Beside the misty Golden Holy Spring, the atmosphere had settled into an extremely strange balance.
Kōichi, Kazuma, and Dust shuffled toward the red-haired woman as though taking part in some solemn ritual. They moved in a crabwalk they clearly thought looked cool, but in reality looked more like three men trying to avoid landmines, inching closer until they were less than two meters away from her.
Kazuma made the first move. He elegantly, or so he believed, brushed back his damp, messy hair, deliberately raised his voice, and spoke to Dust beside him in a tone full of weathered world-weariness.
"Ah, Dust, now that I think about it, this trip to Arcanletia has been rather uneventful. I did just lead a party to defeat the Demon King's Army's Mobile Fortress Destroyer and take down one of their Generals while I was at it, but an adventure on that level still feels far too lacking in challenge for me."
"Hah? What nonsense are you spouting, Kazuma?" Dust was not about to lose. He thrust out his chest, trying to show off his pitiful pecs, while his eyes kept darting wildly toward Wolbach. "What's one measly Destroyer? Back when I served in the Royal Knight Corps in the Royal Capital… ahem, I mean, back when I was sweeping through armies in Axel, you were still playing in the mud back in your village! A man like me, with the potential to become a Dragon Knight, can only barely be matched by a top-tier Royal Holy Spring like this."
"Dragon Knight? More like background Knight!" Kazuma immediately went into sabotage mode. He lowered his voice while making sure Wolbach could still hear him. "Who was it a couple of days ago who owed the tavern three thousand Eris and almost got dragged off by the landlady to wear a dress and attract customers in the street? That presence really was impressive."
"You bastard! That was an undercover investigation! Investigation, do you understand?!" Dust's face turned bright red with anger, and he instantly fired back. "Still better than you, a shut-in NEET who got kicked out by his family and can only scrape by with a useless Goddess and two problem children! I heard you even got the SP points to learn your skills by picking up scraps?"
Right there in the priceless Holy Spring, the two of them began attacking each other with the pettiness of a pair of fighting roosters.
Kōichi, on the other hand, looked much calmer.
He did not rush to join that stupid argument. Instead, he chose the perfect spot and sat down, letting the spring water cover him up to the shoulders so that only half his face showed. Then he quietly watched Wolbach nearby with a deep gaze that was three parts curiosity, three parts admiration, and four parts "I have a story."
Wolbach finally turned her head.
Her dark red eyes lingered on Kazuma and Dust for less than 0.1 seconds, probably to confirm that these two life-forms posed no threat and were merely pure idiots, before her gaze settled on Kōichi.
Watching the two men who had nearly started fighting in the water just to get her attention, Wolbach's icy, stunning face actually curved into the faintest smile, tiny yet clearly teasing.
"What lively companions," Wolbach said.
Her voice was low and elegant, with the rich magnetism of aged wine, and it echoed through the spacious bathhouse. "Compared to those two gentlemen over there, who are busy exposing each other's embarrassing secrets, you seem to be the… brain of this strange little group?"
"You flatter me, beautiful lady." Kōichi gave a slight nod, his tone modest without losing its grace. "They are merely hallucinating due to the miraculous properties of this spring water overstimulating their cerebral cortex. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kōichi Hayashi, just a passing, ordinary Adventurer."
"Ordinary?" Wolbach let out a soft laugh. Her magnificent figure rose and fell slightly with it, nearly giving Kazuma and Dust heart attacks on the spot. "You brought these two clowns into a place like this and can still keep your heartbeat steady under my gaze. Your definition of ordinary seems rather unusual."
"Hey! Kōichi! You sneaky bastard!" Kazuma finally reacted. Seeing that Kōichi had already started talking to the ultimate target, he nearly went mad with jealousy. "Lady! Don't listen to him! He's the worst one here! Just now, he even said he was going to put something in your drink… Mmph!"
Kōichi reacted instantly, grabbing Kazuma's head and shoving him under the water while giving Wolbach an embarrassed yet polite smile.
