Balm in Gilead Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“You didn’t have to walk me to work, Taylor.”

I shrugged. “I wanted to.” I held the door open to Hephaestus’s outlet shop in the Tower of Babel, letting Hestia walk inside. “Besides, it’s not like I have much else to do before my meeting with Apollo.”

From the back of the shop, I saw Hephaestus look up. She rapped a knuckle on the counter. “What’s this about Apollo?”

Hestia skipped into the shop, giving her friend a hug. “We got an offer for an alliance from him. Speaking of, Hephaestus, don’t you think we should make a formal alliance now too? I’d hate for Apollo of all people to be my first anything.” She pulled a face.

Hephaestus laughed. “I’ll have someone draw up an agreement and send it to you later today.” Then her gaze turned to me. “I assume it’s just you going to talk with Apollo then?”

I nodded. “He requested just the Familia head.”

“He always liked getting pretty girls on their own.” Hephaestus frowned.

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m hardly some great catch.”

Hephaestus and Hestia both stopped to look at me.

“What?”

Hestia leaned over to her friend. “Taylor has bad self-image issues,” she stage-whispered.

I sighed. So much for my Familia not making fun of me anymore.

“I see.” Hephaestus nodded seriously. “I’ll send you all a mirror, too.”

“We don’t need a mirror.” I crossed my arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, oh! Do you think we can steal Dite-chan to go dress shopping with?” Hestia leaned forward on the counter. “He has the best fashion sense! Taylor hasn’t even bought anything other than armor since she arrived here.”

“Yes, I think he’d love to.”

I sighed. “If we’re going to talk about shopping, then I can leave.” I shook my head. “I’ve had enough blondes telling me how to dress for one lifetime.”

“Taylor.” Hephaestus’s words caught me just as I opened the door back to the tower. I stopped and turned back to face her. “Be careful around Apollo. He’s a schemer, but he’s also an impatient little brat. Play it close to your chest, and you should be able to figure out what he’s really after.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think there’s any chance that he’s actually after some sort of alliance?”

“It’s Apollo.” Hephaestus shrugged. “You’ll understand after you meet him.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” I said.

“See you later, Taylor!”

Despite myself, I smiled. “Until later, Hestia.”

I let the door slip shut behind me, my steps a bit lighter for the warmth in my chest. No matter what Apollo was really after, I was sure I’d be able to handle it. Well, maybe he’d lock me up and torture me for something or another, but I’d left a note with the Guild about my whereabouts in case I didn’t show up again in the next day or two.

It wasn’t paranoia if they were really out to get you.

I flipped up the hood of my cloak as I stepped out of the tower back onto the streets of Orario. Apollo had a mansion outside the city proper, and it would take a while to get there. Luckily, Hestia started working very early in the morning, and I was due to meet Apollo’s Familia shortly before lunch.

So I started walking.

The streets were bustling as always, with motley groups adventurers heading towards the dungeon while the ones who’d been grinding all night heading back to their Familias. Beyond that, of course, there were thousands of craftspeople and various other professions in the city. Adventurers needed armor and supplies as well; even if most of those people were in a Familia, it didn’t mean all of them went into the dungeon.

The most surprising thing, though, was the sheer number of Level 1s I saw.

I never thought about it before, back when I was a level one. Now that I was level two on the other hand, they stuck out to me like a sore thumb. It was in the way they moved, just swaggering down the street. They were stronger than the average man, but something about their motions just jumped out to me.

I was level 2 now, after all, and that meant something. I hadn’t noticed at first, just sparring with Ais, because she unerringly increased her intensity until I felt like I was under the same pressure as always. My first trip back into the dungeon set me straight right away, though.

It was like a walk in the park. Really, I barely even noticed the goblins and war shadows and ants. Orcs were just big targets, and sure, I hadn’t tried to take on the Goliath yet, but nothing else in the newbie section of the dungeon was so much as a threat.

This was the difference between level one and level two.

I brushed the thoughts aside as I arrived at the gate to the city. There were adventurers manning it, as always, mostly level ones, on rotation from various Familias.

“What’s your business,” A bored guard asked me at the gatehouse. He was leaning into his palm with a glum expression, spiky blue hair blowing gently in the breeze.

“Visiting another Familia outside Orario,” I said.

He grunted, pulling out a thick leatherbound book and dumping it on the table. “Name and Familia?”

“Taylor of the Hestia Familia.”

“Got it.” He opened the book and marked it with a magic stamp—at least, I assumed it was a magic stamp by the way it put down my name into a blank line—before he shoved the whole thing to the side again. “Be sure to check in when you get back.”

“Will do.” I nodded.

He made to wave me through, before pausing and squinting up at my face. “Do I know you?”

I shrugged. “Might have passed each other in the dungeon, or something.”

He looked at me for a moment more, before shrugging. “Yeah, probably. Anyway, you’re clear to go.”

“Thanks.” I moved on, tugging my hood a bit. I wasn’t exactly… famous after the Wargame with the Soma Familia, but it’d had an effect, however small. Most of the offers Hestia received for me were from smaller Familias, ones that were on the cusp of being something important.

