Fried ShrimpThe sunset darkened the sky and left only the stars and the moon’s light for Heinrich, who was running straight through the wilderness, to depend upon as his stamina started to reach its limits. At this rate he would use up all his strength and collapse, unable to fulfill his duty, and he would end up in the awkward situation where he would die alone in the wilderness. Shaking off that premonition, Heinrich continued to shoot through the wilderness bringing with him the knowledge he gained during his service.
Right now, the only reason his feet were still moving because of willpower and that he had the feeling that he couldn’t collapse here now. Heinrich was entrusted with a very important duty that he had to fulfill no matter how impossible it was. In the forest where monsters lived, there was news of a large outbreak of mothmen. Heinrich couldn’t die because he had to bring this news to the royal castle.
Yesterday, the dukedom received a report that mothmen, a humanoid type monster with four arms and moth-like wings, were seen flying from the various monster-infested forests dotting the area. Of course, Heinrich and the other who were stationed in the nearby fortress, which was made to observe whether any monsters would leak from forest, engaged the mothmen, but the mothmen dispersed poisonous powder, danced in the sky, a.s.saulted with their claws, and most importantly, fought back with their abnormal numbers. Heinrich and his duchy’s knights were desperately opposing the siege but at this rate, loss was a foregone conclusion.
They needed to get back as quick as possible to the duchy to inform them of their distress and send back reinforcement. The one who was selected to fulfill this important duty was Heinrich, the one who exceled at taking care of the horses.
Yesterday, to return to the duchy and notify them, Heinrich put the secret message that was signed with the division commander’s signature into his breast pocket and exited the fortress with the small opening his comrades made for him. According to the plan, he should have already made it. But right now, Heinrich was running through the wilderness connected to the duchy on foot.
What Heinrich miscalculated was his horse. His intention was to choose a healthy, powerful horse, but when he exited the fortress, a mothman seemed to have hit it with its poison. Halfway there, the horse he was riding on started to foam bubbles out of its mouth and then it collapsed.
With no other way, leaving his horse, Heinrich and carried the minimal amount of luggage, and with his two legs, he then intended to head to the castle town. But that reached its limit as well. He started to lose feeling in his overworked legs, and his body started to become dehydrated with all the sweat pouring out of him.
And most importantly… he was started to get hungry. When he left the fortress, Heinrich took a sufficient amount of food. But, after a full day, his stomach was already empty. In order to make the horse run even a little bit faster, he made the mistake of dropping his provisions.
(I can’t die… in a place like this!)
If Heinrich was to die here, it meant that his comrades still fighting in the fortress, who believed that Heinrich would deliver the message, would no doubt die as well. Not only that but the populace of the towns and villages behind the fortress’s defense line would die as well. To go against such an outcome, Heinrich, the young knight from the tall and prideful House of Zeelemann, forced himself to run. If he continued to run at this rate, by dawn he should make it there.
The problem that the fatigued and exhausted Heinrich’s physical strength was being used up even faster.
(Great G.o.d of the ocean and water! Please give unto me strength!)
Trying not to waste any more energy, inside of his heart, he prayed to the G.o.d of water whose religion was the most widespread in his portside hometown… and G.o.d didn’t abandon the poor Heinrich.
“…!”
A small hut reflected in Heinrich’s eyes. The small hut which even now it seemed like it might rot away was probably a settler’s hut.
“I’m saved….!”
If he could get some food and water from here… Thinking along those line, Heinrich made up his mind. Heinrich was carrying an important duty that could control the fate of his duchy. He had to prioritize its success over ‘everything else.’ Heinrich gripped the sword that was strapped to his side. The sword that he brought with him when he left the fortress. The famous dwarven sword that was handed down through his Zeeleman house…. Everything was for the duchy. Filling himself with deep, dark determination, Heinrich opened the well-made, black door.
As the door opened, the sound of a bell ringing sounded out, and Heinrich’s eyes that were accustomed to the light of the moon and stars were dazzled in that instant. The inside of the settler’s hut was unexpectedly glaringly bright.
