Chapter 49 – The Famous Waiter of Drunken Lotus Pavilion

Chapter 49 – The Famous Waiter of Drunken Lotus Pavilion

Living as a waiter in a tavern in the Jianghu was a more grueling task than one would think.

If they got caught in a fight between customers or got picked on, getting beaten up was a laughing matter; if they made a mistake, they would lose a limb one by one, and if they were even unluckier, their head would be clean cut off.

Unfortunately, customers did not have much interest in the well-being of a waiter, so unless they were a great chivalrous hero, it was difficult to expect help when such things happened.

However, there was no need to worry about that here.

The reason was simple.

Because the waiter was stronger.

The few customers who knew this fact had already begun to watch the commotion with expectant eyes. No matter where one looked in the Jianghu, it would be difficult to see the rare sight of a waiter beating up a martial artist. It was a famous scene that could only be seen at Drunken Lotus Pavilion.

"…So this is how you're playing it, huh?"

San-ho approached the martial artists holding swords and spears, cracking his neck.

Was there any reason for a mere waiter to be this terrifying? The two martial artists, placed in a situation they could not comprehend at all, gulped without realizing it.

By all accounts, it was common sense for a waiter in the Jianghu to run away in fear as soon as martial artists drew their weapons.

Yet, why was this crazy waiter…

'…coming closer?'

When something too unexpected happened, a person's thoughts would naturally grind to a halt. Just like how their thinking stopped as they looked at the waiter with eyes like a yaksha.

But that was only for a moment. Their pride was wounded by the fact that they had felt tension, even if briefly, over a mere waiter. The martial artist holding the spear barked out a stern command in a rigid voice.

"How dare a mere waiter behave so insolently to a customer!"

"Ah…"

"Impudent fellow! Before being a martial artist, I am your elder."

"Customer, with all due respect…"

A voice filled with pure annoyance followed.

"Are you perhaps crazy… sir?"

"………?"

"Have you gone insane… sir?"

He pretended to be polite, but the content was not polite at all.

"You…!!"

"Customers who do not follow the rules of use at Drunken Lotus Pavilion are not customers."

The martial artist, who had only blinked in disbelief, suddenly snapped to his senses and tightened his grip on his spear. At that, the expectant gazes of the surroundings grew even larger.

"Oh, oh, he's going to attack!"

"It's been a while!"

It was truly a tavern that was going out of its mind. The martial artist holding the spear thrust the sharp tip forward with a fierce expression.

*Stab!*

However, the sound that was heard…

*Crack!*

Huh? Crack?

It was neither the sound of tearing flesh nor the sound of bumping into something… Crack?

"…A-Arrgh!!!"

Finding the source of the sound was not that difficult. San-ho, who had snatched the thrusting spear in an instant, broke the martial artist's arm attached to it. As the spear fell from his hand along with a painful scream, San-ho lightly snatched the spear, saying, "Oops."

"I told you it's dangerous to take things like this out indoors."

'…How? He even launched an attack in that split second?!'

The martial artist holding the sword, who watched this from the closest distance, was dumbfounded. If his eyes did not deceive him, that waiter had definitely subdued the spear-wielding martial artist all too easily. But was such a thing even possible?

Just then, San-ho's gaze turned toward him.

"This counts as self-defense, right? At this level?"

'…Why are you asking me that?'

Just as the sword-wielding martial artist, bewildered by this unprecedented situation, was about to say something, a group of men rushed over from behind. They were the companions of the sword-wielding martial artist.

"What is this? Who dares in front of our boss!! Is it you?!"

"Boss Nam Hyeok! What on earth happened!"

"N-No…"

It was the moment when the sword-wielding martial artist named Nam Hyeok realized something had gone wrong and tried to stop them. However, the line that should absolutely never be spoken slipped out of their clueless mouths first.

"Tell the owner to come out!!!"

The universally common line of a troublesome customer.

However… it was a line that should absolutely never be spoken at Drunken Lotus Pavilion.

"The proprietor? Alright. Follow me."

Then, San-ho, who nodded surprisingly readily, led them outside like the Pied Piper.

"How far are we going?"

Walking all the way to a secluded place, San-ho suddenly came to a stop.

"Mister. I've already been working here for over three months, you know?"

"…What?"

As San-ho suddenly started talking about himself, absurdity appeared on their faces.

"By now, I have a bit of a… feeling. Does that customer have the face of someone who will cause trouble? But then, I was taught not to judge a book by its cover."

"Huh?"

"But most of the time, I'm right. Those kinds of customers especially never listen even if it kills them. They always break chairs when I try to stop them, knock over tables… But then I'm the one who gets scolded. *Sigh*, no matter how much I think about it, it's just too unfair."

The men frowned more and more at his subsequent words.

Putting aside his lack of fear, he couldn't possibly have multiple lives. Was there a need for him to hasten his death in a place with no people around?

'……'

Only Nam Hyeok, who had watched the situation closely from the beginning, kept his mouth shut in an unknown foreboding. He doubted this group would lose, but an instinctive sense of dread lingered in a corner of his mind.

In the first place, it was shameful for this many martial artists to gang up on a single waiter… but for some reason, he could not bring himself to stop them.

"But I really hate unfair things."

Look at him even now. By all accounts, it was a situation where he should run away. It was not a facial expression a waiter facing sword-wielding martial artists should make.

However, far from running away, San-ho approached with a bright smile.

"So, let's make this a reasonable situation."

"W-What!!"

*Swoosh!*

San-ho's figure, his eyes gleaming like a predator in the darkness, shot toward the men.

