episode_0073

A nation’s capital is more bustling than any other region.

The farther you get from the capital, the fewer people and infrastructure there are, the more inaccessible it becomes… simply put, it’s worse.

This is somewhat true.

However, there are bound to be places called second capitals.

This is especially true of coastal areas or border regions near neighboring countries, where the flow of people and goods is frequent.

Evermore is not the second, but the third.

The capital city, Ubiet, firmly situated in the center of the empire.

Nautilus, the second capital city, which grew as a trading city near the southeastern coast.

And the west, bordering the Tarun mountain range.

Evermore, the third capital city, called the city of adventure, bustling with adventurers due to the nearby forests and numerous dungeons.

It is also the first place those who dream of their first adventure visit, and even famous adventurer parties like the Four Saints Guild use it as their main base.

It was an important city that attracted much attention from merchants, artisans, scholars, and even imperial officials.

The influence of the guild is so great that there is a direct liaison office for the imperial family to issue requests.

It goes without saying that it receives high-quality attention from the entire empire.

Thanks to this, Evermore could not become a capital city—

—it also could not become the city most visited by adventurers.

The empire’s first adventurer’s guild was the magical city of Belonia, located just above the capital.

This is because the Chaos Forest, famous for the most powerful magical beasts on the continent, was located there.

That’s not all.

It frequently interacted with the Holy Kingdom, which, though not on good terms with the kingdom, directly bordered it above and below.

Belonia, standing at the gateway, naturally ranked as the fourth capital city, and at the same time, the largest adventurer’s guild was also established there.

This is the generally known status of Evermore.

It certainly had unique features and irreplaceable advantages, but it was an unlucky city that could not be the first in any category.

It is closest to the Tarun Mountains, but the capital city that receives all the mined minerals is the first in the steel industry.

Even though the quality is lower, it has the largest collection of magic stones, but again, the capital city that siphons them off is the first in magic and magical engineering.

It was a place with a destiny that could never be the first, as if God was messing with it.

That’s why when I first visited the empire.

I had the same expression as Yuri and Nix.

‘No, it’s supposed to be a mediocre city…?’

Having started my Akasto initiation in the kingdom, I felt like I had moved from the countryside to the city.

Without any exaggeration, the general development of the empire and the kingdom differs by more than a century.

As an extreme example, in one corner of our Philbrog territory, there are still farmhouses using outhouses, while…

In the fields near Evermore, magically operated sprinklers automatically water the crops.

It’s a kind of sprinkler system.

Even without going that far, the most prosperous street in Evermore has already surpassed the capital city.

Right here where the adventurer’s guild is located.

As if to prove that it doesn’t have high value just because it’s gilded, it displays elegance with only bricks and iron railings.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s no gold.

The high-class inn where we stayed was the tallest and brightest in this street.

But that’s about the same as the royal palace where I lived, so let’s ignore that.

(In fact, comparing the inn on the street with the royal palace is game over.)

The important thing was the inside.

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.

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“Welcome.”

A luxurious atmosphere with impeccably dressed maids and butlers literally lining up.

The air at the entrance is different.

The paintings on the walls, the magic stone lamps, comparing each one would be endless.

Damn… I thought I wouldn’t be shocked anymore.

Feeling it with my own skin in this reincarnation, I’ve become even more sensitive to it.

So let’s stop making unnecessary comparisons that only make my heart miserable.

Thinking that, I climbed the stairs carpeted with soft carpet, and walked down the hallway where a fresh scent like Yuri’s seemed to emanate from.

I opened the door to the top-floor room I had rented with a magic key, and…

“Oops- cold-”

The two who should be here were not there, and along the long hallway, along with their moderately unpacked luggage…

Yuri’s outer and underwear were strewn about.

“Hee- heung-”

And a mysterious humming sound came from the door on one side.

After letting out a deep sigh, I carefully opened it, and it was a small bathroom with a gleaming sink and toilet.

Next to a fluffy rug with the Evermore name engraved on it, neatly folded towels and change of clothes greeted me in a basket.

I opened the door to the bathroom again.

Moist warm air rushed out, and a hazy mist clouded my vision.

‘…It’s not a Matryoshka doll either.’

The bathroom, similar in size to the room in the kingdom inn I stayed at before, was filled with magical tools and shelves, and various toiletries were lined up without a single gap.

