Act 1:
Dried Sausage
A RARE REQUEST from Hawke’s Domain had arrived at the palace, entreating them to dispatch a knightly order. We had gone as requested and managed to take care of the monsters.
Hawke’s Domain employed more soldiers than other territories, and the sheer fact that they had submitted a request indicated the gravity of the situation. Indeed, things had been dire—we had found two black swamps. Both had been located within a mine, and the second was waiting at the end of an old, abandoned tunnel. It therefore made sense that it hadn’t been discovered earlier.
I only managed to stumble across it by accident too—an accident I had been quite fortunate to have.
At the second swamp, we even encountered an undead dragon. It was likely because of that beast that we ran into all those undead monsters in the mine. I was pretty sure of this hypothesis as well, because it wasn’t until I purged the dragon, along with the second swamp, that we stopped encountering undead creatures.
Once both swamps were taken care of, we returned to the mining settlement. Rather than go back to the capital of the domain right away, we stayed for another handful of days to ensure that fewer monsters were spawning.
The knights and mages monitored the situation while I was left behind in the settlement. Instead of just sitting around, I occupied myself by harvesting some of the plants that grew nearby. Although I was the Saint, my primary occupation was that of a researcher at the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora, and plant collecting was an important part of that job.
Knight Commander Albert Hawke accompanied me as my guard. At first I felt awful about having him come along with me, but those feelings gradually lessened. He seemed all too happy to chat while he kept an eye on our surroundings. To be honest, I really enjoyed working while talking with him about herbs and Hawke’s Domain.
What about Grand Magus Yuri Drewes, you ask? He was out monster hunting, as per usual—ah, I mean, he was out surveying the area with the others. Whenever they came back, the difference between him and the rest of the party was like night and day. Where everyone else looked exhausted, Yuri was invariably in high spirits. He even seemed to be getting more youthful and vibrant by the day.
In the end, the people who had gone out to confirm that everything was all right gave the mine their stamp of approval, and we headed back to the capital.
When we reached the capital of Hawke’s Domain, Lord and Lady Hawke received us at their manor alongside their army of servants.
“Welcome home.”
The lord and lady looked expectantly at me, so I replied with a simple greeting as the group representative: “We’re glad to return.”
The lord and lady were well pleased, likely because they had learned that the black swamps were taken care of. Their happiness made a natural smile spread across my lips as well.
“You must be exhausted after all that travel. We have prepared your chambers, so please do get some rest,” Lady Hawke said.
“Thank you.”
“To be honest, we have also arranged a banquet for tonight. I hope you’ll look forward to it.”
At the mention of a banquet, I thought back to a prior dinner party we had once attended.
Will the maids who’ll be helping me prepare also recommend a dress for me to wear? I used a bit of Healing Magic to reduce the pain in my lower back on our journey here, so it’s not too bad at the moment, but I am feeling a bit tired, and I think I’d rather wear a robe again tonight. Robes are way, way comfier.
As I was thinking to myself, Albert said, “Will the banquet be the sort we usually throw?”
His mother nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”
What’s that supposed to mean? I looked at Albert curiously.
He noticed my gaze and explained that whenever the Hawke soldiers returned from a large-scale expedition, the lord and lady held a banquet at their estate. It was a no-holds-barred party meant to reward the soldiers. Everyone who had gone on the expedition could join in, regardless of their social status.
During the banquet, they served wild game that had been hunted in the domain, as well as cheese dishes for which Hawke’s Domain was famous. Furthermore, they planned to serve meals that the nobility didn’t usually indulge in—unlike the sort we had been served at the previous dinner party. Instead, there would be a wide range of simpler dishes, the sort considered commoner fare.
Will that also include cheese fondue and raclette, like Lady Hawke mentioned last time? If so, I want to join!
My anticipation must have shown on my face. Albert chuckled before encouraging us to hurry inside the manor.
I glanced at his parents; they were watching us with smiles on their faces. I felt a bit self-conscious about my behavior, and a faint heat bloomed in my cheeks.
Ugh, I’m sorry I love food so much! I apologized in my mind as I looked away and allowed myself to be led inside.
The banquet began after sunset, when it was completely dark outside. It was held in the main hall of the building where the soldiers employed by Hawke’s Domain lived, which was an old, chunky structure built from stones of different sizes that had been intricately fit together. The interior looked the same as the exterior, since there was no insulation on the walls. It gave off a real “salt of the earth” kind of feeling. Tapestries decorated the walls and provided pops of color.
The banquet opened with a toast from Lord Hawke. After that, it was the no-holds-barred party they’d promised. Lord and Lady Hawke even joined the knights in their carousing. Of course, Albert, Yuri, and I did as well. I had heard they would all cut loose, but I hadn’t expected they’d really go that far. I was super grateful that we could drop formalities and enjoy the meal.
