Chapter 47 – 48

Chapter 47 – I inspected the hot spring!!

Mappa passed the cave and started to walk towards the other side of the island, where the World Tree was.

Once we passed the cave, we entered a district where I could see steam rising into the air.

Just as I thought, the hot spring they had been building near the World Tree was now complete.

When we got closer, I saw that there was a sort of pool that was covered with stone. And inside it, was hot water.

It was then that Ril hopped out of my pocket while carrying the egg that I had found.

Apparently, she was curious about the hot spring.

Rienna had been watching nearby, and she quickly noticed our presence.

"Ah, Little Ril. And Lord Heal! We've been waiting for you!"

Baris, who had been talking to another goblin, now followed Rienna as she approached us.

"Sorry to keep you two waiting. So, I see that it's finished."

Rienna nodded cheerfully.

"Oh, yes! And we thought it would be proper for you to be the first person to use it."

"Me? Uh, I appreciated the thought, but…"

As I hesitated, Baris replied.

"We just finished filling it up with hot water. There's no need to be modest. Please go inside."

While it was still midday, I was covered in sweat.

So I did feel grateful at the prospect of being able to be refreshed.

Not only that, but this place had the best view, with the World Tree and a vast sea right in front of you.

Being able to bathe while surrounded in this scenery was bound to give you the most amazing feeling.

But then again, it also meant that you had no privacy.

Could I really get naked in a place like… Huh?

I froze as I saw that Rienna was about to undress.

And I quickly shouted, 'Wait!'

"Lord Heal. Is something the matter?"

"Uh, you tell me… Are…you coming in too?"

"Hardly. I just thought that I would help you get cleaned before going in!"

As far as I could see, that was no different at all…

No, I was thankful for the sentiment, but it didn't change the fact that I wouldn't be able to endure it.

And so for my own sake, I answered her,

"…Thank you, Rienna. I'm happy that you want to help, but I'm fine."

"Huh? Are you going in without washing yourself first, Lord Heal?"

"N-no. I'll wash up first. It's just that… I can do that by myself."

I said in as cool a voice as I could muster.

Rienna looked just a little disappointed, and I honestly felt the same… But no, as the lord of this island, the last thing people needed to see was lewd expressions on my face.

The monsters may have been accustomed to mixed baths under the sky, but I was human.

And I couldn't help but think of Rienna in a certain way.

Just then, Baris opened his mouth.

"I see… Perhaps I should wash your back instead then?"

"Y-you, Baris?"

This was a most surprising suggestion, and I was a little stunned.

But Baris didn't look like he was joking.

Uh, I didn't see how that was preferable…

Of course, I knew Baris meant it as an innocent gesture.

"Yes. I thought perhaps it is custom to have men wash your back in your country."

I see… As both Baris and Rienna were high born, they didn't seem to understand the concept of taking a bath by yourself.

But I suppose it was much the same in human society.

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In the kingdom of Sanfaris, all the royals and nobles had servants help them before they got into the water.

It wasn't just that. People served them food and drink and played music for them whenever they wanted. None of them ever bathed when they were alone.

I myself had servants help me when I was little… But at some point, they all became very cold, and I had to take care of myself.

And so unlike the others, I washed my own body when bathing.

In any case, the goblins were similar to us in terms of having a ruling class. And like us humans, they had two arms and two legs.

"Am I no good then? I can call someone else to do it."

"N-no. That's not what I mean…"

There was a reason that I couldn't be as stern as I might have.

Both on this island and back at the palace, I avoided making demands about anything.

My father would never have allowed it.

However…I did see how being too reserved like that was also a problem.

And this wasn't exactly a big deal. So perhaps it was a good time to speak honestly.

"Uh… Look here. I think there should be something like a wall around this. It's quite embarrassing to be naked when outside… In general…humans like to be naked…with privacy."

I had only meant to say that it was a general human tendency, but perhaps my statement became a little broader…

Rienna and Baris looked quite surprised by my confession.

They turned to each other and nodded understandingly.

Then Baris replied.

"I see. Now I understand! While it was due to my own ignorance, I am terribly sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. All of you should continue as you always have. I would just like a corner that is partially covered. Is that alright?"

