Chapter 44: Taking Shelter from the Rain

"Ains, what’s the matter? You look rather suspicious."

"Eh? Ah, it’s nothing."

Clatter, clatter. The carriage rattled as it rolled down the road.

The Roman Empire’s paved stone highways were nothing but a dream in these lands. What we had instead were rough, gravel-filled dirt paths that hadn’t seen proper maintenance in decades.

Still, for all that, this was one of the main roads leading to the neighboring Liner Kingdom, so at least it was wide enough for carriages to pass each other.

Every few hours, we passed through well-kept post towns, so by local standards, this route was considered relatively safe.

In the end, I found myself traveling with the Demon Lord to the Liner Kingdom—but the carriage he’d prepared was incredibly suspicious.

"About this carriage..."

"Hm? Something wrong with it? It’s a simple model, but I thought it was fairly comfortable."

"…No, nothing at all."

Inside the carriage, it was just the Demon Lord and me, along with our luggage. We’d been traveling for hours without a single break—just the steady rhythm of the horses pulling us along.

Normally, any driver worth their reins would stop after an hour or so to rest the horses. But not here. Which meant… whatever was pulling this thing probably wasn’t an ordinary horse.

On top of that, the mounted escorts surrounding us were downright intimidating.

Each of them wore cloaks with hoods concealing their faces, but the pressure they gave off was anything but human. Even while clearly suppressing their aura—likely one that would terrify ordinary people—they still radiated an unmistakable sense of dread.

"Next, we’ll be entering the Liner Kingdom. There’s a territory just past the border, ruled by an acquaintance of mine. We’ll stay there tonight. We’re a little ahead of schedule, but that shouldn’t be a problem."

"Ah, yes."

A “little ahead,” he says. Considering this journey normally takes over a week by conventional means, the fact that we’ll reach it in just three days is… seriously suspicious.

Still, I told myself it must be magic. Yeah. Magic’s a convenient explanation for everything.

The carriage veered off the main road and followed a smaller path, eventually turning onto what looked like a barely used trail through the woods.

"Ah, there it is. Up ahead."

"…That’s it?"

On a small hill surrounded by forest stood a stone mansion. From afar, it looked rather grand—but with dusk falling and the shadows of the trees darkening its façade, the entire place had the eerie mood of a horror film.

As we drew closer, I noticed the overgrown weeds in the garden and the thick, locked gate barring the entrance. There were no signs of anyone living here at all.

"Hm. Strange. This should be his estate…"

The Demon Lord tilted his head in confusion beside me.

And just to make matters worse, it started to rain.

"It seems rain is upon us. If this mansion truly belongs to your acquaintance, Lord Maor, then even if the master is absent, perhaps we could take shelter inside?"

Even if the place looked suspicious, it would still offer protection from the wind and rain. Staying overnight in the carriage wasn’t an appealing alternative either—my back would never forgive me.

"…Hmm. You’re right. Very well. Let’s go in."

"Yes."

And so, we decided to spend the night in the ominous mansion.

Incidentally, the thick chain and padlock on the gate? The Demon Lord murmured something under his breath and—click—it just opened.

I was pretty sure it had been sealed with an absurdly sturdy lock, but I decided not to think too hard about it.

"…This is troublesome."

"What exactly is going on here?"

As expected—or maybe I should say, as feared—the front door was locked.

The Demon Lord simply broke it open, and we entered. But the moment we stepped inside, it became clear: this place had been abandoned for quite some time.

"Hmm. This was supposed to be his… No, never mind. It’s too late to head elsewhere now."

"It’s already late. We might as well spend the night here."

"…You’re right. All right, you lot—clean up the rooms. Once you’re done, stand guard around the perimeter."

"…"

The cloaked escorts moved wordlessly at the Demon Lord’s command, gliding through the hallways like shadows.

"Um, Lord Maor?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Those attendants of yours… are they capable of cooking? Or preparing a bath, perhaps?"

"…Such advanced instructions are not within their programming."

Programming? …Did he just say programming? That’s a worrying choice of words, but I decided not to dig into it.

"In that case, Lord Maor—what about securing clean water?"

We had some wine stored in the carriage, so in the worst case, we could drink that. But the supply was limited, and obviously we couldn’t bathe in it. We’d need proper water if possible.

"Hmm. In a mansion of this type, there should be a well in the courtyard. Let’s check there first."

"Ah, understood."

Unexpectedly knowledgeable, the Demon Lord led the way.

Just as he said, there was indeed a well in the inner courtyard—and, miraculously, it still seemed usable.

