Chapter 79: Cheese Chicken Cutlet

Chapter 79:
Cheese Chicken Cutlet

Gerhard Hepken, lord of a small area of land, first discovered the door while visiting the previous lord, his grandfather-in-law. The former lord’s secondary residence, a small cabin, wasn’t at all fitting of that aristocratic status.

Gerhard was the fifth son in a family of knights. After learning the ways of the sword at home, he’d left to become an adventurer.

He and his comrades had done incredible things—exterminating monsters, exploring ruins, protecting towns from bandits, and even foiling a conspiracy involving an entire nation. At the end of their long journey, they’d put their powers together and defeated the troll king, leader of dozens of orcs and over a hundred goblins.

At the end of that battle, after discussing it with his comrades, Gerhard had retired from the adventurer’s life. The man who would eventually become his grandfather-in-law had seen the amazing skills and worldly knowledge Gerhard had gained from leaving behind his old life.

By the time he met Gerhard, the older man could no longer stand. He was already dying of a disease that even a high priest couldn’t heal. His son had left behind a daughter, Claudia, and the old man hoped that Gerhard might take her to be his wife. Gerhard agreed.

Not long after that, the old man passed on peacefully, as if satisfied to have seen his granddaughter marry. Gerhard took his place as the lord of the land. He listened to the voices of his people, held banquets for nobles and merchants, and spent hours knee-deep in all sorts of paperwork.

Although swordplay was no longer required of him, he made sure not to let up on his training. He ran up hills and mountains to strengthen his legs and swung his blade to and fro to ensure that his swordsmanship didn’t rust.

Excellent… I can see it.

After running a long way from the castle—a distance one would usually cover on horseback—Gerhard saw his destination, a small but well-constructed manor.

He’d found the manor while running. It belonged to Claudia’s beloved grandfather, the land’s previous lord. He’d built the mansion far away from the castle, and it was Gerhard’s objective during his morning run.

The door was unlocked so that travelers could use it. Gerhard passed through, taking a breath as he slipped his shirt off and wiped down his sweat-covered body. Then he grabbed the leather canteen at his waist and took a sip of the cool water.

The delicious water was just the thing his dehydrated body needed, cooling him down significantly. Letting out a satisfied sigh, Gerhard noticed something.

Hm…? I don’t recall that being here.

His eyes settled on a door with a cat decoration. It was clearly well crafted, which was bizarre, considering few people had visited this building since the previous lord had passed away. Everything was covered in a layer of dust.

Fascinating…

The former adventurer’s curiosity drove him to put his hand on the door, but he reconsidered. He decided that, for now, he would simply make a mental note of the door’s existence.

Gerhard had become an adventurer under the guise of martial arts training. He knew that, even if he found something mysterious, he mustn’t touch it. Information-gathering was priority number one.

Gerhard had once accidentally touched a door while examining elven ruins. This had caused the door to shoot out poison darts, paralyzing him. While a priest treated him, another treasure hunter had given him the advice above.

I should ask Claudia about this, Gerhard thought.

His grandfather-in-law had built the mansion. Surely that man’s granddaughter, Claudia, would know something.

The matter settled, Gerhard put his shirt back on and ran outside.

***

Gerhard discovered the door’s true nature over breakfast.

“Oh, my! You found a Door of Nekoya?!”

Gerhard’s young wife, Claudia, had not yet turned twenty. In response to his question, she raised her voice in a manner he could hardly believe, considering how quiet she usually was.

“There was indeed a door, but… Nekoya, you say? What do you know about it?”

“I went through that door before, back when my father and mother were still alive.”

Claudia looked into the distance as she spoke of her parents.

Apparently, Nekoya was an otherworldly restaurant that Claudia’s grandfather had found back when he was still spry, long before she was born.

Customers from all over the world visited the restaurant on the other side of the mysterious door. The food was supposedly delectable.

“After Mother and Father passed away, Grandfather stopped visiting Nekoya. I was still quite young… I never knew where the door was located.”

“Huh. Shall we go take a look?”

“I’d love that!” Gerhard’s wife was still young, and she replied to his offer with a tearful smile. It made Gerhard’s heart skip a beat.

“Then get ready to leave. I’ll go change, too.” He coughed lightly, trying to cover for how nervous he was.

Gerhard exited the room quickly and began to change into his knight gear.

***

By the time the couple arrived at the door, the sun was directly above them in the sky.

“Ah, that’s right! There was a door in the second residence.”

