Volume 4 Chapter 60 The Hot Spring Bathhouse
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After going through the teleportation gate in Ms. Rao’s colony, I arrived at a facility in the capital of the Androgynos called the Hub. Believe it or not, we traveled hundreds of kilometers in the blink of an eye.
It was a seven-story wooden building shaped like a cylinder with a large open space in the center. We came out through a door that opened inward. From the second floor up, there were about forty similar doors that opened inward on each floor, with people coming and going.
However, the first floor had large double doors, and according to Ms. Rao, they’re connected to the whole world. But no one seemed to be coming or going through them. She said they’re still being kept up, so I suppose they still work.
Surprisingly, one of those large doors is said to lead to the Horn Mountains in the Kingdom of Schweilitz, and there’s a town called Salzheim nearby, known for its rock salt mine. Salzheim. I’ve never been there, but I heard about it from my late grandfather.
It starts at Rock Salt Road, and it’s a three-day carriage ride to Seiren Village, which is famous as a summer place for the nobility. From there, it takes half a day to ride to Strock Village, where my house and my parents’ home are.
What a coincidence.
I made the round trip from the checkpoint at Seiren Village to Strock Village many times during Militia training. Once you leave the checkpoint, it’s mostly downhill, though there are a few uphill parts where you have to cross hills along the way. Once you can see the Rhodes River, it’s almost like you’ve arrived at the village.
Passing through the forest, the fields spread out, and straight ahead on the main road lies the village of Shinjo. You can see the Village Head Tower standing up high among the many rooftops. At my feet, a water channel flows beneath the hill with the apple orchard on the left. Beyond that lies the Getys House, where I married into the family. In front of the house, in the spring fields, Monica and Yutia are working the land, while my sister-in-law Teressa is holding Reinhardt and calming him.
”What’s the matter?”
Pamela’s words brought me back to reality.
For some reason, I felt tears welling up.
”Can’t I use that—the portal connected to Schweilitz?”
I asked Ms. Rao, thinking I had nothing to lose.
”Its use is limited to Androgynos. I could ask the Senate to make an exception, but I think it’ll be difficult.”
In any case, judging by the name “Senate,” it must be some kind of important group that makes decisions. Ms. Rao says she’ll talk with them for me, even though we’ve only just met.
”Please do.”
I bowed as we walked.
”But don’t get your hopes up. Besides, right now they’re only open for two hours at most, so even if we go over there, we’ll just be able to look at the scenery.”
”When you say ‘right now,’ does that mean they used to be open for longer?”
Personally, if I could go, I’d want to stay over there for at least a week. Two hours is certainly short, but there must be a reason.
”When I say ‘before,’ I mean about a hundred years ago—I wasn’t even born yet, of course—but back then, a disease from North spread quickly among the Androgynos.”
I see. If an infectious disease came in, they’d take steps to stop it, even if it wasn’t a complete lockdown.
”Well, you see, we have protection against most infectious diseases, and since the local environment is unique, even diseases passed by animals won’t cause a wide outbreak here.”
It seems that the kind of plague that struck the village and caused Larry to lose his family when he was a child won’t happen here.
”But syphilis was different.”
Syphilis? That shouldn’t have anything to do with Androgynos—they get anemia when they get an erection.
”The anemia happens before the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Well, there are all sorts of things.”
She avoided that question. It’s true that syphilis isn’t passed by animals, and it had reached Japan twenty years after Columbus arrived in the West Indies—back in the age of sailing ships.
”So, apparently they asked the Elf Mage nation for help and summoned hundreds of healers.”
Come to think of it, I’ve heard that skilled Medical Mages can even cure epidemics.
”The problem was that goblin babies sneaked in through the teleportation gate they’d left wide open at the time.”
Goblins? They’re about as common in Schweilitz as wild boars are in Japan.
”In the eastern part of the Central Continent, there are sometimes huge goblin outbreaks that last for decades, and it seems the effects reached as far as the Great Forest in the land of the Elf Mages, where, in the chaos, they somehow managed to slip into the building with the teleportation gate.”
I’ve never heard anything like that, but the small Elf Mage next to me is nodding for some reason.
”What’s the deal with the goblins?”