“Welcome.”
The middle-aged man who said that to Heinrich was most likely the owner of this hut.
(…He’s alone.)
There seemed to be no other presence besides that man. Feeling grat.i.tude at his luck, Heinrich began to spout coercive words.
“I am Heinrich Zeeleman, a knight serving the duchy! Owner of this hut and citizen of the duchy! Bring forth water and provisions! If not…”
“Coming right up.”
As he was about to continue his frantic, menacing demands, his resolution to fight to the death began to waver since his demands were met so easily.
“Go ahead and take a seat wherever you want. I’ll bring you a towel and some water.”
Heinrich looked closer at the man who said this to him. For someone who was living in these wilderness, his clothes were neat and tidy.
“Un, understood…”
In front of this relaxed man, Heinrich let go of his maliciousness and took a seat.
“Oh right, Sir. Can you read the eastern continental language?”
“Ye, yes. I can read it.”
At that question, Heinrich looked confused before nodding his head.
“I see. That’s good. Please wait just a moment.”
As he said that, the man went to the back of the room… probably to take a water jug placed in the cooking area.
(What is this place? This hut…)
While waiting for the man, Heinrich took a look around the place again, and his bewilderment deepened. There were many high-quality polished tables and chairs with soft cushions. All inside of the room which was strangely bright even though it was night. Lined up on top of the table were various small gla.s.s bottles and ceramics. Things that shouldn’t be there in a settler’s hut where they should be living on the bare minimum.
“Hey. What the h.e.l.l are you? You’re not an ordinary settler, are you?”
Heinrich asked the man who was carrying a tray filled with a skillfully wound cloth, a metal water pitcher, and a gla.s.s cup filled with ice and water. This place was too incomprehensible to him. Heinrich’s voice unknowingly become stiff as well.
“Settler? What’s that? This is a restaurant called ‘The Western Style Cathouse.’”
The man mysteriously said that back to Heinrich.
“A restaurant? In a place like this!?”
He couldn’t think of it as anything but a joke.
There was no way any customers would come to this restaurant when Heinrich himself only pa.s.sed by this place today due to a miracle. As he thought that, Heinrich had raised his voice.
“Although I don’t know what ‘Door’ you came from, sir, but this door has a special property to it. The doorbell has some magic casted over it, and there are similar doors that connect to this one on the other side… so it seems.”
The man was used to this so he explained to Heinrich about ‘The Other World Dining Hall.’ Even though he knew that he wouldn’t be believed at first.
“What kind of stupid…”
Listening to these unbelievable words, Heinrich’s bewilderment grew even larger. Seeing Heinrich like this, the man sighed once and said this.
“Well, I guess it’s no wonder why you don’t believe me. If you told me this, I would think it’s a lie too. Anyway, this is without a doubt a restaurant. Just in case, I can bring out anything written on this menu, so go ahead and order something.”
As he said that, the so-called restaurant’s owner set down the book called a menu.
“A menu…? What are you saying…?”
As he complained, Heinrich opened the menu in front of the owner. The book had a strange smooth feeling to it unlike leather or paper. And also, there were dishes that he never seen or heard of listed inside of it.
“Fumu. Very good penmanship…”
Heinrich guessed that the person who wrote this menu must have had an extremely good education. The letters were written to be easily read and the vocabulary was abundant. Most importantly, it accurately described the dishes that Heinrich never heard or seen of.
“Well, anything is fine. I should fill my stomach first and then…!?”
Heinrich’s eyes became glued to one of the items on the menu.
