The next morning arrived, and so is the day of our departure.

Yesterday, after Helen-san made a racket about us checking out, Yuna and I prepared the things we needed for our journey. Well, rather than preparing, it was more like cleaning up the rooms since most of our things are in my 『Storage』.

Upon finishing our preparations, Gerd-san invited us for dinner wherein we talked about a lot of things. Needless to say, the dinner Gerd-san and Selia-san served was very delicious. And even though it was still pretty early, Yuna and I retired for the day after having dinner.

Now, Gerd-san and family are sending us off, but one of them was rather...

「Uwoo... Is still not too wate... hic... to wange your maynts... hic... Pwease... hic... weconsider...」Helen

... difficult.

I don't know if Helen-san is being sincere or not, but I just can't get myself to pity her even a little. I don't know if it was because of what she always does to us, but I feel like she's just playing with us.

「Helen, stop acting like a spoiled child! You're only making it hard for jou-chan and bocchan to leave!」Gerd

「But... But... they... they...」Helen

「That's right, Helen. And you already know that adventurers never stay in one place for a long time. It's just the nature of their job.」Selia

「And it's not like they're dying. There will be times we'll meet them again.」Gerd

「Reawwy...?」Helen

I don't know how the send off turned out like this, but I guess we'll play along.

「Yeah, we'll come back after the event finishes. Right, Yuna?」Grey

「Un.」Yuna

「See? That's why cheer up, will you. You're just embarrassing jou-chan and bocchan in front of this crowd.」Gerd

Gerd-san's right. Right now, we are the center of attention because of Helen-san bawling over our departure. Well, mostly because of that. Some of the men are actually focusing on Yuna.

Ahh... How I wish I could hit them...

「Then... hic... Goodbye Yuna-tan... Gwey... I'll mish yuo... hic...」Helen

Haah... Even though Helen-san is like this, I think I'll miss her too, not only her but Gerd-san and Selia-san as well. This inn has become a second home for us, after all.

Well, it's not like we'll be gone for long.

「Then, we'll be going now... Until next time.」Grey

「Bye～.」Yuna

「Take care～. Make sure to eat well!!」Selia

「I'll serve you a good dish next time!」Gerd

After we said our goodbyes to each other, we started to venture off the distance until we can no longer see each other. We then visited all our acquaintances after that in order to say farewell.

About half an hour later, we were finally out of Galderia, and in front of us was a green scenery with only a few man-made structures in sight.

「So Grey, which direction are we heading? I don't want to travel blindly like last time.」Yuna

Yuna... You don't have to mention that. I already learnt my lesson. You're just rubbing salt into my wounds.

「Umm... We are heading to the town of Moterno, so that will be... eastward. But we won't be taking the highway. This time, we'll go by the forest.」Grey

Normally, it would take 7 days by carriage on the highway to arrive from Galderia to Moterno, but if we take the forest route, we can speed up as much as we can and shorten the travel time to a single day.

Haah.. it would have only taken 8 hours if we used the highway, but if we speed up, the horses in the carriages might be startled and cause an accident.

「Then, what are you waiting for? Let's go!」Yuna

「Yeah.」Grey

Well, someone's awfully excited.

I don't know why, but ever since we captured the Bellowing Specter, Yuna has been a lot cheerful and less reserved. Well, not that it's a bad thing. Actually, I quite like that side of her.

Having decided where to go, Yuna and I started our journey towards Moterno. And like our first journey, we encountered some monsters on the way, but they were all no match to us. They also dropped some items that are worth selling.

On the way, we also gathered some herbs and rare materials. I don't know when they will be of use, but it's better to have something than nothing at all. And we have infinite storage, so why not?

We also had some minor inconveniences like tripping on roots. getting chased by a colony of bees, or setting foot in a quicksand, but in the end, we managed to arrive at Moterno safely.

Currently, we are waiting in line to be inspected. And as usual, the lines early in the morning are long.

「Next!」Guard

Ah, it's our turn.

「Your id cards.」Guard

「「Here」」

「...!!!」Guard

When the guard received our guild cards, his eyes opened widely in shock and his mouth was in agape as if he saw a ghost. Not only him, but the other guards were in the same state as well.

「P-Please wait for a moment, we'll just confirm authenticity of the cards.」Guard

「Ah... Yeah...」Grey

After bowing his head before us, the guard headed towards the barracks in a hurry. While the actions of the guards who were left with us became stiff.

Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this...

Moments later, the guard came back to us, sweating profusely. And when he was just a couple meters from us, he suddenly bowed out of nowhere.

