Volume 8 - CH 7

Chapter 7 – Development and Exploration

After checking the effects of the hot springs, I watch Girasole run back to the Hideaway to change their clothes. Girasole’s appearance has been polished up considerably by the Castle’s beauty-related activities, though.

“The hot water is getting cold; shall we change it?”

“Yes.”

Ines, Felicia, and I dump out the hot water and set up the bathtub at the source. …I let the wastewater go straight into the creek, but I wonder about it. …I’ll have to check where the creek flows next time.

“Hey, master. Wouldn’t it be better to bring the hot spring to the Jacuzzi on the Hideaway since it’s such a hassle to change the hot water over and over again?”

Ines, are you a genius?

“…That’s a good idea. Let’s fill the bathtub to the limit with hot spring water.

If we carry the hot spring water twice and add water, we’ll have enough for the Jacuzzi. Normally, the ingredients of the hot spring might damage the bath, but it would be fine because of the indestructible effect.

Jacuzzi hot spring… It sounds amazing. I’ll go in later too. Oh, Girasole is back.

“Huh? Wataru-san, are you replacing the hot spring?”

“Yes, it gets cold, and if we put the hot spring in the Jacuzzi on the Hideaway, we can all get in.”

When I told them about Ines’ idea, they agreed and waited for the hot spring to fill up with excited faces. After the hot spring was filled to capacity, we took it to the Jacuzzi two times and added water, and it was just right.

I sit on the sofa next to it and observe Girasole taking a bath with the hot spring on. …I’m happy to watch with open arms because I have a great reason to check the effects of the hot springs.

“How do you like the hot springs?”

“It feels great. When I soak in the hot spring water, it really makes my skin feel slippery. It’s so strange.”

Alessia-san said with a pleasant feeling.

“Are you okay with the smell, Claretta-san?”

“Yes, I don’t know if my sense of smell has been paralyzed or if I’ve just gotten used to it, but it doesn’t bother me anymore.”

There seems to be no problem. Everyone seems to feel good, and I’m glad it wasn’t a wasted trip. After getting out of the bath, the Girasole check each other’s skin and make a lot of noises. …It’s a sight to behold.

“Wataru-san, hot springs are amazing.”

Alessia-san said with a big smile on her face. Her bathing suit fits her perfectly, and I can’t help but smile. I answer her while handing her a cold can of beer.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“Phew. Yes, it feels so good. The beer tastes so good, too.”

She gulped down the beer and was in a good mood. Morning bath… morning hot spring?　And beer. That’s it. It’s the kind of situation that the fathers on their day off would love to have. Maybe…

“Master, I think it’s pleasant. Are you going to maintain this hot spring?”

“Well, this hot spring has a lot of hot spring water, and Ines is right; it feels good, but it’s hard to get here. What shall we do?”

If we could get here by the Add, I would definitely maintain it, but it’s a bit of a hike up the mountain through the forest.

“It might be a bit of a challenge to come, but it would be a shame to leave it alone.”

As I was worrying about this, Felicia came up with a suggestion.

“Master, would it be all right if I told my father? If so, I think it would make things a little easier if we cut down some of the timber we use in the village to make way for the road.”

Dark elves maintain the road to the hot springs… should we ask them to build a hot spring village? It’s hard to imagine a hot spring village for dark elves… but it could be a source of entertainment, right? But it’s a lot of work, isn’t it?

“Of course, it would be fine, but if the trees were cut down to make way for a road, the distance would increase, and it would be tough. And with so few people, it’s a lot of work, isn’t it?”

“It is true that it will increase the amount of labor. However, since there will eventually be a village in the forest, there is no need to transport that amount of wood, so I think it will be fine.”

“Well, then, why don’t we take the village chief and the others on a tour, and if they like the hot springs, we can ask them to build a village here?”

Not a village in the forest, but a village in the mountains, but maybe too far away?

“Is that all right with you?”

“Yes, we won’t be here all the time, and it would be enough if we could use the village once in a while. But it’s not too far, is it?”

“I think the problem of distance will not be a problem if a rest area is built in the forest. If we can use the hot springs, it will be a pleasure for the villagers, so by all means, please do so.”

I wonder if hot spring trips will take root on this island?

