Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

31 – Do humans eat food in places that smell like manure?

“I can’t stand it any longer. Lucas, be my personal chef! I’ll give you a big salary! I’ll give you a huge signing bonus!”

I saw Camilla shouting with a grain of rice stuck near her mouth.

Her eyes were filled with desire to take me with her by any means.

The ambitious landlord.

I had seen that look many times when she was part of the Imperial Knights in the past.

-Quit the Imperial Knights and come to me. I’ll recruit you with the best treatment in the industry.

-Really not interested? I like you.

-You can make a lot of money if you use your cooking skills well, right?

She had suggested that I quit the Imperial Knights and become her chef whenever I was about to forget.

I turned them all down.

The reason was simple.

The headquarters of the Golden Wagon was in the capital, and there would be a big fire in the capital soon.

I had no intention of facing the approach of the storm head-on.

I would prepare a shelter and avoid it safely.

So I had refused, but

Apparently, she did not seem to give up.

“I’m sorry. I won’t go.”

“I knew you would. Being the exclusive chef of the Golden Wagon’s landlord… Wait, what did you say?”

“I won’t be returning to the capital, Lady Camilla.”

“Is it because the signing bonus is not enough? Or you haven’t heard the annual salary yet? Then let me tell you. I’ll give you a signing bonus of 500,000 gold, and an annual salary of 150,000 gold. Of course, this is after taxes, and I’ll also allow you to stay at my house!”

It was a tremendous amount of money.

An annual salary of 150 billion after tax?

It was a sum that would make even a wealthy aristocrat envious.

However, money wasn’t the issue.

I proudly approached her as she shouted.

Whether she thought my smiling approach meant acceptance, Camilla’s face brightened.

“I knew it! The signing bonus was too low! You should’ve told me sooner…”

There was a time when I had asked her why she tried so hard to bring me along.

-You know what? The best way to make money is to recruit talented people. At the best possible price! In my opinion, Lucas is a talent too precious to be in the Imperial Knights.

She had emphasized that recruiting many talents and treating them well were essential for making a lot of money.

A signing bonus of 500,000 gold, annual salary of 150,000 gold.

That was the value she had placed on me.

There probably weren’t many people who held this much value for her.

I appreciated her recognition, but I still had no intention to return.

As I removed a grain of rice stuck to her lips, I spoke.

“Miss Camilla, there is some rice on your lips.”

“…What, what?”

Her face turned red upon seeing the rice.

Someone like her, who earned the most money after the emperor, must have been embarrassed by such a sight.

“No matter how much you offer, I will not return.”

“Are you rejecting me?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. It’s better to find another personal chef.”

At those words, Camilla bit her lower lip.

“…Why? Is my offer not satisfying enough? Is it because I’m lacking in some areas? Tell me.”

My rejection was probably a blow to her pride as well.

“Are you saying it’s because of the princess? Did Diana tell everyone not to make a contract with anyone else?”

Oh, Camilla. What kind of language is that toward the future emperor?

If worded incorrectly, you can be accused of insulting the royal family.

Indeed, the face of the earl who was watching this situation with great interest turned pale.

Poor country earl, you must be struggling to breathe.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

How should I answer that?

In the future, I know about the disaster that will happen in the capital.

Because of Princess Diana, who will become the emperor in the future, half of the nobles in the city die, and there will be a rebellion, so they intend to hide in the countryside for a while.

… But I couldn’t say that.

Obviously, they can be captured for the crime of not only sounding like a madman but also insulting the emperor.

I needed another excuse.

“I like it here.”

“What?”

“I like this territory where I can live leisurely.”

“Do you really like a countryside territory like this?”

“Yes.”

Behind Camilla, who seemed to not believe me, the face of the earl, who was smiling contentedly, appeared.

“But there’s nothing here. There is no proper infrastructure, the roads leading to the city are narrow, the floating population is small so there are almost no guests, and there aren’t even any special money-making things, so there are almost no foreigners here. What do you like about this place…?”

