Chapter 3: Fried Shrimp

Chapter 3:
Fried Shrimp

With only the stars and the moon to light his way, Heinrich had already reached the limits of his own stamina. At this rate, he would run out of strength and collapse, dying alone in these wildlands without ever having accomplished the mission given to him. He tried to shake off the visions of the future that his experience in the military had given him, pushing himself to keep running across the field.

The only thing keeping Heinrich’s legs moving was the thought that he couldn’t afford to fall here. Indeed, his mission was of the utmost importance, even if it meant pushing his body well past its own limits. He had to let the others know of the huge swarm of mothmen that had appeared in the forest. Until he warned those at the castle, he couldn’t afford to die.

Just yesterday, mothmen—humanoid, moth-like monsters with four arms that lived in the Duchy’s forest—had taken to the skies in droves. Of course, Heinrich and the other soldiers had been stationed at the fortress nearby specifically to watch for dangerous monsters leaving the forest. They fought resolutely to stop the mothmen from spilling out but eventually found themselves retreating from the creatures’ poisonous pollen, sharp claws bearing down on them from the skies, and above all, their overwhelming numbers. The soldiers of the Duchy holed up in the fortress in an attempt to fight back, but the writing was on the wall.

They would soon lose.

They had to inform the castle of the dire situation and request reinforcements as soon as possible. Heinrich was chosen for this important mission because of his excellent riding skills. With a secret message to the state sealed by his commander in his pocket, he flew from the fortress during a moment’s opening that his comrades in arms risked their lives to make for him.

Heinrich was supposed to have already arrived at the castle. Instead, he was on foot, running across the wildlands connected to the Duchy. He had made one critical mistake: his horse. He had picked the strongest, healthiest horse of them all back at the fortress, but just as he was leaving, one of the mothmen managed to hit his steed with its poisonous pollen. On the way to the castle, his horse collapsed, foaming at the mouth. With no other options available to him, Heinrich abandoned his transportation, carried what he could, and ran toward his objective on foot.

However, there were limits to a single man’s stamina.

He had lost almost all feeling in his legs, having pushed himself to the very limit, and his body was now dehydrated from sweating too much. Even worse, he was hungry. When Heinrich left the fortress, he had made sure to eat his fill. One entire day had passed since then, however, and his body was running on empty. He made a grave error in choosing not to bring food in order to get his horse to run faster.

I refuse to die here!

Falling here would mean not only the deaths of all the soldiers who believed in Heinrich and were waiting for reinforcements, but also the deaths of every villager in the towns behind the fortress’s defense line. It was that incredibly heavy responsibility that kept Heinrich, the young and proud knight of the Seeleman family, running. If he kept up this pace, he could reach the castle by dawn.

The problem was that his body would likely give out on him before then.

Great God of the sea and water, give me strength!

Wanting to preserve as much energy as possible, Heinrich internally prayed to the god most worshipped in the port town he called home.

God had not abandoned him.

“Wha…!”

There was a small cabin in front of Heinrich. In fact, it was so small and dilapidated that it likely belonged to some sort of pioneer.

“I’m saved!”

If he could just get his hands on some water and food… Heinrich made his decision. The very future of the Duchy was on the line. He would acquire what he needed no matter what the cost.

Without thinking, he reached for his waist and drew the Seeleman family’s treasure: a sacred sword forged by a dwarf. It was the one thing he’d known he had to take with him when he left. Heinrich opened the fancy black door, steeling himself for the desperate acts he might have to do in order to complete his mission.

The sound of a bell rang out the moment he opened the door. Heinrich was momentarily blinded by the light from inside, especially after getting so used to the moonlight. This little cabin was much better lit than he expected.

“Welcome!”

Heinrich was greeted by a middle-aged man who was likely the owner of the building.

…He’s by himself.

There didn’t seem to be anyone else nearby. Grateful for this turn of events, Heinrich gripped the hilt of his sword and barked out his orders.

“I am Heinrich Seeleman, knight of the Duchy! As a citizen of the Duchy living in this cabin, I demand water and food! If you refuse…”

“Comin’ right up!”

Heinrich blinked rapidly. He had prepared himself to continue issuing orders but instead found that the man was more than happy to oblige.

“Feel free to sit wherever you’d like. I’ll be right back with a warm towel and some water.”

Upon looking at the man more carefully, Heinrich thought it strange that he was so well-dressed for someone living in the wildlands.