“Mmm! This is great!” I burst out with delight.
“Delicious!” said a nearby knight at the same time.
We exchanged looks and grinned at each other.
The dish eliciting our exultations was potatoes drizzled with melted cheese. I had known it as raclette back in Japan. I’d had no idea it could be this delicious. Was it because of the cheese they’d used? I shoveled bite after bite into my mouth as I marveled at the scrumptiousness.
“This certainly goes well with wine.”
“It really does.”
Meanwhile, Yuri was taking one sip of wine after another. His cheeks were faintly flushed as he smiled, making him look sublimely coquettish. His face was ever the deadly weapon.
Nevertheless, I agreed with him. I didn’t think it was a good idea to drink too much, but I couldn’t stop from helping myself to another glass of wine.
Albert smiled softly at us. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the food as much as you are.”
“I recommend you try these as well,” came a voice from behind us.
We all turned to watch a fit maid plop a large platter on the table. The food on the platter had been neatly arranged and everyone let out a joyful, drunken, “Oooooh!”
My eyes were transfixed on the platter. “Is that…?”
“These are dried sausages that we make locally,” the maid explained.
It was salami. Salami! The sausages looked exactly as you would expect the quintessential salami to look: cut into thin round slices and wholly red with dazzling white dots of fat. Salami! I was overcome with emotion as I, once again, laid eyes on this food.
“Please give them a try,” the maid urged.
I enthusiastically reached for a slice. “Don’t mind if I do!”
Even up close on the small dish, the dried sausages looked just like salami. I smiled with delight as I stuffed a piece into my mouth and was hit with that same familiar taste. It was so good. So, so good.
The succulence was divine, and it was superbly accented with salt. I couldn’t help but let out a squeal as the unbelievable flavor filled my mouth.
Oh, but the more I savor it, the more I realize that it might actually be meatier than I remember. Is there a different proportion of meat to fat? I wondered as I chewed.
“I take it you like it, then,” Albert said.
“Huh? Y-yeah! This is simply delectable!” I was slow to reply because I was so absorbed in the experience, so I wound up shouting in my rush to say something. Color me embarrassed.
Albert’s smile deepened.
Please don’t smile at that! I thought.
“We’ll be staying here for a bit, so I’ll tell them to serve these again later.”
“Thank you.”
“Um, excuse me,” the maid who had served the sausages shyly interrupted.
We turned our attention to her to discover that she had an even more wonderful idea to suggest: The artisan who made these sausages actually had a food stall in the local market. They also sold more kinds of sausages than what was being served tonight, so she suggested that we stop by and see what they had available, if we were interested.
“Would you like to go, Sei?” Albert asked.
“Can we?”
“We have the day off tomorrow. We can’t let you go on your own, but it should be fine so long as we’re together.”
Together. Meaning that Albert would accompany me? Due to my social position, it made sense that I wasn’t allowed to wander the city by myself, but was it really okay to ask Albert of all people to go with me? We had only just returned.
While I felt bad about the imposition, I was incredibly curious to see the Hawke capital’s market. In the end, I lost to my desires, though I asked Albert over and over if he was really, truly all right going with me instead of taking a day to rest. He was firm in his insistence that he wouldn’t mind at all.
In that case, I was all too happy to take him up on his offer to escort me.
Thus, Albert and I made plans to go to the market the following day.
***
We set out early the next morning. Our company included me, Albert, and our guards. I didn’t want to make a big spectacle of myself, so Albert asked that they look out for us from a short distance away. I hated asking for that all the same.
The grand magus was not among our number. I guess you could say that he was just acting in accordance with his programming, because even though it was supposed to be a day off from monster-hunting, he had gone to a nearby forest to do just that. I had even asked him if he wanted to come along the night before, once I realized I had essentially only invited Albert. However, he declined.
In short, Yuri was out hunting monsters because my base level had gone up again.
“What level are you at now, Lady Sei?” he had asked me immediately after I asked if he wanted to join us.
On our Stats screen, we could see our base level and the levels of each of our skills. When someone asked what your “level” was, they usually meant your base level.
I hadn’t checked any of my levels in a while, so I went ahead and did so. “Uh, give me a moment. Stats.”
As soon as I spoke the word, a semi-transparent screen that only I could see popped up before my eyes.
SEI TAKANASHI — Level 58/Saint
HP: 5,282/5,282
MP: 6,385/6,385
Battle Skills
Holy Magic: Level ∞
Production Skills
Pharmaceuticals: Level 36
Cooking: Level 25
Yup, it had increased. I was pretty sure I had been at Level 56 the last time I checked, but now the screen plainly stated that I was Level 58.
