Shiori stripped out of her dirty clothes as she thought about how a tent like this might be used during disaster aid. She looked at the other clothing and equipment in the changing room, and it struck her that it was only adventurers using this bath. The knights perhaps had a bath of their own.
“Wow, this is really something...” Shiori uttered.
The bath itself was easily big enough for ten people, and made use of waterproof material made from magical beasts to prevent leaks. Shiori knew the material, and knew that it had antibacterial effects. This, too, was possible thanks to the knight corps’ funding and its ability to transport supplies, which in turn put less pressure on the caster of the bath, because it afforded them room for error.
“Oh my. They’ve even provided a washing area outside of the bath proper.”
The small tub in the middle of the washing area contained a sink and soap. The refreshing scent of Rose Dvol drifted through the air as Shiori cleaned herself and shampooed her hair, then relaxed into the tub. The water was a touch hotter than Shiori was used to—likely the preference of the caster—but she could feel it working wonders on her tired body.
“It really is so nice to relax in a bath that somebody else prepared for you...” Shiori uttered.
Taking a bath like this reminded her of just how thankful she felt to be on the receiving end of things. There really was nothing better than knowing she wouldn’t have to take her exhaustion and dirty body home with her the next day. These thoughts flitted through her mind as she played with the medicinal herbs floating on the bathwater’s surface, and after a time Ellen poked her head in.
“Oh, it’s you, Shiori. Hello there.”
“Hi, Ellen.”
Ellen had taken a short nap in one of the medic troop’s tents, and had come to the baths after looking in on all her patients. After doing the same as Shiori and thoroughly washing the grime from her body, she sank into the bath with a deep sigh. It was a sigh of such depth, in fact, that it perfectly encapsulated how exhausted she was.
“You must be so tired,” Shiori said.
“You have no idea,” said Ellen with a chuckle. “Marena’s break was really quite bad, and so she’ll be sent to the capital for a more in-depth look. I fear the rehabilitation process for her will take some time...”
“I... I see...”
“But there’s one more reason that her return to the field will be delayed,” continued Ellen with a knowing smile. “She kept saying she was sleepy and lethargic and hungry, and none of that struck me as stemming from her injury. And as it turned out, my hunch was right.”
“Oh? You mean...”
“She’s about three months in. And Ludger couldn’t have made more of a racket about it if he tried. It was so bad I had to ask Eir to put him to sleep.”
Shiori’s eyes were still wide with shock as Ellen smiled and went on.
“Outside of the sleepiness, Marena didn’t suffer any morning sickness, so she didn’t even realize it herself. So honestly, I’m just glad she’s okay. Can you imagine, going into a dragon suppression request three months pregnant?”
And if luck had swung the other way, Ludger might well have lost his wife and future child in the same instant. It was perhaps no surprise, then, that upon learning of his wife’s pregnancy, Ludger had summarily burst into tears.
“Clemens is stable too,” Ellen said. “He still has a lingering fever, and he lost quite a lot of blood, but he has his appetite back, so I expect him to recover fairly swiftly.”
“So he will be back, then?” Shiori asked.
It was a worry she could not rid herself of—he had survived, yes, but his injury had put him at death’s door. Would he ever regain full functionality in his arm?
“Fortunately, there wasn’t any nerve damage, and he was lucky to escape without too much major damage to his muscles. He can move his fingers just fine...which means the rest is up to him.”
Clemens had said that he’d been able to knock the arrow slightly off its path before impact. According to Ellen, that was a silver lining of sorts.
“I’m really... I’m just so glad...” said Shiori.
She had seen things go the other way with Leo Nordman, and the worries had played on her mind. She also knew firsthand just how hard it was to have to give up an old life and start again from scratch.
“We’re truly lucky that everybody returned unscathed,” Ellen said.
“Yes, truly.”
Shiori would never forget the darkness that had befallen her, and the moment she’d thought that it was all hopeless. When she had fallen into this world without any knowledge of where she was and how to survive, it had been Zack who looked after her like a brother. Now he was among her most cherished friends, and so she still could not completely rid herself of the fear she’d felt when she’d thought she might have lost him. That was the nature of the battle they had fought—it was a battle in which any one of them could have lost somebody important.
But nobody had been lost. Everybody had emerged alive. What could such a thing be called, if not a miracle? The fight was over, and Shiori was calm, but still a tingle of fear sent a shiver through her body.
“This was not a battle that could have ever been fought alone,” said Ellen. “It took everybody working together, strengthening one another, to find victory.”
Ellen slid over to Shiori’s side and shot her a bewitching smile. For Shiori, it was almost blinding.
“By the way, Shiori,” she said. “You should know that it’s thanks to you I saved Clemens.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Since you came to Tris, I’ve been watching how hard you work. You didn’t even know how to read, write, or speak, but you gave it everything, and slowly people took notice. Your efforts inspired me to do more. Physicking is helpful, but it also has many limits. At some point, I found myself standing before those limits, and at an impasse.”
She brought some water up before her in cupped hands, and let it drip out from between them as she went on.
“And it was you, working so hard, that gave me the push I needed to become more than I was. That’s why I took a sabbatical and went to study in the royal capital. My teacher there was very strict, but I learned so much in the short time we spent together. If I hadn’t made up my mind to study all the way back then, perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to save Clemens the way I did. So what I’m trying to say is...”
Ellen’s beautiful green eyes focused on Shiori’s own.
“You played a part in saving Clemens’s life.”
“Ellen...”
“Zack always keeps us going, and his presence alone makes us feel safe. Alec has an unyielding courage that makes him a natural leader. We all aid one another in our own ways. We encourage each other. In our past battles, we’ve all learned from one another, and all of that played a part in our battle with the dragon. But it was you who led me to this point, Shiori. So...thank you. Thank you for inspiring me when I most needed it.”
One person’s efforts could inspire another and become their strength. That strength could then be used to save others. Shiori now believed that the tale of human history was woven by such moments. Right now, she, too, was weaving these moments herself, as a part of this world.
“Then it looks like my continued efforts were worthwhile,” said Shiori, her teary eyes hidden by the steam as she giggled.
“But no working too hard, okay? That means you and Alec. I think you’ve both pushed yourselves enough. You’ve earned a break.”
“Yes, ma’am...”
Shiori shrank under Ellen’s very doctorly instructions, and all of a sudden, she found herself on the receiving end of an impromptu massage. She left the bath looking so flushed and enraptured that the men outside the tent could barely bring themselves to look her in the eye. The slight sweat on her brow, the light crimson of her skin, and the dewy look in Shiori’s eyes was suggestive beyond any doubt—every fiber of her being told the world that she had just been through a most incredible experience in the bath.
“There really is nothing like a big bath,” she said. “I’ve no complaints whatsoever.”
“Uh... Oh. I see,” replied a somewhat awkward Leo. “I am...very glad to hear that.”
Alec swooped in to take his lover in his arms and turned his gaze on his blonde-haired adventuring colleague.
“Ellen...” he muttered. “What in the world did you do to her?”
“I just gave her a shoulder and back massage, nothing more. Is something wrong?”
“A massage... No, nothing’s wrong, per se, but...how do I put this? You should know better.”
He couldn’t quite find the words he was looking for as he hid Shiori’s face and carried her away. Naturally, he did not return to their tent either; instead he opted for some place quiet, away from prying eyes, where Shiori could cool down in private.
“Hm? What did I do?” uttered Ellen.
“Miss Ellen...” said Leo, looking exasperated. “You really must make an effort to better understand the fragility of a man’s heart...”
Ellen remained perplexed.