The next day after the revenge was achieved.
I get up and wash up my face.
My face looks worn-out in the mirror as I still did not fully recover from my weariness.
「 Good morning, Iori 」(Elfi)
「 Aa, good morning 」(Iori)
When I decend from upstairs Elfi has already woke up.
「 How do you feel and did you finally calm down? 」(Elfi)
「……What is it? 」(Iori)
I don’t feel particularly sick.
What was Elfi talking about?
「 You seemed to steel yourself since yesterday. Were you able to relax? 」(Iori)
「…………, Yeah 」(Iori)
「 If so, then it’s good 」(Elfi)
After having such a conversation, we consumed our breakfast and left the inn after that.
After that we arrived at the Adventurer Guild.
The reason is to partic.i.p.ate in the application for 「 The labyrinth subjugation corps 」
Even if I don’t become an adventurer I can partic.i.p.ate in the subjugation corps if I pa.s.s this application.
I want to join the subjugation corps by all means but I feel reluctant because the adventurers will be troublesome. It seems to be a system that benefits the influential person.
But only this is left for us to enter the labyrinth legally.
We weren’t able to become adventurers because of Merwin intervention.
Because I already know the name of the guild personnel that has connection with him, if necessity arises I’ll threaten him/her.
It was said that today was the deadline when I applied for our application to the guild female worker.
Somehow or another we seem to barely made it in time.
We’ll be tested tomorrow and the successful applicants will be included in the subjugation meeting that will be held right after that.
Anyway, I wrote our names on the application paper and submitted it.
During the time with the adventurer registration we fill the name entry with 『 Iori 』 and 『 Elfi 』
I suggested to use 『 Aori 』 and 『 Porufi 』 for caution’s sake. However, Elfi’s face seemed to show that she hated it extremly, eventually we end up with those names.
「 Humph……」(Elfi)
I pa.s.sed each by a man in full body armor in the guild.
From the gap of his helmet, he glared at us with a sharp eyes.
「…………」
……I need to keep my guard up.
Then we finished with our business and it was the time when we were going to leave the guild.
「 Iori-san! Elfi-san! 」(Unknown)
She called out to us with her disturbed breath caused from running.
「……Thank you very much 」(Misha)
Then she bowed her head deeply.
「……What is it? Misha-san 」(Iori)
It’s something I did anonymously, so I fake ignorance.
For caution’s sake I make sure the transaction* to be untraced , ensuring it won’t turn into a troublesome matter afterward. TN * converting magic stone to money
Misha seems to have noticed this faked ignorance of mine. But still, she expressed her grat.i.tude many times.
「 Gramps wounds have been cured perfectly. He’ll be hospitalized for another day just for caution’s sake and he can be discharged by tomorrow……! Moreover, there aren’t aftereffects left, too! 」(Misha) TN the aftereffects probably mean the burn scars
Misha who was brought to tears said so.
「 After you went to the extent of arranging a healer……yet for the money to rebuild the shop, I couldn’t accept it 」(Misha)
「 We don’t know anything regarding those money that you are talking about, you see 」(Iori)
However, I keep on my fake ignorance after she said that she wants to return it back
It has taken quite a bit of time before she gave in.
In the end, regarding Zoorutsu’s shop,it was decided to be rebuild.
Until then, both Zoorutsu and Nyamel will work at some other blacksmith’s that refer by adventurer since it has connection with them.
There seems to be a blacksmith who hurt his lower back and because of that both of them will take over for a while.
Until the end, Misha keeps lowering her head many times saying that she will certainly return this favor by all means.
I wonder if those were her true feelings.
At least for now.
However, for oneself anyone will easily cast away things such as favours and betray them.
Therefore I decided not to make any expectations anymore.
After our business with the guild was done, we strolled around the town while eating after we bought something tasty from the stall outside.
「 The egg white is trembling and jiggling while the yolk is creamly and melts it away. In addition to its mysterious texture, the sweet and salty sauce has enhanced the taste of the egg. The hot-spring egg was delicious 」(Elfi)
Elfi is narrating her impressions garrulously.
