Chapter 142 Stalker 

Part 1

Time flies when you are in Surus.

After all, vacations are nice.
I felt like my mind and body had been cleansed.
The food was delicious, and the Onsen felt good.
Maybe due to the Onsen Dragon incidents, I was sick of the Ryokan’s staff looking at me with respect, but as I was getting a lot of extra benefits, I just have to not worry about it.

At the end of the day, it is fun to remember the days that have gone by, even the day where I regretted wasting the entire day.

Since the large public bath was destroyed, only the open-air bath in my room was available, but relaxing in a bath without worrying about the people around was nice.
I was a little wary, but no dragons appeared after the first day.

My only regret is that Luke and the others couldn’t be with us.
Even though it had been a long while since I stopped following my Party, whenever I go on a leisure trip, they are usually together with me.
Maybe they would complain when I returned to the Imperial Capital.

Well, we will just have to go together next time.
I will totally brag about this trip when I get back.

I had heard from Sytry beforehand that the Onsen here were used for therapeutic purposes, but it was certainly true that the Onsen does possess a therapeutic effect.
I don’t have any old scars, but I feel like I could go inside and stay as many times and as long as I wanted.
The water was a little hot, but that was not a problem if I wore a Relic that gives me heat resistance, on my finger.
As I once again soaked myself in the Onsen while slumping down leaving only my upper body outside, I heard Liz and Tino arguing as usual.

Liz isn’t self-conscious.
When I went to an Onsen deep in the mountain with my Party, she tried to get into the Onsen with us inside without showing any modesty.
She is a girl who will still want to go in even when I told her not to.
She sees me as a childhood friend before seeing me as a man.
By the way, on a slightly trivial note, the barriers between men and women are often rather thin in a Hunter’s Party.
There are times when equipment is broken, so it can’t be helped if they don’t care about each other’s nakedness.
However, I think it is a different story if they don’t show even a hint of shame.

’

As I am actually a man and not someone like Luke who is only interested in swords and nothing else, I will be curious about things that I am curious about.
Even if I am accustomed to her skinship, it is poisonous for my eyes when she shows off her skin, even more poisonous when she hugs me.
Normally, Lucia would use her magic to keep me away from the good stuff, but this time she was full of energy because she didn’t have her natural enemy.
I knew what to expect when I set out for an Onsen, but my desire for an Onsen got the better of me.

Tino screamed, and the door to the room opened without interruption.

“Masteeeeeeeeeer, please run away! Or rather, Master, you are taking too many baths!” (Tino)

“Cry-chan! You know what, I brought some alcohol, let’s drink together?” (Liz)

While trying to stay awake, I answered Liz’s merry voice with a big yawn.

“…… You are really helpless Liz.
You should wash your body properly before quietly getting in.” (Cry)

§

Taking with me Tino and Liz who were both wearing yukata, I strolled through the town with a flower on each hand.

’
Apparently, the appearance of the Onsen Dragon had shocked the town and our group was treated as celebrities for defeating it.

In the first place, I think we were already conspicuous because there were almost no other tourists.
Onsen Dragon seemed to be a very low-ranking dragon, but a dragon is still a dragon.
They are mythical beasts that the average citizen would be hopeless against.
In a sense, it was inevitable that we would receive praise for defeating it (Of course, I had no right to receive it as I didn’t do anything), but Tino’s expression was a little stiff as she wasn’t accustomed to being at the center of the scene. 

“In times like these, you just have to *nikoniko* smile.
It is fine to stand proudly.
It will pass soon enough.” (Cry)

“Y-yes.
Master……” (Tino)

I walked around the town while eating an Onsen Manju that I got for free during our walk.
As an Onsen town, there is a relaxed atmosphere in the town that is to my liking.
In addition to the Ryokan we are staying at, there are many other bathhouses in town.
The quality of the spring will probably be the same, but I am sure it is a good idea to try some of them.

It was also refreshing to see Tino and Liz dressed differently than usual.
Although they were less exposed than usual, they looked great in their yukata as they have a slim figure.
Maybe due to the steam, their skin was also a little redder than usual, making them look inexplicable sexy.

Speaking of which, according to Sytry, the reason why the yukata is wrapped from the right side is so that you can put your right hand in the inner pocket and rub your breast1.

’
Hey, don’t tell such an obvious lie.
There is no way that those clothes would be so perverted.

Near the outer circumference, Sytry was busy doing business with a few well-dressed men.
While *nikoniko* smiling in her yukata, she pointed at the low outer wall that was only up to her stomach and said.

“Between, landscape and safety, safety is more important.
Barriers keep spiritual beings away, but it doesn’t keep human away.
How about this, why don’t you buy the latest Golem? Sure they are a little bit pricey, but they can be used for labor work as well as combat.
They would be quite cheap if you consider the labor cost it will do for you.
You will never be fortuitous enough to have a Level 8 Hunter bathing in your bath again, you know? It seems that Cry-san likes this town, and since they are still in the testing phase ―― Right now, they are half-priced, thirty of them plus their set of weapons only at one billion Gils, plus tax!” (Sytry)

Although it was always hidden by her robe, Sytry’s style is quite good compared to Liz and Tino’s.
She is also a little taller, but her chest department is incomparable.
The town’s bigwigs were whispering to each other while their gazes were caught by Sytry’s lustrous figure.
One billion Gils would be quite a heavy toll for a town of this size.

In the first place, can a Golem defeat a Dragon?
Why are you doing business when you are on vacation? I have no idea what’s happening at all.

“Sytry Onee-sama…… Is so cunning.” (Tino)

“It’s because when it comes to exploiting weaknesses, Syt is top-notch……” (Liz)

Both Tino and Liz looked astonished.

’
She is too independent.
Well, Liz being Liz, she also went and climbed a mountain to find the Onsen Dragons on the very first day…… 

When Sytry saw me, she ran up to me with a smile on her face even though she was in the middle of business negotiations.
I couldn’t help but be captivated by her collar bone.

“…… You have a lot of enthusiasm.” (Cry)

“If there are any more Onsen Dragon coming, it will be catastrophic…… So I thought I would kill two birds with one stone by checking out the performance of my new weapon……” (Sytry)

Are you a merchant of death?

However, as Sytry said, this town seemed too defenseless.
It may be a temporary situation, but it is a problem for me as I am staying here right now.
But even so, one billion is a lot of money.
At the very least, it isn’t an amount you can spend in the spur of the moment.
I wonder how much the cost price is…… 

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!
Not really sure if the last part with the dragon of the previous chapter really happened or not…… Maybe Cry took 4 bath in one day XD
Tchao à plus!

Footnotes

I looked on the internet and it says that putting a yukata left side over the right side is for the deceased, so that’s why you normally wear it right side over the left side.