This time, I finally pulled back the curtain in front of the expected bathtub.

And witnessed Yuri and Nix bathing in foam.

“Oh my, you’re here?”

“Eek- Master’s a pervert-”

That’s right… what’s the use of me saying I’ll enjoy it later?

After all, they would rest on their own like this.

I quietly lowered my body and crouched down.

“Is the water warm?”

“Yes~ It feels clean and good. Ah, in this case was it ‘refreshing’?”

Kheo-

Nix, who knew Korean culture through the medium of my memory, let out a deep, husky groan that didn’t match her face, and relaxed her body.

Yuri, with a towel wrapped around her head, sat in a modest posture and poured foamy water over her shoulder.

“…They’re having a blast.”

Eve, who followed, let out a sigh as if she couldn’t believe it either.

But in her expression, there was a subtle feeling of envy, wishing she could join them.

“Do you want to come in too?”

“…No. It’s going to get dirty again tonight anyway.”

“That’s why you should relax your body and mind with warm water.”

Considering she didn’t go back to the living room and was leaning against the bathroom door, she doesn’t seem to be completely uninterested.

I poked at her true feelings.

“You seem to have sweated a lot… it would be nice if you joined us.”

“…Wh- my- I smell…?”

Eves face turned red, seemingly a little flustered, she sniffed at her clothes, checking for any smells.

I replied with a bright smile.

“Yes. You smell good. Eve’s scent.”

“Ugh…! No, it’ll be too cramped if four of us go in—!”

“If you’re coming in, we’ll get out—”

Then she slammed the bathroom door shut and left.

Puhut.

I slightly laughed, looking at the large bathtub where four of us could probably swim.

“I wanted us to bathe together peacefully.”

Nix looked at the door where Eve had left, looking regretful.

I followed her gaze and took a step.

I didn’t really intend to bring her.

“Let me soak in the water too.”

After all, I can’t go in with clothes on.

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.

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I neatly folded a towel on top of my hair and plunged into the tub in one go.

“Hwaaah…”

I can never forget this feeling.

The sensation of slowly melting away in the warm, fragrant water.

The two on the opposite side were already melting away, their reddened faces clearly visible even through the hazy steam.

“Hey, you know-”

“Uh-huh-”

“Yuri, you have a lot of scars on your body-”

After spending a long night together, Yuri and Nix often have such deep conversations.

I am truly proud to see the two of them, my loves, getting along without fighting.

“Uh-huh- I had a lot going on in the past-”

Tracing the curves of her soft skin, Yuri stroked the dark burn scar on her shoulder.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“No, I’m fine now.”

“You should get treatment.”

“No need-”

She touched the long scar running down her waist and smiled softly, as if a good memory had come to her.

“My sister loves this about me too.”

Yuri, with a fulfilled expression wrapped in my arms felt like the most beloved woman in the world.

Nix, seemed envious, dipped her mouth into the water and puffed out her cheeks, bubbles rising with the foam.

It must be my imagination that the black mist seems to be scattering in the tub.

Noticing my gaze, she came closer.

“Master-”

“What?”

I stretched my arms out towards Nix, who seemed to be waiting for something, and she snuggled right into my arms.

“Love me like you love Yuri.”

Her frowning eyebrows held various grievances, but…

After all, doing everything they want isn’t good for their personality development.

“I can’t do that.”

So I shook my head firmly.

I whispered my thoughts directly into Nix’s ear, the one who was about to start crying.

“I don’t love you both equally, and I can’t. Yuri is Yuri and Nix is Nix.”

“Woo…”

I stroked her damp hair, looking up at the warm yellow ceiling light.

“That’s why I can’t give you the love that I give Yuri, just as I can’t give Yuri the love I give you.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s so.”

Then I hear a cheerful laugh as if she was satisfied.

Yuri and Nix are not like cities, there’s no need or reason to rank them.

Treating each of them as individuals and all of them as individuals.

They are all equally precious women to me.

With Yuri now nestled in my other arm, we sat side-by-side in the bathtub.

We leisurely enjoyed our rest just before our first adventure together.

“Did you all rest enough?”

“Yes-”

“I was tired before I arrived but now I’m lively!”

As evening approached, we started to feel a little hungry and had to meet up with the Four Saints.

I slowly released my arms that were wrapped around their shoulders.

“Shall we get up?”