Chapter 718: The Third

“......That prince we saw. Can we consider that guy the leader of your kind?”

“F, for now...... that...... is so.”

“But.”

While moving under the goblin’s guidance, we passed the government building.

I looked at that government building and said,

“Does that leader of yours ever leave his seat?”

That guy had been hiding behind that wall of gray energy, as if trying to conceal his detailed information.

But even so, I had definitely been able to feel his presence itself.

But now, nowhere in this city.

I could not feel that guy’s presence...... that dense scent of death.

“.......”

At my words.

The goblin’s feet stopped dead.

That thing was also a monster with considerable power.

It would know at least that much, that its presence could be confirmed through its aura.

“The prin, ce...... is bu...... sy.”

“Busy? What is he doing?”

“Is that...... important?”

The thing looked at me with a strange expression.

I shrugged at that wary expression mixed into its face and said,

“......Well, it isn’t important, I suppose.”

Because.

There was no reason that prince had to be a monster that remained only here.

To begin with, not every monster lived by territory.

This place was only their stronghold, nothing more. There was no reason for them to be bound here.

'In the first place...... it’s strange enough that they settled in a city like this.'

Why zombies had settled in a city that seemed like it would be good for humans to live in.

That alone was strange enough.

So even if a guy who could be called their leader did not stay in the city and wandered outside more often, it would not be strange.

The important thing was.

What he was doing while wandering outside like that.......

'A monster with that much power wandering around outside.'

Now that even Ariella had been sent outside.

There was no knowing what kind of aftermath something done by a monster of that level might bring.

For me, it was a part worth being wary of, but.

'There’s no way to find out what that is right now.'

In the end.

I continued moving my feet, following behind that goblin.

“This...... place.”

“Yeah.”

Soon, we arrived at a certain building.

And.

As I entered that building, I thought.

'Thinking about it, that was a slightly sudden request. Do they already have it prepared?'

The request I made of that thing was to show us their true bodies...... the parasites.

Showing them itself would not be difficult, of course.

But seeing as it was guiding us to a building like this, it seemed they had prepared for this kind of situation.

Since they were the ones who had captured hostages from a month before we arrived.

I thought perhaps they had made that many other preparations as well...... but.

'......Huh?'

When I actually approached that building.

There was a human presence coming from inside.

'Breathing.'

At first, I wondered if it was another zombie like that goblin.

But what I could feel from inside was regular breathing.

Yes.

“......Human?”

“That...... is so.”

Inside the building the goblin had guided us to.

A young-looking child was staring at us.

***

“.......”

Even though we had entered,

the child only sat in the corner and glared at us.

'Boy? Girl?'

The child’s whole body was filthy, caked with dirt.

Was it because the child was still young?

It was hard even to properly distinguish the child’s sex.

“......This is a little different from what you said. Weren’t you going to show us your parasites?”

“Th, that...... this place is right...... too.”

The goblin passed by that child and opened the door to a room.

Then.

I saw the insects that had been preserved inside.

“Re, search...... these.”

“......Well, leaving that aside. What is that child?”

I glanced over those insects.

Then turned my head again and looked at the child sitting in the corner.

The kid was glaring at us and that goblin with eyes containing a strange hostility.

[Ingredient Appraisal (Enhanced)]

Then.

A message appeared in front of my eyes.

'Huh?'

And...... after seeing that message, I could not help being a little surprised.

In truth.

There had been one thing that had bothered me a little from before.

'These guys knew about the existence of chefs from the moment they came looking for us.'

At the time, I had passed it over without much thought.

But in truth, the job called chef was quite rare even among awakened.

In the whole vast Republic of Korea, the only living chefs, until the very end, had been me and Howard.

No matter how small the number of surviving humans was, even among them, the number of chefs was extremely small.

Even if someone knew about this System or the existence of awakened.

There would be more cases where they did not know that a job called chef also existed among those awakened.

But when that goblin came looking for us.

'That thing confidently demanded chefs.'

It had even shown disappointment at the fact that, among us, who possessed many survivors, there were only two chefs.

Thinking about it.

What this meant was simple.

[Awakened: Doyun]

They had already.

Among survivors far fewer in number than the Legion.

[Lv.12 Chef]

Come into contact with a [Chef] other than us.

***

“Th, this one...... is a chef....... Same...... as you.”

“.......”

“Bu, but...... ability lacking...... cannot realize...... our request.”

The goblin turned its body again and said,

“Research...... kin...... as you please. Th, these...... already...... provided to that one.”

“.......”

“Che, chefs. Cooperate...... for recipe...... creation. Any, thing. Support...... give.”

Leaving those words behind.

Creeeak.......

The goblin went outside the building.

The detailed parts from here on would be our role, but.

“.......”

“.......”

And after the goblin left like that.

The child said to be a chef was still glaring at us.

'It’s just leaving the three of us here like this?'

Leaving the three of us alone with a child we were seeing for the first time.

