Volume 6, Chapter 12 – Samarca, the Gourmet City

Now, since I understood the situation, I thought I could finally relax. Yes, there was a time when I actually believed that.

“Fiene-sama, that way is the port of Samarca. Now, may I have your hand?”

The one leading me by the hand and escorting me was the fifth son of House Capotrias, the nine-year-old Nicola Capotrias-kun.

I had already brushed off the third and fourth sons who had come before him, but even I couldn’t bring myself to pull my hand away from a child’s grasp.

Actually, I think bringing a child is just playing foul.

This Nicola-kun is a very adorable boy, yet he escorts me with such poise.

The gap between his appearance and his behavior makes it feel as though he’s trying to act grown-up, which I find quite heartwarming.

Moreover, his guidance is impeccable; he explains the history and origins of the buildings in an easy-to-understand manner and answers our questions without hesitation.

I could hear the onlookers watching us from a distance talking among themselves.

“Oh, Young Master Nicola is guiding Saint-sama…”

“As expected of Young Master Nicola, performing his duties so admirably…”

“…Wait, is the Saint-sama perhaps shotac—”

No, she’s not! Absolutely not!

If you see a kid trying that hard, you can’t help but want to cheer him on, right?

That’s all there is to it!

“Fiene-sama, there is a shop at this port that only serves fresh fish caught this morning. Would you care to have lunch there?”

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“Yes.”

Lu-chan must have been happy too, but perhaps because of the sheer number of eyes on us, she remained quiet. Not hearing her usual energetic voice was, in its own way, a little lonely.

We entered the restaurant and were guided to terrace seats overlooking the moored ships.

“Here, Fiene-sama, your chair.”

“Thank you.”

He even helped me into my seat. He may be small, but Nicola-kun is a true gentleman.

“Here is the appetizer, the savoloro.”

The first dish arrived without us having to order anything.

Lu-chan’s portion was noticeably larger than mine. It seems their research regarding our eating habits was already perfect.

“Fiene-sama, this dish is Samarca-style marinated anchovies, battered and fried. The characteristic of Samarca-style marinade is that it uses fresh lemon in addition to wine vinegar. This shop serves it with onion and paprika, but some shops serve it with tomato or scent it with rosemary.”

“I see. I didn’t know that.”

Even the explanation of the cuisine was flawless. Is Nicola-kun really only nine years old?

While pondering this, I took a bite of the marinade.

Mmm, the sweet-and-sour marinade had soaked into the batter, and its flavor, aroma, and a hint of garlic spread through my mouth.

As I chewed, the flavor of the anchovy gradually spread, while the crunch of the coarsely chopped onion and its faintly pungent aroma came together beautifully across my palate.

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Before I knew it, the aroma of the paprika and its faint bitterness pulled the whole flavor together.

“This is wonderful. This might be the most delicious marinade I’ve ever eaten.”

When I praised it honestly, Nicola-kun looked slightly relieved.

“Onee-sama, this is super delicious! Your country is a great place!”

Lu-chan was won over in an instant. I always worry that she’ll be lured and deceived by bad people using food.

“I am glad that Lumia-sama found it to her liking as well.”

Nicola-kun gave a beaming smile. Seeing this, Lu-chan’s expression softened slightly.

“Today’s main dish is grilled sea bass with seasonal vegetables stewed in tomato. Today’s vegetables are zucchini, paprika, and early-harvest carrots.”

A fillet of a white fish I wasn’t very familiar with, called sea bass, had been salt-grilled and plated on a flat dish.

A tomato stew containing bite-sized vegetables was served alongside it, almost like a tomato sauce.

First, I tasted the fish on its own.

It was grilled to a fluffy perfection, and the salt added a nice accent to the light taste characteristic of white fish.

As I bit into it, the umami surged through my mouth.

“Oh, this is indeed sea bass. As expected, being right in front of the port, they use fresh, high-quality ingredients.”

Oh, I see. So this is a fish called sea bass. I feel like I’ve heard of that before.

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Next, I tried the tomato stew.

Indeed, the acidity and aroma of the tomato stood out first, but the umami of the other vegetables had soaked in thoroughly, and when combined with the aftertaste of the sea bass remaining in my mouth, the complexity increased instantly.

Then, I placed some of the tomato stew on top of the sea bass and took another bite.

And then—there it was! The complexity I’d tasted before suddenly came together and hit me all at once.

This was… how should I put it…?

Pure happiness.

“Fiene-sama, that dish is also very delicious if you eat the tomato stew sauce with a baguette.”

Seeing my reaction, Nicola-kun made the suggestion.

“I’ll give that a try.”

I dipped the bread into the tomato stew and brought it to my mouth.

“Ah, this is delicious too. The sweetness of the baguette balances the acidity of the tomato, making for a very gentle flavor.”

“Yes. I also like eating tomato stew with a baguette.”

As he spoke, Nicola-kun wore a sparkling smile.

see. I’d heard that plenty of children disliked the distinctive smell, acidity, and bitterness of tomatoes.

Maybe, in that respect, his tastes really are age-appropriate after all.

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While dipping the bread was very tasty, I think I preferred eating it with the fish.

Just as we finished eating, dessert was brought out.

“This is yogurt and cookies with blackberry sauce.”

What arrived was a dessert served in a parfait glass, with layers of crushed cookies and slightly firm yogurt forming alternating bands of yellow and white, topped with blackberry sauce.

I immediately scooped some up with my spoon.

A unique sweet-and-sour aroma spread through my mouth, matching the taste of the yogurt perfectly.

As I dug deeper into the red-and-purple, white-layered treat, honey-colored cookie pieces peeked out from beneath.

I scooped them up together with the yogurt and blackberry sauce.

This time, the sweet-and-sour flavor gave way to the aroma of wheat and the sweetness of the cookies, filling me with happiness.

“Mmm, this is also very delicious.”

“Yes. There is also a version of this dessert with honey drizzled on it. If you like, shall I arrange for it to be served with tonight’s dinner?”

“Yes, please do.”

Looking at his face, Nicola-kun probably loves sweets even more. It’s true that this dessert felt like an “adult” sweet with restrained sweetness; he may seem mature, but he really is still a child.

Having enjoyed the gourmet offerings of Samarca, we then visited an orphanage as part of the Saint-sama’s duties before returning to the Capotrias estate.

By the way, at the orphanage, Shizuku-san’s tail and ears were incredibly popular, and the image of her being mobbed by the children left a strong impression on me.