The Master of the Brave - Chapter 138
The Master of the Brave
Chapter 138. Interlude (II)
“I did it! It worked! It filled up properly with water!” Leticia, who was returning from the woods in a bit of a hurry, let out a cheerful voice.
“Oh, um, Letty?”
“What’s the matter, Onii-chan?”
“No, it’s nothing. So, it worked? That’s good.”
“Yeah!” Leticia nodded with a happy face.
“Hey, hey, what did you find? What do you mean, it filled up with water?”
“Well, actually, it was a bath.”
“A bath!?”
“A bath?”
The two people who reacted quickly to Wynn’s words were Cornelia and Lino.
The heavy mood they had been in a while ago had completely changed, and their eyes were shining with anticipation. In particular, Cornelia’s somewhat worried expression had disappeared and she looked refreshed. Wynn was surprised by this. After the confession made earlier on the stream bank, Cornelia pressed Wynn’s hand against her chest for a while, but finally said, “They may be worrying. Shall we go back?” And then she returned to the others by the fire. At that moment, Cornelia’s expression was clear, and showed nothing of sadness or of the strong feelings she had for Wynn.
“Welcome back.”
She nodded to Kelvin and sat down in her original position, next to Locke.
“Hey, did you hear what Cornelia-sama had to say yet?”
“Ah, yeah, yeah… well…”
When Locke asked in a whisper, Wynn couldn’t tell him what was going on, so he deflected his words and pretended. Locke also seemed to have guessed what happened, but said no more and merely mumbled, “I see”. And then Leticia, who had gone to check on her project, returned. Wynn’s mind was occupied with Cornelia’s confession, but he decided to leave it behind for the moment and stood up.
“Wow, that’s super awesome~. It really is a bath~.” Lino exclaimed in admiration.
Leaving Kelvin behind, who had stayed to watch the fire, Wynn and the others approached the stream area they had found. There was a lot of hot water bubbling beside the stream.
“It’s a hot spring, isn’t it? Then why didn’t you say so before?”
“It’s not a hot spring. I said we did it ourselves.” Wynn answered Locke’s question with a hint of pride.
“How could you have done it?”
This time, Leticia answered Cornelia’s question, raising the index finger of her right hand confidently.
“It was easy. We dug a hole by the stream. We waited for the water to fill it, then I used magic to harden the earth around the hole, and then I used magic again to heat the water.”
The stream was quite large on this side. Grass and aquatic plants grew thickly in the front and the water was not very clear. However, if you dug a hole next to it and put stones in the bottom, the earth would filter the liquid from the stream and only clear water would remain and collect in the hole made. After that, all Leticia had to do was use her magic and it would be done.
“I’m glad it turned out well.”
“It’s amazing~. How did you come up with something like that~?”
“It was a long time ago; I don’t remember if it was from Oort-san or Louis-san. Anyway, I learned it when I was an adventurer kid. But I had only learned it from listening and had never actually done it, so I wasn’t sure if it would work.”
Originally, this method was used to obtain water from swamps and other places unsuitable for drinking water. Incidentally, water could also be produced by magic, but it would disappear after a certain period of time. It could only quench thirst for a moment. They decided to create the bath because there was a clean stream to replenish the drinking water, and Leticia could easily dig a big hole with magic and harden the soil. Then she used her magic to build a dirt wall around the bath, and hung a tent cloth over the entrance and exit, and it was complete.
“Women should go in first. As long as the water is clean.”
“Are you sure?” Cornelia was pleased to hear it.
“Of course.”
On a continuous camping trip, the most you could do was bathe in the river or wipe your body with a wet cloth. It wasn’t often that there was an opportunity to wash your body with plenty of hot water, unless you found a hot spring.
“The water will get cold, so I think I’ll join you. Cornelia-san, may I?”
“Yes. Shall we?”
Cornelia nodded at Leticia’s offer. Then they both looked at Lino. They had dug a fairly large hole, so it looked like there would be plenty of room for the three girls to use the bath. However, Lino raised her hands in front of them and shook her head as if to say no.
