Chapter 88 – 088. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
088. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated into the Baek Family
-Yujin. What on earth are you thinking?
Elaine’s cold voice came from the crystal ball on the table. There was a slight hint of anger, but she maintained her composure.
I had to listen to Elaine’s nagging for a while.
-Yujin Prukerus. From the moment you return to the mansion, I will order you to a month of confinement.
“Yes, Mother.”
I answered with a bitter smile. A month of confinement. It was a much longer period than I had expected.
If I returned to the mansion, I would be confined to my room for a month. Well, I could probably go for a walk if I made some excuses.
Confinement was a light punishment. I could just rest for a month. If necessary, I could just let time pass automatically.
-…Lastly. It was a good thing that you subdued the bandit group. You are indeed a noble of Prukerus.
“Of course, Mother. Ah, I would like to be in charge of the captured Pfrek bandit group.”
-Very well. Subduing the bandits was your achievement. Therefore, you have the authority to execute them.
Elaine acknowledged my achievement.
Subduing the bandit group was enough to be a noble’s good deed. This would slightly improve my reputation.
“Thank you, Mother.”
After that, we had some more conversation and then ended the communication.
She said that she would send troops and a carriage to escort the bandits tomorrow morning. And even a carriage for me to ride in.
If everything went as planned, I would arrive at the mansion tomorrow afternoon. The prison that had been neglected would also be put to use.
‘Hasent, when did he take this again?’
I picked up the magic communication device on the table. It was something Hasent had taken. He was truly a meticulous butler.
I then looked at the person across from me. There was Yuria, who was hiding her appearance with a black cloak and cloth. In front of her was the gruel I had given her. She was obviously malnourished, so I couldn’t feed her greasy pork belly.
“You left some. Didn’t it suit your taste?”
“No, I will eat it all properly.”
“I’m not telling you to force yourself to eat it. I’m just saying that since your stomach is probably shrunken from being starved, it’s natural that you can’t eat much. But still, eat this.”
I handed her a palm-sized container.
“What is this?”
“Super vitamins. Lemon flavor. It’s said to contain all the nutrients a person needs, so you should take one a day. Keep in mind that you must wait 24 hours after taking one before taking another.”
It was something that came out of a random draw. There were 99 pills in the container.
I had taken one and hadn’t touched it since.
I could always eat plenty of food, and I didn’t need it since my stamina stat was the highest.
I watched Yuria swallow the pill and then got up from my seat.
“I’m going to get a meal, so stay still.”
“Yes, Master.”
***
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
The pork belly placed on the huge pot lid began to cook deliciously. A bonfire was blazing under the pot lid.
I swallowed hard, smelling the kimchi being grilled. In my opinion, kimchi grilled in pork fat was the best.
I glanced around. Knights and villagers, who were sitting in various places, were also watching the pot lid with their mouths watering, just like me.
The reason why I had the villagers attend, not just the knights, was to gain a reputation for showing mercy to the commoners. Also, if they spread the word about the pot lid pork belly, it would be to my benefit.
If the rumors spread, I could sell the pot lids and kimchi too!
‘I wanted to let Yuria know the taste of Korean barbecue… It’s a shame.’
It was obvious that it wouldn’t be good for her body, so I couldn’t force her to eat it.
“Is it, is it ready yet?!”
A mournful voice asked me from beside me.
“Not yet. Sir Maretin. Now, it’s time to cut it with scissors.”
Maretin was the lowest-ranking knight among the six gathered here. I was a noble, so I was naturally excluded, and Butler Hasent held the title of Baron.
“Yes. Please leave it to this Maretin.”
Maretin, who spoke confidently, picked up a long piece of pork belly with tongs and began to cut it with scissors.
I clicked my tongue. His movements were clumsy.
‘Ugh. It’s so frustrating.’
I could understand. It was probably his first time cutting pork belly with scissors.
“…Sir Maretin. Give me the tongs and scissors. I’ll show you how to cut it.”
