Time in Surusu flew by in the blink of an eye.
Vacation really was the best. It felt like both my mind and body were being washed clean. The food was delicious, and the hot springs felt wonderful. The only thing that wore on my nerves was being looked at with reverence by the inn's staff because of the hot spring dragon incident, but they were giving me all sorts of extras, so I figured I just shouldn't worry about it.
At the end of each day, even the regret of having wasted another day while reminiscing about the past was enjoyable.
The large public bath had been destroyed, so all that was left was the private outdoor bath attached to our room, but that was fine in its own way — I could soak at my own pace without worrying about anyone else. I'd been a little on guard, but after the first day, the dragon never appeared again.
The only disappointing thing was that Luke and the others couldn't come along.
Even though he'd long since stopped coming with the Party, we'd usually gone together on trips. Maybe I'd get an earful about it once we got back to the Imperial Capital.
Well, we could just go together next time. I'd make sure to brag about it plenty when we got back.
Citry had told me beforehand that these hot springs were also used for therapeutic purposes, and the healing effect was real.
I didn't have any old wounds, but I felt like I could soak in them forever. The water was on the hotter side, but wearing my Treasure Weapon ring that granted heat resistance made it no problem at all.
Today, too, I was soaking in the hot spring with just my upper body exposed, dozing off, when I heard the usual sound of Liliz and Tinno arguing.
Liliz had no sense of restraint. She was the type who, back when we'd gone to a mountain hot spring with the Party, had tried to join me in the bath without a shred of hesitation. Even when told no, she'd try to come in anyway. She thought of me as a childhood friend before she thought of me as a man.
Incidentally, in a slightly salacious note, the barriers between men and women in Hunter Parties tended to be pretty thin. Equipment could break, after all, and you couldn't very well get anything done if you were worried about being seen naked. Still, showing absolutely no embarrassment at all was a different matter entirely.
I was a man, after all, and unlike Luke, who had no interest in anything other than swords, I did notice these things.
Even if I was used to physical contact, having someone flaunt their body at me was hard on the eyes, and being hugged outright was even worse. Usually, Lucia would use magic to conveniently keep her at bay, but this time our natural enemy wasn't here, so Liliz was in top form. I'd more or less predicted this the moment we headed for the hot springs, but my desire for the bath had won out.
Tinno let out a shriek, and the door to the room was thrown open without pause.
"Mastaa, run! Actually, Mastaa, you've been bathing way too long!"
"Klye! Hey, hey — I brought booze! Want to drink together?"
I stifled a yawn, fighting off my drowsiness, and answered Liliz's bubbly voice.
"...You're hopeless, Liliz. Wash up properly first, then get in quietly."
§ Leading Tinno and Liliz, both in yukata, I strolled through town with both hands full.
It seemed the hot spring dragon's appearance had shaken the town, and our Party, having slain it, had become celebrities.
There had been virtually zero tourists to begin with, so we stood out all the more.
The hot spring dragon was apparently quite low-ranking among dragons, but a dragon was still a dragon. To ordinary people, it was a mythical beast beyond their ability to handle.
Being praised for defeating it was, in a sense, inevitable — though of course, I had no right to receive that praise, having done nothing. Tinno, unused to scenes like this, seemed a bit stiff.
"Just smile warmly in times like this. Hold your head up high. It'll blow over soon."
"Y-yes. Mastaa..."
We walked through the streets eating complimentary hot spring dragon buns we'd gotten for free. As befitting a hot spring town, the streets had a leisurely atmosphere just to my liking.
In addition to the inn we were staying at, there were several other bathhouses throughout town. The water quality was probably the same, but it might be nice to try a few different ones.
Tinno and Liliz in different outfits from usual was also refreshing.
Compared to their normal attire, they showed less skin, but the yukata suited their slim figures perfectly. Perhaps from the steam, their skin was slightly redder than usual, lending them an indescribable allure.
Come to think of it, Citry had told me that the reason yukata were worn left-over-right was so you could slip your right hand inside and... well, you know.
That was obviously a lie, wasn't it? There was no way clothing that perverted existed.
Near the outer edge of town, Citry was busily conducting business with several well-dressed men.
Smiling brightly in her yukata, she pointed at the low outer wall that barely reached waist height.
"Safety is more important than scenery. The barrier keeps spiritual beings at bay, but it does nothing to keep humans out. How about it — would you like to purchase our latest golems? They're a bit pricey, but they're useful not only for combat but for construction work as well. When you factor in labor costs, they're quite affordable. Having a Level 8 Hunter bathing here was a stroke of luck that won't happen twice. This town has apparently caught Klye's eye too, and since the examination period is still ongoing — right now, half price! Weapons included, thirty units for ten billion Gill, plus tax!"
She usually hid it beneath her robe, but Citry's figure was considerably better than Liliz's and the others. She was also a little taller, but her bust was incomparable.
The town officials were trying to keep their eyes on Citry's alluring form while discussing things in hushed voices. For a town of this size, ten billion Gill was a serious amount.
Could a golem even beat a dragon in the first place?
Why was she doing business on a vacation of all times? Nothing made sense.
"Citry... you don't miss a trick, do you?"
"Where exploiting weaknesses is concerned, Citry is second to none..."
Both Tinno and Liliz wore exasperated expressions.
She was far too free-spirited. Well, Liliz had climbed the mountain on the first day looking for the hot spring dragon, so she was one to talk...
When Citry spotted me, she broke into a smile and came running over right in the middle of her business negotiations. I couldn't help but let my gaze drift to her left-over-right collar.
"...You're really going all out, aren't you?"
"If another hot spring dragon shows up, it'll ruin everything — so I figured I might as well test the performance of our new weapons at the same time. Two birds with one stone."