Somehow it seems to have matched her taste.
Despite being a Maou herself, her taste is matched with a commoner relatively.
「 Then Iori. [Belltoga] which you said yesterday, what kind of guy was he? Judging from your reaction he looks like some good for nothing fellow, huh? 」(Elfi)
「 That fellow is a subordinate of Dionis 」(Iori)
He was called “Flame ogre” and was a man who excels in Fire Magic even among the Onizoku.TN Onizoku = ogre tribes
Even if he’s inferior to Dionis, he is quite powerful.
「 He’s the kind of guy that is likely to flatter the strong guys but be harsh toward those lower ranked than him 」(Iori)
「 That’s really typical, huh 」(Elfi)
「 When I met that fellow for the first time, he was also trying to pick a quarrel with me too. But after I showed him my power, he changed his att.i.tude quickly and started to draw closer to me 」(Iori)
But, there was a part of me that was sympathetic toward the Onizoku at that time.
That’s why even though I thought that he was an unpleasant guy, it can not be helped that I needed to accept him the way he was.
I’m neither more nor less than a fool, if I think about it now.
I walk on the back alley of the hot spring city together with Elfi.
It takes me more than an hour walking and searching around before I find what I’ve been looking for.
After I make some arrangements with the one eye man standing outside the shop that I’ve been looking for, I enter the shop.
In the doc.u.ments that I saw in Merwin’s office, there was also information about “back business” in this town wrote in it.
We come over to the shop thats handling dangerous medicine.
「 Stink……」(Iori)
I come to have a headache after I enter the shop that was filled with a sweet smell.
While Elfi frowned and held her nose.
「 Welcome!……hmmm, it’s a surprisingly young visitor 」
The scary looking shopkeeper looks at us suspiciously.
The vulgar expression immediately changed and he gladly heared my request after I show the money.
「 Is there medicine called the nail of the ogre? 」(Iori)
The storekeeper narrowed his eyes at the question.
「……Nail of the ogre, it look like there’s someone being extremely hated, no. But you’re lucky ones because I’ve just obtained it three days ago 」
The storekeeper searched through the shelf with a “GOSOGOSO” rustling sound and he brought over the bag filled with transparent powder.
Its a white crystal that make *ZARAZARA* rattling sound that has an appearance near to sugar.
It was obtained from the Onizoku that is living in the nearby area and it a product of crytallization demon material.
I pay the storekeeper and receive the nail of the ogre.
I sealed it securely and locked it in the innermost part of the pouch.
「 Hey, Iori. If I am not mistaken the nail of the ogre, wasn’t it a poison? 」(Elfi)
「 Yeah that’s right 」(Iori)
The nail of the ogre is a deadly poison.
By consuming it, the target will feel as if there’s a small ogre running wild inside of his body inflicting severe pain. That how it got this name.
When an ordinary person consumes it, he will be inflicted by severe pain that will eventually cause his death.
The more nastier is when the one that had consumed it tries to use magic,it will make the organ that deals with the magical power to run out of control and worst to come, the body of the consumer will be exploded.
Because its a crystallized demon product it has an effect that is able to supress the magical power for someone with great quant.i.ty of magical power.
「 I was made to drink such poison by the guy who acted like my friend, you see 」(Iori)
In the memory that I read from Luser, there was the figure of the Beltoga, too.
In the strategy meeting how to killed me, the guy said.
『 I have a plan to kill Amatsu certainly 』(Beltoga)
And that plan was to make me drink the nail of the ogre.
「………… what happened afterward,were you fine? 」(Elfi)
「 Fortunately, because there was the power of hero, the only effect it caused is making my body feel sluggish. The fatigue piled up to the extent it ended up making my physical conditions turn bad 」(Iori)
「……is that so? 」(Elfi)
I don’t know whether the subordinate of the Maou force coming to this town is the Beltoga which I know, but.
If so, I’ll kill him using this nail of the ogre.
「……Iori 」(Elfi)
When I think about such things, Elfi *PON* tapped my shoulder.
