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“I felt like I’ve seen this somewhere before, but then again, its interior design looks very much like a restaurant as you can find in Mizuho.”
“Well, as a matter of fact, this place is a branch restaurant with the main restaurant being located in Mizuho.”
“I see. That makes sense. This is nice since it’s got style.”
“Being able to use it in secret is great as well.”
“I mean, it’d be a problem if people were to see us.”
A new restaurant has opened in Baulburg. A high-class Mizuho restaurant chain had built a branch over here and I would introduce Peter and Alfons to that place.
The prices over here are crazy high, but since the restaurant comes with separate rooms for its guests, it’s easy to keep things private.
I’m going to pick those two up with Teleport and then I think we’ll be able to secretly enjoy food and drinks. Because we’re either emperors, dukes, or margraves, we usually cannot escape public attention, so this place is going to allow us to have silly conversations while drinking and eating as much as we want every once in a while.
Spending quality time with bigwigs who have gathered in a private room of a high-class restaurant; it shows the social status I’ve obtained.
But, since it’s a restaurant I planned myself, I have them paying extra attention to their cooking. The cook is the best pupil of a famous chef who has been approved as being the number one cook in Mizuho by Duke Mizuho. That’s why I officially became a partner of that restaurant.
I think it’s quite a challenge to serve the same dishes as they’re being served in the Mizuho Dukedom, given the huge distance, but since Akira and the family of his wife Dehlia have been assisting with the procurement of the ingredients, this restaurant made a name for itself as it’s able to put out Mizuho dishes at the same quality as the ones served back home.
“I’m really looking forward to finding out what dishes will be served today.”
“As far as I’ve heard, it’s going to be a dish made with beef coming from cows that have been raised on a farm in the Baumeister Margraviate.”
“Today I plan to fully enjoy Mizuho-styled shabu-shabu.”
Now that it’s become possible to provide a stable supply of beef with our farms, we would be eating shabu-shabu today.
“It’s quite an elaborate pot, isn’t it?”
“You can tell, Peter?”
“I think it’s an item made by a Mizuho artisan.”
“Looks like you found it out, Alfons”
Boiling water could be seen inside the high-class shabu-shabu pot which had been made by a skilled Mizuho artisan diligently beating pure copper into shape.
“It looks expensive even to the eyes of an amateur, but how much did this cost anyway?”
“5,000 cents.”
“Whoa! Just for this one pot alone!?”
Erw was surprised by the price, but this item has been made by the hands of a highly-skilled craftsman. The materials have been carefully chosen, and the copper has been formed into the round, smooth form of a pot with nothing but a mallet. Its exterior ornaments were so magnificent that it’d be proper to call this pot a work of art. Moreover, since it’d allow you to even make shabu-shabu, that sort of a price is only natural.
As a matter of fact, I bought this pot because I took a liking to it, and brought it to the restaurant just for today.
“This pot is truly great, isn’t it? I’ve become a margrave, so I must gather such works of art as well.”
“Wend, you never shy away from spending big money on things related to cooking. It was the same with that device to roast maroimo from the other day as well.”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, not really.”
That in itself is what you call a noble’s pastime. And because nobles entertain such hobbies, lots of money flows into society and fills up the wallets of the commoners, becoming the incentive for new cultures to come into existence.
“Normal nobles buy up art objects, but well, this is also like a work of art, so even if it might be cooking ware, isn’t it fine since it fits Wendelin?”
Just as Peter says, this much extravagance shouldn’t be any problem.
“It wouldn’t be interesting if everyone collected the same things. Most of the nobles don’t appreciate the quality of art anyway. Even I buy art work that’s been recommended to me by an art dealer who’s close to me.”
Nothing less of my friends. They truly understand me well. Even Alfons gathers objects and works of art as part of his duty as a noble instead of seeing it as a hobby. As long as he’s buying things as recommended by his own purveyor, he probably shouldn’t incur any losses. If that art dealer was to sell him fake art, it’d not only destroy his reputation, but he’d very likely go bankrupt as well.
