I was all too aware of the desire for familiar environments, and the longing for things lost.
Glenys clapped to get our attention. “Well then, why don’t you go down to the basement, and pick out whatever you need for the trip tomorrow?”
Ariane and Chiyome stood up from their seats.
With breakfast finished, Ponta had begun grooming itself. The moment it noticed the women heading downstairs, however, it hurried after them as fast as its little legs could carry it.
The door leading to the basement was on the first floor, behind the massive, tree-like pillar standing in the building’s center. We followed a stairwell that spiraled down the inside of the pillar. Thanks to magical lamps placed at regular intervals, the staircase was far brighter than the dark, dank basements of the various human nobles’ estates we’d snuck into.
At the bottom of the stairs, we encountered a heavy wooden door, which opened into a narrow space lined with crowded shelves. If I’d still had a heart, it would have been racing with excitement. I felt as though we were on some sort of treasure hunt. Ariane was already digging through various items on the shelves.
“What exactly do we need for this trip, anyway?”
She turned to me and held something out. “Well, we’re heading into a cave, right?”
I looked down at the item she gave me. It was a handheld lamp. Inside the glass casing were several clear crystal pillars, and there was a small knob on the bottom. As soon as I turned the knob, the crystals flickered to life, casting a steady glow that reminded me of an electric lightbulb.
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
Not only was I amazed at the lamp’s ability to serve as a light source, but the detailing on it was remarkable in its own right. I was sure it could have sold for several hundred thousand yen in an interior design store back home.
“That’s a crystal lamp,” Chiyome said, while I busied myself playing with the shadows the lamplight created. “They’re made by elves, and prized for their strong light and sturdy build. Only a few wealthy humans own one.”
Thinking back on the dim oil lamps I’d seen throughout the human towns, I believed her. A lamp like this, that put even electric lights to shame, would be far out of reach for common humans. Still, I could probably afford one. It might be a good idea to purchase one, in case—
“Hey, quit slacking off and give me a hand, will ya?”
I turned around to see Ariane’s cheeks puffed out. She shoved two more lamps and a bulging leather sack in my direction.
“Uh, I’m sorry,” I said, taking them from her.
I undid the drawstring holding the sack closed and looked inside. It was full of glimmering, purple sand.
“What’s this?”
Chiyome came up beside me. “Powdered mana. It’s made by crushing rune stones, and it’s in a lot of the elves’ magical items. It’s pretty powerful stuff, but you need to be highly skilled to use it safely, which is why they don’t put it in anything they sell to humans. Best-case scenario, humans would just break the item. Worst-case, they might cause a massive explosion.”
She made “powdered mana” sound like jet fuel.
In front of us, Ariane puffed out her plump chest, a look of pride gracing her face. It seemed she was pleased at Chiyome’s assessment of the elves’ exceptional skill.
I decided to play dumb. “What is it, Ariane?”
Ariane quickly wiped the look off her face, muttering something under her breath as she moved to a shelf farther back in the room.
I started rifling through nearby items and asking Chiyome about them. Before long, I spotted something familiar—a hemp bag filled with gold coins.
The bag was stuffed in the corner of a shelf, its contents gleaming dully. I picked up a coin and rubbed my thumb over the mark of the Rhoden Kingdom.
Ariane stopped what she was doing and looked over at me. “That’s part of the money you stole from the noble’s estate. Father said we should put some aside, in case you find a use for it.”
“In that case, I suppose we could put it toward the bath’s fuel costs, couldn’t we?” I blurted out what I thought was a great idea, but Ariane merely shrugged, looking exasperated.
“I don’t get why you’re so obsessed with baths. Besides, with your strength, you can get all the rune stones you need just by hunting monsters. Don’t you have anything else to use the money on?”
I gave what she said some thought.
Of course, Ariane was right that I could get plenty of rune stones to fuel my baths from hunting monsters or digging in caves. There was no need to buy them. Using the money on magical items that would make my life easier instead might be the way to go.
Fortunately for me, I had plenty of elven connections, so once I finally had a place of my own, I could use the money to furnish it.
Actually, scratch that. First, I’d put the money toward building my own bathhouse.
Mind made up, I told Ariane my plan, eliciting the biggest sigh I’d heard from her yet. Given the love the elves and the Japanese clearly shared for bathing culture, I’d been hoping she’d understand me on that point.
The day wore on as we chatted among ourselves and prepared for tomorrow’s journey to the spring.