The Middle Ages Are Dead (3)
Following Leon's lead, we walked a short while and entered a four-story inn that faced the main avenue.
The place was called Moonlight Haven.
It had a rather romantic name, and the interior was a clean, distinctive space with a modern sensibility layered over it.
The proprietor looked like a black-haired summoned hero, but neither Leon nor Isili seemed particularly bothered by that.
I guess they really are different from those uncivilized medieval types?
Room and board for one day came to three silver coins.
One Anna a day.
Even as I found myself reflecting on the value of my five-year-old self, the academy nobles' money sense that treated three silver a day as cheap made me want to wave the red flag of revolution all over again.
They said a week's stay would knock one silver off, so I settled the bill that way.
But once I stepped into the room and saw how tidy it was—and the white bathtub waiting in a private bathroom—my heart softened completely.
It even ran hot water! An incredible place!
How does that even work? Some kind of mana-stone tech, maybe?
Well, not that I care.
At this level, sacrificing about seven Annas seems fair enough. It's not like I'm paying with my own wounds—the pigs cover it for me, right?
I put on a slightly vigorous training session on the bed until I was a sweaty mess, then drew a bath of warm water, killed the lights, and sank in up to my neck.
Ahh. Heaven.
My body is melting~!
"Don't fall asleep in the tub."
"Of course not, Auntie."
Black was splashing around in the warm water too, happily plip-plopping.
After soaking long enough to melt every tight muscle, I washed my hair and body with something that smelled pleasantly good and seemed to be a kind of shampoo. There was a little picture on the bottle of foam on hair and skin.
Must be an all-in-one.
Purification is convenient, sure, but it leaves me a bit queasy. And washing everything down with hot water feels wonderful in its own right.
This is a whole different dimension from those ice-cold purification rites that were basically torture back at the White Brightness Society!
I put on a soft, fluffy bathrobe-like thing, sat in front of the mirror, and dried myself off.
Sadly, there was no hair dryer.
Hmm. Pretty.
Looking at myself like this, maybe selling Anna really was a bargain after all.
Black had crawled back in as well, and my hair was once more that radiant platinum blonde. It actually looked cleaner and neater than before I had awakened.
Well, if I'd awakened at the monastery, I would have been sold off to some noble somewhere.
I briefly considered the whole variable-hair-parts situation, then pulled out a book by the author MintChocoLove.
It was a novel titled I Quit Being a Villainess in My Second Life, and Now the Crown Prince Is Obsessed With Me.
I'll only read until my hair dries.
After a short reading session, I put my purified armor back on and built a little nest of blankets on the bed. Then I curled up in a corner of the room, out of easy sight from the door or window.
"Daughter? Sleep properly and comfortably."
"This is comfortable."
"You used to sleep just fine when you were at the monastery."
"That was different. There were people walking around watching us."
"Ahh. That breaks my heart."
Letting Auntie's nagging go in one ear and out the other, I drifted off to sleep.
I'm counting on you, Black.
The soft seep of morning sunlight opened my eyes on its own.
Is it youth that's good, or Auntie's power?
Waking up to a refreshed body was pure joy.
I cleared the nest off the bed and purified my face and mouth. At this small range, the queasiness faded quickly enough.
Listening to Auntie's usual grumbling, I sat in front of the mirror and brushed out my lightly curled hair. The strands were so fine and healthy that the comb glided through without a single snag.
Hmm. It's too long. Should I just shave it all off?
"Absolutely not! You will do no such thing! Daughter! What kind of thought is that?!"
"Huh? Auntie, you're being really dramatic all of a sudden. In my previous life I kept it short."
"Th-that—! It looks better the way it is now."
"Ehh. It's such a hassle."
"Please! Please, this is your mother's request."
Don't tell me if I cut it, it just regenerates back to this length?
"Ahem. Ahem."
…
Well, she is useful, so I'll let it slide.
Leaving the suddenly silent Auntie behind me, I headed downstairs.
Might as well grab a light breakfast.
Even at this early hour, the lobby-slash-dining room had a fair number of people. I glanced around.
As expected, the mana-stone grinders are the industrious type from the crack of dawn.
Our fresh-faced academy students, Leon and Isili, are probably still snoring away.
I hopped lightly onto a stool at the counter, and a black-haired middle-aged woman different from last night's staff spoke up.
"Morning, miss. Breakfast? The morning menu's free—drinks are ten copper."
"Do you have anything sweet to drink?"
"Uh… we've only got booze and coffee, really. I could make the coffee sweet for you with milk and honey? Some kids ask for it that way sometimes… That'll be an extra ten copper, though."
W-what? Coffee?
They have that in this world too?
"I'll take that, please."
"Got it. Just a minute."
The black-haired woman answered cheerfully and went straight to work.
Is this auntie a summoned hero too? Just how long has the history of summoning been going on?
"While I wasn't looking, even the rites have been twisted beyond recognition. Ahh. The world has changed so much."
And there she goes into depression mode about the good old days again. Better leave her alone and not poke the wound.
Before long the meal and drink arrived, and I handed over a silver coin.
Consider it a tip.
