Published: July 3, 2025
"I had a feeling about that."
In the back of the dining hall, the four of them—Lord Ancestor, Agnes, Ryo, and Abel—were seated on a sofa.
Agnes was leaning against Lord Ancestor, looking blissful.
She seemed uninterested in the conversation.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. After all, it's impossible to recreate such a perfect ramen... Only someone who truly loves tonkotsu ramen and has eaten hundreds or thousands of bowls could do it."
"Ah... You had it at Agnes's place, right? The chef there is one of the best in the land. He perfectly recreates my recipe. It was delicious, wasn't it?"
Lord Ancestor said with a smile, nodding repeatedly.
"Yes, indeed, it was a jewel of a bowl."
Ryo had eaten two bowls, though.
"Is it really that impressive...?"
Abel murmured next to Ryo.
"Yes, it’s amazing. I wish I could bring it back to the kingdom..."
"That's probably impossible."
When Ryo said this, Lord Ancestor shook his head sadly.
"I had quite a struggle to recreate that..."
"Is it because of the noodles? The lye...?"
When Ryo mentioned this, Lord Ancestor nodded vigorously.
"Exactly, you understand. Ramen noodles absolutely require 'kan sui,' but obtaining it is difficult. That's why it cannot be recreated in the kingdom."
"Hm? I thought you had succeeded in the chemical synthesis of kan sui, but that's not the case, is it?"
"No, it's not that I succeeded in chemical synthesis. I discovered natural kan sui."
Originally, ramen is said to have its roots in the discovery made on Earth about 1,700 years ago, when it was found that kneading wheat flour with water from a saline lake in Mongolia creates amazing noodles in both elasticity and texture.
The saline lake, referred to as "kankĹŤ," gave birth to the term "kan sui" or saltwater.
In other words, "kan sui" originally existed naturally and continued to do so until the 21st century.
However, in Japan, the use of natural kan sui was legally prohibited until recent years.
"Since natural kan sui cannot be obtained, recreating it in the kingdom is impossible."
At those words, Ryo felt downcast.
"In fact, I established this country because natural kan sui is available here..."
That statement surprised not only Ryo but also Agnes.
"Agnes, this is a secret from the others, okay?"
"Y-Yes, of course! It’s a secret between me and Lord Ancestor!"
Agnes was delighted to share a secret with her beloved Lord Ancestor.
(To build a country for ramen... what a thing... Truly, cuisine is the foundation of a nation...)
Although it was a somewhat skewed perception, Ryo was moved.
So he said from the bottom of his heart.
"Lord Ancestor... I am truly impressed."
Lord Ancestor looked a bit shy.
"Um, I have a few other questions I would like to ask..."
Ryo had managed to solve the mystery of ramen, the greatest enigma in this land, but there were a few more... of course, they were trivial compared to ramen.
"Of course, I can answer as many as you like, especially since we’re from the same homeland."
"Ryo and I are from the same place..."
Abel muttered softly. However, it was a very faint murmur, and Ryo, who barely heard it, decided to pretend he hadn’t.
"Well, compared to the mystery of ramen, it’s not a big deal, but why did the government overthrow happen... to put it bluntly, why was there a coup d'état?"
(For these two, 'ramen' is above even the government overthrow...)
Abel was astonished and incredulous inside, but wisely suppressed it from showing on his face.
He understood that both Ryo and Lord Ancestor were not individuals to anger.
And somehow, he felt that if he mocked ramen, they might genuinely get angry...
"Ah, well, I think it was just to pass the time."
"...Huh?"
That was an unexpected answer for Ryo.
"Isn't that right, Agnes?"
Agnes, who was prompted by Lord Ancestor, blinked and opened her mouth, looking flustered.
"U-Um..."
"Ha... I figured it would be something like that."
Lord Ancestor sighed softly before continuing.
"This country has existed for a hundred years. The vampires who participated have grown bored of tranquility. We live for eternity... as long as we do not perish, we are immortal. Though our race is one that doesn’t multiply easily, it also doesn’t diminish easily. For those who live for a long time, passing the time is very important. Our lifespans differ from humans... so it’s hard for them to understand."