I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~ - Chapter 15: Something Creeping Closer ②

[Caravine Miu Tyudur], located on a cluttered main street at the capital’s outskirts, was a famous restaurant on the second floor of an established cheese shop.

They turned the popular items and unsold stock from the cheese shop downstairs into cheap, delicious cheese dishes.

It was a common establishment, but known as a renowned restaurant frequented by nobles and clergy alike.

Incidentally, while this restaurant name had a cool ring to it in Imperial language, when translated it meant something like “Damn Big Tits Suck-Suck,” so it wasn’t cool at all.

I assumed it referred to cows, of course, but why did they choose such a name?

I couldn’t understand what the people of the Orthodox Empire were thinking.

“Hmm…”

Since Second Lieutenant Crimine was frowning while stroking around her chest area, I sighed lightly.

“Don’t worry about the restaurant name. Come on, let’s go in.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

Second Lieutenant Crimine nodded while persistently stroking around her chest area.

Incidentally, I preferred smaller chests, so I hoped there was no misunderstanding. I was more fond of the supple lines drawn by muscles and bone structure.

That said, I was also quite interested in ample bosoms, but this wasn’t something to discuss with a female subordinate, so I kept quiet.

“Welcome, sir from the Imperial Guard. Two of you?”

A waiter who was clearing plates turned around, so I nodded.

“Is there a private room available? ‘The red cow has been in good spirits since yesterday.'”

The bearded, burly waiter’s eyes became momentarily calm and calculating.

“May I have your name?”

“Fonkt. Tell them I’m under Gehenbach and they’ll understand.”

The waiter nodded slightly.

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

Second Lieutenant Crimine seemed to have no idea what was happening and blinked while looking back and forth between me and the waiter.

“Eh… what was that?”

“The ‘red cow’ refers to the owner here, and yesterday and good spirits are code phrases.”

“Amazing…”

I was just using the password the battalion commander had taught me, so I didn’t understand parts of it myself. I had no direct acquaintance with the owner either.

The waiter who had withdrawn returned immediately.

“Thank you for waiting, Fonkt-sama. We happen to have a private room available, so please use it. It’s a ‘quiet room.'”

A room with counter-surveillance considerations. How thoughtful.

“Thank you.”

I smiled cheerfully and slipped the waiter a copper coin.

Then I turned back to Second Lieutenant Crimine.

“Let’s go, Second Lieutenant.”

* * *

And now I was very troubled.

“It’s certainly a private room, but…”

We’d been shown to a small room at the dead end, past a corridor beside the kitchen. There was only one window, making it somewhat dim.

While it naturally had a table and chairs, why was there a bed?

“Lieutenant…”

Since Second Lieutenant Crimine was staring at me intently, I panicked.

“This is my first time in this room too. Maybe it’s an employee break room?”

Since it wasn’t a very large building to begin with, there probably weren’t many private rooms. This was likely a room used for secret meetings and rendezvous. It was very convenient for counter-surveillance purposes.

It was very inconvenient in terms of my awkwardness, though.

Since it was a waitress rather than the earlier waiter who came, I ordered appropriately. I also handed over a memo and had her withdraw.

No, please don’t stare at me so intently. It’s not like that.

Damn, I was always like this. Nothing ever went well.

I removed my military cap and smiled at Second Lieutenant Crimine.

“By entering here, we can completely break the tail for now. I sent a coded memo to the company commander earlier, so she’ll probably arrange something to deal with the tail.”

Company Commander Captain Yugi prioritized her subordinates’ safety at times like this. However, since she was a fighter herself, her tendency to rush to the front lines was a source of concern for her subordinates.

She was definitely reliable, but she often got scolded by the battalion commander because of it…

After a while, food was brought in, but what caught the eye was an enormous chunk of cheese. It was probably half of a disc-shaped storage cheese.

The cheese’s cut surface had a hollow, into which the chef tossed freshly boiled pasta.

“Wow wow wow.”

As Second Lieutenant Crimine exclaimed, the chef skillfully mixed the pasta with a proud expression. The pasta’s heat melted the cheese, and cheese pasta formed before our eyes.

Once it had cooled slightly, the chef portioned the pasta onto small plates, curling it beautifully for presentation.

“This is our pride, three-year aged cheese ‘Golden Cow.’ Please enjoy it while hot. We also sell it in the shop downstairs.”

Subtle sales promotion.

Other servers quickly arranged cut cheese platters and small cheese fondue pots on the table before departing.

“Please take your time.”

The chef left last with a somewhat meaningful smile.

It’s not like that.

“Um…”

Since Second Lieutenant Crimine was dumbfounded, I explained while recalling knowledge from my previous life.

“This pot contains melted cheese that you eat by coating bread and vegetables with. The cheese hasn’t melted completely yet, so they’re probably telling us to eat the pasta first.”

“I see.”

Second Lieutenant Crimine took up her fork.

“Then, in gratitude for the orthodox God’s blessings…”

She abbreviated the national religion’s prayer halfway and began eagerly eating the cheese pasta.

“Wow, this is delicious! Lieutenant, hurry up!”

Hey, you haven’t forgotten we’re here to shake off a tail, have you?

I couldn’t help but smile wryly, but I felt reluctant to say something so crude, so I began eating.

“It’s certainly delicious. To think cheese alone could create such complex flavors.”

“Yes, I’ve eaten various cheeses, but this one is carefully aged and delicious. The preparation and eating method are also interesting.”

The quasi-noble young lady seemed satisfied with the taste. I was somewhat relieved.

However, in my previous life’s Japan, this level of cuisine wasn’t uncommon. Whether pasta made by throwing it into cheese or cheese fondue, I’d eaten similar things before.

But in this world, food culture was fixed by region, so only the wealthy in major cities like the capital could casually enjoy cuisine from various regions.

On our business trip to the Kavaraf region in early spring, there had been nothing but beans and black bread. The game served at the settlement was probably their utmost hospitality.

Even the lords’ staple food was black bread, albeit with nuts and dried fruit added.

In this empire, only the urban wealthy—less than one percent of the population—had the privilege of making food into entertainment.

Thinking about this made even the excellent food feel somewhat guilt-ridden, but it would be wasteful not to eat it, so I did.

“Lieutenant, this pot seems ready too. We dip bread in it, right?”

“Yeah. Try the steamed vegetables too.”

I’d left my home village and joined the military because I’d heard officers could get decent food. For commoners from rural areas to advance from nothing, there were only two choices: soldier or clergyman, but I’d wanted good food either way.

But setting that aside, I needed to talk to Second Lieutenant Crimine while I had the chance.

“Second Lieutenant.”

“Wha’ i’ i’?”

“Sorry, you can keep your mouth full while listening. You don’t need to answer even if asked.”

While apologizing to Second Lieutenant Crimine, who had cheese dripping from her mouth, I began:

“I want you to think about this a bit—are you… no, are we pro-imperial or anti-imperial?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“No, you don’t need to answer. Just think about it.”

This wasn’t progressing well…