42 Episode 42 "The Melancholy of the'Chosen One'".txt

And the next day.

I finished preparing for the trip, cleaning up, and shopping, and then in the evening.

When I opened the door to the hot spring facility's changing room, there was a naked elf girl.

''What ......?''

We stare at each other as if time has stopped.

It's funny.

Isn't this the same hot spring facility that Iris gave us a bathing ticket to?

And I was directed at the entrance, and I was supposed to come to a place called the private baths: .......

'Huh?　What, eh?

The elf girl looks at me, stunned.

She's rigid, with the last one down to her knees. Her hair is fluffy pink. She looks at me with bluish eyes. Her skin is pure white everywhere, and it's slowly turning red from the tips of her ears. Holding my gaze straight, the elf girl is shaking and shaking, forgetting to hide her body.

Huh?　Did I go in the wrong place?

But this should be the place where the receptionist showed me to be here.

Iris, of course, knows that I'm coming here.

And yet the fact that a girl is here...

Could it be that hot springs in other worlds are based on mixed bathing?

Well, be polite in here then.

"Oh, hi. It's a beautiful day.

'What?　Huh?　Ha, yes. It's a perfect day for a hot spring.

Are you going to take a bath now?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

'I'm the same way. I know someone who gave me a bathing ticket.

'Well, um, ...... ah, yes, then please join us ............, no!

The elven girl, who had turned bright red, rushed to cover her body with the cloth she was holding.

It wasn't a mixed bath, apparently.

'Why would a man come in!　Heh, heh, big mistake...!

I'm not a pervert!

Oh, yes, yes, I'm very sorry!

When I rushed into it, the elf girl jerked, jerked her body, and lowered her head as it was.

What's this deja vu (deja vu).

The same kind of thing happened before ......?

I'm sorry. I yelled at the top of my lungs.

No, no, I'm sorry I called you a perv.

A bowing contest.

It's not good to keep this up, so I turned my back.

I'm not going to be able to get a good look at it.

I've been invited by a certain someone to come here. I'm not a pervert, it's true.

Oh, I'm, you know, it's just a matter of work. Well, you've worked so hard for me that I was told to take a hot spring bath and get some rest. ......

Sorry, I made a mistake! Raphilia-Grace-san. Adventurers, this is the main bathhouse.

Outside the changing room, I heard the facility's clerk's voice.

'I don't have ............ on me.'

I heard the elven girl murmur, "Gulp," as if to say.

Was she an adventurer?

Is that why I felt a sense of déjà vu earlier? I'm not sure if we've ever met.

Ugh ...... I'm sorry. It was me who was wrong.

An elven girl who was getting ready came in front of me and bowed her head.

''I'm sorry for showing you something unseemly. Please forget it.''

No, I'm sorry, too.

Again, a bowing contest.

The elf girl wandered out of the changing room in a huff.

...... She looked like a very unhappy girl.

─────

I've been in the tub and stretched out my arms and legs.

It's ...... the first time in a long time, or maybe the first time in my life that I've been in a hot spring.

The bathroom is made of stone with a window at the top of the wall opposite the changing room for ventilation and light. The bathtub is circular, with a pillar in the middle that leads to the ceiling. A slightly lukewarm hot spring is flowing out of it.

You should have been there.

But Cecil was preparing for his trip, Rita couldn't catch him because he was running around red, Aine was cleaning and tidying up the separation, and Letitia said she didn't want to be left out, so I ended up being left alone.

I thought it would be a celebration for solving the case.

"...... fake demon tribe, huh?

The case should have been solved, but it doesn't feel right.

If he was a visitor like me, he would have been summoned as a hero. I don't understand why they are that particular about being brave. I'm not a fan of the "company", but of the "hero".

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.

I'm sure Iris would be shocked.

The fact that you're the target of an attack on you has brought the whole town down.

He was going around apologizing to the adventurers, saying "Iris is in charge," even though he looks just as good as Cecil. He also said he would compensate them properly.