Besides, when it comes to genuine works of art, you can also turn them into money. During the civil war, many nobles raised the necessary war funds in that way.
“Eventually an art dealer is going to show up at your place as well, Erw, you know? After all, you’re a chief vassal of the Margrave Baumeister House.”
Peter’s guess is on the spot. Recently the number of merchants visiting Erw’s mansion has been increasing. Erw seems to be fed up with that, though.
“Haruka and I have no interest in anything but swords and katana, so we don’t buy anything from them.”
“Treasured swords are similar to works of art, aren’t they?”
“Your Majesty, the beauty of swords and katana lies in their functionality. They have the most value when used.”
“Even if they aren’t decked out with a lot of ornaments, swords and katana of master smiths are expensive. When it comes to the ones gathered by Erwin, society would evaluate them as collection worthy of a rising noble chief vassal. Sooner or later craftsmen are going to show up with their swords and katana, won’t they? Some crooks will likely try to use the opportunity to sell some incredible fakes as well, though.”
“I will make sure to not fall for those.”
When it comes to a high-ranking’s chief vassal, they’re more powerful and affluent that many small-time nobles. It often happens that shady merchants try their luck, aiming at those vassals because they lack the education of a noble house.
“In other words, everyone is going to eventually have an array of purveyors. I get the feeling to equally buy from as many merchants as possible, but if you do that, you’ll always end up with a fixed number of criminals trying to dupe you.”
It’s a common story as I’ve often heard it on Earth as well. Stuff like getting defect products delivered from cheap online sellers and similar. You literally get what you’ve paid for. After all, something like that won’t happen to you, if you rely on a trustable seller or merchant. If they did the same as those crooks, they’d immediately lose all trust they built with you and their other customers. Even Arterio has been trading with us while paying meticulous attention to the products he sells us.
“Haruka-san and I buy such things after discussing it carefully. You might have been scolded by Elise, though, Wend.”
“It’s not like I get scolded or anything like that. I mean, merchants regularly bring works of art to decorate our mansion, but I leave them to Elise since I have no clue about such things.”
“Choose them yourself for heaven’s sake.”
“Look, I have no idea how to judge such things. And for some reason Elise is an expert in this.”
If I bought some fakes because I chose art myself, I’d likely get ridiculed for being a noble without aesthetic sense who easily gets tricked, and I’d hate that.
“You think I’d like to pay money to be treated like an idiot?” I added.
There’s no way I can tell fake and original apart by just looking at a painting or sculpture. Yet, Elise can tell them apart somehow, so I think it’s best to go with the right person in the right place for this.
“Elise is seriously incredible…”
She’s also very knowledgeable about the artist, background, and evaluation of art pieces. I, on the other hand, have not a single clue about the art in this world as a former Japanese salaryman. And it’s not like they taught us about art at the adventurer prep school either.
“I doubt that Elise-san knows about the authenticity of art pieces. It’s quite difficult to see through good copies. Hasn’t she simply chosen a superb purveyor who possesses the necessary skill to do so?”
“Maybe.”
I totally thought that she simply could tell whether an art piece was genuine or fake like those experts who appeared in a certain appraisal TV show.
“There’s a small fraction of nobles who end up becoming more knowledgeable than art experts because they simply like art, but I think the number of nobles with no little to no knowledge is overwhelmingly higher.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“It’s normal for them to take art pieces to their purveyors or familiar art dealers. Nobles will pay the asking price without trying to haggle, but that’s only because they trust their long-standing art dealers or purveyors.”
Buying based on trust, eh…? Certainly I can’t imagine that Alfons knows much about art.
“Sometimes there will be merchants who sell fakes without knowing about it. They’ll be banned from entering a fief after it’s found out. So, the merchants are quite cautious about such things as well,” Peter continued the explanation.
I suppose a merchant can’t really complain if they’re barred from doing further trade, if they sell fake art. On top of that, it’s nigh impossible to prove whether it’s deliberate or not.
