Chapter 30 - Chapter 29: Pseudo-Experience Trip 2 — The Adventurer Plan
We arrived at Yaunasun, the capital of the Viscountcy of Orcosa.
It was far more developed than Kotontesse. It seemed that about half the buildings there used concrete for their walls and such.
"......Uuuu............, my butt...... it split......."
"Look, Mika-kun, over here."
Mika lamented the harsh journey, but it seemed his feelings didn't reach Ninetiana.
Struck down by the ruthlessness of having no one to retort to his jokes, he had no choice but to follow Ninetiana.
The shared carriage arrived in Yaunasun long after the sun had set.
It was close to 7 PM.
Despite the hour, the streets of Yaunasun were overflowing with people.
Bonfires were lit in various spots along the streets. It was a bit dim, but bright enough to distinguish people.
Many shops were open, and there was no sign of closing up shop yet.
In Rish Village, this would be the hour when only the Vigilance Committee members on patrol went outside, but here people were simply coming and going as they pleased.
"......Are we heading to the inn now?"
"Hmm? Inn?"
"Hm?"
Did I say something strange?
Since we arrived at a town during our journey, staying at an inn shouldn't be anything unusual.
Or was it to go to a restaurant to finish dinner first?
"Dinner?"
"Yes. Is there a good shop around? ......Ah, hello! Is there a delicious shop around here? One that can do breakfast too."
Ninetiana called out to a man and woman dressed like adventurers passing nearby.
The man looked like a swordsman, and the woman like an archer.
Ninetiana and the pair chatted cheerfully, laughing aloud from time to time.
"Thank you. Well then."
"Yeah, take care on the road."
"Bye-bye, have a good trip."
Waving with smiles, the man and woman disappeared somewhere.
"......Are you acquaintances?"
"Hm? No, I don't know them. Why?"
You don't know them!
Wait? You don't know them but you talked to them like that? Are you sane!?
Seeing Mika's wide-eyed surprise, Ninetiana patted his head.
"When fellow adventurers come to an unknown town, that's just how it is? Eating at a bad shop you didn't ask about, or eating at a good shop you asked about. Which do you prefer?"
"Well, I'd prefer delicious food, but......"
Isn't there a proper way to ask?
"Miss Ninetiana, you don't know much about Yaunasun?"
"I don't know about the current Yaunasun. It's been many years since I was here."
As time passes, information you hold becomes unreliable.
It seems this is the same in every era and every world.
Following Ninetiana, we entered a shop that looked like a public eatery.
It was a sign with a large piece of meat on the bone, like a tavern sign with the sake bottles removed.
The ten table seats were full, but the counter had a little space.
Without waiting to be guided, Ninetiana marched straight into the shop.
Mika managed to follow her through the noisy interior and took a seat.
The moment he sat down, he grimaced involuntarily at the pain in his butt.
He placed his bag on his knees and searched for a menu on the counter, but there wasn't one.
It seemed the menu was written on wooden plaques on the wall, and you ordered by looking at those.
"Curious about the menu? Well, you can look, but I've already decided what to order."
"What are you ordering?"
When Mika asked, Ninetiana pointed to the very edge of the menu hanging on the wall.
"Daily Special Set Meal 250 Rats ※No Preferences"
This was the price she had mentioned before when I asked about currency, saying it was cheap enough to eat for that amount.
250 Rats meant two large copper coins and five copper coins.
About 300 Japanese yen?
"Is that the cheap meal you mentioned before?"
"Yes. The daily special set meal favored by rookie adventurers. The adventurers [those guys] who order this are usually less than half a person's portion, or they failed a request."
"I understand 'less than half a person's portion', but what does 'failed a request' mean? I can guess they have no money because they got no reward."
"Eat this and remember the days when you were less than half a person's portion. How nostalgic. I've cried while eating this many times out of frustration. ......Ah, now that I think about it, I might get angry."
"Please spare me......"
Fearing she might take it out on him, he moved away slightly.
"What does 'No Preferences' mean?"
"Well, sometimes you can choose menus with extra meat. It seems they aren't doing that here."
Saying that, Ninetiana raised her hand to call the staff.
After ordering two daily special set meals, she confirmed a few other things with the staff, two or three items.
It was probably about tomorrow morning, but whether it was slang or an abbreviation, Mika couldn't quite tell what it was.
Just as the staff stepped back, Mika tried to listen to the conversation, but Ninetiana spoke first.
"The guys in the very back of the carriage, did you notice them, Mika-kun?"
"Rough types? The trio? I remember they were there, but was something wrong?"
"They were checking around to see if they could steal anything."
"Eh!?"
I hadn't noticed at all.
My consciousness was on my luggage and my butt; I had not a shred of room to worry about the surroundings.