I leveled up again. When in the world did that happen? Maybe it was while we were running around purging all the black swamps.
“I’m Level 58 now.”
As soon as the words left my lips, everyone who overheard voiced their disbelief.
“What?!”
“Huh? Your level is that high, Sei?!”
“You mean to say that she’d be even stronger than us if we put a sword in her hands?”
“No way!”
I realized then that I had likely never mentioned my level in front of the knights. Among the knights and mages, the knight commander and grand magus had the highest levels, and even they were only in the forties. It was only natural that everyone would be astonished.
Amidst the chaos, the grand magus sat frozen, a smile plastered on his face. That made it all the more ominous that he didn’t offer a comment.
“L-Lord Drewes?” I addressed him timidly, but he didn’t reply.
Uh-oh. Should I try calling to him again?
As I fretted over what to do, Yuri suddenly resumed functioning. “Fifty-eight…”
“What was that?”
However, he was still having trouble processing what I had said and continued to repeat himself. “Did you say ‘fifty-eight’?”
“Um, yes…?”
Yuri had been working hard to level up so that he could use his Appraisal Magic on me. Once someone hit the forties, it became more difficult to level up, so it required a lot of effort. Nevertheless, Yuri had endeavored to catch up to me by killing monsters as often as he could. I hadn’t asked him his level recently, but I knew it had increased since our first meeting.
However, it was possible that the gap between us had once more widened now that I had leveled up again. Whenever Yuri got close to drawing even with me, the gap widened once more. It had to feel like a recurring nightmare for him. No one could be surprised to see him so shaken.
As I struggled to find something to say, Yuri suddenly recovered himself. “Heh heh heh… I see. You’re Level 58 now… Lady Sei, I appreciate the invitation, but I must regretfully decline. I have a bit of business I must attend to on the morrow.”
“Y-you do?”
“Yes. Although please do invite me next time.”
“Uh, okay. I will.”
I’m guessing he means he’s going to find monsters to fight? It was an easy assumption to make based on the course of our conversation. But I didn’t want to put a damper on Yuri’s mood if he had found his motivation, so I dropped the subject there.
I wonder how many levels he’ll gain while we’re here in Hawke’s Domain? Part of me wanted to support Yuri, but another part felt weird at the thought of letting him get strong enough to see my Stats.
Well, I guess there isn’t much to be done about him, I thought as we arrived at our destination.
The carriage came to a stop, and Albert stepped out with me on his heels. I grasped his hand as I stepped down, and brown hair fell into my vision.
I hadn’t worn this disguise the first time I went out with Albert, but I was wearing a brown wig and glasses just as I had when Jude and I toured Morgenhaven. Due to my travels around the country to purify the black swamps, everyone knew that the Saint had an unusual hair color. In other words, it was highly likely that my hair color was a dead giveaway. I was already pretty likely to be recognized given my company, but some people would probably be fooled by the wig.
I had also opted for this disguise because we didn’t have many guards with us.
After stepping out of the carriage and walking for a bit, we arrived at the market. Just like in the royal capital, tents lined both sides of the street and each stall overflowed with a variety of goods for sale. The market was also teeming with people. It felt a bit smaller than the one in the capital, but it was sizable in its own right. That was as it should be, as I believed the capital of Hawke’s Domain was one of the largest cities in Salutania.
“Wow, this place is so busy!” I exclaimed.
“It is the largest market in the region,” Albert told me, confirming my suspicions. “The sausage vendor is farther down the way. Let’s take our time and peruse the other tents as we make our way to it.”
“Okay!”
We instantly began to investigate the different vendors. Given that the storefronts in the vicinity had heaps of vegetables on display, we were likely in the area designated for produce. The vendors were selling vegetables I had seen in the capital as well as vegetables I hadn’t. I suspected that all the produce was harvested in the domain, as Salutania hadn’t yet developed a method by which to transport fresh vegetables. Therefore anything fresh had to be locally grown.
“Oh!” Upon spying a rarity, I stopped in front of one of the shops.
The store had a pile of what looked like savoy cabbage. I had never seen this kind of cabbage in the capital, so perhaps that meant it could only be grown in Hawke’s Domain.
“What is it?” Albert looked at me curiously.
“This is cabbage, right?” I asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it back home.”
“Huh. I guess I haven’t either, now that you mention it.”
Unfortunately, Albert didn’t know the name of the vegetable, but the shopkeeper stepped in to explain. “You’re from the capital, Miss? I’m surprised you recognize these cabbages. We borderlanders are the only ones who can grow ’em.”
So I was right that this vegetable was exclusive to Hawke’s Domain. “Uh, I ate one a long time ago, that’s all,” I said. “They taste really good when they’re stuffed.”
