Episode 3 – Thermae and Incomplete Flame G.o.d’s Insignia (Part 3)After washing their body with bath water, they soaked themselves in the rose bath. The sound of hot water reverberates throughout the room. Steam rises and the maids slowly fanned the two. That, in short, being alone in the bath together with the Empress of a Great Empire.
「How is it? Do you like it? I made this for your relaxation, you should rest and relax」
(The emperor’s authority, it’s too awesome……)
Starting with thoughtlessly saying that he wants to go to the hot springs, and reaching this as a result, Falma felt very awed.
「Uhm, thank you very much」
「Umu. If you are happy, then I am satisfied」
The Empress narrowed her ruby-colored eyes and showed a pleasant smile. Her skin that was colored by the rose petals would make anyone feel the s.e.x appeal of an adult woman. The way she casually scooped up her silver hair with a gold mesh was enough to describe as a peerless beauty even without her makeup. Undressing the clothes of an emperor, what existed there was one lovely woman. They say that the Empress is a widow. According to Ellen, just soon after marrying her husband (the prince consort), he died of an epidemic on the battlefield. Since then, with her thin(?) arms, she excellently upheld the Empire. “She is courageous and admirable too”, Falma thought.
Absently soaking with the Empress in his side, Falma forgot the time and enjoyed the scenery of the garden outside the bathhouse, the small birds fly down and play, but suddenly, the Empress was staring at Falma’s upper arm.
「Eh?!」
And, the Empress, she closed the distance between them, and stared into it. Falma got careless. The scars in his arms must not be seen.
「The mystery is resolved, it was as such, huh」
The Empress’s eyes widened. And her gaze, it caught the color of envy.
「Isn’t that a holy insignia」
(Oh no……!)
There is nothing that he could do even if he hides it now.
「It is the complete Medicine G.o.d’s insignia」
The Empress showed a deep nod as if she a.s.sured herself that it was so. Falma’s scar, it is releasing nothing but a faint light in the darkness.
「Um, is this, is it “that” after all?」
Falma understood that the Empress knows about the holy insignia so he gave up and asked.
She is the Empire’s strongest divine arts user, she should see through it even if he starts hiding it now.
「You should look at this」
The Empress raised her right leg from the bath. In the inner part of her calves, there was a scar that seemed like a blazing flame.
「Eh?! Is that a holy insignia?!」
(Someone who possesses the holy insignia, they exist other than me!)
Falma felt some sense of affinity with the Empress.
「It’s the Flame G.o.d’s holy insignia……if it was complete, that is. It lacks about 1/4 of it」
The Empress used her thin finger to point at her calves that drew a lean curve.
It was as she said, it felt like something is missing when one would look at the scar on her leg as the Flame G.o.d’s emblem.
「When I was ten, it became like this when I got a burn」
Since then, she was found by the Temple, and started to walk on the path of an emperor. Before her strength, there was no one who blocked her way, she possessed the t.i.tle of the strongest as much as she wanted, exceeded the famous divine arts users, and received the emperor’s crown.
「It was also when I was 10, it became like this after I was. .h.i.t by lightning」
There was a strange match between Falma and her situation.
「It is told that one would possess strong divine powers, even if only a part of the holy insignia were inscribed to their body」
Because of that, she was able to become the Empress. Whether she liked it or not. As a chosen one.
「And if the holy insignia is complete, it is told that G.o.d shall dwell. When I was still a little girl, that made me vexed. I thought of how great it would have been if I’ve had a complete insignia」
Falma silently listened to her words.
「However, right now, I think that it is good that it’s incomplete. I am afraid that, if the insignia was complete, my consciousness might have disappeared」
“That’s why”, said the Empress while looking at Falma with a gaze that could mean pity in some way. Falma received her words and stared back right at her.
「Right now, there are two of the Medicine G.o.d’s insignia in your body, yet, both of them are complete. The great Medicine G.o.d might have dwelled on you, you must have received unparalleled strength and wisdom, but」
The Empress’s finger gently traced the insignias in Falma’s arms. As if to console the boy, Falma’s body who has lost its shadows and ceased to be that of a human.
「I wonder, you who have become the Medicine G.o.d, I wonder, if Falma de Médicis’ heart, remains as it was before」
After the Empress threw out a simple but cruel question, she said “I am starting to get dizzy from the bath, I shall leave first”, and left the bath. In the bathroom where the Empress has left, Falma let his body soak in that light that pa.s.ses through the gla.s.s, and has the same shine as of that in Earth.
He had fallen into an illusion, that someday, his body would become transparent and turn into light, disintegrating everything together with his ego and just disappear.
After that, Falma did not think of anything and tried all of the baths.
He remembered Blanche’s words, “it’s not good to think about difficult things”.
Each and every bath felt good. He felt as if his body relaxed, and his body that was continuously working was finally refreshed.
「Fuu〜……it was a great bath. I should get out of the bath I guess」
When Falma was about to leave the bath, there was some noise coming from the dressing room. And soon after, tens of guest women entered the large bath one next to the other. He could also hear the first-cla.s.s apothecaries from the different world pharmacy, and Ellen and Lotte’s voices as well.
「He?!」
The towel that Falma placed on his head fell off. His became red.
「Kyaa〜, Eleanore-sama, your b.r.e.a.s.t.s are huge after all〜!」
Lotte’s excited voice echoed throughout the bath. Although they are hiding their fronts with a cloth, Falma could see their body lines clearly even from far away. Falma was just at a position where they can’t see him, being hidden by decorative plants.
「Arara〜, Lotte-chan’s are getting bigger too aren’t they?」
「Kyaa〜! Please stop〜〜! It’s ticklish〜!」
「Ara〜, Lotte-chan’s are pink?!」
(I-I’m curious! What’s pink?! I-Is it her hair? It’s her hair, right……?)
Falma got curious, and told himself “peeking is a crime, peeking is a crime”, but his blood pressure had a gradual increase due to nervousness and excitement.
「Oh really〜, Her Majesty’s so generous〜. To think that we would get specially invited before it opened」
From what Falma heard from them, he found out that they were invited by the Empress to reward the pharmacy’s staff.
「Falma-sama was invited too right〜? I did not see him in the entrance though」
「They said that he entered first with Her Majesty. He should be taking his time in the men’s bath」
There are female apothecaries from the dispensing pharmacy guild, so there should be ones invited to the men’s bath.
(I mean, this isn’t the time to for this. Oh no!)
Falma was left by himself inside the women’s bath. And the dressing room is blocked.
(Your Majesty, why did you leave me alone and invited guests in when I haven’t got out! Is it on purpose?!)
If he was to encounter them head to head, he would probably get lynched by the female guests. No, that might not happen, but it is unknown what would happen. “What should I do?”, Falma thought while he hid himself using the decorations.
However, even so, he was unable to leave from the dressing room, lost the place to stay in, so he could only run into the Empress’s private bathroom without getting noticed.
He jumped into the bath, showed only his face from the water surface, and camouflaged his existence using the rose petals.
「I could only wait here……」
And speaking of Falma’s fate being unable to get out of the bath……
He was later on found by a cleaner completely pa.s.sed out and floating in the rose bath.
More on that, in the Thermae of the Imperial Capital that was officially opened.
Rumors say that when one soaked themselves in the women’s bath, back pain, stiff shoulders, and other diseases would be cured.