Chapter 8. The First Hero (2)
Everyone wanted the recipe that could turn Wild Pigs—creatures that ruined crops without even eating them—into something people could actually eat.
Daltan had said he only wanted exclusive rights for one month.
But once that month ended, he didn’t necessarily have to release the Wild Pig Soup recipe to every kingdom at the same time. He could sell it first to the kingdoms he favored, making money from it while still enjoying exclusive access for an entire month.
That was why Daltan’s intentions mattered.
“Are you asking because you think I plan to use the one-month monopoly for my own profit?”
Daltan’s face turned displeased.
Kim Seongchan knew that Daltan was not the kind of man who exploited his people for personal gain.
If something benefited the people of his territory, Daltan would gladly step forward even if he had to spend his own money.
Kim Seongchan knew that.
But Daltan knew nothing about Kim Seongchan.
If he immediately accepted the proposal without questioning anything, Daltan might think Kim Seongchan knew nothing about him either.
That was why Kim Seongchan had deliberately asked such a sharp question.
“Do you really think that’s what I believe?”
Kim Seongchan poured tea into his cup and took a sip.
Even while drinking, he didn’t copy Daltan’s displeased expression.
He calmly gave Daltan time to think so that there would be no misunderstanding.
The tension in Daltan’s face slowly began to disappear.
“You don’t?”
“I want to hear what you plan to do with the one-month exclusive rights.”
Daltan’s expression had almost completely relaxed, but then it froze again.
“Do you know nothing about how the king of Positk Kingdom governs his nation?”
Daltan asked with slightly rough breathing.
His attitude seemed to say, I’ve given you this many hints. Surely you understand by now.
“It’s only my second day as a Hero.”
“Right… I forgot. It has been a long time since I met someone who couldn’t understand my true intentions. I got a little worked up.”
Kim Seongchan had rejected the title of Count.
He had also offered only a one-month monopoly instead of permanent exclusive rights, and now he was even asking how Daltan intended to use them.
It was hard to believe that someone who had only been a Hero for two days could have this much nerve.
“I’ll decide after I hear what you intend to do.”
“Ahem. There’s something about you that makes a man’s blood boil. I can’t tell whether you’re brave or clever. You keep jumping back and forth between the two.”
Kim Seongchan didn’t even know how many times he had regressed anymore.
And now, Daltan was trying to figure him out.
Kim Seongchan was a Hero with neither power nor authority, yet he spoke confidently to a king and was even willing to withdraw from a deal.
From Daltan’s perspective, it was difficult to tell whether Kim Seongchan had calculated everything beforehand or was simply fearless.
“Let’s just say I don’t care much about status.”
“Heroes certainly tend to ignore status. Since you asked why I want exclusive rights for a month, I’ll answer. I want to use the recipe to develop a magical cooking tool that can prepare the dish as close to perfectly as possible.”
Anything created through magical engineering was called a magical tool.
Cooking equipment was no exception.
“You want to sell magical cooking tools?”
“No. Not everyone follows a recipe exactly. I want to create something that allows people to follow the recipe as closely as possible, so the result is delicious. More importantly, so it actually becomes edible.”
For example, if a recipe said to add a little lowest-grade salt, someone who didn’t have any lowest-grade salt might use a little low-grade salt instead.
The result would be unbearably salty.
If people ignored the recipe and replaced ingredients simply because they seemed similar, then there would be no point in having a recipe in the first place.
Daltan wanted to solve that problem.
He intended to make it possible for ordinary people to reproduce the recipe as faithfully as possible.
“Are you serious?”
“The former court chef, Oseul, left on his own, but before that, I once scolded him harshly because a recipe required lowest-grade water and he used water created by a water spirit instead. It was supposed to be a dish made from ingredients ordinary people could easily obtain.”
Kim Seongchan could already picture the scene.
Oseul probably couldn’t be bothered to use lowest-grade water, so he carelessly gave Ella some mana and told her to use water with similar properties without even checking properly.
“Did Oseul leave because of that?”
“There were… several other incidents.”