A merchant of death, was she?
But honestly, Citry was right — this town really did seem far too defenseless. It was probably a temporary situation, but as long as I was here, it was a problem.
Still, ten billion was expensive. Not something you could decide on at a whim, at least. What was the production cost, anyway?
The town officials looked a bit resigned too. They couldn't very well commit to a golem whose performance they hadn't even seen.
After some hesitation, I spoke to Citry.
"Citry... can't you make it a little cheaper?"
"Huh... how much should I charge?"
Citry's eyes widened as she looked at me.
How much should I charge — that was a new one. Was she really going to leave it up to me?
I wasn't an Alchemist, and I had no idea what a golem was worth. I knew I probably shouldn't be sticking my nose in at all.
"...Well, it's for the town's safety. How about this — instead of cash, maybe they could pay in goods..."
"Goods? This town's specialty is pretty much just the hot springs, though... Hmm... rights and privileges, maybe?"
"Also, if you're going to sell them, I think they should actually see the golems in person first to be convinced..."
"Yes, that's true..."
Citry fell into thought. She didn't say "sure thing" right away, and even if she had, that wasn't how it would go.
She always tried to respect my opinions, but she was by no means a pushover.
After a while, having apparently settled on a plan, Citry clapped her hands together with a smile.
She approached the townspeople she'd been seriously negotiating with and spoke in a bright, cheerful voice.
"I've made my decision! If you're still undecided — then for the duration of our stay only, I'll lend you the golems completely free of charge! This is on Klye's goodwill. Having another hot spring dragon appear during a vacation would be troublesome, after all... As for whether to actually purchase them, you can decide after seeing them in action — there's no rush."
§ Having wrapped up what was essentially a volunteer negotiation, we picked up Citry and the four of us walked through town.
We didn't have any golems with us — they were apparently going to be manufactured right here. Citry was a hard worker.
"...Was that really okay?"
"Yes. It was for Klye's sake, after all..."
When asked for the dozenth time, Citry nodded without hesitation.
I was an amateur, but that deal had clearly been a loss for Citry. Surusu was a peaceful town to begin with. The only oddity was that it felt a little empty due to the lack of tourists.
No enemy would come during our stay, and in the end, the golems probably wouldn't sell anyway.
Wait — it wasn't for my sake, was it? It was for the townspeople.
But Citry didn't answer my question, instead closing the distance between us by half a step.
A faint, sweet scent wafted from her hair.
Was it shampoo? I'd never asked, but it was a wonderful fragrance that made me want to carelessly lean in close. My head spun a little.
Just then, Liliz inserted herself between the smiling Citry and me.
"Klye, don't be fooled by her obvious score-boosting! She's definitely going to use today as leverage and dangle it in front of you when the time comes!"
"I wouldn't do anything like that! Sis, you're too suspicious! Right, Klye?"
"Mm-hmm, that's right."
...That was totally something she'd do. Come to think of it, she'd probably say something like "I lent you money, you know~ Why don't you come visit my room sometime?"
Well, I was the one who'd created the debt in the first place, and in the end, she never actually collected on it anyway.
I watched the Smart sisters squabble back and forth, savoring the peace.
Tinno also seemed to have recovered some of her spirits, the mental wounds from the hot spring dragon battle having healed.
All that was left was to soak in the hot springs and kill time until the "White Sword Gathering" ended. A lot had happened, but all's well that ends well.
Maybe I should take care of Liliz and Citry for a while to give Tinno a break — she'd been sandwiched between those two sisters and had a terrible time up to now.
As I was leisurely pondering this, a large carriage caught my eye.
It was a beat-up carriage pulled by emaciated horses.
New tourists? As I stared blankly, the door opened and a man with a sickly complexion climbed down.
I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
His appearance had changed so much that I didn't recognize him at first, but there was no mistaking him.
The one who'd descended from the carriage was — Arnold Hale.
The Level 7 Hunter known as "Mighty Thunder Flash." The man who, for some reason, had been targeting me.
His body was wrapped in bandages, his hair was disheveled, and his cheeks had hollowed out, but I couldn't possibly mistake the man who'd been my torment as of late. Following him, I saw Arnold's familiar companions, and then young Gilbert and the others climb down.
Their atmosphere was different. Some had changed their equipment. They didn't appear to be seriously wounded, but they stumbled unsteadily and looked like they'd been through hell.
The fact that I'd noticed Arnold's group before they noticed me was proof of how bad their condition was. Under normal circumstances, there was no way I'd spot them before they spotted me.
Stalkers? But a stalker wouldn't show up looking this pathetic. They looked like they'd just barely survived being stranded in the wilderness. I knew what that looked like — I'd been stranded in the desert myself.
...This was supposed to be a vacation. Did God hate me or something?
Tinno's eyes went wide. Liliz's gaze landed on Arnold, and a grin spread across her face. This pattern was bad.
I needed to leave before they noticed us. They were in no condition to be paying attention to their surroundings.
I squeezed Liliz's hand tight and stepped back.
As if to move in exactly the opposite direction, Citry stepped forward.
There was no time to stop her. She clapped her hands together toward Arnold, as though welcoming him.
There was no surprise on Citry's face. A full smile spread across it, as though she'd read this development from the very start.
"Well, well... Welcome to Surusu. You're quite late, Arnold. I've been waiting. You took so long that Tinno took care of the dragon already..."
"...?!"
Citry had... predicted this development? How had she controlled Arnold's movements?
I couldn't understand it at all, but if she'd known, I wished she'd told me. We'd changed our destination to a different hot spring town, after all...
Arnold's eyes turned to Citry, then found me, and went as wide as they could.
And then his massive body swayed, and Arnold collapsed on the spot without uttering a word.