“Then do I look like a customer?”
“Kheh! I almost split the owner's skull open. Sorry about that. I'd been waiting for 30 minutes, so I was pissed off.”
“We're closed today. Gangsters already smashed the place to pieces. What the hell do you think there's left to eat?”
Pretending to be the owner of the noodle shop, I shoved past him and entered the store.
Wait.
That line probably wasn't enough.
Shouldn't I make him leave?
“You can see what state the place is in, can't you? We'll reopen in 3 days. Come back then.”
Please.
Please hear that and leave.
“…….”
The bastard curled his lips expressionlessly, then snickered.
“Why should I? Was I the one who wrecked it?”
He followed me inside.
Just as expected, the shop was half-destroyed.
“So what if the place is a mess! It doesn't look so bad that you can't make one bowl of noodles. Wasn't that bastard with his skull cracked open here to eat noodles too?”
“Who knows. He probably should've gone home too.”
I apologized to Katran in my heart.
The bastard casually dropped into a chair and put his feet up on the table.
“I heard the meat noodles here are fucking incredible. Came all the way from far away because of the rumors. If I'm going to leave empty-handed, I'd rather take your head with me, so bring me a bowl.”
The gangster and I stared at each other.
For quite a while.
But he showed no sign of backing down.
Ah, please….
“What the fuck are you staring at? Go make the noodles before I slice you up like sashimi too.”
“…Wait.”
Cold sweat ran down my back as I headed into the kitchen.
‘I'm fucked.’
What the hell is this situation?
Am I really supposed to make noodles and serve them to that gangster?
But I'd never made meat noodles in my life.
I knew how to boil noodles, at least….
‘There's no way that gangster will be satisfied with some half-assed noodles I make.’
If they tasted bad, he might realize something was wrong.
The moment he shoved that axe in my face and asked whether I was really the owner, it would be over.
Running wasn't an option either.
There was no other door in the kitchen.
Was there another way?
Could I say all the ingredients had been stolen, tell him I needed to buy more, and secretly slip away?
But with the Civil War going on, all the ingredient shops would probably be closed too.
‘Huh? What's this?’
But when I opened the refrigerator, I found a container of broth and some par-cooked pork belly.
‘Ah!’
Come to think of it, Katran had said he hadn't stopped doing business for a single day in 15 years.
That meant he was the type to prepare things ahead of time.
Suddenly, I remembered our conversation.
He'd said they were ‘noodles made by rendering pork-belly fat into the broth.’
And he'd told me a little about how he made them too.
‘Should I try?’
Try?
Me?
Make meat noodles……?
Katran had already prepared the ingredients, so they should carry at least some of Katran's flavor.
Either way, I didn't have time.
With trembling hands, I calmly began rendering pork-belly fat into the broth.
Good.
And?
What comes next?
I don't know….
No, this is insane.
Is this really right?
What possessed me to think I could make the noodles myself?
There was no way I could imitate the noodles of a master who'd trained for 15 years just because I'd overheard part of his recipe.
‘Ah, but if I use the 「All-Seeing Eye」…….’
‘Fuck!’
I'm short on Mana now of all times?
Is this some kind of joke?
To buy time, I lowered the heat.
Then I slowly rendered the fat over a low flame.
“Is it done yet?”
“Wait.”
The bastard urged me on.
For now, I prepared the noodles and boiling water.
My knife work was clumsy, but I carefully sliced the garnishes as well.
But I still didn't know the exact preparation method, and after I spent more than 10 minutes fumbling around, the gangster shouted.
“Hey! Is it done yet? Fuck, I'm starting to get pissed off.”
“Wait.”
“Why the fuck do you keep telling me to wait? Do I look like a dog to you, you bastard? What the fuck are you even doing that takes this long?”
The bastard stood and started walking toward the kitchen.
Oh, shit.
If he saw me cooking, it would be obvious I was a beginner.
I was even cutting everything slowly so I wouldn't slice my own fingers.
I had to stop him from coming over.
I spoke firmly.
“Do you have no patience?”
“What?”
“You barged in here demanding food when I wasn't even prepared. And now you're telling me you can't even sit there and wait?”
