#502 Let’s Build a Hot Spring Resort

Hello, it’s me again.

To tell you the truth, I’ve been watching how things unfolded.

A well-digger is assigned the task of digging for a hot spring.

Then an angel, Horkosfon, appeared to him.

The well-digger was so overwhelmed by Horkosfon that he wanted to become her apprentice.

I was there the whole time, you know?

I just didn’t speak a word.

Horkosfon took the well-digger as her apprentice, but...  

“If you don’t put your heart and soul into your stirring, the natto won’t become sticky.”

“Yes, master!”

Only I, who was watching from afar, could notice the difference in perception between the two.

“Um, I think Kinmarie is looking to improve his skills as a well-digger so he can dig out a hot spring. I don’t think natto has anything to do with it...!”  

“It’s no use. All of Holly’s innermost secrets lie in natto.”

Oh, Letasreit.

Come to think of it, you were there too.

“Oh, yeah, Saint! Now that we have a hot spring, you’re also going to build a bathhouse, right? Come on, let’s build a bean park!” 

No, we will build no such thing.

Don’t think you can take advantage of the moment and build a bean theme park out of nowhere.

“Hm? Speaking of which, what will we use this hot water for?”

Kinmarie has somewhat come to his senses but still did not stop stirring the natto.

“Maybe for beverages? If it’s hot from the beginning, it would be useful for cooking!”

...No, that’s not it.

I applaud the novel idea, though. I wonder if we can use this hot spring for cooking? We can’t say for sure until we investigate the water quality, right?

But for now, we’d have to establish its most straightforward use.

“As Letasreit said, we’re building a bathing facility pronto! Come on out, everybody!”

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Orkubo and the rest of the orc army arrive at the site one after another with teleportation magic.

It seems that the waypoint was set by Horkosfon, who transmitted the coordinates through some transmission spell.

As expected of an angel, she can do absolutely anything.

Orcs are construction junkies and will gladly participate in any related project.

They had experience building a bathing facility in the past, so I expect things will go smoothly.

“However! This one will be different from the last bathhouse we built! We’re going to change things up a bit!”

“What do you mean, My Lord?”

Mm. The public bathhouse we built at our farm before was more like a sentou-style bathhouse.

I’ve taken care of the interior and exterior so that everyone could come to relax and enjoy the casual atmosphere.

This time, I wanted to retain that casual atmosphere but with a more luxurious feel.

A hot spring-ryokan style, so to speak.

“The Demon King intends to make people from all backgrounds enjoy the hot spring. In order to fulfill that wish, I want to build a huge hot spring that people from all over the Demon Kingdom... no, from all over the world can come and enjoy!”

“Ohhh!”

“In other words, a hot spring resort!”

My world has a variety of tourist facilities centered around hot springs.

You can enjoy them as many times as you want while staying at the hotel.

The sumptuous cuisine served in the morning and evening, arcade machines found in every corner, all of these things are combined into one ample leisure space: the hot spring resort!

“And we are going to build it here to attract more people to come and enjoy the hot springs!”

“YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

The orcs are raring to go.

‘‘It’s going to be another massive construction project! My arms are itching to get to work!”

“Constructing an open-air bath is unique, so I’ve always wanted to build one again!”

“I’m going to look for the perfect stones for building!”

Orcs have built various buildings as we expanded our farm, and perhaps because of this, construction has become a hobby of theirs.

When they build something, they instantly become full of energy.

“It’s not just the bathhouse this time. We also need to build a hotel for the guests who come from far away to enjoy the hot springs... Kinmarie.”

“By snapping the wrist, you get to stir the natto more nimbly... right?!”

I ask Kinmarie, who is about to shift jobs from being a well-digger to a natto stirrer.

“What is the geography of this area like? Are there many people living here?”

“...It’s in the middle of nowhere, I’m afraid. There is no big town nearby, so it’s not a place people frequent. In the first place, large-scale well-digging is done in such places. It’s the wells that attract people.”

I see. So wells are dug as the first step in developing a new village.

Drinking water is one of the first requirements for human survival, so it makes sense.

But this time, the hot spring will be their source of attraction.

“Frankly speaking, this land has no trouble with regard to water for daily use because there is a river flowing nearby. The problem is that it is located in a deep mountainous area—not much flat land is available.”

I see.

You can’t make fields and rice paddies without flat land, after all.

“That’s why this area was abandoned. Even if we dig a well, if there is no arable land, there is no point in cultivating it. That’s why we at the Well-Digging Guild also ignored this area.”

The only reason their shovels entered such a place was the Demon King’s reckless request to dig out hot water.

An emergency land was selected for the emergency request.

But such a desolate land...

“It’s exactly for this reason that things are in our favor.”

We can go all out building an unprecedented otherworldly hot spring resort without worrying about bothering others!

I can rest easy if we leave the construction to the orcs.

In fact, I bet they could build a transcendent hot spring ryokan without my intervention.

If my mind is free from worrying about the tangible side of things, I should focus on the abstract side.

I’m going to prepare all the things that come with a hot spring resort.

“Excellent natto judgment. You have now mastered the basics. Now let’s proceed to the practical assessment.” 

“What?! We’re putting an egg in the natto...?!”

I’ll let you do your thing, Horkosfon and Kinmarie...

Anyway, what we need for our hot spring is...

First, the yukatas—formal attire for using hot springs.

They’ve been around since the Heian period (794-1185) and are easy to put on and take off, making them ideal for entering and exiting a hot spring.

The design of the yukata is tasteful, and the cotton fabric is breathable, making it ideal for cooling the body after a hot bath.

If we’re starting an otherworldly hot spring ryokan, we just have to have yukatas.

It would be even better if they had original patterns dyed on them.

Thus, I asked for a certain someone’s help because she was the right person for the job when it came to clothing.

I asked Batemy, who is now a world-renowned fashion designer and in charge of clothing for our farm.

* * *

Alas...

“Absolutely not!”

She refused.

As soon as I returned to the farm and showed her the yukata’s design, she refused like there was no tomorrow.

What is making her firmly reject like this?

“Because its design is disgraceful!”

“Disgraceful?!”

“Am I wrong, Lord Saint?! If you open the front like this, you reveal everything! This ribbon-like thing is the only piece of fabric keeping it together! It’s too insecure! If the ribbon were to come undone by some chance... just imagine the disaster!!!”

Now that she mentions it, Batemy has a point.

“Moreover, you’re not supposed to wear anything underneath, right?! Everything is practically visible then! I won’t agree to make such a perverted attire!!!”

“How rude to traditional clothing!”

But such openness is what makes yukatas great, don’t you think?

Any lady wearing it would look much more charismatic and alluring...!

Unfortunately, I don’t have anything with me to persuade Batemy now, so I’ll put off making yukata until later.

Many other things come with a hot spring resort, anyway.

It’s not too late to procure them first.