A Steamy Surprise
Ten minutes before Baran entered the hot spring, Luden had finally picked out a swimsuit, but unfortunately, she never got the chance to show it to him properly because of Risa. Of course, with his eyes the way they were, he wouldn't have seen it anyway, but there should have been another way. 'Ugh. Where did Baran disappear to?'
She kept glancing around, unaware that Baran was currently giving Sherry a massage. Then, by chance, she spotted something. 'A hot spring?' She had assumed there would only be a swimming pool, but it seemed there was a hot spring as well. Normally she wouldn't have cared, but without Baran around, she had nothing to do. 'Hmm. No one should be here, right?'
She looked around just in case. Fortunately, the professors were still keeping the students in check, so no one was heading this way. 'I should rest for a bit.' Having made up her mind, Luden wrapped a towel around herself and stepped into the bath. The next moment, it felt as though all the fatigue in her body was melting away.
“Haa.”
Just as she leaned against the wall and began to enjoy the bath, footsteps echoed in her ears. Thud. Thud. Luden's eyes flew wide open at the unexpected situation. She had never imagined anyone would come this way. 'Who is it?'
She stood up quickly and covered herself with the towel. At least the towel was large enough to do the job, though covering her entire chest proved impossible.
The approaching figure suddenly stopped. Steam made their face hard to see, but the towel wrapped around their lower body made it clear they were male. 'What do I do?' As her mind raced, a voice called out from beyond the steam.
“Baran?”
The person who appeared was none other than Baran himself. She hadn't been able to find him earlier, yet here they were, running into each other like this. The one silver lining was that he couldn't see. Swish. The next moment, Luden's gaze involuntarily drifted downward. 'H-He really is insane.' Why on earth had she looked there? Even with the towel covering him, it was far too careless.
“Miss Luden, what brings you here?”
“Oh, I got here first.”
“Ah, I see. I truly didn't expect this.”
“Hmm. How did you know this was the bath?”
At her question, Baran scratched his cheek and answered politely. “I was walking around memorizing the layout, so I knew.”
“Ah.”
“In any case, if you're already here, I suppose there's no helping it. I'll take my leave—”
“No. Let's stay together.”
“Pardon?”
Baran flinched in surprise at the unexpected words. He never thought Luden, of all people, would say something like that. “I-I mean, it's fine if it's you, Baran. Besides, this is a mixed bath anyway!”
Her face flushed as she waved her arms about, clearly embarrassed by her own words. 'If I refuse now, it'll only get more awkward.' Turning her down after she'd said all that would make him feel like a complete scoundrel. Left with no choice, Baran nodded reluctantly.
“Understood. Then let us go in together.”
“Yeah.”
With that, the two of them entered the bath. Unlike the swimming pool, the water here was pleasantly warm. Somehow, it felt as though the fatigue was draining from their bodies. 'A cold beer would be perfect right now.' It was truly a shame there was no alcohol.
While Baran was thinking that, Luden was stealing glances at him. 'Ugh.' Her eyes kept drifting toward his body. What she had originally wanted was to see him in a swimsuit, and she had gotten that much. The swim trunks paired with a matching shirt had made his well-defined muscles look quite striking. But this was on an entirely different level. To put it bluntly, he was practically naked right now! 'Am I the only one who's bothered by this?'
She looked at his face just in case. Baran tilted his head, looking puzzled. “Is there something you wish to say to me?”
“Ah, no, it's not that. It's just… how do I put this…”
“?”
“Your body is in really good shape.”
“Ah……”
An incredibly awkward silence fell between them. Luden immediately regretted being so honest. She quickly changed the subject. “M-More importantly, that's amazing. It must have been difficult, so how did you get such a good physique?”
She had asked out of genuine curiosity. Achieving that kind of body through ordinary effort would be no easy task. Just what kind of training had he done? When she looked at him with sincere interest, Baran scratched his cheek with a troubled expression.
“It simply turned out this way as I lived my life.”
“Huh?”
“Since my eyes are poor, I thought I should at least keep my body healthy. So I trained from a young age, and as a result, I became healthier than most.”