”This island used to be a land without monsters, poisonous snakes, or any land mammals.”
So the goblins multiplied because there were no animals to fight them or eat them.
”They ate birds, too, but the real problem was that they ate the spirits.”
Come to think of it, they said the Androgynos use Spirit Magic. The magic book is the program, the spirits are the system, and the maids are the devices, or so they say.
”Not only were the spirits eaten until they were gone, but the colonies were also attacked.”
That’s true—even in Strock Village, they sometimes come down from the mountains at the end of autumn and attack people. So, what happened?
”At first, we could easily catch them with traps, but they soon figured it out, and their numbers grew in the blink of an eye. The number of spirits dropped quickly. I heard we couldn’t even find them anymore. In the end, we hired Amazoness soldiers and succeeded in killing them all, but it took over ten years. Not only were the costs huge, but we also grew apart from the Elf Mages.”
Ms. Rao glanced briefly at Pamela.
I see. So that’s why they started being so strict about opening the teleportation gates—because you never know what might happen.
They continued talking as they went down the stairs.
”Um, what exactly are these spirits?”
I know they’re needed for Androgynos magic, but I can’t quite picture what they look like.
”They look like round shapes with no clear edges. They range in size from tiny ones to ones as big as a person’s head.”
Are they living creatures?
”More like energy beings than living things. Most are made of a large amount of magic power and water, and they usually float in forests where clean water flows.”
Furthermore, according to Rao, there seem to be several kinds, different in color and size. When summer comes and the humidity rises, they multiply by dividing, and at that time, they give off a faint light—which is apparently quite magical.
As we talked, the number of people increased as we got closer to the first floor of the Node Tower. Although there are separate stairs for going up and down, it felt like we were blocking people who were in a hurry, so we couldn’t talk as freely as before. Also, while Rao is of the same Germanic background as Larry—me—there are Androgynos here based on different ethnic groups. Most are of East Asian background, with black hair and dark eyes, but their skin, hair, and features vary slightly. There were a few Black people as well.
We were about to step onto the ground. Just as I thought that, I caught a faint smell of sulfur springs. I’m pretty sure they mentioned something about the area around the caldera lake, so there might be hot springs there. I’m looking forward to that.
Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, there was no way back inside, so we had to go outside.
”Oh man, it’s snowing.”
Ms. Rao is exaggerating a bit, but snow aside, it’s extremely cold. In her colony, it isn’t as cold as it is here, so even though she’s wearing winter clothes, she didn’t need a coat.
”Let’s hurry!”
We ran through the crowd of people wearing coats and went into a nearby building.
”Where are we?”
”It’s the station. There’s a teleportation gate here that takes you to major cities across the country.”
I think this building is shaped like a fan, and along the curved top—or rather, the curved part—there are rows of large teleportation gates where people come and go. We entered the building near the teleportation gate at the far end and hurried toward the exit beyond the row of teleportation gates.
In the plaza along the way, there were people with Dwarf-like bodies—whom we hadn’t seen inside the Hub—as well as what appeared to be an Amazoness with a jewel hanging from her forehead. We hurried into the next building after leaving the fan-shaped station, but just before reaching it, we saw a large bird.
Is this a moa?
It was about two meters tall, with a head much larger than I had imagined. It was equipped to pull a box—not on four wheels like a carriage, but with only two wheels on each side, like a handcart. It was a large, gentle-looking bird, standing perfectly still even as snow piled up on its head and body. Nearby, a group of men with short hair and Southeast Asian features were gathered around a fire.
”Um, I saw a big bird a little while ago,”
I asked Ms. Rao, and she told me it was a plant-eating moa brought over from North America, which is used here instead of horses. She said what I’d just seen was something like a taxi.
”They have a gentle nature and can’t run very fast, so they’re just right,” she said.
It doesn’t have to be fast, because all the towns in the land of the Androgynos are small. When traveling long distances, they use teleportation gates, and heavy items are carried by slower oxen. By the way, that bird was called a “Fuchō.”
”I’m staying here tonight.”
The building we entered was a hotel—quite large, though just one story. The room I was shown to was simple, with nothing but a bed and bedding, but it was warm.
”I didn’t think it would be this cold.”
Hearing Ms. Rao say that, I wanted to say, “But you’re a local, aren’t you?”
