“So, today’s Izakaya Nobu is all about squid, is it?”
Beside Bertholt, Deacon Edwin stroked his beard.
Bertholt stared at the paper posted on the sliding entrance door, the writing on it feeling like both a blessing and a death sentence.
“This is a nice place, Bertholt. Surely this is for your sake, isn’t it?”
“It feels like Shinobu-ojou-chan is just having fun, but honestly, it’s a big help right now. Especially since my arranged marriage is coming up soon.”
“Things have been rather turbulent lately, you know.”
From its very foundation, the Empire harbored several sources of conflict.
As represented by the three-headed dragon on the imperial crest, it had three founding bloodlines. Three hundred years after its founding, the tangled bloodlines continued to cause bloody disputes over the inheritance of the Empire’s domains.
These matters weren’t of great concern to the ancient capital, a directly-controlled city with a high degree of autonomy. However, there were even factions in the neighboring territories that were secretly plotting to secede from the Empire.
For Bertholt, who oversaw a portion of the ancient capital’s city guard, this was a situation that required constant vigilance and readiness.
“Yes, that’s also why the arranged marriage has been moved forward.”
“Hopefully you can overcome your aversion today.”
As Edwin opened the door, the smell of squid that wafted from inside assaulted Bertholt’s nose.
Desperately suppressing his desire to turn back, Bertholt stepped into the restaurant.
“Welcome!”
“…Welcome.”
They were greeted with their usual welcome, and they sat down at the counter seats they had reserved.
The otoshi, served by Shinobu, was also, of course, squid.
“It’s squid somen.”
The squid, finely sliced and arranged like noodles on a small plate, hardly looked like squid at all. Perhaps the restaurant had chosen a dish that didn’t look like squid as a consideration.
In front of Edwin, instead of squid somen, there was a small bowl of something viscous with a strong smell.
“Deacon, what’s that?”
“Squid Shiokara. It’s a dish made by pickling squid pieces and innards in salt. It goes exceptionally well with sake. Would you like to try some, Bertholt?”
“…No, I’ll pass.”
If he couldn’t even manage regular squid, squid innards were far too challenging for Bertholt. First, he needed to at least be able to tolerate anything with the word “squid” in it.
After the squid somen came squid dumplings, squid simmered in ginger, firefly squid pickled in soy sauce, and calamari rings. Whatever Bertholt couldn’t eat, Shinobu and Eva were responsible for finishing as a way of covering costs.
“Bertholt-san, are you really sure I can eat this calamari ring?”
“It’s okay, Shinobu-chan, I can’t eat it anyway.”
“Then, if you insist. Eva-chan, you should eat some too.”
“Y-yes.”
With a satisfying crunch, Shinobu and Eva bit into the calamari rings. Shinobu placed her free hand on her cheek, closed her eyes, and shook with delight, as if deeply moved.
“The crispy texture followed by the soft yet firm chewiness of the squid. Calamari rings are definitely best fresh from the fryer!”
“Just like Shinobu-san said, it’s crispy and chewy and delicious!”
Watching the two of them enjoy the food, Bertholt picked up his chopsticks again.
But his hand froze.
“No good. I just can’t eat it…”
“What is it about squid that you can’t stand?”
Shinobu tilted her head as she slurped her squid somen.
Eva, who was munching on a squid dumpling next to her, suddenly spoke.
“Um, this is just my guess, but… Captain Bertholt, did something bad happen to you involving squid a long time ago?”
Bertholt flinched at her words.
“…Did something happen?”
Shinobu peered at his face and pressed her question. Bertholt seemed to give up and began to speak hesitantly.
“I grew up in a small mountain village that had nothing but mercenaries as its specialty, and my great-grandfather was a bit of an oddball. He was a sailor when he was young.”
Being a sailor didn’t mean going out on a small leaf-like fishing boat to catch fish. He was a crew member of a merchant vessel that carried fifty to a hundred people, traveling west and south, transporting cargo.
Although their lives were always in danger, their pay was very good. Before retiring, he had made quite a fortune, and Bertholt’s family was known as a fairly wealthy one in the village.
As a result, Bertholt had no memory of ever going without food, clothing, or shelter when he was a child.
“I don’t know if Shinobu-chan knows this or not, but it seems the world we’re on is actually round.”
Judging that Bertholt’s story was heading into dangerous territory, Deacon Edwin retreated to a nearby table with his sake and plate.
It was probably his way of saying he was choosing not to hear the story.
“Round, huh… interesting…”
Shinobu’s response was a bit forced, but Eva, on the other hand, looked deeply interested in this new information about the world as she munched on her braised squid.
“My great-grandfather said there’s plenty of evidence to prove that it’s round. For example, although I’ve never seen it myself, he said that when ships appear on the horizon, you can always see their mast first. You don’t see the whole thing at once. That means it’s round, or so he said.”
