Chapter 8 - Growing Expectations
After enjoying the meal made with Nordende ingredients, thanks to Elgis-san's consideration, I was allowed to take a bath.
In the changing room at the very back of Elgis-san's house, I proceeded to take off my clothes.
For an ordinary person to prepare a bath, they have to carry water from the well back and forth many times to fill the tub, then light a fire with firewood to heat the water.
It's easy to put into words, but it's incredibly hard labor.
That's why among villagers, taking a bath is considered a luxury; usually, they wash their bodies with a wet cloth. Taking a bath happens on a scale of once a month, or otherwise during celebrations and the like.
And yet, to prepare a bath for someone like me who he just met... I'm deeply moved.
When I told him that, Elgis-san said with a smile, "We were just planning to go in ourselves."
I feel ashamed of myself for heading straight to the flower field for a nap instead of helping with the food or the bath preparation.
If I ever hunt prey in the mountains, I'll make sure to go and share it with Elgis-san's household first thing.
Having stripped naked, I engraved that resolve in my heart and entered the bathroom.
In the bathroom was a circular wooden tub, large enough for four adults to sit in if they squeezed together.
This is a spacious tub. If I'm alone, I'll be able to stretch my legs and relax.
White steam rose thick from the tub, disappearing out the window where the starry sky peeked through.
Since it was already night, the room was dark, but thanks to the moonlight shining through the window, it was sufficiently bright.
I wanted to jump into the tub immediately, but since that would make the water dirty, I decided to wash my body first.
Sitting on a bath stool that felt handmade, I scooped water from the tub and splashed it over myself.
"Haaah..."
Warm water ran over my whole body. A sigh escaped me reflexively from the sheer refreshment.
Ah, how good this feels.
By the way, I feel like I'm acting quite like an old man right now. Well, I'm twenty-seven, so I'm plenty an old man.
Thinking that, I poured water over my head, and then poured it mainly over my lower body.
Haa, it feels like the fatigue of the journey is falling away along with the dirt on my body.
It'll probably feel even better once I've washed my whole body and soaked in the tub.
I want to get in the water quickly, so let's get the dirt off my body fast.
"I think Elgis-san said there was soap in the corner of the room..."
Letting my gaze wander a bit, I saw a small stand in the corner of the room with soap placed on it.
I grabbed it casually and rubbed it into a towel to lather it up, and a floral scent began to drift through the air.
"What's this?"
I reflexively picked up the soap and smelled it; it had a floral fragrance.
Holding the soap up to the moonlight, I saw it was light brown rather than gray. There were flower petals on the surface.
This is probably soap that utilizes the scent of flowers. It might have herbs or something kneaded into it too.
It's a very calming scent. It might have a relaxing effect like herbal tea. I feel my heart settling.
This might be soap unique to Nordende, which has so many wonderful flowers. Just because there are flowers doesn't mean making soap like this would be easy.
I'm sure the villagers living here studied the flowers and reached this through trial and error.
I lathered the towel while feeling impressed.
Then I scrubbed my whole body with the towel. Once I finished washing every inch of my body, I washed my head and face together and splashed water over my head.
I rinsed off the foam and dirt while being careful not to wastefully reduce the water in the tub. Once I rinsed all the foam off, my body felt refreshed as if I had been reborn.
Now, after finishing washing my body, next is the long-awaited tub.
Draping the towel over the edge of the tub, I tentatively put my feet in and slowly lowered my body.
"Aaaah..."
A gravelly voice escaped me from the sheer bliss.
It felt as if the fatigue of the long journey was melting away into the hot water.
I rested my head on the edge of the tub and spread my arms and legs wide to relax.
When I let out a breath and looked up at the sky, I could see the moonlit night through the window that happened to be open.
Countless brilliant stars were shining in the sky.
I gazed blankly at the starry sky, wondering if the tub had been placed in this spot specifically to look at the stars through the window.
How long has it been since I've gazed at the night sky slowly like this? When I was in the Royal Capital, I never thought about stopping to look up at the night sky.
Was it because the city lights were always on? I never even thought the night sky was that beautiful. If the place you live changes, the scenery you see from there and your feelings probably change too.
"Maybe I'll gaze at the stars from under that tree in the flower field once I've settled in."
I'm sure the view of the night sky from there must be superb.
◆◆ ◆
After enjoying the starry sky and the bath, I changed into a casual shirt and trousers and went to the room assigned to me. It was large for a bedroom, furnished with basic furniture like a bed, table, chairs, a wardrobe, and a mirror. They probably keep at least one spare room ready for sudden guests like me.
After organizing my belongings in the linen bag, I immediately dove into the bed.
It's been a while since I've had a soft duvet. When I was at the inn, I couldn't carelessly stay at high-end places, and for the past few days, I had been camping out because I was walking.
Even though I have a fair amount of confidence in my skills, spending a night in a forest or cave while staying alert is mentally taxing. It was much easier when I had party companions because we shared the duties.
I keenly felt the happiness of being able to sleep in a place where I can feel safe.
I rolled around on the bed, enjoying the sensation of the soft duvet.
The sheets and duvet on the bed had the same floral scent as the soap from earlier.
It's a very nice smell.
Perhaps because I washed my body with that soap, I feel like I smell very good too.
I reflexively smelled my arm and touched my skin; it felt supple and elastic.
What's this? Was my skin always this nice? Does the flower mixed into the soap have ingredients that keep the skin beautiful? No, it must be so. Fiona-san and Flora's youthful skin makes sense now.
...Tomorrow, I'm going to decide on my house.
A house that will be my place in Nordende. I'll have a place I can call home.
I don't have a warm family like Elgis-san's, but I'm very happy to have a place to return to. It's not a place like an inn where you pay money to stay temporarily.
I can put furniture however I like and use it however I want.
I'd like a place with a large garden where I can plant flowers and vegetables. From now on, I'll be making my own food, so a wide kitchen would be better.
Just thinking about it makes me happy, and I feel my cheeks naturally loosening.
I'm fantasizing about an interior that's just for me and suits me, but the most important thing is—
"...I'd like a place close to that flower field."
Yes, that way I can go see that flower field whenever I want.
"Starting tomorrow, my new life begins."
With those words whispered last, my consciousness sank into the depths of sleep.