Chapter 43

Morning came, and I was on the bed again.

"……."

"Kkuruk?"

"Hmmmm."

I was lost in shallow thought.

It wasn't the first time I'd known that my personality could change.

"There's the case of Giovanni, too."

But, something I realized belatedly now, was that I seemed to deviate from my usual personality from time to time.

Mainly when I was interacting with people outside in my 'portrait' state.

"Come to think of it, complimenting the staff or suddenly giving them gifts isn't a normal reaction either."

"Kkuruk?"

"There were people older than me, yet for a strapping young man from the Land of Eastern Propriety like myself to act that way... honestly, considering my current state, it wasn't exactly normal."

The problem was that I myself didn't feel any sense of dissonance about such changes.

"At the time, I just thought it was natural."

It certainly seemed that the identity of 'portrait' was indeed changing me.

"Oh, gods of heaven and earth."

"Kkungkung…."

"When I stayed within the portrait, I was the same as usual, so I didn't feel anything strange."

"Kkuruk?"

"No, it's fine."

Whether my personality changed or something else did, I wouldn't yield to a mystery of this mere level.

"But I should be careful not to act rudely towards other people."

At this rate, it felt like I'd soon find it natural to pat a complete stranger's head.

"Who do I think I am to do something so unsightly?"

The act of patting someone's head was something that was only possible in fiction or when a parent does it to their child.

Even between lovers, such a bold touch was to be avoided, so I felt the need to conduct myself with more modesty.

"Of course, I've never had a lover."

"……."

"How dare you look at your father, who is like the sky, with such eyes."

I can be without a girlfriend, can't I.

"Anyway, having a personality change isn't such an unfamiliar situation. When I went on an outing to Seoul, there were times when my awareness of Giovanni grew stronger… I think I should see it in a very similar context to the topic I'm pondering now."

That said, it wasn't a feeling that my 'personality' itself literally changed.

"If it were to that extent, I would have noticed long ago."

If I had to describe it, it was close to the feeling of recalling a forgotten memory.

"I can't say it's Seo Jio, but it's still me, that kind of feeling…."

"…Kururuk?"

"It's not multiple personalities. It's a misunderstanding."

Just as in my past life I lived as the priest Giovanni, whose benevolent smile was a masterpiece, in my current life I lived as Seo Jio, who was often asked, 'Do you perhaps not know how to smile?'. It was similar to belatedly recalling a past life and having forgotten habits pop out from time to time.

"I never thought a problem would arise because of my identity as a portrait, though."

I muttered.

"I guess it's a problem similar to resolution. Trying to act human in a portrait's body must be causing some kind of error. My way of speaking becomes stiffer, and my actions and thoughts get weird…."

I felt I should be careful.

"Let's try to put more effort into self-awareness from now on."

"Kkung."

"It's a pain? Honey, you should work on your social skills."

Seeing Honey grumbling, I placed the round water bird on my hand and rolled it around.

Honey, rolling about like a firm water pouch, didn't seem to be in a bad mood.

"Are you having fun?"

"Kururururu."

"I see."

I, who had been momentarily surprised by the personality change, was able to compose myself at that peaceful sight.

"Anyway, it's interesting, so that's all that matters."

Wouldn't it be weirder if this ever-changing life wasn't interesting?

"Then shall we eat first?"

"Kururuk?"

Honey expressed his doubt, but I paid it no mind and got up.

"Even if not right away, it's good to make soup or side dishes in advance. I have the bones from the deer I butchered, so if I clean them up and make a bone broth, I can store it in the ice cellar and take it out whenever I need it."

Bone broth itself could be a hearty meal. I nodded my head.

"Whenever I had an upset stomach, my grandmother would tell me to try drinking bone broth with a bit of green onion and salt."

I didn't know about other people, but when I had an upset stomach, that kind of bone broth was much easier on my stomach than porridge.

Since it had no solids, it didn't fill the stomach, but perhaps because it was an oily broth, it felt like I was eating something.

"If you add a little salt, chopped green onions, and freshly cooked rice to the milky white broth, that's Gomtang. A richly brewed bone broth has an incredible umami flavor. That's why even a simple meal like that can be so filling."

