Chapter 367 part 2
Here, we rewind the time a few hours before, just after sunrise, and move the location to a grassy field on the outskirts of the royal capital.
Against the backdrop of a majestic 20-meter-high wall surrounding the royal capital, dozens of horses were grazing peacefully.
『A Season’s Poetry.』
They were used to transport goods, but have long since been replaced by animal-type golems, thus livestock animals are rarely kept for anything other than as a source of food. Hence, this herd of horses is a wild one.
They visit the area around the royal capital, which is located in the south of the Ost continent, every year to overwinter, as grass grows even in winter.
「It should be around here.」
A large man wearing a hooded cloak astride a golem horse, looking at the figure in the distance spoke to himself. He lightly tugs on the reins to stop the golem horse and then nimbly dismounts from the saddle onto the grass.
He flips back his hood to reveal a well-groomed Kaizer Mustache and a robust jaw.
『Gourmet of Gold.』
This person is the knight commander of the Kingdom knight order who is called by that nickname, although the person himself doesn’t want to be referred to as such.
「Ohh there it is!」
The middle-aged man with a Kaizer Mustache squinted his eyes and took a step forward.
He takes a few steps, but not toward the horses. His eyes are directed downward, to the grass that stretches up to his knees.
「Let’s see…」
He puts his gloves in his pockets, bends his knees, and lowers his hips to reach out for something on the ground. What lies ahead is horse feces, but surprisingly, that wasn’t what the Gourmet of Gold is after, but the mushrooms that grow on it.
「Good, the shades haven’t opened yet.」
After removing the gloves, he gently pulls them off and goes to place them into a cloth bag that he takes down from the saddle. He then puts his fingers in his mouth to taste the miso paste that was attached when he was plucking it.
(It’s warm.)
He lowers the corners of his eyes and looks up at the sky, his tongue rolling around in his mouth as he thinks.
When mushrooms grow, it means that a certain number of days have passed since the horse dropped its feces. Therefore, this wasn’t caused by the horse’s body heat, but by fermentation.
(This sweet aroma lingering from my nose and the sour taste lingering on my tongue. If the host has this kind of taste, then the mushroom must taste good too!)
The knight commander, who loves gibier cuisine, hunts a variety of foods depending on the season.
『Why is the Gourmet of Gold looking for mushrooms instead of gold like usual?』
Some may think so. He was asked to do this, and he accepted because it was part of his morning walk.
Besides, he had his own agenda, too.
(There’s one over there too. They’re easy to spot in the morning because of the steam.)
After that, Kaizer Mustache wandered around the meadow in his cloak in a good mood and a cloth bag in his hand.
When the bag was full and couldn’t fit any more mushrooms, he returned to his golem horse, placed it in the saddle, and with a smooth and graceful manner, had it run toward the gates of the royal capital.
『Upper Town.』
After arriving in the royal capital, the knight commander with his hood lowered until eye level, headed for the northwestern part of the central square. This is the area where the wealthy commoners live, the next rank after the noble district located in the northeast.
Incidentally, Tauro’s house is in the downtown area to the southwest, and the Explosive Onee-san house is in the midtown area to the southeast.
「Oh, it’s you.」
At the back door of a certain store, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a serious atmosphere in white clothes and a brimless hat appeared through the door, which was opened in response to a code-like, complicated knock.
He has a slender figure, but rather than skinny, he gives the impression of being toned.
「I brought the items I promised.」
He took the bag that Kaizer Mustache handed him and rolled a few mushrooms from inside into his palm and stared at them.
He must have been satisfied with the items, because his cheeks loosened as he opened his mouth.
「As expected of a natural product, it’s on a different level from the cultivated ones.」
This is a well-known fine dining restaurant in the royal capital, and the man with a serious atmosphere is the owner and head chef. He knows that Kaizer Mustache is the Gourmet of Gold and he also knows what these mushrooms grew on.
『A restaurant visited by the Gourmet of Gold.』
The reason why the owner risks such rumors is because he can get high-quality products for certain ingredients.
「But, are you really okay giving this away for free?」
“You can get a lot of money if you sell these, you know?” At the man’s question, Kaizer Mustache shook his head.
「I don’t mind. I was going on a walk anyway and I hope that more people can enjoy its amazing taste.」
『The head chef’s cooking skills are recognized by Kaizer Mustache and he always prioritizes quality above anything else.』
It is probably the result of two people’s commitment to the subject meshing well together.
(It’s a taste grown solely on the nutrition of horse feces. Who knows, maybe there will eventually be someone who is interested not only in the mushrooms but also in the taste of the seedbed it grew on.)
Incidentally, this is Gourmet of Gold’s real objective. He wanted to broaden the scope of culinary.
『Talking to your comrade and sometimes researching the subject together.』
He had long since lost his comrades in the knight order on the battlefield and he was longing for another comrade from the bottom of his heart.
(…That’s right, why don’t we try to make people used to it by hearing the name first?)
Looking at the chef, who seems reluctant to accept the mushrooms for free, Kaizer mustache thinks for a moment and then opens his mouth.
「Then, in exchange, how about changing the name of the mushrooms on the menu to the official name?」
The common name for this mushroom is 『Prairie Mushroom 』. However, the official name is 『Horse Dung Mushroom』.
To give an example, 『Cream Pasta with Prairie Mushrooms』 should be changed to 『Cream Pasta with Horse Dung Mushrooms』.
「I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I still have an image to consider here.」
The chef said with a bitter expression on his face and Kaizer Mustache doesn’t seem to be too disappointed, though his eyebrows lowered in shame.
He probably didn’t have high expectations in the first place, but at least he wanted to try asking.
「In my opinion, the official name sounds more appetizing though.」
He continued to express his honest thoughts, but the sharp-eyed chef avoided answering by changing the subject.
「By the way, I heard that recently, there’s a new restaurant that uses better quality prairie mushrooms than this one.」
And it’s not a high-class restaurant, but a stall in the central square, to be specific.
When Kaizer Mustache heard this, his eyebrows wrinkled vertically. He had a certain amount of confidence in his ability to gather horse dung mushrooms.
(This should be an exclusive advanced product in that meadow. Is there a better place to get these? No, more importantly, it’s a food stall?)
He puts his hand on his chin and thinks, then turns his gaze back to ask.
「Didn’t you say it yourself, owner? That these are expensive. Isn’t it just a different species with a similar shape?」
But the owner/head chef shook his head with a stern look on his face. He had heard of the restaurant’s reputation, went there himself, and paid to taste it.
「The menu is not always there and it’s not always the same restaurant. But it’s always a stall.」
He wonders why they don’t distribute to high-class restaurants, specifically his own store. The words that followed made Kaizer Mustache tilt his head.
(I don’t get it. What does this mean?)
When he was trying to get his head around it, he heard a voice from inside the restaurant calling for the owner. It seems they needed him to confirm the preparation.
「It seems I’ve overstayed my welcome, so I’ll be off now.」
He tied the mouth of the bag and left the restaurant after pulling the hood over his head, while the owner wash his hands at the water fountain outside.
He kept thinking about what the owner said as he headed east to the headquarters of the knight order, located directly north of the central square of the royal capital, to go to work.
(Then I guess I Have to go check out that stall and see if it’s really delicious.)
The problem would be to avoid being identified as the Gourmet of Gold. He may need to disguise himself better. He decided to ponder about the disguise later and think about what could happen next.
(This person who provides the ingredients… perhaps a talented person who can become my comrade.)
The knight commander’s cheeks loosened as sweet breath from the mushroom seedbed escaped from his mouth.
Comment (0)