“……”
She had never dreamed that would be the reason. Honestly, she had expected some grueling training regimen. 'No, thinking about it, this might be even harder than that.' Baran said it so lightly, but from his perspective, he couldn't see anything at all. For him, training itself must have been incredibly difficult. The difference between not being able to see and being able to see was like heaven and earth.
“That must have been really hard.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, you can't see what's in front of you.”
“Even so, I can perceive things through my other senses and mana.”
“……”
At those words, Luden quietly shifted her gaze. Then she reached out and placed her hand on his face. Baran's expression instantly stiffened. Ignoring his reaction, she asked, “Then what do I look like to you?”
“……”
Baran struggled to find the right words. He had never expected Luden to suddenly ask something like this. “Hmm. You seem to be made of light.”
“Huh? Light?”
“Yes. To my eyes, you simply… radiate light. That is the feeling I get.”
“……”
Hearing him describe her eyes that way made her face grow warm. He was probably just referring to the color of her mana, but being told she shone like light left her at a loss for words. As she remained silent, embarrassed, Baran delivered the finishing blow.
“I imagine this is what it would feel like to look upon a goddess.”
Luden lowered her head. Steam began rising from the top of her head. “Do you say things like that to anyone, Baran?”
“Pardon?”
“It just comes out so naturally.”
“I am merely stating what I see.”
“Ugh.”
How was he so good with words? Every time he spoke, he ended up complimenting her. Just as she was racking her brain, Baran suddenly stood up. Splash!
“Huh? What's wrong?”
“My apologies. I do not believe I can endure any longer.”
Luden quietly looked away. His face had turned red, as though he had been struggling quite a bit. “Then I shall take my leave.”
With those words, Baran walked away. Luden swallowed dryly as she watched his retreating back. After all— 'It looked a little bigger than last time.' Unlike before, the towel wrapped around his lower body was noticeably protruding.
***
The next day, an entire day had passed aboard the ship. Fortunately, nothing major had happened since the mixed bath incident with Luden. In a way, that was only natural. Yesterday had been the only day filled with one strange event after another.
Of course—
-Disciple. You seemed to have enjoyed yourself quite a bit. I was suffering from motion sickness the whole time.
Miroel, who had witnessed everything from inside the Bow of the Beginning, puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.
“I'm sorry. Given the situation, there wasn't much I could do.”
-Haa. Yes, yes. It is not your fault, Disciple. It is those vixens who are to blame.
Miroel let out a deep sigh, the sound tickling his ears. 'Ugh. This is getting complicated too.'
“More importantly, it seems your motion sickness has improved?”
-Yes. It appears the potion you consumed helped.
“Hmm. Still, I never expected you would get motion sickness because of the contract, Master.”
-Indeed. I did not anticipate that either.
“By the way, why did the potion's effect take so long to activate?”
-Perhaps because it entered indirectly.
“Hmm.”
Well, since she hadn't drunk it herself, that guess wasn't wrong. There was no other explanation, after all.
-More importantly, it is a shame. I wanted to see it too.
“Well, we will be taking this ship again on the way back, so there is no need to be too disappointed.”
-That is a relief.
Miroel smiled brightly at that. At the same moment, an announcement echoed from the communication orb in each room.
-Attention. We have arrived at the Holy Federation. Students, please tidy your rooms and disembark immediately.
Just then—
Ding!
A notification chimed in his ears. Such alerts were almost always quest messages. He checked it, and countless messages appeared before his eyes.
[Act 2 Mid-Main Episode - Defeat Chris, the Demon Army's Vice-Commander]
📍 Boss: Demon Army Vice-Commander Kris
※ This episode consists of two routes. Thorough preparation is required before attempting it.
※ Route 1. The Saintess's Sacrifice. Condition: Defeat Chris without rescuing the Saintess. This route makes the Holy Federation arc significantly easier. Warning: Future episodes will become drastically more difficult.
※ Route 2. Rescue the Saintess. Condition: Rescue the Saintess from the corrupted Holy Church, then defeat the demon Chris. Warning: This route is more difficult than Route 1. Failure will make the next episode drastically harder.
📍 Reward: Varies depending on the route taken.