Read Novel Full Vol 19 Chapter 14
Vol 19 Chapter 14
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Chapter 14 – Peaceful Times in the Hot Springs Village
The day after I told Princess Annemarie that she was returning home, I came to the hot spring village and found that it, too, had changed. They were only concentrated in the inns of the hot spring village… The seriousness of the dark elves is palpable, even if nothing is said, and it becomes a bit scary, but the quality of the inns has skyrocketed because of their seriousness, and it is pleasant.
This place is dangerous.
Very dangerous.
A quiet village in the mountains, with rooms kept cool, beautiful dark elf innkeepers offering hospitality, hot springs of excellent quality, and delicious food full of wild flavors.
The bedding came from the ferry, and although we had to add a few things that were missing, it was a very relaxing experience.
Why am I so fascinated by this place when I have a first-class room on a luxury liner as my base?
“Hey, Master. Why doesn’t Master go out and play? Wouldn’t a walk in the mountains or a ride on the Add be fun?”
“Yes, Master. It would be a waste to stay in your room when you can relax on land. Since you’ll be back tomorrow, why don’t you at least get out today?”
Ines and Felicia’s position was understandable. The luxury liner is a man-made object, even if it is spacious. They probably want me to use this opportunity to enjoy nature to the fullest.
But there is no need.
Just by coming to this village in the mountains, I can enjoy nature to the fullest, and I don’t want to go outside because it’s hot and insects come to me.
When I was a child, I might have gone on an adventure, but I am an adult over 20 years old and a merchant, so there is no need for adventure.
I’m happy enough to go back and forth between my room and the hot springs, enjoying good food and drink in between.
“I’m outside when I refill the hot springs, so I have plenty of time to enjoy nature. I’m happy and content to just relax here. Ines and Felicia don’t have to worry about me, you can go out and play.”
I’m refilling the hot springs from the source, so I’ll go out again tonight. There’s no need to go out now.
“Hey, Master, are you having fun?”
“I’m having fun.”
I’m Japanese, too. When I travel, I try to keep a tight schedule and enjoy the trip to the fullest, but hot springs are a different story.
Hot springs are my destination, so it’s only right that I make soaking in them my first priority.
In Japan, I would have walked around in a yukata and geta in a hot spring resort with a nice atmosphere, but in this place, there’s not much fun to be had outside. [T/n: Geta are traditional Japanese footwear resembling flip-flops. A kind of sandal, geta have a flat wooden base elevated with up to three “teeth,” held on the foot with a fabric thong, which keeps the foot raised above the ground.]
There are no movie theaters showing old naughty movies banned under 18, and there are no nostalgic amusement arcades like target practice or handheld pachinko games.
So soaking in a hot spring is the best thing to do.
Oh, but can we recreate target practice and handheld pachinko here? I feel like something similar was done in the manga about hot spring engineers in Rome. [T/n: Probably Thermae Romae.]
…But before that, it’s housing for the residents.
I can’t give them information about the entertainment facilities in this situation, where they put too much effort into the inn, and the general store and the housing are adequate. I’ll just feel bad the next time I come back.
“Well, it’s hopeless. Felicia, leave Master alone, we’ll join Alessia and the others.”
“But Ines, we can’t leave Master alone and go play…”
“It’s all right, Felicia. Master would normally be easily swayed by our words, but this time he hasn’t wavered in the slightest. Master refuses with conviction. Our presence will only get in the way, so we’re leaving.”
Ines took Felicia and left the room.
It’s not as big a deal as the conviction, and the presence of Ines and Felicia is not really disturbing.
I mean, I’m so excited about making out with two beautiful women in Yukata in a hot spring inn that I’m sad to see them go.
Well, I’d rather relax in my room, so I won’t say anything.
＊＊＊
Ines’ POV
“Ara, Ines. So Wataru didn’t come out after all?”
“Yes, Alessia, it wasn’t that he was stubborn, but he seemed to be convinced that he was doing the right thing. He just lay there and didn’t even try to get up.”
“Ufufu. Wataru is our benefactor and employer, but it hurts my pride as a woman when he repeatedly refuses my invitations.”
“Ilma, what’s going on out of the blue?”
Ilma’s smile as she enters the conversation is oddly frightening. Was there anything in the previous conversation that made her angry?
“When we first met, Wataru would have jumped at our invitation no matter what happened.”
“Is that so? I think we never really asked Wataru out.”
That’s right. Alessia is right. Well, the Master also subtly avoided us.
He likes beautiful women, no doubt, but he used to say that too many beautiful women frightened him.
“That is not what I meant, but what can I say? It is natural for Wataru that we are together.”
“It’s not a bad thing. It means he trusts us.”
“Felicia and I are slaves to our master, so it’s natural for us to be together.”
“Well, you don’t get it, do you?”
Ilma raised her hands and shook her head. I see actors doing it all the time in the movies the Master shows us, and it makes me a little angry when someone does it to me.
