Rest left the villa, but he didn't head straight back to the royal capital.
It was already getting close to evening, and he felt hesitant about returning home at this hour.
So instead, he decided to stay at an inn in a nearby village.
"Even so… this is a pretty impressive inn. It's way too grand for a small village like this."
The inn was quite large relative to the scale of the village.
The building was two stories tall, with over twenty rooms. There was no way this was appropriate for a tiny fishing village that wasn't even a tourist destination.
"The villagers all say the same thing—that a big inn like this isn't necessary in a village like theirs."
Answering Rest's question was the proprietress, who was guiding him to his room.
Incidentally… as one might expect, Celestine was not in the room.
She was staying in a separate room with her female attendant.
(Based on the pattern up until now, I half-expected we'd be sharing a room… I've been completely corrupted by Yuri and the others, haven't I…)
"This inn was built by Lady Sanada. She's even paid for several decades' worth of upkeep. Well, the only people who really use it are traveling merchants who pass through from time to time, so these days it mainly serves as the village office."
"Lady Sanada…"
That was Shouko's… the queen dowager.
It seemed she had invested her own private funds to build this inn, likely with some particular purpose in mind.
"She used to visit often when she was alive, too. She enjoyed the hot spring here at this inn."
"A hot spring? There's a hot spring here?"
"Yes, there is. There's an open-air bath, and the villagers use it as well. Tonight, it's reserved exclusively for you, so please feel free to enjoy it without any hesitation."
"………!"
Rest couldn't help but hold his breath.
Hot springs. An open-air bath. These are things every Japanese person holds dear.
(I've never been on a family trip or anything, so I've only been once or twice... but still, Japanese people love hot springs!)
He now understood why the queen dowager had built an inn in this village.
She too had constructed this inn—far more extravagant than necessary—in order to enjoy the hot springs.
(So she really is Japanese after all... Maybe the rural town where Shoko lived had hot springs too...)
Japan is a country with hot springs everywhere. It's no wonder.
In comparison, the Kingdom of Aiwood had very few hot springs.
It made up for that with no earthquakes, but still... as a Japanese person, he couldn't help but feel a certain way about it.
"I'll bring your meal shortly. Once you're ready, how about taking a bath?"
"I think I will... By the way, what's for dinner?"
"I'll bring you our village's specialty fish dish. I'll have it ready right away."
The innkeeper left the room with a warm smile on her face.
Left alone in the room, Rest let out a soft sigh and sat down on the bed.
"A hot spring inn, huh... If that's the case, a tatami room would really set the mood."
The room was a standard Western-style room.
It had a bed, a table, and even chairs.
A Japanese-style room would have given the place more of a hot spring inn atmosphere, but... the rush grass used to make tatami mats probably couldn't be found in this country.
(That must have been a frustrating limitation for Shoko too... probably.)
Having met and spoken with her once, he already felt a curious sense of closeness toward the queen dowager.
She was the first Japanese person he had met in this world, excluding Gascoigne.
When you run into someone from the same country during a long stay overseas, this was probably what it felt like.
"Thank you for waiting. Here is your dinner."
"Sashimi...!"
Rest let out an involuntary cry of delight.
The main course of the evening was sashimi.
"This is also a dish that Madam Sanada was fond of eating. It is called 'sashimi.' Those from outside the country tend to feel hesitant about eating raw fish, so if it is unpleasant, I can bring you a different—"
"That's it! I'll have that dish, please...!"
"Oh, yes, then..."
"Thank you for the meal...!"
The innkeeper, looking slightly taken aback, arranged the dishes on the table.
Rest immediately began eating the sashimi.
"It's delicious...!"
It was a fish with a flavor reminiscent of sea bream.
He was a bit dissatisfied that there was no soy sauce and he had to eat it with a salt-based dipping sauce, but even so, it was the familiar cooking of his homeland. It was genuinely good.
"I'm really craving rice... Why does it have to be bread...?"
"Oh my? Madam Sanada said the exact same thing, you know."
"She would, wouldn't she...!"
If you were Japanese, it was something everyone would think.
He wanted to eat sashimi. He wanted rice. Someone give him soy sauce and miso...
Surely, the queen dowager too must have been wrestling with those same feelings, trying to recreate even a semblance of life in Japan while living here.
"Here you are — grilled fish and fish-powder soup. Please, enjoy."
"Thank you for the meal."
The other dishes were imperfect too, but the flavors nonetheless called Japan to mind.
Rest savored his dinner while giving thanks to his one friend, Sanada Shoko.