Atelier Tanaka

Book 6: Chapter 4 (8)

I’ve recently heard of a rumour floating through the noble district here in Dragon City.

This rumour suggests that one of the baths has water that far exceeds the comfort levels of all the other baths in the city. Dragon City is home to a number of baths that offer a pleasant feeling not found anywhere else in the empire and this one particular bath stands above the rest. The idea of water that offered this level of comfort piqued my interest.

So, after I finished my work for the day, I decided to pay the bath a visit during the night.

And the bath in question….

“Ah….”

Was one I was familiar with.

It was the bath that Fahren-sama and the other nobles used when the conference was being held in Kalis and they visited Dragon City. It was also the bath that Drill-sama claimed to have seen a ghost.

I never went into the bath, but she did show it to me.

I arrived at the bath late at night and there was nobody else in sight. I went inside and still couldn’t find anyone else. The number of nobles in the city has been increasing steadily lately, so I’m happy I could get the place to myself. I can take my time and soak for as long as I wish.

It feels amazing to relax in a hot bath after a long day.

Tanaka-san said to wash your body before entering the water, but there’s nobody else here but me. It should be fine. I can just wash my body thoroughly in the hot water of the bath. Even a maid wants to do something bad on occasion.

“Aaahhhhhh”

I sank down to my shoulders in the soothing water and subconsciously let out a moan.

It felt so good.

“Aaaaaaa….”

This definitely does feel different than the other baths.

It’s more intense. I can’t even stop myself from moaning.

I can feel the exhaustion leaving my body.

“…I-I could get addicted to this.”

Once you’ve done it once, you just can’t stop.

It’s actually dangerous how good this bath feels. It’s making me feel the need to pee. I’d be killing two birds with one stone. The economics of it would make this feel even better.

“….”

No, I can’t do it. A girl my age can’t do something like that.

But this comforting feeling is dangerous.

My lower body feels so relaxed.

Ah, no, I mustn’t do it.

In a noble’s bath of all places too.

“….”

But it would feel good.

It would feel so good.

Nothing feels better than peeing in the bath.

This could become a habit —

“…who peed in the bath –”

“Hn!?”

Where did that voice come from?

I shot straight up out of the water.

In the same moment, I could see a figure emerging from the water. It looked as if the figure was a part of the water that gradually began to rise up and take the shape of a person.

It was close enough that I could reach out and touch it.

“Heeeiiii!?”

“Is it you? Are you the one peeing in the water?”

At a quick glance, the figure appeared to be a human woman. She looked to be in her thirties. The only thing that suggested she wasn’t entirely human was that she appeared to be translucent. She also wasn’t wearing any clothes at all, but this is a bath after all.

“Umm, w-what, uh….”

“….”

Could this be a ghost? I couldn’t help but be reminded of what Drill-sama said. I thought she was just imagining things, but the evidence is here right in front of me.

However, this woman looked familiar to me.

No, that can’t be right.

I don’t know any ghosts.

“…you’re the only one here.”

“N-No, that’s umm….! I’m….!”

I am the only one here.

I’ve been found out.

I peed in the bath and was discovered by a ghost.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“Oi, wait a second!”

I panicked and leapt from the bath.

I fled from the bath without ever properly washing my body.

After I left the bath, the ghost was nowhere to be seen. It’s possible her spirit is tied to the bath. Or maybe she wasn’t as angry as I feared and she didn’t bother chasing after me.

Whatever the case, I can no longer use this bath.

***

I spent my first few days in Academy City in relative peace considering what I’ve been through in the past.

My original reason for coming here had nothing to do with getting into a competition with Ester-chan to see who could write the best report. No, it was actually something far more serious; an international meeting to discuss the potential resurrection of the Demon King. The day of that meeting has finally arrived.

For the first time since my arrival, I left my room dressed in clothing appropriate for a nobleman and headed to the meeting.

It was an outfit that Richard had custom made for me.

The meeting was to be held in a large conference room on one of the upper floors of the central section of Academy City. Three of the walls to the room were massive glass windows, the only exception being the wall that led to the corridor we entered from. The room made me think that only this world’s elite would be allowed in it. If it were modern day, anyone with a salary under fifty million yen would be barred from entering.

There were now dozens of unfamiliar faces gathered around the grand round table positioned in the centre of the room.

“Thank you all for being here.”

A man wearing vestments reminiscent of a chancellor was the first to speak.

He had already introduced himself as the ambassador of the Great Holy Kingdom, a place that I’ve heard mention of more frequently in recent memory. He was seated at one of the many chairs just like me.

“It was only a few months ago that the saint prophesied that the Demon King’s resurrection was imminent. This is why I decided it was time to hold the 79th Demon King Strategy Conference. We must come together once more in order to protect the peace of our world.”

