'Rebecca, have you ever heard of the Nightmares?　It's a guidance. It said to meet it.
'Hmm?　I've never heard of that. But if it's guidance, doesn't that mean you're somewhere in Luclaera?

　Even Rebecca, who knows things, doesn't know.

Do you know Deanna?
'Nightmare Tribe ......?　I'm not familiar with it either. Is it a rare species?
　Not this one either. Well, Deanna is quite biased in her knowledge.

　I asked Marina, Etowah, and Elepippi, but they said they didn't know. It seems to be a very minor tribe.
　Well, I guess that meeting the major races is not a guide, so I guess there's nothing I can do about it. It would have been easier if you wanted to meet the dwarf race. ......
　Well, if you can't, you don't have to proceed with the guidance.
　There are plenty of spirit stones, you know.

　Well. The guidance is good, but it's the inn anyway.
　We've already made reservations through the guild, so we're not going to miss anything.

　We all proceed down the main street of Luclaera.
　The lodge we booked can be found if you walk along the street for a while.

　By the way, this is the first time for all of us, including me, to visit Lucleraera.
　Rebecca is used to traveling, but this is the first time for her to come to Luklaera. If you don't have anything to do, it's just a mine, so it's no surprise.
　As for the other men, it's the first time they've been to this kind of tourism just for fun. Well, maybe unless it's a tradition of pilgrimage, but otherwise, traveling is like the ultimate in luxury.
　No ......, as far as Deanna is concerned, she's at my place for 'guidance', so maybe we can think of her as being in the middle of a long trip.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what's going on in your life.
　The reason she wears the hood is because her hair, ears, and tattoos would be very noticeable if they were in full view.
　Deanna is intrigued by the city she's never seen before, and somewhat excitedly asks, what is that?　What is this?　I ask Rebecca. Elepippi, Marina and Etowah are almost the same way.
　The way they warble their way through the streets is eye-catching in itself.
　And after all, they're all girls, you know? And I'm the only guy.
　And then there's a tattooed elf without a hood, it's a bit of a parade.
　I guess you could call it a ding-dong parade.
　So many girls, I'm jealous!　But with an elf in tow, who is this?　Who's there!　Who is this man?　Some rich guy!　Baxxi!　Baxxi!　
　It might be - it might be.
　I hope that's not the case.

　For the record, even in Elishe, Deanna usually hides her appearance in her robe. It's a good thing that you're not a kidnapping case in safe Elishe, but drawing attention to yourself is inevitably a bad thing.
　If that's the case, I think we should avoid that as much as possible.
　You've already been attacked by a burglar once, you know.

　Well. Luclaera is a mining town.
　A mining town is a town where there are mines, in other words, most of the people who work in the mines - it's a very special town.
　And those who work in the mines are usually big, muktsukeke men.
　Luklaera is a town for manual laborers.
　It is a city where you can work without regard to your vocation, and there are many jobs.
　It is said that people who fell into labor slavery often find work in Luklaera around here.

　The city itself is beautiful, and I'm sure the municipality is making an effort, but because of the nature of the industry, many of the facilities give the impression of being a workers' city.
　First of all, there is a forest of cheap lodgings in the back streets that you can tell at a glance that they are different from the ones you booked. It might be more appropriate to call it a "lodging for woodmen" rather than a cheap inn. The sign of the innkeeper's mark is visible, but otherwise it would be difficult to distinguish it from a private house.
　In addition, there is a tavern. The tavern also doubles as an inn, and of course you can stay here as well. Whether it's cheaper or more expensive than a wooden inn is unknown, but according to Rebecca, there are many shared rooms and hygiene is quite delicate.
　The tavern is open for lunch as well, and while they do serve alcohol, it's basically a diner, apparently.
　It's currently just after noon, still a delicate time for dinner, but already dozens of dozens of old men are gushing out of nowhere and getting sucked into the tavern.
　Well, in this world, the defining characteristic is that when it gets dark, they just go to bed. It might be like this for people who work physically from morning. But it's only 14 o'clock.

Hmm ......?　Is that ......?

Rebecca, are those the labor slaves you were talking about?

　Several men with slave crests engraved on their necks and wrists ask as they are sucked into the diner.
　Slave crests are engraved on the slave's side when they sign a slave contract, with a crescent-shaped tattoo (like a pattern) on their necks and both wrists.
　Deanna and Marina have the same thing engraved on their wrists. It's a proof of slavery that can be seen by others.
　It's unclear whether it's necessary to go out of your way to put a mark that visually identifies you as a slave, but it can't be helped because that's the way it is in this world.
　According to the priestess, the spirit magic that the priests administer is strictly regulated and they are not allowed to do whatever they want. Blessings start at age 10!　And slave contracts always include a slave crest!　And so on and so forth.

