The White Magician (2)
“Couples-only?”
The suggestive ring of the words made me repeat the receptionist’s question before I could stop myself. No matter where you stuck it, “couples-only” always carried a lewd undertone. And they’d gone and slapped that label on a bathhouse?
“Yes! It’s a brand-new bathing style we just launched here at the Sardigas Public Bathhouse!”
The receptionist’s eyes sparkled like a fishing maniac who’d just felt a bite on the line. “After that unfortunate incident last time, we finally finished the renovations! It’s a completely private bath where a man and woman can wash together as a couple!”
Unfortunate incident? I hadn’t heard anything about it. Still, the fact that they’d needed to rebuild the place meant it must have been more than a simple mishap. It probably happened before I arrived in Sardigas. Even if they used magic to repair it, just finding a mage would have taken days. They wouldn’t have used teleportation for something like that, either.
“The fee is three coppers for the two of you together! Oh, and don’t think it’s expensive! You can stay for up to three hours, and we provide light fruit and drinks inside, so it’s actually a great deal! The price might even go up later!”
“Th-three coppers?” Franc said, failing to hide her surprise.
One copper was enough for three visits to the regular bath, which meant this couples-only option cost nine times more than the standard rate.
“But three whole hours… Are there really people who take that long to wash?”
“They’re not just washing, are they?”
“…………Ah.”
When I pointed it out to the confused Franc, she finally caught on—just like she had back at the inn. She immediately darted behind me.
─Shashashak.
She really had a habit of hiding behind my back. Was it because my shoulders were so broad? Lately it felt like everyone was using me as a human shield.
“Hehe. So, what do you think? I took a quick peek inside before we opened, and it really feels like a noble’s private bath! The tub isn’t enormous, but it can easily fit four full-grown adults! It’s more than enough space for two couples to relax together!”
Her explanation came out like a machine gun. The merchants in this world really were just upgraded versions of those subway peddlers.
“…Did you say three coppers?”
“Yes, sir!”
“N-Nord?!”
The two women reacted completely differently when I showed interest. Franc looked startled and mumbled in a tiny voice.
“I-I mean, if you want to do it, Nord, I’m fine anytime… but I have work today. No matter how sturdy I am, after doing it with you my back always gives out…”
“That’s not what I meant. I just want to talk for a bit.”
“Talk…?”
“Yeah. Last night we both passed out so hard we couldn’t have a proper conversation, right?”
Pillow talk was just as important as the main event. Last night I’d lost control of my lust and Franc had basically fainted, so we’d skipped it. I planned to make up for that today. And there was another reason—
“…You still have marks left on your body from last night, Franc. Wouldn’t it be better to wash them off somewhere private?”
—It was the perfect place to cleanly erase the intense traces we’d left on each other.
“…Yeah. You’re right. Thank you for thinking of me, Nord.”
Franc nodded, having understood my meaning. Even if her face was burning with embarrassment.
“Hehe. It’s nothing.”
After we reached an agreement, we decided to use the couples-only bath.
“Here’s three coppers.”
“Ah! Nord! I said I’d pay for your bath earlier, so I’ll put in two coppers too!”
“I’ll take it later. Later.”
A true man had to show a little financial bravado in front of the woman he loved. I was the kind of guy who dreamed of building a harem—the ultimate culmination of male supremacy. Even if I didn’t treat women roughly, I believed I should return the favor to those who loved me. I didn’t know if Franc planned to become my wife, but she’d chosen to be with me even after learning I wanted multiple wives. For a woman like that, I wasn’t about to pinch pennies. Honestly, if I couldn’t even manage this much, I’d just be a damn gigolo. Relying on my wife’s money would make me no different from a living dildo. A flash dildo golem.
“Here’s the key to the bath.”
The receptionist handed me a key attached to a wooden tag. The tag had the bath number on it.
“Thank you. Oh, and I didn’t bring a towel today. Can I buy one with a ticket?”
“Of course, I understand.”
“I’ll pay for the towel too!”
I had no choice but to accept Franc’s generosity on this one. Buying a one-copper ticket just for a towel was a hassle anyway. I could just not take the two coppers from her later.
With the key in hand, we headed for the bath.
─Gush gush gush.
“It’s so big!” Franc exclaimed in surprise as she looked around.
