Chapter 135
Ah... What a nice hot spring.
When we arrived at Heilung, we split up between the men's and women's rooms. Since the purpose of the visit was to use the hot springs, Leo and I immediately went into the bath.
The source of Heilung's hot spring lies halfway up the mountain, and apparently the water is piped down from there to this place.
The water is said to heal wounds and relieve fatigue, and Heilung is also one of the Empire's foremost tourist attractions.
We had the place to ourselves. It wasn't that there happened to be no other guests; the House of the Valiant Marquis had rented it out for the entire day. That was probably Anna-san's doing.
Well, thanks to that, we could relax without worrying about anything unnecessary, so I should be grateful.
"See? It was worth coming, wasn't it?"
Saying that, Leo lowered himself into the water. Unlike me, he kept himself trained, so his toned body was covered in several small scars, and there was a large one on his shoulder—the wound he had received when he was stabbed while fighting a demon in the south.
Leo poured some of the hot spring water over it.
"You should keep your left hand submerged, too, Big Brother. They say this will make the pain go away."
"It's fine. It's already submerged."
I said that and sank deeper into the water. It felt as though the fatigue that had built up lately was melting away into the bath.
Ah, this feels good...
"It would've been nice if Sebas had joined us."
"He said he'd keep watch outside. He'll probably get in after we do."
"I see. Then maybe I'll get out soon. You should get out before you get dizzy from the heat, too, Big Brother."
"Yeah, I know."
With that, Leo climbed out of the bath.
I watched him go, then quietly closed my eyes.
The fatigue-relieving effect was genuine. I could feel magic power in the water. Maybe it could restore magic power, too. Perhaps because I'd been using magic power constantly lately, I still hadn't fully recovered.
Until now, I'd managed somehow, but that might not be enough from here on. If I entered a full-scale struggle with Elick, I'd need to maneuver in the shadows more carefully than ever.
That might have been another reason Sebas had wanted to bring me here.
"Phew..."
I exhaled deeply, breathing out my worries along with it. I wouldn't think about them for now.
I would simply let the water carry me and feel the passage of time. As I relaxed and enjoyed the hot spring, someone called out to me from next door.
"Big Brother Al! Big Brother Leo!"
It was Rita's voice.
I hesitated over whether to respond, but ignoring her seemed mean, so I merely called back.
"Leo's already gotten out!"
"What does it look like over there?"
"It's no different from here. Apparently, depending on the time, this side becomes the women's bath."
The hot spring water was piped in from the source, but it reached our side first before spreading farther to the women's bath next door. There probably wasn't much difference, but this side might be a little hotter since it was closer to the source.
That was probably the only difference.
"Hey! Rita! Wash yourself before getting in!"
"But I want to get in already!!"
"No! Wash yourself first!"
Elna admonished Rita as she said that.
Judging by how noisy it had become, the women had finally started getting in. They must have taken their time in the room. Well, perhaps they figured there was no need to hurry since the place was reserved for us.
"Your Highness, isn't it too hot?"
"Mm... I'm fine."
From somewhere else, I could hear Fiene and Christa's voices.
Fiene was probably washing Christa's hair for her.
Fiene sounded like she was enjoying herself, so looking after a child didn't seem to be a burden for her.
I'd felt bad about leaving Rita and Christa in her care, but perhaps I had been overthinking it.
As I listened to their voices, I opened my eyes and looked up at the sky.
It was evening, and the sky, with the sun beginning to set, was displaying fantastical colors. Perhaps because I was soaking in the bath, the sky somehow seemed special.
It was strange. I hadn't wanted to come before we left, but once I got in the bath, I was glad I had.
It felt so good that I could happily spend the rest of my life in this water. That's how pleasant it was.
As I was thinking something so trivial, an odd sound suddenly reached my ears.
"Chupee."
"Chupee...?"
Wondering what it was, I looked away from the sky.
A black-furred animal that looked like a penguin was beside me. It was on the small side. It looked like an adorable penguin, though it seemed a little fat.
Was it someone's pet? It was wearing rather fine clothes.
Well, that didn't matter right now.
"Hey... you... where did you get that board?"
The problem was that the penguin-like animal was effortlessly holding up a huge board.
The board clearly seemed to be part of the facilities, and I had a feeling it probably wasn't supposed to be here.
Perhaps it understood human speech, because the penguin-like animal swiftly pointed toward the middle of the mountain.
"You brought the board from there...?"
"Chupee."
The penguin-like animal chirped as if to say that was exactly right.
That was where the source was. Since the water was piped down from there, there had to be a device to regulate the flow and keep too much water from coming through.
It had to be...
"Isn't that the partition board!?"
"Chupee."
The instant I shouted, a tremendous noise echoed from halfway up the mountain.
This is bad!
I sprang to my feet and tried to get out of the bath, but I couldn't run properly in the water, and a sudden torrent swept me away.
The water swallowed me, and I lost all sense of which way was up, down, forward, or backward. I struggled desperately to get a breath and somehow managed to get my face above the surface.
"Pwah!! Hah, hah..."
I thought I was going to die...
Was I cursed when it came to baths?
The first time, Elna had made me drown; the second time, I had nearly drowned because of some animal I didn't even understand.
Damn... I've had a rough time...
Reassured for the moment that I was still alive, I hurried to climb out of the water.
That's when I noticed that the scenery was slightly different from before.
It was a subtle difference. The place where the water flowed in was farther away than it had been before. Everything else was much the same. The problem was that this tiny difference meant I was now on the side that should have been separated by the wooden board.
"Gaaaaah!!??"
A voiceless scream reached my ears.
Apparently, the wooden board had broken when I was swept away by the water.
That's right—I was in the women's bath.
Elna stood before me, stark naked. Behind her were Fiene, Christa, and Rita, who were likewise wearing nothing, and Linfia, who was holding a sword, presumably to protect all three of them. In this situation, though, she should have grabbed a towel instead of a sword.
Fiene's surprisingly substantial breasts, given her appearance, Linfia's well-proportioned body, and the two women's dazzlingly white skin were all completely exposed.
A sword was far too thin to hide behind. The same could be said of Elna in front of me.
She was covering herself with both hands, but that alone concealed nothing.
Her breasts were as disappointingly small as ever, but plenty of people would probably say that was fine in its own way. Besides, her slender, toned lower body, with its feminine curves, was worth a look. The only problem was that looking at it might cost me my life.
"Al...? Is there anything you want to say before you die...?"
"Well... Elna, your lower body, with its rounded yet slender, toned lines, is great. Linfia, your proportions are perfectly balanced overall—very good. Fiene, the golden ratio between your large breasts and slender waist is flawless."
At my assessment, all three of them turned red and hid themselves even more.
There was no point in making excuses or trying to explain myself anymore. My punishment was already set, so I might as well give my honest impression.
A man's candid evaluation should be useful to them in the future, too. It was a questionable price to pay for the feast before my eyes, but if it proved helpful, I would be satisfied.
I couldn't critique Christa and Rita, of course. Trau-nii-san would probably have been moved to tears, but I don't have that sort of taste.
"You broke into the women's bath, and that's all you have to say!?"
"I'm not going to make excuses. It was completely accidental, but... it was a feast for the eyes. Thank you for the meal."
I bowed my head, and a powerful impact struck me. I was plunged headfirst into the water.
The blow made my consciousness fade almost instantly. I wondered vaguely whether something like this had happened before, then slowly let my consciousness drift away.
As that happened, I thought I heard the cry of that penguin-like animal.
That's right... Next time I see that thing, I'll roast it whole.
With that resolution in mind, I sank toward the bottom.