“This will be your room.”
“Oooh!”
The room we were shown into was a spacious shared chamber.
For the record, Yaiba, Tsukikage, and Lady Muu had been given separate accommodations, so this room was for just us.
Tatami mats covered the floor, and a well-crafted table sat at the center. On top of it were a teapot, teacups, loose tea leaves, and sweets, with something that looked like an electric kettle placed neatly beside them. That was probably a magical tool, too. Magic really was incredible.
The tea leaves looked like green tea, judging by the atmosphere. Definitely would check it later.
The room was more than large enough for all of us, yet it carried a calm, refined elegance that made it feel luxurious rather than empty.
As I soaked in the comfort of tatami mats and floor cushions for the first time in a while, something suddenly occurred to me.
“Oh. That reminds me. What should we do about our room at the Black-tailed Gull Inn?”
“Ah, yeah. Now that you mention it.”
“But we didn’t really leave any luggage there, did we?”
“True. So we could leave right away if we wanted to, but still…”
“I’ll teleport over and let them know.”
“You sure? Sorry about that. I’d appreciate it.”
I immediately teleported away and headed for the Black-tailed Gull Inn in Southern, where I explained that we would be departing sooner than expected.
“Hm, of course, there’s no problem with you checking out,” the staff member said, sounding a little surprised. “But this is quite sudden, isn’t it?”
“I’m sorry. A lot of things came up all at once…”
“Not at all. Thanks to you, we had a very good run, and you even shared that legendary ingredient, the Bahamut, with the entire town. We truly cannot thank you enough. If you ever have occasion to visit this city again, please do consider staying with us here at the Black-tailed Gull Inn.”
“Yes!”
What a nice person. I could leave here in such a good mood.
Or so I thought.
“Oh, one more thing,” the staff member added, as if just remembering. “When you come next time, I would strongly recommend paying attention to the season.”
“Gah! You just had to remind me!”
I had been all set to leave feeling great, and then right at the very end, I was forced to remember those addicts again.
Still, they were right. Next time I come here, I really will need to choose the timing carefully. I never wanted to witness a scramble like that again.
With that rather bitter aftertaste lingering in my mind, I used teleportation magic once more and returned to the inn at the hidden village. Inside the room, Al and the others were relaxing at ease.
“O-Oh, welcome back. Sorry about that. Wait, what’s wrong?”
“No, nothing. Just a bit off.”
“I-Is that so? Well, whatever. Come sit down. This tea stuff is really good.”
“It has a strange taste, but it’s easy to drink!”
Prompted by Al and the others, I sat down and took a sip of the tea Saria had poured for me. Just as I’d expected, it tasted like green tea.
“Hah… it really sinks into you, this flavor…”
“You aged about ten years all at once there, Seiichi.”
“You sound like a grandpa!”
Apparently, my reaction had been that strange, because Saria and Al burst out laughing.
Then, Lulune, who had been quietly enjoying the tea sweets, gently offered some to me as well.
“Master, please have some. When paired with that drink, it is exceptionally delicious.”
“T-Thank you.”
Lulune, who had grown noticeably quieter, was calmly eating the tea sweets without any wild indulgence. Well, she was still eating quite a lot, but unlike before, the food was no longer vanishing in an instant. She was actually tasting it properly now.
“The futon is so fluffy.”
“It’s amazing! I’ve never slept on bedding laid directly on the floor before, but with this, it doesn’t look like my body will hurt at all!”
“Mm… And we get to sleep together.”
“Yeah!”
Zora and Origa were especially close, the two of them bouncing around excitedly in front of the futons laid out in the room. Come to think of it, both The Tranquil Tree back in Terbelle and the Black-tailed Gull Inn we’d stayed at earlier used beds. Japanese-style futons were probably a novelty to them.
As everyone relaxed in their own way, Al suddenly spoke up.
“Still, it’s strange.”
“Huh?”
“This is supposed to be a hidden village, right? So why is there such a fancy inn here?”
“Now that you mention it…”
An inn was, by definition, a place meant for guests to stay. Given the nature of this village, it was hard to imagine outsiders being allowed to lodge here in the first place.
As we all tilted our heads in confusion, a voice suddenly addressed us.
“That is because, in the past, influential figures would visit this place incognito.”
“Oh, Yaiba.”
Turning toward the voice, I saw Yaiba standing at the entrance to our room. Tsukikage and Lady Muu were nowhere to be seen, so they were probably waiting in their own room.
“Incognito, you say? Really?”
“It is not something I should speak of too loudly…” Yaiba replied, lowering his voice. “But it was once a common sight for powerful individuals to come here accompanied by their mistresses, or the like. Even so, those figures never knew this village’s true location. After all, without our guidance, it is impossible to enter this place.”
“Guidance, huh… So that means some of their retainers must have originally come from this village?”
“No. The shinobi of the Shadow Village have served only the House of Yamato for generations,” Yaiba said. “However, the head of that house, Muu-sama, is in her current condition. For the people of the village to continue living, funds were, frankly, insufficient. That is why this place was opened to other influential figures, under the pretext of relieving them of some of their wealth. If someone wished to come here, they would speak to a shinobi stationed at the Yamato main residence. In other words, they would contact Tsukikage-dono and arrange it much like a reservation. Naturally, there was also a password required at the time of booking.”
“There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, huh?”
Adult circumstances, or something like that. Still, as long as the location of this place stays hidden, it isn’t a problem for now.
Just then, Yaiba clapped his hands as if remembering something.
“Ah, yes, yes. The reason I came here was to pass along a few things.”
“Huh?”
“First, while you are staying here, you may do as you please. Tsukikage-dono and I will handle the usual guard duty.”
“Um, are you sure? I mean, is that really okay? We can help too…”
“It is fine,” Yaiba said with a nod. “However, if you happen to notice anyone suspicious, I would like you to apprehend them. Of course, only if you have the leeway to do so. Still, when it comes to Seiichi-dono and the others, I have no particular worries.”
“Well, with Seiichi around, there shouldn’t be any problems,” Al added casually.
“I-I will do my best to live up to that trust.”
The words came out awkwardly, almost stilted.
Is this really okay? I still don’t understand where all that confidence in me comes from, but I guess I just have to try.
At my response, Yaiba nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. And there is one more thing. As for this inn, Seiichi-dono and the others are to be treated the same as we are. That means you may freely use almost all of the facilities here.”
“Facilities… Now that you mention it, I never actually asked what they have.”
“Well, it will be dinner time soon, and the proprietress will explain everything then. But if you like, the hot springs are available right now as well.”
“Wait. There’s a hot spring?!”
I couldn’t help myself. The moment I heard Yaiba’s words, my voice rose in excitement.
He, however, paid no mind to my reaction and simply nodded.
“Of course. The hot springs at this inn boast excellent restorative effects and magnificent scenery. And what is more, no other guests are staying here at the moment. In other words, you will have the baths entirely to yourselves. Given the current circumstances, that is one small blessing we can appreciate.”
“Oooh…!”
I had not gone to hot springs very often back on Earth, but I had always liked baths in general. That was exactly why the idea of a proper hot spring made me genuinely happy.
The jacuzzi at the Black-tailed Gull Inn had been wonderful too, especially paired with the view, but somehow, this hot spring felt like something to look forward to even more.
“So then, enjoy your time in the village for now,” Yaiba continued. “If anything comes up, we will contact you. Until then…”
With that, Yaiba turned and made his way back to his own room.