“Almost no merchant would deliberately sell fake art. In most cases, they didn’t notice it themselves either. Still, it’s a fact that they were the one selling the fake. Merchants have it tough in various ways, too.”
Sometimes even professionals will mistake fakes for the real deal. I suppose such professionals will lose their precious, rich customers after mistakenly selling a fake to them.
“It’d be good for you to learn about art to serve me even better, Erw.”
“Ahaha, no way. Let’s eat the shabu-shabu.”
Leaving the topic at that, we put the thinly sliced beef into the boiling water, and cooked it while lightly swinging it back and forth. The red meat changed due to the heat, and just when only a small amount of pink color was left, I took the meat out of the water, dipped it in sauce, and ate it.
It was a true bliss.
“The sauces ponzu and sesame sauce, both personally made by the chef of this restaurant. Even the chives and grated daikon you can add by choice are great.”
It’s been quite a while since my last time eating shabu-shabu, but this is quite decent. Shabu-shabu seems to fit Baulburg’s climate a lot more than sukiyaki.
“With this method you can eat all of the meat.”
“Hot pot is popular in colder regions. I do like the sesame sauce.”
“I prefer the ponzu, I think.”
“Sesame sauce for me.”
Alfons and Erw preferred the sesame sauce while Peter liked the ponzu.
“How about you, Wendelin?”
“I do this.”
This is a bit of a trick, but you can also mix both sauces together. It makes good use of the best from both sauces.
“Hmm. This seems kind of half-baked.”
“I agree with Peter on that.”
“Wouldn’t it be more delicious to eat them in alternation?”
Peter, Alfons, and Erw didn’t like the way of eating shabu-shabu which I often used in my previous life. Maybe it’s not popular to not make a clear decision in this world. It might also be a difference in cultural principles.
“Peter, the vegetables, tofu, and noodles are great as well.”
“Yes, they are, but at times like this, I think meat is simply the best.”
“Yep, meat for the win.”
“Wend, I’m going to add some more meat.”
As all of us ate lots of meat, our bellies gradually started to bulge.
“How about a dessert as a finisher?”
“That’s fine with me, but let’s go to a different place. I know a good coffee shop.”
And thus the four of us left the restaurant. I put the bill on my tab. An employee of the restaurant would come to our mansion at the end of the month to get the money.
Doing stuff like this really drives home that I’ve become a noble…paying with cash each and every time is a pain, after all. Especially in this world where you don’t have paper bills, credit cards, or electronic payment methods.
＊
“This place here is next.
“It sure is hidden away from the public.”
“That’s why it’s good for us.”
The store was located in a back alley, but it didn’t seem like the public order was bad around here. The same could be said for the restaurant from before, but this is yet another place secretly used by the rich and famous.
Back when we planned the city of Baulburg, I overcame Roderich’s opposition and made sure to include a district like this as well, thinking that it might eventually become necessary.
“Welcome.”
“Give us one of the rooms in the back.”
“As you wish.”
The interior reminded me of a retro coffee shop, but you could rent a private room for an extra fee.
“They’ve got coffee, desserts, and light meals, huh?”
“We ate plenty of meat, so let’s order a platter of assorted fruits and whatever you like to drink.”
“Wendelin, all of the items in the menu are pretty expensive.”
“Usually, I’d hesitate to order here. But, today Wend’s footing the bill, so it’s fine.”
“Figures. After all, this coffee shop has a membership system.”
Seeing how they made sure that non-members couldn’t enter, the number of guests was low, so the prices were high and you had to pay a membership fee in return. In exchange, you could quietly enjoy some coffee and desserts without being noticed by other people.
“I have brought an assorted Demon Forest fruit platter and your drinks.”
Once the young waiter placed the items we ordered on the table, he immediately left the room.
“The fruits of the Demon Forest have nowadays become popular in our country as well. They’re expensive, though.”
“That’s reasonable, given the transport costs. The bananas are delicious. You really can’t get those in the Philip Dukedom.”
