“Huh, what?”
A blue-haired girl in the adjacent women’s bath looked around restlessly.
She’d heard a scream from somewhere just now. She thought it might have come from the men’s bath…
“I chose this inn specifically because it’s less crowded, but I’d hate it if there were any weirdos…”
The girl frowned, put on the glasses she had placed beside her, and stared at the dividing wall between the men’s and women’s baths.
However, after that, silence fell as if nothing had happened, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
The girl took off her fogged-up glasses and wiped her face with her wet hands.
“To think that the house call Dr. Becker told me about would be at the Flamme Hot Springs…”
Her name was Umin.
She was a healer belonging to the Royal Healing Institute.
“I guess the fatigue was showing on my face. I’m grateful, but I’ve made the doctor worry unnecessarily…”
Umin pressed her cheeks and sighed. Wanting to cool down a bit, she got out of the bath and sat down on a bench next to the washing area. She looked up at the starry sky and lost herself in thought.
Right now, Umin had two things on her mind. One was the possibility of a top-class healer somewhere in the Royal Capital. And the other was…
“Honestly, have some shame as a lady.”
Umin’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice from behind.
A blonde woman passed by Umin, her shoulders squared in anger. She had blue eyes and a beautiful profile.
Following her, a woman with long black hair, a woman with beast ears, and a somewhat taller woman entered.
“I wouldn’t take that from you, Krishna. Anyway, the master is so cold.”
“Ringa thinks he’s probably just shy.”
“It’s a shame I couldn’t show off more of my beautiful naked body.”
The three grumbled as they headed towards the open-air bath.
—Demi-humans…?
Umin tilted her head.
It’s not that demi-humans themselves are rare.
You can see plenty of them in the Royal Capital, especially in the slums.
However, she thought that demi-humans generally had a strong sense of camaraderie within their own species, and it was rare for them to associate with other species.
The fact that they were bathing together so amicably was a bit of a surprise. Combined with the atmosphere of the steamy open-air bath, it felt like she was dreaming.
“Things like this do happen, huh?”
As she watched in admiration, the woman who seemed to be a Lizardman turned around.
“Hm? Do you need something from us?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. I’m sorry.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
The woman, seemingly uninterested, submerged herself up to her shoulders in the bath.
“I wonder where that confidence comes from, Ringa wonders sometimes.” The Werewolf woman retorted the Orc woman. However, she has a great style, as she says.
“I wish I had that…”
When she looked in the direction of the voice, she saw a blonde-haired girl.
—Wow, so cute…
A child elf. Elves are a rare race that lives in the north, and it’s relatively uncommon to see them around here.
The adorable girl, who made you want to cherish her, placed both hands flat on her chest and sighed.
“If Lily had a body like that, she could have charged into the men’s bath with confidence…”
“Huh…? Charged…?”
Despite her adorable appearance, she was saying something rather unsettling.
“Zofia-san, Ringa-san, Reve-san, and Krishna-san, everyone has big chests… Lily… doesn’t…”
The girl’s eyes became distant, and then her gaze suddenly turned to Umin. The cuteness of her taking a breath made Umin unconsciously wave her hand slightly in front of her face.
However, the girl’s eyes seemed to be focused a little lower than Umin’s face. After looking at her for a while, the elf child smiled and waved back.
“…Huh? Did she just think I was one of her group…?”
Umin reflexively placed a hand on her own chest.
“Don’t be pessimistic, Lily. Your growth is yet to come. Besides, Zenos wouldn’t choose based on chest size.”
This time, a voice came from the other side of the girl.
It seemed like someone was in the back, but Umin couldn’t see well because she had taken off her glasses and the steam was thick.
“That’s true, but…”
“Furthermore, it’s not always the case that bigger is preferred.”
“Is that so?”
“Kukuku… There are deep worlds that children cannot understand.”
“Deep worlds…!”
The person in the back seemed to be instilling inappropriate thoughts into the innocent child.
The elf girl, as if struck by an idea, said:
“By the way, Camilla-san, can you enter the hot spring even though you’re a spirit?”
“Kukuku… Don’t worry about the details. What matters is the feeling. I’m thoroughly enjoying this sense of freedom and the steam.”
“Huh…?”
“What is it?”
“Camilla-san… Your body is thinner than usual.”
“Oh… Perhaps I’m so blissful that I’m starting to ascend.”
“Eeeh, that’s bad!”
“Oh… I’m fading… I’m fading away… I’m… disappearing…”
“Awwwwwwww, Waaah!”
“…Kukuku, just kidding. I just made myself a little thinner.”
“Y-You scared me, geez.”
“E-Excuse me, what’s wrong?”
The elf girl suddenly started making a commotion, so Umin rushed over to her.
The girl opened her mouth with a relieved expression.
“Ah, it’s okay. The person I’m with was just joking around.”
“Eh…?”
Umin’s eyes were glued to the person in the back. That person was humming with a towel on their head.
However, their body was translucent, and no matter how you looked at it, they didn’t seem like a living human…
“C-Could it be… a… Wraith…?”
The next moment, Umin screamed.
“W-W-W-What? Why is a highest-ranking Undead here…!”
She hurriedly began chanting a healing spell.
It’s said that recovery magic works on Undead, but she wondered how effective her magic would be against a Wraith.
How could she protect the people here?
“Oh dear, that’s not good. There were other guests. I should retreat for now.”
However, before the spell could be activated, the Wraith floated up and disappeared behind the wall on the men’s bath side.
A short time later, a voice echoed from the men’s bath side.
“Camilla, you’re next!”
“Now, now, Zenos. Due to various circumstances, I’m taking temporary refuge.”
“Let me bathe in peace! I’ll send you to the afterlife!”
“You’re worked up. Here, I’ll pour some water on you, so calm down.”
“Wh-What is going on…”
Umin stared blankly at the wall of the men’s bath.
But the demi-humans didn’t seem particularly surprised.
Still standing there, Umin quietly held her head in her hands.
“A dream…? I really am tired, aren’t I…”