It wasn't as if I had plenty of spare time, but I suppose I simply got swept up in the moment.
A wooden boat now floated in the largest bathtub. It was a log canoe, hollowed out from a single trunk. After warming myself in the hot spring, I’d climb into the boat and let the gentle rocking cool me off. Then, I would get back into the water.
It wasn't a bad way to pass the time. Being able to enjoy a meal while adrift made it even better. Once the boat was finished, however, I found myself longing for a bit more space.
Should I take this to the river?
The river had a decent flow, though it was only about three to five meters wide. The riverbed was shallow, barely reaching a meter deep even at its lowest points. It seemed like I could make it work.
I briefly considered expanding the path from the hot spring to the river, but then I hesitated. Was that really a good idea? Wouldn't the hot water from the bath just drain into the river all at once? I wanted to avoid any chance of ruining the hot spring I had worked so hard to build.
Since Rusty was here, I figured I could just ask her to carry the boat for me.
Alright, time for some boating on the river. I fashioned an oar and—
I capsized.
Once again, the gap between ideal and reality hit me hard. I hadn't flipped in the gently flowing bathtub, but the river was another story entirely. The current was unexpectedly fierce. I honestly thought I was a goner.
Yet, the very same log canoe that had put me through such an ordeal was now being navigated skillfully downstream by the Lizardman, Daga. It seemed the capsizing wasn't due to the boat's design, but rather a lack of skill on my part.
I could feel the piercing gazes of Rusty and Kierbit, practically demanding, "Where’s mine? Hurry up and make one for me too!"
I understood. Using the Universal Farming Tool, I quickly churned out more log canoes.
"Don't go too far downstream," I warned.
"I know, I know."
I mass-produced the canoes, and the others took them out to play. Every last one of them was better at it than I was. I felt a bit dejected.
Kuro and his pack looked like they wanted a turn, so I gave instructions for them to be taken out one by one. They were delighted. However, with only one wolf per boat, it was going to take forever for everyone to get a turn.
Therefore, I tried making a slightly larger raft. It was simple work—just lining up logs and lashing them together. Zabuton’s children provided the thread for the lashings, making the task a breeze. I tethered it with a rope so it wouldn't be swept away and tested it on the water.
It wasn't bad. In fact, I thought it was quite good. And unlike the canoes, it didn't seem likely to flip. I stood triumphantly upon the raft; it was remarkably stable. This would definitely work.
Then Kuro’s offspring started climbing on. Zabuton’s children joined in, too.
Hahaha... And then it sank. Right, even a raft has its limits.
While I was frolicking on the raft with the wolves and the spiders, the others continued to enjoy the log canoes. There was a spot midway down the river where the current slowed, and they were using it as a finish line for races.
For the trip back, Rusty would carry both the boats and the people. It looked like a lot of work, but she seemed to be enjoying herself, so I didn't worry too much.
The beastman Galf was apparently the most skilled, followed by the high elf Ria. The rest were all bunched together in a pack. I told them not to force Kuro’s offspring onto the boats just to act as skill handicaps; I wanted safety to be the priority.
Bulga and Stifano sat out the boating, choosing instead to soak in the hot spring. I returned to the water to stay out of everyone’s way and to warm up my river-chilled body.
Afterward, I started preparing a meal. The seasonings we had brought with us were starting to run low. I wondered if Hakuren and her group were almost finished. I had grown somewhat used to sleeping here, but we wouldn't be able to survive the winter like this. We were only living in tents, after all.
I’d built a small shack, but it was currently being used to smoke Grappler Bear meat. There were many Grappler Bears in this area. We had encountered several on the way here, and more since arriving. Their massive size made for a bountiful harvest of meat, but the problem was the mediocre flavor.
Kuro and the others were happy to eat it, but we still ended up with leftovers. Thus, I turned it into smoked meat for preservation. Usually, the wolves would even crunch through the bones, but they didn't seem inclined to do so when there was such an excess of meat. Curiously, they did eat the large, stone-like objects found in the bears' chests.
I gathered the leftovers to see if I could boil the bones down for stock.
...
The stench was so overwhelming that I aborted the attempt immediately. I really shouldn't act on every random whim. Lesson learned.
While I was reflecting on my failure, Hakuren and the others arrived. The Progenitor arrived looking utterly spent and headed straight for the hot spring. He looked truly exhausted. I wondered what on earth had happened. Zabuton’s children also scuttled off toward the water.
Ann, the High Ogre maid, immediately began taking inventory of our remaining food and seasonings, her mind clearly already on the next menu.
As for Hakuren... for some reason, she was being incredibly clingy. She was practically glued to my side.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing."
She said that, but she showed no sign of letting go. Since she wouldn't budge, I just let her be. Hakuren eventually rested her head on my lap and drifted off to sleep.
I glanced at Ann to ask what was going on, and she signaled back that Hakuren had been a massive help and asked me to just let her rest there. I didn't mind, but I just wished someone would convey that sentiment to Rusty, Lu, and Tia. They were currently surrounding me like a blockade.
What happened to playing in the river? It was a pointless question. One by one, they took turns. I tried to resist, but it was futile. For a good while, my arms and legs served as nothing but pillows.
"So, what happened?" I asked once I was finally released. I went to the Progenitor to hear the story.
"The Lich King was up to no good, but Hakuren kicked her."
"..."
I didn't really follow. I decided to stick to the important parts.
"Is there any danger left?"
"None... I think. Oh, just so you know, I did try to investigate the details. But it was useless. Because she kicked the life out of her. And then she incinerated everything with her breath. There were things that looked like documents, but they were all burned to ash. I did my best to save them, but it was no use."
"G-Good work out there."
"Thank you. Hakuren... she seemed to be bothered by the fact that she caused the dungeon to collapse, so please be mindful of her."
"Hm?" I wondered. She was worried about that?
"She was feeling guilty about the dungeon collapsing and the fact that you had to apologize to the Giants."
"Ah, so that's why."
"I'll leave her to you."
"Got it. And... there's one more thing I want to ask."
"I know."
Next to Ann stood a small girl, perhaps five or six years old. Hakuren's group had brought her along. Having just been bathed by Ann, she was steaming slightly and looked quite content.
"Who’s this?" I asked.
"That’s the Lich King’s true form," the Progenitor explained. "Hakuren blasted her with so much holy breath that she actually ended up being purified back into the living."
"Uh..."
"She was rejuvenated in the process, too. Because of that, she seems to have lost her memories. She’s just a little girl now... though a girl who still knows a few tricks. We couldn't exactly leave her behind."
"I suppose not."
And so, it was decided that we would take her in and protect her at the Village of the Great Tree.