'Well. I'm just a slave, and maybe I'm not. Well, I suppose it's a model slave to be free that much.

　Model slave!　I've never heard the phrase before: .......

'Can't I have a slave who isn't exemplary?'

Well, of course not.

It's basically a matter of being properly monitored.

　A labor slave is like an imprisonment that can be placed in this world, a kind of labor prison sentence that is given to a person who has committed a crime.
　In other words, instead of being sent to prison, they are made slaves, and after working for a certain number of years, their contract is terminated and they can be free.
　However, this is only for relatively minor crimes; murderers and other criminals are usually sentenced to death or have their arms cut off.
　For example, I heard that the wildebeest who attacked me before had a misdemeanor record, the leader was beheaded and his henchman had his arm cut off, and the man who scammed cheap lace as an elf product was made a labor slave for a few years for a minor crime.
　Well, if you can afford to drink in a tavern, labor slavery doesn't seem to be as harsh a punishment as the word implies.

'What happens if those people escape?

　They're usually eating with other slaves and it looks like they can get away with it as much as they want.
　All they have to do is lose their blessing for breaking the contract, and I don't want to work, I want to run away!　I'm sure there are some freeloaders who would say.

'When a labour slave escapes from labour, I think it takes a week or so for them to get cobbled together - I'm not sure.　Maybe it depends on the contract: ......
Kogetsk?

　Will they shake the lightning from the sky, like heaven's punishment?
　And will it be scorched black like the old cartoons: ......?
　Slave contracts are a real thing: .......

It's called "cogitation" that the of the violation of the slave contract is engraved separately from the slave crest. If this happens, it's all over. No one would do such a stupid thing. It's not the same as just losing a blessing.
What's different about ......?
The bounty of a gold coin is worth the price. I've heard it's a curse that significantly reduces your physical abilities, so it's as good as done. You can't live normally anymore, and even if you want to live in the depths of the mountains to hide out, it's not easy if your physical abilities are declining.

　Ugh.
　I'd rather lose my blessing than become an ordinary person, I thought it would be easier, but I guess that's not going to happen.
　Well, it seems that in violation of the normal spirit contract, this pattern doesn't appear, so it seems that we rarely see a person with a prison crest (or a hairpin). It's not surprising, since he's an escaped criminal.

...... By the way, what kind of a prison pattern is that?
I've heard of black crests all over his body and red eyes.

　Wow. That's going to be very noticeable.
　It's probably something different from Deanna's congratulatory-looking full-body tattoo, which is a worldly disaster. However, it may be useful to say that it is convenient to know the escaped criminal at a glance. If you run into a bear in the mountains or something, it might be scarier than running into one, though.


...... By the way, Rebecca.

　I turn my gaze back slightly with a quick glance.
　Rebecca would have noticed.

'Oh, you're being followed!
'I knew it. But that's ...... a child, right?

　In fact, since a while ago, I've been pretending to talk to Erepippi and Etowah walking behind me, and I've been checking them out: ...... A boy of about junior high school age, poorly dressed and obvious, seems to be following us for some reason.
　He was poorly dressed and poorly looking.
　It was getting a little colder, but he was wearing sandals and a light linen outfit both on top and bottom.
　But his tan is rugged, and I can't help but feel that he's been living in this town for some time now.

　After all, he seems to have attracted a strange one. I don't know if it's because there are a lot of girls in the city, so I'm just following them, or if they're doing something even worse than that.
　Either way, a lot of kids don't know how much to take, you know.
　I don't want to be associated with someone who looks like trouble.

...... Well, it's okay if you're just following it. It's not going to come up to the inn.

　I don't care if it's a cheap place to stay, the place I booked is where one night costs a silver coin. It would be a delicate place for that boy to even get into the lobby. Because the expensive inn is well secured. The bouncer is always there.

　After all, the boy had followed us to enter the inn we had reserved. If he's sticking around tomorrow, we'll catch him and question him.
　It wouldn't be a trivial matter anyway, though.



　◇◆◆◆◆◇



　The inn we had booked was located near the base of Mt. Luclaera, in the most prosperous part of town, and looked much more upscale than I had imagined. Perhaps because we walked around looking at the wooden lodges beside it, it looks relatively very respectable. In Elishe, it would be an average inn, though.

　The stone entrance to the front desk.
　There are a lot of vague places in this world, so it's really reassuring to have a proper inn like this.
　Well, it seems that such an inn-only place is actually for very rich people, and young guys like me don't use it with impunity.
　So, by common sense in this world, it must be quite a luxury.

