I safely entered Wilhelm, and immediately headed for the Royal Capital Lindwurm.
During these past two years I saved up more than enough money for traveling. Not wanting to let me go, the King spared no rewards.
It"s simple to travel to the Royal Capital, but on the contrary it may be suspicious if I"m just a traveler.
That"s why I came up with the travelling singer setting.
I"m far from good at singing. But, if I sing songs n.o.body knows, I think that I might be able to skillfully gloss over it.
Right, I"ll sing j.a.panese songs. If I sings songs unknown to anyone, I feel things will somehow work out.
As a test I tried singing in public, and the reception was unexpectedly positive. With this I"ll be able to manage somehow or another.

… If Sakura knew I was singing, she"d be surprised for sure.

I feel she"d open her eyes wide that it"s out of character and ask if I have a fever.
When I unintentionally recalled her with that train of thought, the inner corners of my eyes grew hot.
No matter how much time pa.s.ses, she continues living inside me.
It was then that this feeling really sunk in.

―――― Then, I finally arrived in the Royal Capital in November.
I entered the Royal Capital famous for its prosperity from the southern outer gate, and first of all I became surprised by the enthusiasm of people.
Their expressions are uniformly bright, the streets swept clean are beautiful. The shops lining the main street are all full of life.
The difference from Tarim is clear to see. I looked up at the white castle at a distance. The grand castle with a historical atmosphere is full of majesty, it seems to represent Wilhelm"s power.
First of all I have to find an inn and try to gather information.
I found a tavern where the second floor is an inn and negotiated with the shopkeeper.
I told her I"m a singer on a journey and in exchange for singing at night asked her to reduce the lodging fee a little. This is the knowledge I acquired during traveling. If I do this, it"s easier to make an impression that I"m a singer.
Since we came to an agreement, I tried bringing up the subject.

"The Royal Capital is lively. Everybody seems somehow festive, has something happened?"

Curious about the bright appearance of the citizens, I tried asking the shopkeeper.
Wahaha, the shopkeeper laughed loudly when I did.

"Customer, is this perhaps your first time in the Royal Capital? Everybody is surprised at the beginning, but Lindwurm is always like this. But if I had to say, everybody might be festive because the Crown Prince has finally decided on a fiancée"
"His Highness the Crown Prince?"

I haven"t heard of that until now. Tarim and Wilhelm are distant.
Even the latest information are from few years back.
The proprietress with a physique befitting a tavern again laughed while pouring me cold water.
Water――――. I received it here for free while in Tarim it cost money; feeling the difference in the civilization level, I recalled that just few years ago I had been living a life like this too.

"That"s right. We were anxious that it had been undecided for a long time. However, it was finally announced last month. I"ve heard it"s the princess of the preeminent ducal house, three years younger than the Crown Prince"
"The preeminent ducal house… Is this the so-called marriage of convenience?"

From what I"ve heard, there seems to be no problem with the social status or age. If I had to find one, it would be her frail body.
If that is disregarded, it"s a perfect fit. In no respect is that princess unsuitable as the Crown Prince"s fiancée. That"s why I asked so, but with I wonder the shopkeeper tilted her head.

"It looks like that. But, from what I"ve heard the Crown Prince relinquished his right to polygamy during the engagement ceremony. He said he won"t marry anybody other than the princess who"s his fiancée. Because he expressly did such a thing, the rumors all say that the Crown Prince doesn"t hate the marriage"
"Abandoning polygamy, is it…"

I recalled Wilhelm royalty practices polygamy. It seems it"s a lineage where it"s difficult for children to be born, and my understanding is that polygamy exist for that reason, but I wonder if the Crown Prince relinquished his right to it to convey his sincerity to his fiancée. If so, what an impressive affection that is.

"Indeed. It was a relief, so now everybody is delighted. We wish the future King and Queen are on good terms… The wedding will be soon"

I was surprised by the words she smoothly said.

