head, feeling something gently tapping the top of his head.
“…?”
There was only the holy sword in front of him, and naturally, no one else in the room.
Strange. Eddie tilted his head puzzledly, then resumed mopping the floor, only to feel another tap-tap on top of his head.
This time, certain he hadn’t imagined it, Eddie looked up to see a thread-like tassel dangling from the end of the sword’s hilt, swaying in the air.
“…”
Eddie stared at the holy sword with a blank expression.
…Huh?
Ketron had never told Eddie that he was the true hero, nor had he ever mentioned that his sword was the holy sword.
No matter how close he and Eddie had become, that remained Ketron’s sore spot.
Naturally, Eddie had pretended not to know that the holy sword had a soul, that it could understand human speech and think for itself—that it was an Ego Sword.
Though the holy sword had once stopped for Eddie’s safety in the past, well, most people would consider that a coincidence.
But now.
Despite Eddie’s blank stare, the tassel hesitated briefly before gently settling on top of Eddie’s head again.
Swoosh, swoosh.
Eddie’s expression remained blank at the gesture that seemed like a pat on the head.
So, so this is, um. So.
If he wasn’t misunderstanding, this was probably…
“Are you comforting me?”
When Eddie asked, the tassel paused momentarily, but soon resumed its swoosh-swoosh movement. Eddie, still not fully comprehending the situation and wearing a dazed expression at the feather-light sensation on his head, soon broke into a bright smile.
“Thank you.”
Even after this acknowledgment, the tassel continued stroking his head a few more times before suddenly withdrawing as if nothing had happened, hanging limply.
Though clearly inaudible, Eddie could almost hear a scoffing “Hmph.”
Tsundere.
Eddie thought to himself but was wise enough not to voice this aloud.
Of course, the holy sword wouldn’t know what that meant anyway.
* * *
Eddie’s inn continued its peaceful days regardless of the owner’s condition.
“Peaceful my foot.”
Although Eddie’s inn’s kimchi machine #1, Sebastian, seemed to have a different opinion, overall it was peaceful.
Sebastian’s work wasn’t too bad either—aside from having to sit and concentrate intensely for several hours, the rest of his time was generally restful, so he didn’t have major complaints about the work itself.
However, he often wore a disgruntled expression, perhaps because he was mass-producing food whose final form he still didn’t know, with no tangible results to show for it yet, and because his supervisor was intimidating.
Eddie brought pre-made kimchi from the convenience store for Sebastian, who still couldn’t grasp the concept of kimchi.
Sebastian wore an ambiguous expression when he first tasted kimchi, with its strange smell, peculiar appearance, and unfamiliar taste that seemed somewhat spicy.
“Why are we making this?”
“Well, it will become the foundation for many of Eddie’s inn’s future dishes.”
“This?”
Sebastian looked like he wanted to dissuade Eddie. His face clearly said, “If you put this on the menu, everyone will run away!” His expression revealed a growing dislike for kimchi.
For foreigners, kimchi could be endlessly unfamiliar. In some ways, it might even seem “disgusting.” That’s the nature of fermented foods.
But isn’t everything a matter of getting used to it? As a child, Jeong-hoon would yell “Ham!” while rinsing kimchi with water before eating it, but as an adult, he became a kimchi enthusiast.
Of course, Eddie had no intention of immediately serving garlic-scented kimchi to the people of the Reneva Empire. All approaches would be careful and gradual.
That’s why they were making this kimchi.
“Can’t we just use this?”
Sebastian, apparently aware that the items Eddie brought from the basement were almost unlimited, protested while holding up the kimchi packaging, but Eddie shook his head.
“Well, store-bought kimchi is excellent too.”
But isn’t that how it always is? That pride in saying, “My family’s kimchi is the most delicious.”
Jeong-hoon’s family in particular had a rural ancestral home where dozens of village women would gather during kimchi season for large-scale kimchi-making operations producing hundreds of cabbages at once.
His grandmother’s kimchi filling, which she made without even measuring the seasoning, was legendary in itself. There was no way Eddie could be satisfied with store-bought kimchi.
“And I like fresh kimchi too, but they don’t have any.”
Unfortunately, fresh kimchi wasn’t available at his convenience store.
In the end, Sebastian’s small rebellion was easily suppressed. Given the inherent employer-employee relationship, Sebastian had no grounds for refusal anyway.
Still concerned that Sebastian might get bored with the repetitive work, Eddie spotted Ketron coming down from the second floor.
“Ket!”
Eddie greeted him cheerfully.
“Don’t come here, wait there for a moment!”
When Ketron immediately tried to approach where Eddie was, Eddie waved him off as if telling him not to enter the kitchen. The kitchen was currently a mess because of the red pepper powder and cabbage.
Sebastian grumbled. Ketron was definitely Eddie’s lover. The way he cherished him was evident.
Ketron paused briefly at Eddie’s words, then instead of heading to the kitchen, took a seat at the dining table where he could clearly see the kitchen.
Eddie watched him and said with a pleased voice:
“Doesn’t he look like a cat?”
Sebastian didn’t understand what that meant for a while, but when he finally did, his expression soured.
This was an insult. As a cat owner, that was an insult to cats.