After savoring the Japanese-style meal, the next stop was the hot springs.
There appeared to be indoor baths as well, but… this time, he truly wanted to enjoy the outdoor bath to the fullest.
He stripped down in the changing room, held a towel over his lower half, and slipped through the door leading to the outdoor bath.
"Whoa… this is incredibly Japanese…!"
The moment he stepped outside, a chill, refreshing wave of cold air washed over him.
But what truly stirred his heart even more than that was the sight of the Japanese-style open-air hot spring.
Billowing white steam rose lazily into the air. The bath was ringed with stones, and it was spacious enough that more than ten people could soak in it comfortably.
The design was clearly inspired by Japan, and a particular kind of emotion welled up in Rest's chest.
This outdoor bath was one that the queen dowager — Sanada Shoko — had visited regularly, enjoying the waters in her daily life.
According to an employee of the inn, she had been especially particular about the outdoor bath when the inn was being built.
"So this was Shoko's design too… She really was trying to recreate Japan, wasn't she…"
She must have missed Japan dearly.
Perhaps all she had wanted was to spend her final years in a place that resembled the scenery of her homeland.
With a faintly wistful feeling settling over him… Rest scooped hot water from the cypress wooden bucket and rinsed off his body.
"Whoa… the water feels scalding because it's so cold out…"
House Rosemary did have a bath, but it didn't have an outdoor spring like this.
Soaking in the water while feeling the open air on his skin was a truly unique sensation.
"Haaah… it's hot, but it hits the spot…!"
Rest slowly lowered himself into the bath, starting with his feet.
At the back of the tub, bubbles were rising to the surface with a steady gurgle, and he realized that natural hot spring water was flowing in from there.
"A private soak in a natural spring with direct source water… Man, this is some real luxury…!"
As he endured the heat and soaked in the tub… before long, he grew accustomed to it.
The cold outside air no longer bothered him; instead, a soothing warmth spread from his core to every corner of his body.
He had heard that this hot spring was normally open to the villagers as well, but today it had been reserved exclusively because nobles were staying at the inn.
He felt a little bad about the villagers losing out… but to make up for it, Celestine was paying a hefty sum in accommodation fees.
In fact, the staff looked positively delighted at the boost to the village's income.
"The sky has the moon and stars. And… out there in front of me is the ocean view. What an incredible place."
Rest murmured contentedly as he lounged in the warm water.
The night sky was perfectly clear, not a single cloud in sight, and the moon shone brilliantly.
The sight of countless stars twinkling overhead was something you would almost never see in Japan, where the night was dominated by the glow of electric lights.
The open-air bath was enclosed by a wooden fence, though one section had been deliberately left open. Where the fence was absent, the ground sloped gently down into a cliff, revealing the sea on the other side.
"That must be the west side over there… I should've gotten in earlier…"
Rest let out a wistful sigh.
If he had bathed before dinner, he could have watched the beautiful sunset from here.
Soaking in an open-air bath while watching the sun sink into the sea—wasn't that the ultimate luxury?
"Hmm… I guess I could stay another two or three days. Celestine will probably head back to the royal capital, but I might hang around a little longer…"
"Oh my… If that's the case, I would be happy to join you?"
"Ah, you'll come along? Well, well, well… …Huh?"
The voice that so naturally slipped into his private monologue caught Rest off guard—he started to reply without thinking, and then noticed something was wrong.
"Wh—?"
He'd been so relaxed from the bath that his presence detection magic had worn off.
When he turned around, there she was—a woman who had no business being here, a woman he was never supposed to see.
"Would you mind if I joined you? Rest?"
"Buoh!?"
Standing before him was Celestine Crocus.
The young lady of House Crocus, the foremost noble family in the kingdom. A lady among ladies.
The woman who bore the most prestigious bloodline in the entire country was standing there naked save for a towel wrapped around her.