Chapter 91

I have achieved the goal of 100 bookmarks!

To my surprise, I received my first review, and this weekend, the number of accesses to this obscure work of mine increased significantly, which initially left me wondering what was going on (laughs).

Let me take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read this, and those who have given me stars, bookmarks, likes, comments, and reviews. Thank you very much!

I will use this as motivation to update!

---

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the nostalgic air.

Of course, it's the first time I'm smelling this in this life, but I feel nostalgic because of my memories from my previous life.

---

The city of Koslaer, the capital of the Grauxs Marquisate, is located a day and a half by direct magic train northeast of the capital city of Runelelia.

From there, it takes another four days by relay carriage to the east.

Sorcoast, the second largest city in the Sardos Earl's territory, is a trading hub between the Barents Archipelago and the kingdom, exporting weapons and armor made from black tiger iron, among other things.

Upon arriving in this port town, I savored the smell of the sea, which I hadn't experienced in a long time.

---

After being introduced to an explorer's inn by the Explorer's Guild, I changed into light clothing and immediately set out into the city.

This leisurely solo trip has two purposes.

One is to see if I can get a sword, which is so expensive in the capital that counting the zeros is a chore, at a lower price in this trading hub.

However, this is just a side goal.

I continue to train with swords, but I don't feel particularly inconvenienced by my current combat style, which combines a bow and a dagger.

The main purpose of this trip is, bluntly, fish.

More specifically, fresh fish, meaning I want to eat delicious sushi and sashimi...

The capital has no decent fish dishes.

I have visited some famous seafood restaurants in the capital, but their level was disappointing to me, who had been accustomed to high-quality Edomae-style sushi.

Especially with fresh fish, there were some pseudo-sashimi dishes marinated in vinegar, but they were so poor that I didn't even want to comment on them.

One reason is probably the freshness issue.

The capital, located in the center of the kingdom, is quite far from the sea.

Although transportation has improved significantly with the advancement of magic technology, the culture of eating fresh fish has not taken root.

As a result, the market and the chefs' skills have not developed.

And when you can't eat something, you naturally want to eat it even more.

While there is rice, this country is primarily a bread-eating nation, and I want to eat at least sashimi, if not sushi.

---

One day, while I was musing, I noticed something.

The tsuyu (soy sauce-based broth) used in the soba shop I visit almost daily is blended with a refined fish stock and is eaten with chopsticks.

When I began to understand the capital's food culture, I noticed its uniqueness.

Chopsticks themselves are as popular as knives and forks on Earth, so they don't feel particularly strange, but the fact that they are so well-established suggests that there must be a region with a culture similar to Japan.

So, I asked the owner of the soba shop, a middle-aged man of medium build with a mysterious aura, about his origins.

The owner is from the Barents Archipelago, and the soba and tsuyu are the flavors of his hometown.

When I talked to him, he turned out to be surprisingly friendly, or rather, he found it amusing that a frugal student from the Royal Academy was obsessed with eating soba, and he shared a lot of information with me.

As expected, the Barents Archipelago has a culture similar to Japan, with not only sashimi but also island sushi, which is made by combining rice with fish marinated in tsuyu and served with wasabi.

However, there were two problems with going to the Barents Archipelago.

One is the long journey, and the other is the immigration process.

According to the owner, the Barents Archipelago, which is neutral and trades with major powers, including the Kingdom of Ygria, is unlikely to accept foreign tourists, especially in the current unstable political climate.

So, as a compromise, he recommended Sorcoast, a trading hub with the Barents Archipelago.

In Sorcoast, sashimi is simply seasoned with salt, but since I can get soy sauce in the capital, I brought my own this time.

Furthermore, I asked my senior, Rio, to help me obtain a spicy condiment similar to wasabi through the Penglai Trading Company, which I also brought with me.

All preparations are complete.

All that's left is to enjoy the sashimi.

---

Suppressing my eagerness, I stepped into the bustling area lined with restaurants along the harbor.

