I Opened an Inn Next to a Dragon’s Lair - Chapter 165



Only Noblemtl

Episode 165

Eugene’s Inn is not just a place to sleep.

It is a kind of complex cultural facility where you can enjoy a meal, a drink, and various leisure facilities such as hot springs and a zoo.

That’s why Eugene’s inn is not just filled with guests who come to sleep. There are also quite a few guests who come to eat or drink.

Roughly speaking, the ratio is about 20% of all guests, and most of those 20% are guests of different races. Eugene’s neighbors living in the Delphi forest, such as elves, dwarves, and vampires. Those who try to relieve the day’s fatigue with delicious food and alcohol.

The Dwarf King Gilius Twinhammer was one of those guests.

“It’s been a while. I haven’t heard from you lately.”

“Haha. That’s how it is. I’m so busy. As you know, I’m still a king. There’s a lot of work to be done as a king.”

“If you’re busy, there’s nothing you can do. What would you like to eat today? Meat? Bread? Rice? Or something else?”

“Hmm. Today… I feel like eating some crispy fried food. Do you have anything like that?”

“Yes. There’s a new menu that just came out. Would you like me to make that for you?”

“Oh! I’m curious about the new menu. I’ll take that.”

“Yes, I received your order.”

Eugene, who received the order, went to the kitchen. He planned to cook it himself.

After the number of guests increased, they hired a staff member in charge of cooking, but when acquaintances or important guests came, Eugene tended to cook himself.

Eugene took out the pork and evenly coated it in the batter. The bright red meat turned white in an instant. He threw the battered meat into the oil!

Clang! Clang!

The sound of meat frying filled the kitchen. It was a delicious sound. Eugene licked his lips and prepared something else.

It’s a sauce that you can dip in and eat right away.

Add vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar to the water and boil for a while, then add chopped onions, carrots, and cucumbers. Then add starch and you’re done.

Finally, plate it nicely.

Gilius was impressed when he was brought out two separate plates, one for the fries and one for the sauce.

“Oh! It looks so delicious! Is this the new menu?”

“Yes. It’s called tangsuyuk. It’s fried pork. It’s really popular these days.”

Eugene quickly looked around. There’s no honey. Is there any chance that he’s hiding somewhere here?

I feel a bit bad talking about pork in front of Kkulkkul. They’re both pigs. But it wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t there.

“Hmm. Is it okay to dip this fried meat and eat it like this?”

“There is that way, and there is another way. You pour this sauce on the meat.”

Eugene picked up the sauce dish and pretended to pour it onto the sweet and sour pork plate. At this, Gilius let out a low groan.

“Then, won’t the fried food become soggy? Fried food is supposed to be eaten crispy.”

“That’s true. But, the original way to eat it is to pour it like this and enjoy it moist with sauce. Should I say it’s like a tradition?”

Eugene didn’t really know this part either. Was it something you poured sauce on and ate? Or was it something you stir-fried together and ate? Anyway, he said it was one of the two…

So what? There’s no one to argue with.

By the way, if you really want to distinguish between ‘side dish’ and ‘dipping dish’, Eugene was a ‘side dish’. This means he eats whatever is given to him.

“But isn’t food something that is in the mind of the person eating it? You eat it the way you want to eat it. Whether you eat it by pouring it or dipping it, it’s up to you, so do whatever you want.”

“Hmm. Well then.”

Gilius tapped his chin with his finger. He was having a hard time deciding what to do with this fried meat. Dip it in sauce? Or pour sauce over it?

“I don’t know what’s bothering you. Hehe.”

I can’t believe I’m worrying about such trivial things. But it’s true that I’m being careful. Honestly, I want to dip it and eat it, but they say that pouring it is the traditional way to eat it. Traditions must be respected.

Ah, tradition or taste? That is the question.

“Ah, I guess this will work.”

Gilius quickly picked up a few pieces of sweet and sour pork and dropped them into the sauce dish. Eugene’s eyes lit up.

“So you’re saying you’re going to pickle it and eat it!”

“Yes. If I eat it this way, I can eat it the traditional way, and I can eat it crispy to my liking.”

“I eat that often too. You really know a thing or two!”

“Oh, I see. As expected, the owner and I have a lot in common. Hahaha.”

The so-called ‘dam-meok’ method was Eugene’s favorite. It was a way to kill two birds with one stone by eating it crispy and enjoying the unique taste of the sauce!

Gilius put a piece of sweet and sour pork in his mouth about a minute after it had been dipped in sauce. And slurp.

“Oh!”

“How is it?”

“It’s very delicious!”

Gilius’s eyes were dazzled. The familiar taste of meat, the crispy texture of fried food, and the sweet and sour taste of sauce. These three elements were combined appropriately, a true trinity!

Gilius, who had just finished one, licked his lips.

“This tastes like something you’d want to drink.”

“Would you like a drink?”

“I wasn’t going to eat today… … I can’t help it. Please.”

“Yes. I have a nice bottle of wine. Would you like to try it?”

“Oh. Now that you mention it, I’m curious again. I’ll look forward to it.”

“It’s called Yeontae Goryangju, and it has a really good flavor.”

When eating tangsuyuk, Yeontae Goryangju is Eugene’s personal preference. This is definitely the best when eating Chinese food. It’s a perfect match.

But what’s the difference between just Goryangju and Yeontae Goryangju? I don’t really understand. It feels like a subcategory within Goryangju?

* * *

When you pour a drink, time flies by.

