Chapter 47 - Oscar Orcus (1/2)

Rio, Liselotte, and Aletia were staring at the scene before them dazedly. The sun was shining brightly.

Of course, they were still underground, so it couldn't possibly have been the real sun. There was a giant conical structure hanging high above the ceiling, with a dazzlingly bright orb hugging the cone's bottom side. The reason their minds had instantly thought of sunlight was not only due to the light and warmth, but also because it had none of the artificial quality present in lamps or fluorescent lighting. The light felt like real sunlight and was very different from the fake sunlight in some of the floors they had visited.

The room they were in was about the size of a baseball stadium, with the wall in the far back completely covered by a waterfall. Water poured out of a small opening in the ceiling and fell into a river below that flowed further in, passing through a cavern on the far wall. The rush of falling water created a refreshing breeze that blew pleasantly across their faces. Upon closer inspection, Hajime discovered that there were fish living in the river too. It was possible the fish had followed the river's current and traveled there from the surface.

A short distance from the river was a miniature farm. There didn't seem to be anything growing there at the moment. Next to the fields stood a cozy-looking barn. Though it seemed empty, it was clear with the supply of water, fish, meat, and vegetables present that one could cook anything they were so inclined to. The entire room was covered in greenery and there were trees scattered about the area.

It was a surreal sight for them because they'd been accustomed to the bleak and despair-inducing atmosphere of the depth of the labyrinth. It was like an entirely different world. An oasis amidst the dry and hot desert, so to speak.

Finally, their gazes stopped at a building. The rock that the house was carved out of appeared to be some kind of white limestone. It gave off a very clean look.

Liselotte and Aletia turned at Rio, asking his opinion about their next action silently. He was the strongest and the leader of their group after all.

”Let's enter the house. I don't feel any danger from it.”

”Understood.”

”...Yeah.”

Liselotte and Aletia replied readily and waited for Rio to lead in the front. Rio smiled wryly when he saw the girls' behavior, but he immediately went to the house. It was three stories tall and well ventilated throughout. They entered the house and found another one of those light spheres was hanging from the entrance's ceiling. The light was a bit too dazzling for everyone, who'd spent a great deal of time surrounded by darkness.

They decided to start by exploring the first floor.

There was a thick rug laid out next to a fireplace, a living room furnished with sofas, a kitchen, and even a bathroom. Interestingly enough, the place appeared brand new. Though they found no presence of other people, it seemed obviously lived in. The appliances and furniture hadn't seen use in quite some time, but it was clear their owner took good care of them. Rather than an inhabited dwelling, it felt more like a house someone simply managed. Rio calmly advanced since he knew that there was no danger while Loselotte and Aletia warily followed after Rio deeper into the house.

After a while, they found themselves standing outside again. There was an oval-shaped door that led to a backyard of sorts that contained a lion statue. The lion's mouth was open mid-roar. Next to the statue was a magic circle. Although Rio already knew what the lion status actual use was, he still experimentally poured some mana into it, and hot water jettisoned out of the lion's gaping maw. Rio nodded at that. Apparently, lion fountains were a staple of high-class places no matter which world one was in.

”This is basically a bath, isn't it? Perfect, it's been a while since I last took the proper one.” Liselotte smiled happily. Until that point, she had never had the luxury to have a proper bath. She used the magic circle to pour out some more water and lightly wiped her face down as a temporary measure.

Meanwhile, Rio watched the pool with a pensive look. Just like Liselotte, he had never had a proper bath since he dived into Great Orcus Labyrinth. Although he created a makeshift bath in their short term bases as they dived further in the labyrinth, that wasn't enough to satisfy him. He had been influenced by the students' Japanese culture, and like all them, he came to love baths. He was going to take a nice long soak and cleanse himself properly.

Standing at Rio's side, Aletia was watching his thoughtful expression and seemed to catch his thought. She chimed in with her opinion on the matter.

Rio turned at Aletia and pondered his answer carefully. He could imagine his awkwardness if he took a soak together with Aletia. Though she was legal, her body wasn't unfortunately. Furthermore, he didn't want to get assaulted by a horny vampire when he wanted to enjoy his long bath.

”...I'd prefer to relax alone for a bit...” Rio replied calmly, rejecting Aletia's dangerous offer.