The gangster's expression twisted subtly.
“If you enjoy fine food, there's something you should know. Noodles contain a person's life. Have you ever met a child with real depth? I haven't! Because the most important ingredient in deep flavor is time.”
I had no idea what kind of bullshit I was spouting.
Katran's philosophy and my own nonsense had fused together in roughly equal measure.
But I didn't raise my voice.
I needed to look like a cool, aloof master chef.
“What the fuck is this bastard talking about…. Tch! Just hurry the fuck up. Quickly!”
Fortunately, the gangster turned away.
Around then, I recovered 2 Mana.
Finally!
Information flooded into my head.
The pork belly should be thinly sliced, and there should be plenty of it….
Coat the outside with a sugar sauce, then sear it over a straw fire to give it a blackened color and smoky aroma….
The broth should….
The noodles should be boiled for….
Countless pieces of information burrowed into my mind, and my hands began moving accordingly.
At last……the meat noodles were complete!
“Eat.”
Cold sweat ran down my body.
I'd used up all my Mana.
I had nothing left to rely on.
Everything now depended on the bastard's judgment.
A beautifully plated bowl of meat noodles was placed in front of the gangster.
He frowned as he looked between me and the noodles.
“Damn, I nearly died of old age waiting.”
“…….”
“They'd better not taste like shit. Otherwise I'll use your fucking skull to make the broth.”
I swallowed dryly.
Please taste good.
Please.
Please.
How did they taste?
I didn't know.
I'd sampled the seasoning, but I'd been so nervous that I couldn't even remember the flavor.
“Let's see…….”
Despite his appearance, the bastard began eating at a leisurely pace.
SLURP―
He tasted the broth first.
Then he bit into the pork belly and savored the juices.
He pulled a long mouthful of noodles between his lips.
After taking several spoonfuls of broth, he eventually picked up the bowl itself and started gulping it down.
Just like that, he emptied the entire bowl.
The gangster grinned, revealing his canine teeth.
“Hey……. Guess you've earned the right to act cocky.”
Ahh.
It worked.
It actually worked.
“Owner. You really know how to make meat noodles, huh?”
“…….”
“Ease up that expression. These are fucking incredible. The noodles, the meat, the broth. Easily the best thing this Hamon has ever eaten in his life.”
It worked.
It worked!
I'm alive!
A tingling sensation ran up my back.
Inwardly, I thanked Katran.
I bowed my head to his thoroughness in preparing his ingredients.
To his diligence in never once closing his shop in 15 years.
Now this bastard would leave peacefully, right?
“Owner. Pack your things and come with me. If your meat noodles are this good, our boss will probably like them too.”
……Huh?
***
“I can't go.”
“What? Follow me if you don't want to die.”
“I have to prepare for business.”
“Did I ask? You fucking bastard, how far are you going to get above yourself just because you can make a decent bowl of noodles? Are you coming, or are you dying? Huh?”
There was no way to defy the gangster.
I considered holding out a little longer by spouting shit like, ‘Business is a promise between the owner and the customer!’ and ‘Do you understand the weight of a promise?’
Then I looked at the axe dripping blood and changed my mind.
“Get in!”
“…I'll bring the ingredients.”
Even now, I pretended not to forget my professionalism as I gathered ingredients and cooking utensils from the kitchen.
While crying inside.
I left the shop with the gangster.
Apparently, the bastard had arrived in a magic-powered car.
When I got into the back seat, I saw there was a driver too.
“You're back, Underboss.”
“Yeah. Let's go home.”
“Yes, sir.”
The car crossed the half-destroyed city.
Our destination was probably these gangsters' hideout.
I couldn't even imagine how many gangsters might be there.
My heart felt like it was shriveling up.
A magic-powered car was an expensive vehicle that cost around 1,000 gold each.
It wasn't something some petty thief or street gangster could afford.
Just how large an organization had I been dragged into?
“Who's that guy? He's even got a cane.”
The driver asked.
“Owner of the meat-noodle place. Makes them fucking good.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Best meat noodles I've ever eaten.”
“Oh….”
Expectation appeared on the organization member's face as he looked at me through the rearview mirror.