“This costs 200 cents…”
“It’s not like I don’t get your feeling on this.”
I was a commonplace salaryman in my previous life, so I totally get Erw. But, this place won’t work if they don’t charge at least this much money.
“I mean, the waiter who brought our orders a little while ago would hurt the trust of this coffee shop, if he disclosed that the fief’s lord and his guests, an emperor of another nation and a duke, were visiting this place, so he must be paid a good salary to remain tight-lipped.”
Back during my time as a salaryman I didn’t understand why there was such a big difference in price, even though different facilities were serving the same dishes…no, I had the knowledge. I just never experienced it myself. It’s quite sarcastic that I’ve finally understood it after having become a noble myself.
“These fruits are cold and delicious. The way they’re cut is quite superb as well. You can easily eat the fruits with one fork.”
“They also used good beans on the coffee.”
“Isn’t this forest mate tea?”
“On the other hand, one cup costs 20 cents, though.”
2,000 yen per drink (12.84$). Almost like the prices at a high-class hotel.
＊
“Wasn’t it delicious, Wendelin? What are we going to do next?”
“How about getting a drink? There are no heavy drinkers among us four, so it’s going to be fine if we really get just one drink each.”
“Alright, then let’s go to that place.”
I entered a bar without even a sign, located on the second floor of a back alley building. There apparently are two or three other guests besides us, but since the inside is kept dark, we can’t tell who it is. Though, the same applies to the other parties as well.
“Welcome. What are you going to order.”
“We leave it to you. Please bring us one drink per person.”
“As you wish.”
“Wend, is it really okay to leave it to them?”
“Well, I mean, I don’t know much about drinks, so…”
I know a bit about Japan’s sake, but I haven’t much of a clue when it comes to the alcohol in this world. I’m not Burkhart-san, after all.
It’s just one drink, and I heard that this place has a very good reputation as a hidden gem of a bar. Unfortunately, my affinity with bars has been rather bad so far. And since there’s no point in me going by myself, today marks my first visit.
“Here you go.”
The served drinks were a mixture of citrus juice, resembling the lemons of the Demon Forest, and a fake rum which used the molasses of sugarcanes as main ingredient. I think it’s something like a long cocktail that hasn’t been shaken.
“It tastes refreshing and delicious. I wonder if I can find a bar like this in the imperial capital as well, if I search.”
“Wendelin, did you have such stores built here in anticipation of your current position and life?”
“Well, yeah.”
I mean, you’ll inevitably accumulate stress as a high-ranking noble. It’s my first time to use this bar, but currently Baulburg is in a very good economic state, so even if we build such specified bars, they’ll find regular customers. It’s got the right atmosphere and rather high prices, so no weird customers will show up. There are also establishments which only allow a limited number of people in through a membership system. I think it’s best for such stores to be gathered in one block of the city.
“I see. I don’t think I lose to you, Wendelin, when it comes to ability in ruling an area, but you do come up with some interesting ideas.”
“Don’t worry about it. Even if you build an area where such stores gather, it’s not like it’s especially useful in any way.”
I simply wanted to create a refuge I can use at times like this.
“Should I build one as well?”
“That’s a great idea, Alfons. I’ll build one as well.”
“I don’t need to be that careful about where I go.”
“How nice. Erwin, you…that means it’s not like you don’t go to such places, right?”
“Yes, well…”
I feel like we’ve ended up coming quite far after a lot happened, but it’s impossible to go back at this point in time. And since I’m earning good money anyway, I suppose I just need to build a hiding place where I can feel at ease.
“Unlike with other nobles, Wend doesn’t need such a place to meet mistresses in secret or such.”
“Makes sense. I’ve already got my hands full with just Emela, but Wendelin, you sure are amazing to handle so many wives at once.”
“I also have three wives, so it occasionally happens that I’m suddenly on the receiving end. Wendelin is truly incredible in that regard.”
