Chapter 217 – Have You Eaten Yet?

Tonight, we were planning to stay near the Gate.

Among the information we had extracted from the old elf, there was a possible location for the “fragment” near the Gehenna Gate.

So unexpectedly, we were heading there tomorrow.

Traveling back and forth between Hawaii and Korea was exhausting, and there were rumors that an incident would soon occur at the Gate.

‘They also said Fermush would appear at the Gate soon.’

The Fourth Corps Commander, Fermush, was about to invade the human world through the Gehenna Gate.

I pressed the old elf for details, but he only shrugged.

Even when I held a sashimi knife to his throat, his answer remained the same he didn’t know, truly didn’t know!

“Huff.”

I sighed heavily. My mind was spinning with worry.

I didn’t even know when everything had started to go so wrong.

As I rubbed my face in frustration, I heard a cry of admiration.

“Uwaaaaah!”

This was the temporary base set up by the Hero Association. It was a three-person tent but well-equipped — mini fridge, folding table, folding chairs. Everything was mini or folding, but it served its purpose.

And in front of the mini fridge, Horn was squatting like a little totem pole. The faint light from the fridge illuminated her face.

That’s right. I ended up sharing a tent with Horn. Even though she had a human appearance, she was still a dragon — a demon.

Even if I reassured everyone, prejudices don’t disappear overnight.

So, as her so-called guardian, I took responsibility for her. Only then did Director Sung nod in relief, though he gave me a look asking for an explanation.

‘If I start explaining about Horn, it gets way too complicated.’

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. I had considered sending Horn back to Korea alone, but—

But I, Kang Geom-Ma, could no longer tolerate traveling by plane.

Even the private jets provided to the Seven Stars now felt like junk.

‘Since Horn’s existence has already been revealed… why not use her as transportation instead of planes?’

Just then, Horn pointed enthusiastically at the fridge.

“Mr. Kang Geom-Ma! Look! There’s meat, meat, and more meat!”

As expected. The corners of her lips were practically dripping with drool.

It seemed like every liquid in her body was turning into saliva.

Horn grabbed a big, meaty beef rib and ran over to me. With an imploring look, she gazed up at me.

“Mr… Kang Geom-Ma, could you…?”

Her eyes sparkled like stars.

For a moment, the image of Shrek’s Puss in Boots flashed through my mind.

“Could you cook it for me…?”

On the table was a portable stove.

Horn, after living among humans for a month, knew exactly what it was for.

Asking me to cook it was her way of saying she wanted grilled meat made by me.

‘I’m a little tired… but Horn worked really hard today.’

During the battle, Horn had protected humans with magic barriers, minimizing casualties.

She even helped the Swordmaster.

She had fulfilled her mission perfectly.

In my heart, I wanted to buy her the highest quality A+++ beef.

The problem was it simply didn’t exist here.

‘Forgive me, Horn. I’m fooling you with regular meat.’

But if I couldn’t give her legendary beef, at least I could make it unforgettable by cooking it well.

“Since you worked hard today, I’ll make something even better than just grilled meat.”

I opened my hands, and Horn handed me the rib like she was passing over a treasure.

I opened the fridge to check the ingredients. Green onions, garlic, white onion, soy sauce, and various other things. We weren’t missing much. I already had the menu in mind.

“This will do.”

I heated a pan over the portable stove. I swirled the oil around the surface with a flick of my wrist.

Sizzle.

I threw the ribs onto the pan.

The sound was like heavy rain.

I seared the meat, browning only the outside, and quickly took it off.

The rain sound stopped. I stacked the browned ribs to keep the juices inside.

“You can’t eat it yet.”

I shot a warning look at Horn, who was sneaking closer like a thief.

She flinched as if she’d been caught.

“Cold meat doesn’t taste good.”

“Cold…? Why?”

“This is just letting it rest. Plus, the inside is still bleeding.”

“Resting it on purpose…? Why…?”

I considered explaining about letting meat rest, but held back.

Better to let her understand through taste.