The man spoke in an exaggerated manner that seemed overly rehearsed.

I see.

He’s only had a short while to speak and I’m already starting to better understand what the King said to me before I left the Penny Empire.

“We already took the initiative and sent out a group of heroes to conduct an initial investigation into reports of the Demon King’s resurrection on the Dark Continent. I’d first like to apologize for the delay of the meeting. The party only recently arrived in the city after travelling, via the country’s fastest airship, back from the Dark Continent.”

The mention of the Dark Continent caused a stir to run through those in attendance. Even the high-ranking people gathered here are cautious of that place. Now that I’ve been there myself, I can understand this reaction. It’s not a place where anyone would choose to live if they have any other option.

I wasn’t expecting the heroes and their parties to be here.

“Chosen hero of the saint’s prophecy, enter!”

The man in the robe shouted and the door opened in response.

The people that entered were the same that I had parted from just weeks before.

The Hero of the West and the Hero of the East entered accompanied by each of their party members. I didn’t know any of their names, or maybe I just forgot them.

“Ara, they’re pretty cool.”

I could hear Drill-chan saying something annoying from beside me.

There’s no denying they’re good looking. The heroes are obviously ikemen and the women following behind them were all beautiful whether they were more mature or on the younger side.

“Which one’s your type?”

“Looks can be deceitful. I’d rather judge someone by who they are as a person.”

“Well, that’s great for you.”

That’s not what you said before, Drill-chan.

Maybe she’s being sarcastic.

“Heo of the West, I wish to offer you a warm welcome on behalf of all in attendance….”

The man in vestments spoke to the Hero of the West.

However, the hero he was greeting was focused on me.

He was left completely dumbfounded as he stared at me.

“T-Tanaka…?”

He wasn’t the only one to react this way. The party members that followed him as well as the Hero of the East and his party members all reacted in similar ways. Apparently, the idea of the flat yellow faced man they encountered on the Dark Continent appearing in a meeting to discuss defeating the Demon King never entered their minds.

And I never planned on being here.

I also never expected to see them here. It’s not impossible for them to be here or anything. Enough time has passed that they had the time to reach the city on an airship. Even so, it’s a surprise.

I guess airships are the equivalent of the small private jets rich people own.

“Hero?”

After noticing his sudden reaction to me, the robed man questioned the Hero of the West.

“Ah, no, umm….”

The Hero of the West started to panic as the stares from those gathered around the table settled on him. In this conference room, the Heroes and their parties are akin to actors auditioning for a part while those of us gathered around the table are sponsors or judges whose favour they wish to earn.

Based on what the King told me back in the Penny Empire, the heroes of this world hold little power on the political side of things. I was also able to gather that those in power that have a full understanding of the relationship between the heroes, the Great Holy Kingdom, and the Demon King hold little respect for the heroes.

The only time when they’ll ever give the heroes the respect they deserve is when the Demon King’s resurrection becomes a reality. Just like 500 years ago. It’s painful to admit, but those with the most power are usually the wealthy and they only know how to use that power to benefit themselves.

“I-I apologize. I’m just a little tired after the journey.”

“Is that so? I know you’ve all been on a long journey, but we need a proper report from you.”

“That’s fine. I’ll get straight to the report then.”

“Good. You’re speaking to a representative of each member country of the conference. Do your job well, hero.”

“Of course, sir.”

The heroes began to give their report about the events on the Dark Continent.

Based on the tone of the robed man, the heroes making an appearance here may be in order to get the representative countries to cooperate. I could also tell that those gathered around the table showed little interest in the appearance of the heroes or the report they were about to give.

An older man was picking earwax out of his ears with his pinky while an old woman was sharpening her nails on some unknown instrument.

I felt terrible for the Hero of the West.

It made me think back to my days as a wage slave and I understood how he must feel. This is how things work no matter what world you’re in.

Whenever we’d have our weekly staff meeting, our superiors would always look bored while the regular employees made their presentations. The morose expressions those gathered at the table showed were oddly reminiscent of my boss.

Which is why I wanted to show them that Baron Tanaka was different.

“Surviving a journey to the Dark Continent is quite a feat, Hero of the West.”

“….”

When he had finished giving his report, I was the first to speak and compliment him and the others on their effort.

Since I was the only one speaking, my voice echoed through the room for everyone to clearly hear. Regardless of their efforts, I just want at least one person to praise them, even if that’s me. I know how hard of a journey it was and they all risked their lives.

“I understand well how perilous a journey you’ve all been through. I would like to offer praise to all of you for surviving the journey safely and thank you for providing us with invaluable insight.”

That is the best I can do and it amounts to little more than pointless words.

