Chapter 35

Geanote slipped through the curtain and immediately ordered a Triaeznama.

After the Lager incident, he had warned that it should be temporarily sealed to avoid confusion. And he was the one who had said it.

To the surprised Shinobu and Taisho, he told them with his usual stern face.

"Lager has been approved for distribution as of today."

"Really?"

"Throughout the empire, you won't be punished for drinking Lager anymore. Of course, I believe that the Triaeznama here is not Lager."

The law was originally supposed to lose its effect after thirty years.

Geanote thought there was a problem with the fact that it had been applied continuously even now.

Of course, even if it was a bad law, if there were violators, he would collect a hefty fine. That was Geanote's job and his life's work.

In fact, Bacheshof had almost all of his personal assets seized by the city council, and his chamber of commerce was also on the verge of collapse.

The whereabouts of Bacheshof's attendant, Damian, were unknown, but Geanote didn't consider it a big problem. It wasn't a big deal if one small fry escaped.

As long as the taxes were collected, the ancient city would flourish. Wasn't that wonderful?

Today's otoshi is Nanban-zuke with small horse mackerel.

The harmony of the sourness, sweetness, and the faint spiciness is truly excellent.

However, Geanote's well-fed tongue sensitively detected that the dish was slightly over-marinated.

If it had been marinated a few days earlier, even nobles would have had to admit it was a perfect taste.

"Still, thank you, Mr. Geanote."

"The Bacheshof incident? There's no need to thank me. I just did what I should have as a tax collector."

While he said that, it would be a lie to say he wasn't at all angry with Bacheshof.

That man had always protected the people he employed in his chamber of commerce, hindering the collection of taxes.

He had also opposed the taxation of commercial guild transactions at the city council and used every conspiracy to keep the tax rate low. Behind the scenes, he had been involved in smuggling prohibited goods to enrich himself. It was an unforgivable act.

This incident was something Bacheshof had initiated himself, so it was his own doing. He had underestimated a mere dirty bar in the city.

Geanote wouldn't let that slide.

"Still, it might be unbecoming of someone on the city council to rudely refuse your gratitude."

"Anything, I'll do anything for the shop!"

At Shinobu's words, Geanote's throat involuntarily made a sound.

"You said anything?"

"Y-Yes, I said it... But..."

"Then, there's one thing I want to ask."

Pressed by the intensity, Shinobu took a step back, but Geanote didn't mind.

He had been waiting for this day for so long.

"...I want you to make me a spaghetti napoletana."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Not only Shinobu, but Taisho and Efa also widened their eyes.

However, it seemed that Shinobu was surprised for a different reason.

"What's wrong? Didn't you say you'd do anything? This Geanote can't forget the spaghetti napoletana he ate that day."

"Ah, ah, ah!"

Shinobu waved her arms and desperately tried to speak, while Taisho and Efa looked at her curiously. If she could make such a dish, what was she embarrassed about?

Geanote, known as a gourmet, had never eaten pasta in the ancient city that surpassed that one.

"Shinobu, I can make spaghetti napoletana if you want?"

Shinobu, who seemed to have given up, added a suggestion to Taisho's puzzled question.

"Ah, no, yes, well, please use good bacon."

When Shinobu mentioned bacon, Taisho's eyes narrowed.

His expression seemed to be suppressing anger.

"...Good bacon, huh. By the way, my bacon for my evening drink has been disappearing from time to time. Shinobu, you don't know anything about that, do you?"

"Ah, ahaha... We'll talk about that later."

Yes, that bacon was delicious.

Thinking that he might never be able to eat that miraculous spaghetti napoletana again, he couldn't deny that his enthusiasm for bringing down Bacheshof had increased.

He had sent multiple letters urging the slow-moving brewmaster, who had probably found him quite annoying. In the end, the discovery of thirty-seven barrels of smuggled goods led to him receiving a commendation, so you never know what might happen.

"By the way, what happened at that meeting?"

While waiting for the spaghetti to cook, Shinobu brought up the topic.

Her interest was clearly in the meeting with the Northern Three Principalities. It seemed that some of the customers were also listening to their conversation.

There was no particular gag order on the content of the meeting that had just ended two days ago, but the news hadn't spread yet.

In the past, Bacheshof and his cronies would have spread rumors and boasted about such things, but they had become much quieter after the incident.

That's why many people still didn't know about the incident.

"Oh, the meeting the day before yesterday was incredible. It will surely go down in history."