"Soon? They just had the engagement ceremony, right? And yet they"re having the wedding already?"
"That"s right, the ceremony was decided to take place after half a year. There was a public announcement last month"
"That"s, amazing…"

Normally, it"d take a year for leeway. That"s the custom.
Half a year is an exception among exception. It seems the Royal Family doesn"t want to let go of that princess that much.

"It seems he went off to war against Tarim; it"d be good if he returned soon. Because, the princess who"s his fiancée is waiting"

From those words I realized that although the war had ended, the Crown Prince hasn"t returned to the Royal Capital yet.
The reinforcements should"ve come by a transfer gate. The war is over. Normally it wouldn"t be strange if he had long ago come back. Since he hadn"t, the post-war processing must be taking time.
I recalled the Crown Prince whom I had seen directly.
His appearance full of confidence. At that time, he should"ve been right after the engagement ceremony.
Having got engaged to the woman he has feelings for, he must"ve been stronger than ever.

…. More and more I thought that I couldn"t have defeated such a man.
I lost from the beginning in various ways.

"… When will the Crown Prince return?"
"… It"s a yearly thing, so I think it won"t take a month. I wonder if he"s fighting around now"

It seems the results of the battle are not well-known to the citizens yet.
With an ignorant look I asked.

"Don"t you feel anxious… about the outcome?"

The shopkeeper made a blank face. Then, she broadly smiled.
While lightly waving her hand, she said.

"There"s no way our strongest Crown Prince would lose. n.o.body is worried. When he comes, we"ll celebrate a lot, that"s all!"
"Is, that so"

I couldn"t say anything more to that voice that contained no doubt. Royalty of this country is loved by its people. I understood that from just a little exchange with the shopkeeper.
Everybody is satisfied being governed by the royalty. It mustn"t be taken away for selfish reason.
My choice to lose was correct.

"… Come to think, I"d like to try curry rice that has recently become popular, where can I eat it?"

Convinced that I"d made the right decision, I resumed information gathering, my main objective.
Hearing the word curry, the shopkeeper made a satisfied face.

"Aah, you also came to eat curry. Then――――"

I thanked the shopkeeper for telling me the shop"s location, and first of all decided to try going there.

Having been taught the way by the shopkeeper, I was able to reach the curry shop without any problems. It"s known even in foreign countries. I stood at the end of a long line appropriate for such a famous shop. Because I came alone, I was able to enter relatively quickly.

To be honest, I had no expectations.

There"s a decent possibility that only the name is the same, and the thing itself is different.
It was an everyday occurrence in Tarim that the name of a served dish didn"t match the one in my memory.
I properly took into consideration that although it"s called curry rice, it may be a different dish. ―――― And yet.

What was served looked like curry rice in j.a.pan.
At least the appearance was identical.
Surprised by that, I shook my head a little and narrowed my eyes in nostalgia and ate a spoonful――――.

With a jolt I unconsciously stood up.

The customers around looked at me with puzzled faces, but I didn"t mind.
The reason was, the curry I tasted now was so nostalgic that its flavor shook my memories――――.

"Sakura…!"

I lost strength from the overwhelming surprise.
I flopped on my seat again. Seeing me grow quiet, as if to say Don"t make a fuss the surroundings lost interest in me.
But for me that"s out of question. Shocked and astonished, I couldn"t take my eyes off the curry.
This taste went far beyond the typical taste of ordinary curry that I"d been expecting ――――.

"Aah―――― Sakura"

It"s not one bit different from the taste of curry she made, Sakura made for me many times while we were lovers.

When I noticed, I covered my mouth.
Why is this taste here. I can"t collect my thoughts.
Because, Sakura had been saying. This is my prided masterpiece.
It can"t be made by just anybody, it"s my own original. Someday I"d like to serve it in a shop.
Why does it exist here.

Unable to believe it I had to make sure, so I again scooped the curry rice with a spoon and put it in my mouth.

"… There"s no mistaking it. This is Sakura"s curry"

After all, it"s not a misunderstanding. This is the very curry Sakura made.
I don"t know why such a thing is here.
But, I"m certain this is the hint towards returning to my original world.
Maybe it"s somebody who knows Sakura, maybe somebody related to her. Thinking so, I couldn"t hold still.

