Chapter 221 - Hot Spring, Part One

Winter.

I like this season.

Come to think of it, my reunion with Sylphie happened in winter.

I've probably liked winter ever since then.

Every time I come home, Sylphie welcomes me so gently, it really does something to my heart.

Even now, it's still the same.

------

By the time our family arrived in the Asura Kingdom through the teleportation circle, evening had already settled in.

Ariel is a shrewd queen. She always looks for chances to display our relationship in front of her people.

I don't really mind. She built an entire mountaintop hot spring for me, so I'm hardly in a position to complain about a few small moves.

And besides, this "small move" was just having us receive her welcome in front of the citizens.

Ariel saw us and gave a bow.

"Welcome, Lord Rudeus, ladies, and Lord Rudeus's adorable children."

Beside her, the boy named Edward bowed as well.

He's grown quite a lot...

"Miss Nanahoshi, Miss Julie — His Highness Zanoba and His Eminence Cliff have already arrived."

Ho.

So Julie and Zanoba came too.

My wives aren't close with either of them, so they definitely weren't invited by my wives.

That means Nanahoshi was the one who called them here.

"And there's also..."

Ariel seemed to be holding something back, so I spoke up.

"What is it?"

"Lord Orsted came as well."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"I suppose so... Well then, allow me to lead the way."

We boarded the carriage Ariel had prepared and set off toward our destination.

Inside the carriage, Lara Greyrat was gazing out the window when she asked,

"What's a hot spring like?"

Aisha patted Lara Greyrat's head.

"It's... um, a warm pond."

"Eh? Then couldn't Papa just make one in the yard with magic?"

"The scenery at a mountain hot spring is nicer. And it has atmosphere, you know."

"Mama Aisha always says things I don't understand."

"Lara will understand when she grows up~"

"Okay~ Then I want to bathe with Papa~"

"That's up to your papa."

Windsor, Lucy Greyrat, and Tina in Eris's arms all looked equally interested.

Mm. Bathing with my daughters in a hot spring. That sounds pretty nice.

...Wait.

No. Since Cliff and Zanoba are here, the hot spring is definitely separated by gender.

Although if I asked my daughters to bathe with me, it would surely be,

How could that possibly be fine?! Even if it's Cliff or Orsted, no way! My daughters' bodies aren't something other men get to see!

No, no, no...

I shook my head and turned to Lara Greyrat.

"The hot spring is separated by gender, so Lara, go with your mamas."

"Eh~ okay~"

Just then, Sylphie leaned close to my ear and lowered her voice.

"Rudy, even though Roxy already told you, I'm saying it one more time."

"Hm?"

"There's an indoor open-air bath too~ Tonight we'll stay up a little late. Once we've put the girls to sleep, we'll come over~"

"Alright..."

I hadn't even seen the hot spring yet, and I was already looking forward to it.

-------

The carriage traveled for about half an hour before we reached the summit.

Built at the top was a luxurious... hm? A hot spring inn?

A wooden corridor stretched out into the night.

Under the eaves, dim yellow lanterns hung in a row, their warm light pooling softly on the snow.

The cold winter night felt a little less cold.

Very nice. It had that quality Aisha kept calling atmosphere.

Someone must have noticed our arrival, because the door was pushed open from inside. The moment we stepped through, the sound of wind and snow cut off entirely, and the whole space went quiet. Inside, people were already waiting.

When they saw us, a row of more than ten maids spoke in unison.

"Welcome, Your Majesty Ariel, Prince Edward, Lord Rudeus, ladies, young ladies. Please follow us."

We followed the head maid deeper inside.

Ho...

The interior structure was very... Japanese?

I had a feeling Nanahoshi had something to do with this.

After walking further in, we arrived at what looked like a lounge.

"Lords and ladies, please go inside. We will wait just outside — if you need anything, please call for us."

Nanahoshi, Cliff, Zanoba, Julie, and the others were already there waiting.

Orsted was there too, though he was wearing that curse-weakening helmet.

When Ariel saw Orsted, she looked... a bit disappointed?

Cliff spotted us and smiled.

"Good evening, Rudeus."

Beside him, Elinalise had already crossed the room and was hugging my wives.

Cliff smiled and patted the child in his arms.

"Say hello to your uncles, aunties, and big sisters."

Two-year-old Cleve gave a polite little nod.

"Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunties. Hello, Big Sisters..."

Then he seemed to notice Edward beside Ariel, and added,

"Hello, Big Brother..."

Windsor nodded.

"Hello."

Lara Greyrat chimed in.

"Hi there! What's your name? How old are you? You can already talk so well!"

"My name is Cleve. I'm two years old."

"Oh! One year younger than my littlest sister! I'm Lara."

"Hello, Big Sister Lara."

Cleve finished and turned his gaze to Lucy Greyrat.

When it came to children younger than herself, Lucy Greyrat wasn't quite so shy.

"Hello. I'm Lucy."

"Hello, Big Sister Lucy."

Tina thrust her hand in the air.

"Me! And me! My name is Christina!"

"Mm, hello."

"Eh?! Why aren't you calling me big sister? I'm a whole year older than you!"