It felt like, what exactly were we supposed to do?

An uncomfortable silence drifted among the three of us for a while.

“......Maybe this was how you felt when you first saw me, Senior.”

“Mm, roughly similar. Though right now seems a bit worse.”

Howard muttered quietly while watching that child’s mood.

At the same time.

I looked at the child.

'A chef...... huh.'

A chef other than us.

I had thought there would probably be some somewhere, but I had not thought I would see one in a place like this.

In my case, I was a chef and at the same time a military cook.

There were also quite a lot of times when I cooked while wearing a military uniform...... in truth, I was practically half soldier, half chef.

On the other hand, Howard was a standard chef no matter who looked at him.

In fact, he was a veteran who had built up quite a long career overseas, and the name Howard was also one he had made there.

In terms of the basics as a chef, he was a genuine orthodox chef who could not even be compared with me.

On the other hand.

'That is......?'

The third chef we had now met.

That child was, how should I put it.

No matter how I looked, there was absolutely no feeling of being a chef.

Maybe it was nothing more than prejudice.

But still, when you say chef, there is an image that comes to mind, is there not?

Obsessing over hygiene to the point of seeming paranoid.

Seeking perfection in one’s own cooking...... things like that.

But.

Grimy.......

That child’s face was covered in soot.

The hair was greasy, and the clothes were dirty.

Even if I filled my words with empty compliments as much as possible, it was hard to call that appearance hygienic.

“......Ahem.”

Howard was more faithful to the basics of being a chef than anyone.

To him, it seemed uncomfortable that someone called a “chef” looked like that.

“......Well. Let’s not worry too much about it.”

“Senior?”

“I was a little surprised, but we didn’t come here to meet another chef.”

I was a little surprised, but.

We were not lacking in chef strength.

To begin with, the reason we had come here was to check whether it was possible to make food that could be fed to those parasites.

“Mm...... that’s true.”

Because of that.

Howard and I passed by that child.

And headed toward the room where those insects were preserved.

“You.”

“......!”

But.

Just at the moment we were about to pass in front of that child in front of the room.

“Your way of speaking is strange. South Joseon speech. Are you from South Joseon?”

The kid, who had not said a single word until then, spoke to us first.

“......Uh, mm. For now, yes.”

“Why did South Joseon bastards come here? This is our land.”

“That is.”

“No, I get it.”

Just as when looking at that goblin.

The kid sent us a gaze mixed with hostility as well.

“Those things brought you, didn’t they. To make food instead of me because I won’t listen.”

At those words from the kid.

I opened my eyes a little wider and thought.

'Won’t listen?'

Because there had already been another chef here besides us.

I had naturally thought that kid must be in some sort of cooperative relationship with those things, but.

Apparently, that seemed to be somewhat far from the truth.

“So? Don’t tell me you’re trying to listen to those things?”

A brat whose head still smelled of blood shouted at us, grinding out the words.

For me, it was a little absurd.

But it was not as if I could get seriously angry at a child.

“We might, and we might not.”

I answered with a hollow laugh.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“If it were up to my feelings, I would want to refuse, but that side is threatening us with hostages. So...... right now, I am thinking about it a little.”

“Thinking?”

At our words.

The kid’s expression crumpled sharply.

“Why would you think about that? Of course you have to refuse!”

“......I don’t know what kind of conversation you had with those things before ending up here, but in our case, people’s lives are.”

“I know that too.”

At that absolutely firm attitude.

I wondered if perhaps that kid had not been threatened in the same way as us, but.

“They said the same thing to me too. They showed me other people and said if I didn’t make food, those people would die.”

“What?”

“But I ignored it. Because I can’t let those things do as they please.”

I stared at the kid with my mouth slightly open.

That goblin was actively using the guilt that humans might die if we did not cooperate.

And yet, in a matter where those people’s lives were at stake, the kid had confidently refused to cooperate.

“......Is that brat greater than me?”

Howard also thought we should refuse.

But after actually seeing the humans, his heart had wavered.

At the child’s attitude, which seemed not to waver at all, Howard looked at the kid as if he was dumbfounded.

“......I understand what you think. If we accept that proposal, more people than the hostages will die, so refusing is the right thing to do. But.”

“Huh? What is that supposed to mean?”

The matter was not that simple.

In order to leave room for another negotiation, we had first come to confirm whether cooking was possible.

I had begun speaking in order to say that, but.

“Whether more people die or not, I don’t care.”

“......What?”

Apparently.

What that kid was trying to say seemed to be a little different from what we had expected.

“The people being held hostage, or the other people who will be killed by those things. Either way, they’re strangers to me whose faces I’ve never even properly seen, aren’t they? Whether more die or fewer die, I don’t care.”

“.......”

“I hate those corpses. Because a lot of my friends died to them. I don’t want to do a single thing that helps those things. So...... you have to refuse too.”

This little brat.

Might be more insane than I thought.