Chapter 200. I Quit Everything and Went Home
―Royal Capital Albion, Office of the Minister of Internal Affairs.
It was past two in the morning, but there was no sign of the lights in the office going out.
"Haah."
Hanbin rubbed his bleary eyes and turned over the last page of the mountain of documents piled before him.
The past year. Hanbin had been ground down, in the most literal sense.
The pardon and Northern reconstruction support plan for the Rosemore family. Budget allocation for the Northern Cross-Railway. The End Order remnant suppression and post-processing report.
His expectation that he would be able to return quickly had been nothing more than an illusion.
The affairs of the North were intertwined with the political situation of the entire Kingdom, and one piece of work called forth another.
Resolve one, and two would burst open; reach out to handle two, and three would be tangled up together—a veritable ant pit of governance, one might say. Because his sense of duty was nothing if not unwavering, he had been forced to watch the seasons change four times over through the office window.
Eyes aching with strain. The Ice Bucket that happened to catch his gaze just then. Inside it sat a Cola, there for recharging through Overtime.
"……."
The small-hours feeling, should one call it? Or was there some other name for it?
At the sight of the Y&P logo on the Cola bottle, a great sweep of memories flashed through him.
He remembered the first time he had thrown away the position of Minister of Internal Affairs. Setting off for the North with the grand ambition of sparking a Culinary Revolution in Britannia—a culinary wasteland.
He had boldly opened Jurgen's General Store in search of freedom, and sold coffee there.
He had thought he would breathe in the fragrant scent of roasted beans and live out his days in leisurely ease, but the outcome had been dismal. The coffee business had failed spectacularly, and all that was left was one prickly regular by the name of Penelope.
Hanbin ran his fingers along the Cola bottle.
The black beverage he had chosen after the failure of the coffee venture, to make a comeback.
He had personally sourced each ingredient one by one, and had suffered through the night in pursuit of the golden ratio. With Penelope—his regular customer—sitting in as tester.
Even after completing the Cola, there had been no shortage of obstruction and interference.
But in the end, the innovation of the 'Bottling System' had seized the market, and now this Cola had become a beloved national beverage not just of the North, but of the entire Kingdom.
"After that… let me think—it was Chicken, wasn't it."
He still thought about it from time to time. He had gone all the way to the Soltera Protectorate in search of peppers for the Seasoned Chicken. Back then, he had tasted a genuine holiday for the first time in over ten years.
What came back to him most vividly now was the time Serena had been kidnapped, and…
"Hmm…."
…Penelope in her swimsuit. Well, regardless. It was through Chicken that they had won the Royal Warrant, and the full-scale Culinary Revolution of Y&P Trading Company had truly begun.
They introduced a franchise system and expanded the number of outlets explosively, and opened Royal Kitchen—a braised ribs specialist restaurant—for Baron Keystone, who had supported them in every way.
It went without saying that the aroma of soy sauce sizzling over charcoal would seize the palates of the haughty Northern nobility in an instant. For the record, Penelope's favourite item from Y&P Trading Company's menu was braised ribs.
"My, what a loud and lively life it's been."
There had been so much more that followed.
The Golden Mermaid, the Royal Trading Company, hunting down the Dark Mages entrenched across the North, and somehow ending up sweeping out their main base as well.
And then.
He had become Penelope's partner, too.
"……."
For now, let's just finish the work at hand.
Hanbin reached for the bottle opener.
Psshhk―!
The bright, crisp hiss of carbonation. A sharp, refreshing rush down the throat. The fatigue and worries piled up like a stubborn blockage cleared away cleanly.
"Haah… Just this last bit and it's done for today."
He muttered, rolling his stiff neck.
It was then. Across the desk, Lily—who had been wrestling with documents alongside him—began quietly rising from her seat.
"Hm? Where are you going?"
Hanbin asked. There was still a good hand's-width of documents left to approve before they could call it a night. There was no way a Workaholic like Lily would leave at a time like this, surely?
"I thought I might take a short walk to clear my head."
Lily answered with her characteristic expressionless face.
"A walk? What are you on about? These documents are work you brought in! You need to see them through with me!"
Hanbin scolded her—or rather, pleaded—with affected sternness. If she left him alone now, an all-nighter was as good as confirmed.
"Hanbin is the model of nobility. I have always held you in the highest regard."
"What is this out of nowhere? Flattery won't work! Sit down! Quickly!"
Hanbin waved a hand at her, but Lily did not sit.
Instead, she turned back with a hand on the door handle and gave a small smile.
"This walk may take quite a while. Isn't that right?"
In that instant, Hanbin stopped his pen, momentarily blank.
It was the first time he had ever seen her smile. Hanbin collected himself, and before him, Lily quietly bowed her head.
"I will handle the rest. I can manage it well on my own now."
Hanbin slowly set down the fountain pen he had been holding.
There were years they had shared together.
What Lily was trying to say right now, how far she had seen and how much she was considering—it was not difficult to read.
Having a certain particular young lady to read the mood around had sharpened his instincts somewhat.
"Will you be all right?"
"I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"Lily."
"……."
After delivering that sharp little retort, Lily closed the door and stepped out—and Hanbin stopped her.
"Come and visit sometimes."
It was a single line, spoken from the heart.
"It has been an honour to stand at your side, Hanbin."
Click. The door closed, and the sound of Lily's footsteps faded into the distance.
Silence settled over the office once more.
[Minister of Internal Affairs—Hanbin Ainsworth]
Hanbin stared quietly at his nameplate sitting on the desk.
"This has been in use for quite a long time, hasn't it?"