—-Made with schripe* caught from the southern seas which is then battered and fried in oil
When he saw that sentence, Heinrich forgot about the current situation and swallowed some saliva at the word schripe. Schripe was a creature that was often caught back at his portside hometown. It had a thin long body protected by a hard sh.e.l.l and filled with soft meat, and its special characteristic would be its big claws. At first, when it’s caught it looks blue but when cooked it turns red. You can cover it in salt and grill or you could chop it up and use it as an ingredient for a soup. However, it spoils extremely easily. It’s difficult to transport them to any nearby towns, so you can only eat them in portside towns like the one Heinrich came from. Ever since he became a knight, it’s been years since he was separated from his hometown or even had a bite of schripe.
(Aah, this isn’t good.)
The moment he began to reminisce about schripe, Heinrich’s tongue began to revive the long lost flavor of schripe in his mouth. It was meaty but had a different sensation than when eating game that dwelled on land. Every time you chewed it, salty meaty juices would burst out. He remembered when he was a child, and he clutch the few copper coins he got from his wet nurse to go buy grilled salted schripe like the rest of the commoner children.
“Sir, have you decided your order?”
“A, aah. This. Give me this thing called fried shrimp.”
At the owner’s prodding, he pointed his finger at the schripe dish. For a moment, he remembered that there shouldn’t be any decent food let alone schripe in the middle of this suspicious wilderness, but the owner of this restaurant said he could ‘bring out’ anything. If he couldn’t, then he would be a fraud.
“Got it, fried shrimp it is. Are you okay with bread as a side?”
“A, aah.”
The owner confirmed Heinrich’s request as if it were nothing, and with a nod, he headed to the back of the restaurant.
“…Is it really going to come out? Schripe.”
Feeling suspicious of the owner’s carefree behavior, Heinrich took a drink of water.
“Delicious…”
He involuntarily let out a sigh. It was nicely chilled water with ice inside of it. The sweet, faint flavor of fruit made his body feel refreshed, and it began to soak into his body that was parched from running nonstop.
(Why is something like ice here as if it were something ordinary?)
Ever since he came to this restaurant, countless questions pa.s.sed by his head, but his hand didn’t stop. He took the polish water pitcher made of metal and poured water into his gla.s.s cup and then drank. Wetting his dry throat and happy that he could cool down his exhausted, burning body, he repeated the action three more times. He took his leather bag that was long since empty and filled it to the brim with water. Heinrich then took a breather.
“Muu. This is quite comfortable.”
He then wiped away his sweat with the cloth that was brought out. The cloth was knitted in a way he hadn’t seen before and was about the size of a hand towel. Perhaps it was doused in hot water and then wrung. When he took the warm thing and wiped himself, it felt very refreshing.
First he wiped his hands, then he wiped his head and the back of his neck. Around the time the three cloths that the owner brought out were completely pitch black, the filth and sweat on Heinrich’s arms and head were completely gone.
“Here it is. Thank you for waiting. Your fried shrimp. Please enjoy it with our specially made tartar sauce.”
Once Heinrich’s preparations were all taken care of, the owner brought out the food and then left it in front of Heinrich.
Thinly chopped vegetables and small red fruits were served on white plate. In a small white bowl, something green was mixed together with a white something. And finally, stacked on top of a plate was deep-fried schripe… the dish called ‘fried shrimp.’
“Well then, enjoy. You’re free to have seconds of the soup and bread so tell me when you want more.”
“Umu.”
Ignoring the owner’s words, Heinrich instinctively gulped down his saliva.
(This is schripe, you say?)
This was a dish that looked extremely different from the schripe he knew. First, the shape was straight. Normally, whether you grilled it or boiled it, when schripe was cooked, it usually curved into itself like a ball.
If you skewered it and then grilled it, you could give it a straight shape, but this so-called ‘fried shrimp’ had no signs of being skewered. In spite of that, three pieces of fried shrimp were stretched straight out on top of the plate, a savory smell coming from them. Heinrich, who was an amateur when it came to cooking, couldn’t understand how exactly this came to be.
