kscans

Chapter 80 - In Adon's Mansion

Upon arriving in the city of Laurenzen, Yuri and the others were led to a residence that, by Yuri's standards, could only be described as a grand mansion.

"Well now, Yuri-kun, and you too, Dona-san, please make yourselves at home and relax."

"Not a word for me?"

"You wouldn’t hold back from the start, would you?"

"That’s not wrong."

Watching the two old men laugh together, Yuri quietly asked Dona.

("Dona... are Old Man Audel and Adon-san...?")

("Yes. They’re old friends.")

("I see...")

"Ah, Yuri-kun, the rooms are equipped with bathtubs, but if you wish to use one, please let a maid know. We will have it prepared for you right away."

Though a casual remark, it was a probing move from Adon directed at Yuri. In this country, the custom of bathing was known, but since a fair number of people could use the Cleanse spell from Life Magic, it could hardly be called a universally widespread habit. He wondered if the word "bathtub" would even register, which might reveal something about Yuri’s past lifestyle. That was the thought behind his question, but Yuri’s answer surprised not just Adon... but everyone present.

"Oh, there’s a bath?"

Yuri’s face lit up as he asked, leaving Adon looking a little taken aback. But Yuri paid no mind to his reaction and honestly expressed his delight.

"That’s a great help. I start to feel restless if I go two days without one."

"""Two days?"""

For Old Man Audel and Dona, who usually relied on Cleanse, and even for Adon, who bathed relatively often, once or twice a week was the norm. Yuri, who nonchalantly said he hadn’t bathed in "two days," was outside the bounds of their common sense.

"...Yuri-kun, just to confirm... do you know the procedure for bathing?"

"Yes. You wash your body first, then soak in the tub, right? Oh... wait... was it a steam bath, perhaps?"

"""A steam bath!?"""

"Oh, was I wrong? Soaking in the tub is fine, then?"

"Ah, yes, that’s no problem..."

In fact, steam baths were not widely known in this country. Adon had only barely heard that such a thing existed in a distant foreign land. In short, Yuri’s knowledge of bathing had completely blown the expectations of the three of them out of the water.

"H-Hey, Yuri-kun. You... um... how often do you usually take a bath?"

It was no wonder Dona asked so timidly, but the answer from Yuri, a former Japanese man who loved baths, was more than enough to pull the rug out from under all three of them.

"Huh? About every other day, I guess?"

"""Every other day!?"""

"Huh? Oh, yes... bathing every day would be a luxury for someone like me living in the mountains..."

""".................."""

"...Um... is something wrong?"