That night we stayed at the hot springs village west of Liberty.

　It was once an abandoned village that Erdena Unya and I made it livable.
　We were at our wits' end when we couldn't get into the green combe we were relying on, so we started to take shelter from the rain and wind anyway, and now there are five five-story lodgings in a row, with a young couple of elves and nearly fifty subhumans working here.

　The giant tree house we maintained and made livable back then is now an ordinary giant tree behind the lord's mansion in the royal capital, because the plant magic made it able to move around on its own.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're looking for a job.
　However, I can copy hard-to-obtain fruits and vegetables that are hard to obtain, so I can increase the production of rare fruits and vegetables that Black brings to the wholesale market from time to time and get their seeds.
　When I hear about this, I want to lose track of time and devote myself to this kind of work, and that's why I'm reminded of the fact that being a lord isn't a pattern.

''........What are you thinking about?''
　Eldena called out to me.

　It seems that I was mixed up in thought for quite some time, and Eldena has a worried look on her face.

　More so, right after this.
'My lord!　Bath!　I'm going to the hot springs!
　When Korok gave me another hug as he said this, it became somewhat of a vague statement.

　At times like this, this Korok's innocence is very soothing, or rather, a lifesaver.

　As for the hot spring, we were able to get a large room with indoor hot water because of Tiree's presence, so we had to go there.
　However, I decided to let Erdena Korok, Tiree Aura, and Aela use the indoor hot water in the room, while I used the large bathroom.

''Separate bears!　My lord will go in with you, bear!
　

　In the meantime, I'm relaxing in the lounge after I finish bathing, so I asked him to come call me when the ladies are done bathing.

　I moved to the large bath.
　After all, the view from here is very good.
　This is a large bathroom where you can bathe while enjoying a panoramic view of the surrounding area, and it's still quite crowded with people.
　I rinsed the bathwater, washed myself off and then took a leisurely dip in the tub.

　When I was relaxing like that
Hey, I didn't know you were coming back.
　As I said that, Gelter came in beside me.

　The fact that the Lord of Batcombe showed up out of the blue without prior notice surprised me too.
If I told you in advance, you wouldn't be able to see your son-in-law's astonished face, would you?
　As he said that, he laughed with a huff and a puff.

　
　When I expressed my disapproval of the name... I mean, I already have a fiancé, Erdena, and I've made it clear that I have no intention of having a concubine.
Yeah, no need to rush. But you can take care of it whenever you feel like it. You know, my son-in-law.
　So that's what I've been told again.

　That said.
　I'm honestly glad to have met Gelter like this, I'm the closest to him among the lords of these neighboring cities, and he's also close in age to my father.
　However, in contrast to my father, who was very thick with white hair and a white beard, Gelter has almost no gray hair, and his body is well-built and toned.
　Although the two of them are very different in every way, I enjoy talking with Gelter more than I do with my father.

　After getting out of the bath, Geltor and I continue our informal conversations even as we move to the lounge.
　Then a member of the GDM~Gelter Destroyed Maid~ squad, who is Geltor's secretary and bodyguard's maid, came over with something to drink.
'Well, drink it, you'll be surprised.'
　I was surprised when Gelter told me that, and I took a sip of it pouring into the glass.
'This taste.........no way, it's Sua Beer?
Good answer!
　Gelter, apparently pleased to have been able to surprise me to the core, drank his glass with a big smile on his face.

　He said that he had just started doing business with a company called Dontacosuco Trading Company, which is based in a remote small city called Nakankombe in the east
'It's not much, but I'm going to get it delivered once a month. Well, when it arrives, we'll have a lot of fun together.
　While saying that, Gelter tapped me on the shoulder as if he was enjoying himself.
　If it was this kind of invitation, I'd rather welcome it, so I nodded widely and drank my first Sua Beer in a long time.

　Not long after, Erdena came to call me over.
Oh, Mr. Gelter.
　When he noticed Gerther, he went to see if he could ask for additional food for the night.
'I just came to visit you in your camp, so, well, it was a good night.
　While saying that, Gelter didn't seem to be getting up from beside me at all, and he already looked like he was ready to join the feast.
　As expected, Erdena.
...Yes, I was able to add more, so please join us.
　When I told them that, they stood before me and went to the room.
　The three of us, me, Eldena and the girls from the GDM unit, could only laugh at that, looking at each other.

　It's a dinner party that started in the evening.
You're back, Safate.
　As he said that, Biblina came in with a big smile and a bottle of booze and

My lord, it's been a long time.
　While saying that, Nirmana from the small frontier city of Picks gave me a hug.

Hey, man, I'm here to see you.
Yes, sir.
　And then Googs and Lil Pop came in with their kids and so on.

　There were more and more people in the room, and before I knew it, the room was packed to the brim.
　Gelter started to relax in the indoor bath.

Really, though, it doesn't make me happy to see an old man naked.
　While I was saying that, before I knew it Foldente had come to the party as well.

　In the end, the dinner party turned into a feast, and I was able to enjoy the company of everyone I knew well for the first time in a long time.

　
　I had a little too much to drink, so I went out for a walk in the night breeze.
　A party is still going on in the room.

　I left the inn and went up the mountain.

　There are still some fields on the slope of this mountain, and I think this is where they protected the Korok

　Then, when the mountain slopes out a bit, we sit on a rock there and have a great view of the hot spring village, including the hot spring inn, in front of us.
　I can also see the valley ahead of me and the lights of the city of Liberty in the distance.

　I can see the lights of the city of Liberty in the distance. I feel very emotional when I think about the fact that I'm in this vast land right now.

　As I look down the valley with that thought in mind.
May I sit with you?
　As I said this, Eldena came over.
　I shifted the part I was sitting on, and Eldena sat down, leaning against me.

　I think she probably had a lot to talk about.
　In fact, so did I.

　It's just.
　Seeing the same scene while cuddling up like this, it somehow fills my heart with a feeling of contentment.

　Before long, Erdena and I are kissing each other on the mouth without a trace.
　We cuddled together for a while as it was.

My lord, are you a bear?
　I could hear Korok searching for me.

　When Erdena and I heard that voice, we moved away, a little regretfully.

　It's not a bad idea to have a good time with your friends.

◇ ◇ ◇.

　The next morning ... or rather, I woke up when the sun was quite high.
　After eating a late dinner with everyone who was left in the room, we hurriedly left the hot spring village.

　But, since I had plans to return to the capital in the evening, I had to take the daytime boat, and the time was pretty much running out.

　I went around the town hall to say hello to everyone who had come to work, and I left a gift for everyone else to take to Eldena.
Well, here you go.
　I received the souvenirs that Erdena had prepared for everyone in the royal capital, and I hurriedly boarded the regular magic ship.

''........Good luck with your training.''
　Eldena waved her hand as she said that.
　Behind them, Korok, Biblina, and Foldente and the others were all out in force to see me and Unja off.

　Soon after, the magic ship departed.
　Two wyverns looked out the window of it, running alongside us for a while.
　Aura and Aela.
　Waving to them from the room, both of them squealed happily.

　The two animals turned back around the city border.
　
　After that, the ship went on its scheduled course and arrived at the royal capital in the evening as planned.
　When Unja and I got off the ship, we were able to see
Welcome back, Mr. Gossage.
　Quinn from the Quinn Chamber of Commerce greeted me with a big smile.

　I returned the smile to Quinn.
I'm home, Quinn. Thanks again for your help.
　As he said this, we shook hands again.

　This was the end of my hectic holiday between training sessions.