The Omnipurpose Restaurant in Dungeon City

The female knight Fiona Valen is a golem.
This is a famous story among the Griffin’s Claw Knight Order, to which Fiona belongs.
When new recruits first hear this story from their seniors, they generally react like:
‘What?! Can golems join the knight order too?’
or,
‘Has magic developed so much that wizards can do that?!’
and become the laughing stock of their seniors.
Of course, it doesn’t mean Fiona’s actual race is a golem.
Far from being a golem, she’s a 100% pure-blooded human without even a drop of mixed race blood.
The reason Fiona is called a golem is because of her actions and impressions that seem inhuman, like a golem.
“Ah, hello, Lady Valen!”
“Hello.”
“Um… about the matter I mentioned before…”
“Not allowed.”
“B-but….”
“If you’ve broken the set rules, you must receive the appropriate punishment. In this case, it’s 1 penalty point each.”
“But it was just juice we brought in! Not alcohol, just juice!”
“Rules are rules.”
In the end, the knights who brought juice into the knight dormitory received 1 penalty point each.
This is just a very brief anecdote.
For Fiona, who is in charge of discipline in the Griffin’s Claw Knight Order, there were countless such legends.
She was the embodiment of rules, believing in inflexible, rigid, by-the-book handling of matters.
Additionally, with her always expressionless face and sticking to fact-based answers, people tired of her started calling her by the nickname ‘The White Golem of the Knight Order’.
‘How can a person memorize and follow all 196 knight order regulations? I heard she even remembers old, obsolete rules?’
‘A person can’t be like that. She must be a golem, definitely a golem.’
Any normal person would have long since exploded with complaints, but.
Because Fiona herself thoroughly followed all the rules, she made it impossible to argue against her.
This thoroughness was also why she was called golem-like, but.
And now, Fiona, the white golem of the knight order, was lost in thought.
“What exactly is flexibility?”
To others, it might have looked like her usual expressionless face, but her eyebrows were raised by a whole 1mm.
That’s how seriously she was pondering.
Flexibility.
Of course, she wasn’t talking about physical flexibility.
It was a metaphorical expression asking to interpret rules a bit more loosely with human sentiment.
‘What exactly is it that makes everyone demand this from me?’
Fiona was also aware that people had many complaints about her.
She knew and still acted that way.
It wasn’t that Fiona lacked tact.
She just chose not to be tactful.
‘Is it my fault for not understanding?’
She was just following the rules, so why should she face complaints and friction for that?
She could understand if she was criticized for not following rules, but being criticized for following rules too well was something Fiona couldn’t comprehend.
“I don’t mind being called a golem, but.”
Although she couldn’t understand, she didn’t particularly care.
As long as they followed the rules, it didn’t matter.
She knew about the golem nickname too, but she didn’t touch on it because there was no loss if people vented their complaints about her that way.
Emotional hurt? As people say, golems don’t get emotionally hurt from doing necessary actions.
Then, why was she pondering like this?
“You’re too rigid. You need to cultivate some flexibility, I’m telling you.”
It was because of the advice from the knight commander she respected.
“…Are you saying there’s something wrong with my sword?”
“No, that’s not it. Your sword is extremely orthodox and perfect. No unnecessary movements.
That’s why a rule-lover like you beat out all the others to become the discipline officer. Because you’re strong.”
Scratch scratch-
The knight commander said while scratching his short beard.
“But a sword that only swings orthodoxly is ultimately limited. In both good and bad ways, it’s complete.”
“Isn’t it good to be complete?”
“That’s why you can’t develop further from there.”
And that’s why I can’t beat you either, you know.
The knight commander said with a grin.
“Being confined to a frame is… well, fine. There are such swords too. But you shouldn’t fix the frame itself.”
“….”
“Try to cultivate some flexibility. Not just in swordsmanship, but in everyday life too. Do you know what the kids call you? A golem, they say! Even if not human, shouldn’t you at least be treated like a lizardman?”
The last words he said while clicking his tongue made Fiona ponder about flexibility, something she normally wouldn’t have considered.
She doesn’t mind being called a golem. She can endure it, and she didn’t care about it in the first place.
But her swordsmanship stagnating is not okay.
Training and developing swordsmanship is not only a knight’s duty but also proof of qualification.
If it can be fixed, it should be fixed.
She was in the middle of her evening patrol, pondering about flexibility like this.
“Hm? Was there a restaurant in a place like this?”
There was a restaurant she hadn’t seen before in an alley she had passed by many times.
A building made of pure white marble, different from other surrounding buildings in the street.
‘If such a building existed in this street, I’m sure I would have remembered it…’
But you can’t nitpick about why a building that clearly exists is there.
She just thought she might have failed to check properly or it might be a newly opened restaurant, and as Fiona approached to look more closely, her eyebrows furrowed by about 0.5mm.
It was a signal that she had found a problem.
“There’s no food service permit mark.”
