I’m Quitting Everything and Selling Cola

Chapter 138

Chapter 138. The Gap (3)

Jurgen met with Penelope for the first time in a while.

"You've been busy lately, haven't you? It's been hard to even catch a glimpse of you."

"The Order's lot takes priority, I'm afraid."

"Even so, you could show your face occasionally, couldn't you?"

"Am I not showing it right now?"

"Tsk, if only you couldn't talk……"

The relationship between Penelope and Jurgen was the same as before.

In other words, the kind where Penelope would be a little haughty and Jurgen would offer her praise. It was the distance Penelope had newly set upon learning that Hanbin and Jurgen were one and the same.

"Anyway. Come by more often, will you?"

"I shall."

Though it could hardly be as easy as that in practice. Penelope, whose manner of speech was the same as always yet who would occasionally show signs of tension.

Seeing this, Serena added the needless comment that she was 'gritting her teeth and pretending nothing was wrong,' and received a flick on the forehead for her trouble.

In any case, while Jurgen ran about busily, Penelope had been attending to the business in her own way.

Although the End Order's meddling had dimmed the spotlight on the 'Ribs' somewhat, that was no reason to sit about twiddling her thumbs.

Penelope moved so that they could launch the shop without delay the moment the situation settled.

Y&P Trading Company now had substantial funds. The shop that would open the chapter of the Ribs legend was established by acquiring a high-end tavern particularly frequented by the upper class.

The signboard had yet to be hung, but the name had been decided: 'Royal Kitchen.'

It was named after the royal kitchen of the Joseon dynasty, where food for the king was prepared. In any case, since this world had no Joseon dynasty, there was no risk of anyone crying sedition.

"Want to go in and have a look?"

"Indeed, let me see how well it has been done, and offer my praise accordingly."

"Your praise isn't particularly something I need, for your information."

"Did you not once say that if you could receive Hanbin's recognition, you could die without regret?"

"Gyaaaaaah!!!"

With the puffed-up-like-a-blowfish Penelope in tow, after he had shared her own embarrassing history with her, they stepped inside the shop.

The interior of the shop was a clean Eastern style. It was partly inspired by the fact that Ribs were such a well-known Korean dish, but it was also an intentional choice.

Like any Western cultural sphere, Britannia's upper class had a fascination with the East. In the manor of any reasonably wealthy noble, there would without exception be a separate China Room for displaying porcelain.

He had wondered how far Penelope's ability could go in satisfying the fantasy of Orientalism—and seeing it in person, it was remarkable.

There was no gleaming marble, no heavy velvet curtains. What commanded the space instead was calm wood and paper.

The first thing that caught the eye was the low-seated floor table set on a wooden floor. The low table had a built-in hearth and a downward-drawing smoke extractor installed in it.

The work of Serena, an elite Mechanical Engineer who had now firmly taken Hanbin's side.

The hall was open, yet the mother-of-pearl inlaid folding screens and bamboo blinds placed throughout naturally divided the space. Hanging scrolls and landscape paintings dotted here and there added character. The private rooms, where other tables' sightlines could not reach, were separated by hanji-papered latticed screen doors.

"Well? Well?"

Penelope hoped Jurgen would praise her taste, but Jurgen stood still for a moment.

The quality of light filtering through the korean paper. The faint scent of korean paper drifting at the tip of his nose.

A sight he had missed. A sight he had not imagined he would ever see again.

"……Magnificent."

"Well, it was rather difficult sourcing the references, but this is the sort of thing I've done plenty of."

Penelope gave a shrug. She had been puzzled at first when the Eastern style was mentioned, but having seen the finished result, she was satisfied that a distinctive, one-of-a-kind restaurant had been completed.

"How are the other fittings?"

"Serena did well."

Jurgen headed to the kitchen.

"Oho."

The kitchen was no less well-organised than the dining hall.

A large maturing storage unit for ageing the Ribs to be seasoned, and beside it a large hearth with ventilation facilities installed. Very clean and well-appointed. The structure was for the Ribs to be given an initial cook over strong heat in this large hearth before being served to the guests.

Watching Jurgen's admiration, Penelope added:

"Ah, and Brigitte says she has developed some new menu items—it seems you should check them over."

"What sort of menu, roughly?"

"She was asking whether it might be good to add some other dishes as side items alongside your menu, of course. She said she left the recipes around here……found them."

He looked over the recipe written in Brigitte's own hand.

"My thanks."

For now, the planned menu for Royal Kitchen was Seasoned Ribs, plain Ribs, Egg Custard, white steamed rice, cucumber kimchi stuffed with garlic chives, a clean and bracing Clam Broth, and Egg Custard. To accompany these, savoury dipping paste for wraps, fermented anchovy, sesame oil sauce, and salt would be provided as condiments.

Brigitte was additionally proposing a variety of items: a Sujeonggwa Sorbet, a coleslaw made using White Kimchi, crispy seaweed fritter, an acorn jelly salad, and a Cutlassfish Pot Rice, among others.

Examining each item one by one and imagining the taste, Jurgen was struck with admiration.

"Miss Brigitte has genuine talent."

He had once handed Miss Brigitte a personally written collection of Korean cuisine recipes. The first thought he had had after being dropped into this other world was 'shall I open a restaurant and make a go of it?' and back then he had diligently written it all down on his own.

And yet that had been barely two weeks ago.

"I agree. I tried each of them once myself, and how to put it……they harmonise well."

"That would stand to reason."

