Unification of the South
Page 4
Our party headed toward the main gates on horseback. As we grew closer, it became clear that the city was a disorganized jumble. Streets crisscrossed at random intervals, and buildings of wildly differing sizes stood next to each other. I admit I might be a little biased, but the city didn’t seem all that safe either.
A rugged group of armed men approached us as we arrived at the gate. For a moment I thought they were pirates, but it turned out these were the city’s guards. And here I’d been ready to call the city guard on them. Mao handled the formalities, and we were permitted into the city without incident. As we walked past, I decided to make my intentions clear.
“My name is Veight, Vice-Commander to Demon Lord Gomoviroa. I would like to meet with Beluza’s Viceroy.”
Everyone in the vicinity froze.
“Sir Veight, I really would prefer it if you would stop announcing yourself to every city we visit.”
Mao sighed as he watched the nearby townspeople flee in terror.
It didn’t take long for an army of garrison troops to push their way toward us. Thanks to Mao’s skillful mediation, they agreed to escort us to the viceroy’s manor, albeit under heavy guard. I’d wanted to enjoy the view on my way there, but now all I got to see was a bunch of hairy dudes around me. I was looking forward to seeing what a different world’s ocean looked like, too. The troops escorting us whispered to each other in hushed tones, but my superior hearing caught every word.
“Th-That guy’s the butcher of four thousand?”
“Not only did he kill four thousand men, he blew up Thuvan’s walls.”
“They call him Hero-Slayer Veight... he’s buried dozens of Heroes already.”
“L-Listen up, you cowards. You better defend the viceroy with your life.”
“I’ll see you in the afterlife, buddy.”
The south’s been the picture of peace for the past few months, these rumors are uncalled for! The viceroy’s manor stood at the top of Beluza’s Hill, the city’s tallest point and namesake.
Me, Mao, Lacy, Parker, and my werewolf guards were escorted to an open terrace that overlooked the sea. As we took in the gentle sound of waves crashing against the beach and the dazzling sunlight pouring down on us, a stern-faced old man came out to greet us.
“I am Garsh, the Viceroy of Beluza. What business does the demon army have with me?”
Garsh had the appearance of a pirate king, which was fitting since this was known as the pirate city. This guy’s definitely made some people walk the plank in his time. Burly, muscular bodyguards flanked the viceroy, further cementing my image of him as a pirate lord. Or maybe a mafia boss. Granted, if I gave the order my 8 werewolves would make mincemeat out of his 20 guards, so the effect wasn’t as intimidating as he probably hoped. I got the feeling this guy might be hard to deal with, but it wasn’t like I could leave negotiating to anyone else. Sipping the tea one of the maids had brought me, I sucked in a deep breath. I’d messed up big time with Aram, so I figured this time it’d be better to speak more naturally.
“Lord Garsh, I’ll get straight to the point. Would you be willing to ally with the demon army?”
“Oho.” Garsh folded his arms and stroked his beard. “If we ally ourselves with the demon army, we’ll be making enemies of Meraldia. As it is, it’s uncertain who would make for a scarier foe.”
I’m pretty sure we’re the scarier enemy here. But if I said that, it’d come out sounding like a threat. And this guy didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d cave to threats. The fact that he was so confident even while dealing with a werewolf proved he had guts. Picking my words carefully, I responded, “Right now, Ryunheit, Bernheinen, and Thuvan are all under the demon army’s control. Furthermore, we’ve allied ourselves with Shardier.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve already heard about how you helped that whelp out. My thanks for that, kid.”
This pirate king was more informed than he looked.
“Truth is, I already talked to Aram in secret. He told me the demon army’s someone we can trust.”
Nice going, Aram. I hadn’t expected him to open up negotiations of his own.
“But see here, Airia and Aram both lack experience when it comes to being viceroy. So sorry, but just because they recommended you doesn’t mean I hafta trust you.”
Considering his position, that was the natural reply. Meaning I had to really sell this alliance to him.