「Count Grey-sama, Countess Yuna-sama, I bid you welcome to the town of Moterno!」Guard

After the guard declared that, the other guards followed suit and bowed their heads before us. And witnessing the scene, the crowd behind us started murmuring, asking each other about our identity.

Crap, if this goes on, another rumor might start to spread around. I need to do something before it comes to that.

「Umm... Why don't we head to the barracks first.」Grey

「A-As you wish!」Guard

As per my request, the guard escorted us in the barracks while the other guards loosened up and continued their jobs. When we arrived there, with a signal from the guard escorting us, the guards there stood up quickly and greeted us with a bow.

Somehow, I feel tired even though I'm not doing much. And not just me, Yuna is also feeling that way as well. Well, I guess anyone would be if they are treated in a way they are not used to.

「I apologize for my rudeness before, I am called Gil, please feel free to ask if you need something.」Gil

「Ah, yes... but you don't need to act so stiffly.」Grey

「Un, it's really uncomfortable.」Yuna

「Y-Yes, if you wish sー I mean, sure!」Gil

With our request, the guards in the barracks loosened up and acted more relaxed around us. Though I say our request, it was mostly because of Yuna's blunt remark.

Well, even though it helped us out for now. Yuna's bluntness might still cause us trouble so I really need to fix that quality of hers...

Anyway, I should probably ask the guards about the town before dealing with Yuna's bluntness. It would be a problem if we got into trouble because of failing to know something after all.

「By the way, Gil-san, do you know a good inn around here?」Grey

「An inn? Yeah, I do know some, but what kind of inn are you looking for, Grey-sama?」Gil

「As long as it's a decent placeー Wait! Actually, an inn with a hot bath would be great.」Grey

「I miss hot baths...」Yuna

Ever since we came to Galderia, we haven't had a single hot bath. Well, Alfrione isn't a volcanic area so it's understandable that hot baths are hard to find, but still... hot baths should be present in every country! Even Yuna wants to take some!

「Sorry, I don't know of such a place.」Gil

So it's impossible after alー

「Ah, if it's a hot bath, I know of one.」Guard 2

Just as I was about to lose hope, one of the guards suddenly commented after seeing Gil-san shake his head.

When we heard his words, both mine and Yuna's attention was shifted to him. It was almost evident how excited we were, luckily, we were able to suppress me. Well... at least for me. As for Yuna, her ears were twitching really quickly, making her fail to hide her excitement.

「Ah, I apologize for my intrusion!」Guard 2

「No need to fret over that. Now, did you say you know a place?」Grey

「Yes, it's a new inn called "Blue Spring". It's prices are higher than usual, but many say that it's worth it.」Guard 2

「Blue Spring, huh... I'll remember that. Thank you, umm...」Grey

「Hal. Call me Hal.」Hal

「Then, thank you, Hal-san.」Grey

「My pleasure.」Hal

After knowing of the Blue Spring, we then asked the guards for important locations in Moterno, such as the adventurer's guild, the marketplace, and the entrance to the labyrinth. They were locations that we need to know no matter what.

「I think that's all. Thank you.」Grey

「We're done?」Yuna

「Yeah.」Grey

「Then, let's go! I wanna take a bath!」Yuna

「Everyone, we'll see you next time.」Grey

「Bye～!」Yuna

Having said our goodbyes, Yuna grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me towards the direction of the Blue Spring with an excited smile on her face.

Somehow, her acting a little spoiled looks makes her cuter than usual. Smiling really does suit her.

Few minutes after we left the barracks, we arrived in front of the Blue Spring. Unlike the Rabbit's Den, the Blue Spring inn was a little larger. It's appearance was also on a different theme compared to the surrounding buildings.

「It really stands out...」Grey

「Who cares about that, let's head inside!」Yuna

Ignoring what I just said, Yuna grabbed me by the wrist once again and headed inside the inn.

The moment we stepped foot inside of it, a bath-themed lobby greeted us. The flooring, the walls, even the furniture were bath-themed. It was really different from the Rabbit's Den.

「Welcome, how may I serve you?」Receptionist

And as usual, we were greeted by a young and beautiful female receptionist.

「I heard you have hot baths here, is that true?!」Yuna

「Umm... Yes... There is.」Receptionist

「Grey, there really is!」Yuna

「Yeah, yeah, but Yuna, calm down first, okay? You're character is really off today.」Grey

「Huh? What do you mea... Fuehh!?」Yuna

Hearing what I said, Yuna became aware of her recent actions and became flustered. I could practically see her having flashbacks of those embarrassing moments.

