After that, I decided to take a bath for the first time in my life.
"Um, if I remember right, I'm supposed to wash my body first, right?"
In my rural village, no houses had proper baths. At best, they had showers, but most people made do with cold water sponge-downs, and my household had been no exception.
Excited for my first-ever large public bath, I washed myself first, just as I had been taught. The bath area was stocked with soap. Apparently, this was also provided by senior adventurers who had grown up at this inn.
"Even if it came off my own body, this is really dirty..."
On the way to the royal capital, I hadn't been able to wash myself with water, having had to make do with wiping down with a damp towel. Appalled by how much dirtier I was compared to when I lived in the village, I scrubbed myself over and over.
My hair and my body. After washing both about three times each, I was finally clean.
"I need to repay this kindness someday too..."
Having washed up and settled into the tub, the sheer bliss of soaking in the hot water made me want to give something back. As I lingered, my head began to feel a bit light and fuzzy from soaking for too long, so I hurriedly got out.
"Phew... cold water really hits the spot after a bath..."
There was a water station in the changing room, so I poured some into a cup and drank it. Warmed to the core from the bath and thoroughly parched, my thirst was quenched in an instant, leaving me completely refreshed.
Afterward, I changed into a relatively new set of clothes that I had saved specifically to wear once I reached the royal capital. My old clothes were cheap, shoddy rags even by rural village standards. These new ones had been bought cheaply on my way to the capital from a family moving to another town. They had no holes, and above all, they were much sturdier than anything I had owned before.
"Maybe I'll do the laundry tomorrow morning. I hear I can wash them in the backyard."
I had heard that the inn had a backyard where clothes could be washed. This place truly had everything, and I had nothing but gratitude for the adventurer who had told me about it.
With my clothes changed, I headed back to my rented room and lay down on the bed. For someone who had slept almost entirely on the bare ground until reaching the royal capital, the bed was so soft and fluffy that I drifted off in an instant.
"Nn... that was a good sleep."
Early the next morning, I woke up along with the morning bell. In the royal capital, bells tolled in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and the residents went about their days according to them. The bells rang at 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM in the morning, at 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM in the afternoon, and at 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM in the evening.
I had always been good at waking up early, ever since my days in the village. Opening my eyes with the first bell, I sprang into action immediately.
First, I picked up the bag containing my accumulated dirty clothes and headed to the backyard.
"My, aren't you impressive, waking up this early?"
When I stepped outside, Amanda-san was already doing laundry. She was washing their own clothes alongside the towels used in the bathhouse.
"It's normal for me. I used to wake up around this time in the village too... Ah, good morning, Amanda-san."
"Fufu, you really are a well-behaved boy. Good morning, Erik."
Realizing I had almost forgotten my manners, I quickly greeted her. Amanda-san offered me a warm smile and returned the greeting.
After that, she showed me how to do the laundry. There was a well in the backyard, and washboards and tubs were kept in a storage shed. I had assumed a precious luxury like detergent wouldn't be available, but apparently that was also sent periodically by adventurers who had grown up here.
"...The adventurers from this inn really are incredible people, aren't they?"
"We didn't do it expecting anything in return, though. They just insist on paying us back however they can and practically force it onto us. You don't need to worry about returning any favors either, all right? You're going to be an adventurer, so for now, just focus on staying alive."
"Yes, I will. But please let me repay you someday."
"Heh, didn't I just say you don't need to think about that at all?"
Afterward, I finished the laundry while chatting with Amanda-san. Since there was a place to hang clothes in my room, I wrung out as much water as possible before heading back upstairs.
Once I finished hanging up the wash, having reached a good stopping point, I decided to resume reading the borrowed book.
"Breakfast is ready—!"
After reading for a while, I heard Anna-san's voice and made my way down to the dining hall. Breakfast consisted of bread, meat soup, and fried eggs. Everything was delicious, and I took my time chewing and savoring every bite.
"Erik, you're going to register as an adventurer today, right?"
"That's the plan."
"In that case, go to Reina's counter. She's the most thorough worker among the receptionists. A lot of the staff are slow or sloppy, which tends to cause trouble, but she's never like that. Mind you, she can be particular about people, but if you tell her you're staying at this inn, she'll probably hear you out."
"Is that so? Thank you very much for the valuable advice."
Bowing my head in thanks to Amanda-san, I left the inn and headed toward the Adventurer's Guild along the route I had memorized yesterday.
Before leaving, I had asked Amanda-san what Reina-san looked like. Red hair and green eyes. Since she would be behind a counter, her height would be hard to tell, but I was told she wore a hair ornament with a cat design.
"A cat hair ornament?"
"Yes, Anna gave it to her as a present a long time ago. She's been wearing it ever since. She grew up at this inn too, you see."
With Amanda-san's words in mind, I stepped out of the inn and made my way toward the Adventurer's Guild.