“I’m not sure I can do it. I don’t think I can take a bath with the two of you and relax.”
“Really?”
Cornelia bowed her head and Lino nodded vigorously.
“I’ll bathe later.”
“Then Lino can use it after Cornelia-san and Letty. Locke, Wedge. We can use it after, can’t we?”
“You guys okay with that?”
“Well, we’ll have to let Vicecaptain Kelvin use it before us.” Wedge pointed out.
“Oh, I see. The Vicecaptain should go in first, right?”
“It’s okay if Lino uses it first, isn’t it? Although me, Wynn and Wedge will probably use it later. Even the Vicecaptain said he wouldn’t complain if women got priority in using the hot water.”
“Then I’ll thank you to let me use it first.”
After deciding on the order of use of the bath, they returned to the camp rocky ground in droves.
“By the way, will we need guards?” Leticia, who was about to use the bathroom, looked back at Wynn.
“Why not have Lino keep watch when you two are using it?”
“Huh!?”
When Wynn answered, Lino made a surprised face and raised her voice.
“Ah, maybe you don’t like the idea?”
-But… but… yes… that’s…” Lino began to stutter when Wynn asked if she liked the idea. “I’m not a girl afraid of the dark. I’m not afraid to stand guard outside the bathroom either, you hear me?”
“I didn’t say you were afraid of the dark.”
“So, what’s going on?”
It’s not that she was afraid of demonic beasts or other creatures. Lino was also a trained knight. It was hard to tell because there were so many people around her, including Leticia, who had incredible skills, but her own fighting skills were pretty good too. Her family had been apothecaries for generations, and she had been gathering medicinal herbs in the forest since she was a child, so she was used to working in the forest. She was also trained in sword fighting by her grandfather, who through certain feats earned the merit to become a knight. Even in the face of some demonic creature, she could easily take on two goblins or an orc. But even Lino had her weaknesses.
“I mean, about before. That thing you said, Wynn. That there are mosquito monsters around swamps and ponds…”
“Ah…”
He remembered saying something like that when they were on the abandoned mine roads in the Majil Mountains that they passed on their way to Lyon, when they were wondering what kind of monsters there might be in the mine. When he explained that there were many insects in the tunnels, such as maggots and scorpions, he mentioned mosquitoes as one of the insects he would least like to encounter. The venomous stings of the bee monsters and the tough, hard jaws of the ant monsters were annoying, but the worst thing was that if you were attacked by a mosquito monster, it would suck you alive to get your bodily fluids. In fact, there had been incidents where people from entire villages had been attacked by mosquito demons and turned into nothing but skin and bones overnight. According to witnesses, the victims were gradually sucked out of their bodies. The ones they released, as they grew weaker, were an incredible sight.
“But mosquito monsters appear in the vicinity of miasma-infested swamps. The stream was not affected by miasma before, so we should be fine.”
“But I think there must be a lot of insect monsters in those streams… and I’m not good with insects…” Muttering faintly, Lino looked at Leticia and Cornelia as if to say she was sorry.
“Hmm… so what should we do? Letty, Cornelia-san, would you prefer to go in one at a time?”
“But then, wouldn’t that mean that Cornelia-san would be standing guard anyway, apart from me?”
“Oh, I see.” Wynn scratched his head at Leticia’s remark.
The squadron was there to protect Cornelia, so it would be contradictory to have her on guard duty. And while Cornelia was a fairly skilled fighter, she was only skilled in the training realm. In the past, when it came to actual combat, she was paralyzed and wasn’t even able to defend herself. Of course, there was no reason for Cornelia, the imperial princess of the Empire, to have to fight in a battle. In her original status, she should be protected by strong knights in the innermost part of the imperial palace, which was surrounded by the thickest defense wall in the empire.
“I think it would be better for you to keep watch outside, Onii-chan.”
“But that wouldn’t be appropriate, would it?”
Although an enclosure had been built with earthen walls so that the inside could not be seen, he believed it would be awkward for a young man to be near a girl who was exposing her defenseless figure in the bath.
