“Aye, that’s one order of fried shrimp coming up! Would you like bread with that?”
“S-sure.”
The master confirmed Heinrich’s order with him like it was no big deal and returned to the back.
“Is he really going to serve me shripe?” Heinrich wasn’t convinced as he took a sip of the water in front of him. He let out a sigh of satisfaction. “It’s delicious…”
The cold glass of ice water was by no means sweet, but its fruit-tinged, refreshing coolness washed over Heinrich’s dehydrated body.
More importantly, how can there be ice in a place like this?
Heinrich had asked himself this and a whole assortment of questions since arriving at the restaurant, but as of that moment, his hands wouldn’t stop moving. He drank from his cup of water, reached over to the gold pitcher, and poured himself another glass. Heinrich repeated this process three times, the ice cold water quenching his thirst and re-energizing his tired body, eventually filling his stomach. He finally took a moment to catch his breath.
“Hmph, this is quite cozy.”
Next, he went to wipe his sweat with the white cloth the master brought over earlier. The hand towel was folded in a way as he’d never seen before. It was unclear whether it’d been soaked in hot water and then wrung dry, but it felt absolutely wonderful.
Heinrich wiped his hands, his face, and then his neck. By the time all three towels the master left him had turned black from dirt, he was finally clean as a whistle.
“Aye, sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s your order of fried shrimp. I recommend putting some of this special tartar sauce on it as well.”
Just as Heinrich finally readied himself, the master came out with food in hand. On top of the white plate were some thinly sliced vegetables and a small red fruit. Off to the side was a small cup filled with a white sauce-like substance with green flecks.
But above all else were the light brown objects sitting atop the plate, their red tails poking out from beneath the breading. This was supposedly the shripe, or as the master called it, “fried shrimp.”
“Take your time and enjoy! Oh, bread and soup have free refills, so holler if you want some more.”
“Mmhm.”
Henrich barely heard a word the master said as he swallowed down the saliva flooding his mouth.
This is supposed to be shripe?
It looked nothing like the shripe he was familiar with. First and foremost, its form was too straight. Normally, regardless of how one cooked shripe, the moment it was run over flames, it would curl up. Sure, one could get it to straighten out if they put it on a skewer before cooking it, but this “fried shrimp” was different.
Here were three pieces of straight fried shrimp, their aroma wafting upward from the plate. Heinrich was no genius in the kitchen, which was why he had so much trouble comprehending what he was seeing.
It said in the explanation that these were coated in breadcrumbs and fried in oil…
Poking out from the bottom was a red tail that left little doubt that this fried shrimp was in fact shripe, even if the rest of the body was light brown.
At first glance, Heinrich had assumed that the coating was made of wheat flour dissolved in water, as was custom in the savage Empire, but the surface was too rough for that. As a knight of an old family, one that represented its town, Heinrich had tasted all kinds of foreign dishes. Yet this was completely new to him.
Whatever. I suppose I’ll take a bite.
He used his knife to cut a bit off the top, stabbed his fork into it, and brought it up to his mouth. Apparently, the master had cut the head off of the shripe and peeled away its shell before cooking it. Just under the layer of breading, the white meat of the sea creature peeked out from the cut he made.
Hm. It’s quite beautiful.
The contrast of the crisp breading with the fresh-looking white meat on the inside made Heinrich’s taste buds tingle as he finally took a bite.
“Oooh.”
The moment he swallowed, Heinrich let out a gasp. This was honest to goodness shripe. The juices that flowed forth from the white meat were fresher than any he had ever tasted in his hometown. That simple flavor combined with the crunchy breading, undoubtedly made from high quality oil and flour, to create pure bliss.
The breading crumbled with each subsequent bite of the shripe, making for a wondrous mouthfeel. There were no signs of the rotting smell that the creature had when it went bad. With each bite, more of the sea creature and its fresh, delicious juices and crunchy, light coating fell into his once-empty stomach.
Heinrich speedily finished eating the first piece of shripe, utterly entranced.
“Hm… Hm?”
After swallowing the tail in all of its aromatic glory, Heinrich was ready to move on to the second piece. It was then that he recalled the master’s words.
If I remember correctly, he said something about using this tartar sauce…
He looked at the small container holding the white sauce with the green flecks in it. This was assuredly the “tartar” sauce that the master referred to. The problem was whether or not applying this to the fried shrimp would actually be any good.
Still somewhat reluctant about the whole thing, Heinrich cut off the tip of the fried shrimp and dipped it into the white sauce. The green specks stood out in contrast.