I guess I can't ask for ...... 'shoddy goods' anymore, can I?

Well, that's okay.

They gave us extra money and a ticket to the hot springs.

That's fine by us.

You can't ask for too much, or you'll be afraid of the consequences.

It's good enough to have a good time at ....... The rest is .......

What else can you do with "Life Negotiation, Food Negotiation, Lv 1"? If it's impossible to live without working, let's figure out if we can live with working less time and volume to the limit.

............

I heard a noise in the changing room.

It sounds like someone's coming in.

I'm going to move behind the pillars. This bath is supposed to be rented by Iris.

...... means that it was a regular soldier who came in. Or a freshly arrived soldier.

.................. Good. Thank you.

As an unnamed adventurer, I don't want to see you too much.

"............ excuse me.

I come.

Through the steam, I see a small shadow.

We go around to the dressing room to avoid detection.

Dear Souma. I know you're here: ......?

splash

It's as if you're walking through some royal palace, or palace, or something like that, with grace.

Barefoot, stepping on the damp stone floor.

Dressed only in a bathing cloth wrapped around her slender body.

A girl with green hair entered the bathroom, looking anxiously from side to side.

It was Iris.

You're not going to be able to get it right. I'm glad.''

Iris found me and smiled reassuringly.

'...... Why is Iris here?'

I wanted to have a private conversation with you, Lady Souma, alone.

Iris says, and sits on the edge of the tub.

He looks at me on this side of the pillar, holding his chest in embarrassment.

If you're worried about an attack, that's okay. Right now, the hot spring facility is surrounded by a corps of soldiers who have just arrived from Ilgafa. There's no room for the bugs to crawl.

I was rather worried.

It's just me and Iris in the private bathroom.

There was no sign of anyone else in the room. The only sound is the sound of hot water running.

"Oh, by the way, I was going to ask Iris about Ilgafa.

I didn't have any pause, so I said.

'We're going to be settling down, so I'd like to know the procedures for that, the structure of the town, and then maybe the security ....... That's the kind of stuff I need Iris to teach me.

'Yes. If you're going to live here for a long time, I think you should register as a resident. It's hard to explain the structure of the town without a diagram. I think it's a safe place to live. There are conflicts between merchant guilds, but basically, we can't go against the Ilgafa lord's family.

The answer came back smoothly.

As expected of a "sea dragon maiden", she's tiny but excellent.

You can't disobey, is that because you have the right to make a contract with a 'sea dragon'?

'Yes. Only the House of Lords can do that.

Do you think it's safe for strangers like us to live in a town like that?

'It's a shipping town. There are people who come across the sea, and there is usually an adventurers' guild. There are also the usual adventurers' guilds. I'll send you the detailed information about your question later to Souma-sama.

'One more question. Is the Demon King (・・・・) really (・・・・)?

I've always wondered.

The king told me the Demon King was here. So we were summoned.

But in all the time we've been traveling, we haven't seen anything that would lead us to believe there is a Dark Lord. There are demons, but it's the nobles and abandoned visitors that are running amok. The threat of a demon king is not clear to us.

'...... there, I think. We're sending relief supplies by sea from Ilgafa. The supplies are supposed to be landed at a port across the sea, and then transported from there to a remote stronghold fighting the Demon King's army.

That means you don't know what's going on beyond the port, do you?

'Yes, sir. His Majesty's direct soldiers will be transported to the frontier by His Majesty the King's direct soldiers, so no matter how much ...... or how little .......

I'm sorry. It was just an idea.

How much is that possible?

If there's no demon king, then the king is summoning brave men for another purpose under the pretext of defeating the demon king (・・・・) (・・・・).

That's delusional no matter what you think. That's.

If you're concerned about it, I'll talk to the person in charge of the supplies for the frontier.

'You don't have to go that far. Just tell me what Iris knows.

No.

Iris shook her head as she sat on the edge of the bath.

