Chapter 18

Chapter 18

By the time they emerged from Sevanne's mansion, the sun was already setting.

The garden looked even more beautiful beneath the glow of the sunset.

Haral joined Riyan as he headed toward the entrance.

"Just when things were getting good."

Haral grumbled while shaking a golden-furred squirrel off his trouser leg.

"Sounds like you enjoyed yourself."

"Can't say I didn't."

"Perhaps you should come back from time to time."

"Without you, those shiny guards would probably kick me straight in the ass."

After retrieving his weapons from the guards, Haral stepped onto the main avenue and stretched.

"Still, it was a good experience. When would someone in my position ever get another chance to be surrounded by women like that?"

"I agree that it was an unusual experience."

And it truly was.

After his conversation with Sevanne ended, Riyan had spent the rest of his time in a considerable rush.

All kinds of nobles had swarmed around him like hyenas rushing toward a meal after a lion had finished eating and left.

Some women had even suggested abandoning the gathering and accompanying them to their own residences.

It had been an exhausting, rather clingy experience.

Nevertheless, Riyan had achieved something.

"The Rose Fighter? I met him a few days ago. I heard he's been granted leave this time."

That was what one noblewoman had told him.

She had also revealed where the Rose Fighter usually stayed when he was allowed to leave the training center.

Haral was still staring blankly at the beautiful mansion, apparently feeling as though everything he'd experienced had been a dream.

Riyan beckoned to him.

"There's somewhere we need to go."

"Where?"

"I found out where the Rose Fighter is."

"I really can't figure you out. What the hell are you planning to do when you meet him? I thought you said you weren't interested in men."

"Didn't you say it would be good to accept some sponsorship, provided I don't bite off more than I can chew?"

"I did. But what does the Rose Fighter have to do with sponsorship?"

"Just because food is scattered along the roadside doesn't mean I should pick up and eat anything I find. I ought to be selective, shouldn't I?"

"If that's all, couldn't you ask Director Berka? That man knows quite a few nobles himself."

Riyan tilted his head at Haral's suggestion.

Haral belatedly realized what he meant and smacked his lips.

"Well, I suppose that man doesn't really care what happens to you. If someone offered him enough money, he'd probably sell you to a noblewoman with the strangest tastes imaginable or some nobleman desperate for a male lover. Fine. I understand. I'd hate that too. Of course I would."

Riyan laughed quietly as Haral worked through the entire matter and reached his own conclusion.

It wasn't the correct answer, but it was a convenient development.

The real reason Riyan wanted to find the Rose Fighter was much more fundamental.

The king who betrayed him had become the Emperor.

The kingdom had become an empire.

Under the weight of passing time, countless things Riyan remembered had disappeared.

Nothing physical remained to connect the Riyan of his previous life to the Riyan of the present.

Every morning when he opened his eyes, he struggled to adjust to that sense of separation.

That was why he had begun searching.

And the first step in that search was, naturally, Eldred.

Unaware of Riyan's true thoughts, Haral assumed everything was about sponsorship and spoke again.

"So where is that bastard?"

"A place called Mystica. Do you know it?"

Mystica.

At the mention of the name, Haral grinned.

"Of course. I know it very well."

Paradoxically, there were places that shone brightest only after nightfall.

The commercial district responsible for the Imperial Capital's nightlife remained crowded even though it was already late.

A city that never slept.

Brilliant light poured from the crystal orbs illuminating the avenue.

The faces of the pedestrians passing beneath them were almost uniformly flushed with alcohol.

The night market, packed with stalls, sold cheap food and drinks for those with lighter purses.

Young men and women who had come to enjoy the capital's nightlife moved through the bustling crowds.

"Now this is what I'm talking about."

Haral nodded enthusiastically as they walked through the night market.

He finally looked as though he could breathe again.

Riyan chuckled.

"Which do you prefer? This place or the Arcana Sanctum?"

"Do you even have to ask? This place, obviously. It makes me feel alive. Sitting around with teacups, laughing politely, and pretending to be refined just isn't for me."

He was a simple, unpretentious man.

Or perhaps he had already grown too old to embrace new experiences or pursue grand ambitions.

The moment they entered the night market, Haral began drinking one cup after another.

Apparently, the place suited his tastes perfectly.

He offered Riyan a drink as well.

"No, thank you."

"Must you be so boring?"

Offering alcohol to someone who was still recovering from injuries...

Riyan frowned.

Haral waved a hand.

"Fine, fine. Eat a skewer instead."

Each of them took a freshly grilled skewer and continued through the streets.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"I told you I do. I've been there several times, so stop worrying. More importantly, are you paying when we get there?"

Paying for what?

Alcohol?

Food?

Was their destination a tavern?

Or perhaps an inn?

Since the Rose Fighter was supposedly staying there, Riyan assumed it was probably an inn.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to make sure.

"Consider it payment for guiding me. By the way, is this place a tavern?"

"Well, they do serve alcohol."

"An inn, then?"

"You can sleep there too."

"...Are we playing twenty questions?"

"Listen, a gift is much more interesting when you don't know what's inside before opening it."

Riyan was so dumbfounded by Haral's constant grinning that he almost said something.

But he held his tongue.

Haral was practically skipping along, even humming to himself.

I suppose it doesn't matter.

Whether their destination was an inn or a tavern made little difference.

Haral had taken time out of his day because of Riyan.

It was only reasonable to provide him with some compensation.

Besides, there was no need to ruin his unusually good mood.

However, a short while later...

When Riyan finally understood why Haral had been so cheerful, he slowly closed his eyes.

[Thermae Mystica]

A large signboard hung above the entrance.

The building itself wasn't particularly large.

