[Title: I'll Do the Recorder Proof Eventually]
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Author: ImSeriouslyRankA
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: (Photo of the seaside in Haenam, South Jeolla Province)
Currently on emergency standby at Land's End so I can't head to Line 1 right now;;
I'll buy burgers so give me 2 weeks
ㄴ ㅇㅇ☑ : Noted
ㄴ ImSeriouslyRankA : thx thx
ㄴ CrappyFishingEnthusiast : I'm in
ㄴ BaldnessIsAFashion : I'm in
ㄴ WannaBeDriedRadish : burger pls
ㄴ ImSeriouslyRankA : just ask the princess to buy you one lol;
ㄴ SnowWhitesMom : (utterly baffled face)
"…Elicia. Do you like hamburgers, by any chance?"
｢Emily scolds me if I eat hamburgers. She says they're bad for you.｣
"O-oh. Got it."
Maybe it was the princess thing, but Elicia apparently didn't eat fast food like hamburgers much. Something about it not being great for keeping in shape followed after.
Well, whatever. I was about to go eat fancy French cuisine with Elicia anyway. Not eating a burger wasn't much of a loss.
Honestly, just stirring up the Hunter Wannabe Gallery was already satisfying enough. I'd promised to do the Line 1 recorder proof later too. The post even made it to the hot board.
Either way, I'd proven I wasn't a liar. That was enough for me.
ㄴ WannaBeDriedRadish : but why the emergency alert?
ㄴ ImSeriouslyRankA : idk apparently a disaster-class monster showed up on Jeju Island
ㄴ ImSeriouslyRankA : if it crosses the sea we're screwed so security is insanely tight rn
ㄴ WannaBeDriedRadish : (mint-haired emoji going omg;;)
Still, something was nagging at me a little. A comment had popped up about something going on in Jeju Island.
Apparently a disaster-class monster had appeared on Jeju Island. No matter how I thought about it, that had to be Nia.
It seemed like the emergency alert had been triggered because I'd sent Nia to clean up Jeju Island.
Well, Nia was a Hidden Boss, after all. From everyone else's perspective, an incredibly terrifying monster had just suddenly popped up on Jeju Island out of nowhere, right?
Since nobody knew Nia's true identity, they were naturally on high alert.
…I felt a little bad about that. Nia wasn't even in Jeju Island anymore — she was in England. And she had absolutely no intention of invading the Korean mainland.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, well, Miss Erdi."
—Whisper, whisper.
—Whisper, whisper.
"——So apparently Hunters are gathered there right now, watching to see whether Nia shows up or not."
"Hmm……. …I see. Understood."
After I explained what had happened because of Nia's Jeju Island cleanup, Erdi gave a nod and said she understood.
Apparently it wouldn't cause any serious problems right away, though.
It wasn't like Nia had fought any Hunters.
And besides, nobody even knew yet that Nia was my summon.
"Focus on the princess for now. She still seems to have a lot she wants to ask you."
"Yes, ma'am."
I'd ask Nia about what happened in Jeju Island later, once we got back to the mansion.
Right now, I had to go eat French cuisine with Elicia. After chatting with her for so long, I was starting to feel genuinely hungry.
｢Oh, by the way, Ji-woo.｣
"Yeah?"
｢You need to drop the transformation before we go to the restaurant. You might shed fur into the food.｣
"Oh, right. …Assimilation, deactivate."
—Ding.
【Grade: S → F】
【Currently Assimilated Entity: None】
I deactivated the Assimilation skill and climbed into what looked like an absurdly expensive limousine, following Elicia's lead. The one and only British Royal Family limousine.
It wasn't all that different from the limousine the Guild Association chairwoman had sent me last time.
Still, knowing it was a limousine reserved exclusively for British royalty made it feel somehow more impressive.
The limousine carrying me and Elicia was flanked by cars full of bodyguards. Apparently the bodyguards would be with us during dinner too.
｢Would it bother you to have bodyguards present while we eat?｣
"Hm? No, no. I'm fine. No problem."
｢Hehe, that's a relief.｣
Besides, I had Erdi with me right now.
Erdi felt less like a bodyguard and more like a guardian at this point, but honestly, no matter how many bodyguards Elicia had, I doubted any of them could beat Erdi.
Thanks to that, even with Elicia's bodyguards standing around in sharp suits, I didn't feel the slightest bit intimidated.