“They sure do, with those strong leaves. They’re great for stews too!”
Compared to the cabbages sold in the capital, the savoy variety had thicker leaves, and only the soft ends could be enjoyed raw. But the leaves did have a nice pattern, and they were perfect for boiling.
As I chatted up the shopkeeper, Albert listened and nodded in admiration. “We actually serve stuffed cabbage here in the winter. You’ve made it before as well?”
“No, I’ve never made it, but I think I know how.”
I got the gist, broadly speaking, but I had never cooked stuffed cabbage because it was kind of a production.
However, we had actually found savoy cabbage, and moreover, it was in season. I was sure these would be truly delicious when stuffed, and…I wanted to try it.
I shifted my focus from the pile of savoy cabbages to Albert. He had a somewhat rueful look. I recognized that expression. It was the same one that the head of the institute frequently wore, so I knew what it meant.
He also wanted to try stuffed cabbage made by my hand, but now he was feeling down because I’d said I’d never made them before.
Nngh… Now that I’ve seen that expression, I have to make them. I mean, I do really want some too!
“Um,” I started hesitantly.
“Yes?” said Albert.
“I seem to have a new craving, now that we’ve found the right kind of cabbage for the recipe. Could I borrow a kitchen?”
Albert’s eyes were sparkling before I finished the question. It was all too obvious. Of course he said, “Yes.”
“Thank you!”
“You needn’t thank me. I’d like to try them too.”
I knew it! Albert grinned joyfully as he said that, final confirmation that my hunch had been dead on.
Yeah, I liked it when he looked happy—way better than when he looked crestfallen.
We were both pleased by the outcome, and our smiles deepened as we gazed at each other. The look on my face made Albert cover his mouth with the back of his hand and glance away.
“Heh heh.”
What a strange laugh, I thought. “What?”
Albert’s answer was totally unexpected: “It’s just been a while since I last got to try one of your new recipes before Johan.”
“It has?”
“Indeed, since Klausner’s Domain.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right.”
“Ever since then, whenever you make a new dish, I always hear about it from Johan first.”
Albert seemed a bit sheepish to be smiling out of pleasure that he was getting to eat one of my new dishes before his friend. Despite myself, I found his expression adorable—though I kept that feeling locked up tight in my heart. A grown man likely wouldn’t have wanted to hear me say as much, but I was free to think whatever I wanted.
Speaking of Johan, I have to wonder what that’s all about. Knowing him and his personality, he was telling Albert about the new dishes I made on purpose. Was he doing it to tease Albert? Sheesh.
As I was feeling exasperated by Johan’s behavior, Albert finished placing an order for the cabbages. It seemed like he had ordered more than I needed. Perhaps he was getting some for everyone in the manor? Back in Klausner’s Domain, the castle chefs had followed my recipe to make a meal for everyone in addition to Lord Klausner’s family, so maybe that was his plan.
“Could you please have these delivered to my residence?” Albert whispered.
“Yes, my lord!” The shopkeeper beamed; he didn’t look at all surprised when Albert told him where to send the cabbages. It seemed like a certain someone had been identified as the third son of the local lord.
With that, the savoy cabbages were sent to the Hawke estate. Someone there would pay for them, so the two of us bid the shopkeeper farewell and headed to the next merchant.
***
The vendor selling the dried sausages was on the opposite end of the market from the vegetable stalls. There were a few other shops selling cured and processed meats along the way, but Albert guided us straight to the right place—he had asked the maid for the vendor’s exact location.
The shop sold not only dried sausages but uncooked ones, as well as ham.
I wonder how they taste? I thought as I looked over the other meat products.
“Welcome!” said the shopkeeper. “Oh, who do we have here? Aren’t you the young master of House Hawke?”
I looked up to find a woman with the stocky build of a butcher, as was proper for someone who owned this kind of shop. She was eyeing Albert with a surprised look on her face. They didn’t seem like acquaintances, so I had to assume that she recognized Albert’s lineage from his features.
Albert nodded with a crooked smile, at which the woman grinned. “Thank you so much for coming today!”
Then she looked at me. Her eyes went wide for a moment, and she glanced back and forth between Albert and me several times before her smile returned to her face. “I see you’ve finally chosen a bride. Congratulations!”
Bride…? Congratulations? Gasp! She couldn’t have thought…
I was dumbfounded by the shopkeeper’s conclusion. My head snapped in Albert’s direction, and he locked eyes with me. I was sure I wasn’t imagining the faint glow on his cheeks, which made my own face start to warm as well.
We stood frozen for a moment, staring at each other. Then Albert recovered himself and cleared his throat.
