The Other World Dining Hall (WN) Chapter 91

TN: Another sweet chapter for this romantic day (though I mostly regard this day as companies’ marketing strategy to generate more profit) but to each of their own I guess. This is the last chapter of the week since I’m going to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

A certain small regional lord, Gerard Hepken, found the "door" when he stopped in a small mansion, a separate second house, which was left by his father-in-law, the previous lord.

Gerard was the fifth son of a knight household, he learnt swordsmans.h.i.+p at his parents' house, left the house and became an adventurer.

Searching for monsters and exploring ruins, protecting villages from thieves, preventing a conspiracy that happened in a small country.

At the end of such adventures, he cooperated with his colleagues to subjugate dozens of orcs and hundreds of goblins along with the king of trolls.

His skill of swordsmans.h.i.+p and knowledge acquired wandering the world were considerable as expected.

By the time they first met, he was asked by a righteous old man that was too sick to get up from his bed and was deemed incurable even by a high priest to marry his granddaughter. After he talked with his colleagues, he decided to accept and retire from his profession.

Then shortly after he witnessed his granddaughter's wedding, he pa.s.sed away in his sleep and Gerard became the owner of the land.

He listened to the voices of the citizens, held parties with other n.o.bles and merchants, and was swamped by paperwork. Although he no longer needed to fight, he still continued to train his body.

He trained his legs by running around the countryside and kept up with his swordsmans.h.i.+p.

(…Yos.h.i.+, I see it.)

After travelling from the castle with his horse, he could finally see his destination.

A small but solidly built mansion.

It was something he found while running around the neighborhood, probably built by the deceased former lord who was the father of his beloved Claudia and was reasonably far from the castle, so he started his trip at the morning.

He went through the unlocked door so that a traveler that found it could use it and took a breath.

He took off his coat before wiping his sweat from his body, packed it in a leather bag that hanged on his face and then drank his still cold water.

The water was absorbed by his tired body and chilled it; he noticed its deliciousness when he sighed.

(…Un? Why is there a door in such a place?)

It was one door that stood out in Gerard's eyes.

A black door with a picture of a cat. Although it was exquisitely made, it was a strangely well-maintained door in the little dusty manor left behind by the previous lord.

(…It seems a little interesting.)

As he had the curiosity of an adventurer, he wanted to touch the door though he reconsidered

He learned several things back when he was an adventurer.

If he found something strange, it shouldn't be touched without good reason.

Even if he had to touch it at the end, it should be after collecting even a little information.

Previously when he explored an elven ruin, he was told by a treasure hunter that someone had carelessly touched its door and had to receive treatment from a priest as his whole body became numb after being pierced by a poisoned needle.

(…Let's ask Claudia first.)

With such decision, Gerard donned his coat again and went out.

It was her grandfather that built the mansion.

Surely she would know something about it.

It was at the breakfast table when he learned about its ident.i.ty.

[Maa!? You found the Nekoya's door!?]

To Gerard's question, his young wife Claudia, who had not exceeded 20 years of age yet, said loudly in a way he couldn't imagine due to her usual quietness.

[Aa. Certainly there is a door… Nekoya? Do you know something?]

[Yes, I have been there before when my parents were still alive…]

Claudia said with distant eyes as she talked about her memories of her parents.

Nekoya. It seemed that her grandfather found the door back when he was still healthy and she was not born yet.

On the other side of the mysterious door was a restaurant where various customers visited it from around the world and the otherworld dishes were really delicious.

[Grandfather no longer went there ever since I was small and otou-sama and okaa-sama pa.s.sed away in an accident, so I don't understand that place much either.]

[I see. Why don't we go then?]

[Yes!]

When his wife tearfully smiled while answering him, her face reflected her age and Gerard's heart throbbed.

[The, then please be prepared. I'll change my clothes.]

He cleared his throat and left the room in panic before starting to change his clothes to a formal wear of a knight.

The two visited that place again when the sun reached its peak.

[Aa… that's right. There's a door in this separate house.]

Claudia who rode behind Gerard on his favourite horse wove her hands around his waist and spun her words nostalgically.

