Chapter 404: Unending Guests
The information was quite troubling, but they weren’t coming right away. There was no need to rush; we could devise our countermeasures carefully.
“Let me know as soon as they enter Isolage.”
“Understood.”
“Next, we should reinforce the Reception Hall…”
“They might try to force their way in, after all.”
“…Are they really that troublesome?”
After finishing the call with Mesaria, I noticed Ivan making a grimace as he pondered our options.
“I don’t feel like we could even have a conversation with Neguro.”
“…I don’t want to talk to them either.”
“Yeah… so it’s that bad, huh?”
Ivan seemed taken aback by our reactions. We had never been on good terms with them, and we had no intention of reaching out.
“What exactly do you mean by reinforcing it?”
“Well, what should we do?”
“Are we going to set up a pitfall or something?”
Even when asked for specifics, I had yet to come up with a solid plan. I didn’t have any particular ideas, but something sparked in my mind from Rio’s mention of a pitfall.
“How about we connect it to the Dungeon?”
“Eh?”
“Haha!”
Ivan looked even more unsettled, perhaps recalling the deadly traps of that infamous Dungeon, while Rio seemed to find it hilarious.
“We’ll treat those who come to us properly, of course, but we don’t need to show any mercy to those who force their way in.”
“Aren’t they going to die?”
“I won’t take responsibility for those who trespass.”
“That’s true…”
“More importantly, it’s time for the hot springs!”
“Hot springs!”
Let’s set aside the grim discussion for now. It might be a form of escapism, but it couldn’t be helped. Phonia responded to my voice, so I decided to push forward. Somehow, it seemed that not just Phonia and Ivan, but even Nil had developed a liking for baths, likely due to our shared Japanese love for them. With the promise of hot springs, there was no way we could pass it up. Thus, the next morning, we headed straight to the site.
“Whoa, this is amazing!”
The hot springs were nestled in the forest, halfway up a gentle mountain slope. It was located to the south of our base, just beyond the Dark Elf settlement. Water cascaded down from a cliff about ten meters high, pouring down like a waterfall. Steam rose from the waterfall, and the river flowing from the pool was, of course, hot water. After flowing for a while, it seemed to cool down, but the warm spring continued into the forest. The water was clear, and the riverbed shimmered with a faint green hue, creating a mystical atmosphere. I checked the water and found it suitable for bathing.
“I’m curious about the top of the cliff too.”
“Let’s go check it out.”
“I want to go too!”
“Woof!”
The waterfall was about a meter wide, but the cliff stretched endlessly to the left and right, as if the rock had shifted due to an earthquake. Ivan and Phonia hopped onto Nil’s back, and the three of them soared into the sky.
“Whoa, this is incredible too!”
The top of the cliff was a gentle incline, and in the distance, we could see a mountain peak spewing smoke. For about a hundred meters, there were no trees, but beyond that, grass flourished, and the forest continued all the way to the summit. The treeless area was home to a steaming pond, likely fed by hot springs bubbling up from the ground. The water was clear, but unlike the river, the bottom was a soft blue, creating a very enchanting sight.
“It doesn’t seem like we can get in directly.”
“The heat is intense.”
The area around the hot springs was hot, even without touching the water; the heat was palpable.
“The view is just too good.”
“Wooaahhh!”
“Woof-woof!”
Turning around, we could see the sprawling forest below and several rivers flowing out from it, stretching far into the distance. The hot springs in Fairy Valley were impressive, but since they were located in a valley, we couldn’t enjoy the scenery to this extent.
We began discussing what kind of hot springs would be best. The hot springs at the top of the cliff were too hot to enter, so we needed to cool them down, but there were no nearby rivers. The pool at the base of the waterfall was at a perfect temperature, but we also wanted to enjoy the view from the cliff, so we needed to find a way to manage the hot springs up there.
“You’re going to connect our home bath to this hot spring, right?”
“That seems likely.”
“In that case, why not connect a river too?”
“Oh! That’s a great idea!”
With Rio’s suggestion, the design for the hot springs began to take shape. We decided to build a bath next to the pond and channel the river’s water into it. The flow from the pond to the waterfall would remain unchanged since the current temperature was just right. Once we had a solid plan, we were ready to start construction. Just then, my smartphone buzzed again.
“It’s from El.”
“That’s unusual.”
El typically didn’t bother us much.
“Hello?”
“This is Elvirinos.”
“What happened?”
Hearing El’s full name after so long made me realize I was eager to hear more.
“A Dark Elf has appeared at the base.”
“Huh?”
A Dark Elf? Why?
I remembered being told to accept their gifts with a condescending tone, and I had politely declined. I had irritated them, but did they really come all this way, crossing a cursed mountain, just to get back at me? No, that seemed too simplistic. I had indeed mentioned they were coming from the northern mountains, but was it really that easy for Dark Elves to cross a cursed mountain? I was utterly perplexed.
“What now?”
After pondering for a while in silence, I relayed to Rio that a Dark Elf had arrived.
“I wonder what they want.”
We exchanged glances, but we wouldn’t know until we asked them directly.
“It seems they wish to meet with you, Master. What shall we do?”
From classmates to Dark Elves, the development of this land was certainly not going as planned.