”Come on, get changed. We’re going to the open-air bath.”
Huh? I was getting excited—is there actually such a thing? Maybe this room is warm because it uses heat from the earth.
Thinking that was my only choice, I looked at the kimono lying on the bed. When I picked it up, it was something like the yukata I’d been wearing when I first met Ms. Rao. I took off my top, put my arms into the sleeves, and then took off my pants.
”It’s better not to wear underwear.”
Really? Why? I don’t know the reason, but Ms. Rao hadn’t been wearing any underwear from the start. Well, something that big wouldn’t fit in underwear, would it? But I…
She first took off all her clothes, put her arms into the yukata, tied the belt, and then put on a long, winter-weight coat—longer than a typical short jacket.
Pamela and I followed her lead and put on our yukatas without underwear.
”Alright, let’s go.”
We changed into our wooden shoes and left the room. Since the room didn’t have a lock to begin with, we just closed the door.
Heading in the opposite direction from the front desk, we went to the worker’s counter next to the door marked “Large Bath.” Ms. Rao simply told them our room number, and they gave us three bath towels.
We opened the door and entered the changing room.
As I’d expected, it was a mixed-gender bath. I say “mixed-gender” even though there were androgynous people there because there were also Amazonesses and Dwarves. In my past life, I used to feel inferior because I looked small, but after reincarnating, I’d become quite big and had stopped worrying about it. And yet, coming here broke the little confidence I had left.
Once I got naked and stepped into the bathhouse, which was about the size of a pool, mine was clearly outclassed.
Embarrassed, I grabbed a floating bucket, hurriedly splashed water over myself, and slipped into the bath.
The water was milky white, so my crotch wasn’t visible.
At last, I could enjoy soaking in a hot spring.
”What’s all the hurry, I wonder?”
Despite her loli build, Pamela came striding into the bath with total confidence, and I couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.
”I’d heard tales, but hot springs are truly splendid, aren’t they?”
With that, Pamela scooped up some water with her hand and splashed her face.
”See? Warms you right up, doesn’t it?”
Beyond Pamela, Ms. Rao had settled into the water.
Once the cloudy water hid her lower half, her large breasts really stood out.
If that were all, she’d be nice to look at—but there was something big between her legs.
What’s more, either because it was less dense or something, the tip was actually floating.
The bath was about half the size of a twenty-five-meter pool.
This half had a large roof overhead; on the other half, snow was falling into the water.
The water was free-flowing—straight from the source, as they call it—gushing out from a hole carved into the rock in the open-air section.1
For a former Japanese guy like me, though, I’d have preferred the water a bit hotter.2
Near the center, it seemed to get suddenly deeper, and right in front of me, a Dwarf was nearly drowning.
But.
Once your body warms up and you settle in, certain things become visible.
Androgynos were seated at tables set up near the washing area, drinking beverages brought by waitress-like girls.
If you only looked at their upper halves, they looked like beautiful women of various races relaxing in the nude.
But no, no—the upper-half-only beauties weren’t just drinking.
Suddenly, a pair of upper-half-only girls took each other’s hands and disappeared behind a curtain in the back.
And that wasn’t all—an upper-half-only girl and an Amazoness went behind the same curtain.
An upper-half-only girl and a fully male Dwarf also went through.
This, could it be…?
”Ms. Rao, is there a hookup room behind that curtain?”3
The loli Elf Mage just had to blurt that out, didn’t she?
”Public s*x is prohibited in the main bath here.”
”I see—so it’s private rooms back there?”
”Just beds partitioned by curtains. If you open the curtains and push the beds together, you can do group stuff too.”
I felt like I understood why syphilis had spread so rapidly in the Androgynos world.
”What? You wanna see?”
What, me? It’s not that I have no interest in watching what other people are doing… but, well, call it moral restraint or whatever—I had some reservations.
I couldn’t say it out loud, so I just fidgeted.
”Indeed—for research, shall we go take a look?”4
With that, Pamela stood up. Ms. Rao said “me too” and stood as well, and the two walked off toward the curtain.
What about me?
It wasn’t like they’d been talking to each other alone.
But the upper-half-only girl and the loli Elf Mage disappeared behind the curtain without so much as a glance back.