When she was young, they would ride a carriage and she remembered that she would usually come here to eat delicious food with her tough grandfather and gentle parents.

[Aa, we're here. Your hand please.]

He took his wife's hands and lowered her from the horse.

He tied to horse to a nearby tree, grasped Claudia's hand and opened the door.

(…That's good. I thought it was an illusion.)

The moment he opened the front door, he was worried that the black door he saw was an illusion or something, but he felt relieved that the door was still there like before.

[Well then, let's go.]

[Yes.]

Though he kept his relief from his face, he said such words to Claudia who was beside him, grabbed the well-polished bra.s.s handle and opened the door.

'Chirinchirin', while listening to the cool sound of bell, they became Nekoya's customers.

Gerard for the first time and Claudia for the first time in years.

The inside of the restaurant was packed with people having their lunch time.

Various customers gathered to enjoy their lunch.

(…I see, so this is the otherworld.)

Gerard who was more informed than normal people after travelling here and there curiously looked around the restaurant.

In a sense, there were some familiar people like people of Western Continent that he saw at the Kingdom and Empire of the Eastern Continent.

And then there were elves, dwarves, halflings that were called sub-humans and even demons.

The customers of this restaurant, which seemed to be crowded at lunch time, were eccentric and unexpectedly ate a variety of unfamiliar dishes.

Being afraid of the sight, Claudia strongly grasped Gerard's hand.

Apparently she was scared of the huge lizardman sitting near the entrance.

[It's fine. I don't feel any animosity.]

[…Yes.]

After Gerard smiled at her to rea.s.sure her, she blushed and looked down.

In spite of her blus.h.i.+ng face, Gerard looked around to find an empty seat for two people.

[Well, welcome to Western restaurant Nekoya.]

As soon as they sat down, the waitress who was carrying a coffee noticed the two new customers and greeted them cheerfully while handing them two gla.s.ses of ice water.

[Both of you seem to be new customers. Etto, there's a menu that lists the dishes here, but it's written in Eastern Continent language. Are you able to read it?]

[Aa, we can. Bring it please.]

He nodded to the waitress who seemed to be unable to read it and had her bring the menu.

(Hoo, there are so many different foods…)

In the strangely smooth book, the names of a lot of dishes and alcohols were written neatly by a person that seemed to have considerable education.

Everything had simple descriptions, but he had eaten a few dishes back in the Empire before so he could imagine it.

[…How is it, Claudia? Is there something you want to eat?]

[That's right… a, this one.]

When he asked her, Claudia pointed at the name of a dish.

[I'm certain this is it. The dish that otou-sama and okaa-sama used to eat a lot. So…]

[I see. Let's order it then.]

And Gerard decided to order the food that Claudia pointed at.

[Waitress, can I order now?]

[Yes, how may I help you?]

Gerard immediately ordered when the waitress came.

[This, I want to order two chicken cordon bleu. And…]

He ordered the dish that Claudia chose and was about to order wine with it when Claudia spoke.

[I'd like two beers please.]

It was unusual for Claudia to be self-a.s.serting when she ordered clearly.

[Yes. Two portions of chicken cordon bleu with beer. Please wait a moment.]

When the waitress confirmed the order, she left quickly towards the kitchen.

[…Otou-sama and okaa-sama always ordered beer with chicken cordon bleu since the wiseman said that this way of eating is the best.]

Claudia replied while blus.h.i.+ng while Gerard looked at her like a rare thing.

[Really, I look forward to it then.]

While feeling a little pleased at Claudia's situation, Gerard decided to wait.

Then they waited for the food.

Before the main dish of chicken cordon bleu came out, they enjoyed their superb white bread and soup, and it was wonderful to see the bright light falling from the ceiling even though there's no window.

While Claudia came here to remember her family, Gerard talked about funny things that he encountered in his adventure.

They were at ease.

Though there were demons inside the restaurant, they didn't care and just impatiently waited for the chicken cordon bleu that "was very delicious" according to Claudia's memory.

While having a good time, they were glad to see the waitress coming out from the kitchen towards them.

And it came.

[Thank you for waiting. Here are your chicken cordon bleu and beers.]

