Only Laine and Amelia were snickering; this was basically a different kind of show of force and staking a claim. After Surya took a spin around Laine's territory, the Countess's authority was now firmly established.
After a short rest following lunch, Laine had planned to take his wife and his little Maid and head out. But when the group was about to leave the Divine Hall of Justice, a gale suddenly kicked up outside, dark clouds rolled in, and a torrential downpour crashed from the sky like a waterfall, shrouding the entire city in sheets of rain. At the foot of the mountain near the Divine Hall of Justice was a dense forest; the rain brought mist that spread through the air, dyeing the distant mountains a dusky indigo.
The rain and fog soaked the early-spring territory through and through. Lush trees and the just-sprouted grass were veiled by the drizzle. Gene Town bordered the Oracle Mountain Range, and following the range downward led to Charon Forest. From the gate of the Divine Hall of Justice looking out, the distant Oracle Mountain Range was wrapped in heavy mist, as if it existed beyond the horizon itself, like a Divine Kingdom.
Since it was pouring, Laine and the others couldn't really rush off. They happened to be free anyway, so Alfred led Laine, Surya, and Amelia back into the Temple. The main gates of the Divine Hall of Justice were usually not built very large, because most Temples of the Justice Church doubled as fortresses.
They passed through the dripping corridor, where torrents of rainwater ran down the Temple's round columns. Amelia was almost splashed, and the little Maid hurriedly took a step back, hiding behind Laine and clutching his coat. The white sand fishtail dress she wore was her favorite outfit, one she only ever put on when going out with Laine.
Laine simply let Amelia hook her arm through his, sheltering the little Maid at his side. Looking at the heavy rain, he knew this kind of spring downpour wouldn't stop anytime soon. "Afu, looks like the Lady wants me to stay with you a bit longer."
"Works out perfectly. The Temple just finished building the noble guest rooms. You can stay here tonight," Alfred said casually. He'd been bored out of his mind lately—all the Peasants were busy with spring plowing, and there were very few coming to pray or confess.
"No, we'll go back as soon as the rain stops…" Surya was a little reluctant to trouble Alfred. As a devout believer of the Lake Fairy, the female Knight didn't much like staying in Temples of other Deities.
"There's a hot spring under the Temple. After long-term blessing by my Lord's Divine Power, this hot spring speeds up blood circulation and is great for the skin—very good for the body," Alfred said offhandedly. "The hot spring pools for the VIP guest rooms are private; you can use them as you like."
"Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Alfred." Surya's attitude did a complete one-eighty after hearing his description. She turned to her Steward Henderson and ordered, "In that case, we'll stay in the Temple tonight."
"Yes, milady." The Steward bowed his head in response. The Servant Corps Surya had brought immediately began preparing the VIP guest rooms.
After a simple dinner, night began to fall. Surya and Amelia couldn't wait any longer and hurried off to soak in the hot spring, leaving Laine and Alfred sitting in the attic drinking dark beer. Rain poured down in sheets; the nearby mountains were covered in weathered rock, and below the rock, masses of stunted trees and shrubs clung to the slopes, enduring the pounding rain. From the attic, they could see the mountain springs and small waterfalls at the foot of the mountains. The waterfalls fell into a pond fenced off by the Justice Church, and below that was a gorge full of ferns and moss.
"Women, huh." Laine raised his glass to clink with his childhood friend, shaking his head helplessly. He slanted a look at Alfred. "Afu, you totally did that on purpose."
"A Temple Knight never lies. I merely spoke the truth." Alfred drained his glass of dark beer. The blond, blue-eyed Temple Knight paused, then changed the subject. "Actually, there's a hot spring in the basement under my bedroom too."
"Hm?" Catching the hint, Laine turned his gaze on Alfred. "So?"
"You're not gonna come soak one out?"
"Then I won't be shy."
Twenty minutes later.
The two men had towels wrapped around their waists as they immersed their sturdy bodies in the hot spring. In the five-meter-wide circular bath made from cut stone and granite, the scalding water made Laine feel incredibly comfortable. He let out a weird yell: "Ah! Praise the♂heart!"
"ASS♂WE♂CAN~" Alfred also sank his body into the hot spring. The newly promoted Temple Knight leaned against the edge of the pool. The roughly twenty-square-meter basement was relatively cramped. Alfred looked at the scars on Laine's chest and arms, then suddenly reached out and brushed them. "Buddy, these are… from that Chaos Great Demon back then?"
"Argh! Damn it, Afu, what are you groping for?" Laine slapped Alfred's hand away in exasperation, then pointed at the scars crisscrossing Alfred's own body. "You've got marks from the Champion of Khorne Egil too, don't you?"
There were quite a few scars on Alfred's powerful pecs and abs as well. The blond Temple Knight glanced down where Laine was pointing, unconcerned. "These are all from when I was out traveling. I went into the forest with Knight Order Grand Master Hans of the Templar Order to punish an Undead Mage. We lost more than thirty Knights in that battle, but in the end, we won."