「……What is it? 」(Iori)
「 Let’s go to the hot spring 」(Elfi)
「 What……? 」(Iori)
By the flow of our talk, how could it turn to that.
Elfi had an expression which says 「 You really don’t get it do you? 」
「 Since we came to the hot spring city, how about we enter the hot spring. Moreover, I’ve got tired with the bath provided by the inn 」(Elfi)
「 Well thats……」(Iori)
「 Let’s change our current inn with the one that has hot spring, right now 」(Elfi)
「 Wai, Oi!……」(Iori)
I’m being dragged by Elfi with that unreasonable strength of hers.
Whenever I’m with her, she always destroys my pace………
As expected from the hot spring city, there’s lot of hot-spring inns that exist in this town.
I was brought along to the one that Elfi had her eyes on.
I have canceled our staying from today afterward and arrived while carring the baggage.
There’s an atmosphere of cleanliness that suits such a big inn, too.
When I entered inside, I met a proprietress with a figure similar to a maid.
If I say an inn, there’s an image of a kimono, but it mostly a Western-style in this world.
We were guided by the proprietress and came over to the front desk.
From the menus I need to choose when to use the hot spring, which room to stay at, even the breakfast and dinner from it.
「 Two single rooms, please 」(Iori)
「 For meal, include it with two meals a day 」(Elfi)
As she shrewdly sets the meals to suit her preference.
「 About the use of the hot spring, how would you like it to be? 」
「 Is it possible to make a reservation for the bathing time? 」(Elfi)
「……Regarding the reservation, what are you gonna do with it? 」
「 There’s nothing I’m gonna do with it, as if I can take a bath with some unfamiliar human 」(Elfi)
Well, I understand the feeling………
「 I am sorry, but reservations are not possible 」
「 Muu 」(Elfi) TN she pouting
「 However, there is a family bath and its a private hot spring, its possible to make a reservation for it 」
According to the proprietress, there seems to be a hot spring provided to the visitors with more than two people.
When the time is decided beforehand, it is possible to enter the hot spring with a family member only during that period.
「……Still, isn’t it bad to enter it with only two people? 」
「 I don’t mind it 」(Elfi)
「 But I mind it! 」(Iori)
As I told that I don’t need to make reservation, but Elfi herself never yields.
Then if I say that we’re gonna look for another inn, she’d throw her tantrum by saying 「 I’d like it here! 」
In the end, it has been decided that I am going to use the family bathing.
We enter our respective rooms.
I decided to relax in my room because there’s nothing in particular that I need to do for today.
With magic in one hand and having done the adjustment of the power for “Magic Usurpation”with the other hand. Then the door is being knocked and the proprietress entered inside my room.
It seems to be time for dinner.
When I went to the dining room with Elfi, our dishes were already being prepared.
「 Oh!…… 」
It was food served in a pot what came out as our dinner.
The meat and vegetables are being put inside the pot made out of stone, simmered and *GUTSUGUTSU* boiled with a red soup that look like magma.
It seem to be called magma hot pot.
「 This bitterness is intolerable! 」(Elfi)
Elfi is eating the magma hot pot greedily while leaking *HAFUHAFU* breathing.
Though you ate so much during lunch, can you still eat that?
「 There’s a reason why I need to eat a lot, you know? 」(Elfi)
As if she noticing my line of sight, Elfi told me as she protested.
「 Its because a lot of energy is necessary to maintain my ma.s.sive magical power 」(Elfi)
「 In other words, whenever you regain the other parts you will become more glutton, right? 」(Iori)
On earth, how much food will she consume if she regains all of her body.
How should I put it, considering the thing that eats right now is nothing just a head.
Its too mysterious.
「 If I regain my body it will become possible for me to adjust the required energy to maintain it, you see 」(Elfi)
While saying that in a unexpected way, she didn’t stop eating the magma hot pot.
I become worried whether is it really all right?
After I ate a strange dessert called the hot-spring egg parfait after a meal, the time for bathing came exactly after that.
The time for us to enter the family bath is already being decided.