“Well, that depends on the village chief’s answer, but I think I’ll leave it to him. The hot springs will take away some of the fatigue.”

“Thank you very much.”

I can throw in all the tedious work, and it’s only a benefit to me too. Once the road is cleared, it will be easy to come to the hot springs just by riding the Add.

“Wataru-san, I understand about the hot springs, but what are you going to do after this?”

I notice Alessia-san’s words. It’s not even noon yet.

“Oh, yes. I’d like to stay a few more nights on the Hideaway so I can go to the hot springs a few more times. Is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Then we can explore the caves. Do you want to go too, Wataru-san?”

Exploring the cave that Dorothea-san found yesterday?

“…I think I’ll pass.”

I don’t want to go exploring a cave after climbing a mountain.

“It’s too bad. It would help a lot if you came along, Wataru-san.”

“I’m glad you say so, but caves are prone to bugs, which I don’t like. What’s the point of exploring a cave on a deserted island in the first place?”

Even if there are, it’s only precious minerals and medicinal herbs, right? And maybe some rare monsters…

“It’s fun not knowing what you’ll find. Even if the island is uninhabited now, it might have been inhabited in ancient times. And there’s always the possibility of finding something valuable.”

I had thought about the possibility of finding something valuable, but I wondered if there might be ancient ruins or something. That’s a man’s romance, too, isn’t it?

“Maybe we’ll find a magic ship or a magic car?”

“Yes, that’s right. There might be other treasures to be found as well. Do you want to go there too, Wataru-san?”

“…I’ll stop.”

I can summon a magic ship and a magic car. Even if it is a treasure, I have enough money. I’m interested, but… I’ll stop. I can see myself going into a cave out of curiosity and holding back a desperate scream when a bug monster comes out. It’s just a humiliation.

“Too bad. Let’s go together when you feel like it. Oh, and if we need Wataru-san’s help like before, will you help us?”

“Yes, well, if you need me, please call me.”

I don’t think there are situations on land where my abilities can be used so conveniently, though. It was a little early for lunch, but they were going to the cave, so we had an early lunch and saw Girasole departing. Today is just a light exploration, so they will be back in the evening.

“What are we going to do, Master?”

I haven’t decided on anything in particular. We’re going to the hot springs, and there’s nothing else to do. I’ve bought some construction tools, so we can work around the hot spring.

I’d like to make a rock bath… I know how to make hard-packed dirt because I’ve seen it on the Tetsuwan Dash show. I don’t know if it will work, but let’s give it a try, shall we? I think the materials are soil, lime, and bittern, right?

The lime was made by burning shells. I heard that bittern can be obtained when making salt. I don’t remember what kind of soil to use.

It’s impossible. I can’t imagine the completion. It would take too much time to study the formula again and again, to burn the shells, and to make salt. I think I can get bittern at the dark elves’ village, but the rest is too much trouble.

“Hmm, I wanted to make a rock bath, but I can’t think of how to make one. Is there any way?”

“Make a rock bath? Well, if you roughly hollow out a large rock, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Hollow out a rock? But it would be hard to carry it here. I prefer the big one, so I don’t think it will be good in a rubber boat.”

“I can do it with my swordsmanship without any problem if it’s just roughly hollowing out a rock. Carrying it is… too much work for us alone, so we’ll have to get the members of Girasole to help us.”

A different world, huh…? In this world, you can cut rocks with swordsmanship, huh? If we can find a large rock, we can make a rock bath… monolithic rock bath; it seems more luxurious than something made from a combination of rocks.

“If there is no big rock nearby that we can use, it will be impossible, so let’s go look for a big rock first. There was a landslide on the way here, wasn’t there? I think I saw a rock there from a distance.”

“”Yes.””

I put Rimu on my head and set off to look for the rock. …As it turns out, it was rather easy to find.

“It’s big.”

“Yes…”

“Master. I don’t think we could carry something this big, even with the Girasole people present.”

Felicia is right. Its height is about three meters, its width is about five meters, and its depth is about three meters.

“If it’s 70 centimeters high and two meters wide and two meters deep, it should be fine. Ines, if there are any cracks in it, it won’t work, so can you cut around it and make it fit?”

