Chapter 28

"About the bento... you really put some thought into it."

In front of Bertholdt, the eel bentos were selling one after another.

The eel bento, which Hermine had come up with, was a huge success from the first day. The line in front of Nobu stretched all the way to the next block.

At the sales stand set up in front of the store, Hermine and Efa were working as salesgirls. The salesgirl uniforms were chosen by Shinobu. The white, adorable outfits suited the young pair very well.

The bento contained rice with eel sauce, rice rolls, and pickles. They also included wooden spoons to make it easier to eat, which was one of the secrets to their popularity.

The bento boxes and wooden spoons were made at a low cost by the carpentry guild through Hans's father's connections. It seemed that a few apprentices had just joined the guild in the spring, and they were happy to take on the bento boxes as practice.

Occasionally, oddly shaped bento boxes would be mixed in, but no customers seemed to mind.

The price was set slightly higher than a typical lunch bento, but this was Shinobu's idea. A reasonable price was necessary for something that could be sold with pride, and most importantly, there was a limited number of bentos available.

The eel bento quickly became a topic of conversation in the city.

The rumor spread even faster when Godhard and Eleonora from the Water Transport Guild and Geaunot from the City Council had their subordinates buy them.

People known for their refined palates wanted to try it. Even if it made their wallets a bit lighter, the people of the ancient city wanted to taste it.

In particular, Geaunot was so enthusiastic that he ordered enough for three people and had his subordinates line up well before the sales started to ensure he got his eel bento while it was still warm.

Other stores tried to copy the idea, but the sauce was a problem.

Some stores couldn't do anything with the eel they had purchased and even tried selling it as jelly, but the reviews were not good.

Nobu, the izakaya, was bustling, but they never served eel in the evening.

Criticism from customers was inevitable, but no matter how much they complained, eel was never served, so the customers eventually gave up.

It was thought that there would be some trouble, but the situation settled down in just a few days when people realized they could come during the day if they wanted eel.

"Efa, is our Hermine doing a good job?"

"Yes, Hermine is really quick with the money and amazing!"

Hermine blushed as she handed change to a customer.

There had been concerns about whether the shy Hermine could handle customer service, but it turned out to be an unnecessary worry.

Although Bertholdt didn't want to admit it, some customers were even coming to buy bentos just to see Hermine.

"Here's one eel bento, thank you!"

Efa, handing over the bento, looked lively and energetic.

Inside the store, Taisho and Shinobu were busy making eel bentos and preparing for the evening.

"Here, Bertholdt."

Taking advantage of a lull in customers, Hermine handed over a bento.

This was not an eel bento but a homemade love bento. As a daughter of a fishing village, Hermine was also skilled in cooking.

She would borrow a corner of the kitchen at Nobu in the morning to prepare a bento for Bertholdt. It seemed she was also learning various cooking techniques from Taisho.

"Thanks, Hermine. I might be able to get off a bit early today."

"That's great. I'll wait for you here. Let's grab something to eat before heading back to the inn."

"Sure, let's do that."

With the plan for after work set, he felt more motivated for the afternoon.

While Bertholdt was away, the training of his subordinates, who had been slacking off, was progressing smoothly, and he had a bit more leeway.

Several northern territories were still making strange moves, hiring mercenaries and increasing their food supplies, but there was nothing Bertholdt could do about it.

Unless they attacked the ancient city, there was no need for the guard corps to get involved.

In any case, it was time for a meal.

He opened the glass door before the store opened.

Listening to Hermine's sales pitch, eating bento at Nobu had become a secret pleasure for Bertholdt over the past few days.

After a brief greeting to Taisho and Shinobu, he chose a table by himself. This was a small luxury.

He carefully opened the lid of the bento he had just been given.

"Oh, what's this?"

Inside was just plain rice.

The eel sauce used in the eel bento was on it, but there was no sign of the eel.

"What's going on here?"

Holding the wooden spoon, he was at a loss when he heard Taisho and Shinobu chuckling from behind the counter.

It seemed they both knew what was in the bento.

"Hey, what's so funny? A newlywed's bento with just rice and sauce... that's a crisis in the marriage!"

"Come on, just try a bit, Bertholdt."

Encouraged by Taisho, he inserted the wooden spoon into the rice. Expecting only rice, he felt an unexpected resistance. When he moved the rice aside, a slightly broken eel appeared.

"Eel inside?"

"It's called 'mamushi.' Apparently, in the old days, eel was steamed between layers of rice. Pretty clever, right?"

"You could have said that from the start."

Despite his grumbling, Bertholdt used the wooden spoon.

The delicious smell of the eel stimulated his appetite, making his stomach ache.

The rice was well-cooked and infused with the sauce. The hidden eel was tender and fell apart easily.

"Delicious. As expected, it's good that Taisho grilled it."

"That's not very respectful to Hermine."

Shinobu interjected while preparing the dishes.

"Huh, Hermine can grill eel too?"

"Well, I did most of the grilling, but Hermine definitely helped."

"Still, it's something my wife made."

As he savored the mamushi bento, he began to understand why the eel wasn't on top. It was because it had broken apart.

Taisho had mentioned it, but Hermine hadn't told him she was grilling it herself.

In the end, the eel had broken apart, but she had used her ingenuity to make it look delicious.

Thinking about it, each bite of the bento became more precious.

"Delicious. Being able to eat such a delicious bento is a blessing."

"You should tell that to the person who made it."

Shinobu brought a steaming bowl, teasing him.

"It's a red miso soup with clams. Hermine and I made it together."

"Wow, that's great. To have soup at lunch is a treat."

In the ancient city, a typical lunch bento would be bread and cheese.

Considering that, it's no wonder Nobu's eel bento became popular.

He took a sip of the soup.

The hot broth flowed from his mouth down his throat and into his stomach. Perhaps because he had sweated a lot during the morning training, the richly flavored soup was especially welcome.

He alternated between the soup and the mamushi bowl.

Sweat broke out on his forehead, but for some reason, it felt incredibly refreshing.

He finished every grain of rice and let out a deep breath. It was a happiness he never imagined during his mercenary days.

A cute wife, good subordinates, and delicious food and drink.

He wished these days could continue forever. He wanted nothing to do with troublesome matters.

Just as he was thinking this, an old wound suddenly ached.

Complacency leads to injury. On the battlefield, the careless ones are the first to fall.

Still, he wanted to savor this happiness a bit longer.