“This is my first time at the Grand Market, but it’s incredibly lively, isn’t it?”
Shinobu gazed at the wave of people flowing past the shop from a gap in the glass door.
This street, usually frequented mostly by stablehands, was now bustling thanks to the Grand Market.
The sun was already beginning to set, but the number of people was steadily increasing. Once night fell, the Harvest Festival would truly begin. The festivities would continue throughout the night.
Merchants from various countries, especially those unwilling to spend much on lodging, used this area as a base to conduct business at the Grand Market. It seemed that the concentration of young and ambitious merchants made this area as vibrant as the central part of the old capital.
“Hey there, miss, interested in buying something?”
A dark-skinned merchant interrupted Shinobu’s thoughts, sticking a bundle of parchment through the gap in the glass door.
Shinobu had recently become able to read the local script a little. As far as she could tell, it seemed to be poetry.
“These are love poems written by Krowinkel when he was young. Quite the valuable find, you know. Perfect for a young lady like yourself.”
“Oh… well…”
From behind the hesitant Shinobu, a hand suddenly reached out and snatched the bundle of parchment.
“Hey, old man! What do you think you’re doing!”
“Well, you see, I never wrote any love poems in my youth. I was simply curious about what kind of things are being circulated.”
It was Krowinkel himself, quickly scanning the parchment.
The merchant, recognizing his face, stammered, utterly speechless. He probably never imagined that such a renowned minstrel would be in a backstreet tavern like this.
“Hmm. Not a very well-made forgery, I must say. If you’re going to impersonate someone, you should study poetic forms a little more. Ah, but the quality of the parchment is quite similar to what I used to use. I’ll give you credit for that, at least.”
With that, he thrust the parchment back at the merchant, who disappeared into the crowd without a word.
“Not even a thank you… perhaps I should have scolded him more severely?”
Krowinkel chuckled quietly. Inside the tavern, people who wouldn’t normally visit Nobu were enjoying the food.
“Shinobu-chan, stop looking outside and help out!”
“Yes!”
Shinonbu had been preparing nikujaga in a large pot while also plating other dishes in quick succession.
Seated at the counter were the former Emperor and Johann-Gustav, along with Hildegard and her husband, Prince Maximilian, enjoying ankake yudofu followed by konabe-date (individual hot pots).
Maximilian, who had just turned eleven and was a year younger than Hildegard, seemed nervous at first during the dinner with his grandfather, the former Emperor. However, guided by his wife, Hildegard, he happily ate the yudofu, puffing and panting slightly.
“Here, Maximilian, you’ve got something around your mouth.”
“Ah, thank you, Hilda.”
The sight of the young bride wiping her even younger husband’s mouth was endearing to those who witnessed it.
“She’s a reliable niece, isn’t she, Johann-Gustav?”
“She has my uncle’s blood in her veins.”
Johann-Gustav, sipping atsukan (hot sake) instead of his usual lager, replied with a tipsy grin.
“…Watching those two, doesn’t it make you think about settling down yourself?”
“That should be my cousin first, Your Majesty. He’s the Emperor, so he needs to marry someone soon.”
“I’ve been saying that all along, you know.”
The content was a normal conversation one might hear in any izakaya, but those speaking were high-ranking officials of the Empire.
With a wry smile, Shinobu tried to avoid eavesdropping as much as possible while carrying dishes.
They had cleared a table to create a standing area, but even then, the tavern was cramped.
Nobuyuki had been worried about having enough space for all the food, but with this many people, the dishes were being emptied as quickly as they were brought out. Both food and drinks were flowing freely.
“Then, can we agree that witch hunts will be completely prohibited from now on?”
“That would be appropriate. As we discovered while searching for witches this time, there are hardly any left in the Empire or the neighboring three countries.”
Cardinal Hürchtegott and Archbishop Rodrigo were holding a meeting in the corner of the room while indulging in pudding. It would cause an uproar in the Department of Religious Affairs if such prominent figures from the Reformists and Classical Revivalists were seen meeting in a place like this, but it seemed like they were about to reach an agreement smoothly.
Since there were extremists in both factions, they would slowly disseminate the information to their subordinates. Ingrid and Edwin stood by their sides.
Enrico, who came with the Archbishop, had been eating chawanmushi for quite some time.
Edwin had gone to the Holy Kingdom on business to call for Hürchtegott. Unexpectedly, former scholars who sat next to each other at the academy in the Holy Kingdom reunited after decades. The atmosphere resembled a reunion more than a discussion of important matters.
“By the way, Ingrid. About that tab at the ‘Dancing Foal’ tavern, I’d like you to repay the amount I covered.”
“Come now, Edwin-senpai. You were the one who paid without asking. I’m at a loss as to what to do if you suddenly demand repayment after all this time.”
Camilla, Ingrid’s apprentice, shrunk back at her master’s evasive attitude.
In her hand was takoyaki. She seemed to have become close friends with Eva, who was around the same age, and they were exchanging takoyaki with different sauces, some with sauce and some with shoyu.
Ingrid’s wish to help Camilla make friends seemed to have come true.
Leontaine, the female mercenary, was in charge of the takoyaki machine that Shinobu had secretly prepared for the Grand Market.
