By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 12

Chapter 5 Episode 12: For a Tired Body

“Master Ryoma!”

After the situation at the adventurer’s guild was under control, we returned to the Jamil estate. Chief Maid Araune stopped me with a grave look on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a problem with Lulunese’s wedding. I’m sorry to bother you when you just got back, but can you spare me some time?”

“Of course, if there’s anything I can do to help.”

I had no idea about what had happened, but I followed Araune. Eventually, I heard a lot of voices. It sounded like an argument was underway.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” Araune said and tossed the door open. “Girls, what nonsense are you shouting about?! We can hear you out in the hall!” The women instantly went quiet, but at the same time, Araune’s expression hardened. “Elise? You’re here?”

“Hello!”

“Oh, Ryoma! You’re back?”

“Hello, I heard you wanted to talk about the wedding, if now is a good time.”

“Of course. This way, please.”

“I’ll prepare a seat for you.”

“I have to make tea.”

“I’ll get some tea cakes.”

The maids busily ran around, further muddling the mood in the room. Then the meeting started up again.

“Araune, you said you wanted to talk to me?” I said.

“Yes, it’s about the wedding site. Here.”

She showed me five familiar pieces of paper with the designs I provided for reference at last night’s meeting. I never got married myself, but when I was approaching the age of forty, most of my old classmates had. I was often sent invitations and wedding photos, so I drew my designs based on memories of those. I thought they were received well, but maybe I was wrong.

“There were a lot of opinions about those pictures,” Araune said. Next, I was given a list of requests to change some part or other of my designs. “I want you to sort these suggestions out into things you could do and things you couldn’t.”

“Understood.”

One request was to set up a bell tower for the wedding. Depending on the location, that would be possible. Another was to create stone pavement at the wedding site. This would also be possible. Decorating the walls and pillars would be possible, but depending on the amount and the decorations in question, it could be hard for the guests to actually see the wedding.

■ ■ ■

“Alright, Araune, I’m done.”

“Thank you. I’ll use this to make a summary of the demands for the wedding.”

There were a lot of questions, but the basics were settled. I could start work on this tomorrow.

“Good work, Ryoma.”

“Uh, thanks...?”

Going through the list took more time than I expected. The servants in the room were entirely different from when I first arrived. Only Araune and Elise had stayed.

“How much time has passed?”

“About two hours, I think. Would you like something to eat?”

“Thank you, but I took a break to have a tea cake. Incidentally, what brings you here?”

Elise’s ever-present smile faded. “A guest whom I hoped not to see has suddenly come, so I’m hiding away.”

“I didn’t know there was such a person.”

“Unfortunately, there is.”

I was curious about who this person was, but Elise seemed uncomfortable, so I changed the topic.

“That sounds tough. Is it exhausting having to deal with guests every day?”

“Yes, but it’s my job, so I can’t complain too much. I wish I could go to a spa.”

“A spa, eh? You like those?”

“Do you know about how my father-in-law controls a territory called the Firedrake Mountains?”

“Oh, I heard about that from Mr. Smit. He once formed a contract with a divine beast and gained some privileges and rewards.”

“Right, that. One reward he received was the Firedrake Mountains, in which there’s now a hot spring town. I used to go there all the time. The spa there was relaxing and very good for the constitution.”

“Sounds nice. I’d love to visit there sometime. How’s the water there?”

I was a little curious. I wondered if there were any fantasy elements to this hot spring town.

“I don’t know enough about water quality to say, but it’s quite bubbly, and makes your body really warm and red the moment you go in.”

If it was bubbly, maybe it was a carbonated spring. It didn’t sound like it had any magical effects or anything. That was a little disappointing, but maybe I could make some sort of bath bomb with revitalizing effects. I offered that as a suggestion.

“I can go into a hot spring too?” Elise asked. She was more interested than I expected. Her eyes were shining.

“I can actually make bath salts that’d make bathwater similar to hot spring water, provided I have the materials.”

The materials I needed for bath bombs were baking soda and citric acid. If I added a bit of cornstarch to that and sprayed it all to dampen it a bit and shape it, then let it dry, it would be complete. I could also add perfume oil to that, but the baking soda and citric acid alone would produce carbon dioxide. I could make baking soda from salt, or from the caustic soda I was feeding my acid slimes that were waiting to evolve. Citric acid could be extracted from certain fruits by using alchemy, but to make sure it was safe, the fruit had to be good enough quality to be edible.

“Yes...as long as I have the materials, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Are these bath bombs you mention one of the secret beauty products you talked about yesterday?”

“I don’t know if it’s anything worth being a secret, but it’d be nice to have.”

“What do you need? I’ll get whatever you can, provided it’s within my purview.”

“In that case, can you have a basket of lamons brought to my room? And if I could get some of the mumiteau that’s used for baking bread, and some nice plant oil that’s not too bad for the skin, I can also make something called a sugar scrub.”

“Got it, I’ll have those prepared right away. Araune, you heard him.”

“Yes, of course. A basket of lamons, mumiteau, and plant oil, was it? I can get them from the kitchen. Please wait in your room, Master Ryoma.”

“How long will it take to make?”

“The sugar scrub can be made as soon as I get the materials; you just mix them together. I’ll have to appraise and test the bath bombs to be sure they’re safe, but I think thirty minutes will be plenty of time.”

“Got it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Thus, I decided to make bath bombs and a sugar scrub entirely in the spirit of goodwill.

“Say, did you hear that?”

“Most certainly. He mentioned something about secret beauty products?”

Just before I left the room, I overheard the maids. I figured it really wasn’t anything special, so I didn’t anticipate the chaos at the Jamil estate that was to come.