It was only about two stories tall.

But the moment Riyan stepped inside and took in the sights and fragrances, he finally realized what kind of establishment it was.

A wide staircase stood in the center of the building.

Instead of leading upward, it descended underground.

Thick steam drifted up from below like dense fog.

"...A bathhouse?"

"Quick as ever."

Haral grinned.

At that moment, a man dressed in a neat tunic appeared.

He bowed with practiced elegance to welcome them.

"As the manager of Thermae Mystica, I welcome our honored guests. How many will be joining us?"

Haral answered in place of the sighing Riyan.

"Two."

"Will you require attendants?"

"Before that, there's something I'd like to ask."

"Certainly. What is it?"

"I heard the Rose Fighter is staying here. Is that correct?"

The manager looked troubled.

"He is here, but..."

"Did he request that he not be disturbed?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"It'll be fine. Isn't that right, Riyan?"

At Haral's words, the manager finally took a proper look at Riyan.

His face immediately brightened.

"The White Wolf! My apologies for failing to recognize you! But even so..."

"We arranged to meet beforehand, so there won't be a problem."

"Ah! Is that so?"

"Then I'll be the only one who needs bathing attendants. And there's no reason for us to use the same bath. Please arrange somewhere suitable for me separately."

"Of course, sir."

Haral delivered his lies without so much as blinking.

Then he turned toward Riyan and winked.

"You're paying, right?"

How can one man be so shameless?

Still, things had worked out smoothly.

Riyan silently paid the fee.

After all, the money Berka had given him for spending remained untouched.

"Escort our guests!"

At the manager's command, male and female attendants approached.

They led the two men toward the changing rooms.

Almost immediately, the attendants began touching Riyan's shoulders and chest to help him undress.

They removed his outer clothing first.

But when they finally took off his shirt and saw the dark bruises spreading across his chest, several of them flinched.

Riyan gently dismissed them.

He wrapped a towel around his lower body himself, then headed underground with Haral.

The steam drifting upward resembled clouds and mist gathered beneath a mountain ridge.

Riyan looked around.

"It's impressive that someone thought to build something like this underground."

"If they built it above ground, keeping the water warm during winter would be difficult. Bringing water up would be troublesome too. Water naturally flows downward, after all. Building underground probably makes the whole design easier."

"That makes sense."

"Besides, people don't come here just to wash themselves."

"What do you mean?"

"Think of it as a salon for men. A little more vulgar and a little more primitive."

From what Haral was saying, the establishment wasn't simply somewhere people came to bathe.

It probably served as a social gathering place for men, providing somewhere for private meetings, relaxation, and other discreet activities.

"Even so, with magic available, I wonder why they went through the trouble of digging everything out underground. It couldn't have been easy."

"This is the Imperial Capital."

"Which should make magic even easier to use, shouldn't it?"

"Kid, do you have any idea how expensive land is in the capital? On the other hand, digging underground is..."

Haral stopped himself halfway through the explanation.

But Riyan had no difficulty understanding the rest.

"Well, since slaves do the digging anyway, I suppose it hardly matters."

"Right. That's reality."

Slaves were cheap.

Land in the Imperial Capital was expensive.

The bitter reality left an unpleasant taste in Riyan's mouth.

He silently continued down the stairs.

The deeper they descended, the more the capital's dry night air and surrounding noise faded.

Thick steam gradually replaced them.

Because they were underground, the steam was even denser.

A faint, sweet fragrance mixed into it, creating a peculiar atmosphere.

Eventually, they reached the bottom of the stairs.

When the view opened up before him, Riyan slowly tilted his head.

"..."

It was an enormous underground plaza, something no one could have imagined from the low, narrow building above.

Lights installed across the massive domed ceiling mingled with the steam and created a bluish glow.

Long waterways had been constructed along the floor.

They followed gentle slopes and branched out toward the various sections like the limbs of a tree, supplying each area with hot spring water.

"This way, please."

A woman who had been waiting for them offered guidance.

Riyan turned toward her.

Haral had already linked arms with another attendant and was laughing heartily as she led him elsewhere.

Didn't I see almost exactly the same thing earlier today?

Riyan shrugged and followed his guide toward the deeper sections.

They passed through steam as thick as fog.

Eventually, they arrived at a bathing area designed to resemble a U-shaped cliff, complete with an artificial waterfall.

Unlike the other baths, which were divided into separate rooms, this one occupied an entire section.

It looked like the sort of place that charged an enormous fee.

Laughter could be heard beneath the water cascading down the artificial waterfall.

"And then?"

"And when that wild boar saw me appear, it immediately suppressed its excitement and became perfectly obedient. Can you believe it?"

"What a liar! I've heard rumors that noblewomen get nervous whenever they see you, Lord Aries, but there's no way a wild boar would react like that!"

"Haha! I'm telling you, it's true!"

The voice was relaxed and playful.

Even though they'd never met, Riyan was certain.

The person called Aries had to be the Rose Fighter.

That was true regardless of his exaggerated heroic tale about a wild boar.

"Aries. The Rose Fighter."

Riyan waved a hand to disperse the thick steam as he spoke.

Everyone inside the bath turned toward him.

Riyan didn't even glance at the woman holding a brush and washing the man's body.

His attention remained fixed on the man himself.

He looked exactly as Riyan remembered from their journey to the Arena.

His formerly glossy golden curls were now wet and hung loosely.

His lower body was hidden beneath the water.

He was half-reclining, supporting himself with both arms, a posture that emphasized his well-developed upper body.

"Who are you?"

Aries frowned at the unexpected interruption.

But the moment he recognized Riyan, his expression changed.

"The White Wolf?"