It was dinnertime, about two months after the academy had begun.
“Aldo. When will the bath be finished?”
“The interior and the magical tools are both complete. All that’s left is to actually use it, I think. We’ll collect everyone’s opinions and make any necessary adjustments.”
“I see. Count Sandra and Dunhill… Marquis Burke keep pestering me about whether it is ready yet.”
“Is that so? Then shall we begin testing it today?”
“It’s usable?”
“Yes. I can have the sauna ready immediately as well.”
“Sauna?”
“Ah, you deliberately make a room hot enough to sweat in. It’s good for weight loss and beauty too.”
A mysterious pressure filled the room!!
I looked around. Mother, Ashera, Marl, Faristea, Instructor Anna, Yuri, and even Clara were all radiating that mysterious pressure.
“Aaal. Naturally, you’ll let us use it too, won’t you?”
“That’s fine, but it can be a little dangerous if you don’t know how to use it…”
“Then we can go in together. It’s been a while since I washed your back.”
What was this woman saying…?
When I looked at her with suspicion from the very bottom of my heart, she followed up with an even more outrageous suggestion.
“Why don’t Ashera and the two of us all bathe together?”
My eyes flew open, and I looked at Ashera. She seemed embarrassed, but showed no sign of refusing.
Yahoooooo!! So paradise really did exist here!! I have no regrets in this life!!
“Rafina. Enough. They may be engaged, but you cannot make an unmarried girl do such a thing.”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Father.”
The Ice Witch was being scolded by Grandpa.
“Aldo, if you merely want amusement, go to the pleasure district. Treasure your wife.”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Grandfather.”
Why was Ashera directing killing intent at me…? This was frightening, Ashera… I wasn’t going to misbehave, so could you please hold back a little…?
Mother, Ashera, and Clara had actually remained at the Blue Ring mansion in the royal capital even after the academy holiday ended.
Apparently, they intended to make the royal capital their base, since Ao could send them back if an emergency occurred. Father was currently the only one staying in the Blue Ring territory.
Ao could take us there immediately whenever we asked, but using that ability too often risked revealing Ao’s existence to Faristea, Instructor Anna, or the maids who didn’t know the circumstances.
As a result, Father was living a lonely life in the Blue Ring territory, all alone like a man transferred away from his family for work.
Poor Papa. Please live strong…
Still, Mother must have been lonely too. Everyone pretended not to notice that she secretly flew back to Blue Ring during the night.
A great many things had happened during those two months: Naga returned to adventuring, Marl transferred to the commerce department, we built a prototype toilet with a washing function, I discovered soy sauce, and we had the glowing staff and mithril knife from the Labyrinth of Claws and Fangs appraised.
Those stories could wait for another opportunity. Right now, the bath came first.
“I’ll explain how to use everything beforehand. Any of the women who wish to bathe, please come to the bathhouse after dinner.”
None of the women answered aloud, but the pressure they radiated convinced me that every last one of them would attend.
After dinner—
Mother, Ashera, Marl, Faristea, Instructor Anna, Yuri, Clara, and Noel stood in front of the new bathhouse.
Why Noel had somehow been added to the group was a mystery, but pointing it out would be troublesome, so I didn’t.
The bathhouse was a wooden building with a calm design that somehow evoked the feeling of a hot-spring inn. That was because I’d insisted on it forcefully. A bath should delight the eyes as well.
As for the bathhouse itself, the entrance was divided into men’s and women’s sides, but the interior became mixed bathing.
Why was it mixed bathing…?
Because I’d gotten carried away and added too many varieties: a normal large bath, an open-air bath, a sauna room, a cold plunge for the sauna, and a jet bath.
Building one of each for both the men’s and women’s sides would have required an absurd amount of space.
After designing a bathhouse myself, I’d learned firsthand why public bath complexes took up such enormous plots of land.
I began explaining the new bathhouse to the women.
Immediately inside was the large bath, which could hold five people at once. Beyond it were the sauna and cold plunge. The jet bath was on the right, while a door on the left led outside to the open-air bath.
For the women’s peace of mind, bathing garments were placed beside the door to the outside, and they were free to use them.
“…And so, what used to be our ordinary bath is now the open-air bath. Anyone worried about being peeped at should wear a bathing garment while enjoying it.”
The women picked up the garments and seriously investigated whether they would turn transparent in the water or reveal the shapes beneath them.
“Now, the open-air bath and normal bath should be straightforward, so I’ll explain the jet bath and sauna…”
The jet bath provided a massaging effect. Pressing the button beside the tub produced bubbles for five minutes.
It was my first original magical tool, created by adapting the Air Hammer spell.
Rosa had taught me along the way, but I’d completed everything from the design to the construction by myself.
The sense of accomplishment when I finished had been incredible. For a moment, I’d seriously considered pushing the role of Apostle onto El and becoming a magical-tool craftsman instead.
“…That should cover the jet bath. Next is the sauna. This one is genuinely dangerous, so never enter it alone.”
“Why can’t we go in alone?”
“The inside is stiflingly hot so that you sweat. If you lose consciousness, it could cause a fatal accident.”
“Why not make it a little cooler?”
“Then you wouldn’t sweat, and it wouldn’t have any effect.”
“That makes sense.”