“Hou, does this mean the Penny Empire intends on sponsoring the heroes?”

The robed man immediately twisted my words to have another meaning.

I’m guessing nobody here actually wants to be the one responsible for supporting the heroes, but it’s expected that someone will do it based on tradition.

What a terrible position to be in.

It’s like I managed to pick up a beautiful woman and a gay man with a single pickup line.

I do have spare gold but it was all given to me by Richard. There’s no chance I’m giving away all that gold for something like this. What a waste of money that would be.

“I was speaking only for myself and not the Penny Empire.”

“Is that so? Such touching words must make God proud to call you one of his sons. I’m sure that He would also be touched by a show of physical support for his chosen heroes.”

“Aah, I don’t want this to cause a misunderstanding.”

“How do you mean?”

“I’ve been to the Dark Continent myself, so I have an understanding of the dangers the two heroes and their parties faced while there. Which is why I felt it necessary to say what I did.”

“….”

I could see the face of the representative of the Great Holy Kingdom tense up as I spoke.

The rest of the representatives turned their attention to him as well.

“On my journey to the Dark Continent, I never even managed to make it far from the shore and was forced to turn back almost immediately due to the dangerous creatures that run rampant throughout the land. I’ve never experienced such danger in any other place. I will never forget the sight of the inn that I planned on staying at being utterly destroyed when a dragon attacked.”

I tried to create some random story that would impress upon the mind’s of the other representatives of the dangers of the Dark Continent.

It had an almost immediate effect on him.

The robed man was dumbfounded as he stared at me.

“What can a simple baron like me do to repay these brave men and women for the hardships they have been through? I can’t think of a reward befitting of such heroism. However, if you should ever visit the Penny Empire, I will do whatever in my power to give you a proper hero’s welcome.”

“S-So you’ve been to the Dark Continent before.”

“I now see why Duke FitzClarence would bring a low ranking baron under his umbrella.”

“D-Duke FitzClarence…?”

Richard’s name brought on a reaction from all the representatives.

His family name even carries weight in the Great Holy Kingdom. I’m not sure if this caused the sudden change in attitude, but the robed man seemed to give up on forcing anything on me or the Penny Empire after this exchange.

“T-This isn’t why we’ve all gathered here today. Let’s move on to the matter at hand.”

He turned his attention away from me and addressed the other representatives.

The others were primarily focused on the heroes now and the looks they gave them made me hope that my words had some effect on their opinions towards the heroes.

I hope that will give the heroes a confidence boost, no matter how small.

This should hopefully make things easier going forward.

“So, concerning reports of a new Demon King….”

Just as the robed man tried to continue the meeting, a loud boom from outside shook the entire room.

“….”

Everyone looked toward the windows to find the source.

Several of the representatives stood from their chairs to try to get a look. The windows threatened to shatter from the sound and I could even feel my chair shaking beneath me.

“W-What’s happening out there?”

“What do you think it is?”

I spoke with Drill-chan who was the only representative that seemed unphased.

She’s as stoic as always.

“It came from outside, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I thought….”

Our meeting was being held in a tall building in the centre of Academy City on one of its higher floors. Naturally, our position gave us a good vantage point to see all around the city. Everyone stood from their seats and made their way to the windows to try to find the source of the sound.

One of the first people to reach the window quickly pointed something out to us.

“O-Oi, over there!”

We followed his finger to a cluster of buildings on the edge of the city.

“Araa~, it’s so big.”

“It is….”

Beneath us, we could see the countless streets of Academy City spreading out into the distance.

A massive creature was advancing towards our tower. The creature left a path of destruction in its wake. It was hard to identify whatever the monster was meant to be, but it reminded me of the creatures we had encountered in the ruins beneath the city. It was clearly a monster but consisted of many features that didn’t make sense for it to have as a process of evolution.

The main body of the creature was slug-like with hundreds of arms and tendrils extended out from its back and sides. It excreted dark sludge that it left in its path and something about it made me think it would smell strange. The sound we heard came from the large tendrils whenever the creature would swing them.

Zudon, zudon

The tendrils smashed into the ground and sent powerful quakes through the city streets so powerful they could reach the tower we were in.

It was hard to tell from this far in the distance, but it looked to be larger than the loligon in her dragon form. It had only reached the outer walls, but the trees and few buildings that lie outside the wall were utterly destroyed. It was assaulting the walls by slamming its massive frame against them. The damage is already great, but if it manages to breach the walls, the destruction will be unimaginable.

“What is that?”

“I have no idea….”

The door to the conference room slammed open and Pi-chan rushed in.

The words he had for us were,

“The city is under attack by a powerful chimera!”

A chimera? I’ve heard that word recently.

***