Citry and Lucia worked hard, while Riz and Luke — who normally handled perimeter watch duty — had nothing to do this time, so they messed around nearby.
Anthem used healing magic to soothe his fatigue, and I had Tino inflate the pool float I'd gotten as a souvenir for Luke.
The ground was dug deep, and once again, Lucia's magic hit the mark — hot water erupted and began to pool.
Citry hummed a cheerful tune while pouring potions to harden the earth. The ground rose up around Citry's land, forming a wall taller than even Anthem. Quite a bit higher than the city's outer walls, actually.
Tino, having finished inflating the float, asked timidly.
"Mastaa, um… what kind of magic is Lady Lucia using?"
"Um… I don't really know…"
"!?"
I'm no magic expert. The only thing I understand is that Lucia is amazing.
When she cooperates with Citry, they can pull off just about anything. Well, apparently they're just combining existing spells, but still.
In the blink of an eye, the facility took shape. Quality aside, no specialist could match them in terms of speed. It was genuinely fun just watching. Lucia wasn't even chanting spells anymore. She had started out chanting, but somewhere along the way she just stopped.
Seeds planted by Citry sprouted and grew before our eyes, transforming into large trees. Golems chopped them down. The felled and shaped lumber was dried with magic and assembled on a flat, broad foundation.
The pool-like hot spring gave off tremendous heat. The temperature was clearly unsuitable for humans.
I was puffing air into my clothes when Luke, still in his casual robe, made a grand leap into the hot spring.
Water sprayed everywhere, and Tino let out a small shriek.
"Hot! Klye, it's hot! Ah, I know — this is training too! Damn, this is bad! It reminds me of the Treasure Hall in the caldera — hey, Lucia, don't you dare lower the temperature!"
"This is my training."
"What the…? Damn, so that's how it is… Fine, I'll let it slide just this once. But next time, I won't!"
He's as energetic as ever.
I flopped down on the inflated float and let out a huge yawn.
The distinct smell of the hot spring drifted through the air. My role is usually just to set the direction. This feeling — it's been a while.
That was when I heard someone call my name. I stood up and looked toward the only gap in the enclosure — the entrance.
A group in black armor stood staring at the hot spring under construction. It was the Gradius Knights.
They must have some business with us. Can't be helped — time to show some leadership skills.
I took Tino's hand beside me and went over to talk. For the record, Tino serves as my bodyguard.
She'd been promoted for the sole reason of "looking bored," and though she was flustered, she wore a happy expression. Very easy to work with.
"What do you want…?"
The man at the front — a rugged-faced, middle-aged man, presumably their leader — furrowed his brow the moment he saw my face.
"…Ah, yes… We came to talk about the Barrels we captured. What… is all this?"
"A hot spring. Can't you tell?"
"…………"
"We're digging it out. See, our Anthem is a bit tall, so a normal hot spring doesn't quite…"
"A bit… tall?"
"…………He's going through a growth spurt."
Yeah, that's it… Thanks to the Mana Material.
He'd become somewhat famous in the imperial capital, so people didn't freak out too much when he walked around, but the Gradius Knights basically never left their territory, so this was probably their first time seeing him. That's why country folk are…
I get that it's hard to believe, but this is reality.
He's abnormally large in both width and height, but he's the one who suffers most from it in daily life. Still, he protects the Party, and he actively takes on commissions from the state issued for him personally, so I need him to accept this.
Hmm? What's wrong? Being too tall is a problem? He's far gentler than any other member, and he's mature, you know.
On top of that, he has a cute, petite holy maiden for a girlfriend. They're head over heels for each other. If you put them side by side, it goes well past criminal into truly alarming territory, but since Anthem is so big even Gaark looks like a kid compared to him, he doesn't seem to mind.
"So, what's the business? I'm really sorry, but I'm kind of busy right now…"
The captain's expression soured at my brazenness — emboldened by having my companions nearby — but he quickly got to the point.
It was about the group of Barrels that had been turned into frogs.