"Good, good. …You there. Once you’re done cleaning, draw water from the well and fill the buckets. The rest of you, carry that water inside the mansion."

"…"

A faint red glint flashed from beneath one of the hoods as a wordless reply.

Seriously, could they not use creepy light signals like that? Though, since I didn’t want to draw water myself, I decided to keep quiet about it.

Now then…

"Having fire around would be handy. I saw a fireplace in the sitting room we passed earlier, so let’s get it going."

"Agreed. You there, go gather some firewood."

The Demon Lord sure had a commanding—well, demanding—way with people. Or… beings, I suppose.

"Mmm. Delicious."

"I must admit, I’m surprised. You can cook?"

"Just the basics, really."

With clean water secured, I got a fire going in the kitchen and made a simple potage using the dried meat, cheese, and beans we’d packed in the carriage. I also kneaded some flour into dough, mixed in a few raisins and dried figs, and baked quick pancakes to make the meal more filling.

Moments like these remind me how useful cooking skills can be.

If it weren’t so late, I might’ve gone out to look for herbs or wild berries, but wandering off now would be reckless.

While exploring the mansion earlier, I’d found a cellar in the basement—but it was completely empty. There were a few bottles lying around, though the colors inside them were… alarming, so I wisely decided not to open any.

Maybe I’ll bake some extra bread for tomorrow morning.
Still, I’ll have to figure out how to get fresh ingredients eventually… though in this weather, that’s wishful thinking.

"For now, I’ve prepared hot water for bathing, so we can wash off the sweat and dirt."

"Hahaha. Ains, do you take me for an amateur? While you were busy, I discovered a room equipped with a proper steam bath setup. My subordinates are cleaning it now. Once they’re done, we’ll use it."

"Ah, so that’s what that room was! In that case, once they finish cleaning, we’ll need to heat some stones for the steam."

"You there—throw some stones into the fireplace to heat them, then carry them to the bath once they’re ready."

Without a word, the servant obeyed. I couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly he lifted those heavy stones—barehanded, no less.

I watched in silence as the glowing-hot rocks were carried straight to the bath, no tools used, no complaints given. …I decided not to question it.

"All right! The preparations should be complete. Let’s bathe!"

"Ah, please, go ahead. I’ll take mine afterward."

"What are you saying? We’ll bathe together. Taking turns would be a waste of resources."

Ugh. When he puts it like that, it almost sounds reasonable.

"I–I see. But still, it feels a little embarrassing…"

"What’s this? That’s not like you, Ains."

"I—I don’t think that’s true…"

Huh? Is that really how he sees me?

"Hmph. Think nothing of it. You and I are already close enough. I grant you permission to share the steam bath with me."

"Ah, um… th-thank you?"

And just like that, before I even realized it, I’d somehow agreed to bathe with him.
Well… we have seen each other naked before, so I guess it’s fine?

Still, I do possess a proper sense of modesty. Once we were in the bath, I quietly huddled up in the corner. I had a thin cloth wrapped around me—so technically, nothing was showing.

The bath chamber itself had a large stone tub in the center, surrounded by low stone benches. Sitting directly on them was far too hot, so we scavenged some planks and old rugs to line the seats.

In the middle tub, the heated stones were piled high. When water was poured over them, a thick cloud of steam filled the air, turning the room into a proper sauna.

To scrub ourselves, we used leafy branches we’d gathered nearby—whacking our bodies like some kind of wild tribesmen.

Across from me, right in front of the stone tub, the Demon Lord sat in utter concentration, methodically ladling water onto the stones to control the steam’s intensity.

Why was he taking it so seriously?

"Ah… Lord Maor, that’s a very comfortable temperature now."

"Indeed. Quite so, quite so."

He continued his solemn task of pouring water over the stones, paying me almost no attention.

For the record, he didn’t bother with any kind of towel or modesty cloth. Instead, he sat there in all his muscular glory—every line of his well-built physique on display.

I mean… I wasn’t looking, per se. But, well, it was sort of in my line of sight.
…Not that it mattered or anything. Really.

Eventually, the bath ended without incident, and we dried off, wrapped ourselves in blankets, and lay down to sleep on the floor of one of the cleaned rooms.

No late-night surprise attacks, no “Demon Lord strikes in the dark” kind of event—just a peaceful night.

By morning, the rain outside had stopped.

Honestly, I was a little surprised. Some small part of me had expected something… a bit more dramatic.

Sigh. I guess the only fool here was me, lying awake all nervous for nothing.

Still, what a day. A full-on survival experience from start to finish.