“No, she is my…associate from the capital,” he tentatively explained with a bashful look. It didn’t have the intended effect.
“Oh my. Look at me, jumping to conclusions. I’m so sorry about that.” The lady nodded complacently, though she didn’t sound at all sorry for her misstep.
I really wanted to ask why she would make that kind of assumption, but now that Albert had denied it, I couldn’t.
My heart was beating a bit faster than normal. I supposed I was anxious or something, but I slapped a stiff smile on my face so no one would notice.
The shopkeeper then eyed me again. I straightened my posture out of fear of what she might blurt out next, but she wore a different, more apologetic expression as she said, “I’m sorry to you as well, Miss.”
“It’s all right. Please, don’t worry about it.”
“My thanks. So, what are you here for today?”
“We heard about your dried sausages.”
“Dried sausages, is it?” The shopkeeper pointed at her wares. “We have two kinds for sale.”
I was pretty sure we had been served only one flavor the night before, so it was wonderful to hear that she had more varieties available. Neither were flavors I had been able to try, and I was interested in both.
“What flavors did you say they were?”
“This variety is seasoned with salt using a traditional recipe. The other one is a newer recipe that uses herbs.”
A new recipe, was it? When I asked how new, the shopkeeper admitted that they had begun selling it only recently. It wasn’t the one we had tried yesterday either. That being said, it was made with herbs. I couldn’t help but suspect that it was a certain someone’s influence that had inspired the creation of this new sausage.
I had heard similar things many times while I traveled across the kingdom to purify black swamps. Usually, it was something like, “I was inspired by rumors that food seasoned with herbs is popular in the royal capital, so I started adding herbs to an old, familiar dish myself.”
I got a faraway look in my eye as I wondered if the same thing had happened here. I was curious, so I summoned my courage to ask her myself: “Herbs?”
“Yup. I heard that folks all over the place have started making food with herbs.”
“All over the place?”
“All over! Everyone’s been raving about dishes that use herbs to season their region’s local specialties. So we decided to give it a shot as well.”
“Oh, uh, I see.”
Huh. This was unexpected. It sounded like she might have combined a couple of my past exploits on her own. I gave her a puzzled look as I thought this over.
I had kicked off both of these trends: dishes seasoned with herbs and dishes made featuring ingredients for which a particular region was known. The herb part was a little obvious, but the local specialties had been popularized after a party I hosted at the royal capital—a food festival, to be precise.
The party had been a big hit with the nobility, and after that, the dishes served at the party had been recreated in other domains. However, it seemed that the rumors had, at some point, gotten jumbled. Now people were saying that the popular thing was dishes seasoned with herbs and made with local specialties.
Well, I certainly had yet to hear about that… In any case, sausages seasoned with herbs?
As an employee at the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora, it went without saying that I was curious. When I thought of herbs that could be added to sausages—and I didn’t mean this as a joke—perhaps she was talking about sage? Sage had been used so often in the world I came from that people there had said that sausage was a compound combining words for “pork” and “sage.” That didn’t necessarily apply in this world. They hadn’t traditionally used herbs to flavor food, so it was more likely that she had used a completely different seasoning.
I really wanted to know which ones she’d used in the sausages, but I was too shy to ask. I had a feeling it would be a company secret or something.
But since we’re here and all, I’ll just buy some and figure it out myself when we get home. Although I’m not entirely confident that I can discern a subtle herbal flavor like that, I thought.
I was just about to place my order when the woman’s eyes widened at the sight of something behind me.
What’s up now? I wondered as I looked back. I saw a thickset man walking our way, carrying cargo. Her husband, maybe? “Um?”
As I looked between the two, the shopkeeper gave me a sheepish smile. “Oh, my apologies. This is my husband.”
That tracked.
“Welcome.” The shopkeeper’s husband gave us a taciturn greeting.
I replied with a slight bow of my head. “Hello. We’re here to peruse your wares.”
The shopkeeper’s husband wasn’t that tall, but he was so well built that I would have believed it if someone said he was a soldier. The lower half of his face was covered by an ample beard, and his big, wide eyes left quite the impression. He gave off an intimidating air, but the goods he carried in his thick, burly arms dampened the impression.
The shopkeeper’s husband was cradling a jute bag filled with all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Ingredients for dinner, perhaps?
I was staring without realizing it, which made the shopkeeper smile, amused. It turned out that her husband had brought ingredients so they could develop new products. After using herbs to make dried sausages, their eyes had been opened to the prospect of new flavors, so they had been experimenting daily to see what else they could incorporate into their sausages.
Usually, her husband worked on making their products and never wandered around the market, but he was here today to search out new ingredients.