Apparently, most of the sorting was done, and they were about to transport them.
Sorry, but I have no intention of following along. If you take a named commission, you're supposed to see it through to the end, but I didn't take this one, and it's a hassle.
"Sorry, but this is vacation. Defeating the Barrels was just a chain of events, and it didn't take much effort, so figure something out. I never intended to take the commission anyway."
"…!"
"Oh, right. Arnold helped out. If you want, why don't you take Arnold with you? He's a two-title holder, you know. What a performance — truly beyond imitation."
Also, for good measure, I'd prop up Arnold, who wasn't here but still seemed to hold a grudge against me. This is what a Level 8 Hunter calls social survival.
Nobody feels bad when they're praised. Right — I should praise Count Gradius too while I'm at it.
"Oh, you all did a great job too. You were a tremendous help. Your response was swift. As expected of the renowned Gradius Knights — even a Level 8 is impressed, words can't do it justice!"
"M-Mastaa… maybe you should stop there…"
"…Huh?"
"…!"
Looking more closely, the captain had a vein bulging on his forehead for some reason. Strange… Maybe I shouldn't say anything more.
The knights standing behind him were also looking down, trembling. No matter how you looked at it, they were clearly fighting back laughter.
The captain gritted his teeth for a while, but eventually spoke in a strained, barely suppressed voice.
"…We'll cooperate. We appreciate it. We'll make sure to relay that to Count Van as well."
"…………"
"Also… we want to know if any non-Barrels were accidentally turned into frogs. We did send back the soldiers who were guarding this town, but there were just too many of them…"
"Hmm… probably fine, right? They're apparently distinguishing using Mana Material…"
Lucia's magic was indiscriminate. If this had been the imperial capital, it would have been a disaster, but this town hardly had any Hunters.
I hadn't turned into a frog either, so most ordinary civilians should be fine. Arnold's Party was here, but his companions had already been restored by Arnold himself.
And then Tino's eyes went wide.
"Mastaa… um… that is… could it be that Luda and the others might have…"
"………Ah, right. I forgot about that."
There had been so much going on that my brain couldn't keep up with all the information.
They might indeed have turned into frogs. But finding them among over three hundred frogs was no easy task.
I placed a hand on Tino's head.
"Tino, go restore them for me. Apparently hair color shows through on the body's surface."
"Me!? W-Why me?"
Luda's hair color was ordinary. I couldn't tell the difference, and more importantly, I'd be incredibly unlucky. If I picked randomly, I'd definitely miss. Nothing I could do about it.
The more Barrels you accidentally restore, the harder it becomes for the knights to transport them — a truly hellish design. Can't do it.
"You've got nothing to do anyway. ……This is training too."
"Um… um… yes. Understood, Mastaa…"
Training. Looking back, what a convenient phrase. I'll be using it more going forward.
I gave her a push, and Tino, shoulders slumped, went to stand beside the captain.
She looked so dejected that I felt a bit bad, so I added some encouragement.
"Tino, we've got a hot spring, so come back when you're done. I think it'll probably be finished by the time you get back."
"! Y-Yes! I'll do my best!"
She blinked, then gave a bright, enthusiastic reply.
§ Tino returned after the sun had gone down.
Her expression clearly showed fatigue, but her eyes went wide at the sight of the hot spring illuminated by magical light.
I sat down on the broad veranda and raised a hand to Tino. She trotted over like a puppy called by her master and sat down beside me.
"Good work, Tino. It's pretty much all done."
"Y-Yes. Mastaa! It's… it's incredible…!"
Where there had only been a foundation moments before, a splendid bath facility now stood.
The roofed structure, built from wood, stone, and earth, was covered with the tatami mats Luke had run out to buy — enough space for even Anthem to lie down comfortably.
The reason there were no walls or doors was that putting them in thoughtlessly would make it hard for Anthem to get inside, and also because this was only meant to be a temporary building.
