Dorothy’s room was originally assigned to the faculty in charge of controlling the participants’ dorm. Since she was acting as a supervisor, she stayed in that room.

The facilities were somewhat better than the rooms where the students stayed, but there wasn’t a significant difference.

[This is a tourist destination. All the competitors have been assigned to dorms far away, meaning there are no distractions. Meanwhile, my master succeeded in securing a date with Isaac… Seizing the opportunity well, aren’t you, Dorothy?]

On the bed.

Ella, the familiar white cat, was inspecting her well-groomed claws.

Ella repeatedly blinked her long lashes.

Dorothy, standing in front of the mirror, buttoning her shirt, replied, “It’s not like an opportunity. Today, I’m just thinking of helping Isaac rest. According to the plan, there will be some fighting starting tomorrow.”

When Dorothy met Isaac earlier, she clearly felt his emotions brighten. It was the same as always.

The fact that she was a source of strength for Isaac was a great comfort to Dorothy.

[Unbutton it.]

Ella’s fierce rebuke struck like a surprise attack.

Dorothy flinched and stopped buttoning her shirt.

Ella sighed and looked at Dorothy.

[Dorothy, don’t you think it would be better if you showed a bit of cleavage? Why are you trying to hide something you’re so proud of?]

“You fool… This shirt looks prettier with all the buttons done up, don’t you think? See, it makes me look pure and elegant, just like I am?”

Ella, caught off guard, let out a burst of laughter.

[Heh. You haven’t forgotten that Isaac is still an instinct-driven male, have you? With no rivals around, you should be making a more aggressive move. You’re being far too relaxed.]

“La la, I can’t hear you~. I’m off! Take care of the room!”

[Dorothy!]

Dorothy giggled and dashed out of the room as if running away.

Ella clicked her tongue and flopped onto the bed.

[She’s just embarrassed, really… She lacks guts.]

A familiar could sense its master’s emotions directly.

Ella was utterly frustrated with Dorothy.

That tomboy, still feeling embarrassed and burdened about showing her body to Isaac.

***I arrived at the participants’ dorm and entered the room I was assigned to.

I had seen it before in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ so I already knew, but the facilities were fairly decent.

[Master, is there anything I can help with?]

[Kyuu!]

Hilde, who had taken human form, was sitting on the bed, with my small golem familiar, Eden, by her side.

Having just transformed, Hilde confidently revealed her fair, naked skin.

“Put on some clothes first.”

[Oh.]

She had the appearance of a young woman in her early twenties.

Since she had a proper woman’s figure, I deliberately avoided looking at her and quickly took some clothes out of my backpack and lightly tossed them to Hilde.

It was women’s underwear, dark-colored clothes, and a white coat. Dorothy had chosen them last time.

[Oh, I keep forgetting. I will quickly put them on.]

Hilde swiftly threw on the clothes.

To her, clothes were just ornaments to decorate herself with. She didn’t feel any shame in exposing her naked body.

As a result, there were frequent situations where I had to hurry her to get dressed.

“Eden, put this over there.”

[Got it!]

After handing Eden the small backpack containing only daily necessities, I changed into casual clothes. Eden placed the backpack in the corner of the room.

If items were put into something enchanted with a storage spell, like a magic pouch, they’d bounce around all over the place, causing absolute chaos.

Since one couldn’t guarantee that things would stay intact unless you overpacked them, most of the fragile items were kept in small backpacks.

[Master, what can I help with?]

“It’s fine. I’m heading out soon.”

[What do you plan to do when you go out? Well… you will most likely be training again.]

“I’m going to rest.”

[Yeah, rest…]

Hilde abruptly stopped talking.

She tilted her head and tapped her ear as if there was something wrong with her hearing.

Eden looked at me and let out a puzzled [Kyuu?].

“I’m resting. No training today.”

[Ah… What?]

Hilde, having understood my response, opened her eyes wide in shock.

Suddenly, the air grew heavy.

Hilde and Eden hastily rushed over to me and leaned in close. Hilde, breaking out in a cold sweat, desperately asked.

[W-what’s going on? This is the first time I have heard you say you are going to rest…!]

[Kyuu!]

[Humans usually change when they are close to death…! Could that be the reason? Is that it?! Has something serious happened? Answer me, Master!]

[Kyuu!]

