章節 235: Chapter 235
I learned a fact I hadn't known before.
"We always used the public bathhouse in Crossroad after every battle. We had to wash off the monster blood and dirt from our bodies."
Except for me, all the mercenaries took a bath at the public bathhouse every time a defensive battle ended.
During this process, both male and female mercenaries had become quite close.
So, this hot spring event wasn't a big deal for the party members.
They even told me that they had visited the public bathhouse together just the day before!
"Why wasn't I invited?!"
I exclaimed, visibly upset.
Was this some kind of office ostracism? Is that what this was?
"You all became closer without me? This Prince getting a bit lonely here!"
"Sir, you have a private bath in your mansion. While the public bathhouse isn't poor quality, it's crowded and noisy..."
Lucas spoke, and Damien awkwardly added,
"Also, Your Highness has been in the Imperial Capital for some time recently... We've just gotten used to going to the bathhouse without you."
"Heh, is this the part where distance makes the heart grow fonder...?"
"Ah, we'll definitely invite you next time! Don't cry, Your Highness!"
I thought they were like kids who couldn't even eat without me, but it turns out I was the only one who thought that way.
They were doing just fine, fostering their own camaraderie without me.
I felt uneasy, as if I was watching younger siblings grow up all of a sudden.
Anyway, the four of us entered the men's hot spring.
"Whoa!"
"It's so spacious..."
Both the party members and I were astounded as we looked around the facilities.
Crossroad's public bathhouse was quite large to accommodate thousands of soldiers, but this place was incomparable in size.
'It's even bigger than Bugok Hawaii...!'
The sad part is that the largest water park I'd ever visited was Bugok Hawaii, so that was my only point of comparison... Anyway!
A gigantic hot bath where steam billowed. A cold bath designed like a waterfall. Clear streams of water poured from lion head sculptures scattered around.
Magical lights shining down from the ceiling, reflecting off the gleaming tiles on the floor...
It was hard to believe this was a hot spring facility in a ruined city. It was incredibly well-maintained. Is this the magic of a fantasy civilization?
"Woah! I'm diving in first!"
Kuilan quickly stripped and ran toward the bath.
Hey, ever heard of showering first? Fantasy world or not, some rules need to be followed!
Kuilan first jumped into the cold bath with a splash.
"It's freezing!"
And he immediately jumped out. What are you doing, young man?
"Eee, eee, eee! I'm going to freeze! I need to get to a warm place fast!"
Shivering, Kuilan plunged into the hot bath next. Splash!
"It's too hot!"
Again, he hopped right out. What is this guy doing? It's not like the cold-hot baths the elderly usually do at the neighborhood bathhouse.
After a series of chilling and scalding experiences, Kuilan finally found a lukewarm bath and settled down.
The rest of us also found baths of comfortable temperature and submerged ourselves.
"Ah~!"
Kuilan, who had been sitting under the lion-head sculpture that poured warm water, shook his head vigorously.
Droplets of water splashed all around as they followed the trail of Kuilan's long, red hair.
"This feels so alive! I think it's driving away all the cold!"
"Hey, man-bun. Splash a little less. You're getting water all the way over here."
As I scolded him, Kuilan grinned and splashed water everywhere with a twisting motion. This reckless bastard! Take it easy!
"...By the way, you really have an incredible body, Kuilan."
His entire frame seemed to be covered in lean muscles.
What's more, he was enormously tall, towering over 6 feet 6 inches, and well-proportioned at that. He looked like a Greek statue.
Upon hearing my admiration, Kuilan laughed heartily and proudly patted his chiseled six-pack.
"Hahaha! This physique keeps me fed and happy! Especially these abs, they're my pride and joy! If I show them off and say, 'Use it as a washboard,' not a single lady can resist!"
Good grief, who falls for such outlandishly outdated lines? Guess the muscles make up for the lack of coherence.
"It'd be great if you were as tough on the inside as you look..."
Such muscles, yet so fragile. Please live up to your appearance, for the love of God.
"..."
"Hmm? Lucas?"
Just then, I saw Lucas glaring at Kuilan. What's the deal?
Swoosh!
Lucas silently emerged from the hot spring...and suddenly began doing abdominal exercises. What's he doing?
Out of nowhere, Lucas began doing side crunches on the floor of the bath, before proceeding to push-ups.
So, there's always that one guy who exercises in the bath, but I didn't know you were that type, Lucas?
Lucas spoke with utmost seriousness.
"I will train. To keep from falling behind."
"Huh?"
"To make these abs more prominent..."
Lucas' bright blue eyes sparkled menacingly.
"...and stab him to death with them."
"...Who are you planning to stab?"
More importantly, with your abs? Is that even possible?
Seems like Lucas felt inferior after seeing Kuilan's bodybuilder-like physique. Though to an amateur like me, they both seemed incredibly fit...
"Haauuuggh. Good heavens."
Damien was floating listlessly in the hot spring, letting out a soul-draining groan.
He wasn't muscular but was sleek and without extra fat. You could stand to put on a few pounds.
'Hmm, am I the only one with some fat on me...'
I surveyed the three of them and then looked down at my own body. I had the most meat on my bones among us.
Ash was also not bad-looking, objectively speaking, but compared to those two walking sculptures, well, it felt a little disheartening.
A bit of flab had subtly gathered on my biceps and sides.
"Maybe this extra weight is like the symbol of a strategist who grinds it out at the desk all day...?"
I muttered to myself, came to terms with it, and nodded.
It's not my fault that I'm not that muscular! There's a limit to what an office worker can achieve! To be honest, I hate exercising!
