Another World Metal Factory

Chapter 34

When Illia and Marsha returned to the inn’s yard, chatting about various things, Shellen, who was doing laundry by the well, frowned at them.

“Your clothes are a mess. You look like you’ve been rolling around in the mud.”

Illia looked down at her skirt. Her sleeves and knees were covered in mud from playing in the dirt earlier. She tried to brush it off, but the mud from the riverbank wouldn’t budge.

Seeing this, Shellen clicked her tongue and said,

“This won’t do. Marsha, go take a bath together.”

“But I don’t want to…”

“Oh! While you’re at it, take Richel and the young lady who came as a guest with you.”

Marsha nodded and ran into the inn, and Shellen pulled Illia along.

“Come on. Take off your clothes and leave them here. I’ll wash them while I’m at it.”

Before Illia could answer, Shellen quickly took off her outer clothes and wrapped a thin blanket around her.

When Illia, feeling shy, covered herself with the blanket, Shellen smiled and patted her head.

“Ahaam… Why a bath all of a sudden?”

“It’s good to wash up.”

Meanwhile, Richel and Tehez, who were killing time inside the main building of the inn, came out with Marsha.

“Why is Illia covering herself with a blanket like that?”

Tehez asked as she approached Illia, and Illia looked at Shellen.

“The little lady’s clothes were covered in mud, so I took them off to wash them.”

“Ah, I see. I should go to the carriage and get some clothes to change into. And some toiletries too.”

Tehez said as she climbed onto the carriage and started rummaging through her luggage. It was the bag she had packed with a change of clothes and other necessities.

After finding Illia’s clothes, Tehez came down from the carriage with a towel and a small waterproof bag.

“Then we’ll be back soon.”

Marsha, who had initially refused to take a bath, smiled brightly and led the way.

“Where are we taking a bath?”

Richel asked, and Marsha answered as she walked ahead.

“There’s a spring with hot water if you go a little further into the forest.”

“A hot spring. This place has been famous for its hot springs since ancient times. I heard the name Palapilos also comes from the meaning of hot water.”

Tehez said in response to Marsha’s answer.

“Does hot water come out without heating it separately?”

“Yes. Hot water comes out all year round, summer and winter.”

Marsha proudly answered Illia’s question.

Hot water gushing out. Illia thought it was like the factory where she was currently staying.

“It’s over there!”

Marsha pointed to a spot in the forest and ran, and Illia followed her.

A slightly murky smell stung her nose. But it wasn’t strong enough to make her cover her nose and avoid it.

As they entered the forest, a steaming spring came into Illia’s view. It wasn’t a huge spring. But it wasn’t small enough to be called small either. It was a large spring.

“Oh, this is pretty nice?!”

Richel smiled brightly, dipping her hand into the water and swirling it around. The cloudy white water rippled along with her hand.

“It’s been said since ancient times that warm water from the ground has healing effects. I wonder if this one does too?”

Tehez scooped up the hot spring water with her hand, examined it, and started writing something in her notebook. Watching her, Marsha went to a nearby rock and took off her clothes.

“What are you all doing? Let’s get in quickly.”

“You’re just taking it all off like that?”

When Illia asked, Marsha pulled at the blanket Illia was covering herself with.

“What’s the big deal? We’re all girls.”

At Marsha’s words, Illia looked around and nodded, then took off her undergarments and placed them on the rock, just like Marsha.

After taking off her leather shoes, Illia carefully dipped her foot into the hot spring, then flinched and pulled it out.

“It’s so hot!”

Illia looked at Richel and Tehez with surprised eyes, and Richel and Tehez, who were half undressed, tilted their heads.

“Really? It wasn’t that hot when I put my hand in earlier?”

“There’s a story that Mazoku are originally from the cold north, so they’re weak to heat. Come to think of it, Illia always bathed in lukewarm water at the factory.”

Richel said, and Tehez answered as she took off her work pants.

Illia thought that might be the reason, and carefully dipped her foot into the water again.

“Wow!”