Or at least, that’s what she told me, considering I threw them all into the fire without looking at them.

To the common person of Orario, I was just one of the many countless adventurers in the city. Just, occasionally, one or two of them would recognize me, which was a massive pain. I was starting to understand why Ais didn’t pay attention to people. As the Sword Princess, she must be one of the most memorable people in the city, with hundreds if not thousands of people vying for her attention every day.

“And to think, all it took to get it was some Jagamarukuns,” I murmured. Granted, they were very good Jagamarukuns, being Hestia’s, but still.

I didn’t plan on being such an easy sell in my dealings with Apollo.

It took about an hour of walking to make it to the Apollo Familia’s mansion, not that it was a bad way to spend a morning. The air was crisp and clear, and the fields surrounding Orario were not only safe, but immaculate rolling hills of green.

The mansion itself kind of reminded me of a picture I’d seen once of Versailles, though, granted, with a dirt driveway looking path and a simple stone fountain out front. It was also a little smaller, I thought. Probably because Apollo hadn’t bankrupted a kingdom to build and maintain his little house.

We couldn’t all be winners.

I didn’t see anyone as I walked up to the double doors of the mansion and knocked on them loudly.

I waited for a bit, but there was no response. I frowned, glancing up at the sky. Was I early? It was hard to tell time, not like wrist sundials were going to exist anytime soon. The note had just said shortly before noon, and from the looks of things, the sun was still a bit from its zenith.

Just as I was about to contemplate knocking again, the door opened. I glanced back down to see a young woman with brown hair, wearing a maid uniform who took me in, before dipping into a shallow curtsy.

“Welcome, honored guest.” Her voice was soft and bearing impeccable. I guess being a big Familia did have a few perks. “You are expected. Please, come inside.”

“Thank you.” I followed her into the mansion. “I was told I’d be having a meeting regarding an Alliance between my Familia and Apollo’s.”

The maid gave a deferential nod. “The head of the Familia awaits you at your earliest convenience, but has sent word that you be given time to dine and bathe before the meeting itself. If it pleases you, I can lead you to the bathhouse.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“It would be no imposition, my lady. Most of the Familia is out, and a private bath can also be arranged, if you would prefer.”

They were really pulling out all the stops, huh? “No… the bathhouse is fine.” I paused for a moment, drumming my metal fingers against my calf. “If you could arrange a light meal for me when I got out, that would be nice. I wouldn’t want to waste your Familia’s time, especially not after such a gracious welcome.”

“It pleases us to be of service.” The woman said. She led me down another path to the doors to a wide room with grey stone floors, filled with steam and pleasant warmth. “Please, honored guest, take as long as you would like to relax.”

I swallowed my reply. On one hand, this was clearly a nice gesture, showing that they valued my time and that this alliance would be, if not between equals, then at least one with mutual respect.

On the metal hand, Hephaestus’s words still echoed around in my skull.

“If you would find it pleasing, some chilled wine could also be made available while you relax in the bathhouse,” the maid said.

Play it close to your chest.

“You know…” I folded my arms. “Maybe a cup or two wouldn’t go amiss.”

The maid curtsied. “It will be sent up at once.”

I took off my boots, setting them in a clear nook to the side, before pausing. I wasn’t quite sure how to say this but… “I won’t require any other assistance.” I didn’t know if she was going to offer to attend me in the bath itself, but I was a big girl, I could wash my own back, thank you very much.

“Of course, honored guest.”

I held back a relieved sigh.

The maid slipped effortlessly out of the room as I entered the bathhouse proper. Like I’d said, it was a wide room, with light wood walls and grey stone floors. The stone looked like uncut paving tiles, creating a natural feeling. There was a bench on one of the walls, along with some alcoves allowing one to clean up before getting into the bath proper.

Baths in Orario followed a more Japanese style than Roman, from what I’d found. Luckily, Hestia explained how they worked, so I didn’t commit the faux pas of getting into the baths without cleaning up on my first trip to a public bathhouse.

A public bathhouse that was, now that I thought about it, much simpler than this one, which had apparently been reserved for my private use.

I took off my clothes, setting them on a bench. My arm stayed.

The metal was enchanted, I’d learned, to never wear or rust. I cleaned quickly, before slipping into the expansive tub with a soft exhale.

The water really was exquisite. The perfect temperature.

I’d always preferred my water just this side of scalding, and Apollo’s baths delivered excellently. I gave a polite nod to the maid as she returned with a traditional clay bottle of wine and a cup upon a tray, which she set silently at the edge of the bath, before pouring me a single cup and excusing herself.

“Man, what would it take to get her to build Hestia a bath like this?” I wondered. Was it possible to link a bathhouse to food? If I could, Ais would be there with a shovel before I said the word ‘Jagamarukun’.

It was a big word, to be fair.

Now, if only I could get through this meeting without worrying about a sudden and inevitable betrayal, everything would be perfect.