“V-very well.” All the anger was sucked out of him by the man’s casual response. Heinrich took a seat at the nearest table.

“Ah, that’s right. Sir, can you read the Eastern Continent’s language?”

“I-Indeed, I can,” Heinrich replied and nodded his head, puzzled by the question.

“Good, good. Wait just a second.”

The man then headed to the back, where Heinrich assumed the kitchen with the water jug was located.

What is this place? While waiting for the strange man, Heinrich took a look at his surroundings. This only left him further confused. Inside the room were a host of chairs with soft cushions, as well as a bunch of shimmering, beautiful tables. The whole place was oddly bright despite it being the middle of the night. On top of each table were a number of tiny glass and porcelain containers. It was hard to imagine that this was the lodgings of a pioneer: they often lived day-to-day with no guarantee of seeing a crumb of food.

“Hey! Who are you? You don’t seem like a pioneer.” Heinrich turned his attention back to the man as he walked over with a tray, a folded white cloth of some kind, a gold water pitcher, and a glass cup filled with ice and water atop it. Something was all wrong about this place. Without thinking, his tone of voice had become that of an interrogator.

“Pioneer? What are you talking about? This is the restaurant, ‘Western Cuisine Nekoya.’” The man looked at Heinrich, unsure of what he was getting at.

“A restaurant, you say? Out here?!” Heinrich raised his voice without meaning to. This had to be some kind of joke. That he even found this place was pure chance, miraculously encountered during his dash across the wildlands. Why would anybody open a restaurant in a place where they’d ordinarily get no customers?

“I’m not sure what ‘door’ you used to get here, sir, but this one right here is real special.” The master gestured to the door Heinrich had come through. “The doorbell’s got some kinda magic on it that apparently connects it to a host of different doors in your world.”

The man explained to Heinrich the concept of his “Restaurant to Another World” as if he’d done it multiple times before. It was almost as if he didn’t expect him to believe it from the get-go.

“That’s impossible!”

Heinrich’s confusion only grew deeper after hearing the explanation. Seeing this, the mysterious man let out a sigh.

“Yeah, I get it. I wouldn’t believe me either if someone told me something like that. But I can guarantee you that this is a restaurant. I can whip up anything on this menu here, so feel free to make an order.”

With that, the so-called master of the restaurant placed the menu book on the table.

“A menu? What are you talking about?”

Despite his complaints, Heinrich reached over and opened the menu the master left behind. The object’s texture was unlike standard paper or parchment: it was strangely smooth. Listed in the book were an assortment of dishes that he’d never seen or heard of.

“The penmanship is pretty good.”

Heinrich came to the conclusion that whoever authored the menu must have received a fairly good education. Each character was easy to read, and the vocabulary being used was advanced. Perhaps most importantly, each mysterious dish had an easy to understand explanation accompanying it.

“Well, anything will do as long as I can fill my stomach… Wait, what?!” Henrich’s eyes zoomed in on the description of a particular dish on the menu. Though the item was named “fried shrimp,” the description said this: “breaded and fried shripe caught in the southern regions.”

Upon reading the one sentence explanation, Heinrich forgot his surroundings. Just seeing the word “shripe” for the first time in years was enough to make his mouth water. For you see, shripe was a type of sea creature native to Heinrich’s home by the ocean. The creature was known for the hard shell that hid the soft meat of its long, thin body, as well as its large claws. Shripe were blue upon capture but would turn red after being put to flames. One could drop a dash of salt on a cooked shripe and enjoy it, or they could chop it up and indulge in some soup. The major problem with shripe was that they easily went bad. Even just transporting them to the town next door was difficult, which meant that coastal towns like Heinrich’s were the only places you could eat the delicacy. Heinrich hadn’t tasted shripe once in the years since leaving home to become a knight.

I must get a handle on myself.

The moment he thought about the sea creature, he could feel his tongue begin to recall its great flavor. The thick meat’s texture completely different from that of any beast, the salty juices that spread throughout one’s mouth upon a single bite: it was joyous. Heinrich thought back to his childhood days when he would run down the street like a commoner to buy grilled shripe with the handful of copper coins his nanny had given him.

“Are you ready to order, sir?”

“O-oh, yes. Give me this fried shrimp thing.” Heinrich’s response to the master was almost automatic. For but a moment, he remembered that this place was in the middle of the wildlands and that there was no guarantee that the food the man cooked would be any good. Still, the master said he could make anything on the menu. If that was a lie, he’d be a fraud.