"Umm!"
"Yes?"

I asked the employee who came to refill my cup with water.

"I apologize for asking while it"s so busy. Where can I find the person who made this curry rice?"

At my words his complexion clouded.

"Eh? By any chance, do you also wish to become an apprentice? No no. The shop manager doesn"t take apprentices. After all, this curry rice isn"t the shop manager"s original recipe. It"s something our Master has specially taught him. That"s why the shop manager decided not to teach anybody or take apprentices"
"No, I don"t aspire to become an apprentice… I want to talk with the person who developed this recipe"
"… Master isn"t here. Master doesn"t come here recently… Perhaps, Master won"t come here anymore. That"s why, you should give up"
"Won"t come here anymore… That means?"
"It"s not something I"d tell a customer like you. Anyway, you can"t meet Master. Give up"
"No way…"

Having treated me coldly, the employee left.
Becoming an apprentice must be a frequent subject. He continued diligently serving customers like he had completely forgotten the talk with me.

I can"t appear too suspicious. Thinking so, I quietly ate and left the shop. Then I went around the surrounding shops to casually hear what the employees have to say.

―――― Putting the information I gathered as a result, apparently there was a girl who had often visited the curry shop.

"A girl?"
"That"s right. I may say that, but I guess she"ll be an adult soon. About two years ago, exactly as the curry shop rose to fame, I started catching sight of her"
"She often went shopping. She was a very beautiful young lady with unusual violet eyes, so all rumors say she must be a daughter of a good house. I haven"t seen her recently though, I wonder if her marriage has been decided"
"I often saw her walk with a handsome escort. From his robe, I think he belonged to the castle"s Magician Division. It was rumored that perhaps he"s her fiancé, but looking at them that seemed wrong"
"Aah, there"s no mistaking it. That man"s love was perfectly unrequited"
"Sure was"

Hahahaha, the employees laughed together. The relations.h.i.+p between neighboring shops seem excellent. It seems the girl was liked a lot, everybody is worried that she hasn"t been showing up.

"A beautiful girl with violet eyes… is it"

I couldn"t acquire any more important information.
I returned to the inn, and thought on the cot.
Afterwards, I asked around about daif.u.ku, but everybody only shook their heads about it.
Apparently, daif.u.ku spread among n.o.bles, not the ma.s.ses.
Most answered they had never seen or ate it.
The only information that I can call the result is that it seems the preeminent ducal house Vivoir holds all the right to daif.u.ku.

―――― The preeminent ducal house of the Wilhelm Kingdom, Vivoir house.
The head of the family is the current Prime Minister, the son is the Crown Prince"s close aide. And their only daughter is the Crown Prince"s fiancée, the house is literally at the height of its prosperity.

Having heard about daif.u.ku, I immediately started investigating that ducal house.
And one piece of information I learned took my breath away.

―――― Their only daughter is Princess Lidiana. The features of that princess exactly match the person who visited the curry shop.

"Violet eyes inherited from her father. Long straight light brown hair inherited from her mother… This is too much to put away as a coincidence"

Violet eyes being rare doesn"t mean it has to be her in the slightest. But, they have exactly the same features, and there are two close dishes, curry on one side, daif.u.ku on the other. There"s no way I wouldn"t be curious about it.

"… Perhaps, this princess produced both daif.u.ku and curry?"

No way, I immediately rejected that. According to the data, this princess should"ve just become 18.
It"s impossible.
Still, I"m curious. I can"t think she"s unrelated at all. If it"s this princess who was visiting the curry shop, it"s too much.

"What kind of person is this princess. I have to somehow get close to her…"

Even if they aren"t directly related, she might be somehow connected to a person who was transported.
It"s my only hint now. It"d be too regrettable to ignore it.
Be that as it may, the other party is the princess of the leading ducal house, and the Crown Prince"s fiancée on top of that. There"s no opportunity to meet her as a travelling singer.

"Haa"

Even if I think about it, nothing good comes to mind. I gave up on thinking for today and went to the tavern downstairs to fulfill my duty as a traveling singer.