After returning to the hotel, we head to the bath.
According to the employees, this bath was built by dwarves, so I have high expectations as I enter the changing room.
The whole building is made of marble, and once again, I get a feel for how good dwarven craftsmanship is.
High temperature bath, lukewarm bath, cold bath… There’s a sauna with the hot bath too, with hot spring fairies who will apply an oil that works with sweat.
Hot spring fairies are exactly what they sound like, useful fairies that gladly offer hot spring services. You can think of them as familiars.
The tables are placed at regular intervals, and that’s where I’ll heal the exhaustion of my everyday life first.
Once I enter the sauna, I feel unspoken pressure from guys my age.
Are they going for a sauna battle with me? Good grief, I’m here to relax, but maybe I’ll accept.
One of the common traits of sauna is that there’s always a group that will silently lock on and want a sauna battle.
It’s not like anyone’s forcing me, so I could just ignore it, but it’s in a guy’s nature to just accept anyway.
“But you picked the wrong opponent. I have Protection magic, and I can spend hours in a sauna if I cast it.”
“You’re going to win by underhanded means like that, sensei?”
“I’m joking. Of course I wouldn’t be so tone deaf.”
“Coming from you, it sounded serious. Didn’t you say before that you don’t like fighting, but you like winning? I remember you cheating with the ‘destiny dice roll’.”
“That was just me talking too much because I got too heated. That’s not how I really feel.”
“Really…? I think people show their true colors when they get heated.”
Mars says the darnedest things. I guess he’s just being frank with me.
He’s speaking pretty casually, like he does with Lela, so I think that’s heading in a good direction.
In the end, I enjoy the sauna for about ten minutes before I head to the lukewarm bath.
There are two types of bathtub here, with three bathtubs each, and a temperature of about 40º Celsius.
It’s pretty fancy. Dwarves really are great. It’s incredible how much the quality jumps up when you get them involved.
It’d be great to have one of these in every home.
Each bathtub has these monster art pieces that spew water from their mouths. Dragons, gryphons, argel… There’s no uniformity, but I feel they’re all strong monsters.
By the way, argel are large crocodile monsters that live in forests, and sometimes appear around lakes.
They’re feared by adventurers because they’re very ferocious, but much like other water types, they’re weak against lightning.
I was just in the sauna, so I’m starting things off in the lukewarm bath, and then I’ll go to the regular one.
I spend an hour enjoying them like this.
“Ah, that hits the spot…”
“Hot springs are always so nice. But I feel like swimming when I’m in such a big bath.”
“You know you can’t do that.”
It goes without saying that it would bother the other guests.
Kids don’t care, but we can’t do that.
“By the way sensei, I’m surprised you didn’t go to the cold bath after the sauna. Is there any reason why?”
“Since the old days of the Kingdom of Merzelia, it’s been hot bath → lukewarm bath → low temperature bath → lukewarm bath. It was only recently that this idea of going to the cold bath after the sauna came about.”
“Eh… You sure know your history.”
“I just saw it on the net recently.”
“Net?”
“Don’t mind that, it’s like a sort of information magic.”
Actually, that’s just what it said in a book I borrowed from Isolte.
I get to go in her study now that we’re friends, so I borrow a few books every week.
A count’s book collection is a grade up when it comes to information, so I’ve been learning a lot.
Even the stuff about Kaleid mermaids were things I learned from Isolte’s books. Before that, all I knew was that they had lewd outfits.
“Don’t you think that has more to do with you not being interested in anything but the lewd part?”
“Mars please, I am a gentleman.”
“A true gentleman wouldn’t say that.”
Then we head to the low temperature bath, where there’s a cold bath too.
I soak myself down to my shoulders in the chilly water. It’s really nice, I haven’t done this in a while.
We spend two hours in this place, and after having our fill of it, we go change and return to the atrium.
This is like a spacious entrance with stuff like sofas.
Iris and the others are here chatting too. It looks like their bath ended before ours.
I feel like ladies would take longer, but I guess not?
“I think we’re the same when we’re with friends. They’re limited when it comes to beauty stuff when traveling too.”
Says Mars. I guess it’s mostly about chatting when we’re traveling. The face-washing and beautification that’s like on the same level as building a house is reserved for when they can take it easy at home.
So is that why the time they spend in the bath gets shortened? I guess guys are the opposite, in that we don’t really think about that, but we get excited because we’re traveling and end up staying there a long time.
I feel like even if you published a paper on the subject and showed it to a scientific society, the response would be ‘uh uh, I see’.
We have dinner in the restaurant that’s on the upper floor of the ryokan. It’s an all you can eat, which makes them very excited.
