“Speaking of which, what have you requested there all of a sudden? Though it’s great it was accepted.”

“You know, the permit doesn’t cost us anything, and there are benefits as well.” (Wendelin)

◆◇◆◇◆

With Therese"s request for reinforcements from Earl Mizuho Country granted, we decide to leave Mizuho Castle and sightsee in Mizuho.
As it seems we have been provided a reservation in a high-cla.s.s hot-spring hotel which has open air baths available at night, I look forward to this as well.
To the spa and delicious j.a.panese cuisine, that is.
Just how much luxury is that, I wonder?
Given that we are only staying for one night, I have to start the sightseeing and the selection of souvenirs in a hurry.
As it’s no good if I don’t eat delicious food, I don’t even have a second to lose now.
I rush to the money exchanger to change my Helmut Kingdom currency into that of Mizuho.
The copper coins are square with a round hole in them. The silver coins are oblong resembling a silver quarter ryou from the Edo period. With the gold coin being a koban* itself, ten gold coins are a large koban which is called 『Ten Ryou』 ooban. (T/N: A ryou was a gold currency unit in pre-Meiji j.a.pan Shakkanhou system. It was eventually replaced with a system based on the yen. The Tokugawa shogunate attempted to create a central currency, based on gold, silver and copper units all exchangeable at fixed rates. Oblong gold coins, called koban, were minted with one koban containing about one ryō of gold, so that koban carried a face value of one ryō. The official rate was set in 1609 at one ryō equal to 50 monme (approx 187 grams) of silver, or 4000 bra.s.s coins. However, in reality the relative values between gold, silver and bra.s.s currencies fluctuates almost on a daily basis throughout the Edo period. (source wiki))

There are differences in their shape, unit system and names, but it’s not overly complex as there’s no difference in the quant.i.ty of gold, silver and copper used.
Well then, as I’m walking in the city wondering what to buy, Ina came asking about the reward some time ago.

“It won’t be fulfilled if we don’t win anyway. Even if we get the reward, there won’t be any loss to the empire.”

The condition, which I set, is a permission to have direct trade between Baumeister Earldom and Earl Mizuho Country.
As there’s also the matter of distance and the number of magic airs.h.i.+ps, I will probably just come to buy things with 『Teleportation』, but it means that I’m lawfully allowed to do so.
Of course High Earl Mizuho has accepted that unconditionally.
But that’s only natural as an increase in sales is a cause for celebrations after all.

“You want the products of Earl Mizuho Country that much?” (Ina)

“Yes! If possible I want to buy up all of it!” (Wendelin)

Getting all psyched up, I exchanged an amount of 100 million cents, but upon reflection I came to the conclusion that it’s not good to buy up a large quant.i.ty of goods and food since we will head into battle after this.
Instead it’s probably necessary keep the quant.i.ty down as much as possible while increasing the variety.

“First is the tea house I failed to visit.” (Wendelin)

“You are quite fixated on that one, aren’t you?” (Katharina)

“I haven’t eaten anything since this morning after all. Are you not going to eat, Katharina?” (Wendelin)

“I will, but…” (Katharina)

Because we cannot visit the tea house at the ridge, we enter one in the city, but the city’s appearance and the tea house’s interior completely looked like a scene from a historical drama.
Commoners and peddlers are eating dango‘s and such while drinking tea.

“Welcome to our shop!”

A pretty poster girl*, who wore an ap.r.o.n and a Mizuho uniform, which resembles a kimono quite well, shows up. (T/N: kanbanmusume … a pretty girl to attract customers)
Her age probably isn’t that different from ours.
Her black hair, which extended down to her hips, was tied up in a bundle in the back. She was an orthodox, j.a.panese-styled beauty.
That’s a pretty poster girl for you.

“What’s your order?”

“Your love, please.” (Erwin)

“Err…”

“Humph!”

“Ouuch!”

As the other party is a beautiful girl, Erw immediately tries to pick her up, but mine and Burkhart-san’s fists drop on his head making him sit down on his seat forcibly.

“Don’t make me lose face!” (Wendelin)

“But, I want to be loved…” (Erwin)

“Did something happen with that man?” (Therese)

“He had his heart broken a little while ago.” (Wendelin)

“I see.” (Therese)

Therese faced the playboying Erw with a slightly sympathetic look.

“Even though his face is nice, a woman will pull back since he’s too greedy.” (Therese)

Therese’s a.n.a.lysis was 120% correct.
However, I do believe that she shouldn’t talk about someone else’s matters.

“Excuse me, what’s your order?”

It seems that the poster girl is used to handling such guests.
Without any care, she asks us about our order.

“Tea for everyone! And the entire menu!” (Armstrong)

“All of it?”

“Indeed! Everything!” (Armstrong)

Dous.h.i.+ was a free spirit in a different meaning.
He orders the shop’s entire menu.
As it appears that even the poster girl didn’t antic.i.p.ate such a development, she’s quite surprised.