There was no toilet or kitchen either, but Lucia apparently couldn't yet use the magic to build a full inn, so this wasn't a bad substitute.
But above all, the hot spring itself was magnificent.
The enormous bath, tens of meters in each direction, could be adjusted in depth depending on the location, so even Anthem could be fully submerged. There was only one tub, but in terms of sheer size, it was bigger than the bath at the inn I'd stayed at.
The water temperature was perfect too. Citry handled the drainage system, and Lucia used magic to regulate the temperature with impressive skill.
Overflowing water drained outside through channels dug in all four directions. Apparently they were connected to the existing hot spring drainage infrastructure. Not sure if we had permission for that.
"M-Mastaa, what's that waterfall on the far end?"
"It's a waterfall."
Over on the far side, Luke was already having the waterfall crash down on him. Absolute chaos.
The source of the torrent-like flow was a thick rain cloud hovering above — a water spirit contracted with Lucia. Its diligence seemed to delight Luke, though the water flow obscured his face entirely.
Lucia, visibly tired from her continuous spellcasting, spoke up.
"I think about this every time, but don't you think I'm the only Mage in the world who contracted with a spirit — which you can normally only form one contract with — and then turned it into water just for waterfall training, Leader?"
"That's not my fault, is it?"
"It IS your fault, Leader! You told Luke something ridiculous! What do you mean, training means waterfalls!"
Well, it's useful, isn't it…? Water's not so bad. I like it. I'd want to contract with one myself.
But contracting with spirits was the ultimate arcane art. Borrowing power had a low barrier, but commanding one like this apparently raised the difficulty enormously. I didn't know the specifics.
"M-Mastaa, what's that large whirlpool on the far end?"
"It's a whirlpool."
Maintaining it should burn through magical power at a punishing rate, so it was something only Lucia — with her vast reserves — could pull off. As expected of my sister.
"Klye! I brought alcohol and food!"
A cheerful Riz rolled in three human-sized barrels. It was clear she intended to drink heavily tonight.
Behind her, Anthem followed with two tables balanced on his hands, laden with dishes.
"There's more coming… Anthem, thanks for the help."
"…………Mm."
Hmm… I'd been thinking this was a pretty spacious lot… but maybe it wasn't?
Once you placed several tables, it was already packed. Our group consumed an absurd amount of food and drink.
Still, shrinking the hot spring wouldn't have been ideal either.
There was an air of festivity building. Citry came walking over, arms full of fireworks.
"Klye, I bought fireworks too."
"Oh, perfect. You really get me, Citry."
Flawless. This was exactly the vacation I'd dreamed of.
Friends, a hot spring, food and drink all arranged, and fireworks to top it off.
It would have been even better if Elisa were here, but she was the most independent member of our Party, so it couldn't be helped.
The cast was assembled, the food and drink laid out.
Walls blocked the view of the surroundings, but a large moon hung in the sky above.
Now then — time for vacation to begin. As I stood up with a serious expression, clutching my float, Tino spoke as though just realizing something.
"Mastaa… um, this is only the men's bath, isn't it…"
"Ah… right. We usually do mixed bathing. It's hard to get privacy outdoors, you know? Just bear with it — we'll look the other way."
They'd originally separated them, but Riz kept climbing over the wall to get in, so Lucia and Citry eventually gave in.
Separating the space would have made it cramped for Anthem, who was already slightly too large, and besides, we were practically family at this point, so… it was fine. Just follow the etiquette rules, please.
Tino froze at my answer.
"Eh?"
"Alright, Tino! Time for training! By tempering the spirit, you learn to cut through it!"
From inside the waterfall, Luke emerged. His majestic bearing made Tino's eyes go round.
Luke was completely naked. Steam provided some modest cover for his lower half, but he had his arms crossed with not a shred of delicacy about him. His hair was plastered flat from the water, which did nothing for his looks.
"M-Mya!?"
Tino let out a strange noise, turned beet red, and ducked behind me.
It seemed like being able to function in the *Mourning Specter* would have to wait.