Lost Sword story · Main story, Part 1
Chapter 41: A Hot Spring Trip: The Essence of Adventure
3 scenes, 135 lines
1. Winterich City District
78 linesTraveling through the cold regions is exhausting in every possible way.
Especially when the inns in this world, with their lack of infrastructure, are all freezing and miserable.
A-choo!
Ethan, did you catch a cold?
Yeah... seems like it...
I've never stayed at an inn that cold before. How do they even survive without a fireplace...?
Probably because it costs too much to keep one running...
A-choo! ...I'm grateful to Queen Katrin for recommending Isiel's finest hot springs to us, but...
It's way too cold here. If we hadn't been drinking hot tea along the way, I probably would've frozen to death by now.
We need to get back to the Underwater City soon... At this rate, I'm going to collapse first.
Even washing up was a struggle... sniff...
You two had it easier. I didn't even get to wash properly...
I just want to soak in some hot water...
We're almost at the hot springs, Ethan! Hang in there!
Y-Yes, hang in there, Ethan!
By the way... I haven't seen Morgana for a while. Did she decide to take the day off?
Bedi.
Yes?
That huge luggage Ethan is carrying on his back... that's Morgana.
zzz....
Zzz...
What's wrong, Ethan? Did a monster show up?
No, wait... this sulfur smell... it's so familiar... no way...
Drawn by the scent, we stumbled onto something right out of an anime, an open-air hot spring inn.
An outdoor hot spring!
Woah!
Without a second thought, I tossed Morgana off my back and made a beeline for the steaming water.
Hoo... paradise... I finally feel alive again.
One of the perks of being the only guy in the party is times like this.
Sometimes, it's important to just relax and recharge.
[ECG 1]
Splash.
(Huh? Was there another guest here?)
Instinctively, I scooted over to make space. Through the thick steam, a silhouette slowly came into view.
Splash, splash.
I was pretty sure there weren't any people around, let alone other male guests... So who could it be?
The figure moved closer, gliding smoothly through the water. The shape emerging through the mist was... remarkably curvy.
Gulp.
Feeling oddly embarassed, I shifted over to give them space...
Hm? Ethan?
The figure came into focus.
Oh, it's just Elizabeth.
Hehe, yes. This hot spring is amazing. No wonder Queen Katrin recommended it.
Right? I felt completely refreshed the moment I got in.
The water temperature's perfect too. Well then, I'll go wash up over here.
....?
[ECG 2]
Woah?! Elizabeth! What are you doing here?!
Yes?
Maybe my brain had frozen from the cold, because it took me a moment to fully process the situation. Once we both realized what was happening, we hurried to cover ourselves.
Huh?
Th-This is the men's bath! Didn't you notice?!
O-Oh...! I was so tired, I must've wandered in without thinking...
Aaah! This is so awkward! What do we even do now?
Neither of us could bring ourselves to leave first.
While I was frantically trying to think of a way out, another problem arrived.
Prinnnceeeess!
Gasp! It's Bedi!
What's her excuse for coming to the men's bath?!
Did you come in ahead of me? Huh? Wait, she's not here... Don't tell me, did Ethan do something terrible to the princess?!
W-Wahhh! Elizabeth! Quick, hide under the water! Hurry!
Y-Yes!
I somehow managed to hide her, but... what was I supposed to do now?!
My heart pounded as I waited, hoping Bedi would pass by... but in the end, the door swung open.
Ethan! Don't tell me you!!
Aaaagh! Don't just barge into the men's bath!!
[Scene Transition]
The next day...
Phew, I finally feel like myself again. But why does everyone look so dead inside?
Don't ask... just don't...
Hmm...? Everyone seems kind of flushed...
A-Anyway, let's get going! W-We're all warmed up now, right?!
Hmm? Why are you all so flustered? Honestly, humans are so strange.
Thanks to Queen Katrin's generosity, I ended up witnessing a "service scene" I hadn't exactly anticipated. My face was still burning from the memory.
2. Midgard Sea
12 linesWith the Alliance successfully secured, we boarded the ship once again, setting course for the Underwater City.
Finally, we're getting out of here...
I never want to come back to this place.
Me too, this was the hardest part of our journey so far.
At least now we can bathe whenever we want!
Yes?
Cooooold! It's so cold! So cold!!
We've taken down so many of them... and they're still coming.
E-eek! It feels like there are even more now!
Still, this is our last long voyage. Let's go!
3. Underwater City
45 linesElizabeth's trembling hand gripped the Holy Sword.
But once again, the sword did not respond.
...
I thought that once we found the Holy Sword, everything would fall into place.
Where did it all go wrong...?
Can I ever go back home?
What if the legend of the Holy Sword... was nothing but a fairy tale all along?
Pull yourself together, Ethan!
....!
You're the Swordbringer, what are we supposed to do if you give up?
The Holy Sword definitely exists. Oberon wouldn't lie.
So instead of making that pathetic face, hurry up and think of a good solution!
...
I took a deep breath and looked around. Elizabeth hung her head, weighed down by guilt, blaming herself for everything.
If I gave up now, she would sink even deeper into guilt.
If she stays like this before the coming battle, the entire alliance could fall apart.
Yeah... sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves won't change anything.
We've faced countless hardships and obstacles to get this far, and we overcame every single one.
If we'd given up halfway, the alliance would've never come together in the first place.
There has to be a way through this too. We just have to find it.
Thanks, Morgana. You snapped me out of it.
Hmph, honestly, Ethan, you can't do anything without me, can you?
Considering all the Knights of the Round Table we've encountered and the Blessing of the Dragon... it's clear that Elizabeth is King Arthur.
But even after uniting the Alliance, there's still no response...
At that moment, a memory buried deep in my mind resurfaced.
Face your inner self, and only then shall it manifest...
Ethan, that must be...!
Yeah. That's what the Red Witch said.
At the time, I didn't think much of it...
But looking at the situation now, it feels like it's connected to me somehow.
For now, I'll go meet Merlin to figure out what this really means.
The rest of you, start preparing to announce the alliance.
You're going alone?
It's going to take time to bring the alliance together in one place.
They'll need time to mobilize the troops, too.
And that's not something the Swordbringer should handle, it's the role of the alliance leader, Elizabeth.
...You're right, Ethan.
I don't have time to be moping around either.
While you uncover the Holy Sword's secret, I'll take care of things here.
I'll help too, Princess!
Then I'm coming with you to Avalon. Following all those diplomatic meetings is way too boring anyway.
Alright, then. Once we've finished our tasks, let's meet at Saint Abbey.
And so, we each set off toward our respective destinations.