“But you wouldn’t look inside, would you? That’s why I don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind if it’s Wynn-kun either.”
Cornelia nodded in agreement to Leticia and looked at Wynn. Because of her earlier confession, Wynn felt surprised.
“Well, if it comes to guarding the forest, Wynn seems to be the best person for the job.” Locke agreed with them.
“No, but…”
“Come on, I want to use the bath before the water gets cold, Onii-chan. Cornelia-san, come on.” Grabbing Wynn, who no longer knew what to say, by the arm, Leticia urged Cornelia to quickly enter the forest.
“And as life would have it, the three of them ended up going to the bathroom together.”
Then Kelvin, who had been poking at the fire away from his men, approached.
“It’s not like they’re going in together, is it, Vicecaptain?”
Kelvin, at Locke’s question, smiled happily as he looked in the direction of the bathroom.
“It would be very convenient if this results in bringing their relationship to better terms.”
“Vicecaptain~, you will use anything for the good of the country?”
“What an obvious thing to say. The fate of those three people is directly related to the national interest of the Empire. And we are expected to play a role in maintaining and fostering that relationship to be a good one. If our work can progress in that way without any effort, as is the case with this bath, it would be a blessing in disguise.”
Lino looked a little astonished at Kelvin, who said this with a smile.
?????
He could hear the sound of water coming from inside the earthen enclosure.
“Ugh… that feels good.”
“Really… I’m so glad to have hot water during the trip.”
Leticia and Cornelia closed their eyes and exhaled, enraptured by the sensation that seemed to seep into their bodies. The earthen walls prevented them from seeing the scenery outside, but the top was open so they could see the sky. It had been cloudy a while ago, but the wind had blown the clouds away and the moon and stars had appeared.
“Hey, Cornelia-san.”
“Yes?”
“Did you confess your feelings to Onii-chan?”
“Huh?”
When the surprised Cornelia looked at Leticia, Leticia stood up and sat on the edge of the bathtub.
“Um… why?”
“When I came back a while ago, Cornelia-san seemed somewhat refreshed, and Onii-chan was looking at you intermittently, and I wondered if maybe you had told him how you felt.”
“Um, well, I mean… yeah.” There was no point in hiding it. Cornelia nodded sincerely.
“I see, I knew.”
“I’m sorry. Although I know how you feel, Leticia-sama…”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Leticia smiled at Cornelia, who looked down at a face that looked like it was about to burst into tears. “There’s nothing that could stop you from falling in love with Onii-chan. It’s Onii-chan’s fault for being so nice.” Leticia laughed and then lightly kicked the surface of the water with her foot. “And you know what? I think I’m glad it’s you, Cornelia-san.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“I’ve seen a lot of countries. Because of that, I’ve met many great people, and I’ve seen many things there, both good and bad.” Leticia said, and put her right hand to her face. Then, in the palm of her hand, she created a small magic light. “As long as I am by his side, Onii-chan will never be free. Because the most efficient way to control my power is to use him. Even the reason he was made your squire was to keep him tied to the empire. It was to keep him from going to another country, wasn’t it?”
No matter what Cornelia thought, that was a fact. She nodded sincerely.
“If Onii-chan and I became lovers, the shackles binding him to the empire could try to be stronger. For example, they could assign a woman with close ties to the empire to be Onii-chan’s mistress.”
What Leticia said was exactly what Alfred was trying to do with her sister Cornelia.
“…Yes. My brother gave that paper to me to…”
“But this isn’t because his highness Alfred ordered you to, is it?” Leticia said, interrupting Cornelia’s words. “His Highness Alfred’s idea may be that. But Cornelia-san, you like Onii-chan very much, but not because it was imposed on you as a duty, right?”
“…Yes.” Cornelia nodded softly.
“You fell in love with him because you saw the real Onii-chan, never mind that he was my master. I’m very happy about that. I’m glad there’s someone other than me who understands how wonderful Onii-chan is. But you know, I’m happy, but… but I don’t want to give him to anyone else. I want him to be mine and mine alone. That’s what I think.”