It looks beautiful, but how does it taste?
Heinrich slowly brought the piece of shripe to his mouth and was immediately stunned.
What the… What is this?!
He had never tasted something like this before. The mysterious white sauce had a mellow flavor to it with just a hint of sourness. It was made of what Heinrich suspected were pickled vegetables and boiled eggs, along with just a dash of strong herbs.
The tartar sauce helped to bring out the flavor of the coated shripe, while the eggs and faint aroma of the herbs further transformed the taste into something even more complex.
This is unbelievable!
Heinrich felt a wave of regret wash over him. The fried shrimp he ate first was delicious, but it could not compare to the tartar sauce-infused delicacy he just devoured.
Just as he was coming to grips with this, his stomach growled loudly. How terrifying it all was. Despite having just put food into his stomach, it felt as though he had emptied it instead.
“Excuse me! Another plate!” Heinrich placed another order.
“Aye! Sounds like you really liked the fried shrimp.”
The master wore a smile on his face as he replied, almost as if his long years of experience had told him that one plate would not suffice. He immediately brought out a second helping of fried shrimp for Heinrich. In the end, Heinrich would devour a total of three plates of the delicious seafood, covered in tartar sauce. The killer combo of the fried shrimp and sour sauce, along with the excellent side dishes of white bread and soup mixed with oranie, other veggies, and meat began to fill his stomach. As a palate cleanser, Heinrich would occasionally take a bite of the fresh, leaf-like vegetables on the plate. Each bite of the thinly sliced greens came with a satisfying crunch. This strange vegetable tasted nothing like any plants found in the wilderness: it had a light sweetness to it and went surprisingly well with tartar sauce. In fact, Heinrich found that he could probably eat the combination forever.
Bread, soup, the vegetables, and the fried shrimp drenched in tartar sauce: there wasn’t a single loser amongst them. Heinrich had even forgotten that the Duchy was in danger during his time indulging in this feast.
“Oh God who rules the sea and water, I thank you for providing me with this incredible meal.” Heinrich ended his meal with a prayer to the powers that be. He stood from his seat hoping to ask the master for his recipe but soon looked as though he’d seen a ghost.
Blast it! I have no money!
Indeed, he had left his wallet at the fortress upon leaving for the castle.
This is bad.
Heinrich had just indulged in the most amazing of meals. It was worth at least one hundred silver coins, if not more. Heinrich would be willing to even offer up a gold coin should the master request as much. If he had had his wallet on him, he would have happily paid any fee asked of him. But unfortunately, his wallet was far, far away.
I can’t not pay him… Ah, I know!
He had totally forgotten about his original plan of requesting food and drink by force.
“Master! I’d like to settle my bill, but I need to ask a favor of you.” Heinrich called out to the middle-aged man.
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry to say I have no money! I want you to take this instead! When next I come, I promise that I will pay you in full! Please take this collateral until then!” Heinrich offered the master his family’s treasure, the sword made by a dwarf.
“Wha?! N-no, I can just put it on your tab.”
“That will not do! This is my way of showing my sincerity. Fear not! I swear I will come to this place again! I have urgent business and must leave now, but please feed me fried shrimp again when I return.”
Heinrich rushed to the door, leaving the master utterly befuddled by what just transpired.
“W-wait! Sir, the door only appears once every seven…”
“My apologies! I must hurry! The fate of the Duchy depends on it!” He dashed through the door, the master’s words bouncing off of his back as he left.
Heinrich’s feet felt light as a feather. The rest and the delicious fried shrimp had given him the energy he needed. He was no longer tired.
And so the knight arrived at the castle before dawn, alerting them to the approaching danger. Now aware of just how dire the situation was, the Duchy dispatched a host of soldiers to the fortress, and the day was saved. Heinrich, who had worked the hardest of all, was honored and rewarded.
Yet despite all of his gains, Heinrich was left stunned.
“This can’t be! It’s not here?!”
10 days after the mothmen were repelled, Heinrich once again visited the old cabin on the wildlands. What he found left him wide-eyed. The restaurant that he dined at that day was no longer there. The cabin was present, but there were no traces of any restaurant or even humans. In fact, it looked as though it had been abandoned years ago. The black door he saw on that day was also missing.
“Then what was it I saw that day?”
Heinrich was filled with questions. He knew for sure that it wasn’t a dream. The dwarf sword he’d given the master, worth hundreds of gold coins on the market, was gone.