MTLNOVEL Chapter 301
Everything has a cause and an effect.
Godwin thought this as he watched a ship split in half right before his eyes.
This assignment has flopped, he mused.
The reason lay right in front of him.
A medium-sized galley was sinking off the coast of Ishikobaharten. At the same time, the nearby village was overflowing with Ship’s Claw Crab, which was considered a delicacy both inland and at sea.
Could there truly be no connection between the two? Godwin believed there had to be.
The cause of the ship’s sinking was clear as day, even to a drunken Dwarf passing by.
“That ship was a pirate vessel.”
“Pirate vessel? Are you sure about that?”
“Uh…”
And the Dwarf who had arrived from the sinking ship had clouded the testimony with ambiguity. It seemed the Dwarf wasn’t drunk, but had merely tripped over a rock.
“Yes. I, Sigurd IV of the Beolseong Family and an A-Class Adventurer, swear it by the name of my tribe and the God I believe in.”
“Sigurd, as in Zigmeser?”
“That’s how it’s pronounced.”
It wasn’t like he was an S-Class adventurer like Gordon, a former adventurer.
Godwin wouldn’t have thought much of an A-Class Adventurer either.
But the Beolseong Family?
That was different. They ranked among the top three families that elected the Grand Chief of Eisenbart from the thirteen tribes.
To put it in the context of the Kingdom of Seophone, it meant a member of the Duke’s Family was swearing by his name.
“But, are you the next chieftain—”
“Oh, thank you for the compliment, but I’m from the collateral line.”
Godwin brushed off the notion while inwardly breathing a sigh of relief as he called out the name of the God.
Even being collateral, the name of the Beolseong Family held weight.
Of course, it was all just needless worry.
After all, with a mere ship sinking, the Grand Prince’s status and the name of a sage-level Grand Wizard were exceedingly solid.
“Your Highness. Don’t worry. Here’s the evidence too.”
“Evidence?”
“I knocked out the captain and navigator when escaping and swiped this.”
Sigurd IV handed over some gold coins and a notebook. Viktor took the items and marveled at them.
“This seal and navigation log, they belong to the South Coast Duke’s captain and navigator.”
“Huh? The South Coast Duke?”
Godwin’s eyes widened at the unexpected mention of a Duke.
“Isn’t that a serious problem?”
“It’s not that serious.”
How could it not be serious, when they were talking about a Duke’s subordinate?
Godwin couldn’t understand Viktor’s words.
“Why would His Grace the Duke be called a pirate?”
“Is the Duke actually raising pirates?”
“A merchant of the sea is a pirate, and a pirate is a merchant of the sea.”
“Does that make sense?”
It was only after ironclad vessels started appearing on Earth that merchants and pirates could be clearly distinguished.
In fact, considering that the actions of the imperialists rampaging everywhere were hardly different from pirates, this issue dates back to the First World War.
The boundless ocean is a natural environment where there are no clear borders unlike on land.
Let alone, in the vast sea, even with satellites overhead, it’s hard to know what’s happening unless you are directly involved.
Thanks to that, the equation of merchant=pirate has been an optimal environment since time immemorial, and this held true for Europa as well.
“Moreover, they mixed sleeping pills in the beer the A-Class Adventurer Sigurd IV hired! They deserved to die!”
“…You drank the beer even knowing they’d drugged it?”
“There’s nothing wrong with the beer.”
“You just said there were sleeping pills in it. Shouldn’t you refrain from drinking it if you knew—”
“The beer is innocent.”
Ah, right. This guy’s a Dwarf too. Godwin stared at Sigurd IV, who was chuckling heartily, completely unfazed by Godwin’s deadpan expression.
“Hahaha—still, their actions were despicable, so I just lightly touched the hull.”
“Exactly! It wasn’t my fault!”
“Your Highness?”
“Ahem. It’s nothing.”
Godwin, slightly flustered by the outburst, diverted the conversation.
“More importantly, you aren’t a Swordmaster, are you?”
“Me? A Swordmaster? No way.”
“Really? Then how did you dash across the sea?”
“Oh, that’s thanks to these shoes.”
Sigurd IV turned his body and showed off his vintage black and blue leather boots that hovered in the air, making Viktor recognize them instantly.
“Those are Hippocampus leather boots made by Neiraide!”
“Wow, many people don’t seem to recognize them. You’ve got sharp eyes.”
While Godwin recalled Viktor’s past amidst a wry smile, Sigurd IV focused back on his meal.
“More than that, I can’t believe the rumors were true!”
“True? What are you talking about?”
“The food in Iceland has become delicious.”
Sigurd IV gestured toward the banquet laid out on the table.
The hastily arranged feast made with the best house from the village that Godwin borrowed from Karem and Mary due to the ship’s sinking.
Although it was modest for a banquet, it was enough.
Chowder loaded with clam and crab meat, a big crab filled with stuffing, fried crab rolls in a sweet and spicy sauce, and grilled crab legs with herb butter.
There were only four different dishes filling the table.
Yet, for Sigurd IV, who remembered the dire state of Iceland a hundred years ago, it was enough to shock him.
“In a land where even nobles contemplated munching on oats, this tastes good enough to be acknowledged by even crafty crab merchants.”
While it sounded like a sneer at first, Godwin didn’t mind at all. He felt rather praised.
He knew from knowledge the shocking reality of Iceland from years past, and it was indeed true that food had significantly improved over the past few years.
“I heard it was thanks to the four talented chefs who share the name Karem, a retired S-Class adventurer’s personal chef—”
“Seems that rumor spread even to Eisenbart.”
“No, I heard it in Iberia. Huh? Wait, did you say rumor?”
Sigurd IV was taken aback by the unexpected comment. Godwin and Viktor were used to that reaction; they had often seen it at Winchester Castle.
