「Work for today is over!」
As the sun began to dip low, I stretched my arms overhead and announced the end of the day.
All around me, the craftsmen collapsed onto the ground or sank down with heavy sighs.
「I’m dead tired〜」
「Holy Knight-sama is seriously a stamina monster…」
「And he’s still standing there like nothing happened… that’s insane…」
「Hey, I’m tired too, you know? I’ve just trained my body so I can keep going for two or three days straight without collapsing. That’s all.」
The moment I tried to brush it off, every single exhausted face around me went pale.
「Two… three days…」
「Without collapsing…」
「「「「「He really is a monster〜」」」」」
「W-Wait a second!! Who are you calling a monster!!」
I couldn’t help but retort, and everyone burst out laughing.
「Ohhh, I get it. Guess a monster like me doesn’t need to bother with recovery magic for you guys, right?」
I narrowed my eyes playfully.
The laughter died instantly.
「Well then〜 Tomorrow we start at the same time as today. I’m going to do a quick patrol now, so rest up!」
As I started to walk away, they panicked.
「Sorry sorry sorry!!」
「Please! Recovery! Give us the recovery magic!!」
「Ehhh? But you said you didn’t want a monster’s magic, didn’t you?」
「It was a joke!!」
「Come onnn!! I didn’t say anything!!」
A few of them literally started crawling toward me on their hands and knees.
Sweaty, grimy, and dragging themselves across the dirt… yeah, that’s a pretty bad look.
「Alright, alright, I was kidding. I’ll heal everyone properly. Since we’re all together anyway, 『Area Heal!』」
A thirty-meter-wide magic circle bloomed across the ground.
Everyone standing inside it was bathed in gentle light as aches, fatigue, and minor injuries melted away.
「Aaaah〜 that feels soooo good〜」
「It’s like I just stepped out of a bath…」
「I’d heard the rumors, but this is seriously amazing…」
Every single one of them wore the same blissful expression.
Wait… they haven’t taken a bath yet? Well, boiling water out here must be a pain…
「Okay everyone, one more thing! A little reward!!」
I raised a wall of earth with soil magic, then shaped a large tub inside it, complete with pipes and a tank.
「「「「「Oooooooohhhhhhh!!」」」」」
「Now just a quick firing to harden it… and done! Your bath is ready!!」
A massive cheer erupted.
The men immediately started stripping and racing toward it.
「Wait, I haven’t filled it with hot water yet!! Ahhh, seriously!! 『Water Magic!!』」
「「「「「Gyaaaaaaaahhh, it’s freeeeeezing cold!!」」」」」
I dumped a literal wave of cold water over the chaotic crowd to stop the stampede.
「Take turns properly!! I’m heating the water now, so decide your order while you wait!!」
With a long sigh, I began channeling water magic to fill the tank with steaming hot water, then lined up the wooden buckets I’d bought yesterday.
「Here! This is soap!」
During spring cleaning back home, I’d tossed a huge pile of soap, gifts from relatives, the kind you get at Obon and New Year, into my Item Box, thinking “I might need this in another world someday.”
And now, here it was.
「What the heck is this soap!?」
「It smells amazing!」
「Don’t hog it, one bar for everyone, and pass it around!」
「Got it! I’m going first!!」
「You bastard!! That’s cheating!!」
「Let me in too!!」
The first wave of men stampeded toward the bath with thunderous footsteps.
The second group and beyond were still sniffing and even licking the bars curiously.
「Um… Holy Knight-sama…」
A soft voice called from behind.
I turned to see Lopple-san and more than a dozen other women standing there shyly.
「Ah, sorry. I’ll make one for the women right now.」
I gave them a gentle smile.
The women instantly lit up with delighted murmurs.
「Right, there was a carpenter among you, wasn’t there?」
「Yeah! That’s me!」
「I’ve got a little request. Is that okay?」
「Sure thing! Anything you need.」
I led the women a short distance away and began shaping a separate bath just for them.
「I’m going to lay wooden planks over the stone base, so could you plane them nice and smooth?」
「No problem, but why bother? We’re fine with the stone floor like the guys.」
The other women nodded in agreement.
「No… it’s because Amilia, the Saintess, is going to use this later too. I want the floor to be as comfortable and clean as possible for her.」
「Ohhh, if that’s the reason, leave it to me!! I may not be on the Guildmaster’s level, but I’m still a pro. I’ll give you the smoothest, prettiest floor you’ve ever seen!」
The Guildmaster really is that impressive, huh… Yeah, the way he shaved those boards down to katsuobushi-thin slices was unreal.
「Then, could the rest of you help her out?」
「「「「「Yes!!」」」」」
I set out nearly twenty thick planks and headed back to finish the bath construction.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
「Man… I’m beat…」
I sank deep into the wide tub and gazed up at the starry sky.
Everyone who’d bathed earlier had already gone to sleep.
I’d spent the last few hours patrolling the perimeter and flying overhead to scout the second fortress from above.
「The enemy doesn’t seem to have great night vision… Maybe a small nighttime raid?」
But there aren’t many people on our side who can see well in the dark either.
「I could probably recapture the fortress by myself, but… if I go all out alone from the very first battle, it might hurt Amilia’s authority in the long run…」
The nobles around the capital might accept it, but the distant ones already look at us with suspicion.
Doing everything solo would only make that worse.
「Guess I’ll just keep poking them here and there, soften them up so the main force has an easier time.」
There are still a few days left.
Maybe I can talk it over with the commander and come up with something clever…
I swirled the warm water absently with my hand, lost in thought.
Leave a Reply