Mostly, this covers the time around episodes 428 to 488 of the main story, during Celesta Rapal’s travels.
“The snow has been melting rapidly over the past few days.”
The wind blowing through the tavern window was cold, yet Sebory leaned against the windowsill with such apparent comfort that he narrowed his eyes contentedly.
Hannah, the tavern’s proprietress known as “Okasan,” replied while busying herself with preparations.
“There will still be stubborn patches of ice in the northern shade, so watch out. Freshcomers often get lured into cheerful picnics and fall right into that trap.”
“Oh. They don’t notice the frozen ground before crouching down.”
“You only have to check once to realize it. If you decide to rest, you assume you’ll find shade somewhere. But since the surroundings are completely overgrown with grass now, they end up doing it anyway. And then, a little while later…”
“Ahhhahaha. Elf sure aren’t that dumb.”
“Really? Well, considering we’ve never even met but have lived side by side, perhaps my lecture came off as presumptuous.”
“Well, that’s roughly how it is. Besides, I and Oregano look like young girls around sixteen or seventeen by human standards, but we’re actually nearly thirty years old!”
“Oh?”
”…Well, let’s just say that keeping this from my master. Emotions that are incredibly difficult to express precisely arise because of having a ‘halfway human-like age’.”
“Maybe.”
“Just so you know, elves under one hundred are basically treated like children? We certainly aren’t any more childish than anyone else, right?”
Sebory’s desperate attempts at self-defense made Hannah burst out laughing.
“Hehehehe, I understand, I get it. Besides, Sebory and Oregano-chan don’t think of us as kids either. Even if you’re past your twenties, there are still brats around. Look at Keir from Mr. Lindon’s house.”
“It’s complicated to be called ‘adult’ when compared to him…”
Among the tavern regulars, Keir proudly boasted a childishness—or rather, pettiness—far superior to others. Would it be flattering to be told he was more responsible than Keir?
While chatting like this, someone cheerfully slammed open the front door with a clang and entered: Cyute.
“Meeeow!”
“Hey, Cyute! Don’t use ‘meeow’ as a greeting.”
“Nyy… o-ha-yo-u gozai-mas…”
“Good, good.”
Sebory, “For something like this, saying ‘thank you for your hard work’ would be fine, right? It’s hardly even morning anymore.”
“But Hilda-san said that in the business world, there are no nights or days; the moment one starts work is considered their morning, so they always say ‘good morning.’”
“I don’t know what industry it is, but I have mornings and evenings here too. I’d like to hear the morning greeting when morning comes.”
“Meeeow!”
“Cyute! Don’t use ‘meeow’ as a way to get my attention. Speak properly instead of just saying it.”
“Meeeow…”
“Don’t even use it as a substitute for ‘yes’ either!”
“Sebory… if you can distinguish all that from the same ‘meeow’, wouldn’t it be fine to just leave it as is?”
“No way. If we don’t teach proper manners to young people, what’s the point? And using ‘meeow-meeow’ just because you have cat ears is both unprincipled and manipulative. Relying only on short-range attacks! Learn your shame!”
Sebory clenched his fists and delivered a passionate speech.
“I don’t really get it, but Cyute, listen to Sebory’s words in moderation.”
“Meeeow.”
“No, so stop saying ‘meeow’! You were listening to what I said, weren’t you?”
“Somehow I couldn’t understand it properly.”
The tavern remained peaceful once again today.
“In fact, this is the first spring we’ve spent in Poruka.”
“Hmm. Did I forget that? That’s right.”