'I owe you, Souma-sama, more than I can ever repay you for that. 'Those who help each other in times of storm can become a family for life,' an Ilgafa proverb says.

'Family ......? You're supposed to help your friends.

I wanted to find out about the identity of the Fake Demon tribe, but...

But it's true that I wanted to help Iris, who treated us as "friends" when we were different in status. If I didn't, I wouldn't have used my cheat skills to intervene in the battle.

Yes, I would have used my cheat skills to intervene in the battle. Souma and the others and Iris are friends.

Then Iris laughed.

She looks like a normal little girl when she does this.

"Are you friends with Iris and ...... Souma-sama?

Uh-huh.

Why do you look so worried about it?

'It's only natural for friends to take a bath together, isn't it?　You don't hide anything from me, do you?

'Bathing depends on the local customs, and I think it's okay to have something to hide.

'So, according to Iris's custom, your friends bathe together and don't hide anything from you, is that correct?

In an instant, our logic was reversed.

As expected of Iris. I wonder how high her negotiation skills are.

'I've always longed to be an equal friend.

Iris murmured, her eyes twinkling as if she were dreaming.

'Friend LV1' is to talk about dreams, fantasies and people you like, 'LV2' is to have sleepovers and exchange journals, and 'LV9' is to walk through the line of death together and not hide anything, right?

Friends of Iris is treated as a skill: ......?

"Souma-sama and Iris are 'friends LV9' because they are in the line of death together. That's why Iris wants Souma-sama to know everything about them.

With that said, Iris took a hand tub from the bathroom and sipped the water.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about this. I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one.

You can find out more about this by visiting .......

Something green seemed to be floating on Iris' skin.

''This is the proof of the 'Sea Dragon's Blood' that the demon wanted,''

Iris turned her back to me and let the cloth fall to her waist.

A slippery back.

Her shoulders were covered with green scales.

The bright red setting sun shone through the high, lighted window.

The scales of Iris glistened dimly in the reflection of the sun's rays.

...... Sea Dragon Scales

Yes, sir.

It's common in games and stuff. Half-man, half-dragon.

In Iris's case, the genes of her ancestor 'Daughter of the Sea Dragon' appear like this?

When it gets wet, the scales of a sea dragon appear. Only family members and ...... personal care givers know this.

Okay. So, do these scales have defensive powers?

I'm sorry, the "booby trap"?

''Yeah. Speaking of dragon scales, they also symbolize impenetrable defenses.

Come on. I haven't thought about it. It doesn't hurt too much if you hit it.

Yeah. It's a dragon, isn't it? It's so cool.

Oops. You shouldn't stare at me like that.

A dragon... a dragon. That's right.

It's a fantasy world, so there are dragons and girls with dragon blood, right?

"...... First time here.

What?

The one who said Iris's scales were so cool.

...... fantasy──it wasn't a fantasy──this is a world of swords and sorcery, shouldn't scales be the norm?

No ...... I heard that in the olden days, girls with 'sea dragon blood' were imprisoned as soon as they were born and never went outside except during the 'Sea Dragon Festival'. Times have advanced and Iris can walk out normally like this, but ...... sometimes people still say it's weird.

Iris murmured, pensively.

'It was really hard to find a maid to take care of Iris. The only person who didn't mind seeing these scales was my maid Matilda ......

That's why he was in Iris' inner circle with that personality.

There's a good thing about everyone, isn't there?

'They say 'Sea Dragon Priestess', but Iris is really a boring thing. When we return to Ilgafa, there's nothing to do but 'Sea Dragon Festival' and help my father with his work. The truth is that Iris is not worthy of being protected by the soldiers who are willing to lay down their lives for her. What is important is the 'blood of the sea dragon'. ......

Iris wrapped the cloth back around her body and turned to me.

Then she smiled sadly.

'I figured since it's a world of humans and demi-humans, no one would care about scales or other details.