“I understand. First, cut off the outside and make sure there are no cracks, is it?”

“Yes, please.”

Ines draws her sword and approaches the rock. When she swung her sword, the rock shifted and fell without a sound… It’s amazing what the other world is capable of. They do things like the famous great thief’s companion with the iron-cutting sword*.

[T/n: Goemon Ishikawa XIII and his Zantetsuken.]

If the rocks that fall from being slashed didn’t make the ground shake, you might think they were soft. For all intents and purposes, it’s a wonder she’s been able to cut longer than the length of the sword.

“That’s great, isn’t it, Rimu?”

“Yeah.”

Rimu is also popping on my head, probably amused by the fact that rocks can be slashed.

“Master, it’s done.”

I looked at it in a daze and saw that the entire surface of the rock had been slashed off.

“Thank you, Ines. Let’s see if there are any cracks first. Can you two help me?”

“”Yes.””

We carefully examined the rock for cracks. There was one large crack, but fortunately, it was at the edge, so there was no problem cutting it off.

“With this, we can make two large rock baths.”

“Master, do we really need two?”

“Yes, one to hold the hot spring water. When that one is full, the water will flow into the other one so that the temperature of the second one will be lower. Well, it would take some adjustment, but I think it would work, and we could add more water to the first one. Well, let’s make the first one anyway.”

“Okay.”

After indicating the size, Ines carefully swung her sword this time. By making a vertical incision and swinging the sword at an angle, the rock can be removed. Felicia and I carried the rock while Ines swung her sword silently.

“Whew, it’s done.”

“Good work. All that’s left to do is to hit the inside of the rock with this hammer to remove the bumps.”

“Just the hammer, Master. I think that’s a lot of work.”

I think so, too, but with so many bumps and bruises, I’m afraid it might hurt you.

“I’ll serve you a nice booze for dinner, so let’s do our best.”

“…Okay.”

The three of us just pounded away at the bumps, trying to flatten them out. It’s pretty hard because if you put too much force and crack it, it will be the end. …..I guess it should be about like this.

“It will be sunset soon, so let’s go back today. If Girasole is free tomorrow, let’s ask them to carry it for us.”

“That’s right. I’m more tired from pounding on it than from slashing with the sword.”

Ines said, cracking her neck and shoulders.

“Haha, it’s a tricky task.”

“But, Master. If we’re going to carry rocks this big, don’t we have to level and consolidate the place we’re carrying them?”

“…Now that you put it that way.”

“What should we do?”

“Well, before we carry the rocks, let’s level the ground at the source. It would be laughable if the rocks were broken when we put them down after we had brought them there.”

“I understand.”

More and more things to do. It was just a random thought. When I returned to the Hideaway, Girasole had also returned.

“Wataru-san, welcome back. Where have you been?”

“I’m back, Alessia-san. I went to make a rock bath. I need your help for one day tomorrow.”

“Rock bath? I don’t know what it is, but we have no problem helping you.”

Don’t you understand what I’m talking about when I say ‘rock bath’? Well, if they help me, I’ll show them the actual thing and explain it to them tomorrow.

“Thank you. So, how was the cave?”

“The cave. Today was just a quick reconnaissance, so we don’t know much about it, but since monsters are monsters, it might be pretty deep.”

“Monsters are monsters…?”

“Don’t look so displeased, Wataru-san.”

I was found out. Well, it can’t be helped. I’m sure there are some insect monsters in there.

“Was there a bug monster?”

“…Yes, there was.”

Of course, there were.

“What kind of things were there, by the way?”

“Well, there were slimes, goblins, and giant centipedes. But the most common were giant ants… Depending on the size of the nest, it could be quite deep.”

“Ants… If it’s an ant nest, don’t we need to search for it?”

Are there big ants swarming around? I don’t like it. I don’t like to think about it.

“That’s not the case. The chances of finding treasure are low, but if it’s a big nest, it branches out all over the place, so there’s a good chance we’ll find minerals and gemstones. So we’ll start exploring again the day after tomorrow.”

Felicia seems happy at the possibility of finding minerals. If there are minerals, it will help the dark elves, too, right?

Well, tomorrow, we’ll maintain the hot springs. Let’s forget about the cave.