#168 Large Public Bath: Flower Garden

I am one of the many elves working at Lord Saint’s farm, so I don’t think telling you my name is necessary.

My role today is only that of a storyteller, and storytellers don’t need self-assertion.

Lord Saint can’t be the storyteller this time, so I’ll be his substitute.

Because where I’m going from here is a sacred area not even he could enter.

I don’t think anyone will complain even if he steps in, but how should I say this... Lord Saint is a pretty reserved man.

Anyway, the realm that I, an unworthy replacement of the great saint, am about to enter and talk about...

The women’s bath.

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The existence of the bath captivated the hearts of the women on the farm from the moment it was created.

It feels good, is good for your health, and also makes you beautiful.

They say that Lord Saint passionately told Lady Platy about it on countless occasions.

So, when the hot spring was completed, everyone was bursting with excitement.

Everyone wants to become even more beautiful than now, and I am also one of them.

However, the first bath that Lord Saint created was too small to accommodate all of us.

Still, he isn’t called great for nothing.

He immediately created a larger bath so that everyone could bathe without any problems.

That’s Lord Saint for you.

A nobleman.

That’s Lord Saint for you.

Worshiped and praised by everyone.

The new bath is divided into two main areas—one for men and another for women.

...Well, we need to draw a line, don’t we?

After all, we bathe naked.

Though some girls booed, saying, “Why won’t Lord Saint take a bath with us?”

...I’ll just say that I was a little disappointed as well.

But a storyteller shouldn’t be talking much about themselves.

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I have no choice but to observe and talk about the women’s bath.

After another hard day at the workshop, I immediately headed for the large bathhouse with my friends.

When we entered the main entrance, there were two more entrances, and the one with the red curtain was the entrance to the women’s bath.

When we went through it, we saw other beautiful women had already gathered inside.

Elves, satyrs, earth spirits, demons, mermaids, humans, beautiful women of various races are all naked and in full bloom like flowers in a garden.

You think my way of describing those of the same sex is inappropriate?

How naïve. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t be interested in naked women.

We elves have the same old ancestors as the demon race, which means that our skin color is as dark as theirs, like the color of a deeply roasted bean.

Point is, it’s dark.

However, now that satyrs have joined us, the percentage of light-colored skin has increased.

Therianthropes, including satyrs, are a race derived from the human race.

The dark skin of the demon race and the light skin of the human race together in the women’s changing room looks just like black-and-white patches.

White bum, black bum, white bum, black bum, white bum, white bum, black bum, black bum, black bum, white bum, black bum, white bum, white bum, white bum, black bum, white bum.

Like so.

I also added another one, a black bum.

My bum.

As such, the women’s bath is in harmony.

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“So, this is the bathhouse they’ve been talking about!” says a lively person.

It was Miss Letasreit, the former princess of the human race. She’s always so boisterous about everything.

“This is where you can wash your body, relax and alleviate your fatigue! Follow me, Holly! I’ll give you a special tour!”

“Roger.”

The one following her was the angel Horkosfon.

I’ve heard that she was the major contributor to the construction of this wonderful bath.

I wonder why the princess is being so high and mighty around her?

“It’s your first time taking a bath, isn’t it, Holly? I’ll show you how it’s done, so you can watch and learn the bath etiquette.”

“Roger, Letasreit.”

This is also the first time for the princess to take a bath, no doubt about it, but why is she so confident?

When they were both about to get into the bath after taking off their clothes, Miss Letasreit asked, “Hey, Holly, you have wings on your back, right? Is it okay for them to get wet in hot water?”

Oh, right.

As an angel, Miss Horkosfon has large wings spreading out from her back, which seems to hinder bathing.

Lord Saint said that angels always have wings, but it would be a problem even for the bathers around her with wings that big.

Leaving it as it is would...

“I have acknowledged your opinion. Letasreit, could you grab hold of my wings for me, please?”

“What? Like this?”

“Wings of Icarus deactivated. Mana supply terminated. All interface connections confirm failsafe mode. Dorsal flight mechanism can now be safely removed.”

“Huh?! Your wings are detachable?!”

I was also surprised.

I didn’t know they were detachable.

“You can place the wings just over there... All right, let’s take a bath, Letasreit.”

“...O-Okay!”

Now stripped bare, the two proceeded to the back where the bathhouse is.

...

This is no time to be dumbfounded.

I also need to take off my clothes and bathe as soon as possible.

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I was about to step into the bathing area when I bumped into something huge and soft by the doorway.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

It was Miss Panu, the leader of the satyr team.

Satyrs are half-goat, half-man, which is probably why they have strong limbs and splendid builds.

Miss Panu, in particular, has something even more splendid...

They’re almost a little... Intimidating...

“I was just about to leave. Baths make your body so soft and refreshed. It even removed the stiffness from my shoulders.”

Indeed.

It’s no wonder she’d have stiff shoulders with a body like that.

