Klaus was the third prince of his nation. He’d been whisked away to the backwater countryside of another small country so that he wouldn’t get caught up in a succession war with his elder brothers.
Led by a family that could only be politely described as “of modest means,” Klaus stepped through an incongruous black door, finding himself in a mysterious space. The door’s bell rang, and the prince couldn’t help widening his eyes in shock. My word! To think this place really exists…!
There wasn’t any natural light, but the restaurant was brighter and warmer than the cottage Klaus had been in, which had its windows closed to prevent the cold from getting in. A number of tables and chairs were arranged inside, at which sat all manner of customers.
Although Klaus was born and raised in a small country, he’d been educated by an excellent tutor and a well-stocked library. He knew a fair amount about the world, yet the guests here still surprised him.
A lizardman, a lamia, imperial nobility… That’s a high priest of the Lord of Light. That’s an elf… What is this place
“Right this way, Lord Klaus.” The commoners in front of the prince encouraged him.
“All right.” Klaus sat politely at an open table. He was a tad surprised that the commoners sat with him. Considering that they’d saved his life, though, he understood—even at his young age. He decided not to say a word.
“Welcome to Western Cuisine Nekoya! May I take your order?” The demon waitress had brought expensive-looking glasses full of cold water.
The young lady’s horns surprised Klaus. The waitress here is a demon?! I heard they weren’t uncommon in the Empire, but… He somehow kept calm, nodding uncertainly at the commoner couple. “I don’t know what kind of food this restaurant offers. I’ll leave the ordering to you.”
“Five daily specials, please,” Ellen rapped out. Although it was the cheapest thing on Nekoya’s menu, even the daily special was delicious; it’d probably be fine for Klaus.
“Five daily specials. Today, we’re serving a foil-roasted fish called salmon. Is that all right?” the waitress asked. “Today is also Meat Day. What would you like to do for your soup?”
Klaus watched smiles come over the faces of the family when they heard the waitress’s words. Scrutinizing the excited children’s dimples and older couple’s grins, Klaus wondered, Did something special happen?
“We’ll all have pork soup, of course,” Ellen replied. “And bread.”
“As soon as possible, please!” Herman added.
“That’ll be right out.” The waitress nodded and went into the kitchen.
“What’s this ‘pork soup’?’” Klaus asked curiously.
The children answered, grinning.
“It’s a soup they only serve sometimes here! It’s got tons of meat and veggies.”
“We can eat as much as we want, so we always have a whole bunch!”
“I see. Then I look forward to this soup.” In his own way, Klaus was excited, though also a tad concerned. “Now then, what’s this foil-roasted fish?”
“No clue.”
“We’ve probably never eaten it, since it’s the daily special.”
“Oh…?”
The waitress eventually came back with their food in hand. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” She didn’t realize how nervous Klaus felt. “Here’s today’s special: foil-roasted salmon, bread, and pork soup.”
She set the family’s food on their table. The dark soup’s fatty pork and seemingly endless vegetables looked overwhelming. The bread reflected the ceiling lights off its shiny top; it had clearly just been baked. Arranged on the pure-white plate in front of Klaus were slices of yellow fruit and a silver ball. Klaus found it all very mysterious.
“This silver stuff isn’t edible. Please peel it off before eating,” the waitress kindly explained, beginning to pull off the silver. The material was thin and papery; it looked easy to remove. “Oh—the master said that either lemon juice or soy sauce pair well with foil-roasted salmon,” she added. “Give them a try, if you like. Take your time and enjoy!”
As the waitress pulled off the silver wrapper, the rich dairy scent of butter filled the air around Klaus. He gulped involuntarily. Inside the silver ball were shredded oranie and karoot. Atop those were mashruums and a slice of fish with pink flesh and silver skin—a type Klaus had never seen.
Klaus was quietly surprised by the fish, which looked altogether different from the river fish he was used to. Is that an ocean fish from this region…?
His nation was far from the sea, so ocean fish were an extreme luxury—especially those with red flesh, since their fattiness meant they spoiled quickly. Transporting those fish required magic, so even palace residents rarely got to eat them.
