episode_0028

“…So what happened?”

“After much thought, Lesala agreed to head to the islands with us.

Of course, it wasn’t easy to move her without being seen.

Although she was able to move freely on land, it had not been long since the sea monster that had been terrorizing ships was known to be dead.

If the tentacles were revealed in the port city, the guards would have come running right away.”

“How on earth did you avoid that?”

Niella, who was listening with bright eyes as I explained the day I first met Lesala, was so excited that she was tapping her tail without realizing it.

If I remember correctly about the mermaid, she certainly seemed very interested in the story I told her.

“First, I sneaked into the city under the cover of night. Because it was possible to hide the tentacles to some extent when it was dark.

When I met people, I showed them that I was a gold-level adventurer, and the people at the port at the time treated me like a hero, so I was able to pass easily.

And the next day, after buying a bunch of big jars-”

“They stuffed me in there and left the city pretending I was an object for trade.

And from what I remember, Liber, you didn’t buy those jars? The people in the city were so crazy about you at the time that they just gave you things.”

Niella was startled by the voice that came back before she knew it and quickly turned around to face her boss.

“Phuhap!”

“Oh! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?!”

Thanks to this, I, who was facing Niella just a moment ago, got hit by the water splashed on her tail.

“Choke… It’s okay.. Because it’s okay..”

“Niella. If you were curious about that story, you could have just asked me.

“…I was afraid you might not want to talk about it in detail…”

“Well.. it was definitely not a good time. Still, since this part has worked out pretty well… I guess it’s okay if I talk about it myself. Liber?”

I spit out the water and nodded, and Lesala slowly lowered her body into the warm bath and resumed where my story left off.

“For a while, I was slightly regretting following Liber.

I tried to find a jar as big as I could, but even then, I could barely fit my whole body into it.

I even had to cut off some of the tentacles that had grown back.

Moreover, once the lid was closed, it was dark and I couldn’t see anything, and if I crouched down, I could feel how much my body had changed so vividly that I hated it.

It wasn’t ideal conditions for a long journey.”

As if the frustrating memories of that time were still fresh in her mind, Lesala stretched out her arms and tentacles in the spacious bathtub and enjoyed the freedom of the space given to her.

“But they were okay. Because there were things I had to do.

Surprisingly, something else came to mind first rather than the thought of revenge. Maybe the witch was still afraid, but…

I thought that when I met the Empress, I would somehow find a way to help the mermaids and my family.

When I think about that, I could bear as much physical frustration as I wanted… Of course, there were some things I couldn’t bear.”

Lesala said those words and glared at Rubia and Emma, who were both patting my back at the same time.

“I had to listen to those two bitches flirting with their master and jealously bickering with each other all the way to the institution, locked in a narrow jar.

The worst part is, I wonder if I should have checked to see that Liber had no one, jumped out of the jar, and grabbed those bitches by the collar to tell them to do their bit.”

Lesala sighed and said to Rubia and Emma, who were still not listening to her words.

“Still, we finally arrived at the island.

Before Liber opened the lid, when I heard that the Sun of the Empire, Her Majesty Solaria, was in front of us, I thought for a moment whether I should just hold on and not go out.

Since I was a human, meeting the emperor of an empire in person was considered as burdensome as looking at the real sun.

But there were things I had to ask the Empress in person, so I couldn’t just keep hiding in the jar.

So when Liber finally opened the jar, I tried to show myself as quickly and politely as possible.

…At least until I accidentally fall and break the jar and it rolls out.”

“….In front of the Empress?”

In response to Niella’s puzzled question, she turned her head, fanning her red face with her hand, as if she was astonished to even think about it.

“Yes. In front of Empress Solaria. As far as I know, that was probably one of the few times River was truly embarrassed.”

“Well… what did the Empress say?”

“Honestly, I didn’t have much expectations at first. I was also worried that he would look at me strangely.

Even though Liber had explained the situation in advance through a letter, at least at that time, I felt very disgusted with myself.”

As Lesala calmly picked up a glass of ice water mixed with honey and fruit juice with one of her tentacles and drank it, she tilted her head as if she couldn’t believe what he was saying.

“It’s unimaginable now. Isn’t that right? Fortunately, he wasn’t a person who cared about unnecessary courtesy.

Rather, he asked me what I wanted from Him and how I could serve Him to achieve it.

So I told him what I wanted.

Saving those who suffered from the witch while I was turned into a monster by her actions.

For that, I will do whatever he tells me to do. Then he gave me something I didn’t expect.

It was to study the magic used by the witch Circe.”

Niella’s eyes widened in amazement as she finally understood where Lesala’s magic, which gave legs to mermaids and tails to human-shaped mermaids, came from.

