Chapter 9: Chicken and Palenque (5)

“How good can it be?”

The bald mercenary chimed in, adding to the conversation.

“I can’t trust your taste buds. You always eat weird spicy stuff.”

Miltein vehemently denied it, waving his hands.

“No, really. I’ve tasted it too, and you’ll be satisfied.”

Well, if there’s such a skeptical customer, making them believe and recognize the taste would be an achievement. I carefully placed the marinated chicken into the now boiling oil.

Plop. Plop.

-Sssssss!

The sizzling sound of the frying chicken filled the air, drawing all the mercenaries’ attention. Rurin, who had been dutifully serving beers, returned and eyed the chicken hungrily.

“No touching. Your portion is set aside. Just serve this first, alright? We’re a team, so give it your all!”

“Understood! Because we’re a team!”

“Yes, so move along now.”

Half bone-in, half boneless chicken. Whether driven by hunger or my urging, Rurin dutifully served the chicken dishes to the tables.

The mercenaries eyed the golden-brown chicken curiously. Ment grabbed a drumstick and bit into it, revealing the steaming white meat inside. The crispy skin crackled with each bite, enticing the others to follow suit.

“Ooh?”

“Wow!”

The reactions were immediate. Of course, they were. Chicken and beer are a match made in heaven. Especially when the chicken is enhanced with various secret ingredients and Merton mushroom powder for that extra garlic flavor.

“Ment! How did you find a place like this? The guy known as the taste-destroyer?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Shut up and eat!”

With his comrades pleased, Ment began to laugh heartily.

At the bar, Knoll and Reine were equally impressed. Especially Knoll, who found the boneless chicken quite fascinating, shoving large pieces into his mouth and gulping down beer.

As I continued to serve all the chicken, the restaurant turned into a lively beer and chicken party.

When the atmosphere reached its peak, Miltein approached me with a meaningful glance.

I knew what he meant. He wanted me to bring out the special dish he had requested. I nodded and took out the Buldak Bokkemyeon.

I boiled the water and cooked the noodles, then drained them and mixed in the sauce. I also prepared some cheese Buldak Bokkemyeon in case the spice was too much. The goal wasn’t to torture but to satisfy Ment with something special from Miltein.

“Ment, could you come to the bar table?”

I gestured for him to sit next to Knoll at the bar.

“What’s this?”

“Your junior asked me to prepare a special dish as a token of appreciation. He said you like spicy food.”

“This guy?”

Ment looked surprised, turning to Miltein.

“Well, you didn’t have to say that much…”

Miltein, usually the confident type, was now bashful, squirming in his seat. It was quite a sight to see a manly guy blush like that.

“Anyway, it’s ready. Haha!”

“Hey! Is Ment the only senior? What about us?”

“Exactly!”

“We all helped him too, you know?”

The other mercenaries couldn’t hold back their laughter, raising their voices. True to their nature as mercenaries.

I placed the steaming bowl of Buldak Bokkemyeon in front of Ment, who was now seated at the bar. He looked at the dish with a somewhat awkward expression.

“It’s quite spicy. Are you sure you can handle it?”

“That’s exactly what I want. This guy must have heard me complain once or twice.”

Ment nodded and picked up a fork.

“By the way, this isn’t a regular menu item. It’s something special I prepared just for this occasion.”

“Oh, really?”

“I won’t make it again, so enjoy it while you can.”

Ment nodded, then took a big bite of the Buldak Bokkemyeon.

“I’m not good with spicy food, but that looks delicious. The smell is so rich…”

The other mercenaries, jokingly choking Miltein, turned their curious gazes to the dish. Meanwhile, Rurin scrunched her face in horror, almost trembling with fear.

“Humans are such foolish creatures. Eating something like that… Ugh!”

Seeing her reaction, I couldn’t resist teasing her. I held out the leftover Buldak Bokkemyeon from the pot. Rurin recoiled, stepping back.

“Get that away from me. That’s worse than a breath attack! Are you trying to kill me?”

“Of course not. Calling it a weapon, though? Want to give it another try?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Rurin screamed and ran upstairs.

A dragon terrified of Buldak Bokkemyeon.

A headline for the papers: “World’s Strongest Creature Defeated by Spicy Ramen.”

Slurp!

As Rurin fled, Ment was devouring the noodles. His forehead beaded with sweat, but he seemed to handle it well.