“In that case, Lord Garsh, let me just say this. If, as planned, the demon army is able to win over the rest of the southern cities, Beluza will be completely isolated from the north.” If that was all I had to say, it’d just sound like a threat, but I wasn’t done yet. “However, even were that to happen, we have no intention of cutting off your trade routes to the north. Our goal is not to make the people of Meraldia suffer.”
“What?”
Garsh’s eyes went wide with surprise. He’d likely never heard of a potential enemy straight up promising not to cut off their trade routes. Even Parker seemed taken aback by my declaration.
“Are you sure you want to promise something like that?”
“It’s fine. Both the Demon Lord and Lady Airia have agreed to this proposal.”
In all honesty, even if we cut off their land routes, Beluza could always use the sea to ship goods to Lotz. And even if Lotz joined the demon army, it would be easy for them to trade with nations other than Meraldia. So long as we had no means to enact a naval blockade, cutting off Beluza’s trade routes would be an empty gesture. In which case, we were better off earning Beluza’s goodwill by not doing so.
Besides, letting them trade, but levying a toll on them, would be more beneficial to us in the long run. Plus, if I had to, I could always have my werewolves dress up as bandits and start raiding Beluza’s caravans. That would be a much more effective way of crippling their economy. I doubted I’d need to take measures that drastic, but it was always good to leave your options open. At any rate, it seemed Garsh still hadn’t recovered from his shock.
“I don’t understand. What did you come here for!?”
“To try and forge an alliance, of course.”
The fact that he was this surprised came as a surprise to me. Arms still folded, Garsh lapsed into thought. After a few minutes he asked, “Then why have you blockaded our seas?”
“We haven’t?”
Now it was my turn to be surprised. Considering it’d be pretty obvious if I lied, I decided to come clean about the state of the demon army’s navy.
“Unfortunately, the demon army has no navy of its own. Even if we wanted to, we couldn’t blockade your seas.”
Garsh gave me an odd look.
“You mean the mermaids aren’t part of the demon army?”
They aren’t. Because a certain skeleton here failed to persuade them. I shot Parker a sidelong glance and he innocently looked away.
“Oi, Parker. What the hell is this?”
“It’s as I told you, Veight. The mermaids said they dislike violence and so would not be joining the demon army.” Parker, who was in his handsome guy disguise, replied in a confused tone. Seeing our exchange, Garsh, too, grew confused.
“The mermaids don’t wanna fight us? Then why in the bloody hells are our ships going missing? I thought this was all the work of the demon army!”
It appeared Beluza had run into quite a rough patch. This was something I could use as leverage.
“Veight, you do realize everyone can see the wicked grin creeping up your face right now, right?”
“Can you just shut up for a minute?”
After I shut Parker up, I turned back to Garsh.
“It appears you seem to be having some trouble. We’d like to help, if possible.”
“Now that sounds shady...”
Garsh gave me a suspicious glare. I promise we’re not secretly behind this and just trying to get the credit for solving your problems. Not this time, at least. Garsh examined our faces one after another, then sighed dramatically.
“Then we have a deal.”
I’ll have you know, you never want to be indebted to the demon army. Though, it’s good for us, so please keep asking us favors. Now then, let’s see how hard it’ll be to solve these pirates’ problems.
After negotiations were over, Garsh said something about how caring for guests was a viceroy’s job and ordered one of his men to prepare us rooms. Meanwhile, he took us to a nearby restaurant for a meal. It was more of a bar than a restaurant, but the smell of sizzling seafood was delicious enough to leave me drooling.
“All that stuffy negotiation can come later. For now, let’s eat!”
Garsh led us to the restaurant’s largest table. Seeing as the rest of the tables were empty, I assumed he’d reserved the whole place for the night. Including me, our party consisted of 12 people. On the other hand, Garsh had come here alone. I was amazed he was able to act so calm at a table full of demons. It seemed his guards—who were waiting near the restaurant’s entrance—shared my sentiment, as they’d gone completely pale. As I was marveling at Garsh’s courage, our food arrived.
