Kays Translations

Chapter 76 

“So you ran into subspecies too, huh?”

“Yeah. Looks like you did as well.”

“There was already a whole pack. Honestly, I’m glad we were able to wipe most of them out during this mission. It’s not normal for such powerful variants to form groups like that.”

“That’s for sure. Remiya, just to ask… did you notice anything suspicious about the monster corpses?”

When we returned to the campsite, Shuris’s team had already gotten back.

Unlike us, it seems they encountered a large group of Crimson Bears acting in unison.

Most likely, they were originally part of the same group as the three we encountered.

According to Melt, “When the leader of a pack chooses a mate, they sometimes temporarily leave the group.”

So the three we fought were probably the pair and a subordinate that followed them around.

“I did suspect that possibility, but there were no signs of magical devices or engraved crests.”

“I see. You made sure to dispose of the corpses properly?”

“Of course. We burned them all.”

“Looks like I was lacking in knowledge… one of them ended up mutating into a powerful monster.”

“…But still, corpse-feeding isn’t usually something that happens outside of dungeons. And from what I’ve heard, it sounds like it only occurred because a monster with mutation potential was born.”

“Even so. We might’ve been able to prevent a threat from emerging. I’m not too familiar with dungeons… I’ll study up on it.”

“Alright then. I’ll gather some related material and hand it to you later.”

I reported the results of our battle to Remiya and Shuris.
Thankfully, while there were some minor injuries, neither of our teams suffered any casualties.

“Remiya, don’t you ever assign me as captain again. I’m exhausted beyond reason.”

“However, from what I’ve heard, everyone said they were glad to be under Captain Silent. Some even seemed to be quite taken with you.”

“Spare me. I usually only ever move solo or with one other person, two at most.”

“What a shame. If you ever decide to form a clan, I’d fully support you.”

Of course—who wants to lose anyone?

I only came along this time because I was worried about Melt.

In the end, it turns out I didn’t need to worry. This crew was more than capable.
…Maybe it’s true that once you hit a certain rank, decent people become the norm.

“I’m a mess. I’ll go wash off in the river.”

“Understood. I’ll make sure no one comes near.”

“Considerate. I’m counting on you.”

The dried blood cracks every time I move—itchy and uncomfortable.

And the stench. I need to jump in that river ASAP.

But Melt offered to make a makeshift bath, so I decided to ask her.

“Melt, can I ask you for a favor?”

“Sure! Let’s head down to the river first.”

She chose a spot a little downstream, away from the campsite, so we wouldn’t contaminate the water supply. There, she began casting magic.

“By the way, can you use that spell even in places without soil?”

“Yep! This is called ‘Nature Magic.’ You can use it pretty much anywhere, and what you can do varies depending on the location. But if there’s water, rocks, sand, soil, and plants like here, I can pretty much create anything! It doesn’t last long, though.”

“…That’s amazing.”

“Right? Even Grandma said, ‘Melt, you’re incredible!’”

Smiling, Melt began digging a hole near the river using her magic.
It was like a transparent cube had pressed into the earth, creating a perfectly rectangular pit.

Smooth walls of rock, pebbles, sand, and soil—all compacted seamlessly together.
It looked like a clay bathtub or unbaked brickwork.

“Now, since fire doesn’t occur naturally, I’ll do this next—”

She took a metal plate-like object from her tool bag and struck it with the back of a knife.

Sparks flew—it looked just like a fire starter from Earth.

She grew the spark into a proper flame and tossed it into the pit, which blazed up instantly.

“Once it’s baked solid, it’s done! If you pour water in right away, it’ll crack—but since it’s disposable, it’s fine.”

“…That’s a super useful spell. As long as you’ve got water, you can take a bath anywhere.”
“Right? I practiced it ever since I was little ‘cause I wanted to soak in a big bath!”

She dug a small canal from the river to fill the pit with water.

Then she heated a bunch of stones with fire and tossed them in to boil the water.

She adjusted the temperature with fresh water until the tub was ready—perfect hot bath.

“It’s done! Instant bath! You go first, Silent. You’re filthy.”

“Much appreciated.”

She even made a modest partition, so I could bathe without worrying about being seen.
I stripped down and stepped into the tub.