“Ah, that’s right. Lord Saint instructed us to place the milk we produce here,” says Miss Panu as she takes out something...

Oh!

Not only one, but there are many bottles of milk with her!

The milk produced by the satyrs is a super high-quality product that is usually served to the great people of the human and demon races.

Just the fact that we can drink it daily shows how much of a paradise this farm is.

“Lord Saint told me that drinking milk after getting out of the water is good manners in the bath.”

Is that so!

Lord Saint really is well-informed!

“He also said that they’re better served chilled, so I put them in a small icebox Puffer made, and now they’re cold as ice. You can have a drink as well once you’re done,” and with that, Miss Panu walks past.

By the way, the containers that hold the milk are the same glass bottles made by us elves!

I’ll drink some milk first thing after the bath!

＊　　　　＊　　　　＊

And so, I finally entered the bathhouse.

It was steamy, but it was not as uncomfortable since I didn’t have any clothes on.

Rather, the warmth is soothing.

The bathhouse is already crowded with women.

“Ahhhh, that hits the spot...” says Lady Platy.

She is second-in-command at the farm and the wife of Lord Saint, so she’s pretty much a VIP.

The other mermaids, Puffer, Lampeye, and Garra Rufa are with her.

They all loosened up to relax, their lower bodies back to their original forms.

Looking at these mermaids soaking in hot water makes one think of...

...Boiled fish.

But I’m going to keep that thought to myself.

“Boiled fish!”

“They’re like boiled fish, aren’t they?”

“You can see them simmering!”

“Boiling in the water!!!”

Apparently, a lot of ladies thought of the same thing.

Of course, they said it in soft whispers so the concerned party wouldn’t hear it.

“We’ve spent more than 90% of our lives in the water, but it never crossed my mind that a little temperature difference could feel soooooooo good! It’s like heaven on earth!!!”

“Don’t let your guard down. Can you really afford to be this lax right now?” says Miss Puffer as she swishes her tail fin from side to side.

It is very rare to see them in their mermaid form since they use magic potions to change their tails into land-dweller legs to live on the farm above ground.

“I think it’s fine even if we loosen up in this paradise of a place...”

“It’s not that. I’m talking about us.”

“You?”

“Lampeye, Garra Rufa, and I are prisoners. We’re here because we’re supposed to be doing labor, right? Can we really just revert to our mermaid forms like this?”

Mermaids who have taken the form of land-dwellers cannot return to their original form unless they have the right potion for it.

Taking advantage of this, mermaids who commit crimes are forced to drink the potion that turns them into land-dwellers and are punished by being banished from their kingdom.

“That’s only for formality. Just because you’re a mermaid again doesn’t mean you’re going back to the ocean without permission, right, Puffer, Lampeye, and Garra Rufa?”

“I desire nothing more than being of service to you, Princess Platy. I have no intention of leaving this place.”

“Me neither! I don’t want to stop my research on bacteria! Come hell or high water, I won’t budge!”

The mermaids seem to have a unique bond with each other.

The same goes for us elves.

When the bath was completed, a meeting was held with our former leader, Aileron, to discuss whether or not the bath would hurt our pride as elves.

We elves feel ashamed to stray from our natural way of life, after all.

Still, no conclusion was reached, and almost all the elves took a bath in the end.

But can you really blame them? It just feels that good.

The moment I was about to put my foot in the bathtub to enjoy the pleasure of the hot water...

“Hey!!!”

Lady Platy got angry at me. But why?

“Before you soak yourself in hot water, you must pour the water over yourself to remove the dust from your body! That’s the bath etiquette I learned from Dear. I’ll see to it that everyone follows this rule as head of the women’s bath!!!”

As expected of the woman closest to Lord Saint, her leadership skills are unparalleled.

I decided to follow her instructions and pour the hot water over myself.

However, another person on this farm is closest to Lord Saint but is the complete opposite of Lady Platy.

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“...Hm? What’s that?”

There’s a sound coming from afar.

The bathhouse has an open window to let the steam escape, and from there, we could hear an ear-piercing screech.

We could hear it getting higher-pitched and closer.

“Yes! It’s the bath!!!”

The sound source was Lady Veil flying towards us in her dragon form.

Just when we thought she was going to crash directly into the bath through the window, she immediately reverts to her human form and jumps into the bathtub.

Splash!

A huge column of water appeared.

“It’s so warm and feels so good! So, this is what a bath is all about! It is great as you slugs say! I, a dragon, approve of it!”

“Hey, Veil! This bathhouse has an actual entrance for a reason! Don’t get into the water without washing yourself! And don’t wet your hair!!!”

Lady Platy furiously scolds her, but it doesn’t have any effect on Lady Veil, the most liberal person on the farm.

Lady Platy, the order on the farm, and Lady Veil, the chaos of the farm.

This place is made possible by these two people who are right under Lord Saint.

But matters aside...

The hot water feels good.