Chapter 17: Open-air Bath

After following the undeveloped road for a while, we came to a slightly open place. The grass is sparse and only stones stand out.

When I looked closely, I can see a thin plume of smoke rising into the sky from between the stacks of rocks.

“It smells like hot springs.”

“Father, what is a hot spring? Is it delicious?”

“A hot spring is a spring with warm water. Hmm, I wonder if there is one gushing out somewhere…. If there is, we could take a bath.”

“If it’s the sound of flowing water, I can hear it from there!”

Just as you’d expect from Dragon Ears. It could hear even the slightest sound of flowing water huh.

As I followed Char, I saw water bubbling out of the black rocks. However, the amount is small, and the hot water that springs quickly seeps into the sand.

Looks like this is not it. We can’t take a bath here.

“There’s only a little hot water. Can we go in here?”

“This one can’t do. But we’ll be able to get one as soon as I fix it.”

As we are having a conversation, the overlapping black rocks in front of me began glittering.

Possible to Build: Open-air bath Description: Hot springs flowing from the source. It has the effect of healing fatigue and wounds. Required points: 5 Note: A bath set will be given as a gift.

Until now, I’ve only been washing up, looks like I can finally be able to cleanse my whole body.

I had 6 points left, so I immediately created the hot spring.

After a minute, a small hot spring was born in Gandalcia.

The bathtub, surrounded by large boulders, was circular in shape and filled with warm water. The bottom of the bath is filled with jade gravel. It has a roof like a gazebo, so we can use it even on a rainy day. There is less worry about leaves falling into the bathtub as well. There were also small items such as wooden chairs and buckets in the washing area.

“But there is no wall……”

“Is it a problem if it doesn’t have a wall?”

“Well, you’ll be completely visible from the surroundings in this way.”

If I upgrade it to another level, the facilities will be enhanced, and it seems that I can divide the men’s and women’s baths. Right now, this one doesn’t even have changing rooms.

“Char doesn’t mind being visible. I want to take a bath in the hot spring as soon as possible!”

I felt the same way.

Anyway, it’s just me and Char here.

“Well then, Char, shall we go in?”

There was also a set of extra towels in the bucket, so there was no need to go back home. I took off my clothes on the spot.

“Do we have to take off our clothes when we go inside the hot spring?”

“Yes. It would be a problem if the clothes get soaked, right?”

“Understood.”

Char shook her body on the spot, and the yellow dress she had been wearing disappeared.

“Eh? What about Char’s clothes?”

“It was just changing my skin!”

So that’s what changing dragon clothing look like!

“Charlotte, is going in~!”

I hurriedly stopped Char as she was about to jump into the hot spring.

“Hey, w-wait! You can’t go in like that.”

“Is it no good?”

“First of all, you need to pour hot water on yourself to wash off the dirt from your body.”

As a person who is a Japanese in my previous life, I want to follow these hot spring rules properly.

“As for the temperature of the water…… yes, it seems to be just the right temperature.”

When I poured hot water over our body from the bucket, Char squealed in excitement.

“Splash~ Splash~Splash~Splash ♪ Splish Splash ♪”

She happily sings a song she made up herself.

“Father, is it okay already?”

“Alright, let’s go in.”

The warm water envelops my entire body, releasing all the tension in it.

“Father! Hot springs feels so good!”

“Right? I know you’ll like it too.”

“I like it so much! I want to go in every day.”

“We’ll have to tell Lulu about this later.”

I’m sure she’ll be delighted with the benefits it brings.

“Lulu?”

“My friend. You have already met her on the beach, don’t you remember? She is the fisherman on this island.”

“Oh, then are you going to go in with Lulu too?”

“No. I can’t do that. I’m a male and Lulu is a female.”

Even if I explained it that way, she doesn’t seem to understand it very well.

“I’m a female too, but I went in with Father though.”

“That……, I’m considered as Char’s father, right? We can be together until you grow up.”

Char is thinking deeply, looking serious.

“I don’t want to grow up. I want to be with Father forever.”

Saying that, Char puffs out her cheeks, making her look so cute.

Wait…. Have I awakened my paternal instinct at the age of twelve?

Anyways. The hot spring contributes to happiness, so I decided to take a bath every day.

When we returned from the bath, I saw Lulu standing in front of the cottage.

“So you went out huh. Eh, who is this kid?”

Lulu seemed surprised that I’m taking a little girl with me.

Come to think of it, this is the first time she saw Char in human form.

“Father, is this person my mother!?”

“Ah? Mother? And you’re Cedie’s child?”

Oh dear, here we go again.

The explanation that I have repeated several times so far has also been explained to Lulu.

“Nice meeting you, Char-chan. I’ll give you a fish as a token of our friendship.”

Lulu gave her a bucket of fish.

“Those are fine sea bass. Is it really okay?”

“Yes. Actually, I brought it here to share with Cedie.”

Sea bass can be made into meunière or made into soup. Because of its rich taste, it is also excellent as a sauce stock.

“I had a big catch today, but I am so tired. I am also sweating a lot.”

“In that case, you can dip in the hot spring!”

Char moves her little arms back and forth as she explained..

“What does she mean by hot springs?”

“Actually, there is a hot spring here in Gandalcia Island, and it’s only a short walk from here. I’ll show you around if you like.”

“Can I use it?”

“Of course.”

“But you have to pour hot water on yourself before you go in!”

After Lulu got ready, we returned to the hot springs again. Lulu’s eyes lit up when she saw the hot spring.

“Diving makes my body cold, so having a hot spring bath is a blessing.”

“Yes. It’s similar on hot days, it’s refreshing just to wash off the sweat. By the way, I’m going to explore deeper in the area behind here so you can take your time bathing Lulu.”

“Thank you. This is my first time in a hot spring.”

“Then Char will show you how to get in.”

“Char, do you want to take another bath in the hot springs?”

“Yes, I’m going in. Father is going in too, right?”

I explained that earlier already…….

“I told you, female and male don’t take a bath together. I’ll get reported as a suspicious person if I do.”

“Are you a suspicious person if you enter with me?”

If I go that far, I will feel like a criminal rather than a suspicious person. I ignored their question and decided to just go.

“Okay, I’m off.”

Leaving Lulu and Char in the hot spring, I stepped into the narrow road deep north.

However, within fifty paces, I suddenly heard Lulu’s scream.

“Kyaaaaaahhh!”

Reflexively, I gathered the magic in the palm of my hand. A fiery fireball materializes with a gurgling sound. In that state, I ran back to the hot springs.

“Cedie!”

I couldn’t help but look away when I saw Lulu crouching down while hiding her body with her hands.

“Father, there is a suspicious person here! A man came to take a bath with Char and Lulu!”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

When I looked over at the source of the voice, I saw an elderly man standing there with an embarrassed look on his face while averting his eyes away from the bath.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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