Chapter 82: Teacher and Student (1)
When we arrived at Gelida with the villagers who had been kidnapped by the Iron Pot Gang, the village chief rushed to meet us barefoot with tears in his eyes.
“For years those bandits have been tormenting us! But now, we will finally be able to sleep in peace...And it’s all thanks to you!”
“His name is Vampire L-muff!”
Fortunately, I was able to cover Rachel’s mouth before she uttered that embarrassing moniker.
That must be a case of ‘Main Character Syndrome’, right?
It seems my Teacher is enjoying her Student’s nickname a little too much.
Even on the way here, she was smirking while saying nonsense like - ‘If the Vampire Lord is a legendary title, then doesn’t it mean I created a legend with my teachings?’.
Anyway,
After greeting the Village Chief I looked around for a bit.
Those who had lost their family members to the Iron Pot Gang were having their own tearful reunions.
Each person expressed their joy in their own way, making the usually quiet village a rather noisy place, we had to flee the square because many people kept bowing to us, while others tried to offer us gifts and adornments.
There were even some weirdoes who tried to take off a piece of my clothes...
We hadn’t desired any rewards or followers; all we needed now was a comfortable place to rest.
Drawing too much attention was never a good thing.
The Chief, using his privilege, got us a ‘free pass’, the presence of Lumia hidden in the cart added a certain risk to any interactions we had.
If anyone discovered that we were hiding someone, it could lead to a troublesome situation.
“Let’s clean the square and prepare a grand welcome for our heroes!”
“N-No...We just need a place to rest for a bit...”
“Oh! Then allow me to arrange the best accommodations in the village-!”
Thus, we were led to what was touted as the best lodging in the village by the village chief,
Since the village barely had a population of 200 people, our expectations weren’t that high.
“......”
“...”
“?”
But even our low expectations turned out to be too grand, as the ‘best accommodations’ the village had to offer were shabby enough to make us worry about the other places the village had.
During our Culinary Journey, we stopped by villages smaller than Gelida and stayed in many so-called ‘best’ inns, but never had we encountered such a dilapidated lodging.
I couldn’t help but stare at the Village chief, who was grinning proudly, with a puzzled expression.
Considering the years of torment by the Iron Pot Gang, it was natural to understand their poor financial situation.
It was also natural that the accommodations had not been maintained.
Travelers must have ceased coming long ago due to the Iron Pot Gang’s presence right at the crossroads.
But it was perplexing that such a dusty, cobweb-ridden lodging was referred to as ‘the best.’
I kept staring at the Chief, while the man simply puffed out his chest.
As if this lodging was some sort of a ‘landmark’.
“Heh, actually, this isn’t just lodging but a place managed by our family. There’s a treasure hidden here.”
“Treasure?”
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My doubt only grew with the chief’s confident expression, and he stepped closer, covering his mouth with his hand as he whispered.
Eh...Sir Village chief? We are the only people around...There’s no need for this much secrecy, you know?
“This place holds a family heirloom that has been passed down through generations.”
“...Is that so?”
I can’t see anything valuable in this building.
It’s a poorly maintained lodging.
I wondered what could be so special that the chief’s ancestors left it as a supposed ‘heirloom.’
As I looked around the inside with a half-hearted expression, the chief whispered again.
“Just as the Gods sent Heroes to our aid, they also bestowed a special blessing upon this lodging.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! A power so miraculous and sacred that it had to be kept a secret from outsiders! But since the Gods sent you all here, there’s no need to hide it from you all.”
“......”
What great power could be hidden in such a shabby accommodation that he makes such a fuss about it?
And why would a family heirloom be hidden in such a rundown place?
Just as an overly drawn-out meal loses its flavor, my anticipation for this so-called ‘heirloom’ dwindled as I watched the overly excited village chief.
“Then, let us honor the divine grace that the gods have bestowed upon our Gelida Village.”
The village chief led us to the backyard of the accommodation.
And there I could see it.
The divine blessing.
The family heirloom passed down through generations.
“......”
Indeed, the village chief’s extensive preamble and excitement about the divine blessing made sense, given how impressive the heirloom was.
However.
“......”