Claudia’s arms wrapped firmly around Gerhard’s waist as they sat atop their horse. There was a tinge of nostalgia to the young lady’s words. She remembered how, when she was little, she’d ridden in a carriage driven by an older gentleman. Along with her kind parents and normally strict grandfather, they’d come to this door to grab a delicious bite to eat.

“Now, this way. Take my hand.”

Gerhard helped Claudia down and tied the horse to a nearby tree. Holding hands, they opened the door to the mansion.

The moment they entered, Gerhard’s fear that he might have been seeing things vanished entirely. The Door of Nekoya was exactly where he’d last spotted it.

Thank goodness. I don’t know what I would have done if it were an illusion.

Making sure not to let the relief show on his face, Gerhard spoke to Claudia. “Shall we?”

“Yes!”

He put his hand on the door handle and turned it.

***

The cozy sound of bells ringing ushered the pair into Nekoya, turning them into customers. This was Gerhard’s first visit, and for Claudia, it was a homecoming many years in the making.

Since it was noon, the place was packed with all sorts of customers enjoying all sorts of food. Thanks to his travels, Gerhard’s knowledge was much vaster than the average person’s. Even so, sights he almost couldn’t comprehend confronted him as his eyes darted around the room.

So, this is another world, eh?

Gerhard saw citizens of both the Eastern Continent and Western Continents, neither of which were particularly rare in the Kingdom or Empire.

But there were also dwarves, elves, halflings, and even monsters.

At this time of day, Nekoya was filled with all kinds of customers, and they were all eating unfamiliar foods. Claudia gripped Gerhard’s hand, apparently scared by the sight of the large lizardman sitting near the entrance.

Gerhard squeezed Claudia’s hand in return and then smiled at her, hoping to calm her.

“Don’t worry. I don’t sense any ill intent.”

“All right…”

Her face turned bright red, and she looked down quickly.

Her frazzled reaction made Gerhard blush as well. He quickly spotted an open table and sat down with Claudia.

“Hi! Welcome to Western Cuisine Nekoya!”

As soon as they’d sat, the demon girl carrying food to and fro came over, greeting the pair with glasses of ice water.

“This is your first time here, right? Um, we have menus with all the dishes listed, but they’re written in Eastern Continent script. Can you read?”

“Yes, I can. Could you bring us one?” Gerhard nodded, signaling her to bring a menu.

It didn’t take long for the waitress to return.

In the strangely smooth book, someone with absolutely superb penmanship had written a list of dishes and drinks.

Huh. This is quite the lineup.

Each menu item had a simple description. Gerhard spotted several that seemed to be dishes he’d eaten in the Empire. Most of them, however, were things he couldn’t even imagine.

“What do you think, Claudia? Is there anything you’d like to eat?” Unsure of what to order, Gerhard turned to his wife, who’d been to the restaurant before.

“Let’s see. Ah… This.” She pointed to one of the dishes on the menu. “I’m fairly certain this is it. Mother and Father used to eat this often. So, I—”

“Then we shall have it.”

Deciding to order the dish that Claudia had pointed out, Gerhard called the waitress. She came by the table quickly.

“Young lady, we’d like to place an order.”

“Oh, of course! What would you like?”

“We’ll have two of these cheese chicken cutlets. Also…”

Gerhard intended to order some wine, but he was beaten to the punch.

“Two beers, please!”

Claudia usually wasn’t very assertive, so her request surprised her husband.

“Absolutely! So, that’s two beers and two cheese chicken cutlets? Those’ll be right out!”

Confirming their order, the waitress left to deliver the information to the kitchen.

Claudia blushed as she explained her drink order to her husband, who looked as though he’d just seen something impossible.

“Um, Mother and Father always ordered beer with their cutlets. The sage said that it’s the best way to enjoy a cutlet, too.”

“I see,” Gerhard said, delighted by his wife’s exuberance. “In that case, I look forward to it!”

Patiently, he waited for his food.

***

The couple sampled the top-quality white bread and soup while they waited and marveled at the bright light coming from the ceiling of the mysterious, windowless room.

Claudia spoke of memories she recalled from the restaurant as a child. In turn, Gerhard told stories of his time as an adventurer.

They chatted and relaxed, paying no mind to the monsters in the room with them. They simply waited for the cheese chicken cutlets, which Claudia remembered as “terribly delicious.”

As the enjoyable conversation rolled by, they occasionally glanced toward the kitchen. Finally, the time arrived. The waitress appeared holding two plates of food and two beers.

“Sorry for the wait. Here are your beers and cheese chicken cutlets.”

