Chapter 437: On the Way to the Hideout

"Um, Lord Robbie."

"What is it, Lily?"

"I don’t know if it’s all right to say, but about the story that Stevie went to another world."

Konoka on my back reacted with a twitch.

"What about Stevie?"

"It seems Stevie transferred to another world and is serving the lord of a small village."

"Heh, that’s good. Are they living properly?"

With that shy personality, can they manage properly? They were a textbook case of communication disorder.

"That seems to be fine. It seems the people around are all ones who step into Stevie’s absolute domain without hesitation."

"...That is amazing."

"Yes, there are three daughters of the lord who is younger than Stevie, and there is one wife of the lord, and the daughters seem to be quite frank people. Um, that is beside the point, but both of that lord couple seem to be people who came from another world."

"Heee——! Amazing, that. Three people from another world gathered. Just where did they come from?"

I was surprised at the answer to the casually asked question. Three people! Konoka could also be felt listening intently.

Further surprised by Lily’s answer.

"It seems they came from a place called Nihon."

""Ehhh——!!""

The two of us raised our voices together. Japan, is it! Konoka was also greatly surprised.

"Lily, do you know those people’s names?"

"Umm, Tachibana Mamoru-sama and Doshima Miwako-sama or something?"

Whoa——, of all things real Japanese names.... Just hearing the names, one can tell that the story Stevie heard is not a lie. With Stevie’s head, there is no way they could make up such a story. What to do? Konoka on my back gulped.

"Can one talk with those people?"

Not about what Konoka would do, but I myself wanted to try talking with those people. If they are Japanese, the standard thing, I want to know if they have procured miso and soy sauce.

"No, it is impossible. I don’t understand well, but according to Stevie, the way time progresses in that world and this world is different or something. Moreover Stevie tells me the knowledge gained over there, but at that time Stevie is sleeping over there, so I think conversing is impossible. It seems impossible to connect with me while Stevie is awake."

"I see, that’s disappointing."

Indeed, if told, previously when I did it with Lily, there were times when Stevie mixed in.

"Then, it seems there was a time Stevie wanted to be of help to the lord."

"Eh, that Stevie thought such a commendable thing? That Stevie who has almost no interest in what other people do or think?"

That Stevie who is a model of introversion?

"That’s terrible... but, yes."

See, even Lily thinks a little that way, doesn’t she.

"Because that one really doesn’t open their heart to people. It’s hard to believe they are liked by the current lord. But if they want to be of help, they must be doted on."

"Then, it seems the lord couple were talking, and they said they wanted to eat curry rice. Hearing that, they wondered what curry rice was."

""Curry rice!!""

Once again Robbie and Konoka harmonized. Aaaaah, Japanese soul food! Saying they want to eat curry rice means they are confirmed Japanese, right!

"I want to try eating curry rice."

I said it unconsciously. Having come here, I have not eaten curry rice. In the first place there is no rice. That can probably not be grown unless in the tropics, at least the subtropics. I think this is not a climate zone that can be called subtropical, so it would have to be brought from somewhere. If there is no short-grain rice, long-grain rice is fine. In the first place I came to the Mainz Kingdom without the leisure to investigate whether there was rice. I do not wish for the extremely high difficulty of egg-over-rice. In the first place eating raw eggs would be a suicidal act.

"I can make curry! If there are ingredients I can make it!!"

Because Konoka suddenly said that, again unconsciously,

"Ehh!? You can make it? I want to try eating it!"

I said it plainly. After saying it, I thought I had messed up. Lily was silent, giving off an atmosphere of "You want to try eating such an incomprehensible thing?"

Before being questioned there,

"No, when I was in the Marie Kingdom, long ago I read the memoir of a person who came from another world. In what that person wrote, they wrote they wanted to eat curry rice, wanted to eat ramen, so I was interested."

I knew it was pure excuse, but I tried explaining. Lily said nothing, but Konoka said,

"Shall I make it?"

"If you gather the ingredients I will make it."

Konoka said it as if it were simple.

"If the ingredients are gathered you can make it? Do you know what is needed?"

"Yes. I roughly know. Papa loves curry rice, and Mama said ’Then I’ll try making it from the roux!’ and gathered ingredients and started making it. Then Mama and I, trying this and that through trial and error, made it many times, dozens of times, and finally made a curry that satisfied Papa. Papa said ’Mama’s curry is the most delicious in the world!’ and then, ugh, Papa, Mama..."

It had been going smoothly until midway, but suddenly it became suspicious.

"Konoka! The ingredients for the curry? Tell me the ingredients! I’ll try searching!"

"Eh? Ah, yes, sniff, um, first, turmeric." ℴ

I have heard of it.

"Cardamom."

Somehow I feel like I have heard of it?

"Cumin and cinnamon."

Ah, I have heard of them.

"Coriander and allspice."

I have heard of coriander but allspice?

"Cloves, garlic powder, nutmeg."

I had heard of these.

"After that, if there is black pepper, ginger, cayenne pepper, it can be done!"

It started to feel possible. But just because I have heard of them does not mean they exist. I have not searched with black pepper, but if I search with black pepper it might be easily found, that kind of feeling. But rice seems to have the highest difficulty. If only the curry is made, I want to try eating it even with barley rice.

But the biggest harvest is that Konoka seems to have become more positive.