Just as she said, the bath was larger than I’d expected. It was about the size of a motel room. The tub itself, however, was rather small. Probably because most customers would be having sex in it, so they’d need to change the water frequently. A smaller tub was more cost-effective for that purpose.
“Nord! Look at this! There are apples, grapes, and even wine!”
Franc’s tension shot up when she saw the table beside the tub. A bowl of fruit, glasses filled with wine, all covered neatly with a white cloth.
“You’re right. The receptionist wasn’t exaggerating when she called it luxurious.”
The “noble bath” comparison wasn’t an overstatement. Still, I had a feeling the prices would rise or the service would decline later. It had that fresh-opening energy where they were pouring everything into it.
“It’s amazing. But why would they go to the trouble of making a bath like this?” Franc asked, touching the table. It looked pretty cheap at a glance—the kind of thing you could just throw away if it got moldy.
“Probably because it wasn’t making money.”
“You think so?”
“I bet. Depending on the region, some bathhouses cost more to maintain than they earn, so they only open in the evenings.”
During the day, customers were busy working so there was no profit. At night, you had extra costs for candles and such. If you cut a hole in the ceiling like an open-air bath to save on lighting, then you got peeping toms. A miraculous vicious cycle.
“They mentioned some incident that forced them to rebuild everything. Maybe they’re trying to attract more daytime customers too.”
If that failed, they’d only operate at night. “Hold it in during the day and come wash at night.” They’d also have to punch holes in the ceiling and arrest the voyeuristic perverts to throw in jail. Some places apparently operated at a loss and covered it with taxes like medical insurance, but I wondered how many lords actually did that. Even corporate executives in democratic countries foam at the mouth at the word “welfare.” In classist Britannia, it was pointless to even bring it up.
“Not everyone can afford to build a bath in their own home like nobles, but plenty of people have fantasies about a private bath like this. Wealthy merchants or Gold Class adventurers, for example.”
“Aha, that makes sense. You know, Nord, you’re really good at—”
Her sentence cut off strangely because Franc, who had turned around, saw me standing there completely naked.
“Hehe. Why so surprised? You can’t wear clothes in a bathhouse.”
I stood there boldly, fully exposed. We weren’t strangers anymore—we’d seen everything there was to see. There was no reason to feel shy about it now.
“R-right. Yeah. I was just startled for a second.”
Maybe her dwarf instincts had kicked in and she’d been too busy examining the bath’s structure to remember what this place was actually for. Once Franc reminded herself that this was a space where men and women bathed naked together, she began moving like a rusty tin doll, all stiff and creaky.
“…Are you going to watch me undress?”
“Should I close my eyes? We’re going to be bathing together, so it feels weird to be embarrassed, but if you want me to, I will.”
“No. You don’t have to.”
Franc took a deep breath and began removing her clothes with a determined expression. When she took off her top, a bra large enough to swallow my entire face came into view. Then she slipped off her pants, leaving her in just her underwear.
─Jiggle.
When she removed the bra she wore for work, her freed breasts moved dramatically. Because the bra had been compressing them, the way they swelled outward was incredibly arousing.
─Glance.
After folding her clothes while still in her panties, Franc peeked at me. Then, very slowly, she slid her panties down.
“…Ugh. I feel like I’m going to die of embarrassment.”
Her feet slipped out of the underwear one after another. Now completely bare, Franc walked over to me. Her small hands struggled to cover her most important parts before slowly lowering.
─Swish.
Twitch.
“Hngh…”
Franc let out a strange, suffering moan as she watched my cock rise in real time.
“D-do you want to do it after all? Nord’s… that thing…”
Unable to say the word “cock,” she shook her head vigorously.
“Anyway, it looks really… uncomfortable.”
“Let’s do it later. If we start now, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”
“…Then after I finish work?”
“Yeah. Let’s do it properly then.”
“…Okay.”
Her voice was slightly heated with anticipation.
─Splash.
Without a single thread between us, we began to wash.
I scooped water from the bath with a ladle and poured it over myself as I spoke.
“Come here. I’ll wash you.”
“Hehe… It’s so bright in here. I feel way more embarrassed than last night.”
Franc, who had grown somewhat used to embarrassment, sat down in front of me. I slowly poured water over her shoulders.
…But what do I do after this?
I’d never washed someone else in my entire life, so I had no idea. Did I need to announce every time I poured water on her head? Wasn’t the whole point of a couples bath that you didn’t have to wash each other?
