Volume 4, Chapter 17 – Duck, Green Onion, and Hot Pot

“Excuse me. My name is Christina. I am from the White Moo—mgh!”

Upon arriving at the castle—or rather, a place that looked more like an Imperial Palace—I hurriedly covered Chris-san’s mouth just as she was about to introduce herself.

“Wait, Chris-san! We didn’t come here as an official diplomatic mission from the White Moon Kingdom; we’re just here to look for our companion, Shizuku-san. You can’t just go around using the country’s name. The Guji of Sakimori Tenmangu Shrine went through the trouble of writing us a letter of introduction, after all.”

“Ugh…”

I wasn’t here to represent the White Moon Kingdom.

I have no desire to get wrapped up in the kind of tedious trouble that comes with carrying the weight of a nation on my shoulders.

I approached the gatekeeper, who was looking at us with a suspicious expression, and spoke up.

“Hello. We have come from the White Moon Kingdom. My name is Fiene Argentata, and I am on a journey of study as a cleric. I have come hoping to be granted an audience with the renowned Her Majesty Suikyou. This is the letter of introduction I received from the Guji of Sakimori Tenmangu Shrine.”

As I delivered my greeting, I handed over the envelope.

“My, my, welcome. You’ve come from quite a distance. Let me check this… The seal appears to be authentic. Please, come this way.”

We were led to a place that resembled a reception room.

After waiting for a while, a plump man with a somewhat haughty air entered.

I didn’t know the name of the attire, but he was wearing clothes that looked like something out of a period drama set in the Heian era.

The color of the garment was a very deep reddish-black.

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“The Saint of the White Moon Kingdom, Fiene Argentata-sama, and her companions, I presume? I am Tachibana no Sanemitsu, Senior Fifth Rank of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Golden Sun Miko Nation’s Grand Council of State. In your country’s terms, you may call me Tachibana Sanemitsu. Normally, audiences with Suikyou-sama are arranged by lottery, but since you have come from the Temple of the distant White Moon Kingdom, the Foreign Affairs Department shall guide you.”

“I am Fiene Argentata. Tachibana-sama, thank you for granting us your time despite our sudden visit.”

“Not at all. This is my duty. Now, to get straight to the point: I am afraid it is impossible for you to meet Suikyou-sama today. We are currently in the season of important divine rituals for our nation. Therefore, during this period, no one—regardless of who they are—may meet with Suikyou-sama. The divine rites will continue through the end of April, so the earliest we could arrange would be early May. Would that be acceptable?”

“Is that so…”

Now that he mentions it, I feel like I heard at Sakimori that Suikyou-sama is both a Queen and a Miko.

“I understand. Early May is fine, so we would appreciate it if you could arrange that.”

“Very well. I shall adjust the schedule, so please come and see me again in late April.”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

Having applied for an audience with the Queen roughly a month from now, we left the Imperial Palace.

◇ ◇ ◇

And so, following the advice of a lady at a teahouse, we arrived at the Neginabe River. We arrived, but for some reason, the Neginabe River was absolutely teeming with ducks.

Wait, is it possible that the reason there are so many ducks is because all you need is some green onions (negi) and a pot (nabe) to make a delicious meal?

“Onee-sama! Drool “

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Ah, I knew it. Lu-chan already has that look in her eyes—the look of someone who has spotted prey.

“Are those… perhaps pets? Surely. Lu-chan, you can’t just eat them on your own.”

“Eeeh! Then let’s stay somewhere where we can eat them!”

“I-I suppose so… In that case, let’s let Lu-chan pick today’s inn.”

“Really?! Leave it to me!”

Lu-chan walked along the riverside road lined with ryokans, sniffing the air.

It was a familiar sight, but she really is strangely dog-like.

After walking for a while, Lu-chan stopped and pointed.

“Onee-sama, let’s stay here!”

It was a somewhat old building, but the delicious scent of soup was wafting out even from this distance.

Peering inside, it wasn’t a restaurant but was clearly built like a ryokan, so there was no mistake.

A noren curtain hung at the entrance, depicting a magnificent bamboo grove.

“Excuse me! Can three of us stay tonight?”

Lu-chan slipped through the noren and called out loudly.

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After a moment, the sound of someone pitter-pattering toward us echoed.

“Yes, yes, yes. Sorry to keep you waiting. Three guests, yes? We have room. Please, come this way.”

A woman in a kimono, who appeared to be the young landlady, replied while slightly out of breath.

“Um! We can eat duck here, right?!”

“Eh? Ah, yes. Our meals are separate, so for one silver coin per person, we can provide breakfast and dinner. Also, the room is one silver coin per person.”

“Please do it!”

Lu-chan cut in before she could even finish speaking.

“Y-Yes. Understood. Right this way, then.”

And so, we were shown to a Japanese-style room with a river view—or rather, a river-and-duck view.

There were an incredible number of them, but thanks to the riverbank being quite wide, it was a relief that it didn’t smell.

As I gazed at the Neginabe River while thinking such idle thoughts, an arrow was fired from the shore, and several ducks were taken down.

As the people—likely hunters—walked toward their prey, the other ducks noticed and took flight all at once.

“Hmm, I guess those really are food.”

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“They’re freshly caught, so they’ll be delicious!”

Hmm, how should I put this… it’s a certain kind of charm.

No, if I start overthinking it, I lose.

And, naturally—or rather, predictably—our dinner was a duck and green onion hot pot.

The harmony between the onions cooked in duck fat and the duck meat simmered in a soy sauce and kelp-stock base was incredible; it was delicious.

The final dish, duck nanban soba ¹ Nanban soba is a traditional Japanese hot noodle soup combining soba (buckwheat noodles) in a savory dashi broth with duck or chicken and thick, fragrant scallions or leeks. was also fantastic, but I found myself feeling an indescribable emotion.

I mean, yeah. It’s not that I have a problem with hunting and eating wild animals, but, you know, wild birds seen from a ryokan room feel more like things to be admired than things to be eaten… or something like that. Is that not the case?

Eh? It’s not? I see.

Well, Lu-chan and Chris-san were eating with such gusto. It seems the concept of wild bird conservation doesn’t even exist here, so maybe I’m the one losing by caring.

We took a bath and decided to turn in early.

Starting tomorrow, we have to look for clues regarding Shizuku-san.

Well then, goodnight.