---

Twilight.

The early morning fishermen must have already finished their work, as the noise of drunk customers can be heard from the open-air restaurants lining the main street.

Although this is a leisurely solo trip where accidents are welcome, I want to find a good restaurant for the long-awaited sashimi.

I focused my magic on my nose to try to distinguish the smell of good sashimi amidst the unique fishy smell of the port town and the aroma of grilled dishes mixed with garlic and butter.

In my previous life, I used to search for good restaurants on gourmet websites on my smartphone, but that method is useless here.

I also heard that you can ask taxi drivers, but magic cars are still expensive, and even in the capital, shared rides are the norm.

In such a remote town, and in a world with body-strengthening magic, there's no way there would be city taxis.

Reluctantly, I decided to choose a restaurant based on the signs and atmosphere outside, relying on my intuition.

This place serves grilled shellfish... I'll come back later.

This place serves squid with butter... I'll come back later.

This place focuses on dried fish... I'll come back later.

This place has a fishy smell... Out of the question.

This is bad...

I've become too dependent on smartphone-based gourmet searches and can't rely on my intuition.

I even feel a kind of fear about entering a random restaurant based on the outside atmosphere.

Once I start to hesitate, even the most promising-looking restaurants and those with crowds of people seem to lack the decisive factor.

Feeling a bit anxious, I was walking back and forth on the main street when I discovered a simple but elegant and seemingly historic restaurant in a narrow alley, which reminded me of a sushi restaurant from my previous life.

No matter how many times I looked from the main street, there were no customers coming in or out of the restaurant.

But... it somehow caught my eye.

I trusted my intuition and entered the alley.

---

When I entered the restaurant, a tall, thin man with short, neatly cut hair stood behind the counter. There were no other customers or staff in the restaurant.

Hmm.

The possibility of this being a cheap and delicious restaurant is gone.

There is no magic device to disrupt the detection of magic in this restaurant.

Yet, the fact that no sound can be heard from inside already gave me an idea.

But it's been a long time since I've had sashimi.

Even if it's a bit expensive, I've decided to splurge today.

I closed the sliding door behind me.

The chef glared at me.

"You're an outsider, and a kid, too...

We charge a fair price here.

I'm not saying this to be mean, but you should go somewhere else."

Hmm?

From the chef's words, the possibility of this being a cheap and bad restaurant or a rip-off place is also gone.

What kind of dishes does this chef, who seems to be bad at business, serve?

But before that...

"I want to eat a dish made from fresh, raw fish.

Do you have it here?"

I asked the chef in plain language, not using formal speech, as I felt I wouldn't be recognized as a customer here unless I was treated as an equal.

"Che.

You're a cheeky kid.

We do have 'sashimi.'

But it's not something a kid like you can afford.

Besides, even if you were some rich kid with money, I wouldn't degrade myself by serving you and charging you a high price.

Now, get out!"

...This chef is more stubborn than I thought.

If a restaurant in my previous life had responded like this, it would have gone viral on the internet, but this is not a networked society, and I am not a troublemaker.

Most importantly, there is sashimi here, and there is a possibility that the chef is skilled, so I can't just leave.

I sat down at the counter without hesitation.

"I have some money, so tell me the price.

By the way, don't misunderstand, I'm the third son of a poor noble family, not a rich kid.

I earned the money myself as an explorer.

I'm ranked B.

I can show you my license if you need to."

The stubborn old man's eyebrows twitched at my words, but he shook his head.

"Don't just sit there.

Are you really an explorer ranked B?

If you're going to lie, at least make it a better one.

Forget it.

If you want to eat sashimi, go out to the main street, turn left, and walk about 200 meters to Yuki-tei.

The prices are high, but you should be able to get decent food there."

The stubborn old man shooed me away with his hand.

Decent food?

Telling me to compromise when I've come all the way from the capital to eat sashimi.

Decent food.

Heh heh heh.

I decided that I would absolutely eat sashimi at this restaurant.