‘Just like how I stopped seeing planes as anything special.’

I quickly sautéed the vegetables in the leftover meat juices. Green onions, garlic, onions — the soul of Korean cooking all in one pan.

“Woooow…”

Horn sniffed the air, helping out with the vegetables. Her earlier frustration at not being able to eat instantly melted away. I poured a generous amount of soy sauce, corn syrup, and sugar.

No need to measure — my hands were more accurate than any scale.

“Horn, dragons breathe fire, right?”

“Yes, of course!”

It was time to show off.

Honestly, I was a little excited too.

“Well, humans can do that too.”

“Huh?!”

I uncorked a bottle of cooking wine with my teeth and spiraled it over the pan. The liquid swirled like a mini tornado and caught fire.

Fwoosh.

The flames whipped the air.

The fire danced on the pan.

“Flambé.”

Horn’s clear eyes reflected the dancing flames, awestruck like a child seeing magic for the first time.
I allowed a small smile and focused back on cooking.

The entire tent filled with a sweet and savory aroma.

Plop, plop.

I could hear Horn’s drool hitting the ground. Seriously, how did she even have that much saliva left?

‘Though honestly, I can’t blame her.’

Sweet and salty — the ultimate attack on the taste buds.
The pride of Korean cuisine.

Horn looked like she was floating from pure bliss.

“Is it ready yet? Is it done? I made the rice too! Is it? Is it?”

Horn bounced excitedly.

“Five more minutes. In the meantime, wipe up the drool you left on the floor.”

“Okay…”

Final stage. I stirred the meat and vegetables carefully with a wooden spoon, making sure the sauce coated everything perfectly. I didn’t crush anything — gentle and deliberate.

“Wow… what’s this dish called?”

Horn asked as she finished cleaning. At least she used a mop properly.

“LA-style short ribs… no, better yet, let’s call it Hawaii-style ribs.”

Horn murmured dreamily.

“Hawaii… ribs… Hawaiian ribs… Hawaiian ribs…”

She was completely enchanted by the idea of Hawaiian ribs.

***

“Do you have a moment? There’s something I want to talk to you about. Hmm?”

The Sword Master arrived at Kang Geom-Ma’s tent. At that moment, a sweet aroma was drifting through the air. A delicious smell.

The Sword Master, as if hypnotized, pulled aside the tent curtain.

“……?”

Was her name Hon? That dragoness was slumped over in front of the table. On the other side, Kang Geom-Ma looked at her with a puzzled expression.

The Sword Master hastily reached for the hilt of his sword.

“What happened? Did the dragoness lose control of her nature and you defeated her?”

Just as he said “you defeated her,” the dragoness’s closed eyes snapped open. She immediately stood up and began eating ferociously.

Horn let out cries of admiration and lament.

“It’s delicious, too delicious! It’s so good I fainted! Aaaah…! My whole life has been meaningless! I, Horn Tail, swear from this moment on to dedicate my entire life to Master Kang Geom-Ma!”

Since she was chewing, her sentences came out broken. Kang Geom-Ma, with a somewhat annoyed look, served her more meat.

“Finish eating first, then talk. You’re spitting rice everywhere.”

“Yes!”

Kang Geom-Ma then turned to the Sword Master.

“Ah, Sword Master, you’ve arrived. Have you eaten yet?”

The Sword Master relaxed his hand from the hilt.

“No, I haven’t eaten yet… But what the hell just happened?”

“I fed Horn a dish I prepared, and she screamed and fainted. Then she got up, and the rest is as you’ve seen.”

“What…?”

A flavor so intense it made her pass out? That sounded like the exaggerated reactions you only see in the media.

However, seeing how she devoured the food, it didn’t seem like a lie. The Sword Master accepted the invitation to eat. Still with one hand on the hilt, he sat down at the side of the table.

Horn didn’t seem to notice his presence. Or rather, she was too busy piling more Hawaiian ribs onto her plate.

“You said you wanted to talk to me.”