"...Hello, Big Sister Christina."

Tina broke into a grin and reached out to pat Cleve on the head.

"Very good! Little Brother Cleve~"

Tina.

By age 2, she had slowly started showing her real personality, lively and genuinely adorable.

By age 3, she was already acting spoiled with me.

Real spoiled, too, asking me to buy this, buy that. Always things a girl would like.

My three older daughters never had that particular need. Only Tina. So naturally, I satisfied every single one of her requests.

Even so, Tina is a well-behaved child. She only acts spoiled with me and her mamas.

Heh heh...

At this point, Ariel patted Edward and nudged him toward the children's circle.

Mm.

Cliff's child is only 2 years old, but no matter how I look at it, he's far more pleasant to the eyes than Ariel's child.

Let's settle this now: if my daughters are ever going to get married, the hard requirement is that the groom must be a Milis believer. That's final.

I was still working through my daughters' future spousal criteria when Nanahoshi's voice cut through.

"Rudeus."

"Hm?"

"What do you think? The hot spring."

"Very nice. You designed it, didn't you? It looks way too much like the style back in Japan."

"...Haven't you never been to Japan?"

"The internet can reach a lot of places, actually."

"Heh... I'm done bantering. Time to rinse off and get in the water."

Nanahoshi waved for Julie and turned to head into the bathhouse, but stopped after a couple of steps.

"Rudeus."

"Hm?"

"Enjoy it properly. This was designed for you."

"Thanks."

Julie spoke up softly.

"Master... enjoy yourself..."

"Thanks to you too, Julie."

Nanahoshi smiled, and this time she walked straight into the bathhouse with Julie.

My wives, who had been deep in conversation, noticed and moved to follow.

"Lara, Windsor, Tina, Lucy~ time to bathe!"

"'Kay!" times four.

After watching my wives head inside, Ariel turned to me.

"Lord Rudeus, would you mind if I joined as well? I've been wanting to soak in a hot spring."

"Sure."

"Thank you, Lord Rudeus. In that case — could I trouble you to look after Edward for a bit?"

I looked down at Edward.

This kid... he's definitely going to be a handsome one when he grows up...

I nodded.

"Go ahead."

"Edward, be sure to listen to Lord Rudeus."

Edward nodded.

Ariel rattled off a few more reminders, then headed off to the women's bath in high spirits.

"Alright. Let's rinse off too."

-------

I pushed open the wooden door to the bathhouse.

Warmth rushed out to meet me.

The air carried a faint scent of wood and the mineral tang that only hot springs have.

The floor was slightly damp from the steam.

Soft lamps lit the changing room.

Bamboo baskets sat neatly arranged on wooden shelves.

A small charcoal brazier burned quietly in the corner.

We undressed and walked in.

Orsted, still wearing his curse-weakening device, walked straight to the shower and started rinsing off.

Kind of funny, honestly.

"Speaking of which, Cliff."

"Hm?"

"That curse-weakening device — it got smaller?"

"I updated it. The weakening effect is much stronger than before. Even children aren't afraid of it anymore."

"Nice!"

"You and Nanahoshi deserve some credit there too."

Cliff was scrubbing Cleve's back.

Cleve looked around the room, gaze eventually drifting over to Orsted.

"...This uncle has really cool muscles..."

Orsted heard the compliment and didn't respond.

But the corner of his mouth lifted, just slightly.

Hm.

Well. It is Orsted.

Still, muscles. I train every day, you know. Almost every morning, either with Eris or Aisha.

All my wives say my muscles look good.

Heh heh...

"Who's second?"

Cleve looked at me, then pointed to the person beside me.

Zanoba.

I looked at Zanoba too.

This guy... he normally wears glasses. How are his muscles this outrageous up close?!

Zanoba scratched his head.

"I was born this way, so it doesn't really count."

Right. He's a Blessed Child.

Fair enough. Losing to Orsted and a Blessed Child isn't really losing.

"Then who's third?"

"It's Father... Father can't be last..."

How exactly did Cliff raise this kid?

If you're going to be honest, at least be honest all the way to the end...

Cliff was visibly fighting a smile.

"Sorry, Rudeus. He doesn't know how to lie."

"Heh..."

"Kids say the darndest things... hahahahaha."

He lost the fight and burst out laughing.

Zanoba, meanwhile, turned to me earnestly.

"I think Master's muscles are very cool!"

Right.

Being told your muscles are cool by a man.

It's a little weird.

The sting of defeat vanished completely.

--------

Past the washing area, the outdoor bath opened up.

Cold air poured in. White steam billowed out to meet it.

Beyond the pool, a mountain forest stretched under a blanket of white snow.

The bath itself was enclosed by natural rock, its edge reaching all the way to the side of the cliff. Hot water seeped steadily from the cracks in the stone, rising in thick clouds of steam against the dark winter sky.

A half-open wooden pavilion stood beside the pool, broad pillars holding up a roof that caught the falling snow. Flakes drifted down slowly past the eaves.

The black forest in the distance. The warm, steaming water right here.

Better than I expected.

I lowered myself slowly into the water. My shoulders, stiff and tight from the cold wind, let go all at once.

