Chapter 32
What on earth did I do?
When we woke up, we were greeted by the silence of hell.
So... when I woke up, Ian had his face buried in my chest, you know?
Right in front, too.
...Well, that could happen. I was holding him while we slept. He could've turned his head a little in his sleep.
But...
‘Why am I completely topless?!’
The problem was, the towel covering my body had somehow slipped down.
And every now and then, I could feel Ian's breath brush against my chest...
“…El?”
“Ahem. It's nothing.”
Nothing happened. I didn't make an embarrassed sound because Ian's breath brushed against me, or enjoy it because it felt kind of nice.
If I say nothing happened, then nothing happened.
I had my towel tied back on now, anyway.
“Ahem. More importantly, Ian, how are you feeling?”
“Hmm... Not bad. I can feel how much my mana's increased.”
“It doesn't hurt or anything?”
“No. Thanks to your help.”
Ian said that with a gentle smile.
...He really was pointlessly handsome.
Hiding my cheeks, which seemed to have gotten a little warm, I said to Ian,
“…Still, we'll have to stay here for a few more hours.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You can feel it's still a little unstable, right? That's because your mana hasn't settled down yet. If you stay in the hot spring for a while, it'll calm down on its own, so don't worry.”
“I can definitely feel it's a little unstable. Got it.”
“Still, won't you get bored if we just stay here...?”
No matter how nice the hot spring was, staying in it for hours was another matter. I'd get bored.
“Is there anything we can do for fun... Ah.”
After looking around for a moment, I spotted a drinks table a little way from the hot spring.
...There it was.
The elf attendant had left it here yesterday, but I'd forgotten about it.
At first, I was too distracted by the mixed bathing, and after that, I'd forgotten about it while helping Ian stabilize...
There were some drinks and a few snacks on the table.
Maybe because it was covered, it seemed like it'd be fine to eat.
“Should we have some of this?”
“In the morning? And drinking on an empty stomach probably isn't good for you.”
“True...”
No need to ruin my stomach first thing in the morning.
“I've prepared a meal for you two.”
Just then, the elf attendant appeared, wheeling in a tray.
The tray held a light meal... Wait a second.
It was a little late to call it breakfast.
And given that attendant's personality, she wouldn't get the time wrong, so she must've come by earlier in the morning, found us asleep, and returned...
Which meant... she'd seen us sleeping in each other's arms, right?
“…”
-Fwoosh
“El? What's wrong?”
“It's nothing...”
Feeling my face turn red in real time, I saw the elf attendant give a subtle smile and say,
“You two looked lovely together.”
“Ah...”
“…”
I couldn't take it anymore, so I covered my face with both hands and sank underwater.
I'll never be able to get married now...
…
A few hours after our eventful breakfast, Ian and I finally got out of the hot spring.
“Nnngh... That felt good, but staying in so long made my body feel stiff.”
“Yeah.”
Just as we were stretching a little to loosen up...
-Ka-boom!
-Kahahahaha! This place is mine now, I, Bulgae, claim it!
“W-What was that?”
“…Are we under attack?”
A loud explosion, followed by someone shouting.
...More importantly, his name is Bulgae? Isn't that hilarious?
“Phew... Again?”
I could feel the elf attendant waiting nearby sigh.
Well, I would've done the same.
“Again...?”
“Well, you see...”
“It's simple. There are plenty of nobodies who try to take over the Manarian Hot Springs.”
The Manarian Hot Springs are the rarest of treasures—just soaking in them increases your mana.
Plenty of people want to take something like that for themselves.
From criminals like those guys to, on a larger scale, entire nations.
The nations have an understanding not to attack this place. It could lead to war.
The larger organizations are the same. They'd end up in an all-out war with other organizations or nations.
No, before that, if a lot of people suddenly came in, all the mana would get polluted.
That's why the elves run this place independently.
It's funded by a lot of nations and organizations, but they can't exert any influence here.
But sometimes criminals like that show up alone, completely oblivious to the situation.
In short, idiots. Idiots who can't read the room.
That's why the elf attendant wasn't reacting much. She was used to it, and most of them weren't that dangerous.
“I'm sorry for the disturbance, you two. We'll take care of it right away...”
“Wait.”
This might be an opportunity?
“Ian.”
“Yeah?”
“Aren't you curious how much stronger you've gotten?”
“What do you mean... Ah.”
Ian understood what I meant and began to smile wickedly, too.
“Guests?”
“That guy named Bulgae. Would it be all right if we took him on?”
“What do you mean... Ah. I understand. Please enjoy yourselves as much as you like. We'll step in if things become dangerous.”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
The elf attendant had looked dazed for a moment, but soon understood the situation and agreed to our request.
Right, how strong could this guy named Bulgae possibly be?
I just hoped he'd make a good punching bag for Ian.
I think Ian as he is now... might be a little hard even for me to handle.
…
But contrary to my expectations, Bulgae was no help at all.
-Ka-boom!
“Huh?”
