Chapter 30

The next morning, Shinobu put up a large sign on the glass door that read, "No eel bento today."

The sky was clear, as if the storm of yesterday had never happened, but Shinobu's heart remained heavy.

Aifa, Hermine, and Berthold, who had ended up staying overnight, all had puffy eyes from lack of sleep.

Berthold, who had arrived just as Baxeshof was leaving, confirmed that lager was indeed a prohibited item.

"Apparently, it's a new technology discovered by the late emperor when he was young. It's said to be incredibly delicious, so they restricted its production and distribution to the imperial family and a select few."

If someone without a license sold it, they would be fined a huge amount, and in the worst case, could even be sentenced to death.

Shinobu and Nobu, who had not realized how serious the offense was, held their heads in their hands, but no good solution came to mind.

Well, there was a way.

It was simple: they could give up the izakaya.

They could close the shop, which for some reason connected to an ancient city through its front door, and live in Japan. Thanks to a suspicious antique dealer, they had managed to exchange the ancient city's currency. If they cashed in their savings, they could probably gather enough to open another izakaya or a small restaurant somewhere.

But they didn't want to do that.

It had been almost half a year since they opened the shop in the cold winter. They had become good friends with the regular customers. Saying goodbye would be painful.

Moreover, there was Aifa's situation. Her family's finances had stabilized thanks to the wages from the izakaya, but if they closed the shop, everything would go back to how it was before.

Was there any way to keep the shop without giving it up?

"But that scrawny old man from Baxeshof, to hit on Hermine of all people... I can't forgive him."

"That's because Hermine is cute, you know."

Aifa comforted Berthold, who was hitting his fist into his palm. Hermine, who had been shocked by what was said yesterday, was still wrapped in a thin blanket.

"We need to come up with a plan."

"But, boss, who do we know who's familiar with this kind of thing?"

Among the regulars, there were various people, but when it came to this kind of issue, the options were limited.

"Nicolaus, Gernot, or Deacon Ettvin..."

"Is that my name you're calling?"

At that moment, Deacon Ettvin opened the glass door and appeared. He was dressed as usual, but it was unusual for him to visit the izakaya at this hour.

"What brings you here, Deacon? So early in the morning?"

"Well, there was something that was bothering me... but it seems to have been a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

Ettvin nodded and gestured towards Berthold and Hermine with his chin.

"Last night, during the storm, a Baxeshof clerk brought a strange document to the church. It was a request to invalidate the marriage of Berthold and Hermine, which made me concerned."

"What!?"

Aifa and Nobu tried to calm down the agitated Berthold. Hermine buried her face in the blanket, on the verge of tears.

"That scrawny old man is really pushing it... We need to raid them. Hans and Nicolaus, no, the whole squad, will turn Baxeshof's mansion into ashes!"

"Deacon Ettvin, such a document has no legal effect, right?"

Ettvin, who was stroking Aifa's worried face, had a dark expression.

"Under normal circumstances, there would be no problem. The request would be sent to the church in the northern port town and that would be the end of it. But in this case..."

"Is there a problem, Deacon?"

"It's not something I should tell a child like Aifa, but it seems there's a vacancy for a cardinal."

The archbishop in charge of the ancient city and its diocese was spreading money to influential people to become a cardinal.

If Baxeshof was in cahoots with the archbishop, there was a risk that the request would be accepted, which was the deacon's concern.

A heavy silence filled the shop.

This was the time to stay strong.

Shinobu stood up and went behind the counter.

"Come on, everyone. Let's have breakfast."

With so many people, the menu was simple: onigiri, miso soup, tamagoyaki, and fried sausages. Shinobu and Aifa made the onigiri.

"These are quite salty and delicious."

Ettvin, biting into an onigiri, tried to sound cheerful.

Berthold's expression was stiff, but he was sharing an onigiri with Hermine. He hesitated for a moment at the octopus-shaped sausage, but after Nobu explained it wasn't actually an octopus, he seemed to like it.

While sipping the miso soup, Nobu explained the situation from yesterday to Ettvin. After listening in silence from start to finish, Ettvin muttered.

"Lager..."

"Is it that bad?"

Nobu leaned forward, and Ettvin nodded solemnly.

"The late emperor was a very wise man. The restriction on lager's distribution, rather than a ban, was set as a preparation period of thirty years to eventually sell it as a specialty of the capital."

The empire, suffering from chronic financial difficulties, was seeking high-value specialty products, and lager was chosen for this purpose.

Shinobu could understand that if a unique brewing method spread, the profits would be significant. It was like the eel bento at the izakaya. If it couldn't be found elsewhere, there were many ways to make a profit.

"However, it seems they couldn't increase production as planned. The imperial decree has been in effect ever since."

