CH 30

─Rodo’s side─

We arrived at the fort town of the Sixth Corps barracks ─Uriest─ and once I returned to the barracks, I simply looked around.

I made Kou cry before leaving the town where the Third Corps barracks are located ─Kalzen (karuzen)─ but after stroking me as a beast, he’s now in a good mood.

Even when I put him on my lap all the time, he didn’t get off, and while looking around, I can hold him up all the time.

I went back to the barracks and brought him a chair to eat, but instead of sitting there, he was eating on my lap.

He used to hate it…

Is it because I tried to leave?

It’s fine that he wants to stay by my side all the time since I would never leave Kou.

“Ryodo, ahn.”

Also, he’d open his mouth and look up as if asking me to feed him.

I can see that it’s difficult to get the food on the table even when he’s on my lap.

But it’s rare for me to pamper him like this.

However, there’s no reason to not spoil him.

So I decided to spoil him until Kou said, “it’s fine”.

Renneiga, who’s used to it, was eating with us without being concerned, but the Sixth Corps are staring at us.

After that, I remembered that I had forgotten where to stay in the barracks.

The barracks are equipped with not only a cafeteria, training center, and rooms, but also a bath.

However, it’s often used jointly.

You will never get a private room, and if you wanted one, it won’t be possible until you get enough money to buy a house outside.

Moreover, in a support mission involving monster subjugation where you don’t know when they would appear, I couldn’t leave the barracks.

In other words, we had to use the barracks’ bath.

──both me and Kou.

I’m in the same as Kou since I’m a Captain…

But I stood for a while in front of the seemingly occupied bathroom.

I don’t want to put Kou in such a place.

However, Kou didn’t seem to care and pulled on my clothes as if to quickly enter.

I know it’s better to get in early.

This is because the hot water in the bath becomes visibly dirty.

In a bath where many soldiers enter, the water becomes muddy with sand and dust.

I can’t think of putting Kou in such dirty water.

Kou seems to like to bathe, so if I just wipe his body…he’ll probably be dissatisfied.

(Should I just take him to an inn?)

However, due to the frequent occurrence of monsters, no one will come to stay at an inn, and most Uriest people have been evacuated.

It’d be closed even if I go to an inn.

And only relief supplies would arrive at the barracks.

“Ryodo? Bwath, wenter, no?” (Rodo? Are we not going in?)

Looking up from my arms, Kou decided that it wasn’t a good idea to wait any longer.

I quickly took off my clothes and then undressed Kou.

“Yaaa! Kou, dwo it!” (Nooo! I can do it!)

Although he hated me taking off his clothes, I also hated others seeing him, so I wrapped a cloth around him to hide his body.

“Ryodo, howibble.” (You’re horrible.)

Kou, with tears in his eyes, looked up, and seeing his sex appeal, I became more irritated.

For such a young-looking Kou, I don’t think others will touch him…should be.

“Kou, embawashed, yutta. Mou, ya.” (It’s embarrassing. So, don’t do it again.)

With a bright red face, he looked up with moist eyes and turned his face away.

How do I say this…

I feel like it stimulates my desire as a “man”.

If Kou, who has grown up, does this…will I lose my reason?

“Ryodo, hwand, hold, do?” (Rodo, hold hands?)

Even though he turned away, he still reached out.

Kou has become more and more adorable each day.

I wonder if he’s testing my reason.

…today, he shook my reason more than ever.

As I approached the bathtub, not only me but also Kou’s legs stopped.

“…dwirty.”

Probably because the hot water is already grayish.

He seemed hesitant to use this hot water, though he can’t reach it at all.

However, Uriest cannot afford to change the hot water frequently.

The number of relief supplies is fixed and cannot be wasted.

“Why aren’t you two entering?”

The soaking Renneiga noticed us and approached.

“Dwirty.”

“This is normal in the barracks, okay?”

Toward the dissatisfied Kou, he made a water gun with his hand, and flying hot water hit Kou’s face.

Even though he didn’t even try to touch the dirty water, Kou, who had some on his face…was clearly angry.