Around the same time, Arnie Boyd was finishing up her morning paperwork. Fennel approached and poured a cup of tea for Irina while striking up small talk. “So, you and your group appeared at Polka around late autumn last year, yes?” “Yes indeed. It was already when the snow began to fall… ” “Did neither of you venture out into the forest?” “I had been out several times, mostly handling communications between ourselves and Mist Palace. But I couldn’t go near civilization with my skinny arms that couldn’t even draw a bow.” “That’s because you were quite irascible then,” Fennel chuckled. “Oh yes. So now… it’s almost like flowers are sprouting from the snow as if they’ve been revived; this is hardly ever. Isn’t it wonderful how the land behaves according to the seasons?” “Indeed. The eternal spring of the northern forest is beautiful in its own way, but perhaps it’s just like a blacksmith’s hammer forging iron—cold autumns and winters along with warm springs and summers are what forge the life of this outer world.” She sank deeply into a chair far too large for her, dangling her legs while unconsciously stroking the collar at her neck. Fennel laughed softly at her gesture. “What?” “Well, since we’re talking about blacksmithing, I just happened to touch my collar like that.” ”…I suppose you couldn’t help it. You must associate it with the same people, after all.” “Oh yes… My dear master, what is he doing these days?” “Let’s see. There are too many places Celesta has never even heard of. Well, wherever she sleeps, her accommodations must be first-class, I suppose.” “A little bit envious,” Irina admitted with a smile. “Indeed. It’s utterly frustrating, Kristy. With winter work having almost no urgency at all, you’d think she wouldn’t drag us back just because she can’t move around freely due to her position.” Irina began to complain aloud, but the elf ears of Fennel were much more acute than those of humans. “You’re Polka’s official Ambassador of Goodwill, Head of the White Clan? Since you’ve taken upon yourself that responsibility, I worry greatly if you’ll keep delegating full authority to a mere proxy from another clan like myself too frequently.” At that moment, Kristy entered the office from outside in a perfectly natural manner. Fennel’s eyes widened slightly in fear, and Irina’s lips curled into an awkward grimace. “You won’t run into situations requiring such full authority at Polka often enough. We’re on this remote frontier, and Mist’s dragons are coming and going right here.” “Problems arise precisely when one becomes careless to begin with! Moreover, if everything can be resolved by brute force alone, what’s the point of having an Ambassador of Goodwill in the first place?” “Mm… I see…” “Besides, constantly following someone around isn’t a woman’s true strength. Sometimes it takes being apart to make a bond between men and women even stronger. Like forging iron with cold and heat,” Kristy replied. “Mm… well, I can’t deny the logic there. But…” “If you keep coming along, in a group where so many other women exist, you’ll have to be careful not to attract your master’s attention when he already has duties elsewhere? Being exhausted from traveling puts us at a disadvantage compared to physically fit warriors. Wouldn’t it be better to do all the preparations ourselves, wait for him with perfect readiness, and then provide special pleasures exactly when the timing is right? Don’t you think that would appeal much more strongly?” ”…That’s quite cunning… I mean, sly,” Irina muttered, somewhat flustered. “No matter how many times you rephrase it, you’re still no better at saying things, are you, Irina?” “I… I admit as much. Please don’t get all riled up.” While Kristy managed a cheerful smile, her voice carried an undercurrent of fear. Irina quickly tried to excuse herself with a panicked tone. “But in reality, we—the ones staying behind—simply can’t compete with the accompanying group regarding the quantity of service provided… The quality is certainly something,” she added weakly. Feeling the tension easing and thinking that pivoting the conversation away from staying put would be better overall, Fennel chimed in helpfully. Kristy nodded in agreement. “If we want this Polka to become the place you most desire to return to first, I think we need to focus our service efforts strategically. For instance… since your master seems to enjoy well-orchestrated group sex, we could put some thought into making that happen specifically.” “Our four-family estate is originally separated from other homes, so we’re quite suited for such things. Perhaps we should try waiting in attire designed to incite his lust?” “Lust? Do you mean having them make us out of brothel-style garments or even using oregano as a fabric?” “That sounds nice too! Actually, putting up a sign might be good: ‘Elf Territory Public Brothel’ or something like that.” “If we keep this secret… wait, if word gets out to other clans, they’ll get furious and turn red with rage!” “Of course, once the sign is up, won’t you become one of our prostitutes too, Lady Irina?” Fennel teased happily with a wicked grin. Irina hesitantly nodded, though she didn’t seem particularly upset by the joke.