(The explanation said that it was battered and fried but…)
Indeed, the fried shrimp’s tail… was something that schripe had so there was no room for doubt. Everything else besides the red tail was covered by a bright brown coating. At first he thought it was a certain savage empire’s style of dissolving wheat flour into water to make a coating, but the surface had a rough feeling to it. Coming from a lineage of knights from his hometown and as a n.o.ble representing his town, to Heinrich, who had tasted a very diverse amount of dishes from foreign countries, it was a dish he never seen before.
(Ah well. First I should have a bite and see how it is.)
He took his knife and cut down with the sharp end, and then stabbed with his fork and lifted it up. It seemed like the head was taken off and the sh.e.l.l was peeled during preparation. From the cross-section, underneath the coating, it’s white, soft body peaked out.
(Umu. Going by looks, it seems pretty delicious.)
The exterior’s bright brown color and the color of the fresh interior gave a contrast that brought up Heinrich’s appet.i.te. Thinking of that, Heinrich brought the fried shrimp into his mouth and bit into it.
“…Ooh.”
The moment he swallowed it, that word involuntarily leaked out. That was, without a doubt, schripe. The schripe was fresher than the ones he ate back in his hometown, and juices leaked out from the meaty, white flesh. The light, simple taste of the schripe met with the savory texture of the batter which made from high-quality flour and cooked in oil had no presence, and the two became pure bliss.
The batter crumbled inside of his mouth as he sunk his teeth into the schripe, the texture of its body pushing back, giving it a firm texture. It didn’t have the rotted smell of old schripe, but instead was filled with a deliciousness befitting the creatures that dwelled in the ocean. As he continued to bite into it, fresh, meaty juices would flow out of it, and together with the light batter, they flew down into his stomach.
Heinrich, who became enamored with the texture and taste of the light batter and the fresh schripe, ate one piece of the fried shrimp in the blink of an eye.
“Umu…mu?”
He even chewed down on the tail which had a savory flavor to it until it broke down into pieces. As he was about to dig into the second piece of fried shrimp, Heinrich suddenly remembered the owner’s words.
(Didn’t he say to eat it with something called tartar sauce?)
He looked at the plate. Or more precisely, he looked at the small bowl placed on top of the plate. Inside of it was emerald green things mixed into a white something. There was no mistaking that this was what the owner called ‘tartar sauce.’ But if you put it on the already delicious fried shrimp, would it really be tasty?
Heinrich, in half-doubt, cut off the end of the fried shrimp and covered it in the white sauce. The white schripe’s body was slightly covered in a white sauce with a little bit of green.
(It looks tasty but…)
The problem was the taste. Still in doubt, Heinrich brought it to his mouth— and was speechless.
(What the, what is this!?)
It was a flavor that Heinrich didn’t know about. It was an unknown sauce that had a straightforward mild taste but with a little bit of sourness to it. He felt Inside of that white sauce was a mixture of pickled vegetables, boiled eggs and small amounts of strong-tasting herbs, and together with the simple-tasting fried shrimp, they became a wonderful flavor.
The deliciousness of the schripe wrapped up in batter was pulled up by the sourness of the tartar sauce, and at the same time, the flavor the egg and the scent of the small amounts of herbs was added on to the schripe, which in turn changed into a complicated flavor.
(I don’t even know what to say…)
Heinrich then began to feel regret over the fried shrimp he ate just a while ago. It was tasty as it was, but it couldn’t compete with the combination with tartar sauce.
As he thought that, his stomach began to make a disgraceful sound. It was a terrible experience. His stomach was supposed to be a bit fuller as he ate, but he actually started to get hungrier.
“Apologies, Owner! One more serving please!”
Without thinking, Heinrich added another order.
“You got it! Sir, you sure seem to have taken quite the liking to fried shrimp.”
Seeing how happy Heinrich was, the owner let out a cheerful laugh and his middle-age intuition told him that one more serving wasn’t going to be enough, so he began to fry up even more shrimp.