"It seems they didn't intend to forcibly snatch it. Just a feeling of 'can't I make a little extra while moving', I suppose. The young kid sitting next to them was trying hard to deter them."
Ninetiana laughed mockingly.
According to Ninetiana, it seems a young man dressed like an adventurer was desperately using his presence to stop the movements of the trio who looked like they might cause trouble.
I never imagined such a battle was happening beneath the surface.
The adventurer-looking man kept his eyes closed and stood still, and the rough trio didn't make a fuss or anything, just riding quietly.
"It seems both wanted to avoid direct trouble. The rough ones were clicking their tongues as soon as they arrived in Yaunasun, and the young kid was visibly relieved."
I never dreamed the inside of that shared carriage was like that.
"Judging by that, both are probably D-rank. It was a bit interesting to see two less-than-half-persons messing around."
"Hah?"
Now there was nothing but places to retort, and I didn't know what was what.
I thought the young one looked like an adventurer, but I never thought the rough ones were adventurers too?
And everyone was less than half a person?
It was interesting to watch them deter each other?
Noticing the under-the-surface deterrence war, who are you anyway!
This was a world Mika couldn't quite keep up with.
While Mika was dejected, the staff brought the food.
The meal on the tray was only soup and bread.
There were two large loaves of bread, and it seemed Mika would struggle to finish them.
But there was something he would struggle with even more.
The soup.
"......What is this?"
"It's obviously soup."
Well, yes, but that's not the answer I'm looking for.
"What kind of soup is this......."
It could be called a luxurious soup full of meat and vegetables, plenty of ingredients. ......Just the ingredients.
You could see chicken feet and meat with skewers still in them, soup that looked like it was just thrown into a pot without care, all poured into a large bowl to the brim.
To Mika, this looked like leftover soup from yesterday packed in.
No, it probably was exactly that.
Facing "that," which should be called leftover rice soup, Mika trembled.
Well, you can offer it cheaply if it's this.......
Ninetiana on the side started eating vigorously without a care.
Watching Ninetiana like that, Mika took a spoon in his own hand.
Bringing the soup to his mouth with trepidation, he took a small sip.
A flavor hard to describe spread in his mouth, but it wasn't that bad.
......So many flavors mixed together, I don't know what's what, but maybe it's not as bad as I thought?
This time, he put some ingredients in and put the soup in his mouth.
Again, so many things were mixed together that the taste was incomprehensible.
But, considering the poor dietary situation of the Noisheim family, this could be called a very luxurious meal.
I won't say it's not bad, but it seems to have nutrition. Indeed, this would be welcome for rookie adventurers.
It had quantity, it had nutrition. And it was cheap.
A meal that seemed to say, "What else do you need!?"
Mika suddenly remembered something there.
"You asked the adventurers about a delicious shop earlier, but why?"
"Why? Because it's delicious, right?"
"........................."
I want to say, "What deliciousness is there in this stew!?" but I understood after hearing Ninetiana's next words.
"The daily special set meal at a shop with bad cooking, or the daily special set meal at a delicious shop. Which do you prefer?"
Mika decided to continue eating in silence.
He absolutely didn't want to eat soup that mixed bad food even further.
Mixing bad food with bad food and miraculously becoming delicious is only in manga.
In reality, it will surely become even worse.
Mika took a bite of the skewered meat.
At first, the subtle taste of the soup was noticeable, but when he chewed the meat, the umami spread throughout his mouth.
Indeed, if this is the case, ordering the daily special set meal after confirming a delicious shop makes sense.
This skewered meat might be the most delicious he has ever eaten since coming to this world.
Part of it is that past meals were too frugal, but chewing such large meat was something he had never done since coming to this world.
......That skewered meat in such a mixed soup is the most delicious in my life. Thinking about Mika-kun's semi-life, my eyes sting.
Mika continued eating in silence and somehow managed to finish the soup.
However, he could only eat half of one loaf of bread, cut in half again, leaving a whole loaf and three-quarters remaining.
Simply put, this set meal was too much for Mika.
It was one meal's worth for an adult adventurer.
It was impossible for Mika to finish it.
Ninetiana ate the bread Mika left behind.
Ninetiana also said she was full with this.
She looked slender, but apparently, she ate quite a bit.
Ninetiana called the staff to settle the bill, and this time headed for the inn.
The inn sign was a picture where a table and chair overlapped at the edge of a bed drawing.
At the inn, an old man with white hair who looked grumpy was at the counter.
Even as Mika and the others entered, he didn't seem to care, and it looked like he was writing in a ledger inside the counter.
He didn't even lift his face or greet them.
He was an old man with no business sense whatsoever.
"Is the bath open? Two people."
"............800 Rats."
The old man answered dryly without lifting his face.
