The moon was veiled in a hazy, smoke-like cloud.
Despite the season of budding new greenery, the cold showed no signs of abating.
The weather in the old capital was fickle. The fact that the air wasn’t warming up was not unique to this year, but even so, this chill was truly bone-deep.
During the day it was still bearable, but as dusk approached, one couldn’t help but want to pull their collar tighter.
Yesterday, it had even mixed rain with sleet. The price of firewood only continued to rise instead of going down.
If it were up to him, he would love a drink with delicious snacks on an evening like this.
Ever since discovering that place at the start of winter, Nikolaus had become completely captivated by the Izakaya Nobu.
Oden, fried chicken, sashimi, and boiled tofu. Every dish was delicious, and their ale was exceptional. On a cold day like this, he wanted to try the “small pot dish” that he hadn’t ordered yet.
Nikolaus was currently heading towards that izakaya. However, he wasn’t at all in the mood for it.
The primary reason for his sour face was the robed old man walking beside him.
“Nikolaus, why are you making such a grimace?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that I’m going to my usual spot. Rather than going on duty, I’d much rather be having an ale, you know?”
At Nikolaus’s words, the deacon Edwin’s white-bearded mouth twisted in amusement.
The old man, with a rich beard that seemed to grow all the way from his shaved, bald head to his chin, had just been assigned to the small church next to the guardhouse where Nikolaus and his fellows were stationed.
Known as a diligent clergyman who moved about energetically despite his thin, withered frame, it was unclear where he got all his energy.
“Well, then you should drink. Of course, after this job is done.”
“That’s right. After this job is done.”
As he replied, Nikolaus let out a small sigh.
There was no way he could drink alcohol with a clergyman.
If only Edwin hadn’t come along, he could have quenched his thirst with an ale after work before heading back to the guardhouse. But he couldn’t say such a thing to his companion. He was, after all, a clergyman.
If Hans were here, he would have pawned this job off on him with a gambling debt. But, of course, that guy had the day off. What a lucky bastard.
This meant that he would have to go back to file a report before going to that place. However, by the time he reached Nobu after that, the night would be over.
It was all the fault of the person who caused trouble on a night like this in the first place.
If not for the news that a thief had broken into Izakaya Nobu, Nikolaus’s shift would have already been over just a little while ago.
To make matters worse, when Edwin had caught wind of it, he had said he wanted to see the scene of the incident, which just made things even more complicated.
The person who reported it was drunk and incoherent, but it seemed the incident was already over. The thief had probably already made off with valuables and escaped.
Even if he went out with the deacon, there was practically nothing for Nikolaus to do.
And to make it worse, he couldn’t even enjoy the spring moon at a leisurely pace because he had to match the pace of this old man, who was a head shorter than him, yet oddly fast on his feet.
As he was thinking this, Izakaya Nobu came into sight.
Light streamed out from the familiar glass door, and he could even hear cheerful laughter.
“That’s odd.”
Edwin stopped and stroked his beard.
“Is there something strange, Deacon? It looks like the usual Izakaya Nobu to me.”
“Yes, from every angle, it seems to be an Izakaya conducting normal business.”
“Then that’s fine, isn’t it?”
“Normally, would a place be able to do business like that after a thief breaks in?”
Nikolaus was about to say, “Well, if it’s Taisho and Shinobu…”, but he swallowed the words.
Even if they were the unusually eccentric pair that they were, they had been broken into by a thief. Could they really have continued business as usual?
There was a feeling that this was no ordinary incident. He glanced at Edwin, and the old clergyman seemed to share the same opinion. They both nodded in silence.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, they approached the sliding door and quickly pulled it open.
