“Wow... s-so this is a hot spring...!”
Led to the bath by Elsa, Belle was overcome with emotion the moment she stepped in.
After scrubbing away the grime from her journey and finally sinking into the water, the sheer comfort was so intoxicating that Belle felt she might lose herself in the steam.
In the central regions of the Shouro Empire, where both Elsa and Belle were from, rain was scarce and the climate was arid. Consequently, the habit of regular bathing was not widespread.
While the nobility practiced "ablutions" to keep themselves clean, the culture of soaking in a tub for pleasure had never truly developed there.
“How is it? Does it feel... good?”
“Y-yes. Very...”
Belle’s face was practically melting with bliss as she replied.
Belle was only fourteen, yet her chest was already more developed than Elsa’s.
“...”
It was yet another lesson in the world’s unfairness for Elsa.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Ooh...”
In the men’s section of the hot spring, Barrow was stretching his limbs out in the hot water.
He had the place to himself.
As he soaked, he could feel the deep-seated exhaustion draining from his muscles.
“To think a place like this actually existed.”
He had been careful to follow the instructions he’d received before entering—to rinse himself with the "splash water" first and wash his dirty body—so he was managing to maintain proper etiquette.
Just then, a few villagers walked in.
“Oh? I thought we’d be the first ones in today, but someone beat us to it.”
“Idiot, didn't you see the clothes in the changing room? Open your eyes.”
“Hey, big brother, who are you?”
Two village men and a young boy entered the bathhouse. Startled, Barrow hurried to introduce himself.
“Ah, h-hello. M-my name is Barrow. Um, Jin-sama brought me here...”
He was a bit flustered by the sudden company, but his explanation seemed to get across.
“Oh, is that so? You’re Jin’s guest!”
“How do you like the village so far?”
“Ah, yes! Well, I only arrived last night, so I haven't seen much, but this hot spring is absolutely incredible!”
“Right? Jin built it for us,” one of the men said, his voice brimming with pride.
The claim left Barrow stunned.
“What? Jin-sama built this, too?”
Between the medicine that had cured Belle in a single night and this incredible facility, he began to wonder just what kind of person Jin truly was.
“Big brother, where are you from?” the boy asked next.
“Eh? Oh, I’m from... a place called the Shouro Empire, I guess.”
Though he was born in the Shouro Empire, he had most recently come from the Celuroa Kingdom. It was a slightly complicated question to answer.
“The Shouro Empire... then you’re the same as Elsa-sensei and Mine-sensei!”
“Wait, really? Ah, I think they did mention being from the Empire.”
“Yeah! They’re teaching us in the village right now. Reading, writing, and even math.”
“Studying?”
Barrow was shocked once again. In a typical farming village, the residents almost never had the opportunity to receive an education.
At most, such things were reserved for those destined to be apprenticed to merchants or to serve the nobility.
“This is a farming village, isn't it?”
From what he’d seen of the surroundings this morning, he couldn't imagine it being anything else.
“Yeah. We pay our taxes in wheat, so I reckon it’s a farming village.”
“And you’re studying?”
“That’s right. Jin was the one who suggested it. Said it’s better for kids to learn while they’re young. Well, when you look at him, he’s got a way of making things sound sensible. And since the teaching isn't too hard, nobody was against it.”
It was a harsh reality that in many poor farming villages, children were essential labor; many parents were reluctant to let them study because it took them away from the fields.
In fact, the village Barrow grew up in had been exactly like that.
Barrow and Belle had hated that life, which was why they had practically begged a caravan from the Celuroa Kingdom to take them away. They had eventually been lucky enough to find employment with a Celuroan noble.
“This is a wonderful village...”
For a fleeting moment, Barrow found himself wishing he had been born in a place like this.
＊ ＊ ＊
“I’m Barbara. Nice to meet you, Belle.”
“Y-yes, likewise.”
Elsa and Barbara were the same age.
Faced with yet another pair of "unfair" breasts, Elsa felt the weight of the world’s vanity even more heavily. She felt as though she were on the verge of achieving spiritual enlightenment.
Setting that aside...
“So, Belle, what’s your relationship with the guy in the men’s bath?”
“E-eh?! With Barrow?!”
Barbara clearly lived for this kind of gossip.
“Oh, so his name is Barrow. Yeah, him. You came here with Jin-san yesterday, didn't you? I heard about it from my uncle.”
“Barbara-san, your uncle is...?”
“Oh, my uncle is Giebeck. He’s technically the village chief, though he’s acting as the bailiff right now.”
“A bailiff?”
“Yeah. Because Jin-san is the one who actually owns this village.”
“WHAAAAT?!”
Belle’s scream echoed through the bathhouse, easily piercing the single wall that separated the women’s section from the men’s.
“B-Belle?! What happened?! Are you okay?!”
Barrow’s panicked voice drifted over the partition, clear as day.
“I-I’m fine! It’s nothing!”
Belle shouted back, her face turning scarlet all the way to the nape of her neck.
From the other side, she could hear the men teasing Barrow, saying things like, “You’ve got it made, kid,” and “Is she your girlfriend, big brother?”
Determined to ignore them, Belle turned back to Barbara.
“W-was Jin-sama a nobleman?!”
This time, Elsa was the one to answer.
“No. Jin-nii is a commoner. But he is the greatest Magi Craftman in the world.”
Belle turned her wide eyes toward Elsa.
“A... Magi Craftman?”
“Yes. Jin-nii was recognized as an Honorary Magi Craftman in the Kingdom of Egerea. And just recently, he did a lot for the Klein Kingdom. This village was given to him as a reward.”
“WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!”
The second scream was even louder than the first.
Even as an apprentice maid, Belle had served the nobility long enough to know that the Kingdom of Egerea and the Klein Kingdom were nowhere near each other.
Just what kind of Magi Craftman was respected by two such distant nations? Belle’s mind was left reeling, unable to process the scale of it all.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Hmm... so you’re saying you have no idea what happened?”
“Precisely. The only known facts are that a group calling themselves ‘Nostalgia’ captured the escaped labor criminals and delivered them to the soldiers of Toka Village. Curiously, the escapees themselves claim to have absolutely no memory of the past two days.”
“Well, that part works in our favor... but ‘Nostalgia,’ you say? I’ve been hearing that name far too often lately. Irksome meddlers. The soldiers I dispatched were a complete waste of resources. They’ve done something entirely unnecessary. You didn't leave any evidence, I trust?”
“No, of course not. What are your next orders?”
“The conscripts have already been sent back to their village, I assume?”
“Yes. They should be arriving at Sharuru Town sometime today.”
“Good. Listen well: never do anything that might cause suspicion to fall upon me.”
“I understand perfectly.”
“Then it is fine. Now, the next step is...”
None of the people in the room realized that a member of the Quinta was hidden nearby, listening to every word of their conversation.