"Is there any chance it will be revoked?"

"Hard to say. The current emperor deeply respects his grandfather, the late emperor, so it might be difficult to revoke it. Besides, I haven't heard any news about successful mass production of lager."

"Such..."

Ettvin placed a hand on the dejected Nobu's shoulder.

"The only hope is that the late emperor himself will revoke the decree on lager's distribution."

"Huh?"

Shinobu almost asked if the late emperor was still alive but stopped herself. It would be extremely disrespectful to know he was alive and not acknowledge it. Asking such a strange question might be problematic.

"Even so, the chances are slim. If we were to appeal to the late emperor, we don't have enough time. Baxeshof will move faster."

"Such..."

Aifa plopped down on the floor.

Shinobu thought about various things but couldn't come up with a good idea. It was even questionable whether a solution existed.

Going back to Japan. That thought crossed her mind many times.

At that moment, Nobu seemed to make a decision and growled.

"Anyway, let's open the shop for the evening."

The first to arrive at the shop was the master of the blacksmith guild, Holger.

Aifa and Hermine had gone home, so only Shinobu and Nobu were in the shop.

Holger took his usual spot in the middle of the counter and immediately said something shocking.

"The topic of the izakaya Nobu came up at today's city council meeting."

"What, what does that mean?"

Leaning forward, Shinobu looked at Holger, who had a serious expression.

"It's not good news. In fact, the situation is quite bad."

"Is it about the lager?"

"Ah, you knew?"

The city council had been dealing with minor issues as usual, but when the last agenda item, a conference in the ancient city about the northern three territories, came up, Baxeshof brought up the shop as an emergency item.

"The council members were taken by surprise. Everyone knew the ale at this shop was delicious, but they didn't expect it to be lager. Well, it's understandable since they haven't had lager to compare it with."

"Is that why it happened?"

"I don't know if you know him, but Godhardt of the water transport guild defended you fiercely. It was quite a spectacle."

Shinobu intuitively understood it was because of the eel incident.

If the izakaya Nobu were punished, the fishing rights in the ancient city they had obtained would be wasted. This was likely the reason for the support.

"Godhardt even said that bringing up the izakaya at the city council meeting raised doubts about Baxeshof's ability as the chairman. I and the glass enthusiast, Lorenz, agreed with him."

"Lorenz too?"

"His family has been regulars here for two generations. He would be troubled if the shop closed. It was amusing to see the three major water transport guilds, usually at odds, come together to protect Nobu."

Reflecting on it, many people had eaten the food and drunk the drinks at this shop.

It was a strange feeling to realize this, but Shinobu felt a warm sensation in her chest.

"Still, Baxeshof was one step ahead. It seems he had already laid the groundwork. The shop will be investigated by the city council."

"Is that so..."

"The investigator is Gernot, the tax collector. He's the type who will chew you to the bone once he gets a hold of you. Be careful."

"Gernot, huh..."

Gernot was a regular.

Since trying Shinobu's spaghetti, he occasionally visited the shop for meals. He particularly liked the eel and always bought three eel bentos.

Gernot might show some consideration, but Holger mercilessly shattered that faint hope.

"Gernot was very enthusiastic. Jobs from the city council are rare. If he does well here, his future will be secure. He's not the type to show favoritism just because he's visited the shop a few times."

With that, Holger placed the money for the appetizer and a glass of ale on the counter and stood up.

"I like this shop, and I hope the accusations are false. But since the investigator is Gernot, it might be wise to have a plan in case you need to go into hiding."

It seemed he had come to warn them.

Contacting the izakaya Nobu as a city council member was risky. If things went wrong, it could be seen as aiding in the concealment of evidence.

Still, he had come to the shop. The thought of his consideration was overwhelmingly heartwarming.

"Boss, what do we do?"

"What do you mean, what do we do?"

"Holger said we should prepare to run."

Running was an option.

Opening a shop in a different location was not impossible.

But Nobu didn't seem to be hesitating.

"As long as the shop is here, we'll keep it running."

"But you might get caught. Even if you don't, a bad reputation might drive away customers."

Nobu glanced away, and Shinobu followed his gaze.

There was a kamidana (Shinto altar) with today's offering of sesame-filled inari sushi.

"We'll deal with it when it happens. This is an izakaya. As long as there are customers, we'll keep it running. If things get too bad, we'll think about what to do then."

Shinobu nodded with a smile.

"Let's work hard today."

"Okay!"

The news spread quickly in the ancient city, which was full of gossipy residents.

Shinobu and Nobu had expected a decrease in customers, but after that day, the number of customers clearly increased.

Not only regulars but also people who had only visited once before started coming in, making it busier than ever.

However, Gernot never showed up at the shop.

And then, the fateful day arrived.