"Young lady's got a generous hand."
The auntie laughed bright and loud.
The plate that came out was, without a doubt, a sausage muffin with bacon and scrambled eggs. And a well-fried hash brown on the side.
Menu plagiarism!
Still, the portions were far more generous, clearly sized for working people. And the coffee was sweet and delicious.
Ahh. To think I can drink coffee again.
I took a big bite of the crunchy hash brown, washed the grease down with coffee, and savored the sweet-and-salty combination.
Honestly, with this menu, black coffee would have been fine too—but after living so long without anything sweet, I just crave it so badly!
"You won't put on weight, but do try to eat in moderation."
"Huh? I won't gain weight?"
"That's right. Saints were never meant to grow fat."
"Uh… that doesn't mean my chest won't grow either, right?"
"Don't worry. Everything will turn out the way my daughter wishes."
Whew. Thank goodness.
I still need to build some kind of body, so I should take in plenty of nutrients. Goal: queen-sized chest.
I wanted to dig in with my hands, but years of brainwashing meant my manners kept me demurely wielding cutlery, taking neat little bites.
"Ah! Lady Lua. You're already having breakfast."
What? Leon. You were here!
Leon came toward me with a sword in hand, as if he'd been out training. A faint scent of sweat and a light soap smell mixed into the morning air.
The puppy-like boy approached with a wide, happy grin.
Sorry, but I'm not interested.
Where did you leave Miss Isili?
"Oh my, Lord Leon. I thought you were still asleep. Did you come from training?"
"Haha. The proprietor has set up a rather nice spot behind the inn."
"Is that so? I should make use of it starting tomorrow myself. And Miss Isili?"
"Well… Isili seems to still be asleep. I think she stayed up reading the book you lent her yesterday."
Ah. I had a few books she hadn't read yet, so I lent her one—and she lost herself in it. Once dopamine takes over, pulling an all-nighter becomes nothing at all.
"Th-then, could you wait just a little? I'll go wake Isili."
"No need. Take your time, Lord Leon."
I gave him a soft smile. Leon's face went red again as he grinned and headed upstairs.
"Aigoo, miss. You're a scary one."
The auntie watching from the side cackled as she looked after Leon's retreating back. I tilted my head at her and offered a small smile of my own.
I finished my meal and was savoring the sweet coffee when Leon and Isili came down. Isili looked like she hadn't even washed her face—rubbing her eyes, her hair floating up in a messy cloud.
I beamed and waved at her. Isili toddled over, dipped her head slightly, and flushed.
"L-Lady Lua. G-good morning…"
"Did you sleep well?"
"Uuu. S-sleepy."
Ignoring Leon, who clearly wanted the seat beside me, I guided Isili into the chair next to mine. Her head wobbled; she still couldn't keep her eyes open.
"Was the novel that good?"
"Y-yes. As expected, M-MintChocoLove is a g-genius."
Isili mumbled that and closed her eyes, leaning lightly against me.
Hehehe. So cute! She smells nice!
"You'll have to wake up now."
Still smiling faintly, I gently ran my fingers through Isili's floating hair. Soft silver threads slipped between my fingers, releasing a lovely scent different from my own.
"Hiiit. Unya."
Isili twitched and squirmed, but she didn't open her eyes—she simply surrendered her head to me in quiet trust.
Haa. Haa.
I think I'm going to grow a dick!
"Daughter! What kind of disgraceful thing is that to say?!"
"I mean a mental one. It's a perfectly natural feeling a girl can get, you know."
"I-is that so? I suppose young people these days use that sort of expression. This mother simply didn't know."
Leon watched the scene and seemed to find it amusing; he laughed "haha" and ordered breakfast for himself and Isili as well. Both of them got plain coffee.
I'm the only one with the sweet coffee. Now I look like a kid!
Isili, who spent the entire meal opening her mouth like a baby bird for me to feed her, only managed to pull herself together after going upstairs to get ready. She stood in front of the inn with a face as red as a tomato and bowed her head.
"L-Lady Lua. I-I'm sorry."
"Not at all, Miss Isili. I enjoyed it."
Where Leon couldn't see, I wet my lips with my tongue and looked at Isili as if I meant to eat her up.
Hehe.
Isili fidgeted restlessly, her eyes darting every which way as she turned an even deeper shade of red.
Adorable.
"Haha. Well then, shall we go?"
Under Leon's guidance we headed for the central Adventurers' Guild building. The city was fairly large, so we rode something called a golem carriage—or more properly, a "magic carriage."
If they were going to name it that, couldn't they have made it look more like a car? It barely differs from a regular carriage. The horses are golems and the driver's a mage, that's all.
And the fare? Expensive, I take it? Another one Anna. The three of us each paid one silver.
Once again I felt how dirt-cheap an Anna was to the nobility's senses, and we arrived at a building that had the atmosphere of a modern government office.
"It's far cleaner than I expected."
"Haha, right? As I said, the labyrinth city has a very well-organized system."
I toyed with Isili's still-flushed hand and smiled brightly as I spoke.
Shall we take a look at the diligent mana-stone miners?