It should be warm because they’re in the bathing room, but I got the illusion that the temperature dropped all at once.

“Refwect.”

With just one word from Kou, all the hot water in the bathtub floated.

This astonished the others, but Renneiga had a deep blue face.

“I’m sorry! I overdid it.”

He desperately apologized, but Kou’s anger didn’t seem to subside.

“Ryen.”

When he moved his arms towards Renneiga, the floating hot water rushed towards him.

The water pressure blew Renneiga to the wall.

Even I, who has seen Kou’s power, was amazed by this situation.

The slammed Renneiga didn’t faint but still looked stunned.

It might be too shocking that his memory is flying away.

The bathhouse became quiet.

All the hot water is gone.

Stunning the naked men.

“…I’m shorry. Ryen, hwurt, dwid?” (...sorry. Did you get hurt?)

Meanwhile, Kou approached Renneiga without worrying about his surroundings at all.

He apparently overdid it as he worriedly checked Renneiga for injuries, and wasn’t aware of the astonishment around him.

“…just surprised, not injured.”

As Renneiga finally opened his mouth, Kou made a sigh of relief.

At this time, he seemed to finally notice his surroundings.

There’s no hot water in the bathhouse, so those who were washing was full of bubbles.

And those who were soaking were just sitting in an empty bathtub.

“…refwect, no, dwid. I’m shorry. Refwect, dashu. Weit.” (...I just want him to reflect on himself and overdid it. I’m sorry. I’m reflecting on it. Please wait.)

Kou, who apologized to everyone, held his hand up again.

“Wazer.”

As usual, a large amount of water appeared in just one word.

Since he can freeze it, can he also warm it up?

“…”

However, he looked like he’s thinking about something.

Is there anything he’s worried about?

“Kou, what’s wrong?”

I was anxious and called out.

“Thwink, hweat, do. Hwot, become. Gud, hwot, hward.” (I’m thinking of how much to heat it. I don’t want it to become too hot, but finding the right temperature is hard.)

Apparently, it’s difficult to get just the right amount of warmth.

It’s easier to just boil the water…but that seemed more difficult.

“Fir…zind.” (Fire…wind.)

Fire swirled around the water mass, and it seemed that there’s also wind.

(Using magic of three attributes all at once…?)

As expected, I have never heard of it.

The fire swayed and wrapped around the water swirled by the wind, just looking at it made me stunned.

It’s the same for the Third and Sixth Corps.

“…hou!”

The water moved to the bathtub with that voice.

You can see it steaming, so it looks like it’s hot.

Unlike the gray water I mentioned earlier, this is beautifully colored water.

But even when the hot water returned, everyone was still solidified.

Meanwhile, Kou is holding a tub.

“Yu, retwurn, dwid. Yu, fwuture.” (I returned the water. I won’t do it again in the future.)

Kou can’t get into the bathtub at his height. However, he wanted to wash first, and that’s what I usually ask him every day.

“Would you like me to wash you?”

“…yaa. Yu, shtart, only.” (...no. I want to do it alone.)

As expected, he rejected me today as well.

However, it wasn’t an immediate answer as usual.

So all I could do was pour hot water when Kou told me.

After that, we both soaked in the hot water…

“…mawy, after, Kou, Ryodo, bwack, wash, dwid, do, alsho, fwine?” (...after this, I can marry Rodo, then, maybe Rodo can wash my back?)

With a slightly flushed face, I want to praise myself for not losing my reason at Kou saying such a thing.

When I nodded, he smiled happily.

…we just started soaking, but I want to go back quickly.

He said we can marry, but was there some kind of change in his mind?

I feel like he finally thought about getting married to me.

Did he finally “like” me romantically?

While thinking about such a thing with a steaming head, Kou was playing with Akinist shaped water on the surface of the water.

There are many creatures he hadn’t seen before, but…I can’t afford to worry about them now.

In an impossibly quiet bathhouse, I kept thinking until Kou said he wanted to get up.

─Rodo’s side end─

Translator’s Note:

So thankful to Tracy, our dear reader, for clearing those two words in the comments section.