“I’m soon going to marry my third wife, Lea. I think three wives is already plenty crazy, but when I look at Wend, I feel like my senses get numbed, you know?”
“…Is that supposed to be praise?”
“””It is!”””
Somehow their remarks also contained parts I didn’t really like, but afterwards we continued to have a casual, random conversation while drinking our cocktails.
＊
“Don’t you guys think so as well? Which reminds me, I’ve started to become slightly hungry.”
“Now that you mention it, I also feel like grabbing something to bite again. Usually I’d get scolded by Emela if I ate at this time of the day, though.”
“Peter, she’s totally wearing the pants in your relationship, isn’t she?”
“Emela is just worried about my health.”
“I’m sure that plays a role as well, but still…I guess it’s fine every once in a while. Anyway, let’s eat here.”
At this point, the date had already changed and we had visited three different places in a row. Now we stood in front of a stall, situated in an inconspicuous location.
“Wendelin, is the food here tasty?”
“It seems to have a fairly decent reputation,” I answered Peter’s question.
When it comes to food after having drunk alcohol, there’s nothing better than ramen as a finisher. Originally ramen didn’t exist in this world, but when I made soy sauce and miso spread in society, Dattmann, a former adventurer who liked soy sauce and miso, created firm ramen. This spelled the beginning of many cooks trying their hands at all sorts of ramen-like dishes.
The owner of this stall is one of them. He has opened a ramen stall in a section of the pleasure quarter and obtained many regular customers with his cooking.
“Soy sauce, miso, and pho in salty broth?”
The name of ramen didn’t exist in this world, they’re being called “Pho in broth.” Going by Japanese standards, this stall serves orthodox soy sauce, miso and salty ramen. The owner is putting a lot of effort in making the soup, but since it’s catered towards drunkards, the cooking is focused on a light soup and noodles that are easy to eat. Basically, what you’d call night soba.
“Welcome.”
“Old man, soy sauce for me. What about you guys?”
In the end, ramen is all about soy sauce ramen.
“I think I’ll go with the salt one.”
“Miso for me.”
“Soy sauce, I suppose. Please make the noodles firmer than usual.”
“Huh? Erw, you also know about this stall?”
“Sometimes my work lasts until late at night. I often eat here when I feel slightly hungry.”
Erw is working as a member of the guard unit, so he occasionally finishes his workload late at night. At such times he apparently eats pho in broth here together with his coworkers.
“Ayes. Two soy sauce, one salt, and one miso. Sorry for waiting.”
“”””Let’s dig in!””””
It’s not like we drank that much, but ramen after drinking alcohol is great. Though it’s probably not good for your body.
“This tastes awesome.”
“I think I’ll have my cooks recreate this next time.”
“No matter how often I eat it, it always tastes great. The pho in broth of this place, that is.”
We fully enjoyed the forbidden fruit of eating ramen at midnight.
＊
“I had a blast today.”
“Wendelin, please invite me again next time.”
“True. I think it’d be fun to have such a meeting regularly.”
“An emperor got it tough as well, huh?”
“Duke Philip as well.”
“Even the chief retainers of high-ranking nobles have their work cut out for them. Originally I was the fifth son of a poor Knight family.”
“The same applies to Margrave Baumeister as well, right? That’s why it’s necessary to have such gatherings.”
This meeting had been rather unplanned and random, but now that I think about it, I can easily pick up and send off people with my Teleport, so the hurdle is much lower than expected. Truly, it’s easier to do something than worry about it.
“Let’s create another such opportunity in the near future.”
“Yes, let’s. Somehow I have fun in men-only gatherings like this. The places we visited felt adult as well. They felt like they’d suit Burkhart-san as well.”
“Spending time with your family is nice, but every once in a while it’s okay to have some fun like this.”
The need to alleviate the exhaustion from work might not be all too different from my time as a salaryman. After sending Peter and Alfons back, Erw and I firmly decided to hold such meetings regularly.
＊
“Hey, Wend.”
“What is it?”
