Chapter 186 Hot Springs

After walking and talking for a good bit, mainly Ikar going on about memorable fights he’d been in with goliaths and beasts exclusive to the demon continent called ‘Devil Hide Worms’, Emilio found himself at an exit of the Tower.

…That’s right–the brothel! He remembered.

Emilio interrupted Ikar mid-conversation, taking his leave as he waved, “–I just remembered I have something to do! I’ll see you later! Bye! Good luck!”

“Right back atcha! I’ll win next time we fight!” Ikar grinned.

–

Back beneath the rich sunlight that cast down on the affluent city of Indasia, Emilio found himself renewed with a pocket lined with coins and an abundance of things to do. Even better, he pulled the special token he had from Mr. Merryfoot, flipping it as he felt like he held a ‘cheat code’ in his hand.

It’s time to splurge a little, he thought.

Air went to his head after proving himself as a valuable warrior, earning not just lofty praise and recognition, but monetary gain for his efforts. This wasn’t far from what he expected being an adventurer was like, but the instant gratification of it was something else, especially for the young man who was hardly a mature mind.

“Let’s see…” Emilio mumbled to himself, looking around.

There was a caveat to the sponsor token he held in his hand: it didn’t allow him to obtain free products from merchants or shops, but instead experience free services–which included what his eyes first laid on.

Amidst the busy streets of Indasia, he looked up to find a large building made of fine pine, which was different from the usual stone and steel used for the architecture of the advanced medieval city. Steam exuded from the top of the building with enticing aromas of fruity soap emitting from the premises. It was something he always wanted to try: “Magi Hot Springs”.

“…That’ll do…” He said.

From what he’d heard, though never experiencing for himself, was that spas and hot springs had an almost ‘magical’ way of healing one’s exhausted body.

Heading inside, he found the interior to be nostalgic in a way, reminiscent of his own home from the humble, wooden architecture to the paintings on the wall and the animal rug of a brown-furred bear in the lobby.

“Welcome, sir!” The receptionist greeted him, “Are you here for the hot springs?”

It always tickled his fancy to be referred to as ‘sir’ with some modicum of respect, being as he was an older mind living in the body of a youth. As such, a bubbly smile drew across his lips in his already good mood.

“Yup!” He nodded.

“Alright, that’ll be two crowns,” the receptionist smiled.

She had freckled cheeks and light-brown hair, kept in a ponytail that went well with her brown-and-verdant maid-like uniform. The woman didn’t exactly strike him as somebody from Vasmoria, as her features struck him more as a Milligardian.

“Oh, I have this,” he said, rummaging through his pocket.

Retrieving the sponsor coin lended to him by Mr. Merryfoot, he placed it on the woman’s hand, who looked at it in total surprise.

“O-oh! You’re an honorary Magi! Please, go on ahead!” The woman said, almost nervously but more shocked.

Taking the coin back, he slowly nodded, not realizing what sort of status the special coin lent him as he moved on.

Guess Alfobromli gave me something pretty useful. Now I feel obligated to repay the favor and help him out with another match or two, he thought.

Finding himself in what was essentially a locker room with small, wooden cubbies, he knew it was time to undress and change into just a towel.

“Hmm…”

He glanced around quickly, making sure there were no eyes on him, though luckily it seemed to not be particularly busy, or at least nobody was in the changing room, as he tossed his clothes off.

“Brr…” He felt the cold air against his bare skin.

Not allowing fate to grant him an embarrassing moment, he wrapped the beige towel around his waist, tying it neatly before heading out to the hot springs themselves.

As soon as he entered the next room, he found the temperature shooting up with humid air persisting inside. To his surprise, the hot springs were as he imagined: a pool of warm water with a rocky bed, surrounded by fresh-scented trees for a relaxing atmosphere.

There were a few men in the hot springs bath itself already, though they kept to themselves, allowing him to quietly enter before seating himself.

