The Bathhouse
The lodging we'd arrived at was better than I'd expected.
Though, just as they'd said, there was no way to repair the water pipes that kept getting wrecked by the endless gate collapses. Water trucks were parked thick along the side of the building, and they'd stockpiled an absurd number of water tanks in advance. Just preparing all of that must have taken a fair amount of time. Which was why they'd asked us to keep unnecessary water use to a minimum.
"Whoa, what is this place?"
"It used to be a five-star hotel. They converted it into a hunter facility. It's not like they can use it as a tourist destination anymore."
"But no running water, huh."
"...If they lay new pipes, they'll just burst again before long."
In practice, everything north of Yangyang in Gangwon Province was still territory humanity hadn't reclaimed—all because of the monsters pouring down like crazy from further north. I'd actually heard a little about this during my socialization education…
When the Gate Crisis first hit, North Korea had forcibly shoved their awakened into the gates. Then one mistake in an S-class gate cost them most of their hunters. And in the end, in a desperate bid to stop the waves of monsters pouring out, they'd done the insane thing of detonating nuclear bombs on their own land. Thanks to that, the country had collapsed in an instant, and it was still an uncontrolled zone to this day. In short, North Korea had managed to dump every last bit of shit they had before going under.
Thud—
"Alright, all done. You've unpacked everything, right?"
"Yes. All finished."
"…And why are you covered in dirt again?"
"I was setting up the soil I brought. This time I purchased soil from an island called Ulleungdo—"
"Ah, ah… yeah, yeah. Good job."
Sensing he was about to launch into some useless monologue, I quickly ruffled his hair.
"Ha-eun, shall we go wash up too?"
"Yes! Where… beauty bar, body lotion, face packs… treatment—"
"Okay, that's enough out of you too!"
"Eek?! Unnie?!"
I grabbed Ha-eun's arm and pulled her along before she could start rattling off her entire inventory. Look, just give yourself a quick scrub and get out. Why are you packing like you're moving in… Granted, I used body wash and treatment myself. But beyond that was uncharted territory for me. I was a dragon. Skin care was completely unnecessary.
Thump—
We headed down to the first floor and found the communal bathhouse. I'd deliberately come down a little late, but there were still more people than I'd expected. If the female hunters—who were already fewer in number—were this crowded, the men's side had to be pure chaos. Not that it mattered to me.
Anyway, then…
"Hehehe…"
"Unnie?"
"…Goldy-nim. That is a rather unsettling laugh."
"Hmm… you go play over there."
"Pardon?"
This was adult talk!
"…Unnie, sometimes even I can't understand you."
"…I second that."
"Hey now. That's enough of that. Let's hurry inside."
Bathing was a matter of the utmost importance, after all.
"Ahhhh~ This is nice. The water's warm…"
"You sound like a middle-aged man."
After a quick rinse, I was the first to sink into the hot tub, and Ha-eun let out a sigh as she spoke.
"That's a little harsh."
"…You're the one who made the middle-aged-man sound first?"
"What, should I make a different sound then? Aheung, aheung. Is that better?"
"Haaaaah… please stop."
I said it in a completely deadpan voice, and Ha-eun shook her head like she couldn't take any more.
"Unnie, you really need to be more aware of how you look…"
"What's wrong with how I look?"
"Your face is wasted on— never mind."
"You were about to say my face is wasted on me, weren't you?!"
Rustle—
Ha-eun carefully sat down beside me, and Terra…
"Ugh… this place is hell…"
…was shivering behind the tub, only dipping his toes in.
"Hmm, hey!"
"Hgyaaaah?!"
I splashed water at him, and he leaped backward like a cat.
"Haaaah… Unnie. What are you doing. He's a child."
"It's fun. Every man— no, every adult carries a childlike heart inside them."
"…Please don't talk if you can't even finish a sentence."
As I cackled, the hunters around us started glancing our way.
"Oh my? There's a child here?"
"A child? In a place like this…?"
"So cute. Is he a beastkin?"
In a place full of nothing but hunters, Terra was bound to draw eyes.
"Come over here. If you get in the tub, people will stare less, you know?"
"Uuu…"
Only then did he slowly make his way over.
"Terra, do you really hate water that much?"
Ha-eun suddenly asked, looking at him. Come to think of it, it was rare for Ha-eun to speak to him directly.
"…I hate it. Imagine someone filling a tub this size with mud and telling you to get in."
"Uh…"
"But what can I do. If Goldy-nim wants it… I am prepared to walk into a pit of fire."
He said that and dunked his mouth under the water, so I gave him a light squeeze.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm not going to make you do anything like that."
Bubble bubble—
He really did look like a little kid like this.
"And you still need to bathe."
"…Yes."
I sank deeper into the water myself, letting the heat loosen my body—and my eyes landed on a rather fine view.
"…! Wh-where do you think you're looking?!"
"I thought the same thing at the beach last time, but you're bigger than I expected?"
"Ugh…"
"Doesn't match your face at all."
"W-what?!"
Ha-eun hurriedly covered herself, her face flushing bright red. With her red hair on top of that, she looked exactly like a tomato.
"Your face is definitely the cute type. And yet you're that big? That's a cheat."
"W-what on earth are you talking about!!"
"What do you mean, why?"
I moved my tail underwater and wrapped it around Ha-eun's waist.
"Eek? Unnie?!"
"Hmm… maybe I should just gobble you up."
"W-what?!"
"Though you wouldn't even make a single mouthful."