That's the kind of world we live in, and that's why people don't like those who don't know if they're people or demons.

But Iris is good, isn't she?

You don't like it when a stranger does your job better than you do, do you?

There's ......, that's what I'm talking about.

I'm in a lower position, but I don't want to be without them. Someone who can do the job better than you. You can't get rid of them, but they are not easy to get rid of. There are people who are better at their job than you, but you can't get rid of them.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. It's fine, but ...... if your life is threatened because of the 'sea dragon's blood', as expected, so is Iris.

It's a pain in the ass.

'Dents ...... Yes, that's an apt description. Iris, it's a dent.

Iris laughed, holding her cloth-covered chest.

'So, I would like to ask Souma-sama for advice on my life and my seniority. Secretly.'

Seniors in life. I haven't lived that long.

But you have three slaves with you. And they all love you, Souma, and all of them are good friends. And yet they all get along with each other. If he can do that, he must have the best of both worlds.

I'm not so sure.

The reason my slaves are so close is simple, Cecil is like family to everyone else, Rita loves Cecil and thinks Aine is a friend. Aine loves to serve and enjoys working for everyone.

Reggie the Sorcerer looks at them and says, "It's as good as I expected, Lord. Now let's have children with these guys." but that's about it.

''So, what do you want to discuss?''

'Yes, this is a secret to everyone: ...... Kuchun!

A tiny sneeze.

Iris holds her mouth. She turns her back to me and unties the cloth she's been draping over her body.

I turn my back to her and hear the sound of a small body sinking into the hot water with a splash.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with us.

'...... If you scream loud enough, the soldiers outside might hear you. By your side.

Well,

It's a conspiracy. Let's talk in private. Dear Souma.

With her back to me, Iris smiles mischievously.

...... Well, okay.

I moved closer to Iris and sat down with my back to her.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

Her skin is a hint of cherry color. But there are green scales floating around her shoulders. I could feel a slippery sensation on my back. It doesn't feel weird or strange. But it's enough to make you realize once again that this is a different world.

'It's like Iris has turned into a bad boy.

Leaning back against me, Iris said.

'I've come to feel like a burden for being a 'Sea Dragon Priestess'.

Yeah, if I were Iris, I'd be long gone by now.

In fact, the mission of the "Priestess of the Sea Dragon" is too heavy just to hear about it. She couldn't even go out freely for the annual festival, and when she thought she was finally out, her life was threatened. And my men don't listen to me. The only people who can forgive us are us disinterested adventurers.

It's like being held up for one day's work for the other 364 days.

''If it's only temporary, maybe I can step away from my position as a priestess.

I'm a 'friend' of Iris, and I don't owe or owe the Ilgafa lord family anything.

So let me say something irresponsible here.

''The 'Sea Dragon Festival' is only held once a year, right? If that's the case, then you could be forgiven for hanging out in disguise on a free day to take your mind off things, don't you think?　Of course, I'll have to wait until this case is completely cleared up. If you need an escort, we'll be happy to help.

I asked my parents to do the same thing before ....... But it didn't work.

Why?

'What if you do that and something happens and you don't get back before the festival day?' ......

Iris murmured somberly.

'This is the fifth anniversary of my mother's death, so they finally allowed me to travel. Now that it's come to this, they probably won't let me out for a while.

It's the fate of the miko.

In games and novels, the "chosen one" is something to aspire to, but if you think about it, she's a one-off person, so she doesn't have any freedom of action.

In Iris' case, if she disappears, she loses her sea dragon blessing. That means that all of Ilgafa's shipping depends on her presence. So she won't have the freedom to move. Nor will she have the freedom to choose her work. And with all those people swarming around her blood, all hell breaks loose around her. ......

I see.

The Chosen One was a kind of black worker whose work and life were one and the same: .......

How do I renew my contract with 'Kerkator the Sea Dragon' without Iris?

There are two things.

What's the first one?

It's about Iris making a child.

Over her back, she could feel her little body squirm.

