Angry Curry Rice - Afterword

I, Tebis Niewbist, was furious. To the point where my innards felt as if they were boiling over.

Going back several days. In my bedchamber at night, I was eating Sichuan Mapo Tofu, a new prototype variation of Mapo Tofu.

While writhing in agony from the intense spiciness and deliciousness, I spent day and night going through trial and error with the court chefs for the sake of completely reproducing the recipe.

The court chefs were clutching their heads over the complexity of the recipe, to the extent of complaining, “We would like to invite the man himself to receive instruction.” While the recipe was easy to read and clear, analyzing the finer details was difficult. Every day was spent in debate and research over where the difference lay.

As expected, I must call Shuri here at some point.

It was when I was vaguely thinking about such things.

“Princess, a verbal message has arrived from a covert agent. It is regarding Shuri.”

“Hmm? Did he finally get fired from the Gungrave Mercenary Band and decide to enter the service of Niewbist?”

Naturally, it was a joke.

However, I also thought it would be wonderful if that were to happen.

“As for that, it seems Shuri was recruited by another country…”

“…What did you say?”

Even after seeing that kitchen knife, they still try to recruit Shuri?

Well, it cannot be helped. With skill of that caliber, there would be no one who does not fall for him.

However, it is certainly a diplomatic issue.

“Which country is it?”

“It is Alturia. During negotiations regarding magic crystal stones with the Gungrave Mercenary Band, it seems the prince personally wanted him.”

Alturia?

Ah, that place that was just a country snowy bumpkin area with mediocre magi-engineering technology and whose only talent is selling magic crystal stones.

To be sure, magic crystal stones can be mined over there. The quality is not bad either.

However, there is the Sacred Forest here.

Magic crystal stones occur in places deep in nature, and magic crystal stones also occur in the Sacred Forest. The quality is good too.

If I remember correctly, we were supposed to be trading magic crystal stones and food with that place.

Honestly, it was a trade with no delicious benefit, and I even thought at times that it would be fine to stop it.

“Very well. It should be fine if we strictly warn them by letter.”

“Understood. I shall send it using a carrier pigeon.”

To be recruited by such a bumpkin place, Shuri is pitiable as well.

Even if he enters the service of a place like Alturia, he will not be able to display that skill to his heart’s content.

As expected, it is precisely in a territory like here in Niewbist, where fresh food can be gathered, that is suitable for Shuri.

While I was thinking such things, words impossible to ignore entered my ears.

“According to the covert agent’s report, the king and the prince ate Shuri’s cooking, and even during negotiations, they could not let go of their hands holding their spoons. What kind of dish could it have been?”

“Wait.”

I called to stop the maid who was about to leave the room.

What did you say? They ate Shuri’s cooking?

Furthermore, it was an exquisite delicacy to the extent that they could not let go of their hands?

Unpardonable. To eat such an exquisite flavor ahead of me, and on top of that, attempt to recruit Shuri?

An unpardonable barbarism. I shall make them regret it.

“Alter the contents of the letter. To the ‘unjust recruitment’ and ‘insult’ toward a person intimate with our country, demand a ‘revision of trade.’ I shall personally fly to the site myself. Prepare at once.”

“U-Understood!”

After the maid frantically rushed out, I pondered carefully on how to drive Alturia into a corner.

“So this is the dish Shuri was prototyping night after night.”

I decided to serve the finally completed curry to Gungrave-san.

Hello, this is Shuri. A few days have passed since the commotion in Alturia. I am finally able to spend peaceful days.

“This is delicious.”

“Well, I am glad. But this is not complete yet, you see.”

“Not complete?”

“Yes.”

After all, there is no rice.

What should I do? It was not in our inventory either, so it became like curry soup. But as expected, curry goes with rice, doesn’t it?

While I was troubled like that, someone approached.

“Captain. A messenger came from Niewbist and left a letter and food.”

“Huh? From Niewbist?”

“Yes. And they also said they wanted to meet Shuri-san.”

What could it be?

Looking under the messenger, there was a massive amount of food over there.

Wait, isn’t that rice?

“It has been a long time, Shuri-sama.”

“Eh? Attached with -sama?”

“Yes. Shuri-sama is a favorite of the princess. We have been instructed to treat you with utmost courtesy.”

Ah, to that princess, huh.

“So, what is this?”

“Yes. Our country conducted a trade revision with Alturia and succeeded in acquiring concessions. From the princess, a letter for Captain Gungrave. For Shuri-sama, rice. We were instructed to deliver them as a thank-you gift.”

“I see.”

It was not particularly for the princess’s sake, though…

“Is that so? By the way, this rice is cultivated in Niewbist, right?”

“Yes. Because it is an indispensable ingredient for the dish called Mapo Bowl that Shuri-sama taught us.”

“I see, then please deliver this to the princess.”

I handed over the curry roux and recipe.

When the curry powder was completed, I solidified it into a roux that was easy to carry around and cook with.

With this, you are a curry cook too!

“What is this?”

“Ingredients and a recipe necessary for curry rice. Since a new dish was made, as a thank-you gift for the rice.”

“I-Is that so. The princess will surely be pleased as well.”

It would be good if that were the case.

After the messenger left, Gungrave-san said to me with a slightly anxious look.

“Is it fine? Giving away a new dish so easily.”

“Well, as a return gift. Since I can make curry roux as well, there is no problem. The problem is…”

The problem was Rir-san over there eating Hamburg Steak Curry as if devouring it.

She had been doing that the whole time. It was to a terrifying degree.

“Supreme. Truly, this right here is supreme.”

She was eating while saying such things.

“You mean Rir-san, huh.”

“…Yeah.”

In the end, I had a hard time stopping Rir-san.

Afterward, we cooked the rice and made curry rice. Everyone ate with joy. As expected, it has to be curry rice, doesn’t it?

After this, the princess ate curry rice in Niewbist and was astonished by its flavor.

Reproducing the recipe became an even harder obstacle than Mapo Tofu, bringing the court chefs to tears.

However, when she ate Mapo Curry, which was a combined combination of Mapo and Curry, she was said to be extraordinarily delighted.

Even in later generations, Mapo Curry became a secret royal dish, but that is another story.