One Erdi was more reassuring to me than all of them combined. Bluntly put, no matter how many bodyguards there were, one casual sweep from Erdi and they'd all be done for.
Not that she'd actually do that, of course. That would cause a genuinely massive problem. Why would I want her to sweep away my friend's bodyguards anyway.
'…Arkiel, on the other hand, might actually do it.'
Anyway, Elicia's bodyguards in their sunglasses with their hands clasped behind their backs didn't scare me at all.
I deliberately, visibly took Erdi's hand and walked into the restaurant with my head held high.
…Erdi's true form was originally that of a young girl like me, but right now she was in her adult form.
That actually made it even more reassuring. Honestly, a little kid's appearance isn't all that intimidating from the outside.
—Glance, glance.
—Glance, glance.
"…Is something the matter?"
"Ah, n-no. It's nothing."
In her adult form, just sitting there quietly radiated an extraordinary charisma.
Her outfit was an incredibly refined women's suit. Her gaze had become sharper and more imperious somehow.
Her face was the textbook definition of an ice-cold beauty. Even I had to admit she looked a little intimidating.
—Swish.
—Clatter. Clatter.
｢Here is today's amuse-bouche. Sturgeon caviar atop lightly smoked fresh cream — the cold saltiness gives way to a subtle sweetness at the finish, and………｣
And so, the four of us — me and Erdi, Elicia, and her secretary Emily — began our French course meal.
Every time a new dish arrived, the waiter would rattle off some explanation, and honestly even with Erdi translating for me I couldn't quite follow. Cold saltiness is just cold and salty — what even is "cold saltiness"?
—Munch, munch.
—Munch, munch.
"Mm, mmm……."
Still, it was supposedly expensive caviar, so I ate it with some anticipation… and it was, well, something.
It wasn't bad exactly. It was more like eating salty spherical ice cream, if that made any sense.
Either way, it was such an unfamiliar flavor that I found it oddly mysterious. Meanwhile, Erdi beside me was eating it with obvious enjoyment. Apparently there were flavors only adults could appreciate.
｢…The first appetizer. North Sea scallops, thinly sliced and finished with citrus oil and sea salt.｣
｢A consommé made from black truffle and veal stock, simmered for over twelve hours. We recommend savoring the aroma first before tasting.｣
｢Today's fish course — sea bream. The accompanying white butter sauce has a slightly emphasized acidity, and when enjoyed together with the purée beneath the fish——｣
"F-fish…!"
After dish after dish of unfamiliar food, something I actually recognized had finally arrived.
It was a little small, but it was fish.
I speared a piece with my fork and popped it in my mouth, and a rich, savory aroma spread all through it. This one was genuinely delicious.
｢Looks like it suits your palate. I'm glad.｣
"Mm-hm. It's really good."
｢And you, Erdi…? Is it all right?｣
｢Yes. A splendid fish dish.｣
After finishing the sea bream, something called a sorbet — a kind of ice cream — was brought out as a palate cleanser. Apparently the steak was finally coming next.
Elicia explained that it was to rinse your mouth with a clean flavor before tasting the steak.
｢Think of it as erasing all the other flavors still lingering in your mouth.｣
"Mm…."
Honestly I didn't really get all that, so I just ate it like regular ice cream. It was tasty, so that was fine.
And so, after finishing the sorbet too, there was a brief wait before the next course — the steak.
｢Excuse me, Erdi. There's something I'd like to say to you.｣
Elicia, who had neatly set her fork and knife side by side on her plate, addressed Erdi directly.
She had something she needed to say to Erdi personally.
｢The Thames Red Gate earlier…. I heard that M.M.L.I and you worked very hard.｣
｢Yes. That is correct.｣
｢…Thank you, Erdi. England owes a great debt this time.｣
Elicia said this and added that she wished to express her gratitude as a princess of England.
She gave a polite, respectful nod.
In response to Elicia's thanks, Erdi returned a slight bow of her own.
The atmosphere felt so formal that I instinctively gave a small, inconspicuous bow myself.
｢Our key Hunters in England were injured. I've been told this Red Gate would have been truly impossible without help from other countries.｣
England had its own Hunters, of course, but most of them had sustained injuries of varying severity during a large-scale raid conducted just a few days prior.
With its Hunter forces significantly weakened, England had been unable to handle this Red Gate on its own — which was why they'd reached out to other nations for help.
In the end, thanks to M.M.L.I and Arkiel, they'd managed to get through the crisis, and she was grateful for that.