As they faced their plates of daily specials, the family clearly wanted to dig in but did their best to hold back so that their guest might eat first. Kai and Bona reached for their plates, only for their mother to swat their hands away.
Seeing this, Klaus collected himself. “Don’t mind me.”
He picked up his knife and fork, cutting a big piece of fish and putting a bite on his fork with some oranie. Golden butter dripped onto his plate as he raised his fork; the clean fish scent wafted to his nose. Enjoying the aroma, Klaus brought the bite to his mouth.
“Delicious,” he blurted.
The fatty fish was tasty and luscious, just as it had looked. It was neither overcooked nor raw; it had been roasted to perfection, allowing it to stay moist and tender. It lacked the putrid scent of fish on the verge of rot, yet its savory quality—underscored by the butter—differed from normal meat.
I never thought fish and butter would pair so well, Klaus mused. That’s thanks to the fat.
The salmon and butter contained different kinds of fat, but each enhanced the other. The butter’s slightly salty flavor made Klaus want to eat more, and the pink salmon satisfied that desire. The oranie, karoot, and mashruums cooked alongside the foil-roasted fish were delicious in their own right. Each had absorbed the essence of the fish and butter, giving them a wholly unique flavor.
I see—the side vegetables keep you from missing out on any of the salmon’s flavor! Klaus realized.
Having fully appreciated the plain salmon, he recalled the waitress’s instructions. Come to think of it, she said to eat this with lemon juice and soy sauce. “Lemon” must mean the yellow fruit slices; the soy sauce was likely in one of the bottles lined up on the table.
“Excuse me, which of these is soy sauce?” he asked the commoner family as they dug into their bread and soup.
“Ah…this blue bottle.” The only family member to respond was Ellen, but Klaus didn’t care in the slightest; he was also awestruck by the meal in front of them.
“Hrm.” He squeezed some juice from the lemon, then grabbed the blue bottle and gingerly poured some soy sauce onto the food. The black liquid that came out concerned the boy slightly. That doesn’t look particularly appetizing.
Nonetheless, he took a bite of the fish, and his eyes widened. Madness! These were necessary all along! The sour lemon made the salmon nice and tangy, and the salty black sauce brought its savory flavor out. If Klaus messed up how much of either condiment he added, the dish would likely suffer. As long as he was careful, however, they’d produce completely different but wonderful flavors.
“That was delightful.” Klaus sighed in satisfaction as he polished off the foil-roasted fish. In fact, he was so satisfied that he hadn’t yet touched the pork soup that came with salmon.
When he did reach out to sample it, he was once again stunned. How can this be?! This soup is incredible! It was full of vegetables and fatty pork enveloped by the unique scent of butter. The soup was so amazing that it completely measured up to the fish he’d thought incomparable moments ago.
Even the white bread was pillow soft, with a hint of sweetness. It was an out-of-this-world, delectable, truly top-quality loaf. This bread’s something else, too. How could someone possibly make a meal this good?! Klaus was so astonished by the soup and bread that he seemed to forget the commoner family’s presence.
Herman spoke up in a booming voice. “Seconds on bread and soup, please! I need some more,” he called to the waitress.
The rest of the family jumped in.
“Ah—me too!”
“Same!”
“Me as well!”
In a voice surely louder than proper for an aristocrat, Klaus also called, as if rushed by his companions’ requests. “M-me too, please!”
Despite being a bit far away, the waitress responded energetically. “Of course! Right away!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Klaus and the commoner family returned home and relaxed until one of Klaus’s guards finally stopped by and found him. The harried guard came in ready to draw his sword on the boy’s unfortunate rescuers; thankfully, Klaus’s intervention settled things without anyone getting hurt. As the prince prepared to return to his new home in town, he turned to the family once more.
“You have my gratitude, Herman, Ellen,” Klaus said.
“No, no. It was nothing.”
“No, absolutely nothing!”
He smiled at the couple as they prostrated themselves before him, then informed them of his intentions. “I’ll send a token of my thanks at a later date.”
Herman was astounded when—not long after—a beautiful, brand-new axe made its way into his hands.