"Kurururururu…?"

"That one isn't spicy."

Honey, who had shown a great aversion to the spicy sausage last time, seemed to be wondering if Gomtang was spicy.

But as long as you don't add red pepper powder or a spicy sauce, there would be no reason for Gomtang to taste spicy.

"If it's too plain, you can add meat, or instead of rice, it's fine to add somen noodles. Eating both together isn't as bad as you might think. I believe that adding seasonings or pepper powder as you wish is also one of the charms of Gomtang."

Besides that, there were many other uses for bone broth.

"If nothing else, if you boil spicy ramen with broth instead of water, it has another fantastic taste."

"Kkuruk! Kkuruk! Kkuruk!"

"Still, the broth itself makes the soup a bit milder… Right, let's skip this."

Honey, who hated spicy things, voiced its staunch opposition, and I, being the father, respected Honey's opinion.

If there are humans in the world who eat anything and everything, there are also weak water birds who can't eat even a little bit of spicy food.

"Then it would be fine to add more vegetables and make a different soup. A representative one would be dumpling soup."

I muttered.

"Sliced rice cake soup is also good. Army stew, made by boiling all sorts of vegetables and ham together, isn't bad either… And for standard fare like doenjang-guk or miyeok-guk, adding bone broth makes the flavor much deeper."

"Kkung?"

"The others probably won't be spicy, unless it's army stew. Unless you add Cheongyang chili peppers… Come to think of it, did you know that if you use broth instead of water when cooking rice, it becomes much more delicious?"

"Kururu."

"Alright, let's go make the broth."

Since eating the rice balls last time, Honey had become a water bird that loved rice the most in the world.

I could clearly see it, imagining how delicious it would be to make rice balls with rice cooked in bone broth and then grill them.

As I headed down to the ice cellar where the bones were stored, I suddenly felt anxious.

"Come to think of it, don't people usually use cow bones to make bone broth?"

"…Kkuk?"

"Well, when I trimmed and cleaned them last time, the marrow was quite full. Perhaps because it was freshly caught, the red border on the cross-section of the bone shaft was also distinct, so the condition should be good. Thanks to the deer being so big, the bones are thick and sturdy, so it'll be fun to brew the broth…."

"……."

"Then again, since when have we only eaten food from Earth?"

The bones used to brew bone broth are usually from the leg part of an animal.

For a cow, it would have been the feet, but I figured it wouldn't be much different for a deer, so I had prepared them just in case.

I brought the bones from the ice cellar to the kitchen.

"I washed them once back then, but it still feels a bit iffy."

After thoroughly washing the bones, which had been cut to clearly show the marrow, I took out a large pot and dropped them all inside.

When I lit the firewood with a Bellflower, the water quickly came to a boil.

"All the blood was drained when I first butchered it, so not that many impurities should rise to the surface. I drained it for almost over a day, so it should be quite clean, but there are still foreign substances left inside. I have to remove those to get a good broth."

"……."

"As you are currently predicting, it's a hellishly time-consuming job."

"Kkungkungkung…."

"I didn't expect to be able to eat the broth today anyway."

Once the bones were parboiled in boiling water and then washed until completely clean, from then on, it was a battle of time and effort.

There was a reason 'real' bone broth was expensive.

"I can just keep boiling it in the pot like this, but I shouldn't boil it over too strong a flame. Even if it takes some time, I have to simmer it over low heat to draw out the umami flavor of the broth better."

"……."

"The more you boil it, the more oil and various impurities will continuously float to the top. They say the first batch of broth is usually too greasy and rich to be palatable, perhaps because the marrow comes straight out. So you can't even eat the first batch of broth…"

"Kkung."

"You'll eat it?"

"Kkuruk."

"You pig."

Honey protested fiercely, but that doesn't change reality.

This affection, this obsession, that couldn't give up even the first batch of broth that would make one's mouth so greasy it would smack.

"You are already an excellent pig."

"Kurururururururururulk!!!"

"Accept reality."

If possible, I'd like it to get a little plump.

"Enough for me to lean on…."

To be precise, I'd like it to become plump enough for me to use as a pillow.

"……."

"……."

Seeing the face that showed a firm resolve, I nodded.

