Childhood Friend of the Zenith-Chapter 665: Why Am I Over There? (2)

The first place we arrived at after leaving with Moyong Hee-ah wasn’t far—it was a nearby town.

I wondered why she had dragged me along, but as it turned out, there was nothing particularly special about the matter.

“The sales have dropped a bit.”

At her casual remark, the man in front of her wiped the cold sweat from his brow and responded.

“T-that’s because... A new inn opened nearby, and...”

Rustle.

Moyong Hee-ah didn’t spare the man a glance, focusing instead on the letter in her hands, densely packed with writing.

“Are you saying it’s because of competition, Innkeeper Jan?”

“That’s correct. It seems customers are being drawn to the new inn, which is directly managed by the Martial Alliance.”

“Hmm.”

Despite his explanation, Moyong Hee-ah continued to read through the letter without looking up.

“That might be true. We’ve received reports that some of the guests who used to frequent our inn are now visiting Minghua Inn.”

Minghua Inn was the name of an establishment currently operated by the Martial Alliance in Henan.

“Now, while I don’t intend to blame you entirely for the decline in sales...”

Rustle.

Only after finishing the last page of the letter did Moyong Hee-ah ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ finally look up at the man, her gaze particularly cold.

“There’s something a bit odd.”

“...!”

At her remark, the man flinched. The sweat trickling down his thick neck was clearly visible.

“I understand that fewer guests would result in lower sales... But compared to that, the number of drinks sold has actually increased. And particularly, high-end liquors have been selling unusually well. Do you have an explanation for this?”

At her question, the man swallowed dryly and hastily replied.

“Haha, we’ve recently been visited by more high-profile patrons.”

“High-profile patrons? Do you have any details on them?”

“Here they are.”

Without hesitation, the man pulled out another letter from his sleeve and handed it to Moyong Hee-ah.

She unfolded it immediately, revealing a list of several names.

“Mi Hyunsang’s leader... Gu Hyunbang’s head...”

While they weren’t leaders of famous organizations, they were names one might have heard of recently.

In other words.

“Newly rich.”

These were people who had taken advantage of the chaos caused by the outbreak of Crimson-Rank beasts, profiting from the export of weapons during the upheaval.

As the era of peace crumbled, the value of armaments skyrocketed. Those who had prepared early reaped enormous profits.

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“Lately, for some reason, such esteemed individuals have been visiting us from time to time. Thanks to them, our sales haven’t plummeted completely.”

“I see... That makes sense.”

Hearing his explanation, Moyong Hee-ah gave a small nod.

Perhaps the man thought he had gotten away with it. A hint of relief flickered across his face.

“Regarding the decline in sales... I’ll do my best to recover them moving forward—”

“There’s no need.”

Moyong Hee-ah interrupted his words with a smile.

Had she noticed something? The man’s eyes trembled faintly.

“The drop in sales can’t be entirely blamed on you. There’s no need to expend unnecessary effort there. Just continue managing the inn as you have been.”

“I... Manager...”

For a moment, the man’s eyes glistened with emotion at her unexpected warmth.

“Ah, I’ll continue to do my utmost to run this inn properly!”

“Yes, please do.”

Moyong Hee-ah responded with a smile to the man’s exclamation. She folded the letter neatly and placed it in her pocket, stepping out of the inn.

As he watched her retreating figure, he wondered.

Could she possibly not have noticed anything unusual?

That thought had crossed his mind before.

‘...This makes it the third time now.’

But recalling what had happened previously, such worries had long vanished.

Look at her now.

The smile that had graced Moyong Hee-ah’s face moments earlier was now replaced by a cold expression. She handed the letter to someone standing beside her with an elegant motion.

Then, she spoke.

“Dispose of it.”

Her chilling voice carried an edge that sent shivers down one’s spine.

Was she referring to disposing of the letter or Innkeeper Jan himself?

There was no need to wonder. The answer was already clear.

"I thought he was smart, but to steal so openly?"

Her expression resembled that of someone imagining an insect. The disdain was unmistakable.

“Did he think I wouldn’t notice his tricks with the liquor sales, leaving such obvious records in the ledger?”

Her voice carried an air of utter contempt.

“Innkeeper Jan should be reported to the main branch and dealt with. Keep an eye on the others listed here as well.”

“Understood.”

The man receiving her orders carefully took the letter.

“I’ll prepare a list of potential new innkeepers within two days.”

“Thank you. Oh, and especially keep an eye on Mi Hyunsang’s leader; I hear there are a few weak points we can exploit...”

It was swift and efficient.