　However, I don't want to sleep on a dirty bed, and I don't want to share a room with a companion. It's a good thing that they are all girls. There is Rebecca, who is an up-and-coming mercenary, so it won't go wrong by any chance, but even so, as the organizer of the trip, you have to take all possible precautions.
　Money is a means, not an end. If you have to spend it, you should spend it with a bang.

　The innkeeper was a pleasant-looking old man.
　He wore a clean cotton shirt, had a bushy mustache, and was a little overweight.
He is the type of man who would say something like, "Last night was a pleasure, wasn't it?" on his way out.
　It would be nice if we could actually have some fun, but not this time.
　I talk to the old man.

Hello. My name is Jiro Ayase. I believe you have an appointment through the guild, can you confirm that?
Oh, well, well. You must be Ayase-sama, sir, I am pleased to hear from you. We've been expecting you. It's a good thing you have two nights, isn't it?
Good. Did I have to pay the fee later?　I'll pay you now if you want to pay in advance.
You can pay later.

　After an exchange of such things, I was shown to my room.
　Unlike booking over the phone or online by myself, I was booking through the guild, so I was actually worried about whether it was really booked.
　But I wonder how the guild booked it. I wonder if they actually have a secret phone call or something. Even if they did, I wouldn't be surprised at all.
　That agency has some mysterious high tech technology. Guild cards and all that.

　The room that the bellboy sent me to was quite a large room.
　It was probably the largest room in the inn. The bedroom, which is about twelve tatami mats in size, has six beds forcibly placed in it. Perhaps they were brought in from other rooms for this reservation.

　As you can see from the fact that it's a large room, I didn't go out of my way to make men and women's rooms separate, and I didn't divide them three to three just because there were six of us.

　No, it's not that.　That's not what I'm talking about. It's just that it's lonely when there are separate men and women. What would a guy do alone in an inn in a different world? There's no internet.
　On the contrary, the only light at night (without Deanna's spirit magic) is a candle or something like that. It's going to make my eyes worse when I'm reading a book.

　As for the three against three, well, that's okay, right?　I also thought about it.
　I thought about it, but I didn't have the guts to do it with a straight face, because it smelled blatantly of Eros, or maybe a hint of Tadare.
　Or, there was a way to get me and Etowah alone in the same room, where there was no such scent. Kitten would be safe. If so, it must be marginally safe to sleep together.
　As a matter of reality, there's no such thing as a real-life lust for Etoi, whether it's a lie or not. It's enough to make you take a bath with him and wash him all over. No, it's a shame, a shame that I don't have a background in chemonautics.

　And because of that, I never get to be told, "You were so happy last night. At least this time.
　...... No, I think I'd like to be told that in real life a little bit.
　I don't know what I should look like when they say that.

　I go into my room and put my stuff down.
　I won't take it out of my inventory, but I brought quite a lot of baggage alone. I may have been too enthusiastic because it was a trip.
　They say that the more seasoned a traveler is, the less luggage he or she has: ......, so I might have been spotted as a newbie traveler. The story is that it's because they've been spotted, and in fact, they're just nitpicking on the inside, so it's no wonder.

　I let Deanna and Marina each carry their own luggage.
　Deanna's luggage was something Marina offered to let me carry, but I rejected that. I mean, Marina is bringing a halberd with her. That alone is already a large amount of luggage.
　Well, I've brought my magic sword with me, too.
　Rebecca-san only has a knife that she carries around with her at all times. The sword that was used for the occasional courtesy outfit is basically for parties. That was cool, though.
　Well, it's fine, since we're going to be making a sword for the knight's squad.
　The rest of us are unarmed.

　The owner of the inn came in while I was putting down my luggage and taking it easy.

The owner of the inn said, "Sir, how do you want to take a bath?　It'll cost you extra, but--

　Expensive hotels have baths.
　This is common sense in this world.
　It is said that expensive inns have a mysterious magical tool called a 'water bottle' and any amount of water can come out of it. Therefore, the innkeepers with water bottles always have a bath, perhaps to make effective use of it. It was also in the inn of the purveyor's purveyor, Efta, where I used to stay.
　To tell the truth, we had booked an inn with a proper bath this time, too.
　Because it's impossible for Japanese people to not have a bath when we came to Japan, right?
　It's easy to forget that half of the purpose of this trip was for the comfort of our employees, right?

Of course I'm going in. Do it.
Yes, sir. Thank you.

　The fee is one white copper coin per person, so it's about 1,000 yen.　It's a bit expensive, but I think you should include it in your accommodation fees from the start if you're paying that much. Well, there are a lot of customers who don't need a bath.

...... Oh, that boss. I'm not sure if it's ok for me to take a bath as well?

　Etoi asks nervously.