"Wait— let go of—"
Ha-eun flailed in panic as my tail coiled tighter. I leaned in even closer.
"Eek!… W-wait—"
She squeezed her eyes shut with a tiny scream.
Thwap—
"Eek?!"
I flicked her forehead.
"Your reactions are so fun I want to tease you more, but if I keep going you might actually die."
"Y-yeheh…?"
"Go rinse off with some cold water. Your face is bright red."
Her reactions really were excellent. That was why I always teased her. For a hunter, she was way too pure.
Squeeze—
"Eek? Goldy-nim?"
"Time for dragons to play together. She's too fragile."
This time I pulled Terra tight against me. He looked briefly flustered at being pressed against me, but then settled into place and stayed still. There was something oddly comforting about this…
"Haa… more big trouble ahead, I suppose?"
"…Goldy-nim. I have a question."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Could you not… resolve this matter, or even greater ones… in a single instant?"
"Well, if I got serious about it, yeah."
At my answer, Terra carefully turned his head.
"Then why do you not simply resolve everything at once?"
"That's what you're curious about?"
"Yes. Before I met you, Goldy-nim… I solved most things with force."
Most dragons would be the same. They were so overwhelmingly strong from the start that the process of bickering with others and watching events unfold could feel tedious. Plenty of dragons were arrogant by nature, too.
But.
"If I'd been that kind of person, you'd be dead right now."
"Pardon…?"
"If, the first time we met, I'd decided to 'resolve' things by crushing your head. Would we even be here right now?"
Terra seemed taken aback. I might come across as fairly mild and kind, but I was the higher-ranked dragon. I knew better than he did how wrong he'd been that day.
"Think about who you were back then. You know full well that if the dragon who'd found you that day hadn't been me, you'd be dead."
"…Yes, I suppose so."
"I like connections and fateful encounters like that. The fact that you, who I met that way, even entered a contract with me."
I paused for a moment, glancing toward the bathhouse entrance, then continued.
"And meeting a human named Ha-eun and ending up like this. It's definitely something special."
If I'd ended everything in a single stroke, this life—Ha-eun, Terra, the broadcasts—none of it would exist. That was how I saw it. Even if plenty of things still scraped at my insides these days.
"And if I thrash around too much, that thing I saw in my dream earlier might start making a fuss. Anyway, did that answer your question?"
"…Yes. To some extent."
"Then shall we get up too~"
"W-wait— I'm coming with you!"
As I stood up, he hurried after me. Wrapped in towels, we headed for the showers—when a sudden hissing sound came from beside us.
"Hssssk!"
"Haa…"
"Nooo nyaa!"
"I've told you every time, Lucy. You have to take a bath."
Hmm… why does this feel familiar? I looked toward the source of the noise.
"Hssssssk!"
A real beastkin—orange hair, ears and a tail—was facing off against a woman. This was the first real beastkin I'd seen since coming to Earth. I'd only ever been mistaken for one myself.
"Argh, seriously! Lucy— eek?!"
The woman trying to grab the beastkin suddenly lost her footing and staggered. That looked dangerous.
"Hyaak?! S-Si-rin!"
Hmm…
Thud—
"Whoa… ah?"
"Are you okay?"
"Ah— yes, yes! Thank you!…"
I stepped in and caught the woman before she could fall.
"S-Si-rin, I'm sorry nyaa… because of me…"
"Umm… no, no, it's fine."
The woman soothed the beastkin, who immediately burst into tears. Beastkin were always like that. How to put it… their instincts ran strong. Basically, they were a species that caused a lot of accidents.
"Thank you, Hunter-nim!…"
"Not at all. You just looked like you were about to fall. But, Hunter-nim? Are you not a hunter?"
"Ah! Yes! We're staff from Supply Team 6!"
"Supply?"
"Yes, yes! Since this place is a bit remote… we got deployed here too!"
Supply team, huh. Well, supply was important.
"Ah! I'm Yun Si-rin! And this is my partner, Lucy!"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Goldy."
We exchanged rough introductions and turned to wash ourselves. This wasn't exactly the place for a long chat while undressed. Still, I hadn't known there was a supply team. And a beastkin too—what kind of department was this? They probably hadn't come all the way out here just to lay supply lines.
"Goldy-nim?"
"Hmm… it's nothing. Let's just wash up and get out."
When Terra and I came outside, Ha-eun—who had already been drying her hair—greeted us.
"Unnie, you're out?"
"Yeah."
"Get dressed and drink this! Here, Terra too!"
"What is this?"
"A drink, a drink. Unnie, you know this one, right? They had it stocked here."
I took the drink and said,
"Whoa… they still make this? I used to drink this before I went to the other world."
"Actually, they don't make it anymore. Apparently the supply team managed to get some! That's welfare for you."
"Huh, really?"
How curious…
"So, what now?"
"There's an operations briefing. I'll go alone. You find that kind of thing boring, Unnie."
"Thanks for that."
I got dressed and was drinking when—
Boom!—
"Huh?!"
"I-is that a blackout?!"
A massive tremor hit, and the facility's power went out. And then, a vast current I could feel on instinct.
Thud—
"Damn… I didn't even finish drying my hair…. Ha-eun."
"Yes?"
I cast a see-through magic on all of us and said,
"You brought your sword, right?"
I'll say it again—the Wild Hunt is a phenomenon. And phenomena don't always unfold the way you expect.
Kuuuung!—
The procession was drawing near.