We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Everyone in the bath.
“Oh my, oh my. What shall we do?”
“If there are no other inns available, we have no choice.”
“W-what should we do?”
“Um, Priscilla doesn’t mind.”
“Nyaa.”
We were consulting in front of the inn’s reception.
We had been too slow to find lodging, and there were no vacancies.
This inn, which we finally found, apparently only had one four-person room left.
The problem was that I was the only male.
Mistral and Priscilla-chan were okay, but Ruiseine, the priestess, being mindful of her position, seemed to want to avoid sharing a room with a man.
“Indeed. Is this situation unavoidable this time? Besides, Mistral and Priscilla-chan are here with me, and perhaps the Goddess will look the other way.”
“Nyaa.”
“Fufufu. Nimia-chan was here too.”
Ruiseine smiled, composing herself.
Good, it seems I don’t have to look for another inn right now.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well then, we’ll take the room for four people, including the children. Is that alright?”
The innkeeper smiled as he processed our request. He was probably in a good mood because the inn was full tonight.
“The room is down the corridor on the first floor, the very last one. The restroom is at the end of the opposite corridor. There are signs, so you’ll know.”
The innkeeper gave us a brief explanation and handed us the room key.
“Please have the payment ready.”
Saying this, Ruiseine took a piece of parchment from her pocket.
“What is this?”
It clearly wasn’t money.
As Mistral and I tilted our heads in confusion, Ruiseine explained.
“This is like a promissory note. The person who receives it will write their name at the bottom, and the recipient will fill in the amount. Then, if you take it to the temple at a later date, that amount will be paid.”
The upper half of the parchment contained a guarantee for the document and the terms of the contract.
“Wouldn’t it be faster to just pay with money? It would be awful if it were forged.”
I thought so too, but the innkeeper just laughed.
“There shouldn’t be any scoundrels who would forge temple documents.”
“Clergy members don’t typically carry much cash. If they did, their hearts might be disturbed by materialistic desires.”
Ruiseine also said with a smile.
I see. If I had money, I might be tempted to buy snacks and such.
If transactions were handled with something as cumbersome as this parchment, one would hesitate to use it, and it wouldn’t be easy to make purchases.
And since it’s issued by the temple, there shouldn’t be any scoundrels who would easily forge it.
“You’d have to go to the temple to cash this parchment, but that’s also a good reason to visit for prayer, so it’s not a problem.”
“The temple would be delighted if you were to visit and pray for that reason as well.”
“Hmm, it’s well-thought-out.”
I mostly understood, but it seemed to be a story that Mistral, who wasn’t human, couldn’t grasp. He was still tilting his head and looking at us curiously.
Perhaps I should have a serious talk about religion with him.
“In any case, we can finally settle in.”
While Ruiseine and the innkeeper filled out the parchment, we moved to our assigned room.
The room was simple, with four beds lined up at regular intervals.
So tonight, I’ll be sleeping with two women and a child.
For some reason, I felt strangely tense.
“Oh, there’s a bath attached to the room.”
“Eh, really!?”
“Is that unusual?”
Indeed, there was a changing room at the back of the room, and beyond that, a bath that could comfortably accommodate us.
I was surprised to find a private bath in the room, even though it wasn’t a high-class inn.
Most stories say that the bath is communal, and I had assumed this would be the case.
“Ah, well, this is…”
The innkeeper, who had helped us with our luggage, gave a wry smile.
“This room is for families. That’s why there are more beds than in other rooms, and a bath. But the price is higher accordingly, which is why it was vacant until you arrived.”
I see. So that’s how it is. People don’t usually stay in expensive rooms with baths.
Since Ruiseine was paying for us, I hadn’t bothered to think about how much this room cost.
“Ruiseine, is the payment really alright?”
Even if the temple covers it, we can’t afford unnecessary expenses.
“Fufufu, please don’t worry. This much is not a problem.”
Wow, Ruiseine is generous. I’ll take advantage of her kindness and relax tonight.
“Um, Priscilla will sleep with Older Brother.”
“Nyaan.”
“No, no, there are four beds, so you don’t have to sleep with me.”
“Nyan!”
Priscilla-chan and Nimia immediately started making noise in the room.
“Now, you two. Other people are staying here too, so be quiet.”
Then the two of them were scolded.
Smiling at the heartwarming sight, the innkeeper placed the luggage and left the room.
“Phew, now we can finally relax.”
I sat down on a random bed and took a breath.
“Are you indirectly accusing me of something?”
“N-no! I didn’t mean anything by it!”
I hastily denied Mistral’s cold remark.
“Fufufu, it was a very stimulating afternoon.”
Oh, Ruiseine, don’t add fuel to the fire.
“Ruiseine, I need to have a serious talk with you.”
“W-what are you saying! It sounds like I’m suggesting we solve this with our fists.”
“Oh my, oh my. Is Mistral someone like that?”
“R-Ruiseine, what are you talking about?”
I panicked. Why was the atmosphere getting so tense?
Did the two of them fall out with each other somehow?
I thought they were getting along quite well this morning.
