Isekai Izakaya Nobu 38: Female Mercenary (Part 1)

Two kites are circling, waiting in the blue sky overhead.

Leontaine du Louvre sat on top of her armor chest and wiped the sweat from her brow.

The rolling hills were covered in wheat fields, creating waves of hay-colored hues under the summer sun. Beyond them stood the castle walls of the old capital, the largest stronghold in the northern part of the Empire.

Although Leontaine was a woman, she had some confidence in her physical strength, but she was utterly exhausted from the past two days.

It had been all well and good that she had driven off the three bandits who attacked her with her prized sword. The problem was that the commotion had caused her horse to run away.

She couldn’t abandon the armor and helmet passed down from her ancestors, so she tied a hemp rope to the armor chest and headed west along the highway. She was overtaken by carriages and passed by others, but all of them were loaded to the brim with goods, with no room to spare for an armor chest or a vulnerable woman.

Indignant at the despicable narrow-mindedness of the Imperials, Leontaine continued walking through the night, finally reaching the hill overlooking the old capital.

The humidity was unbearable, but the wind here was pleasant.

The wind caressing her cheeks reminded her of the seaside of her hometown in the Eastern Kingdom, and Leontaine’s cheeks relaxed.

It would be foolish to camp out when she could see the castle walls. Telling herself it was just a little further, the female mercenary heaved herself up. She wanted to sleep in an inn’s bed tonight.

By the time she reached the east gate of the old capital, the sun had begun to set.

Perhaps because he was suspicious of a female mercenary pulling an armor chest, the guard with an unfittingly small mustache wouldn’t let her through.

As the sun was about to set and the gate was about to close, Leontaine realized that he was looking for a little something extra.

“You’re trying to make some extra spending money, huh?”

“It’s my duty, my duty. I can’t report to my superiors that I let a suspicious mercenary into the old capital in case something happens.”

“You’re letting me in right now, aren’t you?”

“It’s fine now. The issue with the Northern Three Territories has been settled for the time being. People and goods are coming and going, and we’re very busy. We can’t turn people away just because they’re a little suspicious.”

That was true. The fact that the carriages Leontaine had passed were piled high with goods was a sign that trade with the north was picking up again.

The fact that the Northern Three Territories, especially the Earl of Windelmark, had dismissed their mercenaries was also a big factor. The mercenaries, who had received their contract fees, even if only half, were spending money on their journeys home, so the inns along the highway were probably experiencing a bit of a boom.

“Then I’d like to pass through for free, too.”

“You’re a female mercenary, but you’re of knightly status, aren’t you?”

“…You’re sharp.”

“Judging from the shape of your armor chest, you’re from the south of the Eastern Kingdom. We’re taking from those who have, to make up for what we can’t take from those who don’t.”

“I never thought you’d be able to tell where I’m from. You’re a pretty perceptive guard. Are all the guards in the old capital like that?”

The mustachioed guard shrugged slightly as he handed over the silver coins, which included a small gratuity in addition to the official city entrance tax.

“No way. There’s no other clever, handsome man in the old capital’s guard besides me, Nikolaus.”

“Is that so? Well, since you’re so clever, could you tell me about a tavern where I can get a good drink? I’m actually starving to death.”

Nikolaus’s lips curled into a grin at Leontaine’s flippant remark.

“If you’re looking for a tavern, I know a good place. It’s a bit unique.”

Following the directions he gave her, she came to a street with a nice atmosphere.

It was lined with cheap lodgings for horse drivers and travelers, but there seemed to be some inns where mercenaries like Leontaine could stay without any problems.

Among them, there was one tavern that stood out.

All the surrounding buildings were made of stone, but this one was made of wood and plaster.

The name of the tavern was “Nobu.” It was written on a large, single-piece wooden sign, along with foreign-looking characters.

“This is the guard’s recommendation, huh?”

She couldn’t quite shake the suspicion that he was getting paid by the tavern to recommend it to everyone.

Even so, she had come this far. It would be a hassle to look for another place, so Leontaine decided to go ahead and duck under the tavern’s noren curtain. A strangely nostalgic smell drifted from inside the tavern, and her stomach growled softly.

“Welcome!”

“…Welcome.”

When she opened the door, the first thing that surprised her was how cool it was.

She didn’t know how it worked, but she couldn’t feel the sweltering heat of the outside at all inside the tavern. And this scent…

The tavern was moderately crowded, but fortunately, it seemed that a customer had just left a single seat, and there was a space at the counter.

Leontaine slid into the seat and raised her hand to call a server. Right now, more than anything, she needed alcohol and food.

She had to fill her empty stomach, or it would interfere with her real purpose in coming to the old capital.

“Here’s your otoshi.”

The cute, black-haired waitress brought her a small bowl of simmered shellfish.

The shellfish had been shelled, but Leontaine, who had grown up by the sea, could tell at a glance that they were shellfish. They had probably used alcohol when simmering them, as they had a nice aroma.

“Otoshi” probably didn’t refer to this particular dish, but rather to the appetizer served before the meal.

“An amuse-bouche at a tavern? That’s pretty fancy.”

“Thank you. Today’s otoshi, the torigai, is delicious.”

“Torigai, huh?”

With the carefree attitude of a mercenary, Leontaine picked up a piece of the simmered torigai with her fingers and popped it into her mouth. The chewy texture was a bit like chicken, even though it was shellfish.

Perhaps the cook was skilled, because there was no fishy smell at all, and the broth was very flavorful.

She could probably eat a lot more of this, not just a small bowl.

“Nice. You can trust a place with good appetizers. Can I get an ale?”

“Certainly.”

The way she bowed slightly was also beautiful.

