Chapter 93: Carpaccio, Once More

Chapter 93:
Carpaccio, Once More

 

Once every seven days, Henry used teleportation magic to transport himself to the lake on the other side of the mountain in order to draw the landscape. He did so because he was a court mage serving a small nation, and this had been his hobby for the past few years.

Hrm. The weather’s so nice that you can really see far out.

The lake was home to water spirits and full of magical energies. Its calm, still surface reflected the white clouds and blue sky like a mirror. In the middle of the lake…was a door with a cat illustration.

Well, you don’t see that every day.

Henry could tell that the single door hovering in the lake’s center was some sort of magical relic. It stood above the water’s surface unsupported and had no reflection.

It was intensely clear that this door went against the physics of Henry’s world. It was likely elven technology lost thousands of years ago. It seemed almost as though this strange rectangle in the middle of the blue and white realms connected the heavens and the earth.

Henry had first set eyes upon the door when he’d come here in search of lake water as an ingredient for one of his potions. Needless to say, he was surprised. It truly was a strange sight to behold.

I wonder what’s on the other side of the door? he thought as he prepared to sketch.

He’d asked himself that very question so many times that he’d lost count.

 

***

 

Henry was both a wandering adventurer and an artist. He’d learned how to use magic from his father, who was a painter.

Since his father had feared damaging his hands through weapon-to-weapon combat, he’d learned magic that allowed him to decimate his opponents.

Henry’s father, a half-elf, had spent some two hundred years after his birth seeking rare sights and sounds. After getting so old that it was no longer possible to wander the world, he’d settled down in this country.

That was back when the giant, savage Empire had set its enemies on fire and absorbed them, making veteran mages like Henry’s father extremely valuable.

Half-elves weren’t allowed to hold high posts, naturally, so Henry’s father had been hired as something of a mercenary mage. During each important battle, however, he was consulted as though he were an admiral. Eventually, a noble offered him their daughter for marriage. Upon coming of age, the human boy she gave birth to would immediately be given the post of court mage.

Maybe that was why, after over a hundred years living as a wanderer, Henry’s father had chosen that land as his final home. Once his son grew up, he passed away.

 

***

 

Twenty years had passed since his death. The vicious emperor was gone from this world, replaced by his less-than-ambitious son, which ultimately calmed the whole nation. Its last bit of expansion had been ten years ago, when it absorbed a port town.

That was nothing but good news, since the small country that Henry lived in feared that the flames of war would sweep it up one day. Nobody knew how long it would last, but at least there was peace.

Aside from dealing with goblins or bandits from time to time, Henry rarely had to use his powers as court mage on the battlefield. That meant he could focus on his other position: court painter.

The job of court painter wasn’t particularly interesting. Unlike other nations, such as the venerable Duchy or the wealthy Kingdom, Henry’s homeland didn’t really have the leeway to nurture the arts. Thus, artists were restricted to painting familiar sights such as the castle garden or portraits of the royal family and other important figures.

Henry found the job terribly boring compared to that of his father, who’d wandered the land in search of fascinating views, leaving behind a series of paintings of rare landscapes.

I love scenery like this. It’s just so fascinating. I see why father wandered around until his old age, Henry thought, once again reminded that he was truly his father’s son. As he continued to paint, the sun crossed the center of the sky. Before Henry knew it, it began to grow dark.

“I suppose it’s time to wrap things up.” Deciding to head back before nightfall, Henry started to gather his tools.

Once he had everything in order, he used his teleportation magic and vanished.

All that remained was the door above the lake, once again unused.

 

***

 

A while after that, Henry noticed something about the door in the middle of the lake.

Huh? Is it just me, or is it different today?

It was almost as if the door’s owner had changed or something.

What is this feeling? As Henry tried to figure out what was so odd, he stumbled upon the answer. Something resembling a brand-new sign hung on the door near the cat plaque.

Wait, what’s that? Is that writing?

It was hard to make out from so far away, but there appeared to be writing on the sign. From the size of the letters, it seemed to be in the basic language, but Henry couldn’t read them from this distance.

I suppose I’ll go take a look. Struck by curiosity about the sudden change, Henry used magic to walk across the water and approach the door for the first time.

Standing before the oak door, he read the words on the sign. “It’s a restaurant?”

“Nekoya, Restaurant to Another World.” That’s what the sign read.

“You’re telling me this is a restaurant door?”

If the sign was telling the truth, that was indeed the case. But why would anyone have put a restaurant entrance there of all places? And who would think to use it?