“Aye, that’s one order of fried shrimp coming up! Would you like bread with that?”

“S-sure.”

The master confirmed Heinrich’s order with him like it was no big deal and returned to the back.

“Is he really going to serve me shripe?” Heinrich wasn’t convinced as he took a sip of the water in front of him. He let out a sigh of satisfaction. “It’s delicious…”

The cold glass of ice water was by no means sweet, but its fruit-tinged, refreshing coolness washed over Heinrich’s dehydrated body.

More importantly, how can there be ice in a place like this?

Heinrich had asked himself this and a whole assortment of questions since arriving at the restaurant, but as of that moment, his hands wouldn’t stop moving. He drank from his cup of water, reached over to the gold pitcher, and poured himself another glass. Heinrich repeated this process three times, the ice cold water quenching his thirst and re-energizing his tired body, eventually filling his stomach. He finally took a moment to catch his breath.

“Hmph, this is quite cozy.”

Next, he went to wipe his sweat with the white cloth the master brought over earlier. The hand towel was folded in a way as he’d never seen before. It was unclear whether it’d been soaked in hot water and then wrung dry, but it felt absolutely wonderful.

Heinrich wiped his hands, his face, and then his neck. By the time all three towels the master left him had turned black from dirt, he was finally clean as a whistle.

“Aye, sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s your order of fried shrimp. I recommend putting some of this special tartar sauce on it as well.”

Just as Heinrich finally readied himself, the master came out with food in hand. On top of the white plate were some thinly sliced vegetables and a small red fruit. Off to the side was a small cup filled with a white sauce-like substance with green flecks.

But above all else were the light brown objects sitting atop the plate, their red tails poking out from beneath the breading. This was supposedly the shripe, or as the master called it, “fried shrimp.”

“Take your time and enjoy! Oh, bread and soup have free refills, so holler if you want some more.”

“Mmhm.”

Henrich barely heard a word the master said as he swallowed down the saliva flooding his mouth.

This is supposed to be shripe?

It looked nothing like the shripe he was familiar with. First and foremost, its form was too straight. Normally, regardless of how one cooked shripe, the moment it was run over flames, it would curl up. Sure, one could get it to straighten out if they put it on a skewer before cooking it, but this “fried shrimp” was different.

Here were three pieces of straight fried shrimp, their aroma wafting upward from the plate. Heinrich was no genius in the kitchen, which was why he had so much trouble comprehending what he was seeing.

It said in the explanation that these were coated in breadcrumbs and fried in oil…

Poking out from the bottom was a red tail that left little doubt that this fried shrimp was in fact shripe, even if the rest of the body was light brown.

At first glance, Heinrich had assumed that the coating was made of wheat flour dissolved in water, as was custom in the savage Empire, but the surface was too rough for that. As a knight of an old family, one that represented its town, Heinrich had tasted all kinds of foreign dishes. Yet this was completely new to him.

Whatever. I suppose I’ll take a bite.

He used his knife to cut a bit off the top, stabbed his fork into it, and brought it up to his mouth. Apparently, the master had cut the head off of the shripe and peeled away its shell before cooking it. Just under the layer of breading, the white meat of the sea creature peeked out from the cut he made.

Hm. It’s quite beautiful.

The contrast of the crisp breading with the fresh-looking white meat on the inside made Heinrich’s taste buds tingle as he finally took a bite.

“Oooh.”

The moment he swallowed, Heinrich let out a gasp. This was honest to goodness shripe. The juices that flowed forth from the white meat were fresher than any he had ever tasted in his hometown. That simple flavor combined with the crunchy breading, undoubtedly made from high quality oil and flour, to create pure bliss.

The breading crumbled with each subsequent bite of the shripe, making for a wondrous mouthfeel. There were no signs of the rotting smell that the creature had when it went bad. With each bite, more of the sea creature and its fresh, delicious juices and crunchy, light coating fell into his once-empty stomach.

Heinrich speedily finished eating the first piece of shripe, utterly entranced.

“Hm… Hm?”

After swallowing the tail in all of its aromatic glory, Heinrich was ready to move on to the second piece. It was then that he recalled the master’s words.

If I remember correctly, he said something about using this tartar sauce…

He looked at the small container holding the white sauce with the green flecks in it. This was assuredly the “tartar” sauce that the master referred to. The problem was whether or not applying this to the fried shrimp would actually be any good.