“Well, well, if only Master Samsyn is the sole customer… it might not be a bad idea to occasionally take off that collar and try selling our springtime pleasures for a change.”
“Everyone gets bought for a single coin and used freely to satisfy their carnal desires. It could even be fun to restrict the play on purpose and say, ‘The rest costs extra’ ♪”
“Hmm. That sounds good, not bad at all… Naturally, Kristy will be part of this too?”
“I don’t know… I feel like it might make me stand out in this setting…”
“Then how about Kristy partners with Lady Lyra, the Glory Princess, Lady Hilda, and others to set up a different brothel? It would have its own unique style compared to ours.”
“It feels like they’re treating me as an older woman…”
“N-nothing of the sort. The Glory Princess and Lady Lyra aren’t all that different from me!”
The backroom plan for Andy’s exclusive use.
Later, it would even drag in the cat-beasts’ “Cat Mansion,” leading to Jeanne having special coins minted just for them—a story for another time.
And somehow, a certain prostitute named Tark ends up involved as a technical advisor, though that, too, shall be omitted for now.
“For now, aside from everything else, I’d say the thing I miss most after returning to this polka is the hot springs.”
“Hmm. Indeed. There’s something indescribable about that feeling where travel fatigue melts away with an audible sigh and flows off like water.”
“I’ve been thinking it’s finally time to stop being so sneaky and start serving Master directly through the hot springs.”
“What? But whether it’s the men’s or women’s bath, we can’t completely turn away other customers. Getting permission from the Baron for any modifications to the water source divisions is far too awkward.”
“At this point, I think the best answer is sealing it off with a barrier prison.”
Irina and Fennel, offering the common-sense reply.
“That’s true, but actually, there might be a possibility of building a hot spring outside the town itself.”
“Really?”
“A bit inside the forest, just before the ancient barrier lies—a source point located about two kilometers from the town. The Baron seems to have known of its existence for a long time, but since it’s deep in the woods, he left it untouched out of concern for offending the elves… But since we’re elves ourselves, that problem is gone…”
“You want to claim that spot, then?”
“So uncouth. When I asked the Baron if he wouldn’t allow us to use it, he said, ‘Since the townsfolk already have hot spring baths nearby, they surely won’t venture all the way deep into the forest.’ That means if we set up our own bath there independently, it could become a private bath exclusively for serving Master. Though…”
“But?”
“We can’t use anyone else’s hands for construction if that’s the goal.”
“Aaaarrrgggh…”
“Indeed… It would be hard to ask Elf masters to do something secretly, even though we need them.”
Humans probably wouldn’t deliberately trek deep into such a confusing forest just to find hot springs, but for elves, openly announcing its location inevitably means people will come. All the springs on the Trot side are technically the Baron’s property (procedurally speaking), so once someone asks for permission to enter, we can only nod.
The three elves, all thinking it would be nice to use this place freely for naked encounters with Andy and now scratching their heads over how to pull it off:
“I hear Diane is good at architecture—what do you think? When will they finally have the free time to build such a thing?”
“Before that, aren’t we short on manpower? We can’t just lazily rely on dragon-sized bodies inside the forest…”
“If we take our time, maybe we can manage it ourselves. As long as there’s an easy-to-clean bathtub and a changing shed where clothes can be stored, right?”
“We’d also need serpentine channels to cool the spring water to the right temperature. Ideally, tap in cold water from somewhere nearby so adjustments are easier…”
“You’re greedy! We don’t have enough expertise. Kristy, haven’t you studied that kind of knowledge at all?”
“At least I haven’t trained wielding a hammer…”
The three of them quietly brainstorming various ideas.
And then, the ears of the half-elf who heard their plans are far sharper than those of humans.
“You must be having troubles!”
“If it’s something with Andy, we’ll get called in.”
With a slam of the door and a face full of confidence walking out come Selen, heavily pregnant and belly heaving, and Jeanne holding Peter close.
(To Be Continued)