19

“Hey, Rubelmel. Why are you in a place like this… Wait, were you taking a bath?”

“Yes. Then Lady Lydia suddenly arrived. I was so surprised.”

“Sorry about that. …Actually, this bathtub is weirdly cramped. With it this narrow, like a washtub, there is no way you can relax.”

“Well, of course it would be like that with three people in it.”

At Rubelmel’s words, Lydia tilted her head with a “Hm?”

“Three people?”

Lydia looked back toward where Rubelmel’s gaze was directed.

There was Darius, who had been driven into the corner of the bathtub by Lydia’s sudden appearance and was grimacing in discomfort.

“Whoa! Who the hell are you?!”

“Who are you? Where did you suddenly come from? Do untrained commoners have a custom of barging into other people’s baths fully clothed as they please?”

Darius snorted and looked at Lydia coldly.

Darius was naked, and Lydia had her soaking wet clothes clinging to her. The two glared at each other.

“Hey, Rubelmel. Who is this rude brat? Is he your pet?”

“No, Lady Lydia. This person is Lord Darius. He is currently acting together with me.”

“…Darius? You are Darius?!”

Lydia brushed up Darius’s bangs and checked his eyes.

“Heh… You really do resemble him. Wow, you sure got big, Darius.”

“Do not touch me. It is unpleasant. Do not say random things. I do not know you.”

Darius forcefully brushed away Lydia’s hand as she touched his hair.

“Lord Darius, this is Lady Lydia.”

“Lydia? Is she one of your companions?”

Darius used his eyes to tell Lydia, “Get out of the bathtub.”

“Of course she is our companion, but more precisely, she is the one who leads the Next-Era Luminaries. She is our superior.”

Pushed by Darius, Lydia reluctantly got out of the bathtub and turned her eyes toward Darius while wringing out her clothes, which clung tightly to her skin.

“That’s right. So respect me, Darius.”

“…Tch.”

Darius clicked his tongue while turning his face away from Lydia.

Amid the rising steam, Darius and Lydia fell silent.

In the bathroom, where only the sound of hot water pouring into the bathtub echoed, Rubelmel opened her mouth.

“So, Lady Lydia, why have you come here? Were you not going to greet the Witch?”

Rubelmel sat on the edge of the bathtub and tied up her hair again.

“Yeah, that’s done. I saw the Witch’s sorcery with my own eyes too.”

“And how was the Witch?”

Feeling disgusted by the clothes clinging to her skin, Lydia shrugged and continued.

“My sorcery had far too poor an affinity against the Witch’s sorcery. I meant to poke at her a little, but I could not compete at all. It really was no good. The difference in experience was too great.”

“…I see.”

Among the Next-Era Luminaries, the only ones who could be called sorcerers in the proper sense were Lydia and Darius, who maintained his insolent attitude without feeling anything even after seeing Rubelmel’s naked body as she sat on the edge.

That Lydia had directly clashed with the Witch, and Lydia herself said she could not compete. From now on, they would have to think about how to attack the Witch and the kingdom.

“After that, I jumped to Elias. To meet Ains, whom I had received reports about.”

“!?”

“To meet Ains-sama?”

Darius reacted faintly to Ains’s name.

“From what I had heard of Ains’s movements, it did not seem like he was completely on the kingdom’s side. In that case, it would be helpful if he became one of our companions. I thought I would check what kind of person he was while also trying to recruit him. If he was incompatible with us, I also considered disposing of him right then and there—”

Lydia continued.

“This is the result. It was a complete rout. The only reason I can wring the water out of my clothes like this now is because I barely managed to escape. If I had been even a little late, only my clothes, soaked full of my blood, and my corpse would have been tossed into this bathtub.”

“He was that much?”

“No, probably more than that. I did not fully see everything he had. Even so, I felt it after touching just one part of it. That thing is a monster. He has a presence strong enough to drown out even the Witch’s existence…”

Lydia’s hands trembled as she remembered facing Ains, and she continued.

“That is not an opponent I can do anything about alone. Rubelmel, what exactly is Ains? You spent longer with him than I did and exchanged words with him. Do you know anything?”

Asked by Lydia, who wore a serious expression, Rubelmel shook her head.

“…No. I do not know anything beyond what I reported to you, Lady Lydia.”

“…”

Lydia turned her eyes toward Darius as well, but he was soaking in the hot water with his eyes closed, acting as if he knew nothing.

“I see… But I did learn one part of him. Of course, that does not mean we alone can do something about Ains, but if we use the current power balance, we might be able to make the Witch and Ains clash. After all, the Brandy family seems to have started moving somehow.”

“The kingdom where the Witch is, and the movements of the two great pillars among the oldest noble families, the Brandy family and the Sobi House. Having them crush each other may not be a bad idea.”

Rubelmel put a hand to her chin and spoke her thoughts aloud.

“Well, in any case, I was saved this time because Rubelmel followed my orders. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks.”

“No, no. I was simply acting as I normally do.”

“You should accept thanks honestly, you know? Rubelmel, being able to act as usual in any situation is something you can be proud of. …Well then, I will be going now. Rubelmel and Darius, take your time. Your work in Elias was more than enough.”

“Thank you very much.”

“…”

Still leaving her clothes wet, Lydia put her hand on the bathroom door.

“Let us drink together next time, Darius. I will bring alcohol that suits your palate.”

“Hmph. I cannot trust alcohol brought by a low-class woman who likely does not even understand the difference between fermentation and rot.”

“You brat…”

Lydia let out a large breath as if releasing the anger she felt toward Darius, then waved to Rubelmel.

“I will give you more instructions later.”

“Understood, Lady Lydia.”

Rubelmel bowed, and the bathroom door was closed.

Darius was once again alone with Rubelmel.

“Why did you not tell her, Rubelmel?”

“What do you mean?”