Chapter 18

"Today at Izakaya Nobu, it's all about squid, huh?"

Next to Bertholdt, Assistant Etvin stroked his chin beard.

Bertholdt looked at the characters written on the paper pasted on the sliding door of the entrance with a complex feeling, as if it were a welcome death sentence.

"Isn't this a good place, Bertholdt? This must be for your benefit, right?"

"It might be something Shinobu would enjoy, but for now, it's a relief. After all, there's not much time until the arranged meeting."

"Things have become quite complicated recently."

The empire had harbored several seeds of conflict since its establishment.

As represented by the three-headed dragon crest of the imperial family, there were three bloodlines that formed the foundation. Even after three hundred years since the beginning, the tangled bloodlines continued to cause bloody disputes over the succession of territories within the empire.

While this had little to do with the ancient capital, a directly governed city of the empire with a high degree of autonomy, there were even those in the surrounding areas who were actively advocating for secession from the empire.

For Bertholdt, who was in charge of part of the ancient capital's guard force, it was a situation he wanted to be prepared for no matter what happened.

"Yeah, the arranged meeting has been moved up because of that."

"It would be good if you could overcome it today."

When Etvin opened the door, the smell of squid wafted in and assaulted Bertholdt's nose.

Suppressing the urge to turn back, Bertholdt stepped into the shop.

"Welcome!"

"…welcome."

Greeted by the usual welcome, he sat down at the reserved counter seat.

The otoshi (appetizer) offered by Shinobu was, of course, squid.

"It's squid somen."

The squid, finely sliced and resembling noodles, was served on a small flat plate. Perhaps the shop had considered his aversion and chosen a dish that didn't look like squid.

In front of Etvin, instead of squid somen, there was a small bowl of something with a strong, sticky smell.

"Assistant, what's that?"

"It's squid shiokara. It's a dish made by pickling squid slices and innards in salt, and it goes really well with alcohol. How about you try it?"

"…No, I'll pass."

Even eating regular squid was difficult for Bertholdt, let alone squid innards. First, he needed to get used to eating anything with the name "squid."

The menu continued with squid dumplings, ginger-cooked squid, firefly squid in brine, and fried squid rings. Shinobu and Aifa, who were responsible for eating what Bertholdt couldn't, did so as a substitute for their meal.

"Mr. Bertholdt, is it really okay for me to eat this squid fry?"

"It's fine, Shinobu. I can't eat it anyway."

"Then I won't hold back. Aifa, eat too."

"Y-Yes."

With a satisfying crunch, Shinobu and Aifa bit into the fried squid rings. Shinobu placed her free hand on her cheek, closed her eyes, and shook her body in delight.

"The crispy texture followed by the soft yet firm squid. Freshly fried squid rings are the best!"

"Aifa agrees. They're crispy and chewy, delicious."

Watching them enjoy their meal, Bertholdt picked up his chopsticks again.

But his hand stopped.

"No good. I just can't eat it..."

"What is it about squid that you can't stand?"

Shinobu tilted her head while slurping the squid somen.

Aifa, who was munching on a squid dumpling, suddenly spoke.

"Um, this is just a guess... but, Captain Bertholdt, did you have a bad experience with squid in the past?"

Hearing this, Bertholdt trembled.

"…Did something happen?"

Shinobu, who had leaned in to question him, seemed to have given up, and Bertholdt began to speak hesitantly.

"I grew up in a small village deep in the mountains where the only specialty was mercenaries. My great-grandfather was a bit of an oddball. He used to be a sailor when he was young."

When he said "sailor," he didn't mean someone who fished on a small boat. He was a crew member on a large merchant ship that carried goods west and south, with fifty or a hundred people on board.

Life was dangerous, but the pay was good. Until he retired, he lived quite comfortably, and Bertholdt's family was known as a wealthy household in the village.

Thanks to that, Bertholdt had no memory of lacking food, clothing, or shelter as a child.

"Shinobu, you might not know, but the world we live in is actually round."

Judging that Bertholdt's story was getting a bit too risky, Assistant Etvin took his sake cup and plate and retreated to a table.

It was a gesture to indicate that he wouldn't listen.

"Round, huh... That's interesting."

While Shinobu's response seemed a bit forced, Aifa was eagerly eating the simmered squid, fascinated by this new information about the world.