The hot water melted the blood and grime off my skin, soaking it away.

Chilly river breeze on my face, hot water warming my body—that contrast was soothing and made me drowsy.

‘Ehh? Then I’ll take you up on that!’

‘Yes, I heard you performed wonderfully, Melt.’

‘Then I’ll go first. Thanks, Remiya!’

Huh? Voices… Melt and Remiya?

Come to think of it, did Remiya end up joining Shuris’s team?

“Silent-sama, would you like me to scrub your back?”

“No need.”

Wha—!? Did that elf just say what I think she did!?

She walked right in, ignoring the partition!?

“You were drenched in monster blood. Make sure you clean thoroughly—this is mutated blood, after all. Who knows what effects it could have.”

“Understood.”

Okay… so she’s not the kind to forcefully scrub someone’s back, thank god.
Still, better dunk my head and wash properly too.

“Water’s cloudy…”

I reopened Melt’s little canal and created a new outlet to drain the bath, while drawing in fresh water.
Since I can’t use magic, I used a mercenary skill—trap setting.

“Oh, that’s boiling nicely.”

Copying Melt, I reheated the water.

Once I adjusted the temperature—

“Alright, good.”

Now then, I’m out of ways to replenish my traps.

Back in the game world, that stuff auto-refilled at rest points.

Normally, I’d never waste them like this, but—

“Well, there’s probably something like bombs in this world too, right?”

I still have so much to do.
I ended up tagging along on this monster subjugation mission out of old-man concern, but with Remiya and Miss Shuris also participating, the kind of worst-case scenario I feared probably wouldn’t have happened anyway.

“Am I ever going to stop being such a worrywart…”

“Hmm? Who’s the worrywart here?”

“!?”

At that moment, a woman’s voice came from directly behind me, and I turned around in shock—

“Why are you here, Lady of the Thirteen Knights? Have you no shame?”

There stood Miss Shuris, completely naked except for a towel wrapped around her, striking a bold pose.

“I have a towel. And once you’re in the bath, such thoughts are uncouth. In the water, all people are equal. There’s plenty of space—come now, Silent, scoot over.

There was someone here who completely lacked common sense.
Seriously? I thought she was one of the sane ones…!

“Really though, isn’t it amazing? Being able to conjure up a bath like this out in the wilds—it’s a remarkable skill, wouldn’t you say, Silent?”

“I guess so. But Shuris, you should’ve waited your turn until the bath was free.”

“But I simply couldn’t help myself. That’s all there is to it, Silent. That’s all.”

Yeah, this woman apparently loses all rationality when it comes to baths.

…Guess I’ll just have to avoid looking at her as much as possible and wait it out.

“Ahh… An outdoor bath… That’s what they call it, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

That sigh of hers was a little too sensual. And now she’s striking up a conversation. Please stop, I’m barely holding it together here.

There’s only so long I can keep playing this curt, stoic guy…!

“This is nice… Listening to the river while soaking in a bath. I heard there are inns like this far out west.”
“…You mean hot spring inns?”

“Yes, hot springs—naturally occurring hot water. I’ve heard they existed in the former Holy Kingdom, too. There were inactive volcanoes scattered about, likely the cause. But as the country grew wealthy from dungeon cores, the land where those hot springs welled up turned into just regular water sources. Like that lake at the mountain’s peak you resolved—that area.”

“…I see.”

She just keeps talking…!

“You’re a mercenary—you must’ve traveled to many places, right? Have you ever seen hot springs or heard of any specialists who dig them up?”

“Unfortunately, I’ve only ever lived on battlefields.”

“…I see.”

Now I’m kind of feeling sorry for her…

“Even without natural hot springs, if there’s a water source, couldn’t you just build a facility with boilers there? That lake had an abundant water supply—seems like a waste not to utilize it.”

“Exactly! Even this river, which is a good distance away, was enough for us to make a bath like this… If it’s near that lake, we could definitely do even more… Maybe I should suggest it to the government… Not having guards stationed at such a vital water source is what led to this incident in the first place.Maybe it’s time to combine that with a new tourism initiative…”

“Take those ideas to someone in power, or at least discuss them with someone who cares. I’m getting out.”

