It was a shop that he did not want to come close to.

This was the false evaluation given to Izakaya n.o.bu by Jean François Monte de la Vinnie. The spy organisation employed by the Eastern Kingdom was called the Collectors of Mysterious Tales. Jean's name was well known among them. No, it was only within the organisation where his name was recognised.

Nowadays, he was in a slump, as he was in a perilous situation where he was on the verge of being expelled from the Collectors of Mysterious Tales. It was all due to his failure during his investigation of Aitheria.

He had overestimated the strength of the Empire after eating a salad at Izakaya n.o.bu.

That wonderful Caesar salad with fresh crisp vegetables and a slightly sour dressing.

That irresistible crisp daikon salad mixed with a sauce made from cod roe.

Last but not least, that lovely potato salad……

He could vividly remember the taste of the salads.

If he had used his common sense, he would have realized that those various, fresh ingredients for the salad were not obtainable in Aitheria. Wasn’t it impossible to have been fooled? Even if he brought it up, he wouldn't receive any sympathy at all.

When the Collectors of Mysterious Tales were reprimanded directly by their head, the Princess Regent Celestine de Oiria, Jean's fate within the organisation was sealed.

He had to live his days submissively, drinking muddy water through the hurls of abuse directed at him.

Amidst that, Jean was suddenly given work.

It was an investigation of Aitheria.

Jean, who had infiltrated the biggest city in the northern part of the Empire, looked for opportunities to clear his name and restore his reputation, and the place he choose to gather information was…Izakaya n.o.bu.

「Welcome!」

「…’elcome.」

When he dove under the curtain sign, Jean was welcomed with the same greetings.

While his eyes darted around the interior of the store, he returned the greetings with a nod and sat by the counter. The elderly priest, whom Jean thought had seen through his disguise, was not here today. With this, he could investigate this shop without worrying about anything else.

Izakaya n.o.bu. There had to be be something in this shop.

Jean's senses, honed after serving for many years as a spy, told him so.

「What would you like to order?」

A black-haired waitress asked while bringing out the hot towel and appetiser. Today's appetiser seemed to be stewed white fish fillets. It looked delicious. Jean replied with the words that he had continuously repeated in his heart.

「I’ll have ‘Toriaezu Nama’ and something a snack, please.」

The waitress let out a curious tone.

However, she would not have noticed that Jean was a customer who had come here before.

Jean's special talent was to change his appearance, an ability that even the organisation had confidence in.

Using various methods, it was possible to completely change his facial features. Not to mention the average man, his true ident.i.ty had not been seen through even by the spies of other countries.

Hence, there was no way his ident.i.ty would have been revealed at an izakaya in the outskirts of the city.

「It’s the salad-loving customer!」

Jean was at a loss for words at the waitress's exclamation.

How? Just how had he been found out? It was impossible. Jean, who had survived various predicaments, began to feel cold sweat running down his back. However, it was possible that he would look even more suspicious if he tried to strangely gloss over it. It was better to admit it here.

「ah. It’s been a long time.」

「You had to rush home quickly for some important business last time. Are you alright?」

「Oh, thanks for your concern. Actually, I couldn’t forget the taste of the salad here after all, so I decided to come again.」

「That’s good to hear. Please slowly enjoy to the last bite today.」

「Ye-yeah. I will do that.」

Jean used up all the willpower he could muster to answer while wiping off his cold sweat.

「Ah, by the way…」

「Is-is there anything else?」

「Are you sure you want alcohol this time?」

He was startled by that question. When Jean had come here previously, he had been dressed as a monk. Now that his hair had grown, he was visiting the shop dressed as a traveller.

「Th-that’s because I’m on a private errand today. I’ll take it please.」

Even though he didn't understand how he was seen through, this waitress was more than she seemed. It was necessary to tread with caution.

Perhaps his ident.i.ty was known here and they were on alert. His ident.i.ty as part of the Collectors of Mysterious Tales definitely should not have been revealed, but there was always the possibility that there was an information leak somewhere.

Jean Francois Monte de la Vinnie had a bad feeling about this.

Had the Saltpeter Gathering Department of the Empire started moving, causing a confrontation with the Collectors of Mysterious Tales of the Eastern Kingdom?

They were a formidable intelligence agency that, under the imperial charter, could freely enter not only commoner's residences, but also n.o.ble's residences, down to the secret rooms hidden under their floors. If there was anything he needed to look out for, it was this Saltpeter Gathering Department, which was active in the Empire and bore hostility towards Jean's organisation.

However, could this innocent waitress in front of him be a member of that infamous organisation? Furthermore, even if the person in question was not a spy, there was the possibility that she was receiving instructions from someone.

He had to avoid jumping to conclusions.

Even if they knew there was a spy here, it wasn't possible for them to know where had he been dispatched to.

He needed to tread carefully and concentrate on getting out of this predicament.

He wiped his face with the hot towel to calm down.

Another waitress served the 'Toriaezu Nama.'

The waitress, who introduced herself as Leontaine, placed the mug down while whispering to him.

「Dear customer, you’re in luck today.」

Leontaine's gruff tone resembled an Eastern Kingdom accent. He wondered whether she had come from the southern coastal area. It was very rare to hear it in Aitheria.

「Lucky? What do you mean?」

「There is kus.h.i.+katsu today. It pairs well with ‘Toriaezu Nama’.」

「Kus.h.i.+katsu, you say?」

The name of the dish wasn't familiar to him. Perhaps it was the name of an ingredient. Was it something from the northern region of Aitheria?

「It’s like a fritter. You probably eat them during New Year’s.」

Jean almost glared at Leontaine at the mention of fritters.

It was common practice in the Eastern Kingdom to deep fry any excess preserved food during New Year's Eve. However, why did this woman know about it? Had she seen through Jean? As expected, it was better to check if he had been compromised first.

「A, ah, that’s a fried dish, isn’t it?」

「Yes, yes. It pairs very well with ‘Toriaezu Nama’ too.」

When she said it so emotionally, it made him feel that way as well.

Jean loved to eat fritters during New Year's Eve.

It was made by coating pork, which had been salted in order to preserve it, with batter before deep frying it in oil at the bottom of a pot. It was a precious taste that was difficult to find on dining tables during winter.

In addition, it paired well with 'Toriaezu Nama'

The mere memory of it was irresistible for him.

「T-then, I’d like to order the kus.h.i.+katsu.」