Linda walked along, exhaling cold white puffs of air. “Are you all right, Lady Aisha? Aren’t you cold?” she asked the young lady, who walked next to her with her butler.
It was autumn, and the Empire was in the Eastern Continent’s northern region, which meant the weather was rather cold. For someone who lived in the Sand Nation, which was hot all year long, it would be uncomfortable.
Aisha shrugged in her white fur coat. “I’m fine. I’ve lived here over a year now, so I’m quite used to it.” She was in fact used to the walk in all weather, as she’d spent the year visiting their destination time and time again.
They reached the narrow alleyway. Slightly relieved to see the black door standing closed (and not currently in use by the halflings), Aisha turned to Linda. “We’ve arrived.”
Linda couldn’t help staring at the mysterious door in the middle of the alley. “Why is there a door there?”
“Let’s be on our way. First, before I explain what’d be best, I’d like you to try the recipes.”
Alfred opened the door for the women, and Aisha took Linda’s hand and passed through. The gentle sound of the restaurant’s bell filled the air as the trio entered, and the door shut behind them.
Entering the room, Linda felt the air around her grow warm. She turned, looking at the monsters and humans sitting around eating meals. “Um…Lady Aisha, where are we?”
“A diner, of course. Of the otherworldly sort.”
“O-otherworldly sort?”
“Correct.” Aisha smiled, recalling when she’d first brought her father here. “This restaurant exists in a world entirely different from our own. I’d like you to try their food to help you choose what to cook for the prince.”
As the pair conversed, the waitress noticed their arrival and greeted them. “Welcome to Western Cuisine Nekoya. I’ll seat you. Would you like me to take your coats?” The two wore heavy winter jackets not suited to dining.
“That’d be lovely,” Aisha replied.
“Right. Of course.” Finding herself quietly surprised, Linda handed the waitress her coat. Judging from the black horns coming out of the girl’s shining blonde hair, she was certainly a demon. You don’t see such clean, pretty demons often. Not even in their own capital.
For a time, on her mother’s orders, Linda had traveled through most of the Eastern Continent’s major cities. From that experience, she knew the girl in front of her was extremely atypical.
Seeing demon folk in the Empire wasn’t particularly rare; they’d helped pave the way for the nation long, long ago. In fact, the demon king’s bloodline ruled the nation’s second-largest city in the Emperor’s stead. More demons than humans lived in that demonic capital. Still, this was the first time Linda ever saw a demon girl as well-kept and tidy as the blue bloods of the royal capital.
Her clothes…they’re odd. Still, the fabric quality’s almost too good. Indeed, the waitress wore a rather mysterious outfit, its design far removed from what Linda was familiar with. If Aisha was to be believed, the clothes were from another world.
The clothes looked so fine, you’d be forgiven for thinking them brand new. They were seemingly made from excellent cotton, and the cloth was skillfully sewn, the seams so neat and even that it was actually unnatural. The apparel would normally cost a commoner at least a year’s pay, yet here was this demon waitress wearing it.
“Come right this way,” said the waitress.
Thinking that the restaurant’s master must be quite eccentric, Linda followed Aisha to their table and sat down. Next to them, what looked like a young noblewoman from the Sand Nation was waiting for someone. She was drinking a cup of what appeared to be cafa, a black tea citizens of the Sand Nation enjoyed. Some kind of white stuff floated in it.
“Would you like me to bring menus?” the waitress asked.
“No, it’s fine. I think I have my heart set on shrimp doria today. Could I get three servings, please? Oh—and we might order more later, just to let you know.” Aisha quickly finished ordering while Linda was still stuck in thought. There was no way Linda could’ve been familiar with the cuisine at the restaurant, let alone the otherworldly dishes the crown prince would want prepared.
“Wonderful. I’ll be right back.” The waitress retreated to the back—where the kitchen presumably was—to delivered Aisha’s order.