'That's good,'

　I wonder if it's a race issue.
　Well, I'm a cat. Speaking of cats, though, baths are something I don't like.
　Or maybe the hair falls out and clogs the drain: ....... This is a realistic story, but the innkeepers won't turn you down for such a thing. I mean, if they did, they'd be the first to say no.

You'll be able to get in with them if you want.　I'll wash you.
'Huh?　Mee-mee-mee, I won't let you do that!
You're speaking cat language!

　I'm embarrassed to go in with a group of girls at the level of outrage, but I think I'd be just barely safe with Etowah. It's like an extension of the cat, and I don't mean to sound kudos, but I don't have the Chemona attribute.

'Oh, Lord-dono's back is flushed by Marina!　I was looking for an opportunity!

　Marina suddenly declares.
　I was aiming for that!
　...... No, I'm pretty sure he said that a few times in the mansion when he was taking a bath. At that time, I said, "Stop it! I said something like, "I'm going to be embarrassed," and I fooled around, but .......

'That's nice. 'It would be nice if we could all go in together,' said Rebecca.
'...... A big bath would be nice,' said Elepippi.
'I'm going to let my back flush too, Marina,' said Deanna.
'I do that all the time,' said Marina. 'You always do that.

　But these guys ....... There's no hesitation at all to come in with me.
　It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're going to be washing your body, but you're going to be able to take a bath with me.
　So that's it. It's strange that I'm the only one who's concerned about it. If you mix in with me without a care in the world, it's not a problem at all.　The possibility of this is coming up, that is.
　Originally, I was going to go in by myself, but yes, I know. It's a different world!
　It is said that you should do as the Romans do, and in a mixed bathing hot spring, you should not be overly conscious of the fact that you are bathing together, and it is bad manners to be conscious of it.

But the master has a policy of taking a bath alone. Right?
What?

　Really?　Really?　Was I that kind of a principle, me?
　Deanna smiles and says so, but .......

''That's what you said, and you turned it down when I asked you out, right?　Master?
Uh, yes.

　Deanna pushed me away with a mysterious power.

　Indeed, a few nights after the mansion was completed. Marina once told me that she was going to flush my back and that Deanna was going in with me or something.
　But then I told her, "When you enter the Floo, you need to be free and unencumbered and sort of saved. You need to be alone, quiet, prosperous and ...... or something like that to fool me.
　d*mn!　I can't tell you that it was all a joke in embarrassment, or that it was just a joke in embarrassment!

　After all, I was alone, unencumbered, free, saved, alone, quiet and rich in bathing. I had the big bath all to myself!　Well, I'm not too happy about it. I was just getting into the swing of things.
　But it's not time to panic just yet. The night is just around the corner, and there is still tomorrow.
　Or rather, that's not the purpose of this trip in the first place.
　It's not the kind of thing you'd do in an old man's town, where you can hear this kind of coal-mining clause, like a trip, like ....... Let's wake up!


　When I got out of the bath (Etowah asked me about the baths because the Canaanites are forbidden to use the public baths because there is a lot of hair floating in them. In fact, he said, there was a lot of hair in the baths. I'll play a tip to the bath attendant), ate dinner (with zero seafood), brushed my teeth, and decided to go to bed tonight.
　Since Deanna is here, I could use spirit magic to light the lights, but it would be weird to do that at the inn. Tomorrow is early, so let's go to bed quickly. I'm also tired of traveling.

　We'll each sleep in six beds in a row.
　I've often seen situations in RPGs where you sleep in a row of beds like this when you stay in an inn, but it's very close to that situation.
　I've had a few drinks, and I'm sure I'll be able to sleep well.
　We could talk about all sorts of things, just like on a school trip, but Etowah is already curled up in a ball like a cat, and we can't make too much noise.

　The only light in the room is a dimly lit candle.
　The night goes by quickly in this other world. Once the sun goes down, there is no alternative but to go to sleep.
　Not only is it inefficient to work in the dim light, but it also makes your eyes worse.

　As I was tossing and turning, I noticed Rebecca in bed next to me, staring at me.
　Maybe it's because she had been drinking a lot during dinner, or maybe it's because she wears light clothes to bed, or maybe it's because she has a s*xy bosom.

　Incidentally, the order of the bed is Etowah, Marina, Deanna, me, Rebecca-san, and Elepippi. It was decided by Deanna's mysterious dividing power.
　I didn't really care about it, so I obeyed, but--

...... Hey, Jiro.

　Rebecca speaks to me in a whisper.
　Her wet, cherry-red lips are irresistibly s*xy and annoying.

"...... eh ...... that. Don't you want to ...... (・・・・)?

　Huh?　What do you want?