With every word Camilla spoke, the earl’s expression seemed to get gloomier, but I pretended not to notice.

“Still, it’s better than the capital.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Camilla sighed heavily after looking at me for a moment.

“It seems to be true. So, you really refuse the position of my personal chef?”

“Yes.”

“No second chances?”

“I know. I also know how quick and rational Miss Camilla is when it comes to profit and loss calculations.”

“……”

Her lips lifted again at the praise.

She was weak when it came to compliments, but very thorough when it came to earning money.

“Do you think I’m going to give you money just because you praised me like that?”

“You should at least pay for the meal.”

“I’ll pay!”

With her lips pouting, she handed me her purse.

“Take it. It’s 200 gold.”

“Two soybean paste stews and one soft tofu don’t cost this much.”

“That’s not all I’m paying for.”

“Then what?”

She pointed to the kitchen.

“The tofu you made and the leftover bull meat. I’ll purchase them all. This is the down payment.”

“It should be loaded in a refrigerated storage, is that okay?”

“Don’t underestimate the Golden Wagon.”

“Even if I don’t know about the meat, the tofu will spoil before long.”

“It’s fine. The tofu will stay here and be eaten by the trainees.”

Wait a minute.

“You’re staying for a few more days?”

“Yes. I said I’d eat everything I could while I’m here. Since I failed to recruit the chef I had my eye on first, I’ll leave with something else out of spite.”

“……”

It seemed that the tofu was quite to her liking.

“I’m glad your refusal wasn’t because of that woman, Diana, even though your rejection of my proposal was annoying.”

She looked at me and smiled.

Somehow, my heart fluttered.

I felt an odd sense of unease from that mischievous smile.

What should I say? I even thought that perhaps I should have made the food taste bad.

“I’ll ask you one more thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“Did Diana come here too?”

I shook my head.

Please don’t say such scary things.

It would be a disaster if Her Highness came here.

“She didn’t.”

“Really? Well, that’s good enough.”

She finished speaking and turned to me.

“Please prepare food for the other attendants. They haven’t had a proper meal today.”

“I understand.”

Well, that’s nothing much.

I received a lot of money, so there’s no reason to refuse.

“And Lord Brinton?”

“Do you have any duties, Lady Camilla?”

“I think we need to talk a bit more with just the two of us. Let’s return to the castle together.”

“Understood.”

***

Camilla Wegan gritted her teeth at the rejection she was experiencing for the first time.

In the past, she had proposed several times for Lucas to become a chef and had been rejected.

However, this time it was different.

At that time, since Lucas, who was in the Princess Knight group, couldn’t move to the enemy, Camilla’s request to join her side had been a light one.

Because of that, she found Lucas’s rejection at that time to be natural.

– I’m still part of the Princess Knight’s group.

– I apologize.

That’s why she thought it would be the same this time.

But.

Lucas left, and 4 months of waiting.

And the journey of two weeks.

The deep emotion experienced the moment she tasted Lucas’s food again after a long time.

She was filled with the desire to immediately recruit Lucas, the man who satisfied her taste buds and wasn’t affiliated with anyone.

That’s why she proposed an amount she had never offered to anyone before.

A whopping 500,000 gold signing bonus and an annual salary of 150,000 gold.

If he asked for a raise, she was willing to give a little more.

Even Koby, the chief manager and national hero, had not received such an amount.

This was her one and only offer to Lucas.

But it was rejected.

– I like this territory where I can live leisurely.

– It’s better than the capital.

So you can’t come?

You’ve totally changed my taste, made it so that I can’t live without your food.

And now, saying that you like it here and that you can’t come?

How can you say something so irresponsible?

If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have made me like this.

You shouldn’t have smiled at me while giving me food.

At least, you shouldn’t have given me such delicious food today of all days.

To show me that your worth is so brilliant and then refuse me.

‘What do you want me to do?’

I want it.

Desire bubbles up within me.

I can still smell that restaurant on her body.

