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Karem had only seen someone jaw-droppingly handsome or beautiful once after his reincarnation—and that person was none other than Catherine.

Of course, in his previous life, he had occasionally seen such people through a screen.

Like Henry Cavill or the former Olivia Hussey, and so on.

Just like in those examples, Karem couldn’t help but admire.

He had a sharp, yet delicate appearance.

A nose with just the right amount of edge and a soft impression.

Eyes with sharp, refined corners and eyebrows that shaped his expression.

Damn, is this really what a person looks like? It felt unfair that God was this biased.

He could even confidently say this guy was in the top three of the handsome men he’d seen on LED screens in his previous life.

Crunch, snap, munch, crunch—

“Whhaaa?”

That handsome guy’s cheeks looked like they were about to burst.

The owner of those cheeks was busy devouring the Wyvern Chicken that Karem had been eating.

“…For now, could you please drink some? It’s suffocating to watch you.”

Handsome Mikael blinked quickly and then smiled, nodding as he grabbed his glass with both hands and chugged the beer.

Gulp—gulp—gulp—

“Phew. You’re really generous. Oh, God.”

“What do you mean by ‘Oh, God’?”

“My statement is justified.”

Mikael lifted his garlic soy-sauced Wyvern Chicken with a look of genuine awe.

It was pointlessly pious, a bit suffocating.

What bothered him the most was the name. “Michael” might be unfamiliar in this life, but in his previous life, it was common. It felt like “Cheolsu and Yeonghui.”

But then there was “Jackson” stuck on the end.

Jackson might be a common surname, but when combined?

He had said it was to find another reincarnator.

It seemed intentional, and it was indeed effective.

“The cheap trash I ate after reincarnation was one thing, and the meals I had while faring a bit better were also greasy and heavy.”

“…Was it that bad?”

“Even that trendy mint tea and Servianus dishes… Have you tried the Servianus food?”

“Mint tea aside, it was similar to Italian—”

“Exactly right. They use loads of olive oil.”

His current body seemed to have inherited the taste preferences of his previous life, so nearly all the food in Mikael’s mouth was always too rich and heavy.

The Western-style cuisine he mostly ate in his previous life trickled in during summer, and Mikael was delighted, but what he truly wanted was different.

He missed the kimchi his mother made.

He was sick of salt seasoning instead of soy sauce.

Wrapped up in floury and buttery textures, he wanted to scoop a spoonful of rice from soybean paste stew and top it with kimchi.

“But you brought all this to this land. Even if it’s not chili paste, you’ve got the similar Fire Witch Finger powder and tomatoes. The recipes can be dealt with, but soy sauce!”

“Well, I had a bit of a tough time.”

“I may not know much about your cooking, but I know this: soy sauce is made from meju. That means you must have soybean paste as well.”

“Well… That’s true.”

“That’s proof of your trustworthiness!”

Such habitual worship might have peaked with Zigmeser, but Mikael surpassed that. Hadn’t he said he was the Grandmaster of the Knights? It was honestly a bit overwhelming.

Suddenly, Karem felt a gaze on him.

He subtly turned his eyes.

Ziiing—

It was as if the three pairs of eyes on the intricately carved figures on the altar that had been hastily left on the table held profound emotions.

It felt burdensome yet profound to say “God” in a world where gods truly exist. His heart was poked from within.

Even just moments ago, the gods had been here.

It felt like they were still glancing towards the altar now.

“No, saying someone is a god in a world where gods exist feels seriously blasphemous. This altar is fine—”

“You don’t have to believe it! I believe it!”

Mikael spoke with chicken crumbs and soy sauce smeared all over his mouth.

His eyes shone with what seemed like madness.

Karem felt the once-pleasing gaze from the altar now shift towards Mikael.

Karem sighed.

“…But, you see.”

Clearing the noise of gods out of the way, and wanting to ask a question he’d thought about since meeting another reincarnator, Karem asked.

“Have you seen any other reincarnators besides me?”

Gulp. “Please. Oh, God. You can skip the honorifics.”

“No… That…”

Mikael’s face hardened, not wanting to answer unless Karem spoke informally.

It was absurd that he looked so serious yet it revolved around wanting to be addressed informally. Karem’s head started to ache.

“Ha. Yes, no. Right.”

“And yes, I’ve met other reincarnators.”

“Oh, really?”

“I don’t know about my past life, but in this life, he was a Count named Edward.”

Mikael grinned while sucking on his fingers.