At that moment, Marsha jumped into the hot spring from the rock.

Even though Marsha was small, quite a large wave was created because she jumped from a high rock. And the wave crashed over Illia, who had just put one foot in and was getting used to the temperature.

As the hot water suddenly reached her chest, Illia was startled, slipped, and plunged into the water.

“Kyaak!”

Illia screamed loudly and hurriedly got out of the water, flailing her arms.

“Hahahaha!”

Marsha surfaced and started laughing, and Richel, who had gone into the water, flicked Marsha on the head.

“What do you think you’re doing, jumping in like that?!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Are you okay, Illia?”

Ignoring Richel’s scolding, Marsha continued to laugh, and Tehez quickly ran to Illia and checked her body. Illia’s snow-white skin was red.

“It seems the water really is too hot for Illia.”

“I was just surprised.”

Illia answered Tehez and caught her breath.

With her face flushed red, Illia carefully slid back into the water.

“The water is slippery.”

Illia thought the cloudy, yet milky water felt strangely slippery.

“It’s because of the unique ingredients dissolved in it. Hot water that rises from deep underground has been known to heal wounds and have various other benefits since ancient times. This is because unknown ingredients from deep underground are dissolved in the water.”

Illia’s eyes widened at Tehez’s explanation, and she looked at her.

“Tehez, you sure know a lot. I just know that something is mixed in the water.”

“You’re a very smart older sister.”

“Haha… Hahaha. No, Master is even more amazing. He comes up with things I don’t even understand. The fact that unique ingredients are dissolved in the water is also something Master said after hearing my story about the hot water rising here.”

Tehez laughed awkwardly and scratched her head. She looked a little lonely, so Illia snuggled up to her. Tehez patted Illia’s head.

-Rustle-

Suddenly, they heard the sound of grass moving.

At first, it was a small sound, so only Illia, with her sharp ears, could hear it.

-Rustle-

This time, the sound was clearer.

Others besides Illia heard it as well.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know?”

Tehez and Richel asked each other, and Illia burrowed into Tehez’s arms in fear.

What was going on?

Illia looked cautiously in the direction of the sound with frightened eyes.

The sound was getting louder.

She could even hear breathing.

Richel, Tehez, and Illia all tensed up.

Meanwhile, Marsha was the only one splashing around in the water, oblivious to everything.

“Wh… What should we do?”

“I… I don’t know! Me neither!”

Tehez replied to Richel’s question.

No one knew what to do.

“Kyaaaaa!”

“Heeeek!”

When a dark figure emerged from the bushes, sharp screams filled the air.

3.

“Oh my. We caught a big one.”

“Haha. You’re quite skilled.”

The Factory Manager happily said as he lifted a huge fish caught on his fishing rod with a net, and Kapuntar, who was holding his own fishing rod next to him, laughed and congratulated him.

Anglers often become close friends in an instant when they share the common hobby of fishing.

After putting the big fish he caught into a net and lowering it into the water, the Factory Manager took out a cigarette and lit it, then pulled something out of his bag.

“Do you like alcohol?”

“Of course, I do. Alcohol while fishing is fantastic.”

The Factory Manager laughed and poured soju into a paper cup for Kapuntar. Kapuntar gulped down the soju in the paper cup and made a sound with his throat.

“Kiiiya! This is good!”

“Haha. I’m glad you like it.”

The Factory Manager poured more soju into Kapuntar’s paper cup.

Drinking with a friendly person and fishing together. The Factory Manager felt good. He had been busier lately, so such a relaxing break was even more enjoyable.

-Kyaaaaa!-

And then, a terrifyingly sharp scream broke the peace.

“What was that?!”

The Factory Manager jumped up in surprise and looked towards the forest, and Kapuntar also stood up.

“It came from inside the forest.”

“Let’s go. That was the voice of someone from our group.”

The Factory Manager replied to Kapuntar and started running ahead.

“Be careful, there’s no path. I’ll go first.”

Kapuntar started running ahead of the Factory Manager.