The scent of that man.

That’s right. If you like it here so much that you can’t become my chef,

‘I’ll come here.’

You made me like this, so you’ll have to take responsibility for it.

There’s now something special worth coming to this place for.

Something special I can pay any price for.

“Young Master, I’m trying to purchase the exclusive trade rights to this Breton Territory.”

Camilla looked at the Breton Viscount, who was sitting in front of her, with sparkling eyes.

***

“The smell leads all the way here.”

The woman in the robe arrived at the Breton Territory after spending three full days in the Cornwell village.

Tracking the scent took longer than expected.

It’s definitely not because she had a terrible sense of direction.

The scent of the bullfight was there the whole way.

It was clear that it had been carried all the way here.

‘Did they kill the bull and move it to their territory?’

She recalled the last trace of the bull she had seen when it was alive.

Signs of death by a single strike.

The bull’s corpse was disassembled, and its pieces were brought here.

‘Is there such a skilled person in such a small castle?’

She couldn’t understand.

Those of such skill usually lived in the imperial capital or large cities.

It made no sense that a person of such skill would be hidden in such a small castle.

She’d find out when she went in and saw for herself.

“Who are you?”

As she approached the entrance of the castle, the guard blocking her way asked.

A familiar smell came from the guard.

‘The smell of a bullfighter.’

Is it this man?

The one who killed that bullfighter?

No.

Not this man.

His bones were weak, and though he had trained, he had not reached the height of skill.

“You’re known for hunting bulls, right?”

She opened her mouth.

Her beautiful voice captivated the listener. Doubt subsided in the eyes of the guards.

“Yes, but may I ask what your business is?”

“Who hunted that bull?”

“Ah, are you perhaps a knight who wants to partake in the bullfight?”

She nodded her head.

Affirming this seemed to be the easier way to pass by them.

“I’m not sure if there’s any stock left right now. Inside there’s a place called the Knights’ Dining Hall. I believe the owner there hunts the food himself.”

“The owner?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Thank you.”

“Before you go in, please show your ID.”

Despite the offered assistance, adhering to procedure was a prime example of a model soldier.

Well-trained indeed.

She pulled out the sword tied to her waist.

An imperial seal hung from the sword’s tip.

The seal itself served as proof of her status as an Imperial Knight.

Just by that alone, it held the value of a pass and an identification, and the soldier opened the way for her.

“Ah, verified.”

As she entered, she sensed the smell of bullfighting not only from the soldiers blocking the entrance but also from the laborers roaming around.

‘Have all these people eaten bull?’

In the human world, eating bull was known to signify one’s toughness.

Even the fragile-looking women carried the scent of bull.

‘Are they hiding their true skills?’

If all of these people were of knight-level strength…

What an impressive castle.

They’re hiding their power.

She saw a building where an exceptionally large number of people gathered.

In front of the building, engraved with unfamiliar characters, was a sign written in the Empire’s language.

—-

★★★★★

&§∂%^※$%#@

“Damn.”

She can speak and understand the imperial language, but being unable to read it, she had no idea what it meant.

So many stars.

“Is this some kind of wanted poster?”

A place like a guild house where mercenaries gather?

But it was definitely a restaurant.

With curiosity, she entered the restaurant.

As soon as she opened the door, she was hit by a smell.

“Ahem!”

How should one put it?

A smell similar to manure stung her sensitive nose.

“Cough! Cough!”

Was this the kind of smell that could come from a restaurant?

What kind of crazy person would defecate in a restaurant?

‘Are other people okay with this?’

They eat their food and say it’s good even while smelling this.

Everyone glanced at her coughing, snickered, and went back to eating their meals.

Some didn’t even look at her and were focused on their food.

Humans, she thought, were incomprehensible creatures.

Holding her breath, she looked around.

And the moment she saw the man who appeared to be the owner of the restaurant.

‘That’s him.’

In an instant, she realized that this man was the one who killed the bull.

“Welcome!”

She approached the restaurant owner.