“…Ahhh…”

He couldn’t avoid audibly letting out the satisfying sensation of the heated, natural water enveloping him up to his chest, soothing his exhausted body as it felt like the water massages his pores with a gentle heat.

There was no doubt an age disparity between himself and the others occupying the bath of relaxation, though it seemed the very concept of the hot springs tore away any judgment or prejudice.

A bristly-bearded, hairy dwarf had his eyes closed, lounging in the large, fresh bath, periodically sipping from a cup of mead; a pale-white, blonde elf sat not too far from the dwarf; a demi-human man with wolf ears and crimson hair with a body etched in scars relaxed as his tail wagged behind him.

A dwarf, elf, and demi-human? Sometimes it’s hard to believe this is the world I live in, Emilio thought.

In the soothing hot springs, he felt his entire body relax, closing his eyes as he completely allowed the comfort of the bath to take him in.

Opening his eyes again, he found himself accidentally spending more time than anticipated there, jumping up out of shock as he forgot where he was for a moment after briefly slipping into slumber.

“Are ya alright there, laddy?”

The rough, unrefined tone interlaced with a heavy accent that resembled that of a Scotsman to him, came from the dwarf he saw in the bath, now standing outside of it.

“Err…Did I fall asleep?” He asked with a laugh.

“Ya sure did,” the dwarven man laughed heartily, slapping his own stomach, “Happens to the best o’ us! ‘Specially with a belly o’ mead!”

Bringing himself out of the hot springs, he embarrassedly laughed before thanking the man for waking him up, heading back into the changing room. After spending time letting his body rest in the soothing waters, he found himself feeling light and rejuvenated as he dropped his towel and began dressing himself in his clothes again.

“Phew…” He sighed out, satisfied.

“It’s quite rare to find an appreciator of the hot springs so young.”

“Ack–”

Catching him off-guard as he was still shirtless with just his dragon-designed necklace around his neck, was the elven man he saw earlier in the springs. Seeing him again, the pale elf’s skin almost glistened from the water’s moisture, free of any blemishes and smoother than even his own, as a teenager.

It felt almost unfair, though he was caught off-guard by something else entirely.

“Err, yeah…” Emilio replied, finding his eyes lingering on something that shouldn’t be on full display in the first place.

That is, the elf was holding his towel on his arm and not around his waist in the current moment, holding no shame in letting his manhood hang.

What the hell?! Show-off much?! Emilio thought.

Though it was likely a cultural difference, and people in this era and world seemed a lot less ‘shameful’, it still wasn’t exactly normal to so casually strut your privates to strangers, even in a bathhouse, or at least that was the impression he had.

“Hot springs are truly the greatest thing humans have brought to this world. That’s not to say they haven’t done other great things, but…the warmth of the divine water is truly sublime,” the elven man was almost in tears as he reminisced the hot springs he was in just minutes prior.

“I guess so…It was pretty nice,” Emilio said, averting his eyes as he slipped his shirt back in.

He immediately regretted agreeing with the elven man’s sentiment as the tall, fair-faced man approached him with a look of surprise.

“So, you agree?! Truly terrific! The beauty of the hot springs reached another soul–”

As the man had stepped forward, the young man stepped back in response, wanting nothing to do with the drooping appendage that the elf didn’t seem to even notice was out.

“Cut it out, would ya, Veril? Yer frightenin’ the poor lad!”

Coming to his rescue was the dwarven man from earlier, reprimanding the eccentric elf. To Emilio’s surprise, the two seemed to be friends, despite his pop culture knowledge from his previous life telling him elves and dwarves weren’t usually on the best of terms.

“Ah…” The elven man, Veril, seemed to realize how he was acting, “…My apologies. The water of the hot springs gets to my head sometimes.”

The blonde-haired elf was like an entirely different person once calmed; elegant and composed as he bowed in apology with his hand over his heart.

“…It’s alright, don’t worry,” Emilio wryly chuckled.

I just want to get out of here! He thought.