Although it was supposedly her first time using it, she handled it with surprising skill.
“The takoyaki is delicious, isn’t it?”
“The trick is in the wrist movement, right? It’s similar to swordsmanship. By the way, can I put squid in these?”
Leontaine had returned to her family home in the Eastern Kingdom, but she couldn’t stand being idle.
She resumed her mercenary work and was hired by Cardinal Hürchtegott and Edwin, who were heading to the old capital, to escort them. According to the contract, she was only hired to escort them to the old capital, so she planned to live here for a while. She was negotiating with Nobuyuki to see if she could be hired at Nobu to replace Hermina, who had gotten a little plump around the waist.
Everyone was enjoying the Izakaya Nobu in their own way.
Delicious food and delicious sake. And the faces of the customers enjoying them.
Nobuyuki had the feeling that this was why he opened the store, to see these faces.
“Shinobu-chan, it’s about time.”
“Everyone, today’s new dish!”
Shinonbu was serving nikujaga from a large pot. They had repeatedly tested and refined the recipe for today, and they were confident that they had created a dish worthy of serving anywhere, thanks to the quality of Eva’s family’s potatoes.
Krowinkel was the first to grab a plate when he heard about the new dish.
His eyes lit up after taking the first bite, and he continued to eat, taking bite after bite.
“Delicious! I felt magic in the dashimaki, but I feel an even stronger power in this nikujaga.”
Branton also seemed to be enjoying the nikujaga with a glass of wine in hand.
He asked Reinhold, who was nearby, if it was possible to make something like this with the potatoes grown on his land, but he only received an ambiguous smile in return.
Watching the plates of nikujaga being emptied one after another, the new Chairman Marcel was gulping down beer in the corner of the store.
“I don’t understand. What’s going on? Surely, all these nobles didn’t come all the way here just to eat this izakaya’s new dish…”
“The food here is good, but it’s not that good, Marcel,” Holger said, humoring Marcel’s disbelief while finishing another helping of nikujaga, his third plate already.
“Then what in the world is all this commotion, Holger?”
“Well, it’s probably about to start.”
Loud clapping echoed through the room, drawing attention to the back of the tavern.
The noisy room fell silent, and Isaac, dressed in formal attire in accordance with ancient customs, respectfully bowed to the assembly.
“Thank you very much for attending the pre-inauguration ceremony of our lord, Marquis Arnoux Snufels of Sachsenburg.”
As soon as the opening remarks were finished, Arnoux appeared from behind the scenes, impeccably dressed in a bright blue formal suit.
It was hard to believe he was the same person who used to dress like a playboy; he looked every bit the noble.
With a dignified expression, Arnoux surveyed the faces of those in attendance before giving a flawless, yet somehow seductive, bow.
“Thank you for gathering today. I am Arnoux Snufels, Marquis of Sachsenburg, the fifteenth Arnoux to bear this name by the grace of God, the Goddess, and the Sun.”
He didn’t stumble over the lengthy name, perhaps a result of his training as a minstrel.
Hürchtegott, as a cardinal, delivered a congratulatory address to the marquis. Edwin had apparently summoned him specifically for this occasion.
As the former Emperor and everyone else applauded, Shinobu nudged Nobuyuki with her elbow and asked, “Hey, Taisho, how important is a Marquis?”
“I don’t know if it means the same thing in this world as it does in our world, but it’s above Baron, Viscount, and Earl.”
“Wow, Arnoux-san was important. He might not come here anymore once he becomes a Marquis.”
“Well, who knows? He’ll probably be severely lectured by his old man for a while, though.”
The previous marquis was very angry with Arnoux for abandoning his work once before.
However, he couldn’t continue his duties due to severe back pain, so whether Arnoux agreed or not, he had planned to abdicate on the occasion of the Grand Market. He probably thought that if he invited a cardinal to the inauguration ceremony, even Arnoux would be forced to change his mind.
Still, he seemed happy that Arnoux had decided to take over of his own accord. It wasn’t for nothing that he had Edwin, whom he was on friendly terms with, go to summon Hürchtegott.
“I hope he becomes a good marquis.”
“I think he will.”
Shinobu responded with a “Yes!” when she heard someone order another beer.
After this pre-inauguration ceremony was over, they planned to serve the nikujaga they made in the large pot for free.
The tasting party would include the members of the guard, other regulars, and Eva’s younger siblings.
Arnoux had covered all the costs for the ingredients and the labor involved in cooking it. It was a strategy to promote the deliciousness of the potatoes from the Sachsenburg territory to the merchants gathered from neighboring countries.
Isaac told her that Arnoux’s first job as Marquis would be to sign the documents authorizing payment to Izakaya Nobu.
One connection led to another, bringing new encounters.
Nobuyuki hoped that opening a store here could make the people of the old capital a little happier.
It had only been a year since she started running the store in the old capital with its mysterious powers.
Shinobu and Nobuyuki were pleasantly surprised that they had been able to welcome so many customers.
“I hope we can have the Grand Market again next year, just like this year.”
“I want to make it even more lively next year.”
From the street outside, she could hear the ancient ritual prayers for a bountiful harvest.
The night of the banquet was far from over.