"Is it puberty?"

I could feel a strong conviction to somehow maintain its current cute and adorable appearance.

'It knows it's cute.'

Even if it was a son born from paint, if one's child had the right convictions, it was only proper to support them. I decided to back down.

Fat animals are cute, but forcing them to gain weight was animal abuse.

"Anyway, the broth won't be ready right away. The impurities will only rise after some time, so there's nothing we can do just by sticking right next to it."

"Kururuk?"

"Right, so we need to prepare another dish. Let's give our generous bone friend some time alone."

I looked at the pot, where the water wasn't even boiling yet because I had just changed it.

"I'm not sure, but I've heard that brewing bone broth too many times is actually bad for your body… I'm not sure how to treat the legs of a Tree-Horned Deer."

Bone of a Tree-Horned Deer

The trimmed bone corresponds to the leg part of a Tree-Horned Deer's bones.

It is full of marrow and thus oily, but a bone brewed for more than 3 days will completely dissolve into the broth and become a restorative medicine.

It is characterized by a nutty flavor or a strong meaty aroma that feels salty.

Elixir Recipe: After cleaning it thoroughly, simmer it over low heat for 3 days, and the marrow and bone will all dissolve to become a restorative medicine. The medicine created this way can be used immediately, and when used on a human, all bone abnormalities will be healed. The degree of recovery depends on the amount taken and the individual's constitution.

"……."

I nodded my head.

"There was no need to worry."

What kind of realistic concerns was I having in this fantasy world?

"It says the marrow and bones will melt on their own, so we just need to occasionally skim off the impurities and wait. Let's stop worrying about those highly independent fellows and start worrying about our lunch."

"Kurururuk."

"Then, something good would be…."

After pondering for a moment, I made up my mind.

"The day has finally come."

"Kkuruk?"

"It is time for fishing."

After eating a whole lot of meat, shouldn't I refresh my tired palate with some fish?

"That is the proper courtesy to my tongue and stomach."

And Seo Jio was a true gourmand who learned the word Engel's coefficient (the proportion of household expenditure spent on food) at the age of 5.

I still remembered my grandmother's warm voice, chuckling and saying, 'We have a pig potato in the house.'

So, I decided to eat fish. There were many ways.

"The stream is narrow, but it's quite deep, so I've confirmed that there are large and small fish when I've passed by. Especially since the water birds' nest is connected to streams and springs to allow various creatures to move around… In fact, I could probably get some decent fish just by going to the nest."

"……."

At my words, Honey tilted its head from side to side, then soon came up to my ear and poked my cheek. Its beak was so small and harmless I didn't even know why it was there, so it didn't hurt.

"What is it, Honey?"

"Kururururuk."

"…Ah."

Come to think of it, I had another source of fish.

"There was the 'Breathing Sea'."

The 'Breathing Sea', one of the dimensional gates I had made before, was literally a world submerged in the sea and when I saw it last time, it was definitely overflowing with all sorts of creatures.

I accepted Honey's advice.

"So smart."

"Kkuruk."

Honey became majestic.

It was very cute.

"No matter how cute you are, the only one you can conquer is your dad."

"Kkungkungkung."

"You think you can get away with acting so cute anywhere else and be served as well as I serve you? Where else in the world is there a butler as competent as me? You just stick close to your dad."

They were a happy family today, too.

I immediately went to the second floor, to the warehouse where I kept the completed works.

The frame that allowed travel to the 'Breathing Sea' was hanging there.

Standing in front of the frame filled with blue light, I slowly seeped in as if melting.

"……."

And, soon after.

I was in the water.

"It's been a while, Father."

Giovanni had entered the 'Breathing Sea'.

"Or has it not been that long?"

" "

"I just came back from a little tour of the outside world."

The one Jio was conversing with was none other than the Sun God of a ruined world.

That lonely old man that 'Giovanni' had made a request to before.

He asked for the reason for my visit today.

"Ah."

And I was always confident, anytime, anywhere.

"I came to do some fishing."

Give me fish.

"If it goes well, I'll share some with you."

" "

"I knew you'd be pleased."

The Sun God rejoiced.

It was clear that only pigs had gathered here.

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