She first placed the two plates of food and then two large gla.s.s cups filled with golden ale.

A large brown meat dish placed on the middle of white plate decorated with green leafy vegetables, red fruits and thinly sliced yellow fruit.

It was a big piece of meat larger than Gerard's palm and was still sizzling with oil.

[Please use the sauce in the blue bottle for seasoning. Also, if you squeeze the lemon over it, it's delicious too. Well then, please enjoy.]

While hearing the words of the waitress, they looked at the food.

Chicken cordon bleu.

According to its description, it seems that cheese was sandwiched between chicken b.r.e.a.s.t.s, coated with breadcrumbs and then deep-fried in oil.

(It's almost like the Empire's croquette.)

The first thing that Gerard thought while reading the description was the croquette that was popular in the Empire.

In the Empire, Cobbler's fruit, which was popular from aristocracy to commoners, was crushed, coated and deep-fried in oil. It was mainly sold by stalls in the capital city that had many adventurers just like the Kingdom.

Those that were sold in the stalls of the capital city were dry and crumbling, and the taste was weak and salty, but it was still memorable since it's delicious when freshly cooked and eaten with cheap ale that was also sold by the stalls.

(That coating was made with flour dissolved in water, but this…)

While feeling nostalgic about his adventurer days, he cut a piece of the chicken and brought it to his mouth.

(Nn!?)

He knew it was not similar in first bite.

The crunchy coating crumbled inside his mouth, and he knew that high quality oil and bread were used to cook this.

The chicken breast that was easy to decay and did not have long shelf life was carefully tenderized, seasoned with spices and salt, highlighting the quality of the meat itself, and the meat juice contained inside overflowed with each bite.

And the cheese sandwiched between added a nice flavor to the fresh chicken.

He thought that the quality cheese went well with the chicken, and the melted cheese flowed down from between the meat.

The cheese, if anything, had strong flavor, it combined with the fresh breast meat that was lacking in fat to elevate each other.

(This… is irresistible.)

He grabbed the beer he ordered and gulped it down.

Its vivid bitterness and cold temperature like winter went down his throat while was.h.i.+ng away the taste in his mouth while chilling his tongue heated by the food.

(This cool ale is superb. Not only it entertains the mouth, it also does so to the throat. Indeed, this is a wise combination.)

The combination of chicken cordon bleu with beer was really superb and delicious.

He drank about half of the beer in one go.

…Fuwaa.

He unintentionally sighed and a similar sound entered his ears.

Claudia also drank her own beer.

Her beer cup contained less beer than his own.

While usually she behaved ladylike, she probably drank it due to her memories.

[…Etto, that…]

[Let's order another serving of alcohol. Also, let's try using the sauces.]

Gerard said quickly while thinking that the blus.h.i.+ng Claudia who bowed he head was cute.

He picked up the blue bottle.

Dark brown liquid flowed from the opening and covered the chicken cordon bleu.

Then, lemon. He squeezed it on top of the chicken.

[There, next is…]

He took another bite.

(Wow… this is delicious!)

A strong salty and sour flavor joined the chicken and cheese.

By joining them together, chicken cordon bleu was now complete.

The two flavors of the sauce were too strong just by itself, so it combined with the moderately soft taste of chicken and cheese.

When Gerard seemed to deliciously eat the chicken and drank his beer, Claudia mimicked him and ate the same way.

[Excuse me! More beer please! And…]

[Ano! Another serving of chicken cordon bleu please!]

Claudia's order overlapped with Gerard's.

And their happy lunch time lasted until they couldn't eat anymore.

When the sun tilted to the west, they came back to the mansion.

[I ate a bit too much…]

[Ee. That's true…]

While their bellies were a bit painful due to eating too much, they exchanged words.

It would be hard to go back to their home on horseback as soon as possible.

They leaned against the wall and relaxed until their bellies settled.

[Let's come here again next time. I like the cuisine there too.]

[…Yes.]

And Claudia nodded with a smile to Gerard's proposal.

TN: I think this is the same cottage as the one in pot-au-feu chapter. For those who may be confused, Gerard first visited the cottage before breakfast so the door was still there when they both went there at the same day.