“Wow… that’s amazing.”
“Eva-chan, do you understand how amazing that is?”
“Yes! If the world is round, it would be so convenient because we could just keep going west and come back from the east!”
Bertholt nodded in agreement with Eva’s spot-on response.
“That’s right. But, there’s a big problem with that.”
His great-grandfather’s employers thought the same as Eva, and they frequently sent ships out to try and discover new routes. However, many of those ships never returned, or were involved in terrible accidents.
“What was the cause of that?”
Shinobu asked while eating the firefly squid pickled in soy sauce.
“…Squid.”
What blocked the sailors’ path were countless squid.
In that area of the sea the sailors called the edge of the world, the sea did not look blue. Instead, the surface was completely covered by swarms of squid.
“The sea was three parts blue and seven parts white. That is, seven-tenths of the sea surface was covered by squid. Several sailors have seen such a sight.”
As he spoke, Bertholt’s face had completely turned pale.
The brave and daring, sword-wielding Captain Bertholt, who was said to be one of the top five swordsmen in the ancient capital, was visibly shrinking back in fear.
“I heard that story from my great-grandfather, and it was so scary, so terrifying…That’s why I still can’t eat any squid at all.”
“So, that’s what it was…”
Bertholt rolled up his sleeve and showed them an old scar on his left arm as Eva looked like she was about to start crying.
“This scar was also caused by squid.”
“Eh, Captain Bertholt, have you fought with a squid before?”
“No, it’s not like that. The helmet ornament of a mercenary I met on the battlefield was a squid… if I hadn’t been so afraid of the squid…”
A heavy silence filled the restaurant.
If it was just a simple dislike, perhaps a little tough love might be enough to resolve it. But if he was controlled by such a deep-seated fear, it might be impossible to overcome his aversion to squid so easily.
That was the kind of mood that was starting to permeate the room.
“Are you really that afraid of squid…?”
Bertholt nodded emphatically at Eva’s almost whispered question.
“I am confident in my own skills. At least, I intend to be. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to serve as the captain of the city guard squad.”
“That is true.”
Edwin, who had returned to the counter sometime ago, nodded as he reached for the pickled firefly squid.
“Even I, someone like that, am honestly scared of a monster with ten arms that are bigger than my own body.”
“…Eh?”
Every customer and employee in the restaurant tilted their heads at Bertholt’s words.
“Huh, did I say something strange?”
Shinobu tentatively raised her hand, speaking for everyone.
“We’re talking about squid, right?”
“We are talking about squid, right?”
Everyone except Bertholt remained silent, looking awkward.
It was Eva who broke the silence.
“Captain, do you still have any whole squid left?”
“Y-yes, we do.”
What was placed in front of Bertholt was a large dried squid.
It was already dead, but it had an imposing presence as if it was still alive.
“Bertholt-san, this is a squid.”
“Yeah, that’s a baby squid, right? I can at least look at them if they’re this small.”
“…No, that’s an adult.”
Eva stated with certainty, and Bertholt, this time, put his hand to his mouth, deep in thought. He even started fidgeting, something he rarely did.
“Then, is it a particularly small species, maybe…?”
“No, they’re normally this size. If we’re talking about small species, the firefly squid that Deacon Edwin is eating is a good example.”
Bertholt went silent, and everyone else followed suit.
Deacon Edwin stroked his beard and opened his mouth, looking like he was having trouble speaking.
“Bertholt, perhaps…you were being teased by your great-grandfather?”
Bertholt exhaled deeply twice, and stared at the ceiling. He then grabbed some of the remaining squid sashimi on a nearby plate with his chopsticks, dipped it in soy sauce, and put it in his mouth.
He savored the unique texture and the sticky, sweet, almost umami-like flavor.
“Captain! Make that, that thing you made before again!”
“Which thing is that?”
“The round thing that Shinobu-chan and Eva-chan were eating. The crispy one!”
“Ah, the calamari rings.”
Bertholt began to eat the remaining squid dishes on the counter one after another. He washed it all down with Toriaezu Nama
“Delicious. It goes well with beer.”
He bit into the grilled dried squid with plenty of mayonnaise, the satisfying texture drawing him to order another draft ale.
“Damn it! That great-grandfather of mine… If squid were that small, he should have just said so!”
While grumbling, Bertholt devoured Izakaya Nobu’s squid dishes one after another.
“Now, you don’t have to worry about the arranged marriage anymore, I guess.”
“That’s right. He’s not only gotten over his dislike, but it seems he’s started liking it?”
“I’m so glad for him.”
In front of the relieved faces of everyone present, Bertholt’s expression as he displayed his complete conquest of squid was illuminated by a beaming smile, one only allowed to someone free of all worries.
The fact that the father of his arranged marriage partner would land a colossal giant squid on the very day of the meeting is, however, another story entirely.