“Hmm? If you’re looking for your clothes, Remiya was washing them. You might want to stay a bit longer.”

“What…?”

Tch… Fine. I’ll pull out my backup gear.

Just act like I’m getting it from my camouflage pack…

“I’ve got a change of clothes. Remiya could’ve at least told me beforehand.”

“Oh? So well-prepared. I take it you’re a bath-lover too?”

“I’m just a seasoned traveler, that’s all. Shuris, this bath was only temporarily heated—it’ll cool soon. You should get out before that. I’m heading off.”

“Hmm, understood. You’re not as bad a person as I thought, it seems.”

Well… I guess we’ve… bonded through bath time?

Later, I found Remia drying my clothes and gear by the campfire, and I took them from her.

I was going to scold her, but seeing her carefully and diligently washing and drying everything… I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

…Everything looked really clean.

“Thanks, Remiya.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Good thing I brought a spare change of clothes, huh?”

“I thought you’d stay in longer. I mean, you were in there with an incredibly beautiful woman.”

“You didn’t stop her…? I’m not someone who gets aroused without regard for time and place, you know.”

She knew… and let it happen!?

I mean, sure, she’s absolutely stunning! But—how do I put this—she’s different!

It’s like… she was so overcome with her love for baths that she completely forgot her shame.

To just let her barge in where a guy is bathing… that’s not okay.

“My apologies. I meant it as additional compensation—for giving you command and making such a difficult request.”

“Don’t worry about it. Well… I guess it was a bit of a feast for the eyes. But don’t do something like that again. Shuris will probably be embarrassed about it later.”

“Yes, I imagine so.”

I took my dry clothes, finally able to relax.

Alright… this should be everything. Melt should return safely too.

“Remiya, about the Owl Dragon corpse we brought back…”

“Yes. It’s an extremely rare material. Even in dungeons, they’re rare sightings—encountering one in the wild is the kind of thing that only happens once every few decades, if at all.
We still haven’t finished the full appraisal or determined its potential uses, though.”

“That’s fine. Take as much time as needed. Once you’ve set a fair price, split the proceeds evenly among everyone in my squad.”

“Evenly, you say?”

“Yes. The squad is one unit. I’m leaving it to you.”

That should be good for now.

At the very least, this was a joint subjugation mission.
Everyone who participated should receive compensation.

And even if I added a little bonus to that, it wouldn’t change much.

“By the way… there are still unpaid rewards from the previous incidents—like the monster extermination you resolved, the underground prison security, and the capture of those bandits.
What should we do about those?”

“I’ll collect that next time I head to Lindblum. I only joined this mission as a side errand. After this, I’m regrouping with the ‘main party.’ Things are a bit busy.”

“Understood… Still, we might be sending a message soon, requesting you come to Lindblum. Please keep that in mind.”

“Got it. Then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Right now? Understood.”

I’m sorry! Tomorrow I’ve got to check on Melt’s alchemy experiment results, stop by the cooking guild, and submit that batch of cola syrup I’ve been working on.

So I went to find Melt, who should’ve still been at the camp, to let her know I was leaving early.

Sure enough, she was sitting around the campfire, eating with the rest of my squad.

“Melt, got a minute?”

“Ah, Silent.”

“Captain! Good work today!”

“We already started eating! Come, join us!”

“Nah, I’ve got somewhere to be. I’ll be heading out ahead of you all.”

“Eh!? But the night’s just getting started!”

“That’s right! I wanted to hear more stories from you, Captain!”

“Sorry. Let’s save that for next time. Melt, come with me a sec.”

Oof, that hurts. My heart! I’m getting pulled back in!

I pulled Melt aside to let her know I was heading home first.

“Got it. I’ll take the early morning stagecoach tomorrow and head straight to the Alchemy Guild.”

“Alright. I’ll meet you there.”

“In Seira?”

“Of course.”

“…There really is a huge difference between us, huh.”

“I think so too.”

We’re probably total opposites.

Wait—no, there was that tiny girl too…

“Well then, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. See you.”

And so, feeling a strange sense of longing and a quiet fulfillment,

Silent made his way alone into the depths of the forest toward the hidden door.

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