Kays Translations

Chapter 146: A Miracle in the Hot-Spring District

The turtle in front of me kept opening and closing its mouth. Was it hungry? Just kidding. It was obviously bewildered by the potion I’d brought.

Without hesitation, I held it out to the Lake Spirit, who was still in the form of a turtle.

“It’s finished. This is the Advanced Sustained Mana-Restoration Potion. It’ll continuously restore the mana you’ve lost.”

“…Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

The Lake Spirit’s throat bobbed at the sight of the reddish-brown potion. The spirit must have swallowed hard.

For my part, I didn’t mind whether the spirit drank it or not. That was entirely up to the Lake Spirit. I’d fulfilled my obligation. And if the Advanced Sustained Mana-Restoration Potion stayed in my hands, that would be convenient in its own way.

The Lake Spirit stared fixedly at the potion, clearly hesitating.

“…I’ll take it. I’m still the guardian of this region. I can’t simply abandon that duty of my own accord.”

The Lake Spirit seemed to reach a decision. The spirit’s face went as blank as a Noh mask, the light disappearing from both eyes. Maybe the taste was the problem. I should probably offer some reassurance.

“It only tastes like raw, grassy carrots. You’re used to eating carrots, aren’t you? It’ll be fine.”

The Lake Spirit pulled an even more displeased face. Maybe carrots weren’t a favourite after all. I should’ve asked about preferences first.

With obvious apprehension, the spirit drank the potion. After one sip came a face that practically said “Ugh,” and then the spirit squeezed both eyes shut and gulped the rest down in one go.

“Cough, cough… That’s awful…”

“They say good medicine tastes bitter. That just proves it works.”

Well, most of the potions in this world were simply awful-tasting, full stop. That wasn’t my fault. After finishing the potion, the Lake Spirit looked over the turtle-shaped body.

“Nothing seems to have changed.”

“That’s normal. The potion restores mana continuously rather than all at once. Your mana should recover gradually from here. It might take five years, or even ten, before you’re completely back to normal.”

“I see. Yes, that may be so. In that case, I shall return to the lake.”

And so a knight carried the Lake Spirit back to the lake where we’d found them. I’d done a good deed. Maybe, sometime while I was still alive, I’d get to soak in the hot springs here after all. Still, I decided not to get my hopes up too much.

“Julius, it’s almost time for dinner. Let’s go to the dining room.”

“Okay.”

After that, I ate with Brother Cain, took a bath at the inn, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

We’d originally come to this town to rest. At last, it looked as though we could actually fulfil that purpose.

The next morning, I woke with the refreshing light of sunrise. I’d used a huge amount of mana with Laboratory the day before, so I’d slept extremely well. I felt great.

I greeted Brother Cain and headed to the dining room, where breakfast was already waiting.

“Brother, are we leaving tomorrow?”

“That’s the plan. It’s a shame we won’t get to use the hot springs, but perhaps we can visit the lake again today.”

“I’d like that. I want to go back to the Green Corridor too.”

“Then let’s do that.”

While we were talking, a knight hurried over looking slightly flustered. Had something happened? Brother Cain tilted his head and asked.

“What is it? Did something happen?”

“Well… apparently the hot springs that had dried up suddenly began flowing again last night.”

Brother Cain and I looked at each other. There was only one thing it could be. The Lake Spirit had recovered. As expected of the Advanced Sustained Mana-Restoration Potion—it had worked much faster than the beginner version!

“Then we can go to the hot springs!”

“We can. I never realised you liked hot springs this much. I like them too. Once we’ve finished breakfast, let’s go straight there. After that, we’ll visit the Lake Spirit.”

“Okay!”

Hot springs! Hot springs! What I’d done hadn’t been a mistake after all. I certainly hadn’t expected the springs to start flowing again in a single day, though. This was a lucky bonus.

When we reached the hot-spring district, it was completely different from the day before. White steam rose here and there, and the faint smell of sulphur seemed to proclaim, “There are good hot springs right here!”

The district that had looked so lifeless yesterday was overflowing with energy. Calls from shopkeepers trying to attract customers rang out all around us. Of course, some shops remained closed. One of them was probably the place that had been deceiving customers. You reap what you sow.

“Which hot spring should we choose?”

“Don’t rush, Julius. There’s one we’ve used for years. We’ll go there first.”

“Yes!”

And so we thoroughly enjoyed the hot springs. We weren’t the only ones—the knights must have enjoyed them too. Next time, I wanted to bring the knights who usually accompanied me.

Once we were completely warmed through, we finally remembered that we were supposed to visit the lake.

“Th-this is…!”

“Yes. The lake is crystal clear. It’s even clearer than when I saw it before,” Brother Cain said.

“It’s beautiful. Look, you can even see the fish swimming.”

The lake had become astonishingly transparent. Apparently this was its true appearance. This must have been the scenery Brother Cain had wanted to show me from the beginning. I took my time enjoying it.

“L-Lord Cain, look over there!”

“Hm?”

One of the knights cried out in shock. Following the direction of the knight’s gaze, I saw a bipedal creature approaching us. It had a sturdy green body, thick with muscle, and a turtle shell on its back.

What in the world was that…?

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