Iris has been solidified as a glutton at this point, but she really does look like a goddess when we feed her tasty things and she looks unconditionally happy.
The hurdle for a date is getting higher lately. Tasty food is a no-brainer, but a place with a nice refined atmosphere is required too.
I should be conscious of a nice fancy atmosphere where we can see the night skyline, but something that feels like a snack bar wouldn’t be right anyway, right? I feel like I’m further and further away from getting it.
I’ve heard that there’s no definitive right answer, but it would sure be easier if there was.
“Mars, Loyd is looking strangely serious. I think he’s cooler than usual.”
“Wow, sensei…”
We get in line, and then go in.
There are places like this in Minerva too, but here it’s centered around the ocean.
Also, we can enjoy the night skyline on the sixth floor too. Iris and Till look like they’re having fun, so we can mark this as a success.
◆ ◆ ◆
After dinner, we go back to our rooms and lie down. But then there’s a knock on the door.
It’s an employee saying someone’s here to see me. Who could it be?
I think it’s strange, but when Mars and I go down to the first floor, we see a beautiful girl by the entrance.
Surprisingly, this is a Kaleid mermaid. Her distinctive outfit and scaly ears give that away.
She looks to be in her early twenties. Her hair is long and blue, her eyes deep crimson, and her chest is modest.
She’s wearing a blue, white, and red outfit, with long sleeves. Despite it being large, her outfit has a lot of transparent portions that give her a sort of false sense of exposure.
Her legs are long and slender, and sure enough, there is a tail stretching from above her butt.
Unlike normal mermaids, Kaleid mermaids have legs, and only have scales around their ankles.
“What a beautiful clear outfit. Mini skirt, knee socks, beautiful white lively legs… I’ve never seen a Kaleid mermaid before, but I didn’t think they would be so similar to humans. The tail is nice too.”
“I think it’s been made very clear where your eyes are usually fixated, sensei. You like those harpies with tights too, right?”
Says an exasperated Mars.
He’s also surprised by the Kaleid mermaid, but not too much that he can’t respond to my joke.
And the Kaleid mermaid sees us whisper to each other, so she walks over with a cool gait, and politely bows.
“That black hair and gentle facial features. You must be Mister Loyd. I am Vermeer, and I have been sent by the Kingdom of Atlanta. It is an honor to meet you.”
So apparently she’s here to see me.
I’m very surprised, not just because I’ve never had any contact with her, but also because she’s a Kaleid mermaid in the first place.
But what does an envoy from the Kingdom of Atlanta want with a commoner like me?
“You say you come from Atlanta, but what is it you want with me?”
“Hum, to get to the main point, we wish to thank you for what you did with the king kraken.”
“King kraken?”
“That squid monster you took out around noon.”
“Precisely. It has been a thorn in our side for years, so we are very grateful.”
“Eh… That wasn’t my intention, but if you’re happy, I’m happy.”
It was a coincidence, but it still feels nice to be thanked.
But how will I be rewarded?
“I’m surprised you knew where we’re staying.”
“It was very easy to tell you were tourists, so I deduced you were in a hotel.”
Apparently she also knows about Iris and the others. Did she see us when we were on the ship?
I ask, and she tells me she was watching us on the beach too.
“Also, you must really love the sea, to gulp saltwater like that! We were very impressed!”
She saw the new chapter of my dark history too, and apparently they’re misunderstanding it in a weird way. So embarrassing.
Mars knows what happened, so he’s looking down and holding back a laugh.
“And so, would you accompany me to the Kingdom of Atlanta? We would like you to meet Queen Undine.”
“Eh?”
I let out a weird sound, because that came out of nowhere.
According to Vermeer, Queen Undine is very interested in me, and would like to meet me.
“Now?”
“Whenever it is convenient to you. If not today, another day. That is what she instructed me to tell you.”
That’s a relief.
“But she does not like to be kept waiting, so it would be best if you came to see her within three days.”
Vermeer looks apologetic while she says that.
That’s pretty short notice. Reminds me of the deadlines of a certain power harassing alchemist.
There’s a chance that Vermeer would be the one to suffer if I didn’t go, so I should head there as soon as our trip is over.
“I’m on a trip with my friends, so can I go when it’s over? How about I go with you the day after tomorrow?”
My schedule is clear then, so I don’t mind going with her.
“In two days? Very well. I will go back to Queen Undine for now. I apologize for coming to you so suddenly and bothering you.”
“No, don’t worry. Thank you for doing this at my convenience.”
We say to each other before we say goodbye.
I wonder what this Queen Undine is like. I hope she’s nice…
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