The restaurant that looked quite plausible on the outside, conversely, lacked something it should have had.
The food service permit mark.
A small mark that must be obtained to open a restaurant in the dungeon city, where dungeon-sourced ingredients are commonly distributed, was missing.
Maybe it’s not a restaurant? But the exterior was completely that of a restaurant.
“I’ll know if I check.”
There was no way the rule-stickler Fiona would just pass by.
She entered the building to check.
“Welcome!”
As soon as she entered the building, she could be certain. This was indeed a restaurant.
Well, the kitchen was clearly visible through an open space.
‘The structure where the kitchen is fully visible is quite unique. And what’s this cool air?’
However, it certainly didn’t seem like an ordinary restaurant.
Maintaining this level of coolness in the hot midsummer? It was clearly the power of magic or magical tools.
Such magical tools in a restaurant in this street? It reeked of suspicion.
But Fiona’s search had to pause momentarily.
“Um, customer…?”
Because the restaurant owner was looking at her questioningly.
Come to think of it, she seemed to have heard a greeting when she entered.
“Are you the owner?”
“Yes, I am, but.”
“Is this a restaurant?”
“Uh, yes, it is?”
“Do you sell alcohol too?”
“Ah, of course we have alcohol too.”
Nod-
Fiona finished organizing in her head and nodded.
“I will conduct an inspection for unauthorized food service and liquor sales.”
“What?!”
One thing was certain: this restaurant was subject to inspection.

I was suddenly notified of an inspection by a silver-haired female knight who barged in.
An inspection?! A restaurant that just opened gets inspected in less than a day?!
“What do you mean by inspection? What’s this all of a sudden?!”
When Jin hurriedly questioned, a calm answer came back.
“There’s no food service permit mark outside.”
“Food service permit mark…?”
What… is that?
‘Could something really be wrong?’
According to the explanation given by the dazed female knight, it seems that in this dungeon city, you need to mandatorily receive this food service permit mark to open a restaurant.
Because various ingredients from dungeons are commonly distributed in the dungeon city, only verified chefs can open restaurants for safety reasons.
The proof of that is the food service permit mark.
Then, what about Kyle and Seria who came yesterday and today? But thinking about it, they probably didn’t know or care about such detailed aspects, not being professional civil servants.
“Ah, and you also haven’t received a liquor sales permit. This also requires a separate permit.”
“I’m sorry!!!”
It was a situation where I had nothing to say even if I had ten mouths.
It was clearly Jin’s fault.
‘I acted without thinking at all…!’
Although the base was certainly decorated like a restaurant, I had forgotten the fact that it wasn’t actually a restaurant.
Maybe I had carelessly thought it was just a game I had already cleared.
I should have considered even information closely related to real life that can’t be obtained just by gameplay.
“In principle, operating a restaurant without a permit results in a fine and a business suspension for 1 year, but.”
“Gasp, please, anything but that!”
I don’t mind paying a fine, but if business is suspended for a whole year, the very first step of the plan falls apart.
Moreover, if Kyle or Seria find out it was an illegal business? The intimacy I had built up might crumble to pieces.
Jin hurriedly poured out excuses to the female knight.
“I didn’t do it on purpose, I really didn’t know!”
“If you give me a grace period, I’ll get the permit right away!”
“We just opened today and haven’t caused any accidents.”
“I’m okay with paying a fine, but please, not the business suspension…!”
Would the excuses poured out while half-begging have any effect?
The female knight thought for a moment and then said:
“Is there no lie in what you just said?”
“Yes, I swear on my honor as a chef. It’s all true.”
Since it was all true, I swore without hesitation.
The female knight muttered something incomprehensible like ‘This might be a chance to cultivate flexibility’ and nodded.
“Very well. If that’s the case, I suppose I could try ‘flexible response’ as well.”
“Oh, then?”
“If you obtain the permit within the grace period, I’ll overlook this incident.”
“…! Thank you!”
“However, there’s one condition.”
Gulp-
Just when I thought she was being generous, a condition was attached.
I guess it can’t be that easy after all.
What can I do, I should be grateful even for this much.
If it’s not a strange condition, I’ll have to accept it as much as possible.
“Please make me any dish.”
“Pardon?”
But an unexpected request came out.
“Are you perhaps hungry?”
“It’s to verify whether you really intended to run a restaurant, or if this was a place for some other suspicious activity.”
“Ah…”
In simple terms, she wants to check if I’m really a chef.
If that’s the reason, Jin had nothing to be afraid of.
Rather, I can proudly make a delicious dish.
“I understand. Then, is there any food you’d like?”
“Anything is fine. You can make what you’re most confident in.”
“I’m quite confident in most dishes. It’s my restaurant’s motto to make food that best suits the customer’s taste.”
“If that was a statement to reduce my suspicion, it was successful.”
“No, it’s true!”
“If you’re really that confident….”
The female knight paused for a moment, then:
“Please make a dish that is hard but becomes soft.”
This was another unique order.