I flitted back and forth between Mistral and Ruiseine, with Priscilla-chan and Nimia trailing behind me.
We’re not playing…
“Fufufu, it’s a joke.”
“Elnea-kun is so fun to tease.”
Seeing my pathetic state, the two of them burst out laughing. Ahh, I was tricked. They were both teasing me. How cruel.
I sulked and buried my face in the bed.
“Um, Priscilla wants to take a bath.”
“Nyaan.”
Priscilla-chan, who had been lying on the bed with me, peeked into my face and said.
“Yes, since there’s a bath here, perhaps we should all go in.”
“Eh?”
I jumped up.
A bath together?
That would be…!
“Fufufu. Elnea-kun seems energetic again.”
“Elnea, you, of course, will be separate. Why did you think you could bathe with us women?”
Ruiseine smiled, and Mistral looked down at me coldly.
“Ugh, you were the one who said ‘together’.”
I pouted and puffed out my cheeks.
“As expected, I can’t show my skin to a gentleman…”
“You go to the communal bath. You are forbidden from entering here.”
“N-noooo!”
Not even being allowed to use the bath in this room was too sad.
Only Priscilla-chan comforted me as my shoulders slumped.
“Do you want to bathe with Priscilla?”
Priscilla-chan smiled innocently.
Ah, this is healing. I smiled back at Priscilla-chan and stroked her head.
“Is Elnea-kun a pervert?”
Ruiseine recoiled from me, her face contorted.
“Apparently so.”
“N-no, it’s a misunderstanding!”
Mistral, how could you say that? I am absolutely not a pervert.
I just find Priscilla-chan so incredibly cute.
Seeing my panic, Mistral and Ruiseine started laughing. Ugh, I was fooled again.
“Alright, enough with the jokes. Is the bath ready?”
“I’ll go check.”
Far from being on bad terms, they seemed to be completely at ease with each other. When did they become so friendly?
Perhaps women become friends faster because they talk a lot.
“The water temperature seems good.”
Ruiseine returned from the changing room and reported.
“Well then, we’ll all go in, leaving Elnea behind.”
Saying this, Mistral scooped up Priscilla-chan.
“Ah!”
And then I remembered.
I still haven’t told Ruiseine about Priscilla-chan. If she took off that fluffy hat she’s wearing, her long, drooping ears would be revealed, and she’d be recognized as an eared beast.
As if sensing my concern, Mistral smiled once and nodded.
“I think I can get along with Ruiseine. So I’ll tell her.”
Saying this, Mistral, holding Priscilla-chan, went into the changing room.
“It would be terrible if you peeked.”
Ruiseine said something absurd and followed them into the changing room.
Nimia toddled along at their feet.
Well, I’ve been left behind.
I guess I’ll just go to the communal bath then. As I thought this, a small cry from Ruiseine and cheerful chatter leaked from the changing room.
Ruiseine realized Priscilla-chan’s true identity.
From the private bath, which had turned into a women’s bath, came constant lively and enjoyable voices.
Yes, listening to these voices isn’t so bad. Women’s happy voices are pleasant to listen to.
I decided against going to the bath and lay down on the bed, eavesdropping.
Ah, I’m not eavesdropping with impure thoughts, I excused myself to no one in particular.
Still, this afternoon was tiring.
I recalled the events of the afternoon.
After Mistral defeated the fake dragonkin, we returned to the refectory and had lunch.
Speaking of which, how did Mistral know those two were fakes?
Be that as it may, while we were eating, patrol soldiers heard the commotion and came.
There are soldiers patrolling the roads to maintain public order.
They had heard from passersby, and the patrol soldiers demanded we accompany them.
But we had Ruiseine, the priestess, with us, so they were hesitant and Mistral quickly refused.
However, they had their jobs to do.
When we left the refectory, they were waiting outside, and the road was in an uproar.
After all, they even prepared a carriage.
Ruiseine told Mistral that she should explain things, but Mistral wouldn’t listen.
Well, I think that’s unavoidable. After all, if she tried to explain properly, she’d have to prove that Mistral was a dragonkin, and many other things. That would cause a major incident.
And from there, it became a game of tag with the patrol soldiers.
They must have been suspicious of us trying to slip away vaguely. We were forced to flee, even with the priestess Ruiseine present.
But if it was a race, the patrol soldiers in armor were no match for us.
It was easy to shake off the patrol soldiers who were desperately chasing us as we fled like rabbits. But they were persistent, and it wasn’t until after dusk that they finally gave up.
That’s why we had trouble finding an inn.
And I’m grateful to Ruiseine, who fled with us without questioning anything.
Surely Mistral is explaining things properly in the bath right now.
Perhaps it will be a long bath. If so, I might as well go take a bath instead of just sitting here.
As I thought this and stood up.
Suddenly, with a splash of water, Priscilla-chan, dripping wet, appeared before me.
“Wh-what!”
I blinked in surprise.
“P-Priscilla-chan!”
Ruiseine’s scream echoed from the bath.
After a flurry of noisy sounds, Ruiseine burst out of the changing room.
And I saw it. Ruiseine in her underwear…
