Hell Inn: Rebirth - I Became a Chef in Hell

Chapter 21 Alastor and ■■■ dealt a severe blow to Sir Pensius (Verbal Bullying Version)

Downstairs, you, who were actually a little worried about Angel, were following closely behind Shirley Vicky and the three demons, diligently carrying out your extra duty of protection.

"Oh, wow! What a pity, I thought you would see this lost soul off on our second meeting."

Having finally decided to leave his radio booth, Alastor met with Sir Pensius and immediately spotted you behind Shirley.

The broadcast demon, who had just calmly mocked the serpentine sinner, appeared beside you as a shadow.

Before you could even recover from your bad mood, you quickly caught a strong smell of jungle swamp.

"Huh? What?"

Pantheon, not understanding what Alastor meant, looked between you and Alastor with a puzzled expression.

So, only Shirley, who immediately understood what "leaving" meant, widened her eyes.

"What? When introducing our hotel's beautiful and unique chefs, did you skip over the most important part?"

It was just a casual mention, the ultimate goal probably being to make Pantheon panic. Alastor closed one eye and then casually glanced at you, saying, "What a pity."

The broadcaster's voice and attitude were both sarcastic and unpleasant.

Perhaps because you've gotten used to Alastor's endless ramblings, for a moment you and Shirley's expressions were both in sync, as if you'd offended the radio demon again.

"What a pity? What's a pity?"

The seemingly not-so-bright Panxius doesn't yet realize that this is actually the daily routine at the Hell Inn.

The serpentine sinner, who had only recently joined, cast a questioning look at you.

"...I won't poison the food of hotel guests like those unscrupulous chefs outside, please rest assured."

With a blank expression, you kicked away the deluge of excrement thrown at you by the broadcasting devil, subtly shifting the real focus of the problem.

"Besides, if I really did that, our facilities manager, Mr. Broadcasting Devil, probably wouldn't be standing here unharmed."

Having grown accustomed to the other person's personality, you narrowed your eyes and gave Alastor a forced smile.

"Ha! Good to try."

"Each each other."

"..."

Neither you nor Alastor turned your head, making it seem as if you two, standing side by side, were arguing with the invisible air in the hotel.

Looking at the two criminals, one in red and one in white, locked in a fierce confrontation, Pantheon felt something was off. He flicked his tongue, his confusion and wariness growing stronger.

"Oh—! Yes! Our chef, [chef's name], is absolutely perfect! You must try any of her dishes if you have the chance! I guarantee you'll feel happy just from one bite!"

At this moment, Xia Li, who realized that the two of you seemed to be at odds, quickly stepped forward to change the subject.

"Without a doubt!"

Standing beside you, but with an enigmatic expression, Alastor nodded in agreement with Shirley's statement, "The chef's culinary skills absolutely deserve unlimited free publicity on my own radio channel!"

……

Neuropathy.

Your lips twitched.

"...No, no, no, I know! Are you the kind of chef who kidnaps hotel guests to cook for them!?"

Upon seeing that Alastor actually acknowledged your culinary skills, Pancius's expression immediately changed, and he adopted a very wary posture towards you.

You see his originally black hair suddenly spread out like a bird defending itself, revealing a pair of red eyes that resemble his own.

"Otherwise, why would a notorious cannibal praise your cooking?"

You: "..." How did he manage to be half right and half wrong?

"What? Ah! No, it's not what you think! Although [name omitted] does cook with special ingredients for special guests, but she..."

When the topic turned to special diners, seeing your silence, Shirley couldn't help but glance at the scarlet Wendigo.

At this very moment, the other party was standing with the hotel chef whose reputation had been ruined, their faces showing complete indifference as if they were watching a good show.

If it weren't for Shirley being there, you, with your fists clenched, would really want to turn around and take down Alastor, who's even standing right next to you.

But the priority right now is to clarify things. You're not the kind of cook who would make "demon meat char siu bao" inside an inn... These rumors spread by Alastor have really damaged your reputation!