“Most of what we’ve got to eat here is seafood, so I don’t know if it’ll suit your tastes.”
Despite what Garsh had said, all the food looked delicious. Especially since I hadn’t had seafood in a long time. Plates of fried shrimp and mushrooms, stir-fried scallops, and fish stew lined the table. Most of the dishes resembled ones I’d had back in Japan.
“At any rate, I’m tired of haggling and negotiating. My personal motto’s ‘feed diplomats well, and everything will go smoothly.’ Whaddaya think? Good motto, right?”
“Definitely.”
I took a sip of some garlic shrimp soup as I gave Garsh an enthusiastic reply. Most of the food had a Mediterranean flair to it. Aside from Mao, no one else from Ryunheit’s delegation had had seafood before. Lacy and the other werewolves exchanged timid glances before poking at their food.
“Hey, Veight, I think this soup has bugs in it...”
“Those are shrimp. They taste good, I promise.”
“Veight, what are these lumpy things?”
“Those look like fish eggs to me. I don’t know which fish they’re from, though.”
Why is everyone asking me all these questions? This was my first time eating seafood since reincarnating, so I wanted to enjoy it without being interrupted. Thank God I was reborn as a werewolf. I can eat as much as I want without getting full. I ate with gusto, all thoughts of negotiating gone. Garsh grinned as he watched me wolf down my food.
“Damn, kid! Do all werewolves eat as much as you!?”
“Yeah. We can eat way more than this too. So seconds, please. This food’s great.”
“Hahaha! So what d’you think of my chefs, kid?”
“They’re some of the best I’ve seen.”
I squeezed some lemon onto a piece of fried fish and ate it whole.
“This is the first time I’ve ever tasted fish this good. Get me some more!”
“Eat as much as you want, kid!”
Just then, the chef came out of the kitchen and whispered something to Garsh with a troubled expression. Sighing Garsh replied, “You’re already out of food? My guests are still hungry, you can’t just leave them like this.”
“Sorry, boss. We have the ingredients, we just can’t cook everything fast enough.”
Well, it is pretty hard to feed nine werewolves at once. Even Monza, who was a light eater by werewolf standards, was currently in the process of devouring a whole chicken. Meanwhile, the Garney brothers had tucked away a dozen plates of food. There was no way the cooks could keep up with the pace we were eating at. Seeing the chef’s troubled expression, Garsh smiled ruefully.
“I guess we can’t let them eat raw fish like us. It’s a shame, but we’ll have to make them wait.”
Now that I think about it, all the food they’re serving has been cooked. The chef had even used vegetables and seasoning to erase the fishy smell of most things. He’d also used ingredients Ryunheit residents would be more familiar with, like chicken and cheese. Garsh was probably trying to be considerate of us, since we’d come from across the continent. However, I at least needed no such consideration. Garsh’s earlier statement implied that Beluzans ate raw fish, right?
“Hey, Garsh?”
“Yeah?”
It doesn’t hurt to ask, at least.
“Do you guys eat raw fish?”
The old viceroy grinned and said, “That we do, kid. There’s nothing better than a freshly caught raw fish.”
This guy knew his stuff. Technically it was best to let the fish refrigerate for a while, but there wasn’t refrigeration in this world, so he’d have no way of knowing that. Anyway, that wasn’t what was important right now. What was important was that I could eat sashimi.
“Mind letting me try some? I’m already here, may as well see what the local delicacy is.”
“Oh, you’ve got guts, kid.” Smiling, Garsh turned to the chef and said, “Bring our guest some fish.”
“Are you sure, sir?”
“Course I’m sure. Worst case, we just end up eating it instead. Now get going, we don’t want to leave our guest waiting.”
Garsh watched me with a wicked grin as the chef returned to the kitchen. He was probably expecting me to gag. I didn’t expect to see such an immature side of him. Soon enough, a waiter brought over a large plate piled high with fresh fish.
“This is our most popular assortment combo.”
From the looks of it, it was more of a carpaccio than sashimi. It even came with a separate plate of dressing. I didn’t know what kinds of fish these were, but they had white meat at least.