Ian had sent him flying with one hit...
Judging by how surprised Ian himself looked afterward, even he hadn't expected to hit that hard.
“Tsk...”
Well... I guess he'll just have to get used to that part.
“Thank you for helping us, you two.”
“It was nothing. We should be thanking you, if anything.”
They could've dealt with it themselves, but they'd let us handle it despite not knowing how capable we were.
Obviously, the guards protecting the hot springs were strong. Very strong.
There were several people hidden away who were at least as skilled as Ian.
It wouldn't be strange if there were even some hidden Master-class warriors.
“No. Even so, you did help us. Please let us repay you.”
“Ah... well...”
Even if they wanted to repay us, there wasn't really anything we needed.
“Just make us something delicious to eat.
“…! I'll prepare the finest feast!”
The elf attendant said she had preparations to make, then hurried off to the kitchen.
Hmm... I hope she doesn't go to too much trouble.
“Good work, Ian.”
“What do you mean, good work? All I did was tie him up.”
Since Bulgae had been taken out in one hit, Ian had just tied him up and come back.
A flashy entrance and an unremarkable exit... Though the entrance wasn't that flashy either?
“Still, it's not good that you can't control your strength. Be careful next time.”
“I should. There's nothing stupider than not being able to control your own strength.”
Ian spoke in a serious voice, his expression equally grave.
He looks handsome like that too... No, that's not the point.
As Ian said, not being able to control your own strength is stupid.
You don't even know how far you can go, after all.
“Still, I'm sure you'll be able to control it soon. Do your best.”
“Thanks.”
-Thump
…When I saw Ian smiling brightly as he said that, my heart started beating faster.
What's wrong with me? Is this arrhythmia?
…
“Your meal is ready. Please come this way.”
Some time passed, and as the moon rose, the elf attendant spoke to us.
It took longer than I expected. What on earth had she prepared...?
“Do you like it?”
“…Huh?”
“Amazing...”
We entered the dining room with a mix of anticipation and anxiety, and were greeted by a table full of incredibly lavish dishes.
Starting with a beef hot pot that looked delicious at a glance, there was eel, abalone, oysters, and liquor made from bokbunja...
Somehow, there were a lot of dishes that seemed perfect for men.
“Hmm...”
Ian seemed to notice it too, because his face was slightly red.
“No one will come near here tonight. Please relax and enjoy yourselves.”
“No, I mean, we're not that kind of couple...!”
-Slam!
But before I could finish, the elf attendant shut the door and left.
“…”
“…”
“…Shall we eat first?”
“Sure.”
Right. It's not like the food did anything wrong.
Just as I thought that and took a bite...
“??!?!”
What is this heavenly flavor?!
I'd truly never tasted anything like this in my life.
Is this... Mircow?
“Whoa...”
Ian was staring at the food with wide eyes, just as surprised.
When we ate Mircow before, it was simply a matter of having delicious ingredients.
Yesterday's meal had been ordinary ingredients cooked fantastically.
And today's meal felt like fantastical ingredients prepared with a fantastical cooking method.
No, that's just exactly what it was.
It was a whole level—or two or three—above even the Mircow steak I'd had at the family estate!
Not only that, the other dishes, including the eel, were incredibly delicious too.
No... Is it really right to be served a meal like this just for catching one Bulgae?
It's far too generous a reward.
-Munch munch
Of course, even as I thought that, I didn't stop eating.
It's one thing for it to be too generous, but I couldn't pass up the food.
…
About an hour later, all that food had quickly disappeared.
“Whew... That really was the best.”
“Tell me about it.”
Even the bokbunja liquor we were drinking now was incredibly delicious.
I'm so happy...
“This trip was really fun, wasn't it?”
“Yeah. I loved it.”
The hot spring was great, and the food was so delicious...
The massage was... a little too risqué, but it was nice, too.
Ian seemed to have reached the same conclusion as me, because his face was slightly red.
Ian's... it was really big, wasn't it? I already knew, but still.
That might've been the first time I'd seen it standing like that.
It did bother me a little that it was because of that pretty, sexy elf masseuse...
...Wait. What am I thinking?
My thoughts keep going in a dirty direction. Am I going crazy?
Looking closely, Ian seemed to be slouching too.
Not that slouching hid the size; I could see it all.
Something was strange.
Sure, the meal was pretty blatantly set up to be a wedding-night dinner, but would that really make me think like this right away?
No way.
Thinking that, I looked around, but aside from the pink-flamed aromatherapy candle, there was nothing.
…Aromatherapy?
I hurried over to check, and sure enough, it was giving off a scent that put me in a naughty mood.
Just a little. It wasn't an aphrodisiac; it only put you in the mood.
If it had been an actual poison, it wouldn't have affected me, but since it was just a scent, it seemed to work normally.
…Why am I falling for something like this when I'm a Swordmaster?
“Ahem... Shall we go to bed?”
“…Yeah. Let's.”
I don't know. I'm going to sleep.