“Why are you two making such a fuss…?”

It seems like they can’t comprehend the idea of me resting.

“It’s just better to rest today. You’ll understand when we get there.”

[Where exactly? Over there? Master?]

I pushed past my familiars and stepped out of the room. They trailed after me, looking puzzled, like puppies following their owner.

When I opened the door, Dorothy, dressed beautifully, came into view. Her bright smile was dazzling.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

“Hilde, Eden? Hello!”

Dorothy waved at Hilde and Eden, who were standing behind me.

Hilde greeted her with a, [Good to see you, Dorothy.], while Eden raised one arm high, responding with a [Kyuu!].

We left the dorm.

“Heh heh, where in the world are we going that our training maniac would pass up training?”

“Senior Dorothy.”

“Yes?”

“Do you like hot springs?”

Dorothy suddenly flinched, her shoulders giving a slight shake.

What’s that about?

“…Hot springs?”

Does she dislike them?

“I’m planning to go there. If you don’t like it, well, there’s nothing I can do.”

If Dorothy dislikes it, she will just have to wait outside. I absolutely have to visit the hot springs today.

Aldreque was famous for its hot springs due to the natural mana from Hassen Volcano, the source of the springs, being good for the body.

Since we were already there, it was more worthwhile to take a day off for rest instead of training.

Dorothy was nervously sweating. I couldn’t read her psychology, so I wasn’t sure why she acted that way.

“H-hate it? Who, me? Not at all!”

Dorothy forced a smile and placed her hand on her chest.

“Did you forget, President? Big Sis has a duty to stick with you today, to watch over and manage you. So it’s only right that I follow you into the hot spring.”

“Well then, no problem.”

She called me President… She must be flustered.

If she had some scars she didn’t want to show or something she had to hide, I would have turned her down.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be anything so grim.

Well, it should be fine.

Entering a hot spring with Dorothy…

Just imagining it made me really happy.

In the hot spring, entering completely naked was not allowed. Visitors had to put on the provided robes.

Just the thought of seeing Dorothy in a bathrobe was, of course, a feast for the eyes, and spending time with her, healing in the hot spring waters, was undoubtedly expected to be the best moment.

If I were to put it dramatically, there was even a risk of dying from sheer happiness.

“Hey, you punk, aren’t you a little too happy? You had weird thoughts about Big Sis, didn’t you?”

Dorothy leaned back, covering her chest in a self-hugging posture, then smirked slyly as she teasingly questioned me.

She intended to tease me.

“…”

“Hey, why aren’t you answering…?”

I had forgotten that she could read people’s emotions.

***[Is this the hot spring…?]

The place we arrived at with Eden, Hilde, and Dorothy was an open-air hot spring. We had to walk for the better part of an hour from the dorm area.

Amid the thick steam, we were all only wearing thin robes, except for Eden, of course. The cool night breeze and the warm steam enveloped our skin at the same time.

“There aren’t as many people here compared to other places. Why’d we come here?”

“This place seemed the best. Recovery from fatigue, detoxifying and breaking down harmful substances in the body, muscle pain relief, providing stability to mana circuits, improving skin, and so on. There are plenty of benefits to be gained here.”

“Oh, right. You really are a training maniac, so knowledgeable…”

It was a mixed-gender bath, with several guests of both sexes.

It was not unique to just the place, as most hot springs in the world were mixed-gender baths, with the purpose of achieving health benefits rather than simply washing the body. It was similar to old European hot spring culture.

As mentioned earlier, the natural mana from Hassen Volcano, the source of these hot springs, greatly enhanced the beneficial effects on the body. The hot spring water here was especially well-mixed with that natural mana.

Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to feel the difference, though.

In other words, the place was a hidden gem.

[I do not understand. Why do you find soaking in hot water so great to the point of developing places like these…?]

Hilde grumbled as she watched the people soaking in the hot springs.

“Your previous master didn’t take you to places like this?”

[Back then, these things did not exist. Or if they did… I am none the wiser to them.]

I didn’t know what the era was like when Veronica Aslius, the Primordial Ice Sovereign, lived.

However, considering that hot springs had a long history in my previous life, they likely existed even in Veronica’s time.

If it were her, I doubt she would have cared about Hilde…

The Primordial Ice Sovereign was kind of an outsider, after all.

