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Arlon looked extremely relieved, knowing he would not have to run through the entire city alone. An alliance forged between the Fifty Bells and Écarlate Carillon, they began discussing their strategy moving forward. Their main priority was to not alert Chimera Clauzen, so they were as cautious as possible as they discussed how and where each of them would investigate. Halfway through the meeting they took a break to eat dinner, and then continued their discussion until late at night.

「Anyway, we just got to meet each other, so what do you say we take some bonding time in the bath? It should be pretty empty at this hour.」

With everything decided and their meal over, Zef stood up and said that. It was already a bit past ten in the night. But the bath of this inn was always open except during cleaning, so it was actually better to go there late at night since it would be less crowded.

「That’s a good idea. We’re already brothers in arms after all.」
「Right, so what do you say, Arlon?」

Asbar also stood up in agreement, while Sero nodded in approval. Chatting while taking a bath, as well as other various ways of bonding was common practice amongst adventurers that would work together.

「I’m in, of course.」

Arlon replied like it was the most obvious thing and followed them to the bath. Fricca watched them go, a suspicious grin on her lips. While it was customary for adventurers to talk in a bath, Fricca noticed she had yet to take one together with Mira.

「Well, this looks like a good moment for us to bond as adventurers as well, wouldn’t you say?」

She turned around and said that, hiding what her true intention was. But her eyes were entirely focused on Mira, filled with lust and making it obvious what she was thinking. But only a moment later a rope wrapped around her and tied her to the chair, Emera’s swift restraining skills at full display.

「Well, let’s go to the bath as well then.」

After confirming there was no slack to the rope, Emera calmly invited Mira.

「Yes, let’s go.」

Mira concealed the strange glint in her eyes and stood up. She knew not to be so careless as to let her true emotions show on her face, so she forced herself to remain calm unlike Fricca. She pretty much acted like a little girl excited for the holidays instead.

「Please wait for me! I swear on my life I won’t do anything, pwetty please!」

The two left the room as Fricca cried loudly. The chair began rattling and fell down, but even then continuous 「I swearrrr!」 could be heard. It was an extremely pitiful sight, even for Mira who was the direct target of her attacks, Though Emera looked somewhat baffled.

「Alright, you heard her. I think that’s enough, right?」

Unable to watch anymore, Mira said that. Emera sighed and began loosening the rope around Fricca, apologizing half heartedly.

「I hope you keep your word.」
「I swear by all that’s holy and sacred.」

Emera’s voice still sounded sceptic, but Fricca knelt like a knight and swore with the most serious face she had shown so far.

Mira and Emera, as well as the calmed down Fricca, went down to the first floor of the inn. There was a large hall on the opposite side of the front entrance, populated by a handful of people wearing bathrobes relaxing now that it was late at night. All the gift shops around there had already closed, though those selling drinks were still open. It was a slightly lonesome sight, but also oddly captivating.

The bath was obviously divided between men and women, and the eyes of the men standing there were all directed passionately towards the women’s bath. Mira ignored all of those stares and walked with certain steps, opening the doors and taking a quick glance behind her before entering that holy garden. That was a place secluded from the presence of men, yet Mira possessed the power to enter effortlessly, and her eyes and smile as she looked back seemed to belittle those men saying ‘this is the difference between you and me.’

As Mira began undressing in the changing room, she looked at Emera and Fricca to see how they looked without clothes. Obviously enough, her eyes met Fricca’s, but only for an instant before she averted them, making it seem like it was just a coincidence. But this was Fricca, so it most definitely was not a coincidence. Afterwards her eyes kept dancing towards Mira’s direction, trying to catch a glimpse of her. Mira never had any strong emotions about being seen naked, so in truth she did not mind being looked at by her. In a way, it was almost exciting for her, the only issue was Fricca’s intense desire to constantly touch her, which had gotten to the point of being annoying.

When Mira was done undressing, she carefully watched Emera and Fricca finish as well before heading into the bath. Fricca seemed to be the type of girl that looked thinner when clothed, her chest looking more impressive than Emera’s now that she was naked. There was nothing much to be said about the bath itself, it was built essentially like a somewhat modern bathhouse, it was built of stone and one of the walls had flowers in a forest painted on it.

The wall in front of the entrance was lined with shower heads to clean oneself, and the left side had a sauna section and buckets. There were things that could have been better, but it was enough for Mira to feel at ease and relax. It was decently sized as well, easily fitting around thirty people at the same time, but considering the time there were only a handful of girls in there now.

「The water feels so nice.」
「I know~」

Mira spread her limbs and relaxed her body in the water, and Emera replied to her in an aloof voice. A distance in front of them was Fricca, isolating herself as she simply soaked in the water, her eyes teary ever since Emera took her glasses away before she entered the bath.

「Still, I wasn’t expecting to find you together with Arlon, who’s known as the undefeated man of a thousand skills.」

Emera spoke with a surprised voice. Apparently Arlon was pretty well known amongst adventurers. His unflinching and resolute attitude, as well as his strength and experience had caught the eyes of many throughout the continent, leading to him receiving many invitations to work directly under the government of a few countries.

「I didn’t know he was such a big deal.」

Impressed, Mira replied that way, but then 「Not as big as yourself, though」 Arlon’s voice came from the other side of the wall. Looking more closely it became obvious there was a narrow gap atop the wall separating the men and women’s baths, like in most bathhouses.

「What do you mean? I’m merely an adventurer.」
「I guess, let’s leave it at that then.」

Standing up, Mira raised her voice a bit and replied towards the wall, Arlon’s reply coming shortly between chuckles. Right after that Mira took a small stool and bucket and headed to the place with the shower heads, but before getting there she raised her gaze and noticed someone looking from above the wall. The face of that someone, Zef, quickly turned from a lewd and lecherous expression to a dead serious one as he looked back at Mira.

「What, you’ve been peeping from up there? So childish.」

Mira grinned as she placed the stool and bucket down. Zef was acting just like a young teen during a school trip, but she was impressed he had actually managed to get a look.

「Ah… well… they’re quite big, wouldn’t you say?」

His voice suddenly sounded much more polite, almost as if this was the first time they were talking to each other.

「Oh right, you mentioned you prefer them big, yes?」
「That’s correct, they’re only good when they spill from my hands.」

With a wicked grin, Mira put her hands to her chest and made a manner of lifting her breasts, to which Zef replied with foolish honesty and saluted.

「Well, just be careful no one else finds you then.」

Mira could understand the dreams and aspirations behind Zef’s actions, so she silently cheered him on, while also warning him. Though she still felt superior given she was inside that sacred realm he was trying to get into.

「I appreciate your thoughtfulness.」

He replied politely while bowing slightly, but his face froze over an instant later. He noticed Emera standing with a bucket in her hand, her face full of indignation but her eyes tracking him like a hunter aiming at prey. Zef tried to come up with an excuse, but before he could say anything a dry knock sounded through the bath, followed by many shrill cries.

(Rest in peace.)

Mira wished Zef well in the afterlife after his face disappeared behind the wall.

「Miramira, we’re supposed to get closer with each other today, so let me help you.」

Emera walked up to Mira, talking completely normal as if she had not killed someone a second before. She quickly stood behind her and began washing Mira’s hair. Apparently washing each other’s hair was also an adventurer tradition. Emera washed Mira’s hair, Mira washed Fricca, and then Fricca took care of Emera. While Fricca had her hair washed, she obviously looked the happiest. With that, they all were satisfied with that night’s events.