When we returned from the hot spring source, I was surprised to find a small hut already completed…with a desk and chairs, no less.
「…Consider it a service」
The foreman muttered gruffly, but honestly, I was really grateful.
This would make alchemy work way easier. I had been prepared to just sit cross-legged on the floor and make do.
「Thanks, Foreman」
「Tch. Save your thanks for after you’ve made something worthwhile」
「Heh. You better look forward to it」
I don’t dislike the guy’s personality.
He’s stubborn, sure, but when it comes to work, I think we could actually build a solid working relationship.
All the more reason for me to give this project everything I’ve got.
「Boss! If there’s anything else you need, just leave it to us!」
「The foreman can’t hear a thing once he gets in the zone, so if you need anything, talk to us instead, Boss!」
「Uh, wait… Why are you calling me ‘Boss’…?」
「Because you’re the Boss, Boss!」
「That’s right! You’re the Boss, Boss!」
Boss boss!…Hey, hold on!
Aren’t you guys older than me!? Or at least the same age!?
Hello!? Hey… yeah, they’re gone.
…Well, whatever.
「Alright, guess I’ll start with cleaning this place up」
The current state of the bathhouse was so dirty that you could barely call it one.
It wasn’t just because there was no water in it…fallen leaves, overgrown weeds, and even moss were everywhere.
Plus, the rocks weren’t smoothed out properly, making the area rough and dangerous to walk on.
The bath floor itself wasn’t terrible, but at this rate, walking barefoot would be risky.
I’d have to smooth out the surfaces too.
「Master, what should I do to help?」
「Uh… maybe take a break?」
We ‘had’ just climbed a mountain, and honestly, there wasn’t much Wendy could help with right now.
「Ugh… Am I just going to be useless again…?」
「N-no, not at all… Oh, I know! Could you use some water magic or something to gather all the fallen leaves into one place?」
Her face lit up with a ‘sparkle!’ sound, as if a sunbeam had burst out of her.
It was just a menial task, but she looked seriously thrilled.
「I’m counting on you. I’ll be holed up in the alchemy hut, so I’ll leave the rest to you」
「Understood! I’ll do my very best to live up to your expectations, Master!」
Wow, she’s practically glowing with motivation.
Yeah… maybe best not to make any unnecessary comments right now.
「Um, and me? What should ‘I’ do?」
「You, uh… don’t really need to do anything, Guide-san」
Given my current situation…technically being under guard, I guess?…yeah.
「I don’t mind taking it easy, but it’s kinda boring too, y’know? Oh, then how about I watch you while you work on your alchemy? I’ll even throw in a thank-you gift. I’ll press my boobs against you!」
「Really! …Wait, no! Definitely ‘not’ happening! That’s a no! I’m good, thanks!」
Just for a second…just a split second…I swear Wendy’s eyes looked… different.
Before I could even decide whether I imagined it or not, my mouth had already blurted out a firm rejection.
「Haa… Well, you ‘can’ watch if you want. But you’d better keep the confidentiality clause in mind, got it?」
「Roger that! Man, I’m glad I took this job. Getting to see an alchemist work up close? Totally worth it!」
「I doubt it’s all that exciting to watch, honestly…」
「Oh, don’t say that. One of my personal creeds is that ‘any’ knowledge or experience can be useful. You never know when or where it might come in handy」
Huh. That’s… surprisingly admirable.
I have to admit, I’ve underestimated her.
「Alright then, time to get started」
「Yes, Master!」「Yup, let’s go!」
-0-
Inside the alchemy hut, the foreman had set up a comfortable-looking chair and desk.
Even though I’d asked for it to be small, it was still roomy enough for two people…though it did feel a little cramped with us both in here.
「Could you not sit ‘so’ close?」
「Eeeeh!? Wasn’t that just one of those,『Don’t do it, okay? Absolutely don’t!』kind of reverse psychology setups!?」
What kind of comedy logic ‘is’ that?
Do we have those kinds of performers in this world too? Traveling jesters or something?
「It’s not that kind of thing. Just… act normal, alright?」
「Okaaay. Then I’ll watch without leaning forward too much～」
She circled behind me, and then…suddenly…it was like her presence just vanished.
It felt ‘weird’, so I turned around, and yep, she was still right there.
「Huh? I ‘thought’ I was being subtle, but you noticed?」
「Yeah. That freaked me out. What ‘was’ that?」
「Ufufu～ That’s a secret! Wanna know? It’ll cost you!」
Incredible. She was standing right behind me, and yet her entire ‘presence’ just… disappeared.
It reminded me of Shiro, who sometimes just appears out of nowhere.
Actually, this guide might be just as capable of concealing her presence and sneaking up silently.
「Well then, don’t mind me. Go ahead and get to work～」
Easy for ‘you’ to say… but it’s still hard to focus with her right behind me.
「Ugh… I can’t concentrate. Just sit over here, will you?」
The chair was wide enough, fortunately, so I had her sit beside me.
「For all your talk, you ‘do’ like this kind of thing, don’t you～?」
She ran her finger slowly up from my knee, which gave me a full-body chill, so I took her hand and plopped both of them onto her own lap.
Please, I beg you…just sit still and don’t move!
「So mean～」
「Keep messing around and I’ll kick you out」
「Fiiine. I won’t do it anymore」
‘Haaah…’ Seriously.
Well, whatever. For now, I need to get this tool made.
-0-
I pulled out a rotating sphere and a chunk of obsidian.
Honestly, I could’ve used iron, but harder materials seemed like a better option for this.
I fused the two together and reshaped them into a cylinder.
Next, I added small protrusions all over the surface of the cylinder.
I drilled a hole through the center lengthwise and inserted an iron rod.
