I exhaled a deep, satisfied sigh, my breath merging with the steam that rose over the hot spring. As expected of a high-class hotel, the bath was very large. There were quite a few of us bathing, but there was still room to spare in the water.
“Look! Carol’s asleep!” squealed Alice.
“I heard there’s mana from the Sacred Mountain in the water. It must have felt so pleasant to her that she fell asleep. Be careful not to let her fall into the bath, Alice,” Mireille told her.
Mireille and Alice were washing Carol in a bucket together. The little girl was overly excited about bathing with everyone, but since Mireille was watching over her, I didn’t have to worry that she’d inadvertently hurt herself or Carol.
“Your hair is longer than I thought, Miss Lunoa.”
“You think so? Say, don’t you want to grow out your hair too, Misha?”
“It might get in the way when I move...”
“But it’d suit you so well!” Lunoa exclaimed. Misha had just finished washing Lunoa’s hair. “Wait! Misha, I’ll wash yours too!”
“Huh? N-No, you don’t need to—”
“Come on, stop arguing!”
“Miss Lunoa... My ears...”
Lunoa was having fun helping Misha wash up, but the foam tickled Misha’s ears, and she tried to get away from the sensation. She didn’t seem to really hate it, though, so I didn’t think I had to step in.
“This soap foams up so nicely. The smell is very pleasant too,” Arte commented.
“It’s one of our most recent prototypes,” I said. “It has faint healing properties, so it improves the condition of your hair and skin. The best apothecaries and alchemists in my employ teamed up to produce it.”
“It’s sure to cause quite the commotion among high-ranking ladies when it comes out,” she replied.
“That’s not all. They’re still in the process of verifying this, but I’m told it might promote hair regrowth too.”
“The gentlemen will fight each other for it, then.”
“We’re using very rare medicinal herbs, so it will fetch quite a high price too, I expect.” I was currently looking for a place to cultivate more of these herbs, which required a very specific climate to grow.
“Aah, there really isn’t anything better than a nice drink while lounging in the water!” a woman exclaimed as she settled in the bath. “They call this feeling miyabi on the eastern archipelago, you know? It means ‘refinement’!”
“Why are you here?” I asked.
Tida and Kagali were sitting next to each other with a bucket floating in front of them. A bottle and glasses rested inside.
“I went to your inn to see you, and they told me where you were! I can’t believe you held a private banquet and rented this wonderful hot spring without inviting me!” Tida whined.
“I-I also visited your inn with my master to see you. We didn’t want to intrude, but Tida dragged us along and...”
“Oh well, it’s fine,” I said. I’d been planning on inviting them to a meal at a later date, but I supposed that this worked too. “So, Kagali, what did you need me for?”
“The sword is ready for you. My master will give it to you once we get out of the bath.”
“I see. I look forward to it.”
When I asked what Gaien was doing in the meantime, Kagali told me he was in the men’s bath with Nestart.
That’s just as well, I thought.
✦ ✦ ✦
Only two people sat in the luxurious and spacious bath, surrounded by clouds of steam from the hot water. They didn’t know one another, and a bit of an awkward silence had fallen.
Gaien spoke first. “So, lad, yer the head of yer house at this age, huh?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Well, yer a man before being a kid, so make sure ye protect yer sister.”
“I-I will...”
“What’s with that weak answer? Yer not feeling confident ye can?”
“No, that’s not— Well, yes, you’re right. All I ever do is make her worry about me...”
“I see.” Gaien remained silent for a few moments before crossing his arms and turning to Nestart. “But since yer a man, yer gonna have to become stronger. I’ll give ye a sword later, so ye’d better train diligently.”
“A sword you’ve made?! I couldn’t possibly accept something so expensive, Mr. Gaien!”
“I made it to get me senses back, so it’s not worth much. Don’t worry about it. If ye wanna thank me, send me a bottle of whatever alcohol they brew in yer territory.”
“I will! Absolutely! Thank you so much!”