I looked up from the plate and realized everyone was staring at me. They were all interested to see how I’d react to the fish.
“Hey Veight... that’s just chopped up raw fish, isn’t it?” The younger Garney brother asked hesitantly. When he put it that way, I could see why it sounded unappetizing.
“Do southerners really eat this stuff? Doesn’t it make them sick?”
I stopped Lacy before she could accidentally blurt out anything too rude. Insulting another culture’s culinary habits was a big taboo. Garsh’s grin grew wider. He and the rest of his guards were watching eagerly. They wanted to see how I’d react. Even though it had been decades since I’d last had sashimi, everyone’s curious gazes made it hard to eat. I poured a little bit of dressing over the carpaccio and tried a forkful. It tasted pretty similar to sea bream. It had a light flavor that was easy on the palate. Most of all, though, it was delicious. I’m so glad I was reincarnated into this world!
“You alright, boss?”
Monza watched with unbridled curiosity as I chewed on the fish.
“Delicious.”
“You sure you’re not just saying that?”
“Yeah, it really is delicious.”
So shut up and let me eat. Garsh and his men watched with dumbfounded amazement as I tore into the fish. But while it did taste pretty good, it was a little lacking. The dressing was too light. I needed soy sauce. I ruffled through my pocket and pulled out a tiny porcelain bottle. My apologies to the chef, but I really want sashimi right now. There was a reason I’d brought this bottle with me on our journey. Seeing the bottle, Garsh narrowed his eyes sharpy.
“Hold on, what’s that?”
The guards standing behind drew their weapons. They were armed with short swords suited to indoor fighting. In response, the werewolves all got to their feet.
Goddammit, I messed up again. I’d been so obsessed with making this into sashimi that I hadn’t stopped to think how me fishing through my pockets for a bottle must have looked to everyone else.
“Calm down, everyone. This is just a little seasoning I brought with me. I wanted to try it with your raw fish, that’s all.”
I popped the bottle’s cork and poured a little of the black liquid into a small dish. Though my words had calmed everyone down, they were now staring at me with an even greater curiosity than before. I speared a piece of fish with a fork and dipped it into my soy sauce bowl. I slowly brought the piece of sashimi to my mouth.
Aaaaaaah... this is what I’ve wanted for so long. It’s perfect. I’m so glad I lived to see this day. Everyone watched me with mild disgust as I drowned in bliss. Well, this is awkward. I’d come here to negotiate an alliance with Beluza, yet here I was trampling all over their culture. But while I did feel bad, I couldn’t stop myself from eating more.
“Sorry, but could you get me another plate of this fish, without the dressing?”
“U-Uhh... sure.”
After watching me dip fish into the soy sauce multiple times, Garsh finally asked, “What kind of sauce is that? I’ve never seen its like before.”
“It’s made from fermenting beans. We use it in Ryunheit to season dishes and as a dipping sauce for skewers.”
“And what made you want to try it with our fish?”
Because I’m Japanese. Obviously I couldn’t say that though, so I came up with another excuse.
“It does a good job of removing meat’s odor, so I thought it might work on fish too.”
“Can I try some?”
“Be my guest.”
Garsh scooped a tiny bit of soy sauce up with a silver spoon, then brought it to his nose and sniffed it. Then he poured a single drop onto his palm and licked it. The guards watched him worriedly, but he just nodded a few times and said, “May I have some to keep? This’ll be a hit in Beluza.”
Before I could even say anything, Mao butted into the conversation.
“Lord Garsh, if you like, our guild would be glad to supply you with this sauce.”
“Perfect. I need to show this to all the chefs I know. This will make the perfect dressing, and we can probably use it for grilling and stews too.”
“I shall make preparations to send you a shipment as soon as possible.”
I decided to leave those two to their business. Right now, all I cared about was enjoying my sashimi. Though, now that I’m thinking about it, it’d be nice to have some wasabi too. Let’s see if we can find it somewhere.