“But isn’t it natural for Leticia-sama to feel that way?”
I want to monopolize the one I love. It’s a natural thought for any human being, Brave or not.
“But you know, that’s not good enough for me.” Leticia smiled a little sadly, “I am the Brave. I’m an individual with a military power that rivals an entire country. So, the country must inevitably bind the shackles that control me, to Onii-chan. If I don’t accept it, Onii-chan will suffer the consequences. The truth is, the easiest thing would be to kidnap him and take him hostage instead of going through the trouble of assigning him a woman. Hide him from me so that I can’t find him and then force me to listen to them. Listen to their orders.”
If the Empire deprived Wynn of his freedom and tried to hide him perfectly with all its resources, no matter how strong Leticia was, she would be powerless. If the Empire took Wynn’s freedom and life, Leticia would surely destroy the Empire in retaliation. But if the Empire forced her to do whatever it wanted using Wynn as its weapon, for example? Leticia would have no choice but to do as she was told. Alfred was aware of Leticia’s character.
“However, His Highness Alfred did not take such measures and only made Onii-chan your squire. Right now, he is trying to make you more important by making his own sister, the princess who is second in line to the throne, Onii-chan’s mistress. This makes me think that His Highness Alfred also holds him in high esteem.” As she said this, Leticia looked at Cornelia’s face and smiled, “So I’m thinking that it would be nice if you, who fell in love with the real Onii-chan, play the role of keeping him connected to the empire.”
What are they talking about? As Wynn walked through the dirt surroundings, he listened to the faint sounds of Leticia and Cornelia’s voices.
This was a remote mountainous area, so there was no need to worry about prying eyes, but there was the possibility of demonic beasts or other creatures coming. The torch in his hand was not enough to illuminate, so he picked up some dry twigs as he walked and made a fire.
“Onii-chan, are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Thank you for keeping watch. The bath feels really good. Thank you very much, Wynn-kun.”
“Letty did most of it with magic. I didn’t do anything.”
“I would never have thought of a bath if you hadn’t insisted on doing one.”
“It’s definitely more relaxing than bathing in the cold water of a stream.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
The star-filled sky they saw on the rocky campground floor could also be seen here. As he poked the fire with a stick, Wynn looked for the occasional shooting star streaking across the sky.
It seems unbelievable that we are in the middle of a civil war. Then, suddenly, a fleeting light appeared out of the corner of Wynn’s eye. Hmm… a snake.
A snake coiled near the entrance to the bathroom, protruding slightly from the grass.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the firelight reflecting off its scales. It was not a venomous snake, but it was quite large, with a girth as thick as Wynn’s arm. It probably fed on the larger frogs and rats that came to the stream.
It doesn’t look dangerous, but if you encounter it after the bath, you’ll be surprised. I’d better chase it away. Wynn stood up with a slightly longer stick and poked the snake with it, hoping to chase it away. The snake flicked its red tongue and crawled off into the grass. As he chased the snake to the other side of the grass, “Kyah!” he heard a shout.
“Cornelia-san!?”
The scream was Cornelia’s.
“Oh, no, I don’t want to… please don’t come closer…!”
“Wait for me! I’ll help you right away!”
He heard Cornelia’s agitated voice and Leticia’s impatient voice.
“What’s the matter?”
“I don’t want to! Please stop!”
From above? Oh, no! I hadn’t even considered above!
In his mind, Wynn thought of the conversation he had just had with Lino. A mosquito monster. Of course, they had wings. And they came from the sky. There was no ceiling in the bath either. So, he would only be on the lookout for demonic beasts and creatures from the ground, and the thought of something flying from the sky never crossed his mind. Panicking, Wynn quickly grabbed his sword and jumped to the entrance of the tent and jumped inside.
“Are you girls all right?”
“Eh, ah, Onii-chan!?”