Kang Geom-Ma brought out a new plate. The Sword Master replied, still a bit dazed.

“I came to warn you about the ‘Temple of the Nephilim’ you plan to visit tomorrow.”

“I see. Then please eat while we talk. The food tastes better hot. If you need more, let me know. I prepared food for fifteen people because of Horn.”

At those words, the Sword Master glanced sideways at Horn. She had a frail body, but she ate like an elephant.

He then turned his gaze to the served plate. Beef ribs drenched in a reddish-brown sauce, the oil dripping temptingly, and an aroma that made his mouth water.

‘I’ve never seen a dish like this.’

Born into the noble House of Nibelung, the Sword Master was a seasoned gourmet. He had tasted cuisines from all over the world and was extremely picky. Lately, nothing had impressed him.

‘And yet…’

He felt a lump in his throat. It was the first time in decades his mouth watered.

He stuck a fork into a rib, examined it carefully, and cautiously brought it to his mouth.

“…Uh… uh.”

Two soft groans.

The Sword Master fell backward.

***

It was absurd. The Sword Master, who had come to warn him about the Temple of the Nephilim, ended up focusing only on eating. He forgot all about the dignity of a noble, grabbing the ribs with his hands and devouring them.

Horn was even worse. She had mixed rice into the sauce to clean up every last drop, without anyone teaching her. An impressive learning curve, at least in terms of eating.

The chaotic dinner ended. The abundant Hawaiian ribs were reduced to mere bones.

I stepped out of the tent to breathe in the fresh night air, trying to get the smell of meat out of my clothes. At that moment, the Sword Master also stepped outside.

“Ahem.”

He coughed awkwardly. His ears were red with embarrassment. But somehow, he managed to open his mouth.

“It was an incredible flavor… In my seventy years, I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Silence fell again. Several minutes passed without a word until the Sword Master suddenly asked.

“Do you know what Nephilim means?”

“I briefly heard about it in class. Beings born between angels and demons.”

“Oh, so you do pay attention in class.”

“Final exams for the second semester are coming up.”

“Hahaha. Anyway, if you know what Nephilim are, you’ll understand quickly. The ‘Temple of the Nephilim’ is a sanctuary shared by humans and demons.”

The Sword Master brought out two folding chairs. We sat down and continued talking.

“Did you know? Humans and demons worship the same god. Even though the paths differ, the root is the same.”

“The same god? Didn’t they all go extinct during the mythical era?”

“I’m not talking about those lesser gods.”

The Sword Master shook his head. For a moment, the Milky Way shimmered dangerously in the night sky.

“There is only one true god. You should know that if you’ve been paying attention in class.”

How could I not know, when it was that god who granted me power?

“The Temple of the Nephilim is a sanctuary dedicated to ‘that god.’ Both humans and demons visit it. Although nowadays, mostly demons.”

The Sword Master looked at me seriously.

“I have only one warning no matter what happens, do not draw your knife there. If you do, it could turn into a disaster.”

“Ah… Understood. Thank you.”

His eyes reflected concern, but he finally stood up. As if remembering something, he added.

“Ah, one more thing. You and that dragoness… do you have some kind of relationship?”

I was taken aback. That dragoness? Was he referring to Horn? I shook my head vigorously.

“Not at all! No way! Besides, we’re different species!”

“I just told you humans were born between angels and demons.”

“That has nothing to do with it!”

“Humans and demons can reproduce. It’s just that there aren’t many recorded cases.”

Good grief.

“Well, if there’s nothing strange, I’m relieved. Anyway, thanks for dinner.”

The Sword Master left in a hurry. Right then, Horn came out of the tent, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Mr. Kang Geom-Ma, aren’t you going to sleep?”

“…I’ll come in soon. You go ahead and sleep first.”

Horn nodded and returned inside the tent. I watched her back as she walked away.

‘A temple visited by both humans and demons…’

Originally, I planned to go alone.

But it seems I’ll have to adjust my plans.

My instinct tells me I’ll have to take Horn with me. And I trust my instincts.