「Umm...」Receptionist

「Ah, sorry about that. So, how much is a night here?」Grey

「Um, it would be 70 kiels for a single room, 135 kiels for a double room, and 170 kiels for a large room. It would be an additional 25 for person's worth of breakfast and another 15 for a bath per person.」Receptionist

70 kiels for a single room, huh... It really is expensive. Compared to the rabbit's den, a night here is worth 20 kiels more...

We have the money to pay for it, but I should probably limit our expenses. After all, we wouldn't know when we'll need a large amount of it until we are already in that situation.

「Hmm... Then we'll have two single rooms, breakfast and bath included for two people. We'll have that for a week.」Grey

「Understood. Then that would be... 140... 220... 1,540. 1,540 kiels in total.」Receptionist

1,680, huh... That would be worth 11 days in the Rabbit's Den. It really is expensive, but well, they did say that it's worth it.

After I handed the payment to the receptionist, the receptionist handed me the register to write our names unto and gave us the keys for our rooms. She also gave us a pass which allows us to enter the bath anytime of the day.

「So it's Grey-san and Yuna-san, huh. By the way, I'm Mira, nice to meet you.」Mira

「Mira-san, I'm Grey, and the one who's contemplating there is Yuna. Nice to meet you too.」Grey

「Well then, Grey-san, Yuna-san, enjoy your stay!」Mira

「We will.」Grey

When I finished that short exchange with Mira-san, I waited for Yuna to recover from the embarrassment. And when she did, I escorted her to her room and dropped off her things. I then went to my room afterwards.

Unlike the lobby and the outside appearance, the rooms weren't bath-themed and looked somewhat similar to the ones in the Rabbit's Den.

Since it's almost similar, I think I'll just place my things similarly to how I did in the Rabbit's Den. Yep, I think that's for the best.

Upon finishing the arrangement of my things, I then went to Yuna's room and checked up on her.

Well checking up on her is part of the reason but the reason was that I wanted to invite her to go out and explore the city, like we did when we first arrived at Galderia. Ah, but this time, I'll properly invite her out.

Knock Knock Knock

「Grey, is that you?」Yuna

「Yeah. Are you done with your things now?」Grey

「Yes, I'm done... Ah, wait a second, I'll be opening the door now.」Yuna

As Yuna neared the door, her footsteps also became clearer, and seconds later, she came out of the door with a slightly red face.

「Something wrong? Your face is a little red.」Grey

「Ah, no, it's just that... I'm still embarrassed by how I acted before.」Yuna

Ah... So she's still hung up on that. Well, she always acted so mature so realizing her childish actions just recently might have been a huge shock to her. But...

「I don't think acting spoiled from time to time is a bad thing. You don't need to be embarrassed about it. Actually, I would be happy if you don't try to hold yourself back. You were really cute...」Grey

Ahhhhh! What the heck am I saying!? That was absolutely embarrassing!!

「T-Then... I guess I'll be imposing on you.」Yuna

「S-Sure...」Grey

Because of what I said, my face became beet red. As for Yuna, she became even more red, the color of her face was already comparable to a ripe cherry's redness.

It took us some time to settle down, and when we finally did, I was able to remember what I was going to ask Yuna.

「Hey, Yuna, do you want to go on a date?」Grey

「A date...? You mean exploring the city?」Yuna

「Yep.」Grey

「Then I'll have you treat me to a lot of foods, okay?」Yuna

Having gotten Yuna's agreement, the two of us went outside to the city and started our date. We visited the park, the theatre, the marketplace, and other famous landmarks. We also ate a lot of food we haven't seen on Galderia.

But because Moterno was just a town, about three times smaller than Galderia, Yuna and I managed to finish our "date" before the sun set.

When we returned to the inn, Yuna and I headed back to our rooms to change, and then headed straight to the hot baths.

There were two baths in the inn, one for males and the other for females. And unlike in Japan, public mixed baths do not exist in Merusia. Well, not like I want to partake in one anyways.

Also, I don't know if bathing at night is not a culture here in Merusia, but when I came inside the bath, there wasn't a single soul to be found. It was like a private bath.

I guess I'll enjoy myself to the fullest then.

Slowly, I dipped my whole body into the hot bath, starting from toes, to my knees, to the legs, and eventually until my shoulders were submerged.

Ahh... Hot baths really are nice. This takes me back to the times when I had baths in our house in the middle of the forest.

Haah... A lot sure has happened since then, and I'm really glad that I managed to fulfill my promise to the departed villagers. Now, I only need to fulfill the task that God has given me.

Speaking of God, I wonder if he's happy with his new dimension. Because right now, I'm really happy with this second life he's given to me.

God, thank you.

CHAPTER 28 END