“….Hey, Menelapie.”
“What is it?”
“Do you see that?”
Teresa pointed with her chin towards a corner table in the restaurant where Lilybet was munching happily on mint chocolate chicken.
Lilybet’s face, delighting in the mint chocolate chicken, radiated sheer happiness.
After all, she loved mint chocolate, so it would be hard to make even a playful jab at how joyfully she was enjoying her meal.
“It’s quite amusing for a queen. It’s funny to see her pestering Shia for a duel. Resetting all her skills and starting from scratch… to me, that looks incredibly foolish. But from the perspective of a former emperor, how does it seem?”
“Personal achievement is not for others to judge. Absolute evaluation lies solely in one’s own satisfaction. If one is satisfied, there’s no room for others to interfere. I too have shed my title as emperor and come here, so why would I evaluate a foreign monarch now? Though, I do think it’s quite convenient and nice not having to directly govern and instead rule according to the constitution.”
“What do you find regrettable?”
“If it were possible in my empire to do something like that, I’d have changed the governance structure long ago and slipped into the background to live a relaxed, lazy, and happy life with Shia…”
“Your personality? Give me a break. Kikik.”
At Menelapie’s words, Teresa snorted and rested her chin on her hand with a smirk.
“You took a vacation but couldn’t stand those noble brats for even a day before returning to work. And seeing you personally go deal with everything from the top brass to the lowest levels, cleaning the mess, was downright moving.”
“Were you there?”
“Seeing the shadows cast in the royal court made it obvious. If I’d been your aide like a bureaucrat, I might have felt like resigning out of sheer frustration, not just handing in my resignation.”
“Hohoho, indeed, civil servants living off state salaries must be worked hard. After that, unless it was something Shia requested, I hardly ever took a vacation either.”
“Thanks to your lack of vacation, I still hear the wails of the clerks rolling under you. With the emperor at the top not taking a vacation, how much do you think the underlings had to tread carefully?”
“Haha, Teresa, do not misunderstand. Who threatened those underlings with a knife to be civil servants? They receive salaries and come dedicated to serve me and the state, yet when they grimace as if eating crap, I can’t help but want to absolutely obliterate them.”
“No matter how much you dislike it, even if you throw work at them like mountains, isn’t it a bit excessive to gather noble-born bureaucrats at 7 AM daily and make them run laps? If I were you, I would have already thrown my resignation in your face.”
” Hoo hoo hoo hoo… Imagining that is a bit amusing.”
Of course, everyone was probably carrying a resignation letter in their pockets.
They had good treatment and salaries. Above all, Menelapie’s willingness to work would have made it daunting for subordinates to voice any complaints.
Looking back now, while Menelapie was an ideal hero and emperor, he was undoubtedly a horrifying boss, just as terrible as the Demon King.
“Nonetheless, isn’t stamina equivalent to national strength? To say my efforts to bestow some minimum physical strength on those buried under piles of paperwork is tyranny is quite unreasonable.”
“Stop whining. You’re just making excuses because your mood was terribly uncomfortable, and you took it out on them.”
“Furthermore, those chewing creatures turn all googly-eyed every morning when Shia comes to meet me. How could I leave them to their own devices?”
“That, I couldn’t just let slide. Good job.”
After reminiscing about the old days, Menelapie and Teresa shifted their gaze.
“Wahaha! This is delicious! So good~ Om nom nom.”
And Teresa squinted her eyes at Lilybet, who was looking so cheerful.
“In that sense, that duel-crazy Mint Queen really irritates me.”
“What do you mean? She’s adorable at such a young age.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve noticed she doesn’t have any taste buds, haven’t you?”
“…..”
At Teresa’s words, Menelapie fell silent.
It wasn’t just a joke… she genuinely couldn’t taste anything.
●●●●
The day after the alley Shia’s restaurant opened, it was bustling pretty successfully.
At first glance, one might think it was a popular eatery in a back alley of Earth rather than a dungeon filled with non-humans in Green City.
Below the sign reading [Alley Shia’s Restaurant], freshly painted white iron sheets were set up as partitions. Though it wasn’t soundproof, the Hunters chatted excitedly with drinks and crispy chicken in hand.
The noise from one table didn’t feel grating; rather, it invigorated the atmosphere, and despite being a makeshift restaurant in a back alley, it was worth enduring a bit of inconvenience for a taste of Shia’s chicken, as per the Hunters’ reviews.
For the record, this restaurant didn’t sell alcohol, so the Hunters had to buy their drinks separately from the entertainment or casino cars of the train.
“Wait, why are there so many customers!?”
It wasn’t that busy on opening day, but thanks to fast rumors among Hunters, the number of customers continued to grow.
For Hunters eating tasteless canned food due to contamination in the food sector, Shia’s chicken was like rain in a drought; but even beyond that, it had significant geographical advantages.
Shia’s restaurant was located at a midpoint between the train and the city. Thus, Hunters exploring Green City for exploration purposes had to stop by Shia’s place.
In a city where monsters constantly battled and warred every day, the existence of a restaurant with its sign intact was bound to pique the Hunters’ curiosity.
“I’ve eaten a lot of chicken, and I pride myself on knowing chicken well. This chicken’s meat is incredibly fresh! It feels like I’m eating meat fresh off the slaughter!”
“Wait, is that a strange scream I hear coming from the kitchen…?”
“Nah, must be my imagination.”
[Kweeeeek!]
Although there were occasional eerie screams coming from the kitchen, any initial fear they felt upon entering the restaurant swiftly melted away as crispy chicken arrived on their tables.