“So, is shrimp doria a rice dish?” Linda asked. She’d been asked to make a dish using rice, so—connecting the dots—it seemed likely that being invited here meant the restaurant served such a dish.
Aisha nodded in response. “Mm-hmm. It’s also a recipe that I believe you should be able to make well, although it’s not served in the imperial capital.”
The pair exchanged casual chitchat until the waitress returned with their food. “Sorry for the wait. Here’s your shrimp doria.”
She placed the food carefully on the table before them; it was clear she’d been doing this for a while. It was also obvious that the shrimp doria, which sizzled on its thick ceramic platter, was fresh out of the oven. Beneath its toasted brown surface, slightly golden white things hid something pink.
Wait…could that be cheese and knight sauce? Knight sauce was the very reason the Alfade Company had been able to build its current wealth. It paired well with the Empire’s omnipresent cobbler’s tubers, so the sauce was linked strongly to the success of the company’s imperial branch. Knight sauce had spread throughout the Empire, but the Alfade Company was still the very best at utilizing it; it seemed clear that this was why they’d been chosen to prepare meals for the crown prince. We could most definitely handle this dish.
Quickly identifying every ingredient but the pink blobs, Linda took a bite—and was rendered speechless. No way! What the…?
The flavor was half what she’d anticipated, while at the same time greatly surpassing her expectations. Atop the aromatic melted cheese and slightly sweet knight sauce lay a bed of the same type of breadcrumbs used for croquettes in the Empire, producing a toasty scent. Then there was the thin layer of soft rice spread on the bottom of the dish. Each bite brought out the doria’s sweetness; it was delicious.
So far, so good—but another ingredient staggered Linda. Is this shripe?!
She impulsively turned toward Aisha, who replied without blinking. “I believe you possess the ability to transport fresh shripe without it rotting, don’t you?”
Suddenly, Linda understood why the Sand Nation’s ambassador had approached the Alfade Company. Shripe was a sea creature that spoiled quickly. When it did, it didn’t just smell rancid, it made one sick. Thus, it was rarely available inland. At the same time, shripe was delectable, so the commoners and nobility living in port towns enjoyed it daily.
Now I see. They want us to transport shripe here.
✦ ✦ ✦
The Alfade Company did possess the means to transport shripe to the Empire’s capital, which was in the center of the continent. They’d have to hire mages proficient at preservation magic, which would cost a pretty penny. If the company used the connections it had built after expanding in the Kingdom’s capital city, however, that was doable.
We could always make this recipe without shripe… No, that wouldn’t work. Without shripe, this wouldn’t be shrimp doria.
Once she discovered the shripe’s presence, Linda realized it was the star of the dish. You could even describe the small pink shripe itself as a bundle of concentrated umami. With every bite, Linda’s teeth dug through shripe meat, producing juices full of its savory flavor, which paired perfectly with the knight sauce’s gentle sweetness. Combined, the shripe and knight sauce were truly worthy of being called a feast.
The rice had absorbed the knight sauce and shripe’s flavor, making it rich and oozy. Each bite into the rice, like the meat, produced delicious juices. When all four ingredients entered your mouth—the rice, shripe, knight sauce, and cheese—the shrimp doria was a complete experience.
Every mouthful of doria warmed Linda’s body. To her, meals were the one time of day when she could forget her job and simply focus on the flavors enveloping her. After finishing her portion, she sighed heartily.
“How was it?”
“It was exquisite. Extremely.” Once she’d expressed her simple first impression, Linda’s face hardened. “I’d like to bring my chefs here. Is that all right?”
According to the Alfade Company’s intelligence, an inn in a small border nation served a dish similar to shrimp doria. If so, there was no way the Alfade Company’s chefs couldn’t prepare it as well. On top of that, Linda was curious about the other dishes the restaurant served. If everything was as delicious as the doria, she couldn’t afford not to experience it all.
In response to Linda’s bold request, Aisha stated her conditions unabashedly. “As long as you bring me and Alfred along with you, too.”