Chapter 75
Encia's momentum surged dramatically.
Even Levinas, who had been smiling brightly, hid behind me.
I too froze on the spot, feeling an explosive aura for the first time in my life.
Encia, looking down at me and Levinas, flinched and trembled.
She slowly closed and then opened her eyes, before speaking in a calm voice.
It was Encia, as usual.
"What kind of play...?"
"Well, the kids were asking how adults play..."
"Are you talking about normal play?"
"Yeah. Just wanted to show them how adults have fun."
Choi Jinhyuk nodded urgently.
He looked pitifully wronged.
"I'm sorry. I misunderstood."
"No, I would have doubted it too."
I tilted my head, looking at Choi Jinhyuk waving it off as if it were nothing.
Did Choi Jinhyuk say something bad?
As I tried to recall, Levinas poked my shoulder.
"King, it's not good to be scary, right?"
"Yeah. I'm not good at being scary anyway."
"Really? Is there something the King can't do?"
Levinas' eyes opened wide, surprised.
I knew she admired me, but was she thinking of me as some kind of omnipotent being?
I was just grateful for the admiration from the young girl.
"I'm the same as Levinas. There are things I'm good at and things I'm not."
"I-is that so...?"
"Yeah."
I nodded to Levinas, but she seemed skeptical.
Just how highly did she regard me?
Hmm.
Levinas, who had been pondering with her arms crossed, stood boldly in front of me.
"Then try to scare Levinas?"
"Le-Levinas?"
"Yeah. I want to see if I find it scary or not."
She wouldn't believe it until she saw it, it seems.
I scratched the back of my neck and decided to show a bit of anger.
"Levinas, do you really want to be in trouble?"
I tried my best to be angry, but compared to Encia's display earlier, it was laughably inadequate.
My face turned red with embarrassment.
Levinas looked at me with a blank expression.
It was hard to tell what she was thinking as she stared blankly.
"See? Told you, I'm not good at being scary."
"Levinas?"
"Scary...!"
Levinas ran off as if to escape, hiding behind Choi Jinhyuk.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Encia's face momentarily.
"Levinas, were you scared?"
"Yeah. To think that wasn't supposed to be scary, the King really is amazing."
"Well, uh..."
After all.
She was still a child, so even a little anger might be scary to her.
Maybe I was too quick to judge by adult standards.
"King should never get angry at Levinas. Levinas gets very scared."
"Yeah. Sorry. I won't ever get angry at Levinas."
Because she was a kind child.
There would never be a reason to get angry at her.
Even if she did something wrong, she was the kind of child who wouldn't do it again once properly told.
After promising Levinas that I understood, Levinas, who had been hiding behind Choi Jinhyuk, ran towards me giggling.
"The King is amazing after all! The atmosphere changed instantly when you got angry!"
"Was it that much?"
"Yeah!"
Levinas's admiring gaze made me feel bashful.
Laughing awkwardly, Choi Jinhyuk cleared his throat.
"I have some preparations to do, so let's play tomorrow."
"Preparations?"
"Yeah. Adults need to prepare to play."
"Ah..."
Wondering what kind of grand play required preparations, I was curious but decided to wait and look forward to tomorrow.
Perhaps, it would be my first time playing since coming to this world.
<+>
The next day, I went to the dungeon early in the morning.
Since the association had requested that children rest and play a lot, I went without Levinas.
'It's about time for lunch.'
Should I have lunch with everyone today?
Thinking this, I was about to return home when I saw a shocking sign in front of me.
[If you finish the King Pork Cutlet within 30 minutes, it's free!]
"Fr-free...?"
I don't like receiving things for free.
But this was a reward for a challenge, an event-like product.
If I succeeded in the challenge, I might be able to get a meal for free.
'It can't be too big for a person to eat...'
Maybe I could finish it if I pushed myself?
If I could save on one meal, I could buy more for Levinas and Sophia.
I didn't think for long.
For everyone's sake, even if it meant bursting my stomach, I decided to finish the entire King Pork Cutlet.
"Excuse me..."
Ding-!
As I opened the door and entered, a cheerful bell sound announced my arrival.
A middle-aged woman at the counter greeted me with a business smile.
"Oh, what a cute friend. Are you alone?"
"Yes."
It was my first time coming to a place like this by myself.
I nervously rubbed my forearm, looking around.
'There are many customers.'