Hanbin quietly turned the nameplate face-down, then picked up a worn old bag sitting beneath the desk. Outside the window, spring rain was falling.
It was the finest weather imaginable for catching the last train to the North.
***
The sound of rain tapping against the window filled the stillness of the office.
Penelope was slumped over her desk, having drifted off into a brief nap.
The office with everyone else already gone for the day. A mountain of documents waiting for approval. A solitary night hidden behind the glamour of a successful businesswoman.
It was then. The office door opened quietly.
Clunk, clunk.
The sound of leather shoes approached without hesitation toward the desk across from Penelope—the desk that had stood empty for the past year.
The sound of a leather chair receiving its owner's weight. A wet coat being hung up. The cap of a fountain pen being uncapped.
At those familiar sounds, the space between Penelope's brows twitched.
What? Was it an Auditory Hallucination heard through sleep? Or some kind of vision conjured by longing?
"Mmm…."
Penelope lifted her heavy eyelids. Through blurred vision, she made out a familiar silhouette. A man quietly reviewing documents beneath the light of a desk lamp.
"……Jurgen?"
A composed reply came back.
"This expansion plan for the logistics warehouse would be better put on hold. The ground is unstable."
Ah, it's just a dream.
Penelope was about to bury her head back into the desk—and then bolt upright.
"Y-you, you—!"
Jurgen looked up at that. Rain-damp hair, a faint smile playing at his lips.
"I'm back."
The greeting was so utterly nonchalant that Penelope was rendered speechless. She should run over and throw her arms around him, or shout at him—but none of it felt quite real.
Was this actually a dream?
"What about the Minister of Internal Affairs?"
"I handed in my resignation."
"What?"
"When I went back, I found it wasn't my place after all."
Jurgen turned over one more page of the documents and gave a quiet smile. At that breezy remark, the corners of Penelope's eyes reddened.
"You… you rotten thing!"
Penelope shoved her chair back and launched herself at Jurgen. Her soft fists beat against his chest in a flurry of little thuds.
"It's been a year! A whole year! Not a single letter, and then you just turn up out of nowhere!"
"S-sorry. Things took a little longer than expected to sort out…. And with the Rosemore Succession Negotiations, personal correspondence was simply…."
"All excuses! I, I thought I'd never see you again—!"
Jurgen pulled Penelope close with one arm and held her against him. The shoulders of Penelope in his arms were trembling finely.
Only then did it feel real. The fact that he had truly returned to the North—to the place where he was meant to be.
"I missed you, Penelope."
At that sincere confession, Penelope could no longer stay angry, and clutched his coat tightly in her fist.
"…Me too. I missed you terribly."
With a pouty, tearful murmur, Penelope rested her head against him. On that rain-soaked night, the two remained for a long while, confirming each other's warmth.
The sky over Nortaris after the rain had stopped was perfectly clear.
"Wha?! Jurgen?!"
Serena, arriving for work, opened the office door and stumbled backward in shock.
"Wasn't Jurgen supposed to be dead?!"
And on top of that, Jurgen and Penelope were sitting side by side on the sofa, drinking their morning coffee. Still holding hands, no less.
The first display of shameless couplehood she had seen in a long time.
"Have you been keeping well?"
"I, well… No, more importantly, what is going on here?!"
Serena was bewildered. Hadn't he implied it would be a while before they could meet?
"I stepped down. From the Minister of Internal Affairs post."
"And so?"
"Now I'm just Jurgen again, that's all."
"Whaaaat?!"
Just then, Brigitte came in right behind her. The moment she spotted Jurgen sitting on the sofa, her jaw dropped.
"Master? Is it really you? You're not a ghost, are you?! You're not, right? The sky is clear right now!"
"Would a ghost be drinking coffee?"
Jurgen held up his cup with a quiet smile.
And in that moment.
"Waaaaah! I missed you so much! I had so many recipes I needed to ask you about!"
Brigitte shot across the room like a cannonball and flung herself into Jurgen's arms.
The office descended into chaos in an instant. But not one moment of that commotion felt unpleasant.
"Now, now, everyone, give me some room. It's hard to breathe. And, Serena. Regarding the Magic Engine efficiency report you submitted—there is an error in the calculations. Rewrite it."
"Ugh! The demon is back!"
"And Brigitte—you've been quietly nudging up the ingredient costs, haven't you?"
"Wha?! Ah, ehehe… That's for the sake of higher-quality cooking…."
"No matter the reason, what is to be done if the cost price exceeds the selling price?"
The barrage of lecturing began, and Serena and Brigitte fled with their heads in their hands. But even their retreating figures looked happy.
"Noisy, isn't it?"
"It feels like I've come home."
Jurgen rose from his seat and moved to the window.
The view of Nortaris visible beyond the glass. People moving about with energy and life.
And the good aromas of food drifting in from every direction. This land, which had been a culinary wasteland only a few years before, had now become the culinary capital of Britannia.
"Jurgen."
Penelope linked her arm through his and asked,
"You're not going anywhere again, are you?"
"Well."
Jurgen let the moment hang mischievously, then took her hand firmly in his.
"Not until Y&P goes under?"
"Hmph, dream on. It will never go under as long as I'm here."
"Then I suppose I'll have to stay forever. I'd better steel myself."
The two of them stepped out of the office side by side.
"Do you have the next item in mind already?"
"But of course."
"What is it?"
"Something round, chewy, and absolutely loaded with cheese and tomato sauce."
"Cheese? Hmm, that sounds rather rich."
"I guarantee—once you take one bite, you won't be able to stop."
"Now I'm curious, seriously though what is it? Tell me already!"
The sound of the two bickering together grew gradually fainter as they disappeared down the corridor.