Chapter 95
Actually, Win isn't good at attacks that draw on spirit power.
Perhaps he resists using the power of spirits—his close friends—in battle itself.
Or perhaps it's simply because his desire to fight using his own strength is too strong.
Or maybe it's because my way of teaching him hasn't been good enough.
But that doesn't mean Win has trouble with spirit arts or accepting the spirits' aid.
"Win?"
He nods at my question to show that he understands.
Then Win turns to look behind him,
"There's a medium-sized monster disguised as a rock about five minutes ahead. Warriors, please take care of it."
He reports and warns the dwarves following behind us.
Yes, this was the result of scouting with the spirits' help.
Win is probably better than even an average adult elf at getting this kind of indirect assistance from the spirits.
This hot-spring exploration has grown somewhat larger than I'd imagined, so there will inevitably be situations where I have to rely on Win's abilities.
Once we reach the volcanic region, we'll have to find a place where a hot spring wells up, dig there, and, if the source is too hot, pipe the water from it to somewhere else.
We'll also have to choose a site, build a bathing pool to hold the water, and create somewhere for it to drain.
We'll need to partition the men's and women's baths, put up a roof and an enclosure around the area, and install defenses to keep monsters away as well.
Naturally, only I can search for and dig out hot springs.
The dwarven carpenters can handle preparing the site, but since construction won't be finished in a day, we'll also need to hunt monsters for food.
Once it comes to that, the dwarves naturally can't all stay in one place, and I alone won't have enough hands to watch for monsters in the surrounding area.
Therefore, to be fully prepared, I needed Win to watch areas beyond my own sight.
The journey to the hot-spring site in the volcanic region is training for that very purpose.
Win and I are scouting together, but I basically keep quiet; he handles the reports and warnings to the dwarves.
This proves the reliability of Win's scouting ability to the dwarves and, at the same time, helps build his confidence.
Originally, I had intended to simply avoid monsters as needed and spend time sightseeing in the volcanic region with Win, just the two of us, but things in this world never go quite as planned.
Still, this is a good experience in its own way, and Win looks eager despite his nervousness, so I suppose it's fine.
We find several places on the outskirts of the volcanic region where digging should bring up hot water, and discuss with the dwarves which spot would be easiest to defend and use.
Once we decide where to dig, I ask the earth spirits to make an opening, and the dwarves cheer at the sight of hot-spring water gushing up from underground.
When I ask the water spirits, they tell me the water that gushed out is safe for people and apparently drinkable.
It feels slightly slippery when I dip my hand in, so perhaps it's mildly alkaline.
Even so, the source is too hot, so when I pipe the water to another location, it begins to turn cloudy white along the way.
Worried, I ask the water spirits about it, but they say it has merely changed upon exposure to the air and that there is no problem.
I had the earth spirits rough out a pool, and the dwarves polished and finished it. Once it was filled with that water... ah, that alone was enough to make a splendid open-air bath.
It had charm, certainly, but an open-air bath out in the open, where monsters also roamed, was exposed to the elements and had serious safety issues. Even so, I was delighted.
The dwarves found it novel as well, so for the time being, everyone enjoyed the open-air bath that day, taking turns keeping watch around it.
The pleasure of soaking in hot water was entirely different from a sauna, and Win and all the dwarves enjoyed the open-air bath.
Perhaps a culture of heating bathwater and soaking in it, rather than using saunas, will take root in the dwarven lands from this point on.
The next day, since the dwarven warrior corps was going monster hunting to prepare for the long haul ahead, Win went along.
To be honest, I was a little—no, very—worried, but if I became overprotective here, it would hurt Win's pride and hinder his growth.
I swallowed my worry, kept it off my face, clenched my fists, and saw Win and the dwarven warrior corps off.
Since I had to guard the surroundings during construction and put up walls around the bath, I couldn't accompany them.
Azvardo probably sensed how worried I was about Win.
He said nothing, but gave me a hearty thump on the back.
In the evening, Win and the dwarven warrior corps returned carrying many monsters they had slain.
As I welcomed them in relief, the dwarf warriors praised Win one after another.
They told me my boy was a warrior I could be proud of.
They said he hadn't tried to force his way into the fighting, but had bravely done everything he could.
That sort of thing.
Win looked a little embarrassed, but was clearly proud all the same, and gave me a detailed account of what had happened during the hunt.
Those moments, with him happily telling me about it, were so precious, so happy, and so much fun.
We bathed, ate roasted meat, and worked hard on the construction... The days flew by, and the dwarves' rest area and bathhouse were completed.
However, the defensive works the dwarves built in earnest were so sturdy that a fortified position or fortress seemed more fitting than a bathhouse.
Apparently, the warrior corps intended to use it not merely as a rest area, but as a garrison where personnel would be stationed permanently.
In fact, the dwarves liked the hot spring so much that one warrior even said they wanted to be stationed here permanently.
Perhaps hot-spring tours for dwarves will become popular among them.
I hope the elves I plan to bring here someday will come to love the hot springs just as much...
Well, to make that happen, I should finish preparing to welcome them soon.