I waited about five minutes. They didn’t return.
Another five minutes. At this point, if this were a Japanese-style onsen at over forty degrees, they’d be suffering from the heat.5
The snow was falling harder now, and wind had picked up, turning it into something like a blizzard.
It seemed to be getting darker too—whether from the sunset or the bad weather, the other patrons were starting to leave.
No way. Those two.
Were they actually… doing it?
Just as I was thinking that, someone stepped into the bath right beside me.
Without turning my head, I shifted only my gaze down toward their crotch.
Safe. Not that!
”▽〇★, ☆彡”
I didn’t understand a word, but since she’d spoken to me, I turned my head.
Cute.
Black hair tied in a ponytail, big round dark-brown eyes. Flawless, peach-fuzz-free skin. And nice breasts—not huge, but the kind that would fit perfectly in one hand.
She looked like a Japanese girl. No—she had a red pendant hanging on her forehead. Amazoness.
”Ni hao?”
Didn’t work.
”Namaste?”
Even with my hands together in prayer, she just tilted her head in confusion.
Just in case, I tried “Konnichiwa,” but no dice.
She said something back, but I couldn’t decode it.
As we sat facing each other, trying to talk, our hands touched in the water.
I slipped my finger between hers, and she didn’t pull back.
I slid my palm against hers and held her hand—she squeezed back.
I’m in!
I leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. She gave me a slightly bashful look.
At this point, I decided: words weren’t needed for further communication.
I slid closer to her where she sat in the water, wrapped my arm around her waist, and she leaned into me.
”Shall we go behind the curtain?”
I said that in the Schweilitz tongue, pointing behind me. She nodded with a smile.
As I got out of the water and looked around, aside from a few Dwarfs still soaking despite the cold wind, there was no one else.
I didn’t know how the system worked, but braving the freezing wind, I put my arm around her shoulder and stepped through the fluttering curtain.
Beyond it, there were partition-like dividers, and past them, no one was around.
It was indoors with a ceiling, warm from geothermal heat or something.
Just as I’d heard from Ms. Rao earlier, it looked like there were only beds partitioned by curtains.
In the corner of the room, there was a barrel of water where a pair of Androgynos were washing each other’s bodies.
The curtains sectioned off the spaces, but only just—you could see right through the gaps.
There were about ten such sections, left and right combined, and in one of them, Ms. Rao and Pamela were… doing something.
The Amazoness girl and I entered an open section, and we couldn’t hold back any longer—we embraced, our lips crashing together.
I hadn’t noticed it over the smell of the hot spring, but she had this wonderful scent, and I felt like I was melting.
Without thinking, I stuck out my tongue, and it met hers—small, hard, and extended toward me.
From there, there was no giving way; we devoured each other.
Not even five minutes after meeting, and I’d ended up in this kind of relationship with a woman I couldn’t even speak to.
What a wonderful place I seem to have come to.
—
Summary:
The protagonist enters a fantasy bathhouse, feeling inadequate about his body, and observes various races relaxing in the milky water. He notices people disappearing behind a curtain and learns from Rao that it leads to partitioned beds for private activities. Left alone after Pamela and Rao go behind the curtain, he encounters an Amazoness girl with whom he shares an intimate, wordless connection.
—
Trivia:
The water is milky white (sulfur-rich onsen water) which obscures the protagonist’s crotch and allows him to relax.
The bathhouse is half-covered by a roof and half open to falling snow, creating a unique atmosphere.
The protagonist is a former Japanese person who misses hotter onsen temperatures (40°C+).
Rao has a large appendage between her legs that floats due to low density.
The Androgynos are a two-s*x race who appear female from the waist up.
Pamela uses archaic speech patterns (gozaru, ja) befitting an older aristocrat.
The “curtain” area has beds partitioned only by curtains, with gaps allowing visibility between sections.
A pair of Androgynos were washing each other in a barrel in the corner of the curtained room.
The Amazoness girl wears a red pendant on her forehead and speaks in symbols the protagonist cannot understand.
