Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Harbor Town and Bounties of the Sea

The next morning.

Yesterday was quite an ordeal. After lunch, everyone who showed interest in my knowledge bombarded me with questions, asking about magic as well. Before I knew it, it was already night.

I was really exhausted. I should want to take a day off today, but my excitement is building up.

Because today is the day we're going to the harbor town!!

I'm looking forward to the seafood. I wonder if I'll get to see the sea and ships after a long time? Are they still making salt?

With excitement, I finished my morning preparations.

Accompanying me to the harbor town are Lucian, Lord Frederic and Lord Richard, and Lady Catherine. It seems others prefer to relax at home. To think they won't have any of the seafood! Unthinkable as a Japanese person.

Roger, too, looks his usual expressionless self at first glance, but his face seems more relaxed, and you can tell he's looking forward to the sea.

"Roger, we can finally go to the sea."

"Yes. I'm glad to serve Lord Leon!"

Roger's eyes are sparkling to the point where you might wonder what happened to his usual lack of expression.

Even if he says it's because he can go to the sea, it's the same no matter who he serves! I guess the sea has won over me. I'm feeling a bit down...

As if understanding why I'm feeling down, Roger looks slightly flustered. It's rare to see Roger flustered.

"Um, well, serving Lord Leon is very enjoyable. Lord Leon considers the servants well, expresses gratitude, and it's very rewarding. Furthermore, being able to go to the sea, I'm grateful to serve Lord Leon."

Did Roger really think that way? I felt quite happy. Well, the last part is about the sea, but... let's pretend I didn't hear that.

"I'm glad you think that way, Roger. Let's continue to work well together."

"Yes. I will continue to serve sincerely."

"Shall we get going soon?"

"It seems that way. Let's go."

And so, Roger and I headed to the reception room next to the entrance hall of the mansion. I was the first to arrive, but soon all five of us gathered. Richard was the last.

"Everyone's here. Shall we go?"

We rode in a carriage to the harbor town. It seems it takes about three hours by carriage to get there. Since it's difficult to make a round trip in a day, we're staying overnight in the harbor town.

"Is that harbor town a big city?"

"Well... it's not that big, but it's lively. Most of the people there make salt or fish, so there are a lot of rugged men. Since they do physical labor and eat a lot, there are plenty of eateries."

Richard answered my question. I see, so it's that kind of place. It feels like a craftsman's town.

"Do the people in that town eat seafood?"

"Yes, they eat it every day. However, those who live inland don't know how delicious it is, so they don't think of buying or coming to eat it. That's why it's rarely sold to other towns. Dried fish can be sold far away, but since there's no demand, it doesn't sell."

Certainly, dried fish would sell. It's really delicious, but it's a waste. People would realize its taste if they just tried it, but I wonder if it looks unappetizing to those who see it for the first time?

Indeed, even on Earth, in areas where people don't eat seafood, it was said that the appearance was unappealing. I think if they try it, they'll realize how delicious it is.

"If the seafood from the harbor town were to sell in other towns, the town would develop significantly, wouldn't it?"

"I tried that once when I was a duke, but even when I took dried fish to the capital, it didn't become very popular."

Is that so? But I wonder why... Even if people tried it, I think there would be those who would love it.

"If people tried it, were there no one who became fond of dried fish?"

"There were a few, but it wasn't accepted by many people. They said it was difficult to eat or that there were few places to eat it, and some complained about the smell."

Well, bones are indeed present, but some fish have few bones, and some fish have a lot of meat. Do those kinds of fish not become dried fish?

My image of dried fish is mackerel. There are indeed many bones, making it difficult to eat.

Is the smell, the smell of being raw? It should disappear when it's grilled... but maybe the method of making dried fish changes that.

I don't know how to make dried fish, so my practical knowledge is quite limited. If only I had a smartphone! It's clear how much I depended on a smartphone.

Even if I realize it in this world, it doesn't mean much...

Anyway, for most people, it seems that dried fish isn't their favorite taste to eat to the point of forcing themselves. Indeed, if you're not used to it, you might not realize how delicious dried fish is.

"Do you like seafood, Richard?"

"Yes, I do. However, I prefer the dishes we can eat in the harbor town over dried fish."

"I like it too. It has a different taste from meat."

"I love it as well. Although I don't eat dried fish that much."

It seems Richard, Frederick, and Catherine like it. I wonder if Lucian hasn't eaten it before?

"Lucian, have you tried it before?"

"Since my father and mother don't like it, I've never eaten it. I'm looking forward to today."