“I tore him to pieces with my own two hands.”

…Wait? Who did you do what to?

Mikael, who had spoken apathetically, became flustered when Karem took a few steps back.

“No, relax. How could I possibly kill you?”

“…”

“Oh, God. That Edward was a total jerk and deserved it!”

“…Chinese?”

“Chinese? All Chinese died in front of Tiananmen Square!”

Suddenly, Mikael grimaced and chewed on the Wyvern chicken like a wolf tearing into sheep.

“That bastard insulted me from the moment we first met. If I had met him in the civilized world of my previous life, I would have forced a smile and let it slide. But in a world closer to fists than law, I had no need to hold back.”

“Jerk.”

For a moment, Karem found a strange comfort in the nickname for the idiot next door that he had almost forgotten… But no, wait, that closing nuance was oddly strange.

Karem adjusted his attitude and cautiously asked.

“…You killed him?”

“Indeed. Even after living for decades since my reincarnation, it’s hard to say for sure… Ah, yes. There’s a saying from my past life.”

Mikael reverently sipped the beer Karem had poured for him and turned his head to burp.

“Civilized folks never hear the sound of an axe at their heads, so they’re more rude than barbarians? I think it’s a saying from that barbarian detective Conan. Nonetheless, I realized it’s a resonating phrase.”

Karem couldn’t adapt to hearing something so barbaric from someone with a face more handsome than most actors in his past life.

“And do you know what that jerk said? He claimed my Jajangmyeon was a mere imitation of Zamjamyeon. Though he wouldn’t shut up about borders and small nations.”

“…Setting aside the latter, you know the original is Jajangmyeon, right? It’s Jajangmyeon, not Jajangmyeon.”

“I know, but those are distinctly different dishes!”

Karem nodded. There is indeed a clear distinction between Korean-Chinese cuisine and native Chinese dishes.

“But you could make it yourself—”

“If it were when I first started living alone, maybe. But as I got caught up in work and aged, it naturally led to more eating out.”

“Oh.”

“Overnight shifts, late-night work, dining out, delivery—all for decades. I’ve forgotten everything. And then, bam! Reincarnated.”

The plight of a middle-aged office worker.

The results were truly bittersweet.

“Ha, I can’t even remember what that food looked like now. I just… remember it had black noodles…”

As Mikael immersed himself in fanatical ideas, Karem pondered when he heard “Jajangmyeon,” and crossed his arms, rubbing his chin.

With one eyebrow raised, he stared into space, arms crossed, rubbing his chin… Mikael, who had been about to eat chicken, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“…You don’t mean you can make it?”

Could he make Jajangmyeon?

He couldn’t replicate it exactly.

But could he make something similar?

That was possible.

“Isn’t that the black Chinese sauce that goes into it? No matter how you made soy sauce and soybean paste—”

“That’s just black in color. It’s essentially Chinese soybean paste.”

“What.”

If you got more specific about it, there were indeed major flavor differences, but it was possible to make Jajangmyeon with soybean paste.

In Jajangmyeon, the role of the black sauce is primarily for aroma.

The true flavor comes from cabbage, onions, and soy sauce.

At least, that’s what Karem understood.

“Wait a moment. Even after living for decades in this world, didn’t you say you were middle-aged in your past life?”

“Informal speech.”

“No, but still, in terms of age—”

“Oh, God. Please just use informal speech.”

“Okay, okay, I got it.”

As Karem waived his hand dismissively to this increasingly formal tone, Mikael nodded satisfactorily.

“As I said, after over a decade of late-night and overtime work, there’s no energy left to cook.”

Just imagining it was horrible. It was a memory from decades past, and just recalling it made Mikael shiver as if goosebumps had risen.

“It was only when I gathered evidence of the upper management’s corrupt activities over decades and turned it in to the labor department that I was forced to quit.”

“…Huh?”

“It was a subcontractor company I worked for. It seems the people with shady ties to that data were more than I thought.”

Mikael looked down at the empty plate with a hint of longing. Just then, since the Wyvern chicken was completely fried, he quickly tossed it in the seasoning and filled a dish.

“Here’s the last one. So?”

“Cough. Thank you. The other company that was subcontracting with us flipped over, and it spread like a web to the main company, bringing the labor department and internal audit crashing down. I was stabbed in front of the court on my way to testify. It was likely the doing of someone holding a grudge.”

“Could that main company’s name be…?”

“Hmm? Well, it’s the biggest conglomerate in Korea, isn’t it? Daeseong.”

