Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Festival

At the same time my head was full of questions.

Because the content of the letter was only one line.

"I'll come to meet, Albrecht?"

At first I thought this was the recipient wrong and turned the envelope over and examined.

But the address on the outside was clearly my restaurant. It couldn't be sent wrong, because there's no way there's another place with the name Culina Divina in London Britain.

Who on earth is Albrecht? My name is Jean-Paul Durand?

To dismiss as a prank letter, the letter envelope was too luxurious, and the sealing wax used was also silver.

Usually the dye of sealing wax generally used is red.

Gold or silver has high production cost so only rich people use. It wasn't the level to use for pranks to tease someone.

"By any chance if shining with candle... No way."

Last time the Earl of Derby said nonsense so I was also influenced for nothing.

Abnormal behavior of sending letters written with lemon juice can't realistically exist unless in mystery novels!

Can't help it. This was content I absolutely couldn't guess.

So I decided to wait for Mr. Doyle to visit the restaurant again. Because the person who would solve such a mystery would only be an excellent mystery novelist.

But the guest who visited my restaurant today wasn't Mr. Doyle, but a completely different person.

"Mr. Salvatore!"

"Haha, Jean-Paul Durand! I didn't interrupt while busy, right?"

"It's fine! But what matter did you come for?"

The son of the East End Luca Family boss, Salvatore de Luca.

A courageous man who fought against his father saying he'd leave home together with fiancée Maria, but that story in the end didn't continue.

Because the family of the fiancée who was going to visit Britain had a sudden family funeral and postponed the trip one month later.

Along with that the Nutella business promise with Mr. Luca was also naturally postponed but that was also fortunate in a way.

Because of Chairman Balfour's homework I couldn't proceed right now.

So I thought I wouldn't see the face for a while.

"That combination pizza you informed last time? That one! Father fell in love tremendously... Saying he has to repay he wants to invite to our festival? Such talk is a bit embarrassing to convey by letter! So I came directly!"

"Festival? Suddenly?"

There's no big festival proceeding at this time in Britain?

I know about harvest festival about, but that was a religious event at church.

It was a matter unrelated to people like me who don't go to church.

"Ah, our Sicily's traditional festival! Festa della Vendemmia!"

"Vendemmia...? What is that word? I don't know Italian!"

"Ah, what should I call this in English? I'll just call it grape festival!"

"Grape festival?"

According to Mr. Salvatore, Italy since ancient Roman times grapes were the main agricultural product, so they held such festivals as meaning of thanks for a year's grape farming going well.

People gather and share food, dance, sing songs, and drink wine too. Really typical traditional festival!

"But in Britain grape farming almost doesn't happen, right?"

Because of the climate in Britain good quality grapes didn't grow at all. The white grape varieties that grow about are used to make cheap white wine about, and not sweet and only sour so they don't eat raw well either.

Grapes used in desserts were all French imports. And that freshness dropped a lot because refrigeration technology was poor.

"Right! So until now we also didn't particularly hold grape festivals, but lately father seems to have suddenly thought a lot. All thanks to you, Jean!"

"Me?"

"After meeting you father suddenly started caring about hometown people! A person who usually only cared about making money... Ahem, anyway all thanks to you! Father says the pizza is too delicious and has to inform other Italian people too!"

I didn't say anything special? Just said one word to manage public opinion well!

Anyway even without harvesting grapes, it seems the idea of roughly using that as an excuse and gathering people and feeding alcohol and food... I liked it!

A festival of dancing and playing guitar and singing! Moreover if able to eat pizza to the full? The icing on the cake!

In Britain there was absolutely no such fun event until now!

In London festivals at most, all gathering at church and worshipping and eating tasteless food and quietly going home was all!

"Of course I'll go! Thank you for the invitation! But when is that?!"

"Tomorrow!"

"Yes?!"

My eyes widened. Inviting to a festival to do tomorrow right away now?

"It's words he suddenly brought out while eating in the morning... Anyway if just preparing food and alcohol it's fine!"

"Hmm, then where is the place?"

"Of course East End!"

"Did you get permission from the Metropolitan Police?"

"Metropolitan Police...?"

A blank expression momentarily rose on Mr. Salvatore's face. This is somehow uneasy?

"Why? What is that expression?"

"Do I have to get permission?"

"This guy is saying something that will cause big trouble now! Don't you know if gathering in groups without reporting it's illegal?"

Here isn't some rural village, to hold a festival in the middle of the capital isn't it common sense to go through some procedure whether prior reporting to the authorities or getting permission or inquiring?!

"Uh... What to do? I already gathered people saying I'll do it tomorrow right away?"

"Ah, I'm going crazy really!"

If it was someone else's matter I'd just comfortably say cancel, but since the Luca Family is spending their own money and holding a festival it was ambiguous to reverse.

Just throw away the opportunity to eat delicious oven-baked pizza? Not even a joke!

Can't help it. I stood up from the place and prepared the coat.

"It's not that there's no method. I'll somehow do it so follow for now."

"Uhh...? Th-thank you, Jean!"

###

Of course the place I went to find was Inspector Reid of the London Metropolitan Police.

Inspector Reid who was listening to my story frowned his face and made a slightly troubled expression.

"Festival... is it? And that in the East End?"

"Yes. Well can't something be done?"

Criminal Mr. Salvatore perfectly entered a place of perfect compatibility so he shrank his neck and crumpled like a turtle but I didn't care.

If I was going to report and hand him over I would have done so long ago.

"If the teacher guarantees, well it's duty to allow something... The face of the friend behind is very familiar."

