As we discussed what we would do when we arrived at the villa—and when we got back to the royal capital—time passed in the blink of an eye. Soon we had gone far enough to actually see the villa.
A forest of fir trees surrounded the structure. The villagers clearly took good care of them, because sunlight shone through the gaps in the trees, lending the location a peaceful air.
The villa itself didn’t look like I had expected. I had imagined it would be a log house, or built of wood with plastered walls, but it was constructed from something entirely different—it was a mansion made of stone. While that wasn’t what I had seen in my mind’s eye, the surrounding area was idyllic, so I was impressed all the same.
The carriage stopped in front of the villa. Albert helped me step down, at which point I saw that all the people who took care of the villa had already assembled at the entrance. They greeted us, as was customary, then ushered us inside.
I was taken to guest chambers on the second floor that consisted of a bedroom and parlor. The parlor had a large window leading out to a terrace. From there, I could see the sparkling surface of the lake.
The great big lake lay to the west, and the villa had a splendid view, as it stood at a slight elevation. Needless to say, I also had a wonderful view from my chambers on the second floor.
While I gazed out the window, the butler who had shown me to my room explained the villa’s amenities. “There’s a large bath on the first floor. It draws water from the hot spring, so please feel free to enjoy it.”
“I’ve been looking forward to enjoying the hot spring, so I definitely will later,” I said.
“Understood, my lady. Please inform us whenever you desire to do so.”
Just as Lady Hawke said, the villa was furnished with a large bath connected to the hot spring.
This place has a great view and quiet scenery, and on top of that, it has a hot spring. What an amazing place to relax. I’ll dive right in after I catch my breath, I decided. “Thank you very much.”
“Now please feel free to find your ease.”
After I took a short break, I headed to the baths. They were way bigger than I had imagined. The room was probably as large as a lecture hall. The ceiling was high, but you couldn’t see much because of the steam rising from the tub, which was more of a pool. Based on what I could make out, it seemed that the walls, floor, and even the pool itself were made of marble. I let out an “ooh” of admiration at the sheer extravagance.
Whenever I took a bath at the palace or someone’s manor, the maids always made a big fuss and did all kinds of things for me, but today I was alone. It was like a dream. I had asked to be left alone precisely because I didn’t want anyone fussing over me so I could enjoy it privately. I had thankfully received permission to go solo.
It felt like an incredible gift, getting to luxuriate in such a giant bath all by myself. Moreover, I couldn’t exactly have asked my maids to join me if they were around—they would have said no—so I just had to accept that and get over the guilt.
“Oh, it circulates!”
I moved to the back to see what the whole pool looked like, as I couldn’t see it through the steam. The pool was built along the back wall and water flowed swiftly down from tap in the wall and into the pool. The bath water that overflowed from the pool drained back out. I was filled with delight at the sight of this hot spring pool that I had heard so much about—and that the water was constantly pumped in, out, and back again.
I washed my body, then excitedly went to go soak in the pool, where I let out a reflexive sigh. The temperature was a bit low, so I figured I could enjoy it for a long time.
The pool’s overall structure didn’t seem all that different from those back in my original world. The only thing that differed was the unusual shape of the tap. It resembled the silhouette of the undead dragon’s head, so I assumed it was meant to be an ordinary dragon. It was kind of funny, though, since it reminded me of the lion-headed taps from my old world.
Once I had observed the room, all I had to do was revel in the hot water. I leaned against the wall and let myself space out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep my mind clear of thoughts for long. I wound up ruminating over all kinds of things.
“It’s going to be over.”
I was thinking about the future. I had been summoned to this world to purify the miasma after it grew too thick, and now that job was almost at its end. I was moved by the thought of closing this chapter in my life. It was probably the kind of feeling everyone got after finishing a big project.
It wasn’t like this was going to be the end of my life in this world. I was probably feeling so oddly calm because I still hadn’t figured out a way to return to my own world. Once I was done purifying the miasma, my day-to-day existence wouldn’t change in any significant way. As such, I simply thought of this as a particular job coming to a close.
These thoughts were kind of calculating on my end, but I was pretty sure that the reason I felt so calm was the conversation I’d had with Albert in the carriage.
I hadn’t thought I would be so happy to hear Albert promise to help me learn how to ride. It didn’t make me so elated that I was going to shout for joy, but it definitely filled me with light and fluff.
Is this what love feels like? I didn’t know. I’d never been in love before. I certainly didn’t dislike whatever this sensation was.
Then there was the research I still had to do for my job at the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora. For the time being, I had no plans to stop working there. So things would remain the same on that front as well.
“Oh…”
Then I remembered something that I didn’t really want to remember. I sighed deeply, slowly adjusting my posture to slide farther underneath the water.
Although I would be done with my purifications, I would still likely have to continue to participate in high society. Numerous people wanted to marry the Saint, so I was definitely going to be invited to all kinds of tea parties and evening parties as well. Up until now, I had declined these invitations with the excuse that I needed to go monster-slaying, but soon I would no longer be able to whip that out.
To be honest, I still didn’t feel anything when it came to marriage as an idea. I’d always vaguely assumed that I would get married someday, but I was happy with my current situation. A big part of me wanted to continue clinging to the floaty feeling I got when I thought about Albert. I was actually kind of enjoying its presence.
I squirmed again and rested my head on the edge of the pool, then closed my eyes.
Okay! I’ll forget about high society for now! I came here to relax, so I’m only going to think about pleasurable things. Albert was going to write the report on the events that had transpired in Hawke’s Domain so I could get back to business as soon as I returned to the royal capital. I had a bunch of things to do for the herbs I meant to grow during the winter, such as transplanting them into pots and some pruning to go with it.
Oh, and then there were the dried sausages we’d found. Those would keep for a while, so it would be fun to bring them home and have a banquet with the researchers. I just knew that Johan would want to try them, though maybe he already had, seeing as he was friends with Albert.
I also wanted to have tea with Liz and Aira. I doubted I could bring back any borderlands sweets, but I supposed I could ask someone for some recipes. Or would they be reluctant to share them with me? In that case, my friends would just have to make do with some kind of souvenir. I’d be happy just to see them again.
Oh, and when Albert had free time, he would be teaching me how to ride. I wasn’t sure if I’d really get the hang of it, but if I did, we could take long rides together. By the time we were doing that, the weather would probably be warm again, so I could make sandwiches and we could go have a picnic somewhere.
I bet Albert will be happy if I make sandwiches packed with herb-seasoned chicken. We could do more than just go on a picnic too. There was something else on my mind…but what?
I suddenly came back to myself and noticed a mist around my chest. I was feeling a certain familiar emotion again.
I gazed around at the top of the pool, which was covered with a golden mist. It seemed that I had become so relaxed in the hot spring that my magic had poured out of me by accident.
Huh?! What in the world is going on? I was overcome with shock, if only for a moment. Then, since I was the only one in the room, I unleashed the Saint’s magic. The whole bathtub glittered.
Once the light subsided, I scooped up some of the water and saw that flecks of gold now floated within it.
My wish in that moment had been hot spring keywords: recovery from exhaustion, easing lower back pain and stiff shoulders, smooth skin, etc., etc.
I had only cast the spell for a moment, so I didn’t know the extent of the changes I had bestowed on the water, but I suspected that some kind of miraculous effect had been added.
Fortunately, this hot spring circulated. The water would inevitably be replaced, so soon no trace of my magic would remain.
That was close. The hot spring was warm, but I felt myself break into a slight cold sweat. I decided to get out of the tub before I made some other mistake.