I got up from my seat. I was too short to do it while sitting. The gazes of the people sitting at the other tables focused on me. They would watch me and follow suit.
“This is how you cut with scissors.”
I held the tongs in my left hand and the scissors in my right.
I liked to grill and eat pork belly and other meats. I not only went to restaurants to eat it, but I also sometimes grilled pork belly at home.
I began to cut the meat with skilled movements. There was none of the awkwardness that Maretin had.
After cutting it with scissors, I grilled the pork belly a little more.
“Alright. Now, let’s eat.”
I showed them first. I picked up the well-grilled kimchi and pork belly with chopsticks and put them on my plate. After letting it cool down a bit, I put it in my mouth.
I shivered. Pork belly and kimchi were a delicious combination no matter when I ate them.
People began to eat, following my lead.
“I heard that pork belly is the belly of a pig… I never knew it was such a delicious part!”
“Did you say the name of this food is kimchi? It’s a little spicy, but it’s perfect for my taste!”
“Ugh. I can’t stop using my chopsticks!”
The knights were amazed as they picked up the pork belly with their chopsticks. I had taught them how to use chopsticks when we ate ramen last time. They were still clumsy since they didn’t use chopsticks often.
“Young Master. What is that?”
“Ah, this is called a ssam. It’s pork belly with ssamjang on lettuce.”
I put a lettuce wrap in my mouth as if to show off.
The knights hurriedly followed me, holding lettuce in one hand and making wraps.
“Oh. Oh, oh! Just wrapping meat in a leaf gives it such a taste!”
“This sauce called ssamjang goes so well with pork belly! This ssamjang is delicious even if you eat it by itself!”
“Young Master! What on earth is this ssamjang?!”
“Ah, this is called Korea Magic Sauce.”
“Korea Magic Sauce! So it’s a sauce made with magic!”
“……Well, yeah.”
I omitted the detailed explanation.
And how much would they understand even if I explained it? The important thing was that the ssamjang was delicious.
The meat on the pot was gone in an instant. The sturdy men, who were already big eaters, had even fought a battle today. It would be strange if they ate little.
“I will grill the meat, Young Master.”
Just as I was about to pick up the scissors again, Hasent stepped forward. There was no awkwardness in Hasent’s movements.
“Everyone, raise your soju glasses! We can’t not have a toast on this fine day!”
“As expected of the Young Master!”
“I will teach you the Korean toast method that existed in ancient times. Follow me.”
People held soju glasses in their hands and looked at me.
I raised the soju glass in my hand high and shouted.
“Gukppong!”
The knights began to follow me.
“Gukppong!”
“Gukppoong!”
“Gukppooooong!”
I listened to their gukppong shouts and downed my soju glass in one shot. As expected, soju was the perfect match for pork belly.
‘This is what you call isekai gukppong.’
I shivered with joy.
“Gukppong coin, let’s gooooo!”
It was a word I shouted without realizing it.
And people, not knowing the meaning, followed my words for now.
“Gukppong coin, let’s gooooo!”
“Gukppong coin, let’s goooooo!”
“Gukppong coin, let’s gooooooooo!”
The sound of gukppong echoed from everywhere.
***
After finishing the meal, I talked with the knights until late and then returned to my temporary residence.
The cleanest and best house in Artel Village was where I was staying.
When I entered the room, I saw Yuria asleep in a chair.
‘……I’m doing this because she’s mine.’
I approached her and picked Yuria up. Yuria had given me everything in exchange for revenge. And I knew how to treat my things with care.
“……”
Yuria’s eyes snapped open. She seemed quite sensitive.
“Close your eyes and just sleep.”
I laid Yuria on the bed and then went straight out of the room. There was still one thing I had to do, so I couldn’t sleep yet.
I went outside and spoke to the knight who was on guard.
“Sir Maretin. You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s nothing, Young Master. Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I have something to say to the butler. Do you know where the butler is?”
