Chapter 310: Since It's a Sea Town

A sea town. Ever since I heard those words, one thing had remained stuck in the corner of my mind.

That is, seafood.

“Sea fish! Tuna! Blue-backed fish! White-fleshed fish! Crabs! Shrimp!”

“V-Van-sama!?”

“What is the matter!?”

After parting ways with Rosso in the town of Tribute, the desires I had been suppressing exploded. Till and Khamsin cried out in surprise as Van-kun frantically looked left and right searching for a restaurant. Arte was just blinking her eyes in confusion.

“Fish? You eat river fish all the time, don’t you?”

Panamera said that looking puzzled, but I had to deny that notion.

“River fish and sea fish are completely different things. River fish, which are light yet full of umami, are great, but seafood like red meat, white meat, crustaceans, octopuses, and squids are also the best. Do you have any objections?”

“N-No, no objections… That’s some unusual intensity there, Boy.”

When I seriously conveyed the charm of seafood, Panamera widened her eyes and replied. I think honest Big Sister Panamera is cute.

“Khamsin. Sorry, but could you investigate if there are any restaurants nearby? Since Ortho-san and the others are here, I think you can gather information quickly.”

“Y-Yes!”

When I gave the instruction, Khamsin immediately switched gears and was about to run off. However, Arb and Law stopped him.

“Ah, if it’s restaurants, we know of them.”

“We only accompanied Marquis Fertio once when he visited here, though.”

I turned around at their words.

“Is there a delicious shop!?”

I asked the moment I turned around. Then, for some reason, Arb and Law took a step back and their faces twitched.

“P-Probably…”

“W-We’ve only eaten there once too, so…”

“Alright, let’s go!”

Their answers were vague. In that case, I’ll just have to verify it myself. If it’s delicious, I want to stay for a month.

“Wahahahaha! In that case, leave it to this Dee! I have visited this town three times and spent a total of over ten days here! I know of three shops where you can eat fish!”

“Ooh, as expected of Dee! Which shop do you recommend!?”

An incredibly reliable Dee appeared. I asked with my chest swelling with expectation. Then, Dee pointed to the back of the street, the center, and the front in order.

“The shop in the back has the largest portions, so it is recommended! The center one has small portions! The shop right here has so-so portions!”

“What about the taste!?”

“I do not know the difference! However, the shop in the back has such volume…”

“Thank you! I got it!”

That wasn’t very helpful. Dee was trying to offer various additional information, but it was probably just about how the quantity differed depending on the dish. I ignored him with momentum.

I glanced at Esparda, but he silently closed his eyes and shook his head left and right. It was a stylish ‘I don’t know’ appeal. I’ll take note of that.

While we were having that exchange, Targa finally spoke up.

“Lord Van, may I speak?”

“Targa-san! That’s right, we have a noble here!”

“Ah, no, well, I only received my peerage recently so… F-For now, fish such as Mulchi and Shira are the main ones in this town. If I recall, Mulchi is a white fish with a light taste, and Shira is a fatty red fish.”

“Ooh, that is incredibly useful information! Thank you, Targa-san!”

“N-No! I am happy if I could be of help!”

When I thanked him, Targa looked incredibly happy. Since he has a giant body like a wall of muscle, the gap is cute. This would surely delight ladies who love macho men. It doesn’t serve as a reference for me, though.

Organizing the information I obtained, I decided on the shop to visit.

“Alright, let’s go to the shop in the center. If the portions are small, we can try multiple dishes, and it’s just right for the first place.”

“Yes!”

“Seafood, I am looking forward to it.”

When I decided on the shop, Arte and Till immediately replied happily. On the other hand, Dee groaned with a difficult face.

“Mumu, the shop in the center? The portions are small, though…”

“You can order as many refills as you want.”

“Then it is fine! Wahahahaha!”

It seems Dee was convinced too. That’s good.

“It would be good if they have many types of fruit wine.”

“If I recall, since Tribute is a place that peddlers from two countries always pass through, I have heard that the variety of alcohol is abundant.”

“Hoh! That is something to look forward to! Do they have strong ones?”

As Esparda and Targa talked about alcohol, Panamera joined in and they started to get excited. Well, it’s good to have various things to look forward to.

While thinking about such things, we arrived at the shop and secured seats. Since the whole Chivalric Order couldn’t fit, the members of the Seatoh Village Chivalric Order and the Panamera Chivalric Order were given permission to eat and drink at whatever shops they liked. It might be temporary, but every eatery in this town is probably fully booked right now.

By the way, the prior information said it was a shop with small portions, but it was a high-class shop just as I had expected. I tried ordering every dish that caught my interest. Since Dee and Targa are here, they will surely polish off everything. I ordered with that in mind, but I widened my eyes when I saw the dishes that arrived.

Was it fifty centimeters in length? A thick red fish was steaming and sitting majestically in the center of the table. The scent was reminiscent of a sweet and salty taste, stimulating the appetite. However, it was huge.

Furthermore, there were fish dishes that looked like they had been deep-fried without batter, and boiled crustaceans. Since there are many regions that don’t eat crabs or shrimp, I am very grateful that they exist properly as cuisine here.

Above all, it was incredibly delicious. The seasoning was mostly simple, but the ingredients must be good. The sweet and salty grilled fish that didn’t lose out to the slightly strong seasoning. The deep-fried fish was seasoned with salt and spices that matched the taste of the white meat. And the crustaceans were a bit too big, but the meat was plump and delicious.

“…Maybe I should stay in Tribute for about a month.”

“You intend to keep His Majesty waiting, Boy? You sure are a big shot.”

I said it as a joke, but Panamera, who was enjoying the abundant variety of alcohol, said that in a good mood with a face that didn’t look like she minded at all.