After getting out of the bath, Sakura and I set up the table for lunch.

  Then,

  「……pii」


  「Huh?」


  On the outskirts of the garden there was a blue colored slime.

  However, this slime wasn’t the formless blob that I’d come to recognize, but shaped like a human.

  Its shape seemed like a human woman. It didn’t look like it was coming to attack, but instead remained under the shade of a tree and bowed its head.

  「What’s up with that slime?」


  「It…doesn’t look like an enemy?」


  So, it doesn’t seem hostile to Sakura either? Usually it would invade my land trying to get more magic power. Why isn’t it doing it this time?

  「Uhhmmmm…Master, you handled that giant slime’s stone by burying it right? It may believe that you are its superior due to this.」


  「Seriously?」


  I just buried it…how did it turn into this?

  「Monsters are mostly faithful to their instincts and instinctively loyal to their leader. Also neither of us are showing hostility. It may be trying to show its loyalty by taking a shape close to yours.」


  「I see……lemme approach and see.」


  I approached the woman shaped slime and it began to shake strangely before it bowed its head even more deeply.

  「Pi—piii」


  「Yeah, you don’t have to be so scared. We’re not enemies.」


  I called out, and the slime timidly raised its head.

  Fumu, even though it’s a slime it seems to be able to understand words.

  I wonder if it’ll be able to speak…does it have vocal cords? I’ll ask Hesty about the local flora and fauna later. As I thought that…


  「Pi,pii!」


  The slime made a friendly sound and quietly disappeared into the forest.

  「What was that?」


  「Probably appealing to you that it wasn’t an enemy.」


  As expected, I couldn’t understand slime speech, and what it said was unknown…but as long as it’s not hostile, I’m happy.

  「But still…I don’t know what it said…」


  「Would you like to try and cultivate an apple to allow you to understand?」


  「If I feel like it.」


  As I continued to chat with her, we finished up our lunch party prep.

  I should go call the people in the onsen soon.

  ****************

  Dianeia had quietly entered the onsen.

  Then,

  「Uuuu…I screwed up…」


  Her shoulders drooped as she sat in the warm bath.

  「……how should, I say this…don’t mind.」


  「Thank you Hesty-dono……Aah, it’s so warm and nice.」


  As she thought to herself that she should’ve asked to relax together, she splashed her face with the water.

  「n, umm…about the matter, with Ramiyuros. Is the town, alright?」


  Hesty asked with a serious look on her face.

  In response, Dianeia nodded.

  「Yeah, you don’t have to worry. We have received the compensation so there is no problem on that front. Plus, leaving Daichi-dono aside…you helped us quite a bit Hesty-dono.」


  「I didn’t, do anything. It was thanks to him, that everything turned, out alright.」


  「No, even so…thank you Hesty-dono.」


  It was thanks to her that they were able to make early preparations. That is a fact.

  Hesty simply scratched at her cheek with an expressionless look on her face.

  「n……even if you thank me, I didn’t do much. As I thought, if he wasn’t, there, then it would have been, dangerous.」


  「That is my burden to bear. I……only cause him trouble, if I were stronger then I would be able to protect the city.」


  If she had been able to put even more barriers up, then she might’ve been able to stop the dragon king from falling.

  As she thought that, the desire to become stronger continued to well up within her.

  「n? Dianeia, for a human, you are, more than, strong enough.」


  「Haha……for the White Dragon King Hesty-dono to tell me that…I’ve regained a bit of confidence.」


  But…it’s not enough.

  I need to train harder and get stronger, she thought as she immersed herself in the onsen.

  「Ha Fuu…..alright, I gotta try even harder!」


  She said and splashed her face with water to calm her unsettled heart.

  「Fuu……but still, after bathing with Hesty-dono I feel my mind getting more and more awake…getting energetic.」


  A while ago she had been relaxed, but a heat was rising up within her body. She thought it might be the dragon king doing something to cheer her up. If that was true that’d be nice.

  「n, that’s, not my doing…it’s this onsen. It has strong, magic power, which is permeating, your body. It raised your, magic power, a little bit.」


  「——EEEHH!?」


  Dianeia was so surprised she jumped up.

  She had never imagined that the onsen had this kind of effect.

  「Uh—ummm…if I were to stay in here, would I keep getting stronger?」


  「Yeah, but, you should be, careful, you know?」


  「Huh?」


  As Hesty said that, Dianeia began to feel giddy.

  ….this….isn’t….vertigo!?

  Her field of vision began to spin and she couldn’t stand right.

  The world began to spin, her balance disappeared, and she couldn’t stand.

  「Ah, I was too, late.」


  「Nu,nuoooooo?」


  Just like that Dianeia fell to her knees and began to collapse.

  But she was caught by Hesty.

  「Magic intoxication. Without, strong magic resistance, this happens. But, if you relax, for a bit it’ll, go away. But, it’s dangerous, so I’ll lay you outside, of the bath.」


  Hesty said and slowly dragged Dianeia out of the bath.

  「I-I’m sorry. But to think that I can’t enter the onsen without training……」


  She’d let down her guard when she saw Daichi so naturally relaxing in the bath. But she’d forgotten about the crazy amount of magic he possessed.

  「Well, that guy who enters, so casually, is abnormal. So don’t mind.」


  「U, umu……」


  As she was being carried away by Hesty, Dianeia thought…this is the first time that taking a bath was difficult. And so,

  …….she wanted to get stronger…strong enough to use the bath as long as she pleased.

  And as she looked at the sky, she determined her new goal.