Chapter 43 – What Happened at the Hot Springs
“What brings you here?”
“I caught the adventurers who attacked our tent yesterday. Can I leave them here?”
“Then, if you write here what happened yesterday and who you are, the guild will punish you.”
First of all, I came to entrust the Karin siblings who attacked us yesterday to the guards.
First of all, it is difficult to get them properly punished because this is a temporary front, but if the guild arrests them later after the subjugation war is over, they will punish them based on the report I wrote.
By the time I left it and left, it was already a little past lunchtime.
We all had breakfast and lunch earlier, so we weren’t hungry, but to make money, we had to defeat monsters again like yesterday.
“Emil! “I left it to the security guard. Should we work now?”
“Yes, Shio and the others have already prepared.”
“Then let’s go right away.”
As expected, I packed up all the luggage while leaving Karin and sister at the security guard.
Still, it doesn’t matter if we clean it up like this, but it would be nice to have a so-called support porter.
Since I’m a porter, I think it would be okay to suggest it to Emil later.
As the journey takes longer, there will inevitably be situations where you need to save a little bit of stamina. At that point, the presence of a porter will become quite important, so it would be a good idea to have one.
Most porters do not have fighting skills, but they are excellent at assisting others, setting up tents, and in all household tasks such as cooking, so they will be excellent at assisting us.
Still, even though I thought it would be nice to have a porter, I couldn’t get one here, so I had no choice but to pack my luggage and walk to the area we were responsible for.
When we found the area, there was an area that was empty and barely blocked by soldiers, and Emil and I strengthened our bodies and cut down the monsters.
“We will take care of this place. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yes! Well then, good luck!”
Soldiers withdrew from this area and joined elsewhere to help other soldiers.
As usual, Emil and I cut down the monsters from the front to prevent them from going back, while Aya and Erina killed the monsters from afar with arrows and magic from behind.
Shio healed Emil and me when we were injured in front of us and used buffs to strengthen our bodies.
The monsters slowly decreased in number thanks to our fantastic collaboration, but an eerie feeling passed through my body.
-Thump… Thump…!
As expected, as if my uneasy premonition was not correct, a monster that looked strong at first glance walked towards us, making a thudding sound of footsteps.
The Minotaur, a monster in the labyrinth with a head shaped like a cow, a muscular body, and a large axe.
I heard that most of them live underground or in dungeons, but they rarely come up above ground, but somehow they appeared in front of us.
I’ve heard that he kills lost adventurers underground or in dungeons and hides their loot in his hideout, but he comes out to the surface.
I think it would be difficult to block an ax that big even if Emil and I were together.
Once the Minotaur approached us, the other monsters seemed to be scared and started to run away, and soon it was just us and the Minotaur.
“Emil… I think this might be a bit dangerous?”
“I feel that way now too.”
Since he was far away, he couldn’t say anything, but he turned around and told Shio, Aya, and Erina with just his face and gaze that a battle would soon occur.
Erina unfolded her magic ritual and Aya began to surround her body with the wind spirit.
“May the warm love of the goddess and water, the mother of all things, embrace everyone…”
When we prayed while holding the Shiogwa staff, blue light came out and enveloped our bodies.
I instinctively felt that our bodies were now strengthened.
The Minotaur must have known that we would soon come running, so he swung his arms around, freed his body, and lifted the ax hanging from his back.
Until now, we had only been observing each other’s opinions, but the Minotaur’s patience was lower than that of a human, so it suddenly started to get excited.
-Thunk, thump, thump, thump!
The Minotaur’s body and speed, created by its massive body and large axe, were like a hand-to-hand combat tank that would destroy everything as soon as it hit it,
He ran towards Emil and me first, as if he was thinking of impaling us with the horns on his head.
“Emil!”
“Confirmed.”
Emil and I watched the Minotaur’s horns running towards us and then avoided them in our own ways.
Before I was stabbed by the horn, I grabbed his head, jumped up, jumped on his back, and cut his skin with my sword to avoid it.
Emil slid against her on the floor, skimming between the Minotaur’s legs and cutting into her ankles with her sword.
Boom!
The Minotaur, who was attacked on his legs and back, naturally fell to the ground,
For Aya and Erina, who were preparing to attack in advance, it was a golden opportunity to attack.
“Well done! Flame of ashes!”
“Great!”
Aya’s arrow first flew to the Minotaur and lodged in its body. Perhaps because it contained the power of the wind spirit, the surrounding wind swirled and continued to attack even though the arrow was stuck.
However, the Minotaur was about to get up to resist this attack.
-Howling!
The fireball burned the Minotaur with high heat.
I felt an enormous amount of heat, but it was difficult to defeat the Minotaur at once with just magic, but the moment when the wind that Aya had raised in advance and the high-temperature fire met.
-Boom!
Through synergy, it created a stronger flame and turned it into beef instead of a Minotaur.
“Huh. Did you finish it?”
“Emil?”
If I say something like that, something bad will definitely happen.
This is the worst flag that the opponent can survive.
“Ooooo!”
“As expected!”
Just before it died, the monster burning brightly in the fire rushed towards the rearguard, who were firing magic and arrows at it, as if trying to make him a companion.
Before the heavy burning body reaches them.
“Emil! Now!”
I, who ran first, cut off one of his legs and knocked him down, and then Emil, who followed, cut off his head and ended the battle.
But if you cut off the head, of course there will be blood…
-Wow!
“Ugh. It stinks.”
“I guess this is what the wild warriors felt like.”
“Even warriors in the wild don’t apply blood like this.”
When bright red blood splashed on us, the people standing in the rear line were covered in blood.