After that, Heinrich swallowed down three plates of fried shrimp covered in plenty of tartar sauce. The freshly fried shrimp and the sourness of the tartar sauce made an outstanding combination. The high-quality side dishes were soft, white bread and soup which perfectly balanced the deliciousness of meat and the flavor of vegetables and filled to the brim with oranie. All of these disappeared into his stomach. Sometimes to cleanse his palate, he would take the thinly-sliced, fresh vegetables that was served with the fried shrimp by hand and enjoy the sensation as he bit into them. These vegetables did not have the bitter taste or bad smell that other leafy vegetables had, but instead they had a sweetness that surprisingly went well with the tartar sauce. Just by covering it in tartar sauce, he had the illusion that he could eat it without end.
Bread, soup, leafy vegetables, and finally fried shrimp and tartar sauce. Not of single one of them were bad, and in fact, they made a splendid combination. While he was eating, Heinrich forgot all about the duchy’s crisis and was bound by these dishes.
“Oh G.o.d who rules over the ocean and water, I thank for you letting me enjoyed such a wonderful meal.”
After he was finished praying, Heinrich’s meal was over. Wanting to know about how the dish was prepare, Heinrich got up from his seat… and his face turned blue.
(…Curses! I don’t have any money!?)
That’s was right. Right now he was in the middle of his job as a messenger, and he left his wallet back at the fortress.
(This is troublesome…)
With how good the food was it probably had a value of about one hundred silver coins. Even if he was asked to pay gold coins, he would pay without any complaints if he had his wallet. But he couldn’t pay what he didn’t have. Right now, without his wallet, Heinrich was penniless.
(But I can’t not pay… That’s right!)
When he first found this place, he had forgot he was on a ‘delivery.’ Heinrich just now remembered that.
“Owner! I would like to settle the bill, but first I have one request.”
“Okay, what is it?”
Calling the owner, Heinrich said that.
“My apologies, but I have no money! In exchange, I will pa.s.s this over to you! Next time, I will definitely pay you back! Until then, please hold on to this!”
As he said that, Heinrich pa.s.sed the famous dwarven sword pa.s.sed down through his family to the owner.
“Heh!? No, you can just put it on your tab…”
“I will not! This is a sign of my good faith! Don’t worry! I will definitely come here again! Right now I must excuse myself due to a dire situation. Until then, I hope to eat your ‘fried shrimp’ once again!”
As he informed the owner whose eyes were black and white from the sudden affair, Heinrich ran towards the exit.
“Ah!? Sir! If you’re going to come again then in seven days…”
“My apologies! I must hurry! The duchy’s fate depends on it!”
As the owner’s words. .h.i.t his back, Heinrich dashed out of the restaurant.
Heinrich’s feet were light. After having rested at the restaurant and having plenty of fried shrimp, there was no trace of fatigue at all in him.
Steadily, Heinrich made it to the castle just before daybreak and informed the duchy of its crisis.
Knowing how big the situation was, the castle’s soldiers moved out and just barely managed to deal with the crisis. And Heinrich, who was the person who performed the best, received honor and compensation. Taking that in hand, Heinrich was utterly speechless.
“Impossible!? The restaurant is gone!?”
‘Ten days’ after the crisis was solved, Heinrich, who returned to that place he visited, opened his eyes in shock. That day, he definitely visited that restaurant but now there was no shape or shadow of it. In that place was definitely a small hut, a small hut that was abandoned in the past with no human presence whatsoever. But the black door that he saw that day wasn’t there.
“Then what was it that I saw that day?”
There were too many questions going through Heinrich’s head. It wasn’t a dream. That much he was certain of. That was because the dwarven sword that Heinrich handed off was still missing from his side.
——That was the incident from three years ago
It has been three years after that miraculous day.
“Commanding Officer Heinrich. There is a visitor waiting for you.”
Having informed the duchy of its crisis and helping the duchy avoid it, Heinrich, who was now in charge of the first brigade of the knightly order, was told by his subordinate about a visitor.
“A visitor? Who is it?”
At those words, Heinrich, who was filled with the presence becoming of a commanding officer, tilted his head. This place was a remote fortress, not a prospering city. He had no idea who would drop by without send a word.
