While the men from Euritheis resolved to make Rabbi their new home, Ren had gone to the Longhouses to assign its quarters. Some refugees were single and others had come with their whole family, so each needed to be placed in appropriate lodging. Single men were placed in townhouses, single women were clustered together in taller apartment buildings, and families were given one-story houses.
Ren had gathered volunteers from each family or building to explain how to use the stovetop, refrigerator, and fan. “Please double-check that the stove is off when it’s not in use,” she said. “And water comes from the well right here.” An iron pump had been affixed to this well, allowing for water to be pumped with the simple motion of moving the lever up and down. Unlike with the rope-and-bucket wells, even a child could easily dredge up water from this.
“M-Mistress Ren... How much will water from the well cost? And how much to use that...stovetop?” one of the refugees asked.
On their journey, the refugees had been told that water was free and unlimited in the village of Rabbi, but none of them had put much stock in that. After all, the refugees had always been tricked and scammed and financially oppressed. They had just escaped a quagmire of predatory loans, making the long trek to Holylight with the humble hope of living their lives, knowing at least where their next meal was coming from.
“I have asked Master about this. First of all, you may live in your assigned quarters here free of rent. He also gave you permission to use any electronic appliances preinstalled in your housing,” Ren announced.
“Free... To live in those wonderful houses and use those incredible magical items?!”
“However, anyone who takes any water, salt, or electronic device out of this village will be forever banished from Rabbi.”
Her voice sobered the refugees like a douse of liquid nitrogen. By now, they had learned that the girl had an exceptionally kind and generous heart. They also knew that Ren had another face she only showed to those who stepped out of line—the face of a wrathful goddess. A gang, the worst of the worst in the slums, had completely been reformed under her influence...so much so that none of their parents would recognize them. If these gang members had been steel rods so bent out of shape that no amount of hammering could have made them straight again, Ren had thrown them into the furnace, melted them down, and poured them into a new mold altogether, as if she had given them all entirely new personalities.
Ren’s treatment of them might have been far from humane, but each advisor dealt with their subjects in their own way: Yu wore a mask of benevolence to deceive and enthrall her subjects without mercy; Tahara was a trusty leader to allies but absolutely ruthless against his enemies; Akane, despite her personality beaming like the sun, annihilated anyone who crossed her or Hakuto by any means necessary; Kondo simply wasn’t interested in the real world; Ren showed compassion to those who did good deeds and severely punished those who acted with malicious intent.
None of them were perfect, but Ren had to be the most sane when it came to doling out justice. If any advisor were to discover a violation of their Secretary’s rule, their reaction would be unhinged: Yu would turn the violator into a lab rat, Tahara would shoot them on sight, Kondo would make them disappear to dodge the headache and paperwork, Akane would snap their neck so quickly that the violator wouldn’t even know they had died.
With full knowledge of her fellow advisors’ characters, Ren added mechanically, “If anyone else finds you smuggling those items out, you most likely will not survive the encounter.”
Fear snaked through the refugees as it registered with them that Ren wasn’t making a threat, but only a statement. If they were caught violating her command, no excuse would change their gruesome fate.
“Now, I will show you to the public bath. For three bronze coins...” Ren continued, her voice flowing like a serene creek.
Meanwhile, Kondo had made his acquaintance with the paladin and his Trinary. For once, Kondo seemed interested in interacting with someone outside of a screen. Something about Weeb must have given Kondo a sense of familiarity—as if they were kindred spirits.
“Look, Weeb. That’s the popular Hot Springs Resort!”
“Hot springs...” Weeb cast his gaze over the bizarre construction that represented a completely foreign culture and architectural philosophy, as if the building had been frozen in time for eons.
“There are all sorts of baths in there, but you have to be naked. With strangers. Couldn’t be me. I barely want to leave my room as is,” Kondo muttered.
At the word “naked,” the ears of the Trinary perked up.
“H-How interesting...”
“These facilities were widely accepted in the times of old?”
“Sir Weeb, why don’t we cleanse ourselves of all this dirt from our travels? Right now.”
Hot springs did exist in the continent, but those were naturally occurring pools in nature. Unlike the Demon Lord’s baths, they didn’t have any magical health benefits either. Some nobles had taken to building baths in their homes that required piles and piles of Fire Spell Stones, but taking a hot bath was not a concept commoners were familiar with. If they were lucky, they had the luxury of washing themselves with cold water every now and again.
“Wh-What is this...? A forest?! How could that be...?” Weeb muttered, ignoring his Trinary altogether, staring at the Healing Forest—which hadn’t been there on his last visit. Then he spotted the Field Hospital and golden temple beyond, darting toward it. Immediately, the Trinary followed.
Kondo laughed. “This is just like a convention!” He, too, gleefully followed.
Weeb came up to the forest and audibly gulped. Divine energy crackled from the branches and leaves themselves. Under the canopy of them, the injured and elderly lay on the grass or against tree trunks, all looking perfectly at peace. “This is no ordinary forest,” he breathed. “I feel something extremely powerful—like pure Holy element.”
The Trinary nodded their agreement. The Holy element, an upgrade of Light, repelled evil and fostered healing.
Kondo replied, as if discussing tomorrow’s weather, “This place heals injuries over time. These nongamers are so stupid. You wouldn’t get hurt if you never left your room, amirite?”