"Alright, alright, let's get this straight before things get even more complicated, darling."

Seeing Panxius's seemingly fearful yet wary demeanor, you sighed, feeling quite annoyed, and then gently pushed aside Shirley, who was trying to cover for you and looked very flustered.

"Let me put it this way, Sir Pantheus, you're not good enough to be food."

Your gaze lightly fell upon the serpentine sinner before you.

“…Wh…what?”

Pantheon stared wide-eyed, clearly not expecting you to say that, as if he hadn't quite caught on yet.

"As a chef who serves royal members and sinner lords, my requirements for ingredients will definitely exceed your imagination."

Rarely entering a professional state outside the kitchen, you approached Pantheon, who was slightly taller than you, with your hands behind your back.

The female sinner from the East was tall and slender, with an expressionless face and golden pupils like the blazing sun that could blind anyone.

As the female sinner approached him, Pantheon immediately noticed that the horn on her head, which had previously seemed to be surging with dark magma, was now as red as a branding iron, and jet-black scales climbed up her face to the corner of her eye.

An aura of authority and indescribable fear, reserved only for those in positions of power, emanated from the sinner before him—

Unlike the sharp and mocking malice of the broadcast demon, the aura emanating from the Eastern sinner before him was more like that of a resentful beast staring at him.

The overwhelming pressure emanating from her was like a mountain range and a tsunami rushing towards him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Perhaps your aura is too intimidating; the serpentine sinner, who is actually unaware of your strength, shrank his shoulders and retreated.

With the other party's actions, you suddenly find yourself in a superior position again.

"Since you've mentioned cannibalism, I can only tell you that, because of the shape of the soul, the taste of sinners in different forms will have subtle differences."

As you focused on explaining, you bent down and stared into Pantheon's red snake eyes. Perhaps because you were too close, his pupils had shrunk to the size of wheat awns.

You see fear and retreat in the other person's eyes; all their vigilance and hostility fade into weakness and apprehension under your expressionless pressure.

...Of course, if the other party is still afraid, then you've achieved the effect you wanted.

“The physical condition of the criminals, whether they are single, and whether they have bad habits will affect the quality of their meat and their edible value... Just from the perspective of health, you might be able to become food.”

With a blank expression on your face, you slightly narrow your eyes and then reach out a finger to lift the other person's chin.

“But there is something I must tell you, Sir Pancius.”

"In fact, male sinners are worse in both texture and taste than female sinners because male sinners have less subcutaneous fat, and their meat tastes drier than that of female sinners."

"Moreover, in terms of quality, sometimes the flesh of criminals is just like that of pork. If they are not castrated, their flesh may become smelly because they do not pay attention to their own health."

At this point, you could already sense that the other person was trembling, so you gave a smile that Pantheon found utterly terrifying.

He never imagined that your smile, which usually keeps a straight face, would be so terrifying.

"Finally, from a selection perspective, the more human characteristics are retained, the better the meat will suit customers with cannibalistic tendencies... and someone like you, whose soul leans more towards an animalistic form, is almost not within my consideration."

After saying that, you wisely put your hands behind your back, straightened up, and looked at Pantheon, who was practically burying his head in his chest.

The sinner from the East's eerie smile vanished, and her expression quickly returned to its original calm.

"Moreover, before cooking different types of ingredients, in order to satisfy the cannibals and to avoid wasting ingredients, I usually conduct many experiments with other similar creatures to ensure that the taste and texture are excellent... Even if I were to take a step back, I would never consider a non-human sinner I have just met as an ingredient candidate."

At this point, you notice Alastor giving you an inexplicably approving look, but you ignore this sinner lord whose presence is felt everywhere.

"So, do you understand? Now that you've joined the Hell Inn, I will absolutely not lay a hand on anyone in the inn."

"Given what I said before, even if you don't join Hell's Inn, you won't be on my radar."