I looked up. Snowflakes descended through the rising steam, touched the surface of the water, and vanished.

I never soaked in a hot spring in my previous life. This was my first time in this life too.

Though, naturally...

This must have been arranged by Ariel.

Each of us had a maid positioned nearby, ready to pour sake and serve food.

Soaking in hot water. Drinking sake. Light snow falling from the sky overhead.

So this is what Aisha meant by atmosphere.

Settling into it, I felt like talking.

"Orsted."

"Hm?"

"You've lived this long — have you ever soaked in a hot spring before?"

"I have. But this is far better than any of those times."

"Good to hear."

"Mm. So, thank you — truly. Rudeus. And Cliff."

"What's there to say between us."

Cliff nodded in agreement.

Orsted smiled and said nothing more.

Cliff spoke up.

"Rudeus, have you thought about sending your daughters to school?"

"Of course. It still depends on what they want. If..."

A memory surfaced. Something Roxy once said to me.

...If that came true, it would be terrifying.

"Forget it. No 'if.' They're going to school."

"Is that right? Cleve will probably end up at Ranoa University of Magic too. They have an elementary division now — enrollment starts at 7, if I remember right?"

"Yeah. Windsor is already at the enrollment age. Lara and Lucy are almost there."

"Too bad the age gap between Cleve and your kids is so wide. Being in the same year would have been interesting."

"Cleve and Tina are only a year apart. They can enroll together when the time comes."

"True."

Hm.

Now that I thought about it, how old was Edward? Six? Five?

"Edward."

"Yes, Lord Rudeus."

"How old are you?"

"Almost six. I'll be enrolling at Ranoa University of Magic soon."

"You? Don't you have to be seven?"

"Mother says that if you pass the entrance exam, you can enroll at five."

"What's the rush? There's no harm in taking school slowly."

"It's Mother's wish."

Ariel, huh.

Is she treating her own child as some kind of piece on a board?

No, that's not quite right either. For someone who plays the field the way she does, she's only had Edward in all this time. That says something. She must value him, at least for now.

"Did Ariel have you enroll early because she's given you something to do?"

Edward was quiet for a moment.

Then he spoke slowly.

"Lord Rudeus, if I tell you, could you please not get angry?"

"I won't get angry at a child. I have that much self-control."

"Alright... Mother told me to go to school and get close to your daughters. Ideally, get them to like me."

"Hm? Them? What exactly are you saying?"

"...Yes. Mother hopes all of your daughters will come to like me."

"I see. So the King of Asura is thinking about stepping down early."

"Lord Rudeus... you said you wouldn't get angry."

"I said I wouldn't get angry at a child."

"...Lord Rudeus, if I'm being honest..."

"Hm?"

"I only like Big Sister Windsor..."

"You've only just met Windsor. How are you already saying you like her?"

"Big Sister Windsor is really cool... I think it was love at first sight..."

"Ha. The non-negotiable condition for anyone marrying my daughters is that the groom must be a Milis believer, and he has to duel me and win!"

I must have gotten a little worked up, because that came out louder than intended.

Loud enough that the women's section next door heard it.

Sylphie's voice drifted over.

"Rudy, why are you suddenly saying that?"

Aisha followed up cheerfully.

"Ahh~ Big Brother and the others must be talking about the kids' futures again~"

Roxy sighed.

"Rudy~ I've said this many times. No matter how much you can't accept it, your daughters may still get married someday, you know."

Eris burst out laughing.

"That's just how Rudeus is!"

Sigh.

Why are all my wives so at peace with the idea of our daughters marrying someday?

I genuinely don't understand.

And then, in her clearest, cutest voice, Lara Greyrat called out from next door.

"Papa!"

"What is it, Lara?"

"I'm going to find a mage even more amazing than Papa!"

"Maybe... let's not do that..."

What if she actually found one?

There's always someone better, they say. Magic keeps advancing. Old me, someday, might not be a match anymore, knocked to the ground, watching my daughter walk away with another man...

Just imagining it was already,

No!

"Lara! If it's going to be anyone, he has to be stronger than Orsted!"

"Eh!?"

"Not open for discussion."

"Papa's gone crazy!"

The whole women's side dissolved into laughter while Lara Greyrat and I went back and forth.

This wasn't funny. I was completely serious.

Cliff patted my shoulder.

"Your wives are right. You have to make peace with the fact that your daughters might get married someday."

"Cliff... even you're saying that? If your child were a daughter, you'd still feel this way?"

"No 'if.' Cleve is a boy. Hahahahaha."

That guy.

Anyway.

This trip was supposed to be about enjoying myself.

I'd think about the sad things another time.

I lifted my sake cup. Felt the snow settling on my head.

"Hah... for now, this is enough."

I closed my eyes.

Only the sound of the spring reached me, water moving steadily over stone.

And, now and then, the soft sound of snow sliding off the wooden eaves.

Places like this have a way of producing a certain illusion.

That the outside world is very far away.

That everything I dread about the future is shut out beyond that wooden door, locked out in the cold, leaving nothing but warm mist, and time flowing so quietly it almost seemed to have stopped.

➤ Next: Hot Spring, Part Two