Chapter 42

Saying that, the guard with the beard, one of the pair, leaned in to look at the plate of saury. I’m sure his name was Nikolaus.

"There’s still some left to eat."

His face was close.

He must be drunk. The smell of alcohol wafted from his breath. His reddened face was right next to Eleonora’s.

When was the last time she had let a younger man get this close to her?

Seeing the beard on his chin, Eleonora suddenly remembered something from the past.

Her father also had a similar beard.

Not the nominal father registered with the church, but her biological father. She hadn’t heard this directly from her mother. Perhaps it was a woman’s intuition. She knew it the moment she saw him; he was the source of her other half.

Among the men surrounding her mother, he was one of the less impressive ones.

There wasn’t much to him. To be honest, she couldn’t even clearly picture his face. She only vaguely remembered that he had an ordinary appearance.

Her mother, who was often annoyed by men’s tastes, for some reason didn’t treat him rudely. Perhaps that was her twisted way of showing a marital relationship.

"But I can’t pick at it anymore. It’s in such a state now."

"It’s fine, there’s still more to eat."

On the plate, what was once a saury now lay as a miserable remnant.

Ignoring Eleonora’s sulky protest, Nikolaus picked up a pair of chopsticks from the chopstick rest.

With a fluid motion, he began to skillfully disassemble the saury.

Eleonora thought it was the beauty of his chopstick handling that caught her attention.

He pinched the saury’s head and, with a deft touch, removed the entire backbone. From the part she thought couldn’t be picked anymore, the flesh magically appeared.

What remained was a clean backbone from head to tail and a pile of picked flesh.

"Hey, can you make that thing from the other day?"

"Yeah, saury rice."

Taking the picked saury from Nikolaus, Taisho put it into a frying pan with rice.

He added a few seasonings to the soup that Shinobu called dashi and put them in the same pot. He then cooked the saury and rice together.

Eleonora, who didn’t cook much, thought it would turn out like a flavored porridge, but the rice was fluffy, having absorbed the dashi well.

It looked somewhat like an eel bento.

Though there were differences in the dashi and sauce, it was a similar dish in terms of combining rice and fish. Eleonora knew eel bento well because she had secretly sent someone to buy it after hearing from Shinobu that it was good for beauty.

However, what decisively set the saury rice apart was its appearance.

To be honest, it didn’t look good.

Even with green scallions scattered on top, to Eleonora’s discerning eye, it looked like leftover food.

But, what was this appetizing smell?

The picked saury was well mixed with the rice, and a wonderful aroma wafted to the counter. As it was brought to her, the smell became even more prominent.

"It’s not a very pretty dish, but it’s delicious."

Following Nikolaus’s carefree smile, Eleonora picked up her chopsticks and tried the saury rice.

The rice, packed with the flavor of the saury, crumbled in her mouth.

It was easy to eat.

The saury she had just eaten was delicious as a side dish with its strong flavor, but for Eleonora, who wasn’t used to it, it was a bit too oily.

But this saury rice was different.

Perhaps because the ginger was well used, there was no fishy smell from the cooked saury.

The scallions not only added color but also changed the texture. The casually placed pickled eggplant was just right as a palate cleanser.

Why is it so delicious despite its unappealing appearance?

It wasn’t the luxurious taste of fine dining. It was a nostalgic, comforting flavor.

She wanted to savor it forever. By the time she realized it, her bowl was already empty.

This amount was just right. If it had been a little more, it would have been too filling, and if it had been less, she would have had to order another dish.

For some reason, while looking at the empty bowl, Eleonora was thinking about her biological father.

"See, even though it doesn’t look good, it’s surprisingly delicious, right?"

"Yes, really."

It was really delicious.

Eleonora, who had indulged in all kinds of gourmet food by calling chefs from the capital, couldn’t believe she was moved by a dish that looked like this.

This was why, no matter what her subordinates said, she couldn’t stop coming to Nob’s izakaya.

"Miss, since you’re so beautiful, I’ll teach you more delicious things."

Hearing Nikolaus’s words, Eleonora finally understood.

This man was drunk. He probably didn’t even realize he was talking to Eleonora, the master of the Water Transport Guild.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have talked to her so familiarly.

She understood, but for some reason, she felt a bit lonely.

Why did she want to see this man with the not-so-handsome beard again?

"Thank you, handsome man. If there’s a chance, let’s meet again."

Eleonora politely thanked the guard who had momentarily reminded her of her father and took out her wallet.

The number of silver coins she gave to Shinobu was more than enough, even considering a tip.

When Shinobu counted the coins with a puzzled look, Eleonora nodded gently.

Satisfied, the signboard girl of Nob’s izakaya carefully put the silver coins in the safe.

Would that bearded guard come to this izakaya again tomorrow?

Thinking about this, Eleonora slowly started her walk home under the moonlight.