Kim Seongchan didn’t need to ask further.
He could already imagine the kinds of things Oseul had done.
More importantly, this conversation made him understand how serious Daltan was about magical cooking equipment.
“I see. So the reason the recipe uses lowest-grade water is because you want it to be something anyone can make with ingredients that are easy to obtain.”
Positk Kingdom had access to top-grade Positk water.
Yet the recipe deliberately used lowest-grade water.
That alone proved the goal was to create a recipe that anyone could reproduce under similar conditions.
“Exactly. That’s what I’m trying to accomplish.”
“So you’ll make it simple and sell a bunch of magical tools for profit.”
“I’m losing money! Losing money! If I sold enough of them, I might eventually make a profit, but so far I’ve only suffered losses! How can you possibly think that way?!”
“There are plenty of suspicious people in the world.”
Daltan gave a bitter smile.
It was the smile of someone who understood exactly what he meant.
“Fill a high-grade subspace pouch with the supplies I need, and I’ll give you exclusive rights for one month. After that month ends, release the recipe to everyone.”
Heroes didn’t technically need subspace pouches.
They had an inventory that could serve the same purpose.
The reason Kim Seongchan specifically asked for one was because of how other people viewed it.
A Hero wearing a subspace pouch at his waist was considered someone trusted by a noble.
And a high-grade subspace pouch implied that the Hero had the backing of a very powerful noble.
“A high-grade subspace pouch? One month really is too short. How about five months?”
Daltan maintained his smile as he casually tried to test the waters.
Kim Seongchan answered firmly.
“No.”
“It can’t be helped. Fine.”
The two began writing the contract.
After exchanging copies, both men looked satisfied.
Daltan was about to stand up when Kim Seongchan spoke.
“I have business in Terk Kingdom. Could Kosdal come with me?”
Daltan’s expression became troubled.
Kosdal had accompanied Kim Seongchan when he went to meet the retired court chef, but that had only been possible because Kosdal had volunteered.
Though his real purpose was probably to discipline me for disrespecting the king… or kill me if I refused to listen.
Kosdal was the commander of a kingdom’s knights.
His presence was directly tied to the king’s safety.
So Daltan’s reaction was understandable.
Under ordinary circumstances, at least.
“Could you do that? I’m not sure whether Kosdal will agree to go.”
Despite his words, Daltan actually seemed pleased.
Of course he was.
Daltan had wanted Kosdal to visit Terk Kingdom, so he was delighted that Kim Seongchan had brought it up without being asked.
“Terk Kingdom is probably waiting for Sir Kosdal to come as well.”
“Just how much can your foresight ability show you? You can even see something like that?”
“It seems to show me things that will benefit Positk Kingdom.”
“Is that so? Excellent.”
Clop. Clop.
Kim Seongchan’s body bounced in rhythm with the horse’s hooves.
But his wasn’t the only one.
Another person beside him was bouncing just as much.
“Did you have a bad dream or something?”
“I wish this were a dream. I truly do. His Majesty smiled so brightly that even his gums were showing when he ordered me to follow you. If this isn’t a nightmare, then what is it? He even told me to escort you all the way to Terk Kingdom, stay there, and then return with you. Do you know how it feels to have my entire existence as the Knight Commander of Positk Kingdom denied like this?”
Kosdal hung his head.
His beloved horse seemed to copy its master, lowering its head as it trudged forward.
“It was His Majesty’s order. I added a few comments for His Majesty’s sake too.”
Daltan had allowed it because of two things.
Kim Seongchan supposedly possessed foresight, and Daltan already knew about Kosdal’s relationship with Terk Kingdom.
Of course, the biggest reason was probably that Daltan wanted to enjoy some freedom while Kosdal was away.
“Is that really something you should be telling me right now?! What in the world did you say to His Majesty to make him do this?!”
“You haven’t visited Terk Kingdom for two years, have you?”
“How did you know that?”
“How do you think I knew?”
Tap. Tap.
Kosdal tapped the sheath of his sword.
His eyes turned sharp.
