I was informed that the path to the center was blocked by the Treasure Beastmen of the upper echelon.
The old man jerked his chin, as if telling me to follow him. He walked away, hands in his pockets, looking listless.
“Well, since that’s the case, stay a little longer.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Only our footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway.
“… You know, this is my personal opinion, but I have a bad premonition.”
The old man mumbled.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, most of the people here are too used to peace. They’ve been living leisurely for a long time without any outside enemies.”
Just then, a young girl walking with her head down approached from down the hallway. The old man called out to her.
“Hey, Chalait, could you take these people to an available room somewhere?”
“Yes.”
The girl looked up slightly and murmured in a small voice. She seemed different from the others somehow. Her hair was blonde, but it was messy and a bit dull. She had freckles around her nose and her eyes were puffy semi-double eyelids.
Not that she was unattractive. In fact, she was quite ordinary, but the unusually high average facial attractiveness of the residents here made her stand out.
Was she from outside? Maybe a servant. The girl, called Chalait, silently began to guide them to a room.
“Please use this room. If you need anything, please call me. I’ll be in the next room.”
She bowed slightly and glided into the adjacent room. The room they were shown was not quite a hotel suite, but it was quite nice. There was a large, open window and a spacious bed. There was no bathroom attached, but there must be one somewhere.
I was the first to lie down on the bed. My body sank into it with a soft feeling. Ah, this is the best, I wonder when the last time was. I’m already feeling sleepy. But first, I want to take a bath. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I feel like I haven’t had one in days.
I went to find Chalait, who was in the next room. I knocked and opened the door to find her ironing sheets.
“What is it?”
“Sorry to bother you while you’re working, but I wanted to use the bath.”
“Ah, I apologize. This room doesn’t have a bath, does it?”
She looked me up and down as if thinking about something. Was something on my face?
“Uh, do I look strange?”
“No, I heard you came from the outside world. You don’t know much about us.”
“I’d be grateful if you could tell me…”
What was with this strange atmosphere? There was a weird tension. Did I do something wrong?
“This place, as the name suggests, is paradise. Crops grow all year round, and we never lack for food. The weather is good, and there are no outside enemies. We spend our days eating fruit and indulging in pleasure.”
It was truly the world everyone desires. Living surrounded by beautiful men and women, indulging in pleasure without doing much work. Countless people must have lost their lives trying to reach this utopia.
“What is your purpose here?”
“I came here chasing a Dark Elf named Auroa. They must be the ones who tried to infiltrate the center.”
“I see, then do not lose sight of your goal. People are easily consumed by pleasure.”
I somehow understood what she meant. It was obvious without thinking; once you set foot in a place like this, you’d want to stay forever. I already feel like I don’t want to leave.
Chalait folded the sheets and put down the iron, then stood up.
“Well then, this way.”
“Wait a moment, I’ll ask everyone if they want to go too.
I peeked into the room and called out to them. Nina and Philiana decided to come along.
“A bath after so long! Yay!”
“That’s very kind.”
Nina, holding a lot of luggage, looked delighted. If she had legs, she would have been skipping.
“This way.”
“Thank you.”
The three of us opened the door with excitement. There was a large changing room.
“…Huh?”
I froze at the entrance. A changing room right off the bat? Well, it’s normal for a public bath, but I couldn’t see any curtains for the men’s or women’s baths. Looking around, the only path forward led to the bathhouse itself. Could it be a mixed bath?! I hurriedly turned back and called out to Chalait.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Well, it’s not separated by gender.”
She looked at me blankly, as if she didn’t understand my words.
“That’s right.”
“No, no, that’s not okay. Um, is it like this everywhere?”
She nodded as if suddenly asking what I was talking about.
“My companions… I don’t really want to see them naked, or rather, I can’t let them see me naked.”
“I see. Then I will show you to a different place.”
I told the two that I would bathe separately. Chalait must be thinking, “Why separate from your friends?” Unfortunately, in the outside world, men and women bathe separately, and even among friends, we generally don’t have naked gatherings.