As I was eating tangsuyuk and sipping alcohol, it got dark before I knew it. I was satisfied with the amount of alcohol I had consumed and my stomach was somewhat full, but for some reason my appetite was even more whetted.

Gilius poured the wine into a small, cute glass. The clear liquid sloshed around in the glass, and the sloshing motion was very attractive.

Put it straight into your mouth. Feel the scent that follows, and gosh!

I exclaimed in admiration and swallowed it. The strong alcohol lingered in my mouth.

“Wow! This drink is really good! It has a different taste from the beer I usually drink. It’s refreshing.”

The taste, which was clearly different from the bitterness of beer, captured Gillius’ heart.

And with this delicious side dish, it’s hard to leave the table with this combination.

“Aren’t you getting home too late?”

“It’s okay. If it gets any later, what’s the point? Just sleep here and go. Do you have any rooms left?”

“There is a room.”

“Okay then, okay. Let’s drink some more.”

“yes.”

The empty bottles of liquor increased one by one. Eugene made sweet and sour pork twice more. He must have eaten a lot, but Gilius didn’t stop eating. But it wasn’t that surprising. Most dwarves are big eaters.

Dwarves are strong drinkers. That’s why they rarely get drunk, but Yeontaego-ryangju has a fairly strong alcohol content.

If beer is about 4 degrees, the fermented soju that Eugene brought out was about 34 degrees. Maybe that was why Gilius, who usually didn’t budge no matter how much he drank, had a rather red face.

Eugene stared blankly at Gilius, who was gulping down his drink. He had a smile on his face, perhaps because he was feeling tipsy.

He seemed to be in a very good mood. However, people tend to drink more when they are depressed than when they are in a good mood. Especially when they drink to the point of intoxication like this.

“Is something wrong? You’re not being like Gilius today. You’re always so self-restrained.”

“What’s going on… … . There’s no such thing. There’s just something bothering me.”

“Is that something that concerns you?”

“Yes. Nothing much, just a few of our people are missing. Two are dead. Three are injured.”

“yes?”

Eugene’s face hardened. That’s nothing. What on earth are you talking about?

“That would be a big deal.”

“That’s true. But, you don’t have to worry about it. We can find our missing compatriots. We held proper funerals for our dead compatriots.”

“Mr. Gilius, what good is having friends for? Isn’t that so?”

“Friends… … .”

Sigh, Gilius laughed. He gulped down a glass of water as if his throat was burning.

“That’s right. Friend. The owner and I are friends. Even though we are of different races, we maintain good relationships and our hearts are in sync, so isn’t this a friendship that transcends races? Hiccup!”

Oh my. This guy is even hiccups. He’s definitely drunk.

“Tell me frankly. What happened? What happened that led to your death and disappearance?”

“Hmm. I guess so. Well, that’s just how it is. In fact, trade between our clan and the human nation has been quite active recently. It’s thanks to the roads that have been built and traffic has become smoother.”

In other words, trade with human countries became active, and as a result, the dwarves became busy.

In order to trade, you have to leave the forest and go to the human world, but the people who had this unexpected accident were dwarves who had been to the human world that way.

“Have humans done anything terrible?”

“I don’t know. However, the human nobles who traded with us sent us a message of regret. They even came to the forest and gave me a lot of wealth and words of comfort.”

“Then there’s a high chance that it wasn’t that noble’s doing.”

“Yes. From what I’ve seen, he’s a very upright person. He’s not the kind of person who would do something like that. Besides, he’s a devout believer who makes monthly offerings to the temple. He’s far from being evil.”

“yes?”

Evil? Why is that suddenly coming out?

“I think it’s the work of a warlock.”

“Huh? Black magic?”

“Yes. There was magic. It was on our people. I want to find the culprit, but… … it’s not easy.”

“okay.”

“Well, that’s the situation. We’ll find the culprit. So don’t worry too much. As always, we’ll shake it off and get back on our feet.”

Eugene touched his chin. There must have been such circumstances. He must have been suffering inside. He must have wanted to drink. As a king responsible for his clan, he must have been very nervous.

“Can I take a look at that injured dwarf?”

“The owner? Well, there’s nothing I can’t show you.”

“Yes, please. Not today.”

It was late today, and Gilius was drunk. There was no way to go anywhere today.

* * *

The next morning, Eugene went to find the injured dwarf, along with Gilius, who was groaning from a hangover.

“Are these people here?”

“Yes. Say hello to me too. Do you know who I am?”

“Oh, that’s enough. What about saying goodbye to the injured people? Just lie down.”

The three dwarves tried to get up but stopped. Eugene looked closely at them lying on the bed.

First of all, there were no visible external injuries. At first glance, it looked normal. But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t.

First of all, his complexion was pale. He looked exactly like a sick person.

And the area under his eyes was dark. The dark circles were thick, as if he hadn’t slept for several days.

Yeah, that’s possible, but the problem was what came next.

There were several dark spots on the exposed skin. It looked like a skin disease. Gilius pointed to the area and said.

“Look at this. I sense something ominous here. Something sinister and dark. These evil things have invaded the bodies of our people and are eating them away. If this isn’t the work of black magic, then what is it?”

“Black magic, no.”

“It’s not black magic? What is that?”

“Definitely not. They may look similar at first glance, but they are actually completely different.”

Eugene stroked his chin. His face was quite serious.

“This is the work of a parasite.”

“helminth?”

“Yes. It’s a monster.”