Chapter 8.2

“Her Highness is arriving.”

Polly, the innkeeper who had taken it upon himself to act as Arina’s attendant, softly announced from the entrance. The knights, market leader, and officials all rose promptly.

“Everyone, remain seated. Polly, remember, officially, I’m in the High Tower. Don’t refer to me as Her Highness. That goes for all of you. From now on, address me as Irea, a simple knight of the High Tower.”

The Grand Duke spoke as she sat at the prepared seat of honor. Her damp blue hair suggested she had just bathed.

Despite being accustomed to her beauty, the market leader and officials couldn’t help but hold their breath for a moment.

“During this covert mission, we may have discovered a truly exceptional individual.”

The topic raised by Arina, now seated, naturally revolved around Arad, the cook.

“Indeed. Food prepared with Arad salt surpasses even those heavily seasoned with conventional spices.”

“Given the Empire’s severe trade deficit over spices, Arad salt could single-handedly resolve the issue.”

At Arina’s words, the market leader, officials, and knights all nodded in agreement.

‘Yes! Bring him to the High Tower immediately!’

Even Polly, standing outside the room, shouted this sentiment inwardly.

“We must bring the cook Arad to the High Tower.”

“And we must uncover the secret of Arad salt.”

“Everything in the North belongs to Her Highness. Whatever you command, we shall seize it for you.”

The market leader, officials, and knights in Haven began sharing their opinions one by one.

The knights present weren’t just skilled in swordsmanship; they had also studied various disciplines, albeit superficially. Simply wielding a sword well wasn’t enough to function as an effective enforcer of the law.

Because of this, they clearly understood the economic and diplomatic significance of Arad salt.

‘Yes! That’s right!’

The opinions they presented aligned perfectly with Polly’s long-held hopes.

“No, that won’t do. The North belongs to me, but it also belongs to my people.”

However, Her Highness Arina shook her head at their proposals.

‘Ah… no!’

Hearing this, Polly felt as if the sky had fallen.

“In that case… Your Highness, perhaps I could try harder to replicate the recipe?”

Unable to hold himself back, Polly interjected into the conversation between these high-ranking individuals.

“I’ve already identified all the ingredients in Arad salt. With further research into the ratios, sequence, and processing methods, I believe I can recreate something very similar.”

Although Polly was merely an innkeeper now, he had once been a soldier responsible for preparing meals and supplies for high-ranking knights, including Arina, during field missions. This gave him greater influence than most ordinary knights or officials.

“Once the recipe is close to completion, you can bring Arad to the High Tower and put him to good use. Meanwhile, I’ll work with Haven’s merchants to distribute Arad salt widely for the people.”

Despite his bold interruption, none of those present showed even a hint of displeasure.

“That too would be dishonorable.”

But Arina rejected the idea outright.

“The North stands to benefit greatly from Arad salt. That means we owe him a debt of gratitude. And in the North, it is our principle to repay such debts.”

“Th-That’s…”

Polly squirmed nervously, like a puppy in trouble, at Arina’s firm response.

“Hm…”

Arina rejected all the opinions presented by her subordinates.

“Here’s what we’ll do.”

After a moment of contemplation, she reached a conclusion.

***

That morning, I woke up after a restless night, my thoughts preoccupied. How could I join the High Tower knights’ party? What help could I provide to Her Highness and her knights? And most importantly, how could I prevent the tragedies of the original timeline?

“You’re finally taking off the bandages.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Arad. If it had been any other quack healer, losing the arm wouldn’t have been surprising.”

That morning felt meaningful in many ways.

“By the way, Rennon said his injuries are fully healed too.”

“He even came by a few days ago to thank me. He brought a lot of business with him, too.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Did he now?”

Jack’s face brightened as he flexed his arm and hand freely after removing the bandages.

“Starting today, I’ll help with the kitchen work.”

The moment the bandages were off, Jack eagerly declared his intent to assist with the inn’s operations.

“Go ahead.”

I nodded without hesitation. Even though Jack didn’t say it outright, I could sense his underlying thoughts. He was certain I wouldn’t stay at this inn for much longer.

And he was right.

“If you’re unsure about anything, ask me immediately.”

I said this casually to Jack.

“Arad… Thank you!”

Jack expressed his gratitude with a smile brighter than the one he’d worn when his injuries had healed. Beyond Arad salt, my cooking skills were at their peak, making me a chef he probably admired. Allowing him to learn from me must have made him genuinely happy.

“Let’s start with prepping the ingredients.”

“Of course. Tom! Start cleaning!”

“Yes!”

As the day began at Jack’s Inn,

“Are you open for business?”

Our first visitors arrived earlier than any of our residents. And they weren’t ordinary patrons—they were the most important people in the city.

“Ah, it’s the market leader and the knights from yesterday. We were just about to start.”

“But it’ll take some time for the stew to be ready.”

Jack and I greeted the esteemed visitors, bowing our heads.

“Ahem!”

With an unusually solemn demeanor, the market leader cleared his throat and declared loudly:

“Arad Jin, healer and chef of Jack’s Inn, receive a letter from Her Highness the Grand Duke!”

For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend his sudden and significant announcement.

“A letter from Her Highness the Grand Duke?”

Pausing in my morning preparations, I asked with a perplexed expression. Orders, sure—but a letter? What was this about? My gaze naturally shifted to one of the five knights.

Standing quietly in the corner with her face obscured was a knight I suspected to be Her Highness the Northern Grand Duke herself.

“Receive the will of the High Tower.”

Following my etiquette training, I knelt respectfully and accepted the letter from the market leader.

“Read it here and give your reply immediately.”

As soon as I took the letter, the market leader instructed. I carefully unfolded the letter, conscious of the knight’s attempts to conceal her true identity.