CH 68

Chapter 68 – They Appeared!

It was the day after the test drive of the Mope battle carriage, and I had come to a place that was surrounded by stone walls.

It wasn’t the castle walls, and was only slightly higher than a person.

This wall was in the center of the village, and within, there were several steaming hot springs.

“Ohhh… At last.”

Mette said with a slackened expression as she stood before them.

I nodded.

“The water is clear, and the temperature has been adjusted for every race. It should be fine to go in now.”

Mette raised her hands and cheered.

“…We finally have a hot spring in our village!!”

The surrounding demihumans also raised their voices with an ‘Ohhhh!’

It was the day that the hot springs were completed.

The reason that it had taken so long was because we had to wait for all the dirt and sand to flow out of the waterways, and because there wasn’t a wall to surround them yet.

Initially, Mette and the others were just going to lay stone around the area.

Indeed, it was not necessary for them to be inside of a building. While it wouldn’t stop the rain, being in the open air would prevent mold from growing, and so many places had hot springs like that.

However, there definitely needed to be a wall… As long as I was a human, I would resist the idea of being naked in front of so many people. And so I made a wall.

Mette and the others were not convinced about the necessity of it, but I explained to them that it would look more elegant.

This might have been the first selfish lie I ever told anyone…

Well, it was also true that if the number of buildings were going to increase, then it would be best to have things separated into propper blocks.

I also made a place where you could change your clothes. This was a large building with a room. I did not want the clothes to get wet.

Furthermore, I even made a place where hot water came out of pipes like rain, so people could wash themselves. This was called a zhower, and it was a type of fountain.

In any case, that was how the hot spring was made.

The demihumans took off their clothes. They did not care about age or gender.

“Hey! Didn’t I tell you to do that in the changing room? And you have to wash with the zhower first! Or the hot spring water will become dirty.”

Mette shouted angrily. And so the demihumans marched off to the changing room with somber expressions.

And then Mette turned to me.

“That’s how it’s supposed to be, right?”

“Aye. Starting with washing their hands, I want everyone to be clean.”

I answered, and Iria nodded.

“I will ensure that it is so. Though, it may be difficult for everyone at first.”

“Thank you. If they don’t, it might make the spreading of diseases much more likely.”

The bathrooms and sewage system was completed, and so everyone should slowly adapt to this cleaner lifestyle.

Even now, it seemed like they were all washing their bodies before entering the hot spring.

Melk splashed and swam around, while Wiz and the slimes floated on the water.

The Mopes had others wash their wool, and I could hear their cries of ‘baaahhh.’

Mette watched this and said,

“Well, let’s go in too! Ah, I’ve waited so long for this!”

“Yes, let’s do that. You will go in too, won’t you, Sir Joshua?”

Iria turned to me.

“Huh? Me? …I think I’ll go in at night.”

There was a small sectioned off corner in the hot spring.

A place where the water was just the right temperature for humans.

In other words it was only for humans. And I was the only human in the village.

So you could say it was my private hot spring.

It was then that Iria took my arm gently.

“You must be more obliging, Sir Joshua. In fact, there is a place made specially for you!”

“For me?!”

Mette nodded.

“Aye. I already know that you care about being watched, Joshua. And so we made a place for you that is surrounded by a stone wall.”

Mette pointed to a place that was surrounded by a large wall.

“Huh? But Ecleshia said that it was a bathroom.”

“Aye, we had Ecleshia lie about it.”

“S-sorry… I thought that if I was honest, you would be too modest…”

Ecleshia said apologetically.

“N-no, I am grateful for your kindness… But you didn’t need to make it so big.”

It was ten beters wide. That was too big for one person.

In fact, perhaps there shouldn’t have been a space for humans at all.

Well, there was always a possibility that more humans would flee from the south. So it might not be a waste.

“It needs to be that big, if we are to accompany you… After all, we have to wash your back.”

Iria said with a grin.

However, her grip on my arm was firm. And while it didn’t hurt, I knew that I would not be able to run away. It felt like I was stuck between giant boulders.

I was at a loss… I had nothing that I had to attend to, and could think of no other excuses.

But that was when it happened.

Asuha the Tengu suddenly descended from the sky right in front of me.

“Asuha… Have you come to wash Joshua’s back as well?”

Mette asked, but Asuha shook her head.

“From the north… Humans are coming. A great host…bearing banners with a black dragon.”

And so the Schwarz Knights Order had finally arrived in the Fendel territories.