Is this a popular place?
That would be fortunate.
The tastier the food, the more I could eat.
"Um..."
I hesitated and looked up at the middle-aged woman. The idea of eating something for free felt a bit embarrassing.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Is it really free if I finish the King Pork Cutlet...?"
"Uh..."
The middle-aged woman looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Indeed, the mentality of trying to eat something for free from the start must seem odd.
I waved my hands and stepped back, retreating.
"Sorry, I'll just leave."
I acted like a fool, getting too excited about the possibility of saving on food.
I decided to quickly exit the restaurant.
<+>
"Is it really free if I finish the King Pork Cutlet...?"
"Uh..."
Restaurant owner Jung Mikyung looked down at the little customer, puzzled.
The pork cutlet was too big for such a small child.
'A beast-kin child.'
She had heard of beast-kin children living around here.
They were famous.
Living day to day in such poverty that it was heartbreaking.
Jung Mikyung examined the beast-kin child, who was shrunken in on themselves.
The child was wearing clothes that were nearly torn to shreds, which was quite pitiful.
'Hungry but no money.'
Jung Mikyung knew that shameful situation all too well because she had lived in hunger as a kid.
She decided to give the child a King Pork Cutlet for free.
There was a penalty if it wasn't finished, but she was not so despicable as to take a fine from a hungry child.
"Sorry, I'll just leave."
Was the child embarrassed for trying to get a meal for free? The child hurriedly left the restaurant.
Such behavior could only come from someone who thought they were causing trouble.
Yet, they must have been too hungry to help it.
Such a pitiful child.
"Wait a moment."
Jung Mikyung called out to the departing child.
Startled, the child slowly turned around as if seeing a ghost.
"Yes...?"
"King Pork Cutlet, right?"
"Ye-yes..."
The child, clearly very embarrassed, fiddled with their fingers.
At times like this, it was important for an adult to act as if it was no big deal.
"Do you want to sit? I'll prepare it quickly."
"Th-yes..."
The child, wary of those around, sat at the most secluded spot in the restaurant.
Their behavior, trying their best not to be a bother, was quite mature.
What kind of life had this tiny child lived to make every action so cautious?
Jung Mikyung felt a pang of sadness as she placed a King Pork Cutlet in front of the child.
It was several times the usual amount of a King Pork Cutlet.
If she couldn't finish, she'd pack it so she could share it with the other beast-kin children at home.
Jung Mikyung smiled, imagining the children being happy over a single pork cutlet.
"It's pretty big, right?"
"Bi-big..."
Gyeoul's pupils shook as she looked down at the pork cutlet. The amount was five times what she had imagined.
'Wh, what do I do...'
She had thought it was an amount she could eat if she tried hard enough.
But it was physically impossible.
Even if her entire stomach was empty, it wouldn't be enough to fill it.
Could anyone actually succeed?
Even those who do mukbangs would give up on such an amount?
Gyeoul looked around and widened her eyes when she saw the pictures hanging on one wall. There were quite a few photos of those who had succeeded.
'Do people here magically enlarge their stomachs?'
Are there people who specialize in enlarging their stomachs?
Unaware of Jung Mikyung's kindness, Gyeoul could only shiver.
"Uh..."
Let's try eating it.
Maybe, as a beast-kin, she might have something special that would allow her to finish it.
So, Gyeoul began eating the pork cutlet piece by piece but had to give up after eating about a tenth of it.
She was so full, it felt as if her stomach would burst like a balloon.
'I have to pay a fine.'
How much would the fine be?
Since she had been hiding in a corner to avoid people's gazes, she hadn't even seen the price list properly.
'The fine...'
Gyeoul's mouth dropped open when she checked the price list.
The penalty for failure was too high.
"A fine of 100,000 won..."
How could there be a fine of 100,000 won for a single pork cutlet?
It was shocking, but the amount of pork cutlet justified it.
Enough for a large family to eat their fill and still have leftovers.
Moreover, it was an expensive neighborhood frequented by the wealthy.
"My 100,000 won..."
With 100,000 won, she could get by for a month or two.
To pay 100,000 won for just one meal was unbelievable.
Gyeoul shook her head in despair at the situation.
People in the restaurant who had been watching Gyeoul from the start began to sweat profusely, knowing how much 100,000 won meant to a beast-kin child known to be poor in this neighborhood.
<+>
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