Lesala smiled at her and continued.

“Okay. Actually, at first I didn’t really understand.

My condition was the result of magic, not that I was a wizard.

But if you heard the story of Liber fighting me in the galley, do you remember that I, who was not even a wizard, used magic?

Perhaps, when I encounter an opponent that I cannot defeat with physical strength alone, it is the power that was given to me so that I could sink them into the sea.”

However, she said with a smile that even Circe herself did not seem to know how far the power that was simply given to her as a weapon could grow.

It conveys the joy of being able to strike an enemy like that.

I knew the story behind it well.

Because no one could keep up, Circe’s magic, which she had monopolized, was reused in a much more useful direction in the hands of R’Sala.

She cured the curse on herself, at least temporarily, and gave legs to captured mermaids to steal them away.

In addition, Lesala cured numerous victims of Circe’s magic.

Forgotten magics of antiquity can now be devoted to more than mere vice and pleasure.

Secret rumors say that Circe was furious when she realized that her knowledge of magic had been passed on to someone else, but by that time, the Empress had already appointed R’Sala as the new manager of Thermae Solarinae.

Even though she was a witch who lived hidden in the shadows of the empire, perhaps because of that, she could not directly touch the facilities in which the emperor of the empire was very interested.

‘That’s also why I chose this place to avoid tracking our movements. It wasn’t a bad idea to see Lesala once after a long time.’

Lesala was mainly telling the story while looking at Niella, but occasionally she did not forget to look towards the centaurs who had just arrived here.

Among them, Linia was also nodding her head repeatedly as if she was impressed by Lesala’s story.

I’m honestly not sure if the blonde centaur, whose name I still don’t know, clearly understood Lesala’s words, but if an outstanding wizard like Lesala personally takes care of her, her condition will gradually improve.

Like countless others who came to Thermae after experiencing terrible things and were able to heal their wounds with her help.

“I think this story will probably end roughly here. I hope your curiosity has been answered. Niella.

Well, since we’re talking about this, it looks like everyone has washed up enough… Would you please guide our new family members to their lodgings?”

“Yes. Mr. Lesala! See you later!”

Niella responded to her boss’s words with a smile, then poured the magic potion she had given her onto her own tail and left the bath first with her two legs appearing through the bubbles.

The two centaurs also stood up to follow her, but at the last moment, Linnea turned her head to look at me.

“…Thank you very much. Mr. Liber. For guiding us to this refuge. Thank you for putting an end to that horrible life of slavery.”

“I hope you stay safe and happy here until the day you return to the grassland.”

“Yes, I hope that one day I will be able to return this favor. May Epona’s blessings always be with you.”

The last thing she added was very ambiguous.

It had two meanings: to pray that the goddess she serves would bless me, and to be with Emma, who is the blessing given by the goddess.

No, maybe it only means one thing. It was also true that having a colleague like Emma was a blessing in itself.

Then, following Niella’s guidance, they stood up first and left. Before that, I bow my head one last time and express my gratitude.

“…It’s a good thing you came here.”

It’s not just a matter of escaping pursuit, it’s also not just about being able to wash away your body’s fatigue in warm, fragrant water.

Meeting old friends again, and finding new paths for some in this harsh slave empire.

These were all the joys I expected to find here, and as always, they lived up to my expectations.

Feeling the warmth for the first time in a long time, I slowly wrapped myself in a towel again and tried to get out of the bath like them.

Until something grabbed my arm and made me sit back down.

“…Lesala?”

“It’s a heartwarming ending. Hmm… I feel a little sorry for moving on to this story right away.”

“Well, let me leave this aside…”

“Recently, I’ve been having a lot of trouble with certain guests at Thermai. No matter how much I tell them it’s prohibited, there are always guests who keep trying to do it in the bathhouse.”

I suddenly felt like I could guess why she had kicked Niella and the new staff out of the bathhouse first.

“That must be a lot of trouble. But we won’t do that, so you don’t have to worry-”

“So I’m just thinking of doing it too. I feel like I’m losing something if I’m the only one who doesn’t do it.”

Lesala slowly lowered me back onto the bathtub by pulling my tentacle-wrapped arm and slowly lowered my body to this side with a strange smile.

When I turned to Luvia and Emma to ask for support, I came to the pessimistic conclusion that it would probably be difficult to expect that.

They also seemed to enthusiastically agree with Lesala’s words.

No matter how much I did, there was no way I could shake them off and run away when I was outnumbered three to one, so I quietly accepted my fate.

“…But actually, I don’t have time to do this-”

“The boat to the islands will leave tomorrow anyway. Don’t worry, I’ve already looked into it and am on my way.”

I quietly accepted my fate.

Soon the cloth that covered the body was submerged in the water.