With just a few words, the ownership of a well-known inn in Henan was about to change hands.

“I’ll report to the branch leader separately, so just handle the tasks I’ve assigned you.”

“Understood.”

As the conversation ended, the man with the letter quietly disappeared.

“Phew.”

Moyong Hee-ah let out a deep sigh and lightly fanned herself.

I spoke up as I watched her.

“Is it over?”

At my question, Moyong Hee-ah turned to look at me.

Her cat-like, enchanting eyes met mine.

The faintly applied makeup only enhanced her already radiant presence.

I could feel the gazes of those around us, even though her aura subtly concealed it.

‘Bihyeonhwa pales in comparison.’

If seduction was the measure, Bihyeonhwa and Moyong Hee-ah might seem similar, but the qualitative difference was stark.

While Bihyeonhwa seemed to actively enhance her charm with effort, Moyong Hee-ah exuded an innate elegance.

She had an aura of nobility and refinement, akin to a flawlessly crafted jewel.

I found myself staring at her without realizing it until she finally answered my question.

“It’s halfway done.”

Halfway?

“Only halfway?”

“Yes.”

We had been moving around since early morning, and now it was noon.

Even with so much time passed, only half of the work was done?

I gave her a dumbfounded look, and Moyong Hee-ah chuckled at me.

"Young Master, do you know how funny your expression is right now?"

"...Only halfway? It’s already past lunchtime, and we haven’t even eaten yet."

"Did you think work would be finished quickly?"

"At least I thought we’d eat first."

"There’s food everywhere, isn’t there?"

She gestured casually and walked ahead. I followed her gaze to see where she was heading.

She stopped at a street vendor selling skewers.

"Two, please," she said.

"Oh... Yes, yes!"

The vendor seemed startled, clearly not expecting someone like Moyong Hee-ah to approach his stall.

It was understandable.

‘If I didn’t know who she was, I’d probably be surprised too.’

Her noble demeanor and elegance made it obvious she was from an esteemed family. Seeing someone like her buying skewers at a street stall was enough to draw surprised looks from the passersby.

"Here you go," the vendor said, his hands trembling slightly as he handed over the skewers.

"Thank you," she replied gracefully, taking them and handing one to me.

I glanced at it and raised an eyebrow.

"...Is this supposed to be lunch?"

"Why not? It’s delicious. Don’t you like this kind of food, Young Master?"

"I like tasty food, sure. But do you think this is enough to fill me up?"

She took a bite from her skewer, unfazed.

"It’s good, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, but I’ll need a few more if this is supposed to be a meal."

I sighed and bit into the skewer. It wasn’t exactly a proper meal, but it would do.

"By the way," she said suddenly, "I didn’t bring any money with me."

I stopped mid-bite. "...What?"

"Buy it for me."

Her tone was so confident that I couldn’t help but laugh.

"What if I didn’t have any money either?"

"Hmm. I didn’t think that far ahead."

Fortunately, I had some money on me. After eating a few more skewers and paying the vendor, we continued on our way.

As we walked, she occasionally stopped to try other snacks. Watching her, I couldn’t help but comment.

"You eat more than I expected."

"Do I?"

"Yeah. You’re eating pretty well, considering."

She laughed lightly. "It’s delicious. Especially since it’s been a while since I’ve had anything like this."

"How long has it been?"

"Hmm... About six months, I think."

"Six months? Why wait that long? If you like something, just eat it."

She smiled faintly. "There’s no special reason. I just tend to hold back on things I enjoy."

"Why would you do that?"

"If you indulge in everything you want all the time, you might get tired of it. That’s not appealing to me."

Her words had a strange undertone as she glanced at me.

"That’s why I hold back. Precious things should be cherished."

I assumed she meant savoring delicious food, and it made sense in its own way.

"What about you, Young Master?" she asked suddenly.

"Me? What about me?"

"Why are you so obsessed with meals?"

"...Huh?"

Her question caught me off guard.

"You’re always making a big deal about whether or not you’ve eaten."

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do. You’re always asking if someone has eaten or not."

"...Hmm."

Now that she mentioned it, she wasn’t wrong.

"You could just eat something and move on. Why make such a fuss about it?"

Her words carried a hint of curiosity, but I couldn’t help feeling slightly exasperated.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing," I replied with a small sigh.

It couldn’t be helped. Of all people, I never expected Moyong Hee-ah to ask me something like that.

If I placed so much importance on meals, it was because of—

‘You.’

The person standing before me.

More precisely, it was because of Seolbong (Snow Phoenix).