Under Viktor’s questioning gaze, Godwin finally spoke up.
“Right. Do you remember the House Fairy and the young man who brought the dishes earlier?”
“Of course, I remember.”
“The young man is Karem.”
Huh? Sigurd IV paused mid-bite of the fried crab leg, the butter sauce drizzling down his beard and falling onto the table.
“Mmm? Mmm?”
“I understand what you’re saying, but finish what you were eating.”
At Viktor’s words, Sigurd IV realized his oversight and quickly finished his food, downing it with beer and thoroughly wiped his mouth and beard with a napkin.
“I know dozens of recipes by heart. Are you telling me that they were all made by this young man who’s barely come of age?”
“Well… strictly speaking, he’s not even a young man.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Sigurd IV was soon to hear the story of Karem from Viktor.
“Hey, how could a 12-year-old serf do such a thing? At that age, kids hardly manage without being demi-human.”
“…”
“…Is that for real?”
“I understand your confusion.”
With Godwin’s words, Viktor closed his eyes and nodded.
*
*
*
Sigurd IV didn’t act immediately.
The meal was not yet over either.
More importantly, there was no real reason to dash out from the table.
Karem was the personal chef of the Grand Wizard that accompanied Godwin. He wasn’t likely to vanish like a migratory bird.
“Karem? He’s probably at the smoker at the edge of the village.”
“Smoker?”
“Yes. He should be smoking the Ship’s Claw Crab on my request. By now—”
“Young Master.”
Before Godwin could finish his sentence, Viktor cut him off with an unapologetic posture.
“You can’t go.”
“Viktor, I didn’t say anything.”
“The Duchess ordered me to prevent anyone from consuming anything after dinner. Personally.”
“Oh, I’ve been caught.”
“Hehe, the behavior of Your Highness is always predictable.”
Having enjoyed his meal, Sigurd IV extolled its delightful taste with extravagant words and excused himself, stepping outside for a moment.
‘Smoking crabs? Can you even do that?’
Sigurd IV had been around Europa doing quests.
However, he had never seen anyone smoke crabs or similar crustaceans.
‘But, I saw it while running; there are a lot of crabs.’
The scene he glimpsed as he passed through the village entrance.
The Ship’s Claw Crab were crawling around as if monsters were swarming.
The Ship’s Claw Crab attack ships and people.
In that sense, the current scene was quite astonishing.
“It’s incredible they’ve even come ashore and ignored the village… oh, there it is.”
As he got closer, he could smell a distinctive smoky aroma.
Soon, Sigurd IV found something to behold.
His S-Class senior, Catherine, the House Fairy Mary, and Karem were gathered around a wooden box filled with red crab legs.
Their focus was directed toward a campfire.
More precisely, it was on the oven they had stacked temporarily above the campfire.
On the upturned shell of the Ship’s Claw Crab.
“…Distilled liquor? Spirits?”
“Huh? A Dwarf sailing the sea has appeared.”
As he approached with a rustle, Catherine reacted.
“I am Sigurd IV, an A-Class Adventurer from the Beolseong Family. It’s an honor to meet Sir Atanitas, the renowned sage. Please feel free to call me Sigurd IV.”
“Oh, an A-Class adventurer. What brings you here?”
“I originally came to meet a friend.”
“A friend? In Iceland?”
“Yes.”
At that, Catherine raised an eyebrow and gave a “do continue” look.
“I’ve heard that you fulfilled your dreams and even got married in Iceland, so I came to see your face. But more than that.”
Sigurd IV glanced down at Karem, who had gathered near the campfire.
“Is this one of Karem’s people? I heard there’s a cook group in the continent made of many people—”
“Huh? It’s not a group. It’s one person.”
“One person? Is someone named Karem doing it all by themselves?”
“Yup.”
Karem turned his head at the sound of conversation while adjusting the position of the liquid-filled shell.
Seeing the sudden guest, Sigurd IV jolted.
‘…He kind of looks familiar…?’
But which Dwarf he resembled was hazy. Mary bumped Karem’s shoulder lightly, pondering.
“Karem junior. Have you become a popular figure now?”
“I guess I’ve left several people torn apart?”
“That’s how rumors work. Just think about the inconsistent recipes and the number of them.”
“Hmm. I concede. I have no argument.”
Was it a misunderstanding? Just as he thought and turned back to the campfire, he stopped upon seeing Sigurd IV’s crimson eyes.
The destination for those alcohol-seeking, red pupils was the warm, steaming crab shell.
“Catherine? What should we do?”
“We can’t tell a Dwarf not to drink in front of them.”
Catherine nodded in tacit approval.
“Since you say so, I will serve you a drink.”
“Is that okay?”
With just three crab shells atop the temporary oven, it matched the number of people who were there before he arrived.
Sigurd IV accepted the offer gladly after Karem silently moved away to show the heap of Ship’s Claw Crab.
“Hmm, it’s warm. Drinking spirits hot is a first for me.”
“Ah, but before that, you should try this first.”
“Huh? Crab leg?”
Sigurd IV hesitated to drink the liquor from the crab shell and instead accepted the smoked crab claw that Karem had peeled off.
“Hmm. The shell is different from regular crab dishes. It peels off easily?”
“It shrunk due to smoking.”
“Smoking?”
“Yes. The Grand Prince requested it first, so I gave it a try.”
“Do I just eat it like this?”
“Yup. Just bite into the meat and pull it.”
“Hmm, mmm. This is interesting.”
“Wait a minute. Chew a bit while not swallowing, and then do a shot.”
A shot, what does that mean? Sigurd IV blinked, then glancing at Karem’s motions, followed suit.
“Mmm.”
He pressed his mouth against the shell and savored the flavor.