Henry absentmindedly put his hand on the golden doorknob. It naturally turned a bit; he immediately let go. It wasn’t locked?

So, I can just go in…?

Henry walked to the door’s other side, but it was an exact replica of the front, sign and all. There was no way to tell where it connected to.

After puzzling over the door for a bit, Henry once again gripped the doorknob, turning it as hard as he could.

The bells attached to the door rang. Henry passed hastily through the entrance, as if pressured by the sound.

Upon reaching the other side, he found himself in another world. Wh-what is this place?!

Henry sensed the door close tightly behind him as he trembled. The room that spread out before him was lit with some mysterious light that was neither the sun nor the kind that the Lord of Light’s priests could generate.

The room wasn’t particularly large, and it was full of people eating.

S-some sort of monster restaurant?!

No, that wasn’t quite right. Humans, elves, dwarves, demons, and even monsters were present, and all of them were dining.

Just as Henry instinctively began to cast a spell, he heard a voice coming from behind him and spun around.

Welcome. All combat is off-limits here. It doesn’t matter who you are. No fighting. No magic, either.

A single emotionless elf with black hair stood before him. Her mouth was closed as she talked; she spoke directly to his brain.

This is Nekoya, the Restaurant to Another World. It’s a place where people eat food, so eat.

Although there were all manner of vicious monsters in the restaurant, the elf girl showed no sign of being scared. That, in and of itself, was somewhat scary. However, her words were enough to remove some of Henry’s fear, untangling his nerves a bit.

“O-okay,” he said.

You can sit here.

The girl seemed to realize that, although Henry was on guard, he was willing to listen to what she had to say. She was clearly used to this sort of thing, and she led him to a seat. It happened to be right next to a giant, scar-covered lizardman who was impossible to read.

“If this is an otherworldly restaurant, what sort of food is there?” Henry asked the girl. He ignored the lizardman shoveling some kind of egg dish into his mouth.

What kind of food do you like?

“Let’s see.” Henry thought for a moment before answering. “Is there some special otherworldly dish one can only get here?”

A special otherworldly dish?

“Yeah. Something I could never eat in my world. Something rare. Oh, and I’m not particularly fond of sweets, so no pastries or anything.”

Although Henry was technically nobility, he’d lived his entire life in the small nation he was born in. He was quietly thrilled to visit such a foreign and exotic place for the first time. That was why he wanted to try something he could only get there.

How about carpaccio? It’s made from raw fish.

Henry was altogether unfamiliar with the strange food the elf girl recommended. “You can eat raw fish? I’ve heard that fish smells terrible uncooked and can even hurt your stomach.”

He was puzzled. Back where he came from, the fish that people gathered from rivers and lakes smelled like dirt, and they did a number on one’s stomach if not cooked properly. As someone living in the nation’s so-called capital, Henry rarely ate fish.

They’re eating it over there, the black-haired waitress answered without blinking, pointing at another table.

Henry followed the girl’s finger to the diners in question and furrowed his brow. She was pointing at a pair of young women with large wings on their backs. Due to his line of work, Henry was somewhat familiar with monsters, so he knew the women to be creatures called sirens.

Sirens lived close to the ocean and sang, inviting passing sailors to their deaths. Henry had read in a book that they ate fish and living humans who’d fallen from their ships. They were terrible, horrifying creatures.

“They’re monsters, though,” he said. “Are you sure it’s all right for humans to have raw fish?”

Don’t worry. I asked the master to prepare the dish for a human.

Henry had no idea how the waitress had spoken to the master, but she didn’t seem to be lying. Since she was an elf, she was likely far more experienced than Henry in the ways of magic.

“All right. In that case, I’ll go with carpaccio.” If someone at the restaurant guaranteed the meal’s safety, Henry had no reason to question them.

Excellent. Please wait a bit.

The waitress gently placed a glass of ice water on the table and vanished into the back.

Now then… Henry swallowed the cold water, which had just a hint of fruitiness. It ran down his throat as he surveyed the restaurant. Hoh! Well, what’ve we got here?

The first visitors Henry had noticed were dangerous monsters. Upon second glance, however, there were humans and other strange guests here as well. Those with golden skin were likely from the Western Continent. Henry remembered seeing their clothes in a book he’d once read. Were they citizens of the Sand Nation, known for its magical prowess?

Other diners, who weren’t Sand Nation citizens, wore strange clothes that revealed their arms and legs.

