Chapter 236: Gratitude to a Friend

Although Rest had left the villa, he did not immediately return to the royal capital.

By then, the sun was already setting, and traveling back at this hour seemed unwise.

Thus, he decided to stay overnight at an inn in a nearby village.

“This is… quite the grand inn. It’s way too fancy for this village…”

The inn was considerably large for the village’s size.

It was a two-story building with over twenty rooms—far too extravagant for a small fishing village that wasn’t even a tourist destination.

“The villagers say the same thing. They don’t see the need for such a large inn.”

The one who answered Rest’s curiosity was the innkeeper, who had guided him to his room.

Of course, Celestine was not in this room.

She was staying in a separate room with her female attendant.

(Considering past patterns, I thought we might end up in the same room again… Yuri and the others have really warped my expectations…)

“This inn was built by Sanada-sama. She even covered its maintenance costs for decades to come. Since there are only occasional traveling merchants using it, the building mostly serves as the village office.”

“Sanada-sama…”

That was Shouko—the Dowager Queen.

Apparently, she had spent her own wealth to build this inn for some reason.

“She used to visit often when she was alive. She enjoyed the hot springs here.”

“Hot springs? There’s a hot spring?”

“Yes, we have one. An open-air bath that the villagers also use. But tonight, it’s reserved exclusively for our guests, so please enjoy it at your leisure.”

“…!”

Rest held his breath in surprise.

A hot spring. An open-air bath.

To a Japanese person, that was something universally cherished.

(I’ve only been to a hot spring once or twice since I never went on family trips… but still, for a Japanese person, hot springs are everything!)

Now, he understood why the Dowager Queen had built this inn.

She, too, had wanted to enjoy the hot springs, and so she constructed an unnecessarily luxurious inn in this village.

(She really was Japanese after all… Maybe the rural town Shouko lived in had hot springs too…)

Japan was a country full of hot springs—no surprise there.

In contrast, the Kingdom of Iwood had very few hot springs.

On the plus side, it also had no earthquakes, but… as a Japanese person, there were certain things he just couldn’t let go of.

“I’ll bring your dinner shortly. Perhaps you’d like to bathe after your meal?”

“I think I’ll do just that… By the way, what’s for dinner?”

“I’ll be serving the village’s specialty—fish dishes. I’ll bring them right away.”

With a warm smile, the innkeeper left the room.

Alone now, Rest let out a deep sigh and sat on the bed.

“A hot spring inn, huh… If that’s the case, a tatami room would really complete the atmosphere.”

The room was an ordinary Western-style room.

There was a bed, a table, and chairs.

A traditional Japanese tatami room would have fit the hot spring inn aesthetic much better, but perhaps this country simply didn’t have the materials needed to make tatami.

(That must have frustrated Shouko too… probably.)

After meeting and speaking with her, Rest felt an odd sense of familiarity with the Dowager Queen.

Aside from Gascoigne, she was the first Japanese person he had encountered in this world.

Maybe this was what it felt like to meet someone from your homeland while living abroad for a long time.

“Thank you for waiting. Here is your meal.”

“…Sashimi?!”

Rest couldn’t help but exclaim in delight.

The main dish of the evening was sashimi.

“This was one of Sanada-sama’s favorite dishes. It’s called ‘Sashīmi.’ Many foreigners are reluctant to eat raw fish, so if this is not to your liking, I can prepare something else…”

“No! I’ll take it! Please, give me that dish!”

“Oh… alright.”

“Thank you for the meal…!”

The innkeeper, slightly taken aback by his enthusiasm, quietly arranged the dishes on the table.

Without hesitation, Rest took a bite of the sashimi.

“…It’s delicious!”

The fish had a flavor similar to sea bream.

There was no soy sauce, so it was served with a salty sauce instead—which was a bit disappointing—but still, it was a nostalgic taste from his homeland.

It was genuinely delicious.

“…I need rice. Why is there only bread…?”

“Oh? Sanada-sama used to say the same thing.”

“Of course she did…!”

Every Japanese person would think the same.

Sashimi should be eaten with rice.

There should be soy sauce and miso.

The Dowager Queen had likely struggled with these same thoughts while trying to recreate even a small piece of her past life here.

“Here’s some grilled fish and a fish-based soup. Please, enjoy.”

“Thank you.”

The other dishes, though not quite complete, had flavors that faintly resembled Japanese cuisine.

As he enjoyed his dinner, Rest silently expressed his gratitude to his one Japanese friend—Sanada Shouko.

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