“Even if you can endure it, don’t remain in the sauna for more than five minutes. Come out after five minutes and cool yourself in the cold plunge. It feels wonderful.”
“A cold bath? At this time of year, when it’s still spring?”
“Yes. If you don’t want to enter, you don’t have to.”
“…Understood.”
“People with weak hearts should avoid it too.”
“Weak hearts?”
“Ah… Elderly people, I suppose…”
“Hmm…”
“Th-that’s everything. I’ll go and get Grandfather and El.”
I fled from the women.
The Ice Witch had an annoying habit of being unusually sharp about strange things.
I entered the bath with Grandpa and El. First, we washed ourselves at the central bath.
El was only an extra for this test, so I left him to use whichever bath he liked while I had Grandpa experience the jet bath.
“Grandfather, this jet bath produces bubbles, and those bubbles have a massaging effect.”
“Then I shall try it.”
“Yes. Once you’re in the water, press this button to start the bubbles, then place whichever part of your body feels stiff against them.”
Grandpa pressed the button. When the bubbles began, he directed them at his lower back and then his shoulders.
He didn’t say anything, but his expression looked comfortable, so he seemed to be enjoying it.
After five minutes, the bubbles stopped automatically.
“Is it over already?”
He clearly wanted to remain in the jet bath, but we still had the open-air bath and sauna to test.
“This is a trial run, so I’d like you to test everything once.”
“I see…”
Please don’t look so sadly at the jet bath. It makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong!
“Next is the sauna. Leave the moment you feel you’ve reached your limit. It really is dangerous, so don’t push yourself.”
“Understood.”
El joined us in the sauna, making three of us.
The moment we entered, waves of heat rolled over us.
The three of us sat down, but a sauna could become much hotter than this.
I used a ladle to scoop up water and poured it over the heated stones in one corner.
It instantly became steam, sharply raising the room’s temperature and humidity.
Then I poured another ladle… and the heat and humidity rose again…
“Aldo. How long should we stay in here?”
“Until you feel you’ve reached your limit. It’s dangerous, so please don’t push yourself.”
All three of us remained in the sauna for five minutes.
“Grandfather, El, five minutes have passed. Let’s go out for now.”
“Very well…”
“Yes…”
We left the sauna and entered the cold plunge together.
“This… is good…”
“Brother… This feels wonderful…”
It appeared the two of them had taken a liking to the sauna.
But as I had said repeatedly, this was a test. They still needed to try the open-air bath.
“Now, let’s finish with the open-air bath.”
They followed me reluctantly, clearly sorry to leave.
I didn’t need a bathing garment. When I asked the other two, neither of them wanted one either.
The three of us promptly enjoyed the open-air bath.
“The old bath was a tub, but this one was dug into the ground and lined with stones… This is pleasant as well.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
The open-air bath was somewhat shallow. Even on me, the water left part of my shoulders exposed. On Grandpa, it only reached halfway up his chest.
“I made the water shallower to reduce our consumption of magic stones.”
“I see. It may be a little cold in winter.”
“You’re right. I’ll add that to the list of improvements.”
“Good.”
Because the open-air bath didn’t make us feel overheated, it was easy to stay too long.
“We should probably get out soon.”
“Indeed.”
“Yes.”
“Please tell me anything you noticed, even if it isn’t until tomorrow. Of course, I’d also like to hear what you enjoyed.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
Feeling that pleasant heaviness unique to getting out of a bath, we left the building.
The women were waiting for us, their eyes blazing.
“I-I’m sorry… It took a little longer because I was explaining everything to Grandfather…”
“M-my apologies. It seems we stayed in somewhat too long… Please, take your time now…”
The women smiled at Grandpa’s words, gave graceful bows, and entered the women’s side.
“Aldo… You may someday be burned by the passions of ladies…”
“Grandfather? What do you mean?”
“A lady’s obsession with beauty can sometimes drive her to acts no one would imagine… Beware of women you do not know.”
“Yes… I don’t really understand, but I’ll be careful around women…”
Grandpa glanced at me, laughed, and went into the mansion.
Nearly two hours had passed since the women went inside… and they still hadn’t come out.
I was beginning to feel genuinely worried. El stood beside me, apparently concerned for Marl.
“They should’ve come out by now. Something’s wrong.”
“You’re right…”
“I’ll try calling them.”
“Alright…”
“Heeeeeey! Are you alriiiiight?”
“Maaarl! Are you alright?”
Just as we shouted, the women began emerging from the women’s entrance.
“You took so long that we were worried…”
“Sorry. It took a while because we all tried everything in turn.”
Mother apologized aloud, but I knew she didn’t feel the least bit sorry!
“Well, fine. None of you feel strange anywhere, do you?”
“What about everyone?”
Every one of them replied that nothing felt wrong and that it had been wonderful.
“I see. Make sure you don’t get chilled.”
As the women entered the mansion, Noel began explaining the bathhouse to the maids and female soldiers.
It appeared the maids would be bathing next.
I could see Rosa and her daughter Sara among them.
They looked happy to use it, which made me happy too.
The magic-stone consumption would hurt, but I intended to keep the bathhouse operating for a full week to identify improvements.
After that, we’d correct everything we reasonably could, then invite Count Sandra’s family first.
With Olivia and Louis—two allies already bewitched by the bath’s charms—I felt at ease.
I would make my presentation to their hearts’ content.
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