Even if she had planned to go to a bathhouse, she would have reversed summoned Hilde.

“Well, you’ll understand once you soak in it. But, Senior Dorothy, what’s up with you? You’ve been acting strange.”

“What? Me? Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, not exactly…”

A clumsy smile and flushed cheeks.

Dorothy had wrapped her robe tightly around herself, clearly intending to cover more than just her chest.

Ironically, it only emphasized her figure, which was a feast for my eyes in another way.

Is she embarrassed?

I realized that the idea of someone getting a nosebleed from excitement wasn’t just a cartoonish exaggeration.

Though, I didn’t actually get a nosebleed.

“Big Sis will go in first, okay?”

“Ah, yeah…”

In a rush, Dorothy quickly washed herself in the makeshift shower before slipping into the vacant hot spring.

She sighed deeply, slumping down as she said, “Ahh… I feel like I’m alive again…”

After washing up with Eden, I held him in my arms as we sank into the hot spring water where Dorothy was.

Eden closed his eyes and let out a content [Kyuuuu…], enjoying the feeling of the hot water soaking into his rocky body.

[Wait, Master…!]

For some reason, Hilde looked shocked, as if I had just stepped into a pool of lava.

“Yes?”

[W-what? Is it not hot? How could you be so careless…?! Eden, why did you suddenly go quiet? Isn’t this dangerous?!]

Is she like this because she grew up in an environment where icy winds raged?

As an ice magic beast accustomed to the cold, it seemed she was instinctively frightened by the hot water.

The surrounding guests began to glance at Hilde, who was drawing attention.

Some of the men had their mouths wide open, unable to take their eyes off Hilde.

“Enough noise, just get in already.”

[…Ugh.]

A familiar had to obey its master’s orders unconditionally. With no other choice, Hilde seemed to make up her mind to enter the hot spring, her face scrunched in displeasure.

Hilde, half-squinting in caution, repeatedly dipped her toes into the steaming water. A faint trace of cold mana flowed from her toes.

Perhaps because she was in a state without her horns, the amount of mana that could be sensed wasn’t much.

How frustrating…

“Hilde. Hand. Now.”

[Huh?]

I grabbed the hand Hilde naturally extended and pulled her toward me.

[Whoa!]

She let out a short scream as she splashed into the hot spring. Water splattered everywhere.

[M-Master…! It’s too hot! I’m melting! I’m being devoured…!]

Hilde clung tightly to my arm, her eyes squeezed shut in intense fear.

Eventually, when nothing happened, she cautiously opened her eyes.

[…Huh?]

Hilde, flustered, backed away from me.

She stared at me intently, while Dorothy chuckled softly at her.

[Master, what is this feeling…?]

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

Since Hilde was my familiar, the sensations she felt were directly transmitted to me.

It seemed the pleasant sensation of the hot spring was spreading throughout Hilde’s body.

And five minutes later…

[Master… this is really nice… really, really nice…]

[Kyuu…]

Hilde, sitting next to me, had her mouth slightly open and her eyes closed, gradually melting away as if she were ice cream. Eden was the same.

At that moment, Hilde was no different from a regular human. That was why I was confident she could enjoy the hot spring like a normal person.

Eden’s senses were expected to be duller than Hilde’s or mine, but he was utterly enthralled by experiencing the hot spring for the first time in his life.

“Hoo…”

“Ahhh…”

I closed my eyes, savoring the warm and comforting sensation enveloping my whole body.

I had never had a day of peace until this whole thing started. This kind of rest felt like a luxury.

Not to mention, my favorite character was right beside me. I wondered if it was okay to be as happy as I was.

It was at that moment…

“You managed to know this place was a famous spot.”

Suddenly, I heard a deep, resonant male voice. I opened my eyes and looked straight ahead.

Two young men entered the hot spring on the opposite side. Their thin robes barely concealed their muscular bodies.

Both seemed to be around my age.

Their hair colors were different, one blue and the other red, but their faces were identical. They were twin brothers.

“So, which academy are you from?”

The red-haired young man asked with a smug grin.

I knew exactly who they were.

The McGregor twins?

The twin brothers in their third year were Raizel Academy’s greatest strength in the Academy Clash.

Their levels were 161 and 162, respectively.

The McGregor brothers were undoubtedly prodigies, especially for students their age.