“Dous.h.i.+, can you eat that much?” (Burkhart)

“No worries!” (Armstrong)

“It’s alright.” (Wilma)

Burkhart-san asks while looking worried, but in addition to Dous.h.i.+ there’s Wilma here as well.
There’s probably no need to worry if it’s at the level of a tea houses" menu.

“I will start from the dango‘s.”

Simple white dango‘s, herb dango‘s with anko in it, and skewered dango‘s in a sweet soy glaze; the sweetness of eating them after a long time drags me into a maelstrom of deep emotions.

“They are delicious, aren’t they, dear?” (Elise)

“I’m inferior to a professional after all, huh?” (Wendelin)

“Next time we will challenge it, too. Let’s go back after buying the ingredients. It’s said that if the climate and soil quality is different, even the same crops taste differently.” (Elise)

Certainly, the taste of rice and adzuki beans might be nice in Earl Mizuho country where the winters are cold.
As expected of Elise who is an expert in cooking.
She pointed that fact out quickly.

“The things you occasionally make, Wend, they were dishes from Mizuho. How did you know about those?” (Ina)

“From the library in Breitburg.” (Wendelin)

Ina asks a perceptive question, but the library of Breitburg has the feudal lord’s support and boasts of a scale in the number of books collected that ranks second to only the royal capital Stadtburg.
As expected, since even Ina hasn’t seen through all the books in the library, she didn’t realize that I’m lying.

“Wendelin, thee are interested in books and food? It seems like we will get along.” (Therese)

“Therese-dono, are you skilled at cooking?” (Wendelin)

“Somewhat. I can’t make too many dishes, but what I can do isn’t limited to trivial dishes either.” (Therese)

That’s what Therese says, but since I don’t know her cooking ability there wasn’t anything I could reply to it.
If I actually have her make me something, it’s possible that she will make me eat something outrageous.
Currently I don’t even have time for such things. Ignoring it here is probably the intelligent solution.

“The sweet red-bean soup is delicious, but I wonder how they are getting their hands on sugar?” (Luise)

“The sugar is harvested from sugar beets.”

Poster girl-san answers Luise’s question.
Given that the sugar coming from sugar canes has a high price as an imported spice, it seems to be normal to obtain sugar from sugar beets in Earl Mizuho Country.
It seems that the remains of the squeezed beets are used as fodder for the cattle.

“That’s not different from the sugar from the sugar cane.”

“Since its similarly sweet, I will end up getting fat again.” (Katharina)

“Though you are often saying that, Katharina, you actually appear to not weigh much…”

When we eat sweets, Katharina always says that she will become fat if she doesn’t diet.
It’s really strange since she isn’t gaining weight like the bourgeois wives of the capital.

“Is that so?”

“Mostly the feeling of her cheeks when embracing her.” (Wendelin)

“Wendelin-san…”

Katharina ends up being astonished, but this is also a point I won’t concede on.
Although being overweight isn’t good, it’s also a fact that I’m not attracted to overly thin women.
However it’s often said that women are fussy if many of them gather in one place.
I ate delicious-looking food while talking with Elise and the others, but among them there were two people who were creating an odd scenery.

“All of them are delicious!” (Armstrong)

“It’s time for another round.” (Wilma)

“Certainly, it is as you say! Onee-san! Get us the entire menu once more!” (Armstrong)

“Once more!?”

While piling up a large amounts of plates, Dous.h.i.+ and Wilma were devouring heaps of sweets and even demanded a second serving in the end.
Even the poster girl ends up reflexively raising her voice at Dous.h.i.+ who ordered the entire menu twice.

“You two, are you alright?”

Cutting a single sweet bean jelly into small pieces and eating those, Burkhart-san was truly worried about those two while showing an expression as if he had a sour stomach.

“No problem!” (Armstrong)

“Plenty of room left.” (Wilma)

“If you say so…” (Burkhart)

Burkhart-san, who finished eating the sweet bean jelly, was amazed by the appet.i.te of those two.
It’s probably supported by his feeling of wanting to drink alcohol soon though.

“There were many things I ate for the first time, and they were very delicious, too!” (Armstrong)

“Satisfied.” (Wilma)

“That is, if you eat that much…”

Having savoured sweetness at the tea house, we move towards the next shop.
Burkhart-san was astonished at Dous.h.i.+ and Wilma who ate a dreadful amount of sweets, but even I want to tell them various things.

“There’s still plenty of food ahead of us, but…”

Certainly, the sweets, which were served in the tea house, were delicious if compared to the things I created with my low cooking skill.
Now that I think about it, those were dishes I created by using trial and error while suffering hards.h.i.+ps in the Savage Lands during my loner childhood, but one should go to specialists for the best results after all.
This means it might be necessary to hire a cook from the Mizuho people.
I decided that I will consult about this later with High Earl Mizuho.