The scene before Wynn’s eyes was that of Leticia and Cornelia, both completely naked. Leticia was trying to get rid of a moth that was trying to stop itself in Cornelia’s black hair, which was damp and shiny from the hot water. When the moth’s wings were spread, it was the size of an adult’s palm. Yes, it was big, but it was just an insect. It was probably attracted to the light from the bath, but of course it was not a dangerous creature. The three looked at each other for a while before coming to their senses. With a splashing sound, Cornelia crouched down in the water, her face turning red without raising her voice.
“Sorry!”
The sound brought him back to his senses, and he turned his body to run out faster than he had come in. And then, after a few moments, Wynn was heard to shout a “Waah!”.
“Onii-chan!”
Leticia and Cornelia rushed to peek outside at the sound of his voice and found Wynn submerged in the stream, probably because he was in too much of a hurry.
A chuckle was heard along with the sound of the water.
“Don’t laugh so hard…”
“But… just look at Onii-chan’s outfit before. It’s really funny.”
“It’s rare for Wynn-kun to show such agitation, and it was kind of cute.”
The two girls who were teasing Wynn, Leticia and Cornelia, looked at each other and nodded. Wynn wanted to reply something to them, but when he turned to do so, he saw the cleavage created by their shapely, smooth bulges in the tub, and had to turn his back to them in a hurry, missing the opportunity to reply.
How did I end up in this mess…? He soaked his face in the bath up to his nose and muttered in his mind.
In his haste, he fell into the stream and was soaked from the top of his head. He was soaked with his clothes on and it was very cold with the wind blowing.
“O-Onii-chan, are you all right?!”
“Ye-yes, I’m fine.”
As he answered this, Wynn shivered and shivered from the cold, letting out a moan. When she saw Wynn, Leticia said, “Oh… ug…”. She looked worried for a while. Then she looked at Cornelia, who, like her, was hiding her body and letting only her face peek out. Then Cornelia also averted his gaze as if she was a little hesitant, but seeing that Wynn was shivering with cold, she nodded to Leticia.
“Onii-chan, you’re getting cold, so you’d better go into the bath.”
“Eeh!?”
Seeing Wynn’s expression of not knowing what they were talking about, Leticia made up her mind and pulled Wynn’s arm as she stepped out, covering her body with a cloth that was to wipe off the wetness.
“Come on, don’t worry. You’ll catch a cold if you stay wet.”
“Wait, wait a minute, Letty! That’s not a good idea!”
“That’s all right, we really don’t mind.”
“It’s still a long way to the Imperial Capital… and there are no cities or towns around here… so if you catch a cold and it gets worse…” Cornelia whispered, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
As if pushed by the two, Wynn ended up using the bath with the two girls.
As he soaked in the warm water, his body warmed up, making him feel more comfortable. On either side of Wynn, Leticia and Cornelia were also submerging their bodies in the warm water. The fire that had attracted the moth that had caused this situation was reflected on the surface of the water, making it impossible to see the full bodies of the two girls. However, although their backs were to him, it was in a not very large bath. While they had their long hair pulled back to keep it dry, their lustrous necks, slender shoulders and the tops of their taut, white bulges… the sensational figures of the two girls peering out from the tub as he had just turned around haunted his mind and made Wynn feel uneasy. At that moment, Leticia began to sing a pleasant song. Her beautiful voice reverberated inside the earthen enclosure, transforming it into a moist, quiet and peaceful space. Cornelia, who had been cringing in embarrassment, also regained her composure as she listened to Leticia’s melody. As they listened to the song, Wynn and Cornelia looked up at the sky around them. In the night sky, where not a single cloud was visible, the stars were spread out like jewels scattered across the sky, making it most beautiful.
“It’s stunning…”
“Yes…” Leticia, who had been singing with her eyes closed, looked at the two of them, but closed her eyes again and began to sing again. A quiet moment passed.
Later, when they returned to the rocky terrain of the camp, they would be reproached for the fact that Wynn had used the bath while Lino was supposed to use it next, but none of the others had no idea that was happened with them.
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