For people living in the Medieval Era, this might have been a marvel, something beyond their understanding...But for a modern man like me, this was something ordinary.
There was a small pond in the backyard.
Lush garden trees embroidering the pond’s perimeter.
The white steam rises gently from the calm surface of the water.
That’s a hot spring.
**
“Buahahaha! Isn’t it wonderful? This is a legendary place! The god of fire, Pyron, blessed this land with an eternal fire that forever warms this water! Behold, the bath of the Gods!”
Splash-.
I took a dip into the hot spring.
The cozy heat enveloped my body, as my stiff muscles melted like ice cream.
Leaning back, I looked up to the clear sky.
I can still see the reverent look in the Village Chief, as he introduced this hot spring, as the ‘bath of the gods’...
《It’s truly alright for us to enter it?》
《Of course! Aren’t you all the Gods’ divine heroes?》
《......Well, don’t mind if I do, then.》
How could we refuse the Chief’s kindness, when he considered us Heroes sent by the gods?
Thus, I looked around at my companions with a face full of expectation for a blissful hot spring bath amid winter, and we exchanged glances, wary not to dent the pride of the village chief who believed this to be the gods’ bath.
《This is truly worthy of being called a blessed spot. Such a beautiful view.》
《Indeed! To behold the bath of the gods with my own eyes is an honor indeed 》
《...Isn’t this just a hot-muuuf!》
Once again I succeeded in blocking Rachel’s mouth before she spilled her straightforward thoughts on the matter.
《Make sure to enjoy it, Heroes of Gelida! I shall fetch something for you all to wipe and wash your bodies.》
With that, the village chief left, and there I was, indulging in the open-air bath I’d never experienced even in modern times.
If the village chief knew that this guarded family heirloom, the bath of the gods, was merely a natural hot spring, his disappointment would be immense.
With some modern landscaping, this Village could become the finest hot spring village in the North.
However, the closed culture of the medieval period would likely disdain such public bathing.
Anyway.
“Natural Hot Springs isn’t a common thing after all.”
In the Medieval Era, most people would simply consider such rare occurrences as a ‘supernatural’ phenomena rather than a natural one.
People still considered plagues as curses from the gods, Lightning storms as an expression of their anger, and floods as divine punishment.
So it’s no wonder, this natural hot spring was seen as a sacred place where the gods themselves occasionally descended to bathe.
Hot springs are common in volcanic regions, but in ordinary terrains, they are rare.
Usually, a hot spring is the result of geothermal energy from the vibrations of the earth’s layers or magma, causing underground water heated by this heat to break through the fragile ground, which is referred to as spring water.
Naturally, a hot spring formed by such rising spring water accumulating in one area is bound to be rare.
Especially since there are no volcanic areas in the Elpherion Kingdom.
Although humanity often made use of hot springs, even during ancient Roman times, they were uncommon.
Plus, the medieval period considered public baths as an indecent practice, leading to many venerating these springs as mythical and divine.
Particularly since it was a heirloom passed down through generations and kept a guarded secret under the pretense of ‘protection,’ no one would reveal that it was a mere natural hot spring.
Regardless,
“Ah~ That’s the stuff~“
I made sure to enjoy this unexpected hot spring bath to fullness.
For the moment, it felt as if I were truly using the gods’ own bath, such was the exquisite charm of the open-air bath.
Then, while I was experiencing the unique pleasure of an open-air bath,
Creak-!
The door connecting the lodging to the backyard opened.
Thinking that the Village Chief or Rendler was bringing me something to wipe my body, I turned my head, but...
“R-Rachel?”
The silhouette that captured my gaze was none other than Rachel.
Her body was wrapped in a long towel.
And the towel revealed all her curves in explicit detail.
Especially around the chest, where the towel seemed to struggle to keep wrapped around it.
“I’ve surveyed the place already. Would it be alright if I joined you?”
“Well, I, uh, guess it’s fine....”
“Then.”
Sshhh-.
Testing the water with her toes first, Rachel then immersed her entire body into the hot spring.
Directly across from me.
Hmm...
A mixed bath.
My dear Teacher might have been more open-minded than I thought.