“Yes. Actually it’s one person, and he called for you by name…and he called himself Tatsugorou.”
The subordinated informed him of the visitor’s name.
“What did you say!? Tatsugorou!? In the flesh!?”
Heinrich raised his voice in surprise at that name. He was a foreign master swordsman who came from the western continent and was famous for his military achievements in the eastern continent. Even if you’re not a mercenary, anyone who ever held a sword in their life would shake at the mention of his name.
“Yes, although we didn’t verify if he was the real one, he looks exactly like how he’s described in the bards’ songs…”
The subordinated told the truth of the situation while being bewildered. Wearing a curved samurai sword by his side, a haori crafted by elves and made of magical silver, he was an old man with a large frame. He met all the requirements, and most importantly, he came all the way over to this fortress that was a remote distance to any towns. One person who was average at combat could clear the roads of any loitering monsters.
“I understand. Send him in. And be hospitable.”
After hearing the information, Heinrich decided to meet him and ordered his subordinate. And finally, they met.
“Nice to meet you. I am called Tatsugorou. I will be in your care, Sir Zeeleman.”
An old man fitting the description respectfully lowered his head. With the appearance of a forgeiner and with the rumored samurai sword by his side, it was a large old man. Looking at the man’s appearance, build, and a lion-like presence which suggested he was on a much faraway level than him, Heinrich’s instincts told him. Without a doubt, this man was the real thing.
“No, no. The pleasure is all mine, Sir Tatsugorou! I am a knight of the duchy, Heinrich Zeeleman. Tatsugorou-sama’s military exploits are well know!”
Showing the highest amount of regards as he could as a military man, Heinrich greet Tatsugorou. Bound not by a master, an adventurer who would slay countless monsters in exchange for a small amount of money, monsters that couldn’t be cut down by the human body, he was a master swordsman who also called a fierce G.o.d. When Heinrich was a child and training to become a knight, he would often heard the legendary tale of Tatsugorou many times. Tatsugoro was an object of aspiration for Heinrich.
“But what kind of business do you have here at this fortress in the middle of nowhere?”
Heinrich gave a single cough and asked that question. Having a legendary military man visit was a great honor, but the reason why was still unknown. Hearing that question, Tatsugorou nodded his head and said this.
“…Actually, I was asked by an acquaintance to deliver a lost item to someone.”
Saying that, Tatsugorou took out a single sword from behind the sword on his hip.
“This is!?”
Taking the sword, Heinrich opened his eyes in shock.
“Just how, where did you manage to acquire this!?”
It was the famous dwarven sword that he left at that restaurant. As the first son who was supposed to wield it, there was no way Heinrich would mistake it.
Wondering just how Tatsugorou was holding on to the sword that ‘went missing’ three years ago, Heinrich involuntarily ask him that.
“Like I said, I was asked by an acquaintance. He said that there wasn’t any sign of you coming back to get it and not having it would trouble you.”
Tatsugorou laughed bitterly and replied to Heinrich, who the owner described as ‘a self-important person who doesn’t listen to what people saying.’
“An acquaintance? …Then that means, it can’t be!?”
As he thought about the meaning of those words, having made the connection, Heinrich drew closer to Tatsugorou.
“Yes, it’s probably just as you’re thinking… Now that I think about it, wasn’t there a ‘Door’ close to this fortress…”
After pushing away Heinrich, Tatsugorou grinned and laugh as he recalled some of the information he came across during his long-time pilgrimage.
“How about it? On tomorrow’s Satur’s Day, want to go eat some fried shrimp?”
Fried shrimp. At the moment those words came out, Heinrich became speechless and then yelling a big voice.
“I can eat fried shrimp!?”
Heinrich remembered the flavors he tasted three years ago… and swallowed his saliva.
“Yes. One time every seven days on a Satur’s Day.”
Tatsugorou answered laughing.
And that was a day that another regular was added to the Other World Dining Hall.