"My great-grandfather said there's plenty of evidence that the world is round. For example, when a distant ship comes into view, it's always the mast that appears first, not the whole ship gradually. That means it's round."

"Wow... That's amazing."

"Does Aifa understand the significance?"

"Yes! If the world is round, you can travel west and return from the east, which is very convenient!"

Impressed by Aifa's accurate response, Bertholdt nodded.

"Exactly. But there's a big problem with that."

The employers of Bertholdt's great-grandfather and others had the same idea and sent out many ships to explore new routes. However, these ships either never returned or were involved in terrible accidents.

"What was the cause?"

Shinobu asked while eating the firefly squid in brine.

"…Squid."

The sailors' path was blocked by countless squid.

In the area known as the edge of the world, the sea doesn't look blue. The surface is teeming with squid.

"Three parts blue, seven parts white. In other words, seven-tenths of the sea surface is covered by squid. Many sailors have seen this."

As he spoke, Bertholdt's face turned completely pale.

The brave and fierce Captain Bertholdt, known as one of the top five warriors in the ancient capital, was now huddled up in fear.

"I heard this story from my great-grandfather and was so terrified... That's why I can't eat squid to this day."

"That's why..."

Aifa, on the verge of tears, looked at Bertholdt, who rolled up his sleeve to show an old scar on his left arm.

"This scar is also because of squid."

"Wait, Captain Bertholdt, did you fight a squid?"

"No, not exactly. I encountered a mercenary on the battlefield whose helmet decoration was a squid... If I hadn't flinched at the sight of the squid..."

A heavy silence filled the shop.

If it were just a matter of likes and dislikes, it might have been possible to overcome with some tough love. But with such a deep-seated fear, it might be impossible to overcome.

"Are you really that afraid of squid..."

Aifa whispered, and Bertholdt nodded vigorously.

"I have confidence in my skills. At least, I try to. Otherwise, I couldn't be a company commander in the guard force."

"That's true."

Assistant Etvin, who had returned to the counter, nodded while reaching for the firefly squid in brine.

"Even so, a creature with ten arms longer than my body is, frankly, scary."

"…What?"

Everyone in the shop, including the customers and staff, tilted their heads at Bertholdt's words.

"Did I say something strange just now?"

Representing everyone, Shinobu timidly raised her hand.

"About the squid, right?"

"About the squid, right?"

Everyone except Bertholdt remained silent with awkward expressions.

Aifa broke the silence.

"Mr. Taiyo, do you have any whole squid left?"

"Ah, yes, I do."

Taiyo placed a large squid in front of Bertholdt.

It was dead, but it still had a powerful presence.

"Mr. Bertholdt, this is a squid."

"Ah, it's a baby squid, right? I can manage to look at something this size."

"…No, this is an adult."

Aifa's firm statement made Bertholdt cover his mouth and think. He even started to fidget.

"Then, maybe a very small species...?"

"No, this is the average size. Small species like the firefly squid that Assistant Etvin is eating are the exception."

Bertholdt fell silent, and everyone else followed.

Etvin, stroking his chin beard, spoke hesitantly.

"Bertholdt, maybe you were being teased by your great-grandfather?"

Taking a deep breath twice and looking at the ceiling, Bertholdt picked up a piece of squid sashimi from a nearby plate, dipped it in soy sauce, and put it in his mouth.

He savored the unique texture and the sticky, almost sweet flavor.

"Taiyo! Make that thing again!"

"Which one?"

"The round one that Shinobu and Aifa were eating. The crispy one!"

"Oh, the fried squid rings."

Bertholdt started to eat the remaining squid dishes on the counter, washing them down with beer.

"Delicious. It goes well with beer."

He bit into a grilled squid with plenty of mayonnaise, and the satisfying texture invited another sip of ale.

"Damn! If only my great-grandfather had said squid were this small..."

Muttering to himself, Bertholdt devoured the squid dishes at Izakaya Nobu one after another.

"Maybe now you don't have to worry about the arranged meeting."

"Right. You might even have developed a taste for it."

"That's really good."

In front of the relieved faces, Bertholdt proudly displayed his complete conquest of squid, his face beaming with a smile free of any worry.

On the day of the arranged meeting, the story of the father of his match landing the largest giant squid in history is another tale.