While there are those who refuse pork or beef for religious or cultural reasons, chicken was universally loved across the globe, a food of truth and unity.
And it wasn’t just Hunters coming as customers.
As many Hunters flocked to Shia’s restaurant, residents of Green City came out of curiosity and interest as well.
One memorable incident involved a large family of kobolds peeking into the restaurant.
Shia welcomed the hungry kobold family inside, and as a result, the kobolds had a feast for the first time in ages.
Crunch, this… is delicious…
Why, this is delicious…
Human food, crunch… this is the first time…
Whimper! Munch munch!
“Eat well!”
The sight of the kobold family happily tearing into chicken was quite a heartwarming sight for Shia.
It was unlikely that the low-ranking kobolds would ever fill their bellies like this in Green City, nor that they’d find the meat of a Suhweenggakgwiin.
Kids really were cute, regardless of race.
A little kobold resembling a kitten was munching on chicken legs with both hands, a sight to behold.
Some Hunters expressed dissatisfaction toward Shia for allowing monsters as customers, but those acting like blatant racists in front of the saintess were promptly kicked out for not deserving a meal.
Shia wasn’t foolish; she knew the kobolds were monsters, but at the very least, if they weren’t looking to harm anyone first, she wanted to treat them as customers.
Of course, if a kobold suddenly decided to turn against humans…
“By the way, how will the payment work?”
This could… crunch be expensive…
I owe you from last time, so this time… crunch… I’ll cut off both my arms…
“Eh..?”
Understood… If it’s not enough, I’ll cut off an arm as well… This food is worth it… crunch…*
“Good… If it’s a kobold’s arm, it can be processed into clothing material….”
“What are you talking about, Teresa! No, no, don’t do that, you don’t need their money!!!”
Grrr, are they saying I should hand over my child…?
Eeeek…
“No, don’t do that!”
What are you trying to make a child trafficking ring for…!
For reference, the Rose Order, led by Shia in her previous world, also ran an orphanage, so she had a particular fondness for children.
More than anything, it was a principle of theirs to never harm children.
In any case, the residents of Green City were primarily impoverished and often had no money except to consider chopping off limbs for currency, but even Shia, despite her twisted saintly nature, wasn’t cruel enough to take limbs from the impoverished and powerless.
As for the Suhweenggakgwiin?
They made the first move, so they were the exception.
Crunch, thank you…
Humans, so kind. gulp.*
Of course, it wasn’t just pure-hearted creatures like the kobold family arriving with simple intentions.
Bang!
“Eek!?”
“What, what is this?”
“Who do you think you are, setting up a shop here!!”
Once, a gang of rough-looking centaur yakuza barged into the restaurant, pipes in hand.
Just as Menelapie had temporarily left to fetch Shia’s large transport drone from the train, they appeared, and the entrance of the restaurant was smashed under the centaurs’ brutal kicks.
“That’s right! Why are you running a business here!?”
“Give me a leg! I’ll let you off with two legs per person for now!”
“That’s right, everyone! Give it all! Hand it over!”
“If you rob us, then it’s those horsemen next!”
“You fools, shut up!”
Even the scabbies, who had just been in a rivalry for territory, joined in.
Having come ready, they immediately began throwing poison grenades and disease bombs as soon as they entered, while simultaneously shooting rusty bolt bullets, turning the place into a mess.
It must have felt like an encroachment on their territory as Shia’s restaurant had sprung up in the midst of their domain, attracting crowds.
However, it was a place densely packed with at least A-ranked Hunters, apart from Shia.
“?”
“?”
“?”
“Huh?”
“What’s that rat doing?”
At the moment the centaurs and scabbies abruptly kicked the door open, the frontline Hunters immediately raised shields and barriers to block the barrage of bolts, while other Hunters pulled out swords, guns, and various magical powers, creating an impressive spectacle.
To put it simply, it was as if a gang of bullies had crashed into a police station.
No, it felt more like they’d barreled into a special forces unit.
“…….”
“…..snap.”
“Eh.”
Realizing the Hunters were readying for battle, the quick-witted Scabbies understood they were in the wrong place and turned to flee.
[Let’s hunt!]
“Run! Run!”
Some even among the S-rank Hunters made it clear that the centaurs and scabbies invading Shia’s restaurant met a fate that was so swift and simple it couldn’t be described in words.
“Those damned rats dare to touch my chicken!!!”
“Kill them!”
“I won’t let this slide!!”
To elaborate, the centaurs at the front were completely wiped out in less than 30 seconds and returned to becoming dust in Green City.
The scabbies, using their unique speed and agility, spread apart like roaches once their centaur allies fell, but just as they attempted to scatter, they found themselves caught and cut down by Hoshimachi Yukinko, S-grade Hunter, feasting alone on fried chicken.
Though the Hunters were individualistic, their determination not to lose such a precious eatery as Shia’s to those sorts of rats and half-beasts meant they put all their power into the fray.
Thanks to that, the restaurant was hugely successful.
No, it even reached a level where it was packed like a market street.
Running the restaurant with Shia and her group, who possessed beyond-human abilities, meant they could respond without issue, but if it had been an ordinary human owner, the sudden influx of customers would probably have left them with a massive headache.
“Shia… opened a restaurant?”
“Unbelievably, she really did.”
Kieeek~!
Then the next day, hearing of the fame of Shia’s restaurant, Yeonhwa, Yoonjeong, and Yane came to visit.