Then I secured both ends upward and attached a handle embedded with a magic stone.
That should do it…for now, at least.
When I channeled magic into it, the protruding cylinder began to spin.
Hmm. The rotation’s not quite as smooth as I’d hoped. Looks like I need to pair it with a magic-conductive plate.
I reworked the iron ends, attached the magic-guiding plates on each side, and kept adjusting while testing the spin rate with magic.
It took a fair bit of trial and error.
Finally, I covered part of the top to prevent any splashing or rebound…and done.
The result looked… yeah, like a lint roller. One of those long-handled ones.
The rotation was solid. It should be more than enough to scrape things clean.
Then I made a few more versions: one with smaller protrusions, and another with even tinier ones, until I had four different rollers in total.
「……What ‘is’ that? Some kind of torture device?」
No no, I mean… the protrusions aren’t even sharp! If anything, I figured it could double as a massage tool.
Well, with the way it spins, I can’t exactly blame her for thinking that…
Anyway, time to give it a test run.
-0-
「Ah, Master! How did it go?」
「Wendy? That was fast…wait, huh?」
Wendy noticed me and came trotting over, but… for some reason, there were a bunch of the craftsmen at the bathhouse now.
They were pulling out sickles and clearing away weeds.
「We couldn’t just stand by and watch neesan work so hard all by herself!」
「We can’t let someone like neesan do this kind of grunt work, y’know!」
No, I really do appreciate it, but… are you guys okay leaving your own work like that?
「The boss is working on the blueprints right now! So the guys in charge of carving decorations or planing the pillars are the only ones still busy! The rest of us are free for now!」
「Thank you so much. You really helped me out!」
「「「Aww, it’s nothing…」」」
Grown men, all bashful and blushing.
Well, I get it.
When a beautiful, big-chested girl is working hard to clear weeds, no guy in his right mind could just stand around doing nothing.
「Um, um! I gathered all the fallen leaves over there!」
「Ah, thanks. That’s a big help.」
When I gave her a quick ‘pat pat’ on the head, Wendy lit up with a huge smile.
Ahh… crap, that’s too cute. Painfully cute.
All I did was pat her on the head, and she’s this adorable?
And she’s mine. Mine! Jealous, aren’t you!?
…Am I gonna get stabbed one day?
Ah, right. That’s why I hired the guide as my bodyguard in the first place!
「Um, Master? What’s that?」
「Hmm? Oh, this? I made it to flatten these bumpy stones over here.」
I channeled magic into the rotating cylinder and pressed it against one of the jagged rocks.
A deep grinding noise echoed through the area, loud enough to turn the heads of nearby workers.
After a bit, I pulled it away…the protrusions had been ground down, and the entire stone was now buried in white powder.
I had Wendy wash it off with water magic, revealing a much smoother surface underneath.
Then I switched to a tool with finer bumps and repeated the process.
After a few rounds of that, the stone had transformed into something far flatter and safer to walk on.
「Ooh, ‘so that’s’ what you made it for.」
「They probably used to wear sandals or something when walking to the bath, but I’d prefer for it to be barefoot-friendly.」
Considering how uneven it used to be, I figured walking without shoes from the inn to the bath would’ve been asking for injury.
And if possible, I didn’t want anyone needing to carry extra footwear around.
This way, barefoot should be perfectly safe.
And now I could give Wendy her next task.
「Alright then, Wendy. I’ll mark which stones to work on, so can you grind them down just like before?」
「Yes! Of course, Master!」
I picked out which stones would form the pathway and marked them at regular intervals.
The unmarked stones would be dug down later and replaced with decorative gravel.
Eventually, I wanted it to resemble a traditional Japanese-style garden, with stepping stones set into smooth white pebbles.
When it comes to aesthetic design, this idea shouldn’t be too bad.
The only real issue… would be the amount of stones I’d need.
Well then…looks like it’s time to ask the guide for a little help.
「Hey, is there a riverbed around here anywhere?」
「A riverbed? There is one, but not very close.」
「So it’s far, huh…」
「What do you need it for?」
「I’m gonna need a lot of small stones.」
「Small stones… can’t you just crush the rocks around here?」
「No way. These are way too solid to break by hand.」
「Hmmm… choi-saa!」
With that strange shout, the guide stepped up to a nearby rock and thrust out her fist.
Well…“fist” might not be entirely accurate. I saw something black, so she probably used some kind of weapon.
That said… the rock… the rock… cracked right through, with a dent in the center where she hit it.
「Chochoino-choi-ssaa!」
Wait, that “choi-saa” was short for “chochoinochoi”!?
No, focus. The rock…it’s being pulverized right in front of us!
She looks like she’s simply punching it repeatedly with both fists.
And the rock is just disintegrating under the barrage.
The rest of us could only watch in stunned silence.
Because…it’s not just that she’s smashing the rock with her fists like it’s nothing,
It’s that ‘she’s doing it in that tiny skirt’ and somehow still not showing anything!
…No wait, that’s not the point!
-0-
「Phew, how’s that? Enough for you?」
The guide dramatically wiped away sweat that wasn’t even there, and everyone just stood there with their mouths hanging open.
I figured she must be strong if even Shiro acknowledged her, but now I’m wondering if she’s not just strong, but ‘crazy’ strong.
Like, tournament-finals-level strong. No question.
「Ah! That wasn’t very ladylike of me, was it!? Ooh nooo, I’m just a frail little girl who can’t carry heavy things, so I’ll leave the rest to you~」
…Too late for that now.
But no one had the energy to say anything anymore.
In the end, I asked the guys who had been helping Wendy with the weeds to carry all the shattered rock over to the alchemy hut.
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