The protagonist tries Mandarin, Hindi, and Japanese greetings before giving up on verbal communication.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Rao – The Androgynos colony leader, calling herself “the Red of Mount Yue, Fifth Generation,” is a direct, confident woman with an elegant bearing and weary undertones. Unfazed by nudity, this Amazoness-like figure is casual yet refined, often teasing but polite. As a spirit magic programmer, she writes grimoires under tight deadlines. She manages colony operations, coal negotiations, reproduction, and her two reincarnated successors.
• Ho – Ho is the family name of Oliver, a 17-year-old deck crew member and comrade of the protagonist. As a member of the military unit that defended Garao Village, the young man was ultimately murdered during a night watch, slaughtered alongside Marx-san.
• Schweilitz – This kingdom, featuring towering academy spires and a full military arsenal of Royal Army troops, forces the protagonist to return. Ruled by a king involved in a hostage exchange, this political power holds a captive feared for execution. It also ordered the confirmation of Princess Rosa’s corpse, driving a scheme that the Queen has caught onto.
• Village Head – The elderly leader of Balsheni Village who previously sold furs in Obernbach. The elderly leader of the village and grandfather to Marie. The leader of the village who orchestrates Larry’s integration into the family.
• Reinhardt – The golden-haired, blue-eyed infant son of the protagonist is the Grand Duke and heir of the Fee Grand Principality, chosen by Helbert. Taken there and cared for by his aunt (Larry’s sister-in-law), he serves as the central figure of inheritance, bearing his father’s political duties and a controversial invasion agreement. He is also engaged to Sanna.
• Teressa – A woman from Earnest’s history whose striking figure serves as a benchmark for the twin priestesses’ beauty.
• Monica – One of the women in Earnest’s history, this dark-skinned, sun-tanned, slender 15-year-old with a missing front tooth was his tomboyish, free-born concubine and sister-in-law. Tied to Larry’s countryside home, she was his strong-willed wife at 13, bore twins including Alisa at 14, and wet-nursed niece Maria. Widowed at Vod Fortress, her demise remains a source of concern for him.
• Getys – Larry Fee Getys is a rugged Strock Village youth, military researcher, and village leader who inherits family forest lands. Born to the Bizan noble Getys clan—including father Hardy, brother Denis, and sister Teressa—he was raised by aunts Alisa and Monica. While his noble lineage clears him of guilt, he constantly grapples with mobilization duties and deep personal dilemmas.
• Yutia – A slender, quietly observant Getys household livestock worker from the village with shoulder-length hair and fever-scarred skin. Marked by dystonia successfully treated with mana, she loves cutting hair with wool shears and shaved Larry’s head over two years ago. Intimidated by Hans, she shares a deep bond with Larry, giving him a symbolic hair charm and a unique mana treatment.
• Pamela – An elderly dwarf woman with a youthful, flat-chested appearance, this Engine Department leader balances blunt authority with old-fashioned warmth. Earnest’s companion, she uses archaic, ceremonial speech, moving with total confidence and scholarly curiosity. A drowsy mage skilled in telepathy, she is a warm mentor to the protagonist and assists Earnest with colony summoning rituals.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Larry – A dark-haired, weary 16-year-old reincarnated Second Lieutenant, this cynical, analytical youth is the Schweilitz Navy cruiser Izumo’s Acting Captain, chief engineer, and Associate Professor. A Mana user and Fee Grand Principality founder, he carries Saba’s letter and Philip IV’s sword. He distrusts superiors and protects Rosa while dealing with trauma from Henrietta’s death and past wives.
• Elf Mage – Elf mage and shut-in engineer who stands watch in the engine department, managing the ship’s boilers. They are highly reclusive, irritable, and fiercely resistant to any orders coming from the Torpedo Department.
• Mage – Elf mage and shut-in engineer who stands watch in the engine department, managing the ship’s boilers. They are highly reclusive, irritable, and fiercely resistant to any orders coming from the Torpedo Department.
• Elf – A reclusive, middle-aged mage who lives as a shut-in aboard the ship, where he tends to the boilers. He uses his own conjured fireballs to generate heat for the vessel and maintains a keen interest in studying the properties of asphalt as a potential fuel source.
• Al – Alberto (Al), a massive red‑haired man recently wed to Mary, lives near the Dish Basin. He’s a companion of Hans, helping intimidate and rally elders as a villager and leader.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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