“This is incredible, El. This is the spiciest thing I’ve ever tasted, but there’s a subtle Palenque flavor… Ahh.”

He continued eating despite the rising heat, occasionally moaning in pain but not stopping his fork. The slurping sounds seemed to entice others, and Knoll, unable to resist, grabbed a forkful himself.

“What’s so great about this that you’re almost crying?”

Knoll stuffed a forkful into his mouth.

His reaction was immediate.

“What is this?! I’m dying! Who eats this? You’re crazy!”

Knoll, reacting just like Rurin, jumped up and ran outside.

Reine shook her head, watching the scene unfold.

“Haa, this is painful yet addictive. My mouth feels like it’s on fire. Haa.”

Ment remained composed. The other mercenaries watched in horror, then returned their attention to the chicken.

“There’s the taste-destroyer we know.”

“If Ment says it’s spicy, that’s already death. Don’t even think about it.”

“But this boneless chicken is so convenient and tasty. Perfect! More beer here!”

In the end, the only victim was Knoll.

Ment finished his bowl of Buldak Bokkemyeon and continued enjoying the chicken party.

—

There’s a small aftermath related to Palenque.

It started with the mercenaries’ word-of-mouth.

After serving the mercenaries, many people came wanting to try Palenque dishes. The restaurant became crowded.

But this wasn’t entirely good news. They were only here for Palenque, not my other dishes. So, I had to limit the number of Palenque servings. The reactions were mixed. Some people were willing to try other dishes, but more often than not, people left grumbling.

Those willing to try other dishes could be turned into regulars. But those who grumbled were more common. Thankfully, this chaos settled down, and the restaurant returned to normal.

I welcomed the stability.

Only the genuine patrons would visit. From the start, I said money wasn’t the priority.

It’s about the one-on-one interaction with the customers. Seeing their satisfaction brought me joy.

Too many customers would make that impossible. And we weren’t busy enough to need a reservation system. The current commotion was purely due to Palenque’s reputation.

So, I decided to release Palenque back into the market. It wasn’t like my cooking alone attracted the crowd.

I already had a plan to let go of Palenque. It was beneficial for everyone. Even if it wasn’t necessary, there was no reason to throw away a profitable opportunity.

Thus, after lunch, I went to Knoll’s shop and invited him and Reine to Limon Forest.

Knoll and Reine’s business wasn’t exactly thriving. Knoll insisted on selling only the best meat, making it hard to turn a profit. He also rejected any sale that didn’t meet his standards.

On their visit to my restaurant, I overheard something.

“Honey, I want to visit more often, but this month is tight. Think of this soju as the last one.”

My food was affordable, but the difference was I had saved treasures while they hadn’t. That was a huge difference.

Regulars who crossed the hill to visit my restaurant.

Knoll and Reine had helped a lot. The meat from Knoll’s shop was so good that even a dragon was satisfied.

But I couldn’t give away meals for free. They weren’t the type to accept help without reason. So, I had a plan to benefit both parties.

Release Palenque to the market and remove the “Palenque restaurant” label. Selling Palenque through the market wouldn’t be a loss since it was sourced exclusively by me. At the same time, it would help Knoll and Reine.

Limon Forest was an odd place to invite them. They couldn’t refuse my sincere request, so they came with curious faces.

“El, why did you call us here suddenly? Is something wrong?”

“Hey, are you planning to run away because the restaurant failed? Is this a farewell?”

Knoll’s eyebrows twitched as if he was genuinely concerned.

Every time Knoll visited, the place was deserted. And Limon Forest was an exit route from Gray Creek. Maybe he thought I was planning to escape.

“No, it’s not that. Actually, too many people are coming for Palenque, and it’s becoming a hassle.”

“Oh my! Really? Congratulations!”

Reine’s face lit up with genuine joy. She didn’t show a hint of jealousy, just a kind smile. It pained me to see such a kind person gaining more wrinkles on her hands due to hard work.

“It’s not all good. They only want Palenque, so I can’t serve my other dishes. It’s inconvenient.”

“That can’t be!”

“Are you being ungrateful? If you keep prospering, we can sell you more meat!”

“Constant success isn’t always good. I’m like Knoll. I want to serve customers who appreciate my restaurant. I don’t need people just seeking Palenque. But I can’t waste it either, so I plan to sell it in the market.”

“Palenque?”

Their eyes widened in surprise. Could it be done? Now to the main point.