Still somewhat reluctant about the whole thing, Heinrich cut off the tip of the fried shrimp and dipped it into the white sauce. The green specks stood out in contrast.

It looks beautiful, but how does it taste?

Heinrich slowly brought the piece of shripe to his mouth and was immediately stunned.

What the… What is this?!

He had never tasted something like this before. The mysterious white sauce had a mellow flavor to it with just a hint of sourness. It was made of what Heinrich suspected were pickled vegetables and boiled eggs, along with just a dash of strong herbs.

The tartar sauce helped to bring out the flavor of the coated shripe, while the eggs and faint aroma of the herbs further transformed the taste into something even more complex.

This is unbelievable!

Heinrich felt a wave of regret wash over him. The fried shrimp he ate first was delicious, but it could not compare to the tartar sauce-infused delicacy he just devoured.

Just as he was coming to grips with this, his stomach growled loudly. How terrifying it all was. Despite having just put food into his stomach, it felt as though he had emptied it instead.

“Excuse me! Another plate!” Heinrich placed another order.

“Aye! Sounds like you really liked the fried shrimp.”

The master wore a smile on his face as he replied, almost as if his long years of experience had told him that one plate would not suffice. He immediately brought out a second helping of fried shrimp for Heinrich. In the end, Heinrich would devour a total of three plates of the delicious seafood, covered in tartar sauce. The killer combo of the fried shrimp and sour sauce, along with the excellent side dishes of white bread and soup mixed with oranie, other veggies, and meat began to fill his stomach. As a palate cleanser, Heinrich would occasionally take a bite of the fresh, leaf-like vegetables on the plate. Each bite of the thinly sliced greens came with a satisfying crunch. This strange vegetable tasted nothing like any plants found in the wilderness: it had a light sweetness to it and went surprisingly well with tartar sauce. In fact, Heinrich found that he could probably eat the combination forever.

Bread, soup, the vegetables, and the fried shrimp drenched in tartar sauce: there wasn’t a single loser amongst them. Heinrich had even forgotten that the Duchy was in danger during his time indulging in this feast.

“Oh God who rules the sea and water, I thank you for providing me with this incredible meal.” Heinrich ended his meal with a prayer to the powers that be. He stood from his seat hoping to ask the master for his recipe but soon looked as though he’d seen a ghost.

Blast it! I have no money!

Indeed, he had left his wallet at the fortress upon leaving for the castle.

This is bad.

Heinrich had just indulged in the most amazing of meals. It was worth at least one hundred silver coins, if not more. Heinrich would be willing to even offer up a gold coin should the master request as much. If he had had his wallet on him, he would have happily paid any fee asked of him. But unfortunately, his wallet was far, far away.

I can’t not pay him… Ah, I know!

He had totally forgotten about his original plan of requesting food and drink by force.

“Master! I’d like to settle my bill, but I need to ask a favor of you.” Heinrich called out to the middle-aged man.

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry to say I have no money! I want you to take this instead! When next I come, I promise that I will pay you in full! Please take this collateral until then!” Heinrich offered the master his family’s treasure, the sword made by a dwarf.

“Wha?! N-no, I can just put it on your tab.”

“That will not do! This is my way of showing my sincerity. Fear not! I swear I will come to this place again! I have urgent business and must leave now, but please feed me fried shrimp again when I return.”

Heinrich rushed to the door, leaving the master utterly befuddled by what just transpired.

“W-wait! Sir, the door only appears once every seven…”

“My apologies! I must hurry! The fate of the Duchy depends on it!” He dashed through the door, the master’s words bouncing off of his back as he left.

Heinrich’s feet felt light as a feather. The rest and the delicious fried shrimp had given him the energy he needed. He was no longer tired.

And so the knight arrived at the castle before dawn, alerting them to the approaching danger. Now aware of just how dire the situation was, the Duchy dispatched a host of soldiers to the fortress, and the day was saved. Heinrich, who had worked the hardest of all, was honored and rewarded.

Yet despite all of his gains, Heinrich was left stunned.

“This can’t be! It’s not here?!”

10 days after the mothmen were repelled, Heinrich once again visited the old cabin on the wildlands. What he found left him wide-eyed. The restaurant that he dined at that day was no longer there. The cabin was present, but there were no traces of any restaurant or even humans. In fact, it looked as though it had been abandoned years ago. The black door he saw on that day was also missing.

“Then what was it I saw that day?”