“Don’t fret! My stomach is only filled by less than half!” (Armstrong)

“Lots of room left here as well.” (Wilma)

“Then it’s fine.” (Wendelin)

“Is it really!?” (Erwin)

Erw, who failed to pick up the poster girl, retorts at me, but since we are still going to get other food, it will be problematic if I tell them that they can’t eat it.
As it’s impolite to not order anything after entering a store, there’s no problem as long as they can eat.
The bill won’t be that large either.

“Next is… Found it!” (Wendelin)

『Soba』 is written on a sign curtain hung at the shop’s entrance.
I’m finally able to eat soba after coming to this world.
Since it would kick up too much of a fuss and as I would be considered weird, I enter the store’s inside while pretending to have found this store spontaneously.

“They serve both, chilled and hot soba.”

I enjoy both options, but Elise’s group didn’t order anything but one type.

“Get us the entire menu.” (Armstrong)

“Looking forward to it.” (Wilma)

“All of it, dear customer?”

“Don’t worry since we can eat it without any problems!” (Armstrong)

“As you wish…”

These two once again surprised the soba restaurant’s onee-san, who came to take our orders.

“It’s delicious, you know?”

Since there was soba in the south as well, I tried to obtain and make them, but with my skill they ended up becoming thick pasta noodles.
I tried to experiment with noodle sauces as well, but the taste was lacking. Soba is food you can’t make successfully unless you have a certain degree of knowledge.
Despite that, it can be normally eaten in this Earl Mizuho Country.
Going by the current situation, I should be able to greatly look forward to other j.a.panese food, too.
However, there’s a single problem.

“Even though it’s the long-awaited Mizuho cooking, we can only eat it until tomorrow morning.”

Since dinner will be served at the high-cla.s.s hot-spring hotel High Earl Mizuho prepared for us, I should be able to expect a lot from the alcohol and the food.
But, there’s also the trap called dinner and breakfast being at fixed times.
I want to eat various dishes until we have to return if possible, but if I overeat too much, dinner won’t fit in my stomach anymore.
That’s a seriously troubling matter.

“As I have a limited stomach size, the problem is what I shall eat, I guess.” (Wendelin)

“Why are you seriously worrying about such stuff…?” (Erwin)

Erw looked at me with an expression showing that he doesn’t comprehend.

“If only I could eat as much as Dous.h.i.+ and Wilma.” (Wendelin)

“Imitating those two is dangerous.” (Erwin)

I end up being considered a strange fellow by Erw, but I didn’t want to be told that by someone whose pick-up attempt was ignored by the waitress-san even in this soba restaurant.

“Then, you try to pick her up, Wend! You will definitely fail!” (Erw)

It’s impossible for me to do that.
Even though I have come here to eat, why do I have to do something like picking up girls?
One thing has nothing to do with the other, I believe.
And, Erw has forgotten the most important fact.

“What kind of stupid stuff are you saying…?”

Though I stopped while thinking d.a.m.n it, it was already too late.

“Erw, what will you do if he really gets deceived by someone because of that?”

“I don’t wish to increase the quarrel over household affairs.”

“Useless retainer. You can’t even pick up any girls.” (Wilma)

“I believe that many women would swarm him if Wendelin-san did something like acting like a playboy, but…” (Katharina)

“d.a.m.n it! Just where can I find my own looove~~~!?” (Erwin)

Erw, who was called worthless by Elise and the other women, began to stress eat soba.

“If they are selling noodle sauce and dried noodles, we will be able to eat soba at any time.”

“Are you that pleased with it?”

“Yes. How about the alcohol, Burkhart-san?”

“This cold alcohol, it’s delicious. Let’s buy it and go back.” (Burkhart)

Rather than the soba, Burkhart-san apparently liked the j.a.panese sake-like alcohol which he had ordered as supplement.
He had another cup of the cold alcohol while eating soba dumplings as a side dish.

“(I saw those kinds of old men in soba restaurants on my days off.)” (Wendelin)

Of course that’s an event which happened in j.a.pan.

“Earl-sama, you didn’t think about something rude just now, did you?” (Burkhart)

“No (isn’t he a perceptive one…). Onee-san, about this alcohol.” (Wendelin)

Once I ask the young waitress-san about the alcohol in order to dodge the question, it seems to be called Mizuho Sake which uses rice as an ingredient.

“(I guess it’s j.a.panese rice wine after all.)” (Wendelin)

I try to sample it and the taste was the one of j.a.panese sake.

“Now then, I’m greatly satisfied.” (Armstrong)

“Thanks for the treat. Since I’ve heard that it’s healthy to eat moderately, I will stop around here.” (Wilma)

Wilma said something dreadful, but I decided that I didn’t hear it.
Once we finished our meal at the soba restaurant and left the store, Wilma and Dous.h.i.+, who ate a large quant.i.ty in this place as well, revealed satisfied expressions while stroking their bellies.

“I think that’s only natural considering how much you have eaten though.” (Erwin)

On this topic, Erw is right with what he’s saying.

“Next is shopping, I suppose.”