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Chapter 320 – Bath Time After Work
The collecting itself went without a hitch. The three harpies were watching in the sky, three oni girls were my escorts, Grande was watching from the collecting base, and we were protected by the golem turrets set up at the collecting base.
“Maybe our escort wasn’t needed at all, don’t you think?”
“It would have been over before we could have done anything about it.”
“Let’s just say that we were the last line of defense.”
In the end, the oni girls who never wielded their weapons are complaining, but since we were safe in the end, let’s be happy about that.
“Let’s just wrap it up with another good day’s work.”
“Aiyo”
Today’s results included a large amount of stone, clay, soil, wood, humus, and materials for the monsters that had appeared. With my ability, even the meat of monsters that are not suitable for eating can be used like normal meat, so the stock of edible meat has also increased. Don’t worry. There is no problem if I use my ability to make steaks or hamburger patties out of the disgusting goblin meat.
“Did you get a lot of gems this time too?”
“Yeah, I got a good amount of metals and gems. Do you want me to dump the gemstones on the table again?”
“I’d like that!”
Bella’s nose breathes hard, and her eyes sparkle. She is not interested in decorating herself with gemstones, but she loves to look at the sparkling, shiny, colorful piles of rough gemstones.
“You really…”
“It’s not that I’m trying to rip you off. I just want to look at the pile of gemstones.”
“I don’t mind if you take three or four, not just one or two.”
For me, the main purpose of mining and collecting is to acquire materials such as stones, metals, timber, soil, clay, and gemstones, which are not so versatile as materials and are a by-product or an afterthought with high cash conversion efficiency. They are not something to throw away, but they are not something you want to be too eager to secure. They are also used to make magic sparkling stones and such, but we don’t need that many of them.
“Thank you for your hard work. I have prepared the bathroom for you.”
When I returned to the collecting base, I was greeted by Leviera. As expected of a maid, she was very thorough. No, she was only dressed as a maid, but in reality, she was a member of the Royal Guard.
“Thank you. Well then, let’s get in there.”
I was covered in dirt from running around at the foot of the mountain, digging up stones, rocks, and the ground with a pickaxe and shovel. I was sweating a lot, so I decided to take a bath first if they had prepared it for me.
“But first…”
I set up a golem workbench in a suitable place and made a reservation for crafting an astronomical telescope with glass, metal, mechanical parts, and other materials. The telescope would be completed while I was taking a bath.
“What are you going to make?”
“We’ll have some fun after dinner. You might see something interesting.”
“???”
Bella is tilting her head, but there’s no need to spoil it now.
“I’ll go get a bath then.”
“Yes, take your time. I’ll proceed with dinner preparations.”
“Eh? I’ll be the one preparing dinner.”
“Since you did so yesterday, we will prepare dinner for you today. We have prepared the ingredients already.”
“I see. Then, let’s have a feast.”
By the way, were you talking about the food in Aquawill-san’s luggage, which she brought a lot of? It seemed that she was wary of the food I was going to serve but was that a good thing in the end? Leviera and Gerda’s cooking skills are unknown, but since they were originally planning to cook Aquawill-san’s meal, they must be more than good enough.
“Then I guess it’s time for a bath.”
“It’s nice to be able to take a bath on an expedition, isn’t it?”
“Normally, you can’t take a dip in the water while you have all your gear on, even if there’s a water hole. It’s dangerous.”
“You never know what might be lurking in the water…”
Shumel and the others followed me as they talked about the usual adventurer’s tales. It seems that they are planning to take a bath with me as a matter of course. Well, that’s okay.
“Can’t you even bathe?”
“There might be poisonous monsters or fish in the water, leeches, parasites, and so on.”
“It would be good if the water was safe. It’s not always so convenient to find such a watering hole.”
“It would be alright if there is a magician or someone who can use water magic with you. When you think about drinking water, you can’t use water unnecessarily.”
“Hmm, I see.”
If there is a magical tool that can secure safe water on the go, I think it will sell like hotcakes to adventurers and peddlers. I can smell money in the air. I’ll ask the Research and Development Department to develop a portable water-supplying magical tool.
If air boards become widespread, travel time will be greatly reduced, which may not affect distribution so much, but at present, logistics in this world are supported by carts pulled by horses or other animals. Since animals need more water and food than humans do, the carts are loaded with a considerable amount of water and food. Water, in particular, is very heavy and bulky, so if it can be supplemented with small magical tools, the merchants will be able to carry more cargo.
Of course, the cost of operation and introduction will be reasonable, but I hope we can keep the price around… which will allow us to expect more profit in total. Well, even if it costs so much that it cannot be used in the private sector, it could be used for military purposes. If water can be provided by it, the burden on logistics will be greatly reduced.
“…Hmm?”
I was soaking in the bathtub before I realized what I was thinking. Moreover, someone―no, it’s definitely one of the oni girls―is holding me from behind. The feeling of something soft pressing down on the back of my head, or rather the side of my head, is wonderful.
“Oh, you’ve noticed, haven’t you?”
“I wondered what was going on when you suddenly became silent and started thinking about something.”
“You’re pretty strange yourself, aren’t you?”
It seems that the oni girls took me into the bath while I was thinking up a plan for a magical tool that would produce water. Funny, I didn’t think I was that absorbed in thinking.
“It’s rude to call me strange. I was just lost in thought.”
“I think it’s definitely strange that you were so absorbed in your thoughts that you didn’t notice when we took off your clothes and took you to the bath.”
“It’s not that I didn’t notice. I just didn’t care. With you girls, I don’t need to be on my guard.”
If a stranger did the same thing to me, I would resist without being absorbed in my thoughts. Maybe.
“That means you’re open to us, right?”
“We’re adventurers who are essentially no different from those thugs, you know.”
“There’s no point in being evil now.”
I’ve known Shumel for what seems like a long time. At first glance, she seems rough and crude, but she takes pretty good care of me and has a serious attitude toward her work.
“Won’t you shut up? That’s usually what people say to me.”
“Oh, I don’t want to do that!”
Shumel grabs my torso, which was being held by Bella from behind, with both hands and hugs me directly in front of her with such force that it’s painful. The feel of the attack on my face is wonderful, but I can’t breathe and feel like I’m about to ascend in the true sense, so I tap my arms.
“Bwah! I’m supposed to be of average build for a man, but when it comes to you girls, I’m treated like a doll.”
“That’s what happens when it comes to oni and humans, isn’t it?”
Tozume gives me a heated look while showing her voraciousness. Yes, her eye is big, so there is tremendous power or pressure in her eye. Don’t hand me over to Tozume, Shumel. Apparently, my physique is to her liking, and Tozume is a little prone to losing control.
“I’ll get out of the bath quickly before Tozume loses control. It is almost the danger zone.”
“Mufuh… it’s not dangerous at all.”
“Do something about that rough breathing. I’ll leave this place to you and go up as soon as possible.”
“Yes, yes… Good grief, well, it can’t be helped; if we let things go, the princess will be sulking.”
“No, I think it’s fine if I just carry you in my arms.”
For some reason, Shumel carried me out of the bath in a princess’s carry. And for some reason, they wiped my head and body and dressed me well. You girls must think I’m just a kid or something.