Gernot ducked under the noren curtain and immediately ordered a toriaezu nama.
After the lager incident, he had warned them to temporarily stop using the term toriaezu nama to avoid confusion. And yet, here he was, the one who gave the warning, using it.
He gave Shinobu and Taisho, who looked surprised, his usual grim explanation.
“Lager has been approved for distribution as of today.”
“Is that so!”
“Nowhere in the entire Empire will you be punished for drinking lager. Of course, I believe that the ‘toriaezu nama’ here is not lager.”
The law was originally supposed to expire after thirty years. Gernot believed that the fact that it was still being enforced was a problem in itself.
Of course, even if it was a bad law, he would collect plenty of fines from violators. That was Gernot’s job, and his reason for living.
In fact, Backeshoff had most of his personal assets seized by the city council, and his trading company was also on the verge of collapse. The whereabouts of Backeshoff’s attendant, Damian, were unknown, but Gernot didn’t consider it a major problem. It was no big deal if a small fry escaped.
Taxes were collected, and the ancient capital flourished. Wasn’t that wonderful?
Today’s otoshi was said to be nanbanzuke of small horse mackerel. The harmony of sourness, sweetness, and a hint of spiciness was truly wonderful.
However, Gernot’s well-fed tongue could sense that this dish had been marinated a little too long. If it had been marinated a few days earlier, it would have had a perfect flavor that would have made even royalty groan with pleasure.
“Anyway, thank you, Gernot-san.”
“For the Backeshoff matter? There’s no need to thank me. I simply did what I had to do as a tax collector.”
That being said, it would be a lie to say that he wasn’t angry at Backeshoff at all. That man had always protected the people employed by his trading company and hindered the collection of taxes.
He had vehemently opposed the taxation of commercial guild transactions at the city council and had done everything in his power to keep the tax amount low. Behind the scenes, he was involved in smuggling contraband and lining his own pockets. It was an unforgivable act.
This incident was of Backeshoff’s own making, so it was only natural that he suffered the consequences. He underestimated his opponent, thinking it was just a dirty little tavern in the city.
Gernot would not overlook such a thing.
“However, it might be unseemly for a member of the city council to refuse a thank you outright.”
“What is it? If it’s something our shop can do, we’ll do anything!”
Gernot’s throat involuntarily made a noise at Shinobu’s words.
“You said anything, didn’t you?”
“Y-Yes, I did… but…”
“Then, I have one request.”
Shinobu retreated, perhaps overwhelmed by his intensity, but he didn’t care.
How long had he waited for this day?
“…I would like you to make… Napolitan.”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
Not only Shinobu, but Taisho and Eva also widened their eyes.
But Shinobu’s reason for surprise seemed to be different.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you going to do anything to thank me? I, Gernot, have never forgotten the Napolitan I ate that day.”
“Waa-waa-waa!”
Taisho and Eva looked curiously at Shinobu, who was desperately waving her arms. What was there to be ashamed of when she could make such amazing dishes?
Gernot was somewhat known as a gourmet, but he had never eaten pasta in the ancient capital that surpassed that.
“Shinobu-chan, I can make Napolitan right away, if that’s okay?”
Taisho asked, puzzled, and Shinobu added some advice, as if resigned.
“Ah, no, yes, well, please use good bacon.”
When Shinobu mentioned the word “bacon,” Taisho’s eyes narrowed.
His expression was as if he was suppressing his anger.
“…Good bacon, huh. Speaking of which, the bacon I have for my evening drinks sometimes goes missing. Shinobu-chan, you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“Ah, ahahaha… I’ll tell you about that later.”
Yes. That bacon was delicious.
It was undeniable that he was so enthusiastic about bringing down Backeshoff because he thought he might never be able to eat that miraculous, unified Napolitan again.
He sent numerous letters to the slow-moving Chief of Brewing, and he must have been quite annoyed. As a result, thirty-seven barrels of smuggled goods were discovered, and he even received a letter of appreciation, so you never know what might happen.
Translator’s Note
Zōshu no kami or Miki no kami(造酒正) is an archaic title for the Chief of Brewing in the Bureau of Sake. The bureau was responsible for brewing sake for the court and overseeing sake brewers throughout the country.
“By the way, how did that meeting go?”
While waiting for the spaghetti to boil, Shinobu brought up the subject.
The topic of interest was, of course, the meeting with the Northern Three Territories. There was a sense that the customers in the shop were also listening in on the conversation.
There was no particular gag order on the contents of the meeting, which had ended two days earlier, but the information had not yet spread to the public.
Normally, Backeshoff and his cronies would spread unfounded rumors, but they had become very quiet after the incident.
That’s why many people still didn’t know about the incident.
“Ah, the meeting the day before yesterday was amazing. It will surely go down in history.”