Chapter 26: Toward a New Life

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When Lloyd stepped out of the men’s bath and waited beside the entrance of the bathhouse, the sliding door on the women’s side quietly opened soon after. The one who peeked out was Lusha, who wore a towel over her head instead of her usual hood.

She had thrown on a white robe, but the way she looked fresh out of the bath felt somehow different from her usual self. Her silver hair, damp and silky, flowed over her shoulders. Her cheeks were faintly flushed from the heat of the bath, her skin looked smooth, and above all, her eyes almost seemed moist.

Lloyd caught his breath for a moment. There was something…Well, alluring about her.

…Hey now.

He hurried to avert his eyes, but it seemed she had noticed. Lusha let out a soft chuckle and touched her wet hair.

“Sorry it’s still wet. I did try to towel-dry as much as I could, but of course, I can’t exactly use the Element Gem to dry it in front of people.”

“Don’t worry about it. My hair’s still wet too.”

Lloyd ran a hand through his own hair. His slightly long hair was also still damp. In fact, looking at the other patrons, everyone’s hair was wet. Being completely dry would have been the strange thing. Apparently, Lusha had brought the Element Gem into the large bath and used it while hiding it in a bucket. Certainly, if it could generate water endlessly, it was quite convenient for washing one’s hair.

“I really had to be careful about people watching me, though. It’d be game over if they found out.”

“No doubt.”

There was no way she could openly use a magical tool secretly developed by the church. If it became public knowledge, it could eventually lead the church back to her. As Lloyd listened to her explanation, he suddenly felt something click into place in his mind.

Ah, right. We have the Element Gem.

With such a convenient item, perhaps the bathhouse could be made functional after all. Filling the bathtub would be easy, and maybe they could even heat the water. In that case, even if the stone furnace couldn’t be repaired, they could use the bathhouse as long as they fixed the tub and drain.

Lloyd broached the idea aloud.

“Can that Element Gem make hot water too?”

“Hot water? It can’t produce hot water itself, but it can heat water.”

“Heat it? How?”

“You just pour magic into it so it emits heat, then submerge the Element Gem into the water. Why?”

Lusha placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head slightly. According to her, the gem could generate many things, but only one type at a time. Generating opposites—like water and cold, or water and heat—at the same time was difficult. However, if used separately, things worked differently. It seemed that heating the water it created was certainly possible. Incidentally, warm air wasn’t too different in nature, so that wasn’t an issue either.

“I see… Then maybe this could work.”

“Work?”

“Actually, behind the house we’re using, there’s a little bathhouse shed. It was falling apart, so I asked the clerk earlier how to repair it.”

“You can fix it!?”

Lusha’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Probably. The bathtub, the drainpipe, and the flue were broken, but the clerk told me how to fix them. The one thing I wasn’t sure about was the stone structure of the furnace, but with the Element Gem, I think we can work around that.”

With sealant and Lusha’s repair magic, they could fix the tub and drain. As for venting heat, they could simply create a new exhaust hole in the wall.

“Does that mean…We can take baths every day?”

“If we fix it.”

“Uuu… That’s too much happiness…”

“Hey, don’t start crying yet.”

Lusha looked ready to burst into tears, so he hurried to stop her. Their days on the run must have been harsh, and the bath time here must have felt like pure bliss. Seeing her like that made Lloyd all the more determined. They absolutely had to fix that bathhouse. He would start working on it tomorrow.

The two of them left the public bathhouse, still wrapped in the warm afterglow, and walked through the town. Lusha, her earlier flush finally settling, adjusted her robe’s collar as if self-conscious about the lingering redness in her cheeks.

Okay… Before the mattress, clothes.

Lloyd glanced at Lusha beside him and thought that. Her current outfit was, if anything, conspicuous. A white robe with delicate embroidery and silver thread. Clearly not something an ordinary person would wear. If anyone realized she was connected to the church, it could cause trouble. If they were going to walk around town, she needed something less noticeable.

As they looked along the central street, a sign reading Traveler’s Garments Jonas caught his eye. They stepped inside, finding rows of simple linen and cotton clothing. From the back came a middle-aged woman with arms like logs.

“Oh my, welcome. Are you affiliated with the church, dear?”

She said this the moment she saw Lusha.

“Well, something like that. But she’s still in training. We were thinking she needed some plainer clothes.”

Lloyd improvised, and the shopkeeper believed it easily, happily showing them around. Among the clothes, she picked out one after another—items that didn’t stand out yet allowed ease of movement. Dresses in pale browns and grays, long skirts, simple robes. Things one might see worn by a novice nun or a village girl.

And then finally, she offered…

“How about this cape? It has a hood to hide the face, and it works as rain protection too.”

It was a dusky blue-gray cape. The inside was lined with a thin fabric, making it suitable for varying temperatures. Lusha picked it up, bringing the fabric close to her face to feel its texture.

“Wow, this fabric is lovely. It doesn’t itch, and it feels comfortable.”

“Want to try it on?”

“Yes, please.”

Guided by the shopkeeper, she entered the fitting room. A few minutes later—flutter—with the sound of cloth swaying, Lusha stepped out. She wore a pale beige dress with a simple belt, topped with the blue-gray hooded cape. It wasn’t flashy, but it had an elegant air. Her long silver hair peeked out softly from the cape’s hem, and her slightly damp light-blue eyes sparkled.

Seeing her, Lloyd drew in a small breath.

“How is it? Does it look good?”

She timidly pinched her skirt’s hem and spun in a small circle, then peeked up at him.

“Yeah, it looks great. You look like a perfectly adorable nun.”

“Hehe, I’m glad. It kind of reminds me of the old days.”

Lusha giggled at his words and twirled once more, lightly lifting her skirt. The gesture was girlish and cheerful. Perhaps shedding the holy robes made her feel free from the role of “Saint.”

…Honestly, her aura isn’t quite nun-like though.

Lloyd added that privately in his mind. Visually, she looked like any ordinary nun. But beneath that, a faint, undeniable grace—almost divine—still seeped through. Even so, these clothes were far less conspicuous than her old holy robes. They bought a few more similar outfits for her, and a few for Lloyd as well, before leaving the shop.

“Alright, clothes are done. Next, we should look for a mattress. And I need to buy a handcart too.”

“Oh, we also need food! I can’t make dinner otherwise.”

“Right! Thank you, I completely forgot.”

“We have so much to do!”

Lusha’s voice bubbled with excitement. Even under the hood, her smile was visible. Surprisingly, she seemed to be enjoying their current life.

Baths, living space, meals… There really is so much to take care of.

Still, it wasn’t bad. No. If anything, he felt that this kind of everyday life was exactly what he wanted to protect forever.

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