Inspector Reid glared at Mr. Salvatore sharply.

Somehow it seems they know each other?

"Salvatore! You guy, what relationship on earth with Teacher Durand!"

"Oh my, Inspector Reid! Haha, today also your appearance is bright!"

"You this guy, you didn't wrongly play that tongue to Teacher Durand!"

"Not at all! Hahaha... Teacher Durand, ahem, Teacher Durand is also my life's benefactor! How dare I do so! He's a person I have to protect even if offering my life!"

"Life's benefactor?"

I momentarily covered my face with my hand.

"There was such a matter a bit. Anyway it won't be a bad matter even at the Metropolitan Police. I heard the East End is also a bit rough lately so it will refresh the atmosphere a little."

"Is that so? As long as there's no matter of getting drunk and causing trouble it's fine. But what scale do you expect the festival?"

At those words I looked back at Mr. Salvatore.

"About 500 to 600 people?"

"What, that many?"

"For now in thought... If holding a festival one can't feed only adults. Have to tell them to bring children too."

"It seems quite a bit of money will go in can you handle it?"

"Well, I decided to receive some sponsorship from hometown friends. The budget I set about 400 pounds for now..."

"That much?!"

"It's not an event one can do every year. Honestly I was too young so I don't remember either."

"Well, Inspector. Anyway that's what he says."

At those words Inspector Reid glared at Mr. Salvatore again and raised his hand to his waist. There silver handcuffs were hanging clinking.

"You guy, daring to have such a disrespectful attitude to Teacher Durand...!"

"Eek!"

At Inspector Reid's sharp voice Mr. Salvatore swallowed his breath and hurriedly raised both hands high.

"Know that if the teacher visits the East End and suffers a rough matter I'll interrogate from you first! I'll lock you in Pentonville for at least 10 years!"

"Th-don't worry, Inspector! I'll definitely take responsibility for safety!"

Pentonville! Isn't it the prison rumored the largest and scariest in Britain?!

Children even just hearing that name had high notoriety to the point of pouring tears and snot all, and of course it was also the place criminals feared most.

How terrible, absolute prohibition of conversation among inmates, and unconditionally wearing masks when moving.

They say if entering there one unconditionally goes crazy in one place and comes out?!

Even the Bastille wasn't to that point they say!

Finishing the business I took Mr. Salvatore and came out of the Metropolitan Police, and he then let out a long sigh.

"Haigo, my heart almost fell. Thank you, Jean! I survived thanks to you! As expected coming to you was good. What on earth have you been doing in London in the meantime that that vicious Inspector Reid can't even move in front of you?!"

"Vicious? To me he's only kind?"

To me there was only the side that looked like a fool? Rather because I only saw the appearance of the inspector being flustered in front of Mr. Doyle or the Earl of Derby the image didn't match at all.

"You don't know well so you say that! If caught once in those thick hands no one can escape!"

Hmm, thinking about it receiving such evaluation from criminals means as an inspector he does the job very well, right?

I'll remember and later when meeting Chairman Balfour I have to praise.

Then won't he raise the rank a bit?

"Anyway this time you almost had a big problem. If there's such a matter next time then it's cutting ties. I saved your life one more time so please count without fail."

"I'll remember without fail!"

Anyway since I received the inspector's permission there seemed no big problem.

But one thing continued to bother. I spilled that content to Mr. Salvatore.

Then he also tensed slightly.

"Other organizations in the East End? You're worried they'll interfere?"

"Yes."

Although the Luca Family's scale is big it was only one of ten criminal groups existing in the East End.

Because not only immigrants from the Two Sicilies lived in the East End.

If they gather only Italian people and hold a festival, other organizations wouldn't like it. They might misunderstand that the Luca Family is trying to expand power using that as an excuse.

It seems conflict will occur in some way... But that didn't mean one could invite all people of the East End to the festival either.

Realistically that was an impossible matter, and as the festival scale grows the Luca Family alone wouldn't be able to control.

"I don't know. But won't father handle that? I don't think he didn't think up to there. And for now it's a festival."

"Still just in case please tell them to thoroughly control the personnel. Alcohol also absolutely can't be left to the point of getting drunk."

"Understood! I'll go back and talk! Anyway thank you for caring!"

Somehow it shows signs of being made hastily? While saying it's an event pouring a large sum of 400 pounds, the 2nd in command of the family not knowing the detailed content was a bit suspicious, and it wasn't a motive that was very convincing.

But that didn't mean I as an outsider could interrogate with the family's internal circumstances.

So I decided to just quietly wait for tomorrow.

###

A pizza festival wearing the mask of a grape festival!

That Mr. Luca was completely captivated by the pizza taste was a bit unexpected, but it wasn't that there was no possibility at all.

The Sicilian traditional bread Mr. Luca enjoys eating, sfincione if thinking about it was also flatbread the same as pizza. The basic structure was in fact not much different.

Only the recipe I delivered had toppings and composition completed matching modern people's tastes over a hundred years of time.

This hundred years of time, in fact if looking at cooking was a tremendous gap of change.

Especially thinking that most things called traditional food in each country had foundations established in the mid-20th century makes it even more so.

Even in Korea if tracing the history of things like regional specialties or famous foods there were many made after liberation in the industrial development period.

But, that the festival Mr. Luca planned was in fact candy shaking wearing the mask of a pizza festival wearing the mask of a grape festival, I only barely realized after arriving at the festival site the next day.

I was speechless.

[ Cooking and Wine Festival created by Europe's best chef Jean-Paul Durand ]

Who on earth is the guy who thought of this phrase?!