Besides, it can’t be helped that both of us need to go to the reception desk first.
After the reception, we headed to the undressing room.
Although it said for family, it isn’t that wide.
「 Elfi, first of all we need to change our clothes 」(Iori)
「 Hmm? 」(Elfi)
The clothes which Elfi wore disappeared in an instant, simultaneously with the time when I turn toward her.
I wonder if it was canceled by releasing the magical power that she wore on her body.
「……Could you cover it a bit 」(Iori)
「 I’m not ashamed cause its just my alter ego body, you know? 」(Elfi)
I overlook my eyes from Elfi and take off my clothes.
I wear a towel on the lower part of my body and follow Elfi which ran earlier.
When I opened the door and entered the inside, it was an outdoor hotspring bath.
It appeared that the skies started to become dark and it seems possible to enjoy the night view as well.
When Elfi’s done washing her body she enters the hot water quickly.
After I washed my body with hot water and shampoo my hair. Then clean myself from dirt with the towel that I brought, I’ve soaked myself in the hot water.
「……Phew 」(Iori)
Such as entering the hot spring, I wonder when was the last time I done it.
I feel that inside of my body becoming *POKAPOKA* warm.
It seems the hot spring has a good effect for the circulation of magical power.
「 It’s quite a good thing, right? 」(Elfi)
Unnoticed by me, Elfi is already behind my back.
I nod with [That’s right] without looking back.
I soak in hot water silently while looking at the night view.
「 It was a little unexpected 」(Elfi)
After a while, Elfi began to talk.
「 It looks like you also did quite an extreme thing toward others too, huh 」(Elfi)
「……? ah! 」(Iori)
Is it yesterday?
It should be the revenge that I did to Merwin.
「 It is not that I like to do such a thing. Its just repaying him back for the thing that he did to me 」(Iori)
Like what they did to me, sinking me into despair and then killing me.
Therefore I promised myself that I’ll do the same thing toward the one’s who had betrayed me.
I’m gonna make them regret it.
「…………」(Elfi)
I heard Elfi exhale deeply behind me.
「 First of all, for today you should soak inside the hot spring and relax yourself. I do not know whether you noticed that today you look terrible, you know 」(Elfi)
It’s different from the usual Elfi, I’m anxious with those kind words that she said.
By some chance, did she suddenly suggested that we went to a hot spring, would it be for my sake?
「……Elfi 」(Iori)
I turned my face towards Elfi as I want to express my thanks to her.
「 OoOOO!? 」(Iori)
I had reflexively screamed after I look at the things that were behind me.
This is because, Elfi floated on the surface where the hot water boils.
――No more than a freshly severed head.
In surprise, I’ve jumped back unconsciously from there.
「 Wh-what’s with that! To treat others like a ghost 」(Elfi)
Maybe Elfi was dissatisfied because she frowned.
As she *SUSUSU* was sliding her freshly-severed head on the water surface while moving toward my direction.
「 O-Oi! Stay away 」(Iori)
「 MU…… I only cancelled my alter ego body, but that reaction is really upsetting me 」(Elfi) TN Mu= pouting
As she said that while sulking, Elfi head rose from the surface of the water lightly.
Elfi which became only a freshly-severed head floated in the air glaring at me with scornful eyes.
I surely knew that she is no more than just a head, but this is the first time that I see it.
During the time with Merwin, too. I didn’t saw her freshly-severed head this much.
By no means it was something really shocking for me.
When I edge back from the freshly-severed head that *FUYOFUYO* swaying, then a sudden magical power was discharged from Elfi’s neck.
Then the next moment, the lower part is being constructed.
In other words, stark-naked Elfi appeared in front of my eyes.
「 Didn’t I already told you to hide it!! 」(Iori)
「 Because you dislike it, that’s why I’m gonna reveal my body!? 」(Elfi)
In the end, I wasn’t able to say my grat.i.tude to Elfi after all.
I mean, it is doubtful that she really cared for me.
But …… it was certainly that I was able to remove a little bit of my weariness.