Lennie, the innkeeper, the members of "The Red Oath," and the female guests who had come to watch with great interest, stood in front of a small six-tatami mat room that had been built in the courtyard.
In front of them was a wooden shack and a water supply tower built next to it.
The water supply tower had four uneven tanks placed on a platform about two meters high. They looked as if they had been hastily gathered together.
Two of the tanks were large wooden buckets, and the other two were huge pots that looked like they could be used in a military kitchen. Bamboo pipes extended from holes at the bottom of each tank, leading into the shack.
Mile climbed the stairs attached to the water supply tower and explained to everyone from above.
"This is the water supply facility. The wooden buckets will hold water, and the iron pots will hold hot water. When one side is empty, we'll replenish it while using the other. The hot water is intended to be heated by magic, so there's no function to boil water."
After saying this, Mile used magic to fill the water and hot water tanks.
"Like this, we can prepare hot water by either directly putting hot water in with magic or by adding a Fireball to the water after it's been filled. Be careful not to overdo it and break the tanks."
Then, after running down from the water supply tower, Mile opened the door to the shack.
"Inside is the changing room. This is where you take off your clothes."
Then, she slid open the next door.
"Here is the bath. There's a bathtub, a washing area, and a shower. Adjust the water temperature by mixing the water and hot water here. Be careful not to get scalded!"
"Oooh!"
That's right, the bath was now complete. However, it was for women only.
With this, the reason for "The Red Oath" to change inns was gone.
"O-Oh, thank you, Miss!"
Lennie, moved to tears.
"With this, we'll get more customers, and we can make money from the bath fees."
"We will charge for the use of the bath and the water and hot water supply."
"Umm..."
Lennie's face clouded over at Pauline's smiling words.
"If we're not around, you can ask a mage among the guests, or pay someone in the neighborhood who can use magic, or ask a mage from the hunters. I think they'll do it for the price of an ale and some snacks."
While saying this, Mile demonstrated how to do it when someone who can't directly produce hot water is asked. She filled the bathtub with water and then produced a Fireball, gently placing it in the bathtub without releasing it. A sizzling sound was heard, and the water in the bathtub warmed up a bit. After repeating this a few times, steam began to rise from the bathtub.
The bath had no windows, and the steam was designed to escape through the ceiling. The exterior was just a wooden shack, but stainless steel plates were sandwiched between the wooden boards. In the bathroom, there was an emergency lever. When pulled, stainless steel plates would drop from above to completely isolate the room from the outside, and a part of the bathroom wall would slide open, revealing easy-to-wear clothes, weapons, and armor.
Mile had installed this as a precaution, in case someone tried to attack while the user was unarmed. Additionally, escape routes were built into the ceiling and floor, and traps were set to catch pursuers.
What exactly was Mile preparing to fight...?
If Mile had wanted to, she could have used earth alchemy to create everything without buying or collecting materials. However, that would have been too conspicuous and suspicious. So, she made it look as if she had gathered materials and built it by hand, just like an ordinary, average C-rank hunter would.
However, Mile hadn't realized something.
An ordinary, average C-rank hunter girl wouldn't build a bath by herself in 2-3 days...
"Come on, Lennie, as the first bather, show everyone how it's done!"
While saying this, Mile started to undress Lennie. She did this to prevent the role from falling to herself.
"A-Ah, Miss, what are you doing! No, stop, stop..."
Efficiently, Mile took off Lennie's jacket and shirt... and then suddenly froze, as did Reina, who was shocked by the sight.
Lennie, at ten years old, was well-developed.
In fact, more so than Mile. And more so than Reina...
In the end, the other female guests also joined in the bath.
Lennie was teased by everyone, Pauline was explaining to everyone about the "bath way" and "bathing is a lady's pastime" that she had heard from Mile before, but Mile and Reina were quietly soaking in the corner of the bathtub with their ears submerged. Everyone left them alone...
"Japan, a fake story..."
Mile was not in high spirits.
It seemed something had really shocked her.
"'The Wyvern's Gratitude'..."
And the story continued.
"The wyvern pulled out its feathers one by one..."
"There are no feathers on a wyvern's wings!"
"Ah..."
"'The Ugly Goblin Child'..."
"Goblin children are all ugly to begin with!"
"..."
It was a bad day. The usual Mile would have made it "The Dragon's Gratitude" and had the dragon shed its scales to make armor.
"Let's go to bed."
"Me too."
"Then I'll go to bed too..."
Following Mile and Reina, Mavis also climbed into bed.
Only Pauline was still busy with her daily routine of counting gold coins.
"A-Ah, good morning..."
The next morning, when they went to eat breakfast, Lennie greeted them with a slightly awkward look.
Mile and Reina realized for the first time that the loose clothing Lennie always wore was a consideration for them.
However, that consideration hurt their hearts...
