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After everyone was judged, we separated on the kingdom side and our side, just as we had done when we initially visited the audience chamber.

The only distinction from the first time was that everyone avoided me.

My classmates apparently didn’t like me at all, so they were avoiding me. And the kingdom side couldn’t do anything to me, so they were likely planning on leaving me alone.

“This summon was indeed a successful one. Not only did we find a Hero, but three Followers as well! With this luck now I’m getting disappointed that we didn’t find the last Follower, but I guess you can’t have it all. You must all be tired from the sudden summoning. We have prepared rooms for each of you, so use the remaining part of the day to rest.”

An army of maids in long skirts appeared to accompany the king’s words.

One per person.

Not even giving us time to talk between one another, the maid took us by our hands and led us to our own private rooms.

I was slightly surprised that they had enough rooms for 25 people, however, I was quickly reminded that this was a castle after all.

The maid assigned to me was a mature-looking girl of about the same age. Still, she was a maid and moved briskly. Although I knew that they couldn’t do anything to harm me, that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t try something.

“Sir Makoto. From today on, this will be your room. I, Alks, will take care of you as your personal maid. Please let me know if you need anything.”
“I see. I’m thinking of taking the remainder of the day to rest, so you are free to go.”
“Understood. I will come wake you up tomorrow morning. May you rest well.”

After bowing with a beautiful gesture, Alks opened the room’s door.

The moment I entered I heard the door behind me close. Alks did not come inside, and I was finally alone. Feeling relieved, the fatigue assaulted my body. I laid down on the luxurious bed, and felt as if I would fall asleep at any moment.

(Ah, I want to fall asleep and never wake up again. Though, I guess Alks is coming to wake me up tomorrow. I might as well think of what else I can do from now on. What I can do tomorrow, and what I can do after that.)

The contract I’d made with the kingdom would guarantee our lives and safety, as well as a minimum of freedom. As a return we would be trained for combat. As such I could allow myself not to worry about the kingdom side that much for now.

What I needed to worry about were my classmates.

(They can probably commission an assassin from outside the kingdom, but I guess they won’t do so. We’re in a castle after all. The kingdom’s secrets are all here. It’s unlikely that they’ll bring another kingdom’s person here. What I need to do is build up trust with my classmates. Maybe they’ll be willing to listen after we sleep it off today.)

There were only 25 of us in this world, and we were all classmates. I was sure that they would understand me if I explained everything. After that, the only thing we’d need to do was to become strong. Even though my fighting prowess was weak, my Skills were sure to be of some use.

At the very least, they were enough to protect myself.

◇◇◇

The next morning, I woke up to find Alks shaking me.

“Good morning. We have some time before breakfast, so please take a bath first.”

(Come to think of it, I didn’t bathe yesterday, did I? Wait… They have a bath here?! This must be the doing of the previous heroes.)

Just as I was beginning to wonder where this bath was, I was told that it was within the room.

“Do you bathe every day in this world?”
“Yes, the nobles bathe every day.”
“Can I really use it?”
“Of course. You are a hero. There is no problem with using it.” Alks said confidently, looking kind of cute.

Even though I was still slightly worried, I nonetheless decided to use the bath.

I believed that having a maid for each of us might be some kind of trap, so I decided that it would be safer if I kept socializing with Alks to a minimum.

I undressed in the changing room to which I was led and entered the bathroom. The tiles under my feet and the material of the bathtub looked somewhat expensive, but apart from that it looked like an ordinary bath. It was neither large nor small.

Just as I was preparing to enter and get this over with I heard the door behind me open.

“I’m here to help you.”
“W-Wait a second!”

It wasn’t as if I hadn’t imagined something like this happening. Any man would likely yearn for a situation in which he’d be able to take a bath with a woman. However, if I didn’t think logically here, things were bound to only get worse.

I looked behind me only to see Alks still in her maid uniform.

(I guessed as much.)

The maids in the castle are probably ladies from good families. Such a person wouldn’t show themselves naked that easily. But now I feel embarrassed that I’m the only one naked.

“Um… I-I’m going to be fine by myself.”
“But do you know how to use it?”

Alks asked. It was only when she mentioned that I noticed that there were showers, but no faucets. Neither were there any towels.

Given that there wasn’t even shampoo or body soap, I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to wash myself.

“No…”
“Leave it to me!”

In the end, I had no choice but to sit down on the chair prepared inside. I slumped down and slowly closed my eyes.