That made sense. I nodded as I listened to her, until she started speaking with her husband about Albert and me. Upon hearing that Albert was the son of Lord Hawke, her husband quickly bowed. Then, when he heard that we were visiting from the royal capital, he leaned forward to ask, “From the capital, eh? Have you had a chance to eat one of those new herby dishes?”
“I only get to enjoy them once in a while,” Albert answered.
“I eat them rather frequently,” I confessed.
“Ooh! As it turns out, I just devised some sausages with herbs.”
“We heard as much from your wife and were thinking about buying some to take home.”
“Is that so? Then maybe you wouldn’t mind trying them here and telling us what you think?”
Apparently, his herb-seasoned sausages were well received. However, the people who had tried them had never eaten other herb-seasoned dishes before, so they mostly praised him for his originality. They also said that they liked the flavor, but he wanted the opinion of someone who was already familiar with the famed herb dishes from the capital. Et voila, here we were. He grinned broadly as we confirmed our familiarity.
I’m not sure if I’ll have anything useful to say, but there’s no harm in giving my opinion, right? I could send him a letter with my thoughts via the people who worked at the estate—I hoped they wouldn’t mind the trouble. I agreed with a smile on my face. “I don’t mind at all.”
The husband thanked me happily. “So kind! I’ve got some other questions for you as well, if you don’t mind.”
“Dearie!” The shopkeeper stopped him before he could continue. “Wouldn’t it be better to speak over a table at an inn instead of in front of our shop? Besides, I’m guessing you two have things you need to do, right?”
We didn’t have any plans in particular, but the shopkeeper had a point. We would block other customers if we kept talking in front of their shop, so if we wanted to continue this conversation, it would be best if we did so elsewhere.
The shopkeeper’s husband reached the same conclusion. “Y-yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“If you don’t mind, m’lord, could you spare a bit of your time?”
We paused to consider his request.
As for me, I was super interested to know what kind of herbs he’d been using. Had he used only one or had he added multiple? I still had a feeling it would be a trade secret, so I probably couldn’t ask which herbs he had used, but I did want to learn as much as I could based on what he was willing to discuss. It seemed like a good opportunity, one where I could get him to answer some of my questions in exchange for answering his. However, I would feel awful accepting when it would mean dragging Albert along.
Maybe I should say no? I looked at Albert, wanting to know his thoughts.
Albert smiled as he met my gaze. “What would you like to do?”
“I would appreciate being able to discuss the sausages for a little while, if that’s fine with you, Lord Hawke.”
“All right. Let’s go,” he readily gave his agreement.
“Are you sure?” I asked again, just to confirm he was okay with following along with my whims.
His smile deepened. “Of course.”
“Thank you!” I smiled as well, letting my delight shine through.
I turned back to the shopkeeper’s husband, who was also pleased to hear Albert’s consent. He hadn’t even needed persuading.
And so, with Albert’s approval, we all headed to the inn where the shopkeeper and her husband were staying.
***
Along the way, we talked a bit with the sausage artisan and his wife. We learned that the sausage-maker’s name was Gerulf and that he and his family lived halfway up a nearby mountain, where they honed their craft. They had set up shop there because the mountainside had the perfect climate for sausage-making and the like. They sold most of their wares at the village at the foot of the mountain, but they also brought some of it to the domain’s capital city, where they sold to Lord Hawke’s estate and at the market.
I suspected that they brought their wares to market whenever they sold to the lord’s estate. It seemed sausages were popular not only with Lord Hawke’s family but with the locals as well.
However, Gerulf was enthusiastic when it came to his trade and didn’t want to settle for mere popularity. He was devoted to coming up with new and delicious recipes. He’d definitely been excited to hear about the new trends in the capital. Ever since, he had tried to make sausages with herbs, and the flavors he had devised had been unprecedented. He was on fire, developing new products one after another.
I listened to him tell his story as we walked, and we arrived at our destination in no time at all. The inn where Gerulf and his wife were staying was two streets and three blocks down from the market. There were other inns and restaurants nearby, so it was a lively area. A reception desk lay right past the door, and beyond that was the dining hall. This design was pretty typical for Salutanian inns.
Gerulf guided us to the dining hall, and we settled at an open table. A man who looked like the innkeeper emerged from the kitchen in the back. He gave us a quizzical look, but then an expression of amazement crossed his face as he recognized Albert. He quickly bowed. Even here, people could identify Albert by his features.
After Albert gave the innkeeper a calm nod, the man turned to Gerulf. “So, uh, what exactly is your business here?”
“Apologies, but I need to borrow your dining hall for a bit.”
“Now I don’t mind, but—”
“I want them to try my sausages.”
Gerulf and the innkeeper seemed to be on friendly terms, so I could only assume that Gerulf stayed here often.