The Factory Manager followed Kapuntar, who was cutting through branches and leaves with a crude machete hanging from his waist, and tried to shake off his anxiety.

“We’re almost there.”

Kapuntar said, swinging his machete more vigorously.

The Factory Manager followed Kapuntar and pushed his way through.

“Is everyone alright?!”

The Factory Manager shouted loudly and ran forward, and there appeared a wide spring, and in it, Tehez, Richel, Illia, naked and bathing, and two female Orcs, chatting happily with Marsha.

“Uh?… Huh?”

“Ah? Kyaak! Factory Manager-nim! What are you doing?!”

Richel, who was bathing without a care, shouted in surprise and hid her body in the water, and the others looked in that direction.

“Ah. Master?!”

“Ah… Uh… Sorry!”

When Tehez stared at him with wide eyes, the Factory Manager suddenly felt embarrassed and turned his head.

“Porta! Kerta! What are you doing here…”

“More importantly, Dad, what are you doing here in the middle of the day? You told Mom you were going to the fields.”

“That’s right.”

Kapuntar also looked at the female Orcs with surprise, and the female Orcs answered, poking their heads out of the water.

The Factory Manager guessed they were probably Kapuntar’s daughters.

“What happened?”

“Ah. You rushed over because of our screams. We were just surprised because those ladies suddenly appeared.”

“Porta-unni and Kerta-unni love to bathe.”

Richel answered the Factory Manager’s question, and Marsha, clinging to Porta’s neck, added. Only then could the Factory Manager breathe a sigh of relief.

“I see. I’m glad nothing happened. But, it’s a bit… It sounds like something an old man would say, but it’s a bit much for grown women to be bathing in such an open place.”

“Haha… You’re right. It’s certainly very open.”

Tehez said, sinking further into the water.

“Ah?! Dad, turn around too!”

“Huh?! Ouch!”

And Kapuntar, who was watching, got hit in the face with a pebble thrown by Kerta and quickly turned around.

“Haha… I apologize. My daughters are quite lively…”

“No, it’s good to see them so lively.”

Kapuntar and the Factory Manager, awkwardly turning around and talking, couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

While the two stood with their backs turned, the ladies quickly got out of the water and dried themselves with towels.

“Ah, Illia. Dry your hair properly.”

Tehez said as she carefully dried Illia’s hair with a towel, and Illia let Tehez do as she pleased.

“Marsha too.”

“Marsha needs to eat more. Look how thin her arms and legs are.”

Porta and Kerta said as they dried Marsha, and Marsha giggled and waved her hands.

“Uh oh?! What’s going on! Everyone!”

At that moment, they heard rustling and someone running in, shouting. It was Channing.

Perhaps out of worry, he was holding a club in his hand and panting, showing how urgently he had run.

Channing, running past the Factory Manager and Kapuntar, froze in place. The ladies drying themselves did the same.

Richel and Tehez stared at Channing with wide eyes, then quickly crouched down, covering their naked bodies with towels.

“Eek! Channing!”

“Wh… What are you doing here all of a sudden?!”

“Uh?… Uh? No… I… That’s…”

When Richel and Tehez shouted, Channing was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

“Pervert!”

“Creep!”

The Orc sisters yelled at Channing, and Channing, looking in that direction, got hit squarely in the face with a flying branch and collapsed.

“Ooh…”

“Are you okay?”

Illia approached Channing, who had fallen to the ground with a thud, and asked, and Channing nodded, rubbing his nose.

Illia sighed, unwrapped the towel covering her body, and offered it to Channing’s face.

“Channing-oppa, your nose is bleeding.”

“Ah… Thank you. You’re the only one for me, Illia.”

“Illia! Leave that pervert alone and come get dressed.”

Tehez shouted, and Illia ran back to Tehez.

“Channing, let’s go, man.”

“Ouch… Okay.”

The Factory Manager approached Channing, who was sitting on the ground rubbing his nose, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and lifted him up. Then, the Factory Manager, Channing, and Kapuntar left and walked back to the lake.