'If we have a child and the Blood of the Sea Dragon is transferred to that child, Iris will be released from the work of a priestess. But... ......

Don't you want to do that because it would mean letting the child suffer the same fate as Iris?

'It's ....... Besides, Iris hasn't even had her first love yet.

Don't you think that's a little too blunt, Iris?

What's the second way?

''If we perform the ritual with the Sea Dragon Brave, there will be no need for the festival while Iris is alive. It's a re-enactment of the original ritual, so to speak.

Re-enactment ...... "You mean the 'Sea Dragon's Daughter' and the human boy's 'unity' ritual again?

'Yes. It doesn't have to be 'Knotty Spirit'. Anyway, as long as Iris, who has the blood of the 'Sea Dragon's Daughter', and the boy who has the mark of a brave man are united, that will be enough for the sea dragon to recognize them. Then there will be no need for the festival as long as Iris and the boy are alive.

That means finding the sea dragon's heroes will free Iris from her role as a priestess.

'Yes. I know because Iris's scales glow pearly when she touches a brave man.

With a brave sea dragon, Iris will be freed from the rituals of the priestess.

And if she touches that brave person, she'll know because her scales glow with pearl.

...... or maybe the conditions are too tight.

'It's ...... difficult, isn't it? To become a brave, you need to defeat the sea dragon's natural enemy. The scales of that natural enemy are the sign of a brave man. But there's no one ...... who can defeat such a huge demon. This isn't the age of legends now, so ......

Iris, are you crying?

Leaning against my back, my little body trembled.

Iris is the fate of the port city of Ilgafa. And Iris herself is deeply tied to the town. I might be able to force her out, but if something happens to Ilgafa because of that, she'll always be on my mind.

The Chosen One is a hard job at .......

It's hard for Iris and the heroes.

Why would a king or a count or that fake demon tribe want to be such a thing?

We're going to settle in Ilgafa for a while.

"............ Sooma...... Dear?

When Iris gets tired of being a maiden, she can come visit us. But I can't give her any special treatment. If you're busy with your work, you'll be asked to help and you'll have to change clothes and bathe with my slave, if that's okay with you.

Of course, if you're coming, you'll have to be sneaky. We'll have to sneak you in.

Yes!　Thank you ...... Mr. Nagi, there is ...... ...... thank you.

Iris was holding her face with her hands, chap, and her hands.

Even looking back, Iris's scales were green. Well, it's natural.

The natural enemy of sea dragons, that means he must be a legendary demon. I'm not sure I'll ever meet him, but if I do, I'll see if I can't peel off at least one of his scales with Cecil's supermassive magic.

I'm going to go up first. I'm kind of ripped off.

Iris murmured, standing up with the sound of water.

I hurriedly turned my head forward.

'Please take your time, Souma-sama. You can use this facility as many times as you like until you leave, if you'd like, you and your friends can go to ...... then!

The door opened and closed.

How to save the Chosen One?

Maybe that's as hard as defeating the Demon King.

...... Iris has done something very wrong.

In the changing room, Iris was wiping her wet body.

Her own appearance with very few ups and downs. Just thinking about what Souma-sama would have thought of that made me turn bright red.

But after all, Souma-Nagi-sama was my "friend".

I know it's silly, but I can't stop myself from smiling.

I couldn't help but jump up and down.

Iris has made a friend. Maybe not forever, but she's in the same town.

She told me that I could come visit her any time I wanted.

I don't need anything else from that. I don't have to be someone else.

What can we do for fun? How about starting with a poetry reading of your own compositions?　Or shall we lay our pillows together for the night and talk about love?

Muttering in a dreamy tone, Iris put on her underwear.

That's when I realized.

It was a moment. It appeared and then quickly disappeared.

'Is it ...... an optical illusion ......?'

Iris held her small chest. Her heart wouldn't stop thumping.

Earlier, for a moment.

Because Iris' scales seemed to glow with a pearly (...)