Chapter 127: The People of the Fallen Kingdom (4)

A short distance away from the citadel, two large cauldrons had been set up.

Steam rose in gentle curls from the massive pots.

Inside one, a mountain of freshly fried chicken towered high.

Thick, crispy batter coated the pieces—perfect Korean crispy chicken.

The other cauldron held Korean-style seasoned chicken, glistening with a base of corn syrup and gochujang.

The savory aroma of fried chicken mixed with the sweet and spicy scent of the sauce, beginning to waft through the air.

On the walls of the citadel, the sentries swallowed hard.

Gulp……

Gulp…… Gulp…… Gulp….

The guards stared at nothing but the chicken, completely entranced.

Even with a giant appearing right before them, they couldn’t even think to blow their horns.

Sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, and dry, flaky skin.

The soldiers’ nutritional state was obviously disastrous at a glance.

In a situation where they struggled to obtain proper food, let alone meat, it was only natural they’d lose their minds at the sight of chicken right in front of them.

…But this isn’t the end yet.

I pulled an icebox out of my inventory.

Then I began taking out the ingredients one by one.

Onions, carrots, cucumbers, green onions, perilla leaves, cabbage, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, minced garlic.

Bundles of somyeon and jjolmyeon noodles, and finally a can of whelks.

Jeanne tilted her head.

“This is…… raw cooking ingredients.”

“That’s right. The dish I’m about to make tastes best when eaten fresh.”

The soul partner that stands shoulder to shoulder with chicken.

The signature menu of every hop house: golbaengi somyeon.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Although I had called it golbaengi somyeon, I had prepared two types of noodles.

Somyeon and jjolmyeon.

The soft flavor and texture of somyeon harmonized beautifully with any ingredients.

On the other hand, the bouncy and chewy jjolmyeon paired perfectly with the spicy sauce and the whelks’ own chewiness.

Each had its own strengths.

I prepared both since I didn’t know what they’d prefer.

Soon, I started boiling water in the pots.

While waiting for the water to boil, I prepped the ingredients simply.

First, I cut the carrots, onions, cucumbers, and cabbage into easy-to-eat sizes.

Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice!

The vegetables were julienned thinly.

Cutting them larger would preserve more texture, but I sliced them this way so the sauce could coat everything evenly.

Finally, I cut the green onions diagonally to enhance both their shape and mouthfeel.

The onions and carrots would add crunch and sweetness, while the cabbage would cleanse the lingering sauce taste in the mouth.

Around the time I finished prepping the ingredients.

Bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble—

The water in the pot began to boil vigorously.

I took out the somyeon and jjolmyeon bundles.

I had prepared two separate pots.

The boiling methods for somyeon and jjolmyeon differed slightly.

I started with the somyeon, which needed a longer cooking time.

Swishhhhh

Like flower buds blooming, the somyeon slowly spread out inside the pot.

Bubble bubble bubble bubble—

When the pot started boiling again, I poured cold water in a circular motion and stirred the noodles.

This prevents them from sticking together and gives them more elasticity.

It took about five minutes for the somyeon to cook fully.

I loosened the jjolmyeon strands and dropped them into the second pot.

Then I added a large spoonful of vinegar.

This would cleanly eliminate jjolmyeon’s characteristic dull aftertaste.

Bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble—

Once both noodles were cooked, I rinsed them thoroughly in ice water to remove the starch.

Finally, it was time for the sauce that would complete the dish.

I took out a glass jar containing the sauce from the icebox.

Jeanne spoke upon seeing it.

“I see. You prepared the sauce in advance. Unlike noodles or vegetables, sauce is fine to make ahead of time. Efficient time management and utilization…… As expected of Master!”

“No, I just bought this from the convenience store.”

“Oh…….”

It was the Paldo Bibimmyeon sauce I had purchased at GS25.

A product created after smart food researchers put their heads together.

It’s on a completely different level from some half-baked sauce made by a bachelor like me.

I placed the vegetables and sauce into two stainless steel bowls.

Then I added the perfectly cooked somyeon and jjolmyeon separately.

Adding minced garlic and sesame oil made it perfect.

Mix mix—

I tossed everything thoroughly so the sauce could coat evenly.

Finally, I sprinkled sesame seeds generously on top. Done.

“How about that? Pretty easy, right?”

Gulp gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

Huge sounds began rising from the direction of the citadel.

By now, dozens of soldiers had climbed onto the ramparts.

Their eyes were wide open. Drool streamed down their chins.

The soldiers swallowed repeatedly as they stared at the chicken.

“Watch closely. Chicken incoming.”

I brought a piece of crispy chicken to my mouth.

Crunch!

A crisp, clear sound echoed all the way to the quiet citadel.

The savory batter and juicy meat harmonized perfectly inside my mouth.

“Mmm~ Delicious.”

Immediately after.

Gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp~!

The sound of soldiers swallowing saliva grew much louder across the walls.

The junior sentry was swallowing hard while still holding his horn.

Toot— Toot— Toot— Toot—

Weird horn sounds mixed in as a result.

I began transferring the food into stainless steel serving trays.

A huge pile of crispy chicken and seasoned chicken.