"See? I told you the spring water here causes hallucinations."
The amusement in Wolbach's eyes deepened as she watched.
She did not seem to dislike the chaos. If anything, she looked as though she had found an interesting new toy.
"Well then, Mr. Brain, since you invited your companions to such an expensive place, surely you would not mind buying me a drink as well?" Wolbach pointed to the tray floating beside the pool, its temperature maintained by magic. "Traveling alone does make one thirsty from time to time."
Just as Kōichi was racking his brain, trying to dig further into this big sister's identity without making her uncomfortable, the heavy marble doors of the Royal Bathhouse were slowly pushed open again.
With a faint, soft sound, like some viscous liquid sliding across the floor, a tall, fair-skinned man with somewhat androgynous features entered the Golden Holy Spring area.
He wore an extravagant dark purple bathrobe, and his long golden hair was neatly tied behind his head. His eyes carried a chilling, viper-like arrogance that made people deeply uncomfortable.
Unlike an ordinary guest, he did not glance around. He walked straight toward the pool where Wolbach was sitting, his steps so steady they felt unsettling.
"Tch, another pretty boy who's even better-looking than me." Kazuma popped his head out of the water, wiped his face, and spoke with thick jealousy in his voice. "Kōichi, look at his eyes. You can tell he's the kind of kept man who freeloads in the Royal Capital. Hey, Dust, should we team up and squeeze him out? This pool is crowded enough already!"
"Wait, Kazuma." For once, Dust did not agree with him. His instincts as a former Knight were sounding alarm bells. He stared at the man slowly approaching, his brow tightly furrowed. "That guy… smells weird. It's not sweat, and it's not perfume. It's this… sickly sweet, fishy smell I can't describe. Kōichi, be careful. This guy might be bad news."
Kōichi said nothing. He only quietly shifted closer to Wolbach. Of course, on the surface, he was politely making room. In reality, he wanted something between himself and that man.
The man called Hans stopped three steps from the edge of the pool.
First, he swept a contemptuous glance over Kōichi, Kazuma, and Dust, who were crouching in the water like three drowned chickens. Only then did his gaze fall on Wolbach.
In that instant, Kōichi keenly caught an extremely subtle exchange of looks between them.
"The spring water here seems even purer than expected, madam," Hans said. His voice was hoarse and strangely sticky, like bubbles bursting in a muddy swamp. "However, that purity may soon be tainted by something unclean. Do you not find it rather unpleasant to have such noisy flies around while enjoying a view like this?"
As he spoke, Hans's cold gaze stabbed toward Kōichi again.
"Flies?" Kazuma immediately exploded. He shot to his feet, pointed at Hans's nose, and shouted, "Hey, pretty boy! Who are you calling a fly?! I'm the hero who defeated the Destroyer! If you know what's good for you, hurry up and go soak in the cold-water pool next door. Don't interrupt our deep exchange with this big sister!"
Wolbach ignored Kazuma's shouting. She simply picked up the glass of red wine Kōichi had just bought her, took a light sip, and spoke in a calm, level voice.
"Han… ahem, sir. The hot springs of Arcanletia belong to everyone. I find these young men quite interesting. At the very least, they are far more honest than certain people who only hide in the shadows and play petty tricks."
The corner of Hans's eye twitched slightly. He seemed somewhat surprised by Wolbach's attitude of defending mere humans.
He gave a cold laugh, then slowly stepped into the pool and sat down not far from the three of them.
As he entered the water, Kōichi was horrified to discover that the spring water around Hans seemed to grow a little thicker than before. A thin layer of strange, faint purple foam even began to form on the surface.
"Is that so? Since you put it that way, I suppose I will enjoy this last bit of purity as well." Hans closed his eyes, a cruel curve forming at the corner of his mouth. "I hope your luck continues to hold. After all… the waters of Arcanletia are quite fragile."
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