And so, everyone was peacefully lounging in their own baths, either stretching out or building muscle.
As I closed my eyes to relax, feeling the buffs of stamina and magic power regeneration granted by the hot springs in the magical city...
Wooooahhhhhhh!
Suddenly, a scream echoed from afar. It came from the direction of the women's bath. Everyone jolted up from their seats, alarmed.
"What was that scream?"
"It's Evangeline!"
"Did something happen?!"
We scrambled out of the bath, hastily dried ourselves, threw on our clothes, and rushed outside.
The men's and women's baths were connected through a lounge area.
As we burst into the lounge, Evangeline was also running out of the women's bath into the same space.
"Aaaaah! Somebody help!"
"What happened, Evangeline?"
A panicked Evangeline rushed into my arms and began sobbing.
"Aaah! In the women's bath! The women's baaath!"
"Calm down and speak slowly. What happened?"
As I tried to calm her, holding her shoulders, I noticed her outfit. She had hurriedly thrown on a shirt and pants, and somehow... her white belly was clearly exposed.
It was chubby.
Her small navel and soft, shiny skin made me think of a puppy's round belly I used to have as a kid.
Suddenly, I remembered Princess Yun, with whom I'd had a "scandal" back in the Imperial Capital.
That far-off ivory princess who wore spandex.
She bragged about how amazing she looked undressed and, in the end, she showed off her 11-pack abs before leaving. I still don't know why she showed them to me.
Anyway, compared to Princess Yun, Kuilan, or Lucas... Evangeline had a belly that didn't suit a front-line character; it was soft instead of muscular.
I found myself mumbling.
"You have a surprisingly cute, chubby belly, Evangeline..."
"Huh?"
Her round emerald eyes widened as she quickly glanced down at her belly.
"Wha...uh...ah?"
Her face instantly flushed a vivid red, and she threw a punch at me.
"Don't make inappropriate comments so casually!"
"Cough, cough."
As I staggered back from the blow, other party members quickly caught me.
Evangeline hurriedly covered her belly, fuming.
"I, this is! I was about to take a bath and I got really hungry! I ate the lunchbox I brought just a while ago, that's why!"
"Uh-huh, sure."
"And because I was in the hot bath! I even thought about the boiled eggs and honey water I sneaked in! I had some while soaking and that's why I look a bit round!"
Wait, you brought boiled eggs too? Boiled eggs are a staple for bathhouses, but still.
"I am not chubby! Take it back!"
Anyway, you're not the sexy-dynamite-hot body you claimed to be.
I should probably stop teasing her before I really get hit.
"Fine. Let's put that topic aside for now. Why did you scream? What happened?"
"Oh, right!"
Evangeline's face turned pale as she pointed frantically towards the women's bath.
"A ghost!"
Huh?
"There's a ghost in the women's bath!"
Evangeline yelled desperately, but I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Ha, you're being cute, Evangeline. There's no such thing as ghosts in this worl—"
...Wait, this is a fantasy world.
Then again, it's a monster-filled dungeon, so why wouldn't there be ghosts?
'The hot spring facility should be a monster-free zone, right? How did a ghost-type monster get in?'
Confused, I listened as Evangeline began to explain what had happened in the women's bath.
***
A little while ago. In the women's bath.
Submerged in the hot water, Evangeline was eating a boiled egg, her cheeks flushed a radiant pink.
Hmm, yum.
The hot springs here definitely seemed to have restorative effects on the body.
Her diminished appetite while she had been ill was now surging back with a vengeance.
'The eggs are tasty, and I feel like my body is getting better...'
As she rearranged her platinum hair, which she had twisted and tied up, Evangeline pondered.
'It's a bit boring being here alone...'
She was the only one in this spacious bath.
With her tiny feet hovering above the water surface, she wriggled her toes and let out a low hum.
'Should I have brought Junior sister along? Oh right, Junior dislikes exposing her skin due to her burns...'
Excluding Junior, who else could she have invited?
'Lilly? No, she doesn't want to go to dungeons anymore… Saintess Margarita? She too prefers not to fight on the front lines. Reina Windwell? She finds me uncomfortable...'
Wet fingertips counting off possible companions, Evangeline eventually realized she was lacking suitable female heroes to invite to the dungeon.
'I wish there were more female members on the front lines...'
Suddenly, she remembered the gathering of female hero mercenaries she had summoned in Crossroad a while back.
She had gotten along really well with a swordswoman dressed as a maid, and they had had fun all night.
'Was it Elize? If she were here, we could head to the front lines together. I wonder if she'd come to Crossroad…'
Not just Elize, but Evangeline wished for more female heroes to join them in fighting and having fun. This was her inner wish.
Only sixteen years old, she was still a child eager for playtime.
Though not necessarily needing friends her age, she earnestly wished for more like-minded female friends.
"Hm?"
That's when it happened.
Dipping her face into the water and blowing bubbles, Evangeline stretched her short legs in the bath when she saw… something.
Float. Float.
It was rising.
Float. Float. Float.
Out of nowhere, in the bath, a long-haired woman was...
"Huh?"
Evangeline, who thought she was alone, froze, her eyes widening in shock.
The long-haired woman, rising from the bottom to the water surface, suddenly twitched.
Splash!
Then, scattering water in all directions, she stood upright in the middle of the bath.
"…"
"…"
A heavy silence filled the room.
Frozen in place, Evangeline couldn't move, and neither did the woman who had just risen.
From amidst the woman's wet, clinging hair, a glint of eyes sparkled.
"Uh..."
And then, finally,
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Evangeline screamed.
"It's a GHOST!"
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