“Ilma. What are you trying to say?”
Alessia is also annoyed and asks Ilma in a slightly prickly tone.
“Look, you can’t cover it up with comfortable words like ‘trust’. Getting used to it means you’ve lost your value as a woman.”
Oh, I know what she means. When Felicia and I were together, the Master was awkward at first, but now he spends his time in a natural way.
If that means I am less valuable as a woman, then I guess so. But I like our relationship better now because it’s more carefree.
“What’s wrong with that? I think our current relationship with Wataru is a comfortable relationship…”
Alessia. You really don’t get it, do you? This is the result of having an all-female party and having adventures all the time.
The relationship between Alessia and the others and Master is not a comfortable one; it is a dangerous one, a relationship of greed and lust. It’s a one-way relationship.
Seriously, Master loves women, but he’s so clumsy and indecisive.
He also tries to keep up appearances, so everyone but Ilma thinks he’s just a slightly perverted boy.
Ilma sits in front of me with her hands holding her head, and I understand exactly how she feels.
Our Felicia is also a naive girl who grew up in the forest, so I worry that she is in danger.
I’m only responsible for Felicia, but in Ilma’s case, there are four other people to take care of, including Alessia, who looks so stupid in front of me… It’s not my style, but it’s okay to be a little nice to Ilma.
Anyway, I’ll ask the Master to give Ilma a special drink tonight.
＊＊＊
As I explained to Ines and Felicia, I enjoyed the hot springs as much as I could.
That’s good.
I had plenty of time to play with Rimu and Pent, and it was a peaceful and productive day.
But something was bothering me at dinner.
I could have left it alone, but since I had some free time during the refueling at the hot springs, I thought I’d ask about it.
“Hey Ines. I have the feeling that Ines and Ilma are suddenly getting along really well, or is it just my imagination?”
Is it just me, or is this the first time Ines has asked Ilma-san for a drink?
For me, the combination of Ines, who puts her curiosity first even when there is danger, and Ilma-san, who is enchanting but tinged with madness, smart and systematic in her pursuit of her opponents, makes me very uncomfortable, so I hope it is just my imagination.
“Rather than getting along, you could say we sympathized.”
“Sympathized?”
…Huh? What does sympathize mean again?
I think it means to agree with the other person’s opinion or to share the same opinion. …Ines and Ilma-san?
“Huh? Is that okay? It’s not a crime or anything, right?”
I mean, I imagine a gambling addict and a madman playing together or something like that, with their wrists chained together? I don’t want them to open up an illegal gambling den and experiment on debt-ridden gamblers on human bodies or something.
“Hey, don’t be rude out of the blue. I’m just saying that we’re both going through hard times, so we need to cooperate and do our best. What’s with that suspicious look, that’s beyond rude!”
Ines is kind of angry, but I think I’m right. I have nothing but doubts.
“Hey, Felicia. Have you ever seen Ines in trouble?”
I’ve only seen her struggle when she doesn’t have enough pocket money.
“Well… ah, I’ve seen her struggle with Bella-san and her family.”
Oh, sure. I feel like Ines is in the wrong, but it still looks like she’s struggling with her relationship with Bella-san and the rest of her family. I’m sure she deserves it.
“So does Ilma have the same family problems as Ines?”
In Ilma-san’s case, she is probably not in debt. She might need money for research or something, but since she’s basically working with me, she won’t have time to do enough research to go into debt.
“I have to make sure once and for all what Master and Felicia think of me. It’s not a family thing. It’s about the hardships of taking care of a naive Master and Felicia, and that’s why we sympathize with each other.”
“I feel terribly insulted.”
“Yes, Master is right. I can’t deny my naivete, but I don’t agree that Ines should take care of me.”
I don’t agree either.
I can’t deny that I am naive from Earth, and I am definitely protected by Ines as a bodyguard, but I realize that between the hardship of this and the reward for Ines, the reward is more.
“First of all, it is strange that Ilma-san has a hard time with her naive companions. Because Alessia-san and the others are A-ranked adventurers, and they’re all good friends, so there shouldn’t be any hardship that can be called a fight. Ines, you’re lying.”
Girasole is not a party that gets along on the surface; it is a truly close-knit group with no factions. Even I know that much, since we live together.
“Hah. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have any problems because they are good friends. Master and Felicia should grow up a bit.”
Wow, Ines is surprisingly aggressive.
I’m usually the type of person who accepts being mounted by a beautiful woman, but when Ines, a slave who lost her fortune gambling, comes at me aggressively, it’s hard for me to accept.
That’s okay. When I’ve finished replenishing the hot springs, I’ll take full advantage of a master’s authority to do this and that.
Also, I’ll tell Alessia-san about her relationship with Ilma-san. I’m sure she’ll be looking into it.
Our last night in the hot spring village will be an exciting one.
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