It was burdensome.
So I pushed up my glasses and pretended not to notice.
“Our boss loves noodles, doesn't he?”
“Absolutely. The old geezer eats noodles for lunch every damn day.”
“Yes. I was driving when he toured the noodle shops in Horoi Viscounty last time, and he got furious. Said every noodle shop these days was garbage.”
“What? That's where nobles eat.”
“Yes. He still said they were bad.”
Then the organization member looked at me and asked,
“Hey. You know how to make something good, right? You'd better not disappoint our boss.”
This time, my target wasn't merely a gangster.
It was a gangster boss.
And of all things, apparently he was a gourmet.
Worry flooded my heart.
But my mouth moved by itself.
“I do not make bad noodles.”
Both gangsters froze.
Then they burst out laughing at the same time.
“Hahaha! He really is a master! You can tell from the presence!”
“Right? This bastard had backbone from the start.”
The gangster thumped my arm several times.
It hurt….
The car traveled through the city for a long time.
I'd already been exhausted when I parted with Sitri.
Now I felt like I was dying.
As the tension eased, drowsiness slowly began creeping over me.
I pinched my thigh.
If I fell asleep now and said something strange in my sleep, it would all be over.
Right.
Since I had time to spare, why not think about the magic tool I'd been given?
「All-Seeing Eye」
The magic tool inside my eye gave me the correct answer to anything I asked.
Anything.
Absolutely anything.
I wondered if I could find out 1208's true identity.
But I couldn't.
There was a condition for activating the 「All-Seeing Eye」.
It had to be a ‘target I was looking at.’
If 1208 were standing in front of me, perhaps I could discover his identity.
‘But…. it isn't omnipotent.’
The magic tool gave me the answer.
That might sound perfect in itself, but it actually wasn't.
There were several loopholes.
Loophole one.
If I didn't know what the problem was, it wouldn't give me the answer.
For example, if the middle-aged gangster hadn't felt something foreign beneath his bandages, I wouldn't have been able to discover that it was a blade.
Loophole two.
It didn't show me the workings.
It only gave me the answer, so I had to figure out the method myself.
Loophole three.
Mana.
Just like when I made the noodles earlier, running out of Mana was a fatal weakness.
Normally, time was the only way to recover Mana.
Even now, I'd recovered a little, bringing it back up to 3.
That meant there were limits on how often or how deeply I could use it.
To overcome that, I needed to increase my Mana Capacity (100).
‘They said consuming an elixir or learning a Mana Breathing Technique can increase your Mana Capacity.’
Both were as unreachable to a low-ranking guard like me as rice cakes in a painting.
But with this magic tool….
There was no reason I couldn't learn them.
‘If I gamble, I should be able to see my opponent's hand.’
Good God.
‘I could learn secret reagent recipes used by mages too.’
My God.
‘Even with criminal investigations, couldn't I just identify the culprit?’
Whoa, seriously.
The more possibilities I considered one by one, the more absurd it became.
Only now did it truly sink in just how incredible the tool I'd been given was.
‘This is insane.’
It could tell me the answer to anything.
No, was it even possible for a magic tool to be this absurdly overpowered?
Because I'd worked at a magic-tool cleaning factory, I understood its power even more clearly.
If I had to assign it a Grade, there was no chance it was merely B or A.
It was S or higher.
And if it was higher than that, it would be either ‘Empire-Designated Treasure’ Grade or ‘Empire-Designated National Treasure’ Grade.
A National Treasure!
If the 「All-Seeing Eye」 was one of the mere 7 ‘National Treasure Grade’ items on the continent, then I currently had enough money to buy a decent fortress embedded in my left eye.
‘This is a magic tool that rulers and visionaries throughout the land, treasure hunters, the Imperial Family, and nobles have sought since ancient times. It is the tool that raised me up and brought me to where I stand.’
1208's words brushed past my ears.
With this alone, no matter what I did, I couldn't help but achieve enormous success.
My life of misfortune since childhood was over!
From now on, Samael's life was where the happiness began!
“We're here. Get out.”
……If only I hadn't been captured by gangsters.