Chapter 41 - Bubble Bath
The Kingdom of Sepans had yet to complete preparations for accepting the regular armies of other nations.
Even so, nobles from various lands had flocked to the kingdom, bringing with them a multitude of adventurers and mercenaries.
Their attitude seemed to scream: “We're going in! Right now! There's no way we're waiting for preparations!”
Some were so impatient that even princesses of royal blood had dashed over, unable to contain themselves.
“If the army won’t do, then just hire a few hundred mercenaries or adventurers, simple as that!”
Such were the reckless declarations of naïve, selfish, and ignorant princesses from other nations. But where exactly were they supposed to find hundreds of female adventurers or mercenaries who were both highly skilled and trustworthy enough to be tasked with guarding royalty?
Besides, even if Sepans had already prepared to accept foreign armies, most other countries lacked enough female knights as competent and combat-ready as those of the Kingdom of Sepans.
Thus, they had no choice but to offer jaw-dropping sums of money to borrow the strength of Sepans’ elite female knight corps.
However, even those knights had already been dispatched to explore the newly discovered 12th floor.
As a result, the princesses and noble daughters gathered from various lands had no option but to remain stranded in Sepans for the time being.
Still, the first-floor bath—which could be brought to the surface and entered with sufficient payment—had proven more than enough to noticeably enhance one’s skin.
Moreover, the meals made with ingredients now being harvested from within the No-Hunger Dungeon—vegetables and various foodstuffs—were remarkably delicious.
So despite the prolonged delay, not even the most spoiled of princesses and noble ladies raised any significant complaints.
On the contrary, they all appeared to be thoroughly enjoying their days filled with luxurious baths, gourmet meals, and sightseeing.
The only real issue was that both the dungeon-sourced meals and the baths came with outrageously high prices, causing their lodging expenses to skyrocket absurdly.
This, of course, left the entourages of these foreign dignitaries writhing in stress.
After all, this entire stay merely served to beautify the princesses’ skin—it brought no tangible benefit to their respective nations.
If these young ladies were still unengaged, it might have been another story. But at their age and status, all of them already had fiancés. It made little sense for them to become more beautiful now.
From the attendants’ point of view, they simply wished the whole affair would wrap up quickly so they could go home.
The only saving grace was the existence of a physical fitness test required to access the bath on the 11th floor. Not a single one of them had been able to complete even a single lap on the exercise equipment designed to simulate the terrain of the 11th floor—never mind thirty laps.
According to the Dungeon Archive, aside from the special 11th-floor bath, most people didn’t need to go beyond the 6th or 7th floors unless they were dealing with severe physical distortion or major injuries. So as long as they made it to those mid-level floors, the visit would be considered successful.
Up to the 6th or 7th floors, it was still possible to provide reasonable protection for high-ranking women without too much risk.
Bringing non-combatant noblewomen below the 10th floor of a dungeon was, at its core, an act of sheer lunacy—no amount of security could justify it.
If there were a good reason to keep them from going, all the better.
And so, the princesses and noble ladies spent yet another day soaking in the first-floor public bath filled with bubble-rich spring water, savoring gourmet meals made with No-Hunger Dungeon-grown produce, and indulging in desserts of pancakes drizzled with honey and paired with black board-like confections.
At this rate, while their skin might return home glowing, their waistlines might not.
It was around this time, just as their foreign retainers began worrying about their charges putting on weight, that the Second Unit returned from their expedition to the 12th floor.
“Oh! Welcome back! So, um, what was the bath on the 12th floor like—wait, huh?!”
Just as the guard stationed at the entrance to the Hot Spring Dungeon eagerly asked the returning knights about the bath’s effects, the answer hit his nose.
“Whoa... what an amazing scent... Is this... is this the effect of the 12th-floor bath?”
“Hm? You can still smell it? I guess everyone still smells the same to us, so we’ve gotten too used to it to notice anymore,” replied Vice-Captain Vihita.
“Yes, it’s amazing. You all smell like you’ve just had a full-body massage using the most luxurious aromatic oils right after a bath.”
And yet, it wasn’t an overpowering perfume scent that clung to the nose. It was simply... pleasant. That was the only way to describe it.
It gave the illusion that a flower field had suddenly blossomed right beside you.
From what they’d heard, the bath on the 12th floor turned out to be a bubble bath.
Foam overflowed endlessly from where the cascading hot spring waterfall hit the tub, filling the entire bath with an unbelievably delightful fragrance.
Apparently, the surrounding walls were made entirely of white soapstone, which dissolved into the spring and created the bubbles.
And since there was literally a mountain’s worth of that soapstone, they’d been slicing it off with swords and taking it back as much as they pleased.
“This scent we’re giving off... is it the same as this one?”
Nico, a member of the knight order, pulled out a white chunk from the stuffed rucksack on her back and handed it over.
“This is the soap? Aahh, it smells wonderful... So this is what all of you smell like... Could I have one?”
“You’ll be summoned anyway when Her Majesty decides to bathe down there. Just wait till then and get yours...”
“Ugh, just a small piece, even just a tiny shard! Please!”
She pleaded, bowing repeatedly while pinching a small chip that was wedged into the side of the backpack.
“You can take one. In fact, I plan to distribute them to the knights who haven’t been down to the 12th floor yet.
We still don’t know if this scent we’re giving off is the result of the bath itself or just the soap we brought back.”
Captain Bantu said generously.
“Yay! Thank you, Captain!”
“Besides, if the soap alone works this well, then maybe we won’t need to trouble Her Majesty or the noble ladies with the whole ordeal of actually going down there...”
Ah—so that’s what they were hoping for. That the soap alone would be good enough, and there’d be no need to bring the whole royal entourage into the 12th floor.
But even if the soap did prove to be sufficient, there was no doubt they’d still be dragged down there endlessly to haul the stuff out.
And in any case, with all the princesses and high-ranking noblewomen from other nations now flocking in, it was practically guaranteed they'd be forced to guide them all on “hot spring tours.”
Even as the fragrant Second Unit made their way back toward the royal palace, everyone they passed turned their heads in surprise.
A squad of beautiful female knights, freshly beautified by the hot spring and trailing an irresistible scent, was striding through the streets.
So many adventurers and nobles they passed fell utterly spellbound, stopping in their tracks and staring blankly in admiration.
At this point, the Second Unit of Sepans’ female knights had become, without a doubt, the most stunningly beautiful knight order in the world—so dazzling it almost seemed insulting.
Comments
Post a Comment