“They new customers?”
“No, they’re visiting from the royal capital. They say they’ve eaten herb-seasoned dishes before, so I’m after their opinions.”
“You mean for your new sausages, eh?”
“Yup, got it in one.”
We had come here to talk, but now the event had become a sausage-tasting. Once they finished their conversation, the innkeeper returned to the kitchen. When he came back out, he was holding a platter with a pile of thinly sliced dried sausages. “This good?”
“Yup. Thanks for the help. Now, m’lord and m’lady, please take a bite.”
At Gerulf’s urging, Albert and I exchanged a look.
“Let’s have a bite, then.” Albert was the first to dig in. After a bit of chewing, he looked at me and nodded.
I indulged in a munch as well. “Thanks for letting us try them.”
As I bit down, a familiar yet fleeting flavor filled my mouth.
What flavor is this again? I wondered, but it was gone before I could figure it out. I took another slice to try, but I had grown used to the taste and couldn’t detect it again. Uh, hmm. I’m at a loss here…
“What do you think of it?” Gerulf asked with a serious look as I finished my second slice.
“I think it’s excellent,” said Albert. “The flavor when you first put it in your mouth is refreshing.”
“Yes, I agree, though I think it would be better if the flavor lasted longer,” I added.
Gerulf leaned forward. “What?”
Gerulf’s intensity made me tentative to explain myself. “Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that my tongue got used to the flavor right away, so I couldn’t really taste it after a moment.”
“You’re saying the flavor would be better if it were stronger?”
“Uh, yes. Maybe even just a little bit?”
“I see!”
I was afraid Gerulf might take offense, but he didn’t. It seemed he agreed with my opinion that the flavor could use some punch.
Gerulf explained that he preferred it a bit stronger himself. However, he had used a lesser number of herbs because he figured only a few people were used to the flavor profile. He was right that many herbs had their own peculiar taste, some of which might repel those who weren’t accustomed to them. The dried herb-sausages they had brought to market this time were mainly a test run to see how people reacted, so I agreed they were right to start cautious. With so few people familiar with the taste of herbs, it was safer to go with a lighter hand.
“If only we could adjust the strength of the flavor,” Gerulf said.
“Adjust it?”
I’d been thinking it would be a good idea to sell mild and strongly flavored sausages separately, but Gerulf didn’t seem inclined to simply offer different types. Although it would be nice if he could tweak the flavor to people’s individual preferences, he couldn’t just instantly knead more herbs into the sausages or anything.
While I was mulling over how to make it work, Albert offered a great suggestion. “What if you added the herbs later, like with salt?”
“Add it later…? Oh!” I found myself thinking about ham sprinkled with black pepper. Perhaps they could sprinkle the herbs on the exterior of the dried sausages just like they did with ham?
“You mean that we could flavor the sausage casing rather than knead the herbs into the meat?” Gerulf asked.
“Yeah! Then people who like a strong herbal flavor could eat it as is while those who prefer only the sausage could just peel off the casing,” I said.
“That could certainly work. What a good idea!” Gerulf’s eyes went round as if he had seen the light.
Albert looked as impressed as the innkeeper, who had remained behind to listen to our conversation. Seasoning the casing of ham and sausages wasn’t really a thing in this world yet, so everyone looked awed—and to be fair, to them it was a completely brand-new idea.
“I’d like to try making this immediately, but there’s one more thing I’d like to ask,” said Gerulf. “I hope that’s all right.”
“What would that be?”
At my urging, Gerulf began to explain. He wanted to ask more about herbs. In fact, this was what he had been hoping to pick our brains about back at his shop. He wanted to know what kind of herbs were used in the capital’s dishes. While many people had heard stuff about how herbs and local specialties were all the rage, few knew the specifics of what herbs were actually used in those dishes.
“All kinds,” I said. “But mainly basil, dill, marjoram, oregano, rosemary…”
“Whoa, hold on a second! You can use that many?!” Gerulf interrupted, though I personally didn’t think that I had listed a ton.
He protested that he wouldn’t be able to remember them all, so I focused on telling him which ones went best with meats. There were a whole bunch even when I kept it to just those, so I wound up writing them down for him.
“Do I have any of the herbs you mentioned among these?” Gerulf started unpacking his bag, taking out the things he had purchased that morning. I’d thought the only things he had in there were vegetables and fruits, but he also had herbs and cheeses. He must have just bought whatever caught his eye, because there were some herbs that you couldn’t use for culinary endeavors.
“This is rosemary, and this is basil. And the ones I put aside shouldn’t be used for cooking.”
“So some herbs aren’t edible? Thanks. Guess I’ll go buy the ones I’m missin’.”