And yet in that brief span, Brigitte had fully absorbed the considerable contents as her own, and gone further still, arranging them into dishes that would suit Royal Kitchen. This was not something one could simply teach another person.

Add to that the fantastic balance of the dishes enhanced by her own skill. There was plenty more to look forward to.

"The Ganjang factory is already running well, and for the beef ribs, we've received a supply order from Baron Keystone, the best premium white charcoal for the charcoal. For the other ingredients, we've drawn up direct supply contracts to bring the unit cost down."

A clean finish right through to the end. In the old days Penelope had often struggled, or found herself poring through law books, but now she carried the manner of a proper businesswoman.

Just then.

"Jurgen, I was told you were here."

"Ah, Sir Kaylun."

Kaylun stepped into the shop. He caught sight of Penelope and paused.

"It has been a while. Lady Rosemore."

"Good day. Sir Kaylun Hawthorne."

The two had crossed paths over the incident involving the Princess's disappearance and were already acquainted.

But to Kaylun, who knew (or believed he knew) Jurgen's true identity, Penelope's presence left him with questions on several counts.

'If he's former Secret Burial Unit, he would be an ardent royalist. Then why is he running a business together with the second daughter of the Rosemore family, the dominant power of the North?'

—That sort of question.

Seeing through those feelings, Jurgen spoke first.

"A trustworthy business partner. She is already aware of what we are engaged in. What brings you here?"

Kaylun noticed the subtly brightening expression on Penelope's otherwise impassive face. He hesitated for a moment.

Was it really acceptable for an outsider to hear such important information? And at that, the second daughter of the Rosemore family?

After a brief moment of hesitation, Kaylun opened his mouth readily. It was thanks to a trust that Jurgen, at the very least, would not act without thought.

"We obtained the cooperation of Baroness Hohenberg. In exchange for protecting her from the Order's retaliation, she approached the other devotees who had attended the previous 'Phantom Banquet.'"

"And?"

"Based on the information, we have identified three additional suspects. All of them had been persons of some standing in the North. However……"

Kaylun let his words trail off.

"One of them is Gideon Belheim."

"What?"

For the first time, the composure left Jurgen's face. Penelope cried out in a sharp voice.

"That's impossible! Mr. Belheim is Y&P's financial advisor! Surely there has been some mistake!"

"He is the most plausible individual when the Baroness's testimony and the documentary evidence are cross-referenced."

Just as Penelope was about to mount a further rebuttal— Jurgen stopped her.

"Was Branch Manager Belheim present at the Phantom Banquet venue?"

"He was not."

"Then?"

"There is the testimony of Baroness Hohenberg. She states that one of the companies funnelling cash to the Order has ties to a prominent trust bank in the North."

He could not have reached such a conclusion from that alone. Jurgen said nothing and waited for what would follow.

"And then there are the contracts of Viscount Thornton, secured by Sir Aiden. The investor who rescued him from the brink of bankruptcy was a ghost company on paper. The individual who brokered that contract and signed as its agent was Gideon Belheim."

"That could simply be part of his professional duties."

Penelope pushed back. Belheim was someone she had known for nearly three years. He was also the person who had been the first to hand a business card to a useless flower to whom no one would speak.

Of course, such considerations were not factors for Kaylun to weigh. He calmly reported only the facts.

"The unlicensed black market alchemists who supplied Magic Stones to the Order—appearing in The Ether's ledgers. When the trail of their funds was traced in reverse……a nominee account belonging to Gideon Belheim emerged."

"……A significant figure, then."

Jurgen let out a sigh.

He had considered the possibility that one of the bankers might be implicated. The Order too would need someone to manage and launder the enormous sums of its devotees' offerings.

That it would turn out to be Belheim, who had been with Y&P Trading Company since its earliest days.

In truth, up to this point, it might not have been so great a problem.

Devon Trust Bank was a very large institution.

There would likely be no funds in the North whose reach had not passed through his hands. To place each and every one of those on a list of suspects for collaborating with the Order would be impossible.

The probability of that was slim to begin with, and the political backlash would be insurmountable. If the Queen attempted to use this to pressure the North, it would spark a civil war.

But if Clarisse were to learn of it, the story would change entirely.

Clarisse and Penelope had already parted ways. The only reason active interference was not being deployed was thanks to Hector's mediation.

For Clarisse, this information would be a very appetising piece of prey.

If she were to breathe life into it……

The provocation that 'Y&P Trading Company is the Order's source of funds' would become possible. Adding a little more, she might even come forward with something to the effect of 'in the spirit of sacrificing even one's own kin for justice, I shall cut down my younger sister's head to demonstrate the Rosemore family's innocence.'

The very worst of it was that although Penelope was of Rosemore blood, she had been thoroughly ostracised all this time. It meant she was flesh that could be cut away without pain.

"Sir Kaylun, who is aware of this?"

"Sir Ellara, Sir Aiden, and those gathered here—that is all."

"And the Baroness?"

"The cross-verification was completed on our end from the materials, so she will not know."

Jurgen pressed his lips firmly shut.

"Sir Kaylun, I believe I have provided a great deal of cooperation up to this point. I trust you are also aware that Y&P Trading Company has no connection to the Order."

"That much I understand."

Kaylun did not know the detailed circumstances. But if Y&P Trading Company had ties to the Order, they would not have placed a noose around their own neck. That was precisely why he had come to Jurgen first, to give him the tip-off.

"Will you give me the time to resolve this myself?"

What the truth was. It was time to confirm it with his own eyes.

FOOTNOTE

Sujeonggwa Sorbet - sorbet made from Korean cinnamon punch