I wonder where they hail from? And just where this restaurant is?

Was it possible that the door above the lake wasn’t the only such entrance? What if doors all over the world connected to this place?

The young waitress from earlier finally returned with food in hand.

I’m back. Here’s your sea bream carpaccio with wasabi mayo. She set his plate of food down gently.

“Wow! Now, this is stunning,” Henry blurted out.

The fish on the blindingly white plate was, in a word, beautiful. Its skin was as colorful as a brightly hued flower, its meat was snow-like, and the entire meal looked like flower petals someone had arranged.

The fish’s browned skin had a grid-like pattern, a sign that the fish’s surface might’ve been lightly cooked. Green sauce filled the grid pattern. Next to the fish was a round, brown piece of what appeared to be bread and a bowl of brown soup with oranie floating inside.

The soup’s aroma made Henry’s stomach growl loudly. Gulp.

After saying all she had to say, the waitress immediately went to handle another customer. Henry watched her leave and then gazed at the plate sitting in front of him.

The important part is whether it tastes any good.

The carpaccio was so beautifully presented that Henry thought it’d be a waste to take it apart. Nonetheless, he had to know how it tasted. Nervous, he picked up a sparkling-clean fork and stabbed a thin slice of fish.

As the waitress had described, the fish was indeed raw. Only its skin was broiled. Thus, the meat was slightly transparent. That also meant that Henry’s fork penetrated it with no resistance, unlike cooked fish.

Henry carefully inspected the fish slice decorated with green sauce. Fish…

This was his first time eating fish that hadn’t been cooked at all. He was nervous. However, as he put the slice in his mouth, part of him was also excited.

Wow, this is delicious.

Henry was shocked. The carpaccio contained none of the rotten raw flavor he’d heard about. It did indeed have a unique aroma, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

This is good stuff.

The carpaccio’s mouthfeel was also completely different from cooked fish, making it pleasant to bite into. It wasn’t overly tender; instead, it pushed back against Henry’s teeth with each bite. Still, it wasn’t so tough that he couldn’t bite a piece off. He could’ve done so with no issues if he’d put even a bit of strength into his jaw. And as luck had it, each bite brought forth all manner of savory flavors from the fish.

This sauce is something else, too.

The eggy green sauce was also delectable. It had a slight sourness, making Henry wonder whether it was made by mixing vinegar and egg. Either way, it drew out the fish’s savory taste.

As Henry enjoyed the fish’s many flavors, he found his nose under siege. Nngh?!

It was a sharp sensation, as if hundreds and hundreds of small needles had pierced his nose. Immediately tearing up, he frantically grabbed his glass of water and chugged it.

What the hell’s this? Wait—is this the “wasabi” stuff she mentioned?

Wiping his tears away, Henry looked at the plate of food again. That intense stinging feeling had come from the green sauce.

Hrm. The fish meat was delicious, but when he thought about the stinging in his nose…

Henry took another bite. This was his second attempt, so he knew what was coming. Despite that, sharp pain ran through his nose. It was hot. Actually, it just kind of hurt.

Is this sauce really edible? Henry thought. Wait. What if I had some strong drink to go with it?

The reason the sauce was so spicy was because Henry was just eating it with the fish. If he sipped a drink after each bite, he could relieve that pain immediately. A fine plan.

“Excuse me!” He shouted for a waitress and was approached by a young demon girl who seemed good at customer service. “I’d love some alcohol. What do you have?!”

“Yes, of course. Um, we have beer, wine, and sake. White wine and sake go particularly well with carpaccio—er—fish in general! The bartender told me that a while ago!”

“In that case, I’ll take both. Oh, and I’d like another plate of carpaccio. I’ll pay, of course.”

“Right away,” the girl replied with a smile.

The sliced fish was delicious. Henry had to admit that. The wasabi mayo was good as well.

 

***

 

Early in the afternoon, Henry arrived at the beach soaking wet and sighed.

I let my guard down.

Although he hadn’t been totally inebriated, Henry had nonetheless drunk his fair share of otherworldly booze and enjoyed quite a bit of carpaccio. The moment he’d gone through the restaurant’s door, he’d fallen into the lake. He hadn’t anticipated the exit leading to the exact same spot as the entrance.

His water-walking magic had long since expired. Once he’d stepped through the door, Henry had nowhere to go but down.

“Actually, didn’t Father leave me some water-walking shoes?” he whispered to himself.

He could hardly wait for the next seven days to blow by.