I found myself giving him some other tips as well. “If you do, it’d be best to find ones that have been dried. They’re easier to store.”
“Oh! That so? Then I’ll be sure to do that.”
“I also recommend trying to mix the ones I’ve grouped in the notes. You’ll get more intricate flavors.”
Gerulf stopped and stared at me. “You sure know a lot about herbs, Miss.”
Oops. It looked like I had said too much. When I thought about it, ordinary people weren’t exactly well informed about herbs. It was only natural that he’d get suspicious.
Just as I was about to try to explain myself, Albert stepped in to answer, “She’s addicted to herbal dishes.”
Huh? Why? I looked at him in surprise to find him wearing an expression unlike any I’d ever seen on him. Oh, I knew that look. My etiquette instructor had showed me how to wear it. It was the enigmatic smile you were supposed to put on when you didn’t want your conversation partner to realize what you were actually thinking.
“Really?” said Gerulf.
“I’m afraid so. It’s so bad that whenever we’re on an expedition and rest somewhere new, she runs around trying every herbal dish she can find.”
Albert glanced at me, so I rushed to back him up. “Y-yup. That’s right.”
Just how badly had I given myself away? Was Albert afraid that Gerulf might figure out I was the Saint? To be fair, Albert had told the shopkeeper that I was an associate from the royal capital, so maybe he was just trying to keep the story straight. If that was case, it would have been pretty problematic if I had blurted out that I worked for the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora.
Thanks for helping me maintain my cover!
“I’m so happy that I got to eat these new herb-seasoned foods,” I said. “Your dried sausages were all absolutely delicious regardless of whether they had herbs.”
“My thanks. Oh, I know, since you were kind enough to help me out and all, I’ll send you the first test batch of new sausages I develop. I’d love to hear what you think of them.”
“Th-thank you! I’ll be sure to let you know.”
What an unexpected stroke of luck! I hadn’t foreseen him making that offer. Maybe he would even send me dried sausages with herbs sprinkled on the casing. I was really curious to see how they turned out, so I was very pleased when he offered to have them delivered to me.
Making dried sausages was an involved process, so it would take some time before they were ready. We would be staying in Hawke’s Domain for a bit longer, but we would likely be on our way to the royal capital by the time they were ready. Thus we told him to ship the sausages to Albert’s residence there. I was already looking forward to their arrival.
After chatting for a bit longer about other good sausage ingredients, we said our farewells to Gerulf.
I was grinning from ear to ear on our way home as I dreamed about the sausages in our future. Albert suggested we try them together when they arrived. He was also curious to see how they came out.
Discussing our opinions on the new sausages sounded like a ton of fun to me. So, of course, I gave him a delighted yes.
***
A few months after we returned to the royal capital from Hawke’s Domain, we received a letter from Gerulf along with even more dried sausages than we had anticipated. I thought it strange that they had been delivered directly to the institute and not to Albert’s home, but it made sense after I read the letter.
Gerulf had discovered my true identity as the Saint. He had learned the truth when he went to sell his dried sausages at Lord Hawke’s estate. Lord Hawke had summoned him to inquire about his new sausage varieties. Gerulf had been surprised that Lord Hawke knew about them, and that was when the lord learned, to his horror, that the Saint herself had inspired Gerulf.
Lord Hawke had ordered Gerulf to tell no one that I had helped him, so Gerulf had written this letter to thank me.
Oh yeah, I remember that when we returned to the manor, Lord Hawke asked me what I thought of the city and I mentioned the sausages. Albert had been so careful not to let anyone know my identity, and I managed to sabotage all that effort. Sorry, Albert…
I lapsed into self-reproach and apologized to Albert the next time I saw him, but he apologized to me in turn. Albert had received a letter from his father notifying him about the affair. He wanted to express his condolences for his own contribution to the incident.
At the time, Albert had feared Gerulf would sell his new sausages with my face attached to them, which was why he had taken pains to separate me from my identity. He was trying to prevent me from becoming a poster girl without my knowledge.
However, while one could say that I had helped, all I had done was give Gerulf ideas. Gerulf was the one who’d actually made the sausages. If he had associated them with me, I would have felt like I was stealing his work, which would have been awful. As such, I was thankful that Albert had been so considerate.
It seemed that Lord Hawke had picked up on his son’s consideration as well. The proof lay in that he had instructed Gerulf to keep my involvement a secret.
When the dried sausages did go on sale, no one mentioned the Saint’s involvement. Ultimately, those dried sausages sprinkled with herbs were incredibly delicious. Just as we hoped, people were able to adjust the flavor to their liking, and they were so popular that even people far from Hawke’s Domain ordered them.
In the end, Hawke’s Domain gained another local specialty.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login