“…Nord?”
“Huh? Ah, sorry. I’m not sure how to do this.”
Franc looked at me curiously. The way she gazed up at me from inside my arms was so adorable that I confessed without thinking.
“Aha. So you’ve never washed anyone else before?”
Understanding, Franc stood up from my embrace.
“Then come over here. I’ll teach you. I’ve never done it either, but I’ll just do it the way my mother used to wash me.”
“Got it.”
I obediently switched positions. Even with our huge height difference, once I sat down and she stood up, there was enough of a gap for her to wash me comfortably.
─Soft.
I got a nice bonus in the process. My face melted at the plump sensation that kept brushing the top of my head.
“Nord. I’m pouring water now. Close your eyes.”
“Okay.”
Splash─.
Franc’s touch was delicate. She tilted the basket and poured just the right amount of water over my head, thoroughly soaking my hair while gently sweeping it back with her hands. I’d heard that a lot of people loved getting their hair washed at the salon. If Franc ever opened a beauty parlor, people might come just to get this massage.
Her careful hand movements felt wonderful.
“Don’t open your eyes until I say so, okay?”
Her voice even carried a hint of maternal warmth. Afraid water might get in my mouth, I kept it shut and simply nodded.
Once my hair was thoroughly soaked, Franc lathered it with the soap she’d brought. The feeling of her small, slender fingers gliding across my scalp was pure bliss.
Splash─.
“You can open your eyes now, Nord.”
She poured water over me several more times to cleanly rinse away the soap. Since water kept flowing in through the pipes, the level in the tub barely seemed to drop.
─Scrub scrub scrub.
After that, Franc used something like a shower towel to lather soap onto my back. She wasn’t scrubbing off dead skin, so the sensation was even softer.
Soft. Soft.
Still, the main dish was definitely the way her breasts kept brushing against me every time she moved. The feeling of her nipples grazing near my shoulder blades made my already erect cock grow even harder.
“…Should I wash your front too?”
“…I’d love to ask, but I’d better not. If you touch it, my self-control won’t hold out.”
I scooped water with the ladle, roughly rinsed the soap off my back, and turned around. Now it was my turn to wash her.
“Don’t expect too much. Compared to you or your mother, I’m just a clumsy human.”
“Hehe. Just having you touch me makes me happy, you know?”
“Hey, stop tempting me.”
“I’m serious.”
“That is the temptation. What else would be?”
What man in the world wouldn’t react when the woman he loved said she was happy to feel his touch? I calmed my raging “Juicy Conda” that was begging for just one round and began washing Franc’s hair the same way she had washed mine.
─Sararak.
What the hell is this hair?
I thought water had gathered into silk threads. It was impossibly soft. How could human hair make a sararak sound? My own dry, frizzy hair would never be treated like real hair anywhere.
“Hehe. Doing this reminds me of the old days.” Franc said with her eyes closed, sounding happy.
“Thinking about your mother?”
“Yes. Back then, I’d close my eyes tight like this while Mother washed my hair. I was scared of getting soap in my eyes, so I’d always pester her to finish quickly.”
“Oh dear. Then I shall be as careful as possible, Lady Franc.”
“Pffft.”
After finishing her hair, we moved on to her body.
─Slide.
“Ah…”
Franc let out a soft moan as my hand glided across her shoulder. I continued soaping her arms and back, then moved my hands under her armpits.
“Ahaha! Th-that tickles.”
“We have to clean here properly too.”
“W-wait! Kyahahahaha!”
I soaped her armpits and then moved straight to her breasts. This was as natural as eating rice and then drinking soup.
“Ah…♥ Mmm.”
My hands, now slick with soap and frictionless, stroked up and down her large breasts. I carefully cleaned the areas where sweat easily gathered—the undersides, the cleavage, and her nipples. These were parts that were hard to clean thoroughly on your own. Not many men took the time to meticulously wash under their own glans or balls. In that sense, leaving it to your lover was a pretty excellent option. After all, you could touch your beloved’s naked body all day long if you wanted.
─Throb.
The only downside was that the stronger a man’s sexual desire grew, the more power his other “self” gained. It was a law of nature, like how the brighter the light, the darker the shadow.
Marveling at the profundity of human reproductive instincts, I gently pinched Franc’s nipple.
“Hnggggghhh…”