“It might be just my imagination, but don’t you feel like we’re forgetting something?”
“You think so? You must be imagining it.”
If you end up thinking that you might have forgotten something, it’s human nature to feel like there is something, even though that’s not true. Since my schedule will be filled to the brim again, starting with tomorrow, I decided to hurry back to the mansion and go sleep.
＊ ＊ ＊
“That’s all.”
“I see…Did Margrave Baumeister and the others talk about something in particular?”
“Something in particular, Sir?”
“Did they mention anything interesting from your perspective?”
“Hmm…interesting, you ask…? They didn’t talk about anything improper. Mostly they were complaining about being tired from their busy work. And I don’t really believe that this could be a secret code to prepare an invasion into the Helmut Kingdom.”
“Yeah, as expected, that’d be a stretch. But that’s not it. I was asking more about stuff like whom they’re going to invite next time.”
“Doushi-sama, Burkhart-sama, and Margrave Breithilde-sama were mentioned. But, they didn’t mention anything requiring your attention, Your Highness…”
“I see…you may step back.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
A spy employed by me got his hands on the information that Margrave Baumeister, Erwin, His Majesty Peter, and Duke Philip were having a secret meeting in Baulburg’s pleasure quarter. I made him investigate this matter at once, but how enviable.
They went to a fancy, Mizuho-styled restaurant with private rooms to not be found by others and enjoyed the unusual, delicious food over there. They went to another place to get dessert, getting a good taste of various Demon Forest fruits. Then they entered a hidden bar and had a great conversation as friends while having a drink. And lastly, they ate pho in broth at a stall as they’re apparently increasing in the capital lately as well.
Hearing that report, I felt incredibly envious of them. Or rather, why didn’t Wendelin invite me, his best friend, despite inviting the emperor of Urquhart and Duke Philip? I might be regarded as a nasty dude for saying this, but I’m the next king of the Helmut Kingdom. Even though I’m going to be Margrave Baumeister’s, Wendelin’s, lord…
Is there some sort of mistake here?
Moreover, according to the spy’s report, it seems very likely that they’re going to hold such meetings regularly.
Why am I not part of this?
The emperor and Duke Philip are comrades-in-arms who fought together with him in the recent civil war, so I’ll take it as inevitable that he went out with them this time. But, isn’t it weird for him to not have invited me for the next time?
All of them have a high social status and heavy responsibilities. so I can understand that they’d have such a meeting in order to relieve some of their stress.
Why hasn’t Wendelin invited me, even though I’m struggling every day with my heavy responsibility as crown prince?
“Why…… Oh, I see!”
This time was their first meeting, so maybe Wendelin worried about inconveniencing me by inviting me. According to Father, he seems to be a surprisingly careful person. It’d be okay to not fuss so much about stuff like that, but Wendelin is a serious man. And what’s also the reason why you can trust him.
“In that case… For the next meeting…”
Based on the fact that they’re going to reflect on their first meeting, the next one should become even more amazing.
“And that’s where I’ll be invited as a surprise!”
That must be it! Damn you, Wendelin. You want to give me a surprise, eh!?
“That’s right! I mean, even I have to work hard every single day. Wendelin should understand that. Alright! I have to prepare while I can!”
It’d be unbearable, if Wendelin invited me and I had to decline because I still had some work or tasks left to do. I’m going to quickly wrap up everything so that he can invite me at any moment.
“I’ll do my best!”
I have always admired going out to drink and eat with friends without caring about status, and paying for stuff outside the castle. During the very few occasions when I visited a restaurant while incognito, my retainers, who were carrying my wallet, paid for me.
Moreover, when it comes to eating and drinking, I can only eat food made by my exclusive cooks, even though I must admit it’s delicious and takes time plus effort to make. After all, there’s the slight possibility of someone trying to poison me. However, such limitations don’t exist when traveling incognito.
Given that Wendelin is especially fussy about food, I’m sure he’ll take me to a great place.
Anyway, I must work hard today to finish all my work as quickly as possible.
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