“…Isn’t that SamX?”

“X-Seong? Is there a place among the major conglomerates of the Republic of Korea with that name?”

“…Is it not the Republic of Korea?”

Huh? Huh? They both felt something was off, but Mikael shook his head vigorously.

“Well, they might be similar but different worlds in the same region. Vaguely, wasn’t there a parallel world in that game novel from my previous life?”

“Parallel world.”

“Though I look like this, I’ve read a variety of novels, domestic and foreign, since the PC communication era.”

“Well, reincarnation aside…”

“The important thing is that I’m alive at this very moment, right?”

Karem deeply empathized with that statement. After struggling to survive in a godforsaken Moston Village, he met Catherine and Gordon, saved his life, and made it to Coldon.

Regardless, he was alive, and perhaps he was living a more prosperous life than in his previous life.

Karem was happy.

“That’s true.”

“Informal speech.”

“Geez. Yeah, that’s true.”

With a face so handsome, even a man could admire it, yet he was saying such things, making it all the harder to adapt.

“…But seriously, can you really make Jajangmyeon?”

“Not exactly? Something similar? Probably.”

“Similar, to what extent?”

“I have a question too…”

“Ask anything.”

“Is there no way to get rice here?”

The only place growing it in Europa was Servianus. And even that was so popular that it was entirely consumed domestically.

“Well, it’s a kingdom—”

“Oh, I understand that mentality.”

“Don’t tell me?”

“No, I didn’t get to see it at all.”

And as Mikael gulped down his chicken, he firmly shook his head.

“As soon as I got here, I searched for rice first. But it was utterly impossible to find. I heard that even a king of one nation couldn’t buy it.”

“Ha… Well, at least chili paste is available. I guess I’ll have to settle for barley.”

“…Chili paste!”

In an instant, Mikael looked horrified as if struck by lightning, but quickly calmed down. His surprised expression remained.

“Well, there’s soybean paste too. But why barley of all things?”

“Barley porridge with vegetable namul and slathered chili paste?”

“Even though I’m reincarnated and older than I was in my past life, I still can’t get friendly with barley.”

Mikael, with a horrified expression, cleaned the remnants from his mouth when suddenly something seemed to click.

“Oh, it’s about time for the knight squad’s training.”

“So then… what about Jajangmyeon? Next time?”

“Guhh—Is it truly okay to ask again next time?”

At Mikael’s earnest look, Karem nodded. And as he sent off the delighted Mikael leaving his private quarters, he felt a desire to have Catherine try Jajangmyeon as well.

‘What will her evaluation be?’

Jajangmyeon had extreme reviews from Westerners too. Some raved about it, while others asked why anyone would eat it.

Knock, knock, knock—

“Hm? What now…”

Slamming the door open, Karem found Mikael standing there again. He wasn’t saying anything due to the weird atmosphere around a real man, but he hesitated to speak.

‘He’s saying he’s middle-aged, yet…’

Compared to Gordon, who was older, he looked much younger.

“Could you pack some chicken for me?”

“Everything you just ate and even refilled is all mine.”

“Oh… Excuse me.”

Mikael left, looking dejected and disappointed.

Immediately, Karem tidied up the kitchen for Mary as much as he could. He left the greasy pot covered, and every piece of tableware and dish was placed in the sink.

Though his belly was full, he wasn’t satisfied. Mikael had been an unwanted guest yet not quite an unwanted one.

However, Karem felt a bit lazy about cooking something right now and stuffed his plate full of sausage, grabbing the altar to return to his room.

Thus he spent his time eating sausages, freshly sliced by Felwinter’s lie. When Catherine returned, it was way past dinner and nearly midnight.

Seated at the table, Catherine bit into a bacon sandwich while Karem laid bare all the events from earlier that day.

The subtle smile that had graced Catherine’s face while chewing on the two pieces of bread with plenty of crispy bacon was now gone.

“So, you’re saying—”

Catherine’s eyes narrowed in disbelief, trembling slightly as though she couldn’t quite grasp what she had just heard.

“Grandmaster Mikael of the knight order, who is of the same rank as our lord, was actually a reincarnator, and that he insisted on treating you like a god even in this world, which is similar but different from the one you lived in?”

“Yep.”

“Karem.”

“Yes?”

“Are you asking me to believe that?”

Karem felt wronged.

But Catherine was even more incredulous.

Mary, on the other hand, showed no interest.

 

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