"I see. I'm really looking forward to it too. Let's eat a lot."

"Absolutely!"

After being shaken in the carriage for about three hours, it seemed we had arrived at the port town. When I opened the carriage window, a sea breeze blew in.

Incredible...! I can smell the ocean!

...It's a somewhat nostalgic scent.

After the carriage had traveled through the town for a while, we arrived at a slightly more luxurious house compared to the others. It appeared to be the magistrate's residence of this town.

Since it's not a large town, the magistrate's residence is smaller compared to the ones in the towns we've stayed in before. However, there seems to be just enough rooms for us to stay. The lack of rooms seems to be the reason why others haven't come. Besides, even if there are rooms, they aren't luxurious.

In front of the magistrate's residence, there was a middle-aged man with a healthy sun-tanned appearance. He had a sturdy build.

"Everyone, it's been a while. And you must be young master... I'm Tony."

"I'm Lucian."

"I'm Leon. Nice to meet you."

Tony seemed to be a commoner magistrate. It seems they don't hire nobles as magistrates for small towns, but instead educate outstanding and respected individuals from the commoners to become magistrates at the Duke's mansion.

"I understand that our home might be small, but we will do our best to provide you with hospitality."

"Thank you, Tony. It's just for one night, but we appreciate your hospitality."

"Let me show you to your rooms."

The room we were guided to was not luxurious, but it was clean. However, it seemed that this magistrate's residence, lacking nobles, didn't have a sewer system. The toilets were pit-style, and there was no bath. Well, that's understandable in a small rural town.

For now, if I were to thoroughly clean just one toilet, given my current level of magic power, I could probably do it using only about half of it. I'll make one toilet perfectly clean.

Still, my current magical power has increased considerably. Using half my magic power just to clean one toilet feels incredibly inefficient in purifying it. Is there a better way to do it...?

By the way, after I cleaned the toilet, everyone was really pleased. Pit-style toilets tend to be quite dirty and smelly, so I don't like them either. I can't stand using them for too long.

We rested in the room for a while until lunchtime, taking the opportunity to recover from the fatigue of the carriage ride.

Then, at lunchtime, we gathered in the dining hall. The dishes were about to be served.

"We heard that you all were interested in seafood, so our cook has prepared a lunch using plenty of seafood. We hope you enjoy it."

Yes! Finally, I get to eat some fish!

I wonder if they'll serve it raw? But if it's fresh enough, they might have a culture of eating it raw. If not, then grilled fish, perhaps?

Even just grilled fish would make me happy!

As I eagerly waited, the dishes were brought out. Unlike a course meal, it seemed that each person's portion was served separately.

At a glance, it didn't seem to include raw fish, so it looks like that culture doesn't exist here. Well, eating raw fish is risky unless it's really fresh and well-handled, so cooking it is probably safer.

I first tasted the soup.

Delicious...! This flavor is definitely from shrimp!

It was a shrimp-based broth. Oh my, it's incredibly tasty. It feels like I'm tasting broth again after a long time... The capital's cuisine has evolved, but it didn't have this kind of broth.

I quickly finished the soup.

"Leon-sama, you're eating with such relish. Shrimp is especially delicious during the colder months."

Tony commented that way.

Ugh, embarrassing... but it's so incredibly delicious, so I can't help it.

"It's really delicious! What kind of white-fleshed fish is this?"

Feeling embarrassed, I changed the topic and asked.

"That's saury. It's often caught during the hotter seasons, but it can still be caught at this time of year. It goes well with any dish."

I see. Then, let's try this next.

It's saury, huh. Looks delicious.

I used a fork to take a small bite and tasted it.

Mmm, delicious! It's butter-grilled. This is so luxurious.

I quickly finished the butter-grilled saury.

Two more dishes left. One is salt-grilled octopus legs, and the other seems to be grilled scallops.

Let's start with the octopus. *Chew chew*... It's quite chewy. But the more I chew, the more the umami comes out, making it delicious! This would definitely be amazing as tempura.

I wonder if there's tempura here? Maybe it hasn't caught on much? But I've had tempura before, so it's a known cooking method. In that case, if I can use the kitchen later, I might try making octopus tempura! And while I'm at it, maybe some fish and chips. I'll ask later this evening.

Finally, the scallops. *Bite*... Delicious!

This is also made with butter. They probably melted butter over the grilled scallops. Incredibly delicious. The remaining sauce is also tasty.

Phew, I'm really satisfied. I guess I'm still very much Japanese. I do like meat, but I really crave seafood.

Fully content, I finished my lunch.