Next to it sat the glossy golbaengi somyeon and jjolmyeon, sauce glistening.

Alright, countdown begins.

……10.

……9.

……8.

……7.

……6.

By the time I had counted to six in my head.

Creak— Boom!

The castle gates swung wide open as dozens of soldiers poured out in a rush.

Weapons, shields, armor—the whole set.

The soldiers charged forward in full gear.

Unlike last time, they weren’t recklessly shooting arrows.

However, their eyes looked quite terrifying.

Bloodshot and red.

Huff— Huff— Huff— Huff— Huff—

They even let out agitated breaths like mountain beasts that hadn’t eaten for days.

The soldiers charged fiercely while fixated on the chicken.

They would arrive here in just a few seconds.

So the thing to do now was……

“Run!”

“Understood, Master!”

Jeanne and I quickly vacated the area.

We hid behind a mushroom as tall as a high-rise building and observed the situation.

The soldiers surrounded the chicken and golbaengi somyeon in a circle.

However, no one dared to touch the food recklessly.

They only glanced at each other with tense expressions.

Let’s see what they’re up to.

Ding-dong!

<Skill ‘Ink Stealth’ activated!>

Black ink seeped into my skin, beginning to reflect the surrounding light.

My body turned transparent.

Soon after, the miniaturized Jeanne climbed onto my shoulder.

I approached the soldiers’ location with silent footsteps.

Then I began to hear their voices.

“So what do we do about this…….”

“First…… we should report it to the Guard Captain…….”

“Then she’ll probably order us to throw it all away. These precious things……”

“Precious or not, the giant made it. What if it’s poisoned?”

“But he was eating it himself earlier? Doesn’t that mean there’s no poison?”

The soldiers split into two factions—those in favor and those against—and continued their heated debate.

“It does seem suspicious.”

“But it looks really appetizing.”

…Yeah. It’s no joke.

However, their opinions didn’t narrow down easily.

Time passed without anyone taking the lead.

Regardless of faction, every soldier’s mouth was covered in drool.

They seemed unable to think straight from the food smells drifting nearby.

The savory oil scent of the crispy chicken.

The sweet gochujang and syrup aroma of the seasoned chicken.

The tangy, stimulating smell of the golbaengi sauce.

Gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp~!

The swallowing sounds were so loud they nearly drowned out the soldiers’ voices.

At the same time.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle gurgle—

Loud rumbles erupted from the soldiers’ stomachs.

Then, a new recruit suddenly dashed toward the chicken.

“Ah, screw it! I don’t care anymore!”

The new recruit grabbed and tore off a chicken leg from the crispy chicken.

Crunch crunch crunch—

It happened before anyone could stop him.

The soldiers stared blankly at the new recruit with shocked faces.

But that only lasted a moment.

“What are you doing!”

“If you eat it like that……!”

“Oh my god, the youngest has done it now!”

The soldiers who regained their senses began scolding the new recruit.

Regardless, the new recruit continued tearing into the chicken.

Soon.

“Huk…… It’s so delicious it’s making me cry…….”

The new recruit cried with the chicken leg still in his mouth.

He had sucked every bit of meat off the bone until it was shiny and clean.

Before long, the other soldiers cleared their throats awkwardly and approached the chicken.

“Can’t be helped.”

“Yeah. It’s already happened.”

“We can’t let the youngest take all the blame alone.”

“Right, exactly. If we die, we die together. If we eat, we eat together.”

With those words.

Grab— Grab— Grab— Grab— Grab— Grab—

The soldiers rushed at the chicken without exception.

One hand holding crispy chicken, the other holding seasoned chicken.

“Ma, it’s delicious!”

“Damn! What the hell is this?!”

“I can’t believe food this good existed……!”

“The red noodles over here are spicy but really tasty too!”

The soldiers ate with deeply moved expressions.

At that moment, a spine-chilling shout rang out.

“What exactly are you all doing right now!”

The faces of the soldiers holding chicken turned deathly pale.

Soon, someone began walking over from the citadel side.

Step— Step— Step— Step—

It was a female knight who appeared to be the Guard Captain.

Immediately, the soldiers set down their chicken and saluted.

“Gu, Guard Captain! You’ve arrived!”

The Guard Captain looked back and forth between the food and the soldiers.

Then she continued in an icy voice.

“I asked what you all are doing.”

“We’re sorry—!”

The soldiers shouted while standing at attention.

The Guard Captain pointed at the chicken and golbaengi somyeon.

“Such harmful things must be completely eradicated from this world!”

The soldiers lowered their heads with expressions full of sighs.

Soon, the veteran soldiers picked up the food and spoke.

“We’ll eliminate it right away! Sorry, Guard Captain!”

The soldiers began heading toward a pit while carrying the food.

Then the Guard Captain shouted once more.

“What are you doing now!”

“Huh?”

“I told you to get rid of it. Who said to dispose of it?!”

“?”

First she told them to get rid of it, then not to dispose of it.

The soldiers looked completely confused about which order to follow.

Then, the Guard Captain swallowed her saliva and said.

“…Hurry up and eat it all so you can erase it from this world!”