“Butler Hasent is staying next door.”
“Thank you.”
I headed to the next house.
I was nervous. Hasent wasn’t an idiot. I had no idea what business he might have with me.
“Butler. Are you inside?”
“Yes. Please come in, Young Master.”
When I opened the door, there was the old butler standing upright.
I was always impressed by his perfect posture without a single flaw.
“Butler Hasent. Do you have something to say to me separately?”
“Young Master Yujin. Your heart disease was cured a long time ago, wasn’t it?”
I was so shocked by Hasent’s words that my heart skipped a beat.
“No. What are you talking about? As you know, my congenital heart disease is not ordinary. Not even the highest-grade potions can cure it, and famous healers and specialized healing mages have given up.”
If I could have cured my heart disease, I would have done it a long time ago. With the power of the Prukerus Count family, I could even bring the Master of the Magic Tower.
But I couldn’t cure my heart disease. The first wife of Count Prukerus, who had the same heart disease as me, and Yujin Prukerus’s biological mother, Haruel Delishik, died because of heart disease. If they could have cured heart disease, Count Prukerus wouldn’t have let the woman he loved die.
“You had a seizure not too long ago.”
“My condition has improved recently, but I still have seizures from time to time.”
“Young Master Yujin. You’re good at talking, but you’re not good at acting sick. The servants may have been fooled, but… to those with an eye like mine, your acting is obvious.”
“……”
I was about to make an excuse, but I stopped. Hasent was already convinced. I definitely didn’t remember acting like I was having a seizure in front of Hasent… He must have been watching me from outside my field of vision.
I sighed.
“Yes. My heart disease is cured. One day, my heart disease suddenly got better.”
“One day, suddenly, you say?”
“I know it’s hard to believe. But my heart disease really did get better suddenly one day.”
“Does ‘one day’ mean the day your attitude changed, Young Master?”
“……Yes. Well, that’s right.”
I felt an unnecessary unease. The day my attitude changed? I didn’t know when he was talking about. I had been quiet for a while to gather information when I first started this game.
“Young Master, have you perhaps been chosen by Serion?”
“……Huh?”
I tilted my head at the sudden, out-of-the-blue question.
Serion was the only god in this world. She was said to be a goddess who created the world and had omnipotent power. There was a religious order that believed in and followed Serion, but their power was weak compared to the Magic Tower.
Serion didn’t appear in the original work, so I didn’t know if she actually existed.
“Young Master, you have suddenly become more mature. Of course, there are times when you do things that I don’t understand, but the knowledge you have is at a level that cannot be explained simply by saying that you acquired it by reading books.”
The other servants and vassals just took it as it was. They weren’t very interested in me. On the other hand, Hasent must have felt something was strange about me and investigated separately.
“Young Master, you said that you found out my identity in the study. But there is no evidence in the study that could lead you to deduce my identity. There is no way I would make such an amateur mistake. The only people who know my identity are the head of the family, the madam, and some of the vassals.”
“……”
I scratched the back of my head with one hand. I had tried to use Hasent rashly, and now I was caught.
‘I don’t think I can kill Hasent with my skills. What should I do? Should I use the emotion control device? …No. It’s too precious to use on an old butler.’
My head was getting complicated.
“Young Master, you knew about Artel Village. More than anything, you knew that the Pfrek bandit group disguised as a mercenary group would attack the village. And Yuria Grace. Isn’t that child the illegitimate child of the Helbrit Duke family?”
“……Butler. I’ve lost. No matter what I say, you won’t be convinced. What do you want from me, Butler?”
“One thing. Please give me a proper answer without lying.”
Hasent’s deep, cold gray eyes stared intently at me. I didn’t avoid his eyes and looked straight at him.
“Young Master, like the legendary prophet Nophil, have you been chosen by Serion?”
“Yes. That’s exactly right.”
In the end, it was a medieval fantasy.