Ugh… There’s no bathroom here, so what should I do? I guess I should just rinse with water magic.
“Shall we stop here and return to the village? I think an elite monster like this would pay a lot of money.”
“I agree.”
Before returning with the blood-covered party member, when I turned around for a moment, I saw a familiar color.
Gray-colored hair and scary-growing horns hiding behind a tree.
As soon as I found it, it disappeared somewhere and became invisible.
I’m not sure if that being is exactly what I thought, but it probably has nothing to do with these monsters.
However, I may have made a mistake, so I think it would be better to just skip it because I might get into trouble if I say something for no reason.
I showed the monsters I caught today to the commander who was in charge here and tried to take the carriage back.
Even though I washed the blood off my body, the smell was still there. I wanted to go home quickly and take a bath.
“Adventurers, if you are tired and want to relieve your fatigue, I know a good place. Shall I tell you?”
“Where is it?”
“I heard that there is an inn with a hot spring around here, and it is rumored to be very good.”
It’s a hot spring… I was very tired after defeating monsters for a few days, so I think it would be great.
It was also an opportunity for my colleagues who had been covered in blood earlier to wash their bodies.
“I am fine. How about you guys?”
“Good.”
“I like it too. “I think it would be better to send the coachman back in advance since you can go back with magic even if you don’t have a carriage anyway.”
“Master! Please send me to the place I told you about earlier.”
“I understand!”
I vigorously struck the rope and drove the carriage towards the hot springs.
***
“Then shall we all go enjoy the hot springs? “After a while, it will change to a men’s bath, so you might not be able to go in.”
“I’m going to go outside for a moment.”
When I said I would go out and come back, Emil and Aya looked at me with the same expression,
Shio and Erina understood, bowing their heads up and down as if it was natural.
Is this the difference between someone who knows my identity and someone who doesn’t?
“Then let’s go first by ourselves~”
“That would be a good idea.”
Erina and Shio went to the shower first, each taking Aya and Emil by the hand.
Hmm… Still, I feel good that Shio and Erina are considerate of me.
I walked around outside, wasted some time, and waited until it was time to use the men’s bath.
Since there is only one hot spring here, mixed bathing is not possible, so it was decided that men and women should use the baths separately according to time of day.
Then, shall I go in now?
Anyway, my colleagues who went to shower earlier would have already done so, and since it was time to change to the men’s bath, I think I can enjoy the hot spring as well.
“Whew~ It’s warm~”
The hot springs were warm and seemed to relieve all fatigue from my entire body, as if washing away all the fatigue from my body. My eyes kept closing, and I fell into sleep.
“Haaum…”
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just sleep like this?
Just when I was about to sleep, with only my upper body out of the water, my head resting on my arm, my eyes slowly closing.
-Rat!
“Wow~ It’s cool, and the scenery is nice!”
“I guess so.”
The door opened and Emil and Shio began to enter the hot spring.
It must be a men’s bathhouse now, so why did you come in now? Why?
My eyes, which had been quietly closed, suddenly opened in response to the situation, and I quickly dived into the water and slowly found a place to take cover.
It was difficult to open my eyes in the warm water, but if I went up like this, I would get caught by Emil, so I absolutely had to not go up.
I hid behind a decorative rock inside the hot spring and watched the situation.
After Emil and Shio came in, Aya and Erina came in, and the back and forth became a deadlock.
“Then I’ll go in first.”
I heard Shio’s voice and felt like someone was entering the water.
I think I’ll probably need Shio and Erina’s help to get out.
For now, I think it would be better to wait for Shio to come around here.
“Wow~ I feel like my body is getting rid of fatigue~”
“Then me too!”
-Splash!
After Shio, Emil also jumped into the water, and more and more people began to come into the same bath.
I was barely able to avoid being seen by hiding behind a rock, but I couldn’t let down my guard because if anyone came behind me, they would get caught.
“Wow… Look at Emil’s breasts rising above the water. It reminds me of him too, but Emil is just like a balloon.”
“Heh! I’m a little big. But Shio also has a great body? Her skin looks soft too.”
“Haha, is that so?”
The moment we were talking and complimenting each other’s bodies, it felt like someone was coming this way.
When I dived into the water and raised my eyes above the water, I saw Shio and Erina coming this way.
Thank you goddess for giving me this opportunity!
Please come to this rock. Then, if you ask Erina and Shio for help, that’s fine.
“Look at that mountain over there. “It’s like breasts.”
“I will call that mountain Wangjizzi Mountain.”
“Push…!”
I’m screwed… I shouldn’t have laughed at such a ridiculous joke.
It was so ridiculous that I stopped laughing. Fortunately, I didn’t laugh too loudly, so no one from far away heard me, but Shio and Erina who were around me must have heard it and were slowly approaching.
“Is there anyone?”
Shio started to slowly come behind the rock where I was, like a scout.
“Shio.! Come on! That’s me. Ranel.”
“Eck! Why here?”
When I walked behind the rock, I spoke quietly so that only Shio could hear. Shio seemed to understand, so he dipped himself into the water and slowly came behind the rock.
Perhaps because of the sudden meeting, he covered his chest and his eyes as his face turned red.
“Why are you here? “Now it’s a women’s bath.”
“It’s a women’s bath, so it was clearly a men’s bath.”
“Eh?”
It was clearly a men’s bathhouse until I came in.
And why did the people who said they were going to take a shower come into the bathtub now?
“Didn’t you go take a shower earlier?”
“At that time, Emil mistook the time… Ah! No way.”
“I guess that’s the same thing I’m thinking.”
In fact, the men’s bath came first, not the women’s bath, but I guess I didn’t know that and went in at the changing time.