"Yes, Lord Heal. It will be no trouble at all. I am in charge of construction. We shall make a bathing area just for you."

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that."

I felt bad that they had extra work because of a personal request.

However, Rienna shook her head.

"Lord Heal. You are always so good to help us. And so you must allow us to do something for you!"

"Rienna… Fine. Thank you."

'Yes,' Rienna said happily and nodded.

"That being said, it really just needs to be a simple wall. I don't need a roof."

"Understood! Please leave it to us!"

And with that said, Rienna and Baris headed to the area where all of the material was stored.

Well, I did say I would leave matters concerning the surface to them.

And so it was my job to work hard underground.

Besides, it really didn't matter who was the first to bathe in it.

If it were up to me, I would say that Mappa was the most deserving, since he's the one that created the pipes to draw the water… Oh… He's already in it.

I saw that Mappa was floating comfortably on his back in the hot spring.

He looked so relaxed…

As Mappa had been quite naked in the beginning, he didn't really care about who saw him now.

Still, I could not become the kind of man who exposed his rear to everyone… Oh.

I saw that Ril was also floating in the water too, as if imitating Mappa.

She was still so young, but was able to bathe by herself.

Baris had told me about how fast they were, but she really had learned to mine very quickly.

On closer inspection, Ril was holding the egg she had found on her stomach, as if it were a priceless treasure.

She had given it to me, but I suppose she took a strong liking to it herself.

Well, she was the one to find it, so I didn't mind if she kept it… Huh?

I blinked several times as I stared at the egg.

It looked like it had moved… No, it must have been Ril's stomach.

That thing had been buried deep underground. It couldn't possibly be alive.

And so I shook my head and left the hot spring behind me.

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Chapter 48 – I helped at the smithy!

As I sat down to eat lunch, I saw Ril walking towards me with a little towel on top of her head.

"Ah, Ril. How was the hot spring?"

"Ruff!"

Ril raised her hands into the air and barked cheerfully.

Judging by how happy she looked, she must have really enjoyed it.

And then I saw that the fossilized egg she had found in the cave was still clutched in her hand.

When she was finished drying off, she put the egg on the ground and sat next to me.

Then she grabbed one of the skewered fish that were cooking around the bonfire, and began to eat it hungrily.

Once again, I was reminded of how fast she was growing… How long had it taken me before I was able to eat by myself?

Yesterday, I had asked Ashton and Haines about what they thought about her growth.

They told me that while there were kobolds who grew as quickly as Ril did, it was still quite rare.

They also told me that they were very happy to be blessed with such a wise heir.

However, it hadn't even been a full month yet. What would happen when a year passed…

Things should be very amusing once Ril was able to talk.

I taught Ril what to say before eating, and then returned to my own fish.

Just then, something caught my eye.

Kamyu had been talking with the orcs up until a while ago, but now she was with Mappa, who had come out of the hot spring and was now at the smithy.

As Kamyu's eyes and fingers occasionally went towards the ship, that must be what they were discussing.

Perhaps she was giving my suggestion serious thought. About using metal boards.

Mappa had accepted the challenge of drawing water out of the cave, so he would probably just nod and…huh?

When Kamyu had finished talking, Mappa folded his arms. He had a troubled expression on his face.

Then he suddenly started to draw on the ground with a tree branch. It was as if he had somehow managed to think of something.

However, he quickly shook his head in defeat and erased the drawing with his branch.

Apparently, this was a problem that even Mappa could not solve.

As Mappa had only just come out of the hotspring, he too had a towel on his head. But it seemed like thick steam was rising from it…

It was very likely that Mappa was thinking hard about the suggestion I had made.

Since I was the one to bring it up, it would be no good to stand here and watch…

And so I stood up and headed towards Mappa and Kamyu.

On the way, Ril picked up her egg and ran after me, and so I put her on my shoulder as I approached them.

"Are you two talking about the ship?"

"Ah, Lord Heal. …Yes, it's about the idea you had for covering the ship with Mithril. If possible, I wanted to ask Little Mappa to do it. However, it seems like the only way to do it is to piece together very small plates."

"But what's wrong with that? …Also, what is this picture?"

I said as I looked at what Mappa was drawing.