Leontaine, being a knight, sometimes attended social gatherings, but it was rare to find a maid with such good movements.

She was glad that she had been introduced to such a good place, and she picked up a second piece of torigai.

“Here’s your nama.”

“Nama is an unusual name. Is it a local ale?”

“No, it’s a lager.”

“Lager…”

She had heard the name before.

She seemed to recall hearing that it was made in a slightly different way than ale, and that the Empire had a monopoly on its production and distribution.

She had heard rumors that it had been released recently.

“…Wow, I’m surprised.”

The crisp, cold taste of the lager was incredibly pleasant.

It was so delicious that it seemed to soak into Leontaine’s body, which was laden with fatigue from the previous day.

“It’s delicious, isn’t it? Toriaezu Nama.”

The waitress with flaxen hair, different from the previous one, spoke to her with a slight smile. She seemed young, but she had a very cute face.

“I thought I heard you say nama earlier, but is this lager also called Toriaezu Nama?”

“Yes, all the regulars call it that.”

Having regulars is the minimum requirement for a good tavern.

There are no good people among those who do business by ripping off travelers and first-time customers.

“So, what would you like to order?”

“I’ll have anything but potatoes. Anything but potatoes. I ate enough potatoes in the north to last me a lifetime.”

Earl Windelmark was a good nobleman who made sure his mercenaries were well-fed, but most of it was potatoes. Leontaine had stuffed her belly with more potatoes in the north than she would have eaten in a lifetime if she had lived in the Eastern Kingdom.

“I’ve been wondering about this since a while ago… What’s that smell?”

“Oh, that smell? Which one would you like?”

“Which one?”

“My homemade ‘Ushio-jiru’ or Taisho’s modified ‘Fake Bouillabaisse’. Both are delicious, you know?”

The waitress pointed to a wooden sign that read “Hermina’s Special Ushio-jiru” and “Taisho’s Special Fake Bouillabaisse.”

The “卌” characters below seemed to indicate a popularity poll. At the moment, the ushio-jiru seemed to be in the lead.

“I understand the ushio-jiru. It’s a salt-flavored soup made with fish scraps, right? But what on earth is this ‘Fake Bouillabaisse’?”

“It’s a dish made by quickly stir-frying vegetables and simmering them with seafood and tomatoes.”

That made sense. There was a similar dish in Leontaine’s hometown.

However, it wasn’t called by a fancy name like bouillabaisse; the village fishermen simply called it rockfish tomato stew.

“Oh, then I’ll have that bouillabaisse. And another Toriaezu Nama.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Hermina bowed and went to the counter to place the order.

She was gentle and cheerful. She was a completely different kind of creature from Leontaine, who had lived on the battlefield. As different as a wolf and a dog.

As a noblewoman, she might have had a different life. The thought brought a sudden pang of loneliness.

She had become a mercenary because of poverty, but she could have chosen a different path if she had wanted to.

However, Leontaine was twenty-six this year. She had no desire to dress up and go to social gatherings now. She wasn’t without regrets, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

“Your order is ready.”

Hermina brought the bouillabaisse, and Leontaine slowly savored it with a wooden spoon.

“…Wow.”

The flavors of shrimp and seafood were infused in the soup.

It was a little different from the rockfish tomato stew of her hometown, but it had a nostalgic taste.

“This is delicious.”

“I made too much of the ushio-jiru stock… Taisho simmered it with tomatoes to change things up.”

“I see. That’s quite a clever idea. There’s a similar dish near my hometown, but they add saffron to it.”

“Saffron?”

Looking at Hermina’s puzzled face, she probably didn’t even know what saffron was. It was understandable. One was at the southern tip of the continent, and the other at the northern tip.

Even if it was the same fish soup, the ingredients and taste were completely different.

“Yes. And we’re not supposed to put squid in it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you not like the squid?”

“No, I love it.”

Leontaine and squid had an inseparable bond.

“My father is a squid fisherman, but my husband couldn’t eat squid until he married me.”

“Wow, that must have been difficult.”

If her father was a squid fisherman, she must be from a port town.

He had gone to the trouble of marrying her, but he might be a terrible man for making her work at a tavern. She was such a good girl, she should have been able to find a good match anywhere.

If Hermina had been unmarried and looking for a partner when they met, Leontaine might even have considered finding her some reliable men.

Thinking that far, Leontaine almost burst out laughing. She should be worrying about herself, not about others.

Eating the bouillabaisse made her feel that way.

If she had been married, would she have made rockfish tomato stew for her husband? The farmland was poor, but the seafood in the territory Leontaine had inherited was delicious.

Taxes were paid half in cash and half in kind, so she could eat all the seafood she wanted. She had become a mercenary because she was tired of eating fish every day, but being away from it made her nostalgic.

“Are you a mercenary, ma’am?”

“Yes, I am. I’m a mercenary. How did you know?”

“Only mercenaries bring their armor chests with them.”

“That’s true.”

She should have checked into an inn first and left it there, but she was just so hungry today. Some inns served food, but the food there was generally meant to fill you up, so the taste was secondary.

“Actually, I’m looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone?”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why I came to the old capital.”

The threat of war had disappeared from the north. If she wanted to earn money, it would be better to return to the Eastern Kingdom.

She had come to the old capital because of a slight lingering attachment.

“If you’re a mercenary looking for someone, I have some connections. I might be able to help you.”

“Connections, huh? That’s reassuring. I’d be grateful for your help.”

“Is it an old comrade or someone you owe a debt to?”

“No, it’s a little different.”

Leontaine realized that her lips were unconsciously curving into a smile.

The remnants of the girlishness she thought she had long discarded were lingering in her chest, emitting a sweet and sour fragrance.

“The person I’m looking for is… someone I’m in love with.”