Elicia bowed her head once more.
｢As Elicia Rose Windsor, Princess of England — I am truly grateful. You saved our people.｣
Her voice carried a certain dignity to it, and in this moment she truly seemed like a princess. Grace flowed through her voice, her words, her gestures.
Erdi replied in an equally dignified voice that she was glad it had worked out in the end.
｢Ji-woo, thank you as well. I heard you came to England for the same reason as Erdi.｣
"Ah, well…. …I mean, sort of."
｢England will not forget this kindness.｣
She was glad to be able to host England's benefactors, Elicia said with a soft smile.
I thought I understood why she was so popular. She was already pretty, but smiling made her even prettier.
—Click.
｢Oh. Ji-woo…?｣
"It came out nicely. Look, Elicia."
｢Ah, no, I mean, taking a photo so suddenly……. …Ugh, I'm embarrassed to see myself like this.｣
Elicia's cheeks flushed at the sight of herself smiling softly in the photo.
From where I was sitting it looked like a really lovely shot, but apparently Elicia herself found it embarrassing for some reason.
I did feel a little bad about it, but it was a smile I absolutely had to capture. Sorry, Elicia — but no regrets.
"If you posted this photo on your Instagram, you'd get a ton of likes."
｢N-no. Not this one.｣
"Why? Did something come out weird?"
｢…A-anyway, no.｣
Elicia, lips slightly pouted, said she'd keep the photo just for herself.
Showing a smile like that to other people was honestly a little embarrassing, apparently.
I didn't quite understand, but if that's what Elicia said, then that was that.
The way she was pouting right now felt different from before — somehow kind of cute.
｢Next, today's main course. A tenderloin steak, slowly cooked with herb butter basted throughout.｣
"!"
The steak had finally arrived.
One look at it and there was no way it could be anything but delicious — I barely managed to swallow the saliva that welled up automatically.
And so, just as I picked up my knife and began to cut the steak into small pieces——
—Wrrrrr───.
—Wrrrrrrrrrr───!
—BEEEEEEEEEP──────!
"Wha?!"
A sudden cacophony erupted from all directions, and Elicia's bodyguards began scrambling about in a panic.
Elicia and Emily looked slightly flustered too.
The only calm one was Erdi.
"Ji-woo."
"Y-yes? What is it, Miss Erdi?"
"A Gate has opened. It's near this restaurant."
"…!"
Oh, no. I hadn't even taken a single bite of the steak yet. I'd only just started cutting it.
Even so, Elicia and Emily rose from their seats as if to evacuate quickly. Elicia's bodyguards were already swarming in around them.
This was absolutely unacceptable. There's an unspoken rule that you don't disturb someone while they're eating. This was a clear violation of some universal code of decency.
"Miss Erdi. Could I ask you a favor…? I really want to eat my steak. Beef tastes bad once it goes cold."
"…Not a favor. An order. I taught you that."
"Oh, right, then…."
***
—Munch, munch.
"Please tell the monsters to come after mealtime next time. And that right now doesn't work."
A firm command, delivered with just a hint of irritation.
The reason behind it was a little absurd, but an order was an order — and the answer was already decided.
｢E-Erdi. Right now you need to evacuate with Ji-woo to the shelter immediately——｣
｢No.｣
That was why Erdis Arcana had flatly refused Princess Elicia's words.
Instead of evacuating, she replied that she would stay here with Ji-woo.
For Ji-woo's sake, today's gathering needed to conclude properly.
She added that she would drive off the uninvited guests and return shortly.
｢Then, just a moment.｣
Silently, the form of Erdis Arcana vanished like the wind.
Three seconds from that moment until Erdis Arcana reached the Gate that had opened on a nearby road.
"Haah…."
"What a troublesome student."
Crack. Countless straight lines spread across the bluish rift that had just formed.
By the time the blade that cleaved through the air blazed with brilliant light, every shriek within the Gate had already fallen back into silence.
And at that same moment, Princess Elicia, still remaining inside the restaurant, witnessed it.
—Flutter.
—Flutter.
—■■■■■■■■■■─────!
A massive shadow, soaring high into the distant sky, racing swiftly toward them.
Then the vast white clouds parting to either side, revealing the shape of two enormous wings.
And at the same time — a girl still seated calmly amid all the commotion, elegantly moving her knife.
"It's fine, Elicia. Sit back down."
｢B-but, right now, we need to evacuate….｣
"Beef tastes bad when it goes cold."