Bath? You mean the bath? Aren't we staying here?
Moreover, 800 Rats for two people meant it was more expensive than the meal just now. It seemed to be 400 Rats per person.
The daily special set meal just now was so shocking that I couldn't help but use that as a benchmark.
Rather, that one was abnormal.
When Ninetiana placed eight large copper coins on the counter, the old man finally lifted his face.
Reaching for the money on the counter, his movement stopped.
The old man looked at Mika, then at Ninetiana.
"......'Two people' means that girl over there is one person too?"
"Yes."
Hey, who is calling you a girl!
Don't affirm it, Ninetiana!
As Mika tried to correct it, Ninetiana, sensing his movement, quickly reached out and grabbed Mika's head.
It seemed to mean "Shut up."
The old man took six large copper coins and pushed back two.
"......Then this is fine. Hurry up and finish."
"Oh, thank you."
Ninetiana put the returned large copper coins in her pocket and pulled Mika's hand toward the back.
Passing straight in front of the counter, turning left at the end, there was a door, and that seemed to be the bath.
Ninetiana flipped the sign next to the door and entered, locking the door behind her.
It was a changing room about one tatami mat in size.
There was a shelf on the left upon entering, and another door on the right at the back.
"I got a bit of a deal. Good for you."
"No, more importantly, is this a bath? What about the men's bath?"
"Men's bath? There's no such thing."
"There's no such thing? Then how do we——Fhya!?"
Ninetiana pinched and pulled Mika's cheeks.
"Stop being noisy. Do you want a comfortable sightseeing trip, Mika-kun? Or do you want to travel as an adventurer? ......Which?"
Ninetiana's eyes were fixed, and her voice had a deep edge.
"......Hmph, fine."
"Then obey my instructions."
"Fine."
Hearing Mika's reply, she finally released the hand pinching his cheeks.
Pressing his stinging cheeks with his hand, Ninetiana quickly took off her clothes.
Mika was stunned by the too-pleasant way she undressed, and Ninetiana's wheat-colored breasts and various other things flew out before his eyes.
"Ugh!?"
Panicking, Mika turned his back.
Seeing Mika's reaction, Ninetiana sighed.
"Don't make a fuss over something like this. Do you want to undress yourself, or do you want to be ripped off?"
Ninetiana, now completely naked, stood like a guardian deity and asked Mika.
If he hesitated here, he would be ripped off without question.
Mika, sensing that, hurriedly took off his clothes.
Ninetiana put her own bag and the clothes she had taken off into a basket, and put Mika's bag and clothes into a separate basket.
It was still too early to call it spring.
When he took off all his clothes, he noticed the changing room was quite cold.
"Okay, then the bath is over there."
She pointed to another door, different from the entrance.
When Mika reached for that door, Ninetiana suddenly burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha, so cute. You look like a little monkey."
"Uhyaa!?"
Ninetiana licked Mika's butt.
Because he had been shaken in the carriage all day, Mika's butt seemed to be bright red.
The pain in his butt, the sudden ticklish touch, and the coldness of Ninetiana's hand made Mika jump in surprise.
Since he couldn't stand being touched again, Mika stopped turning his back to Ninetiana out of alertness.
He could no longer say he was embarrassed. He had to protect his own butt himself.
"Come on, come on, hurry up and go."
Mika glared at her with a scowl, but Ninetiana didn't care at all.
Carrying the basket with the luggage, she entered the bath.
The bath was about two tatami mats in size, with a cauldron filled with hot water and a water jar placed there.
The cauldron was placed on top of something like a stove, but the fire opening couldn't be seen.
Probably, it could be cooked from outside the bath.
In the corner, there was a small shelf with a lid, and several buckets of different sizes were stacked.
The floor was covered with a bamboo mat, and underneath it seemed to be gravel.
"Don't leave your luggage in the changing room. That kind of lock means nothing. There's usually a place to put it in the bath too. If not, you have to think of a way so it doesn't get wet."
He put the basket on the corner shelf, took a tattered towel that was on the shelf, and closed the lid.
"If there were companions, you could take turns watching. But if you're alone, you can't leave your luggage where you can't see it. Try telling someone who had their luggage stolen at a bath after becoming an adventurer? They'll laugh at you for life."
Saying that, she handed the towel to Mika.
The fact that locking it meant nothing was a bit of a shock.
Indeed, it was a lock that could be easily broken with force.
In a naked state, even if you noticed a theft, you would hesitate to chase after them.
In that case, you should just not let it be stolen in the first place, right?
Ninetiana scooped hot water with a small bucket and poured it into a large bucket.
Next, she scooped water from the water jar and poured it into the bucket with the hot water.
"Okay, let's wash your head first."
