The Strongest Wizard Becomes a Countryside Guardsman After Taking an Arrow to the Knee Chapter 24 - After Work, Hot Springs Are Great (Summer Editi

Chapter 24 – After Work, Hot Springs Are Great (Sumr Edition)

Translator: Ranzan

After that was done…hot springs.

I wanted to get in one every day to heal my knee faster.

「You should try all the hot springs we have. If you like a certain one, you may rent it.」

The village chief told , so I went to a different hot springs than last ti.

「I would like to go to one closer to my own guard bungalow.」

「Ruff?」

「Not now, but I need sothing close for winter. If it’s far from my house then I’ll freeze while walking ho from the springs.」

「Ruff Woff」

Femm nodded over and over, understanding the matter completely.

「As for we devils, we don’t care how far it is.」

「You don’t catch cold in the winter?」

「We’re not like you lowly humans. We don’t ever catch colds!」

「Oh.」

「Oh.」

Without thinking, Millet and I responded simultaneously.

But we were both suspicious of Vi-Vi’s statent.

「W…what?」

「No, nothing…」

「Yes, we’re not thinking…anything.」

Humans have the saying 「Idiots don’t catch colds.」

Of course, if we ntioned that…Vi-Vi would beco furious.

「Idiotsth don’t catch coldsth, you know!?」

The young Collette said flatly.

Hearing that, Vi-Vi glared at us.

「Al…are you thinking that I’m an idiot…so I don’t catch a cold!?」

「Oh no…not at all.」

「Ruffeh heh.」

Femm was laughing, or making so strange voice.

As this was going on, we finally arrived at the hot springs.

「Girls, you can get in first.」

「No, you go ahead, Mr. Al.」

「No, no, what are you talking about?」

『I’m getting in FIRST!』

Femm simply walked in ahead of everyone trying to give each other first shot at the hot springs.

Since Femm was getting in, I followed and stopped Vi-Vi from going in.

It was my job to wash Femm. I had to go in first.

「Well, then I’m going in first.」

「Go ahead, take your ti.」

Millet smiled. Vi-Vi looked a bit perturbed.

After going into the shack outside the springs, I looked inside.

The chief told that I could reserve it if I liked it. Well, after taking a look, I did.

「This is a pretty nice place!」

「Woff!」

This hot springs was an all-outside bath.

Even though it was outside, it was constructed so none of the villagers could see who was in it.

You could see the river down below…and the forest.

Perfect for a day with good weather.

「It’s not completely peep-proof, but with so invisibility magic it should be fine.」

As I said this I saw Femm put its front paws into the water, and I pulled Femm back.

「What are you doing?!」

「Rrf?」

Femm looked at , confused.

Today…we have to start by washing off Femm.

「Rawf Woof」

「Hey, I was thinking…」

Femm was happily being washed, as it looked at .

「Femm…are you losing your intelligence?」

『Don’t say such rude things.』

「Well, but…when you were playing with the water just now…you looked totally like a dog.」

『Regrettable』

「Lately, most of the ti, you only bark like a dog.」

『Since you humans only have frail words to convey aning, you don’t understand.』

「aning other than words, do you an like tail wagging?」

『Fool. There are far more different ways of conveying aning than that.』

Femm suddenly beca impertinent with and looked at with cold eyes.

「Hm…」

『Such foolish questions to ask, and how rude they are.』

This happened the sa ti that I finished washing Femm.

When I began washing off my arms…

—clacka clack

「Mr. Al, I ca to wash your back!」

It was Millet.

She had a bath towel around her. Even so, the towel pushed her breasts together, emphasizing her cleavage.

And the towel was hiked up dangerously high on her thighs.

「No…Millet…thanks for being so considerate, but…」

「Don’t worry about it.」

Millet smiled and ca closer, kneeling down right beside .

I looked at Femm for help.

Femm ignored , probably in revenge for what I had said, and pretended not to notice. It simply sat in the bath.

「Okay, just sit still and relax, okay?」

As she said so, she touched my shoulders from behind.

Her hands were a bit cool and moved gracefully.

I stopped trying to resist and obediently sat there and enjoyed it.

「Mr. Al…your back has a lot of scars on it.」

「Well, I was an adventurer.」

「That sounds so cool.」

Even though she hadn’t used the bath, Millet’s ears were red.

Just then, Vi-Vi and Collette ca in the room.

Vi-Vi had a bath towel on too. Collette happily pranced around us.

「Hmph, a scarred back is a knight’s sha.」

「I’m not a knight…you’re getting in too, Vi-Vi?」

「Are you saying I shouldn’t GET IN?」

「No…you shouldn’t…have so common sense.」

As in, it was against common sense for opposite sexes to get in the bath with each other.

「I am a devil, and a high class one. I’m not beholden to the sa common sense as low-life humans.」

「Yeah, but Vi-Vi, you said previously that mixed bathing was strange.」

「Hmph. But that’s strange to humans right? That’s all I was saying.」

「Hmm?」

As we conversed, Vi-Vi washed off Collette.

And after that, Collette said,

「Femm!」

And she ran into the bath with Femm.

「Femm go!」

「Ruff Ruff!」

She fell on Femm again and they ran around the bath. They were having a lot of fun.

After watching Collette and Femm for a while, Millet finished and moved in front of .

「I’m done washing your back.」

「Thanks…Millet.」

「Ti for the front.」

「What?!」

Millet walked her fingers up my chest.

「No, no, I’m going to wash that myself.」

「Don’t hold back.」

「I’m not, I’m just fine on my own.」

I refused as strongly as I could.

「Hmph.」

Millet looked a bit disappointed as Vi-Vi walked over.

「Hey, Al! Wash my back!」

「Wha, why ?」

「It’ll be an honor for you.」

Millet then grabbed Vi-Vi.

「Okay, I’ll wash your back for you.」

「Hm? You can wash your own back, Millet! I want Al to wash mine.」

「Yeah, yeah, maybe next ti.」

「Hmpph!」

Millet started to wash off Vi-Vi.

I used this ti to get in the bath.

「Old man, Femm’s good at sthwimming!」

「Really…I see.」

I said as I watched the magic wolf king swim.

Femm swam by and *whap whap* hit my face with its tail.

「Old man. Does your knee hurt?」

「It does, but I can take it.」

「Stho it hurtsth. Well, I can rub it for you.」

Collette rubbed my knee.

「Thanks. I think the pain went away.」

「Heh heh.」

Collette laughed happily.

After getting in the bath, my knee seed to be soothed by the water. I could feel the pain lessening.

It normally hurt, but it wasn’t so painful I couldn’t take it.

I rember an old innkeeper with a back that hurt like this.

Maybe his pain was just about the sa level as mine.

I wouldn’t know as my back didn’t hurt, though.

No, another old tavern-keeper said his joints hurt on days with bad weather.

Maybe that’s closer to this pain.

Either way, I could still live my daily life. But it would be hard to be an adventurer.

An adventurer has to walk long distances every day, and he has to carry heavy things all the way.

If a battle begins, an enemy might pick out your weak point. If he saw that my knee was weak, I’m sure he’d target it as much as possible.

Also, there wasn’t much ti that an adventurer could rest.

「I really love this hot spring.」

「I love it too.」Collette said.

The hot springs echoed with pleasant laughter.