Heinrich was filled with questions. He knew for sure that it wasn’t a dream. The dwarf sword he’d given the master, worth hundreds of gold coins on the market, was gone.

***

That was three years ago.

An impossibly long three years had passed since that miraculous day.

“Captain Heinrich, you have a visitor.”

Recognized for having saved the Duchy from certain doom, Heinrich was been entrusted an entire squad of knights. It was one of these men that alerted him to a visitor.

“Oh? Who is it?” Heinrich tilted his head in response, having long since grown into his position as captain with dignity and awareness. This fortress was fairly distant from the hustle and bustle of the city. He couldn’t think of anyone who would come out here uninvited.

“Yes, well, they’re alone. They requested a meeting with you by name. They called themselves Tatsugorou,” Heinrich’s underling informed him.

“What?! Did you say Tatsugorou?! The real one?!” Heinrich raised his voice in shock. Tatsugorou was known on the Eastern Continent as a famous swordsman who had crossed over from the Western Continent. There was not a single swordsman or mercenary who did not know his name.

“Yes. Unfortunately, I was unable to confirm his identity, but he does look exactly as the old bardic songs described…” The soldier, still a bit unsure, began to describe the man to his captain.

The person in question was a large, older gentleman wearing a kimono made of magic silver, woven by elves. Everything about the description seemed accurate, but the biggest piece of evidence was that he came out to this fortress by himself. Normally, anyone looking to make the trip would have to be accompanied by bodyguards of some kind to defend against the host of monsters populating the area. He was clearly no ordinary man.

“Understood. Bring him in, but take care not to be rude.”

Upon hearing the description, Heinrich decided to meet the man. He gave his orders to the soldier, and the two men finally met.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Seeleman. My name is Tatsugorou.”

The man calling himself Tatsugorou respectfully lowered his head to Heinrich. He wore foreign garb and held a samurai sword, with a second blade tucked away at his waist. Heinrich found himself dumbstruck by the powerful aura the man exuded. He was almost like a lion marking his territory. There was no doubt about it: this was the real Tatsugorou.

“No, no, the pleasure is all mine, Sir Tatsugorou! I am Heinrich Seeleman, a knight of the Duchy. I’ve heard much word of your exploits!” he greeted Tatsugorou, making sure to offer him the utmost respect as a warrior. The foreign swordsman before him was known far and wide as an adventurer who could cut down any monster in exchange for money. He had even taken down beasts said to have been undefeatable by human hands. To Heinrich, who had spent years training as a knight, Tatsugorou was the swordsman he aspired to be. Even as a child, he heard the many tales the bards would tell of the samurai.

Heinrich finally regained his senses. He was incredibly honored that the legendary swordsman came to see him, but he didn’t understand why. He cleared his throat before asking Tatsugorou, “But what brings you to our little fortress in the middle of nowhere?”

Tatsugorou nodded in response. “Actually, an acquaintance of mine asked me to deliver something you forgot.”

He reached for his waist, drawing out one of the swords and handing it to Heinrich. It wasn’t the type of one-handed samurai sword that he used in battle but one much more ornamental in nature.

“That’s…?!” Heinrich’s eyes widened as he looked down at the blade. “How… where did you get this?”

This was the very same dwarf-forged sword that Heinrich had left behind at the restaurant years ago. It was the sword that he had carried with pride for many years, he was sure of it.

Why did Tatsugorou have the sword that went missing three years ago?

“Like I said, an acquaintance of mine asked me to return it to you. Since it didn’t seem like you’d ever come back, he felt you might be wanting without it.” Tatsugorou grinned. Heinrich was just as the master had described him: the stubborn type of youngster who didn’t listen.

“An acquaintance, you say? Wait, could it be…?” It took but a moment for Heinrich to realize the meaning of Tatsugorou’s words.

“It is likely exactly what you think. If I remember correctly, there should be a ‘door’ somewhere near this fortress.” After responding to Heinrich, Tatsugorou recalled some info he stumbled across during his many years of travel and smirked. “What do you say? Care to join me for some fried shrimp tomorrow, on the Day of Satur?”

Fried shrimp. Heinrich raised his voice after being rendered momentarily speechless by his words.

“I can eat fried shrimp again?” The memories of his meal from three years ago all came flooding back, and he gulped.

“Of course. Once every seven days, on the Day of Satur,” Tatsugorou replied and smiled.

On that day, the Restaurant to Another World gained a brand new regular.