She set the dishes down gently on the table in front of the couple, then placed two large mugs of golden ale next to them.

Wedged yellow fruits, thinly cut leafy greens, and some kind of red fruit decorated the white plates. In the center of each was a large piece of brown meat.

It was larger than Gerhard’s palm and still producing heat. In fact, he could hear it sizzling.

The waitress who brought their meals offered a few helpful tips.

“Use the sauce in the blue bottle over there to give it extra flavor. Oh, and I recommend squeezing the lemon over the meat. The juice makes it extra delicious. Take your time and enjoy!”

The couple dug in. According to the description in the menu, cheese chicken cutlet was a chicken breast with cheese sandwiched between the meat and a layer of breadcrumbs, fried in oil.

The first thing Gerhard had thought of after reading that description was the Empire’s croquettes.

Croquettes were a popular food made by mashing cobbler’s tubers, breading them, and frying them. Everyone from nobility to the commoners enjoyed them.

The imperial capital, like the royal capital, was full of adventurers. In that city, it was common to find stalls by the dozens, selling croquettes to passersby. They were dry and fairly tasteless, aside from their slight salty flavor. Still, a hot, fresh croquette paired amazingly with cheap ale. Or, at least, that was how Gerhard remembered it.

Thinking back on his time as an adventurer nostalgically, Gerhard cut a piece of cheese chicken cutlet, stabbed it with his fork, and brought it to his mouth.

Mmm?!

It only took one bite for Gerhard to realize that he was dealing with something special. The satisfyingly crunchy breading made a delightful sound as it broke apart in his mouth, revealing the bread and oil’s refined flavors.

Chicken breast typically went bad quickly, making it hard to preserve. This meat, however, was amazing—tender, salted, and spiced. Each bite revealed the juices hidden within.

There was a layer of delicious cheese atop the blindingly white chicken breast. It was clear that the cheese had been selected specifically because its quality matched the chicken’s. The heat coming off the meat melted the cheese, which fell off the chicken breast’s edges.

The cheese had a strong taste. Paired with the relatively lean chicken breast, it increased the meat’s delicious flavor.

This is…absolutely incredible.

Gerhard reached for his beer and sipped without a second thought. The intensely bitter flavor and ice-cold temperature reminded him of winter as it washed down his throat, cooling his tongue, which the cheese chicken cutlet had warmed.

This ale’s something else, too. It isn’t just a delight for the tongue but the throat as well. I see the sage was correct.

Gerhard had inadvertently downed more than half of his massive mug. The combination of the cheese chicken cutlet and beer was tremendously delicious.

“Pwaaaah…”

As Gerhard let out a breath, he heard the exact same sound from beside him.

Turning to look at Claudia, he discovered that she, too, had just indulged in her beer. In fact, she’d drunk even more than he had.

Gerhard’s wife normally had a more ladylike demeanor. But when presented with the delicious meal and drink she remembered from her childhood, she couldn’t help but guzzle them down.

“Um, I…” Noticing her husband looking at her, Claudia blushed once again and directed her gaze downward.

Gerhard found this adorable and quickly carried things forward. “We should order more beer before we run out. Oh, and I’d like to try this sauce, too.”

He took the blue bottle off the table and tilted it over his food. Some kind of thick, brown liquid came out from inside. It slowly dribbled over the cheese chicken cutlet, staining the breading brown as well.

Next was the lemon. Gerhard squeezed the wedge over his chicken, dripping its juice onto the meat.

“Now, let’s see…”

With one bite, Gerhard was rendered speechless.

How could this be? How could this deliciousness be real?!

The salty sauce and intensely sour lemon pushed the cheese chicken cutlet to the pinnacle of perfection.

On their own, the two new ingredients would be too strong to taste any good. With the cheese and meat juices, however, they became a gentle addition that increased the other flavors.

“Excuse me!” Gerhard said to the waitress. “Could we each get another beer?”

Seeing her husband Gerhard enjoy his cheese chicken cutlet and beer, Claudia decided to do the same. She followed up his request by making another order herself.

“Um, another cheese chicken cutlet, please!”

The pair enjoyed their lunch together, eating until they were stuffed.

***

As the sun fell, the couple returned to the mansion.

“I might’ve eaten a bit too much.”

“Me, too.”

Their stomachs were so full that it was almost painful. It might have proven difficult to ride home on horseback right away.

Instead, they leaned against the wall and relaxed for a while, waiting for their meals to settle.

“We must come here again,” Gerhard said. “I’m quite fond of their food.”

Claudia responded with a bright smile and a nod.

“I’d love that.”