Out of nowhere in the middle of the night, loud sounds of clattering and clanging echoed down the street.

Just like that, how much time had passed?

"…Whew. I'm hungry."

Brushing his hands off and tidying up his clothes, San-ho stretched refreshingly.

"Argh…"

"…Ugh…"

"Ugh… Argh…"

The men who had charged at him were piled up in a mess behind him. It was something that happened in an instant.

"See, wouldn't it have been nice if you had listened when I was talking?"

Sighing, San-ho placed his hands on his hips and said proudly,

"Now, repeat after me. Manners! Maketh! The martial artist!"

"Urrgh…"

"Uh-huh?"

"M-Manners… Maketh… The… m-martial artist!"

"Manners! Maketh! The martial artist!"

Only then did San-ho nod with a satisfied smile.

"Oh, by the way, you guys are banned from now on. Got it? Banned."

Just then, Un-jo poked his head out from the wall in the distance.

"Youngest, are you done cleaning up?"

"Yes, senior. Why did you come out?"

"We should wrap up soon and have dinner too."

"Did the Chef finish his work too?"

"Yeah. Let's go in."

Looking at the martial artists piled up on the ground, Un-jo frowned and said,

"Oh dear… Beaten to a pulp again. Still, consider yourselves lucky. It's a good thing the youngest came out; if the proprietor had come out, it would have been this, just this."

Un-jo mimicked slitting his throat with the edge of his hand.

Watching this, Nam Hyeok became confused about whether he was dreaming or if this was truly reality.

What kind of tavern was this?

'Did I… cause trouble in a great sect? No. This place… is definitely a tavern…'

A waiter easily subdues a martial artist, and another waiter who looks used to this sight is also ridiculous… and the tavern's proprietor is even stronger?

'What on earth is this place…?'

In Nam Hyeok's eyes, filled with confusion, the lantern of the World's Best Tavern, Drunken Lotus Pavilion, was reflected.

***

The employees working at Drunken Lotus Pavilion always had late dinners together unless something special happened.

Today, as well, the employees who had finished the tavern's business gathered around a long table. The smell of delicious food and the noisy sounds of laughter and chatter made for a harmonious scene.

As San-ho busily moved his chopsticks without rest, the person sitting next to him asked with a worried face.

"San-ho, why haven't you eaten dinner with us lately? Did the food I made not suit your taste?"

It was Mae Hyeon-ryang, the older brother of Mae So-hyun whom he had met in Sogu Village. Responsible for Drunken Lotus Pavilion's kitchen, he was a good-natured man with a genial personality who liked taking care of people.

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, San-ho said,

"Of course not. There was just some business."

'I can't say it's because I was lying flat on the training ground floor after losing to the proprietor for the seventh time…'

It was already his third month working at Drunken Lotus Pavilion. He had lost six duels during that time, and as of yesterday, a seventh defeat was added.

"Really? I almost felt hurt."

Smiling genially, Mae Hyeon-ryang slid a plate containing chicken dish in front of San-ho.

"Hey, don't worry about that. San-ho loves the Chef's cooking so much. Back then, if San-ho hadn't ordered more Dongpo pork, the wall probably wouldn't have collapsed, right?"

"Senior. Seriously, stop talking about that…"

As Un-jo, sitting across from him, spoke teasingly, San-ho shook his head.

"Anyway, I came here after being recommended that the Chef's culinary skills were superb, and those words were true. Everything is really delicious."

"So-hyun recommended me, right? It's really fascinating that we have such a connection. How surprised I was when you showed me that norigae… I was wondering about her since I hadn't heard from her at all."

"She was doing well. Na-rim has grown up brightly too."

"Did you see Na-rim? She must have grown a lot. I only saw her once when she was a newborn baby and haven't seen her since."

As Mae Hyeon-ryang spoke regretfully, Do I-gyeom, who was listening, casually suggested.

"I will give you a vacation, so go visit. Isn't Sogu Village quite close?"

"Proprietor, how can I go on vacation when we're this busy? Instead of this, we need to hire more chefs."

"…You have no idea how difficult it is to hire someone trustworthy."

"………"

As Mae Hyeon-ryang spoke grumpily, seizing the opportunity, Do I-gyeom subtly avoided his gaze.

"Well, how about your younger sister working at Drunken Lotus Pavilion too? I can also provide a separate lodging for her."

"Mmm… I'll ask her sometime later. Since we've decided to write letters often now."

Mae Hyeon-ryang continued while looking at San-ho.

"Come to think of it, nothing happened when San-ho passed through the village, right?"

"Pardon? Ah, of course. Nothing happened. Why do you ask?"

The party responsible, who had returned after solving Sogu Village's problem, asked with an awkward smile.

"That's a relief. Another letter arrived yesterday, you see. There was an interesting story in it."

"What is it?"

"Yes. They said martial artists from the Martial Alliance came to Sogu Village."

At his words, San-ho's chopsticks suddenly stopped mid-air. Was there any reason for the Martial Alliance to send people to that small village, especially at this point? Suddenly remembering what had happened in Ghost Sword Valley, San-ho coughed loudly.

"Cough!"

"Oh dear, are you okay?"

"Pardon? Ah, I just choked on something…"

Receiving a cup of water, San-ho asked as he calmed down his flushed face.

"And… then?"

"Anyway, quite a large number of people from the Martial Alliance flocked over and searched hard for some useless thing, they said."

"Cough! Cough!"

"What's wrong with you since earlier? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, *cough*! I'm fine. More importantly, what… are they looking for? In the Martial Alliance?"

"Yes. A flower of some sort, was it?"

"………"

San-ho's face stiffened hard.