I was more surprised by the level of detail, rather than what it represented.

So, Mappa wasn't only a talented blacksmith and musician. He could also draw…

Back in my country, the nobles competed on a daily basis over who had the best singing voice or the best painting skills. But I had never seen anything on this level. In fact, there were not many who were that talented to begin with.

But leaving Mappa's many talents aside, it was a very detailed work, and so it was clear what he was trying to convey.

It was a picture of the Leviathan biting into the ship… If the sheets of metal are small, the boat will be torn apart all the same.

Well, if you were going that far, I would also say it would be the same if the Leviathan swallowed you…

But I understood his point. The harder the safer.

Mappa then drew an arrow and started to work on a new picture.

This picture showed that if you surrounded the ship in several large sheets of Mithril, the Leviathan's teeth would not be able to break through it.

"In other words… We need to figure out a way to do it with a single sheet of Mithril."

I looked at the smithy and then to the ship.

If you wanted to coat that entire ship, it would require an immense amount of Mithril.

We had quite a lot of it in stock… But we would also require huge molds to pour it into. And we had nothing like that on this island.

In the first place, would it even be possible to melt so much Mithril at once?

I had seen Mappa work before, and knew that Mithril took longer to heat up compared to iron.

That was likely one of the reasons that it would be difficult to create large boards of Mithril.

Kamyu nodded at me.

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"I don't think it's necessary to go that far. But Little Mappa doesn't think it's safe otherwise. And so he is agonizing over it."

"I guess he's a perfectionist or it's his pride as a craftsman… Hmm? Mappa?"

Mappa was looking at me while banging his right fist into his left hand.

But judging by the bright expression on his face, he must have had an idea.

He gestured for Kamyu and I to follow him, and he guided us to where the blocks of Mithril were piled up into a large heap.

"What is it?"

I asked, and Mappa pointed to a nearby furnace.

But I didn't see how all of it would fit inside…

"No, wait… I get it!"

"Hmm? Did you find a good method, Lord Heal?"

"Yeah… But…Mappa. Melting it down might be easy. But what about processing it?"

I asked with some concern, but Mappa just replied by slapping his arm.

"'Leave it to me,' I suppose… Fine. Let's do it!"

And so my hands moved towards the blocks of Mithril.

Yes, if I couldn't heat them in the furnace all at once, I could just use magic.

Of course, I was not able to shape them after that.

But Mappa could.

Mappa and I traded glances, and then I unleashed some fire magic onto the blocks of Mithril.

And then, Mappa used bars to stretch them out, and then he hammered them at a speed that my eyes could not follow.

He then started to pour water over the Mithril.

"Oh, I'll pour the water!"

Kamyu said. And so Mappa pointed to where the water was kept.

Like this, he repeated the process of hammering and cooling over and over again.

Eventually, the Mithril was stretched out like a carpet, and it had completely lost its original shape.

As I watched, it slowly turned into the shape of a ship. And before I knew it, a single giant sheet of Mithril had been completed.

"Ohh! This!"

The orcs looked on in amazement and cheered loudly.

I couldn't help but clap my hands as well.

I never would have thought we would be able to make this with such a barebones facility.

That being said, all I had done was melt them down… It was barely anything.

And yet Mappa had made it so quickly.

And he didn't even use a blueprint.

"You never fail to impress me…"

Mappa gave me a thumbs up, as if he were quite satisfied with his work.

The orcs, who had previously been too scared to go on a sea voyage, were now knocking on the Mithril plate and sighing in relief.

In any case, it seemed that our worries regarding the ship were over.

"Lord Heal! That was amazing!"

Kamyu said as she made her way through the crowd and tried to hug me. I gracefully avoided her.

"…It's Mappa who is amazing. And you and your men for building the ship. I just helped a little."

And it was the truth too… And even if I had done something that I should be proud of, what did that have to do with getting a hug?

Kamyu pouted with annoyance but quickly seemed to notice something more important.

"Lord Heal… What is that thing on your shoulder?"

"Huh? Do you mean Ril… What?"

As I turned my head to the right, I saw a small bird with a yellow beak and red eyes.

The little bird stuck out its tongue and then licked my face.