Ninetiana poured hot water over Mika's head and scrubbed his scalp.
After that was done, she washed her own head the same way.
Ninetiana made hot water adjusted to the temperature again, soaked the towel, and wiped her body.
Mika did the same, wiping his body and washing off the sweat.
Ninetiana displayed her supple limbs right in front of him, but Mika tried not to pay attention to it and focused on his own cleansing.
"Mika-kun, you're paying too much attention."
Ninetiana laughed teasingly.
Trying hard not to pay attention led to paying attention in reverse.
In front of a master of sensing presence, Mika's efforts were nothing.
But I can't help it! Miss Ninetiana is too beautiful!
Healthy wheat-colored skin.
Long, slender limbs.
The parts that should be slim were perfectly slim, and even her somewhat modest chest and thin butt had a distinctly feminine line.
"Well, it's fine. But if you form a party, don't do that kind of thing with your companions."
Her voice changed from before, becoming somewhat serious.
"I don't know if I'll form a party, but if I do, I think it's better to be with men. It's more relaxed."
That was something he had felt deeply in his 47 years of life.
He wouldn't say he was bad with women, but it was true that he felt tired when he was with them.
However, with Amalia and Loretta, whom he lived with, there wasn't much of that.
For these two, he thought it must be the influence of Mika-kun's memories.
"Yes, there are quite a few parties that don't include the opposite sex for that reason."
But, it felt a bit lonely that way.
Isn't it a man's dream to form a party with cute girls and beautiful ladies and go "kyakkyaku ufufu"?
"But why is it bad to pay attention? If the skills match, it seems fun to form a party with a cute girl."
"Because I can't entrust my life to such a guy."
An immediate, strong counter-punch came.
"Scenes where life and death are decided by a split-second judgment happen all the time? I'm not that crazy to entrust my life to a frivolous guy."
Ninetiana had a blank expression, but Mika understood that was the expression she created.
She must have had experiences where she fell into danger because of that.
She was suppressing what she really wanted to spit out bitterly.
"Keep your fun with cute girls only within the town. If you just want to enjoy it, high-class brothels are apparently amazing? They say they're incredibly expensive, though."
Hey, why are you casually recommending brothels to a child!
Mika glared at Ninetiana with a smirk.
While talking with Ninetiana, Mika wiped his body all over. Except for one spot.
Yes, his butt.
He had tried once, but he put it off because the pain was too great when he scrubbed with a towel.
If I force myself to scrub and make it worse, tomorrow will be hell....... It's best to just rinse it lightly with my hand.
Thinking that, he suddenly had an idea.
Could I use Heal magic?
It had been since he burned his right hand before that he had used Heal magic.
He hadn't had a chance to try it, and he didn't want to hurt himself on purpose to practice, so he hadn't used it.
It was more than half a year ago, so he had completely forgotten.
Do I gather magic power in my butt......? That also feels kind of weird. Is it okay to gather it in my hands and touch my butt?
Mika put the towel on his shoulder and grabbed his butt with both hands.
The stinging pain changed to a sharp, throbbing pain the moment he touched it.
Muttering "Limiter Off" in a voiceless sound, he began the treatment.
By the way, he had forgotten to give this magic a name.
......Send magic power from my hands. Gradually eliminate the damaged cells, and promote division into normal cells....... It's not healing with magic. It's just boosting my own recovery power.
Last time, he could see it advancing with his own eyes, but this time the repair site was his butt.
He couldn't check it by looking.
"What's wrong, Mika-kun? Holding your butt. Ah, if it hurts, I'll wipe it gently for you?"
"......No need."
Ninetiana, thinking Mika was holding his butt because it hurt and he couldn't wash it, said with a smirk.
Well, it wasn't a misunderstanding; it really did hurt and he couldn't wash it, but that wasn't what he was doing now.
Mika replied carefully so as not to break his concentration.
It's not as serious as a burn....... I should just repair the part near the epidermis.
After treating it for a while, he no longer felt pain in his butt.
There was no pain even when he rubbed it with his hand.
Mika wet the towel and scrubbed his butt vigorously.
The eliminated cells came off like flaky skin.
Mika muttered "Limiter On" without speaking aloud and finished the treatment.
It seemed he would be fine tomorrow.
Or rather, shouldn't he just treat it whenever it starts hurting?
Hope appeared for the journey starting tomorrow, and with a bright feeling, Mika finished his cleansing.
"Then let's go out. Mika-kun, will you go out first?"
"Yes," he replied, and Mika passed in front of Ninetiana.
When he reached for the door to the changing room, Ninetiana suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"......Mika-kun. What's going on?"
When Mika turned around, Ninetiana brought her face very close.
Ninetiana's eyes were fixed.
Overwhelmed by that presence, Mika involuntarily held his breath.