"Good morning, Lennie..."
"Why are you calling me 'san'?"
Mile and Reina's words betrayed their defeated humility...
A few days later.
After completing a day trip for hunting and material collection (including orc meat), and settling the accounts, the receptionist whispered to Mile and the others.
"Go to the Guild Master's room."
Mile and the others nodded silently and went up to the second floor of the guild without drawing attention.
"Welcome. It seems someone has been asking around about you recently. They don't seem to be from around here, but their purpose is unknown. You probably have a few ideas... but it's hard to tell."
The four were told this as soon as they entered the Guild Master's room. It was a harsh way of putting it, but it was the truth.
Perhaps they were targeted during the graduation exam, or a noble heard the rumors, or someone had their eye on Mile's storage, or it was the merchant's people, or it was related to the imperial soldiers, or it was a background check for a match...
The last one was probably not the case, but with so many possibilities, "The Red Oath" could only laugh it off.
"We'll be careful. That's all we need to know."
"But who could it be, investigating us..."
As Mile said this, they turned the last corner to the inn, and a man was standing in front of the inn. He was in his early twenties, handsome, and quite striking. When he saw Mile and the others, he ran over with all his might. Mile and the others instinctively went into a defensive stance...
"Huh?"
His blonde hair, tall stature, handsome and chiseled face, and sparkling eyes...
For some reason, Reina, Pauline, and Mile felt as if they knew him well, even though it was their first meeting.
And Mavis shouted.
"Lower Brother!"
"Sure enough..."
Lower Brother was well-known to them, probably the most in the world, except for Mavis's family.
During the six months at the training school, they had heard about him dozens of times...
The Lower Brother stopped abruptly in front of Mavis.
"Huh? Mavis... that hair..."
"What? Oh, I cut it because it was in the way."
"GYAAAAAAA!"
Mile and the others managed to calm the frantic Lower Brother and led him into the inn.
They were hesitant to bring a man into the four women's room, so they talked in a corner of the dining room.
After a while, Lower Brother seemed to have calmed down a bit, and Mavis spoke.
"Lower Brother, why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I came to pick up Mavis. Father has sent several letters, but you haven't returned or replied...
Come on, let's go home now, get ready!"
"No, I am no longer Mavis von Austin, the eldest daughter of the Austin family, but a new C-rank hunter, a front-line member of 'The Red Oath,' and a swordsman who aims to become a knight one day."
"What are you saying! Mavis is the only one in our Austin family..."
Pauline interrupted him.
"Wait, Lower Brother."
"...I'm Euan. You have no reason to call me 'Brother.'"
"Ah, yes..."
Pauline answered honestly. She had called him "Lower Brother" because Mavis always referred to her brothers as "Upper Brother," "Middle Brother," and "Lower Brother," and she didn't know his name. It wasn't that Pauline wanted to call him "Brother."
"So, Euan. Mavis left home because her dream of becoming a knight was denied and opposed. What will happen if she goes home now?"
"How can I allow that! Mavis, my cute Mavis, will always be at home! Mavis is not a knight who protects, but a princess who is protected by us! Do you know why all of us brothers became knights?"
"Ugh..."
The three were taken aback, and Mavis looked exasperated.
Lennie, who had been eavesdropping with her elephant ears (equivalent to "elephant ears" on Earth), was rolling her eyes, and the other guests looked exasperated.
(Is this... 'Kellogg' or something?)
Close! Mile, while there is a common point with cereal, it's a bit different.
"Why are you surprised! Alright, I'll show you this!"
"Stop! Lower Brother, stop it!"
Ignoring Mavis's desperate pleas, Euan took out a small package from his pocket and opened it.
"Look at this!"
He held out a palm-sized portrait of a cute girl around ten years old.
Long blonde hair reaching her waist, big round eyes, and a sweet smile. She looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.
"Who is this?"
"...It's me."
Mavis scratched her nose and said shyly.
"Whaaat!?"
Lennie, who had been at the counter, had joined them and was looking at the portrait.
"Indeed, if Mavis's hair was let grow, she wore a dress, and her eyes were wide open with a smile, she would look like this..."
"Right! You understand!"
Euan latched onto Lennie's mutterings as if he had found a kindred spirit.
"Ah, yes, what Euan says is true..."
"You can call me 'Brother' if you want."
"Eh...?"
Lennie was taken aback.
"And you can call me that too."
Euan pointed at Mile.
"Eh?"
When Mile was also taken aback, a sharp sound echoed in everyone's ears.
Everyone cautiously turned to where the sound seemed to come from, and there stood Pauline and Reina with veins popping on their foreheads.
(Ugh...)
Thud.
Thud.
The guests, who were eating, moved their tables and chairs to distance themselves from "The Red Oath."
Everyone knew what it meant to have Pauline and Reina as enemies. The inn staff and guests knew this well.