The Cursed Forest Where I Was Exiled Had Somehow Been Designated As A Sanctuary. - Awakened to the Purification skill, I, Surrounded By Divine Dragons And Great Spirits, Become The King of A Nation - Episode 24

A cave slightly away from the village center. The place that was supposed to be the site for the construction of the second workshop had transformed into a different facility under Zess’s orders.

The facility was finally completed, and Zess was the first to use it.

In the dimly lit cave. Originally, it had been hollowed out to be a workshop, but now the cave is filled with steam.

The light from the lanterns and torches embedded in the rock wall was refracted by the steam, emitting a mysterious glow.

And at the innermost part of such a space, there is a bathtub.

A natural hot spring formed by carving out the rocky ground and collecting the overflowing hot water.

Along the wall, a sloped groove was dug towards the exit, serving both the functions of air intake and drainage.

Zess, who had undressed in the changing room near the entrance, applied “cleansing” to his body before stepping into the cave—rather, the cave hot spring.

And then, using the wooden tub I had requested to be made, I scoop up the bathwater and pour it over my body.

And then, I slowly immersed myself in the bathtub, starting from my toes.

“Whoa~~~ this is the best…”

As I immerse myself up to my shoulders, a voice that seems to be squeezed out from within escapes.

As I gradually warmed up from my toes, I leaned against the edge of the bathtub and looked up at the ceiling.

“After all, hot springs are the best, aren’t they? You get clean from washing, but soaking in the hot water feels good in a different way.”

The only one soaking in the bathtub of a typical public bathhouse is Zess.

I invited the dwarves too, but everyone was being polite.

Well, it’s not like there’s a custom of soaking in hot water in this world, so it can’t be helped.

Even when I lived in the castle, there was no such thing as a bath filled with hot water.

In a steam bath similar to a sauna from a past life, wash away sweat and dirt, pour water over yourself, and then wipe your body with a clean cloth.

That was only possible because they were royalty, and the standard in this world is to either pour well water over oneself, wipe the body with a cloth soaked in water, or enter a lake or pond.

In this village, since Zess often performs “cleansing” when passing by while walking around the village, there are quite a few people who do the same.

At first, when Zess suggested turning this cave into a bath, the dwarves misunderstood and thought, “So you’re making a steam room, right?”

It seems they never expected to actually soak in the hot water that emits steam.

“Even so, they make such a splendid bath for us, I can’t help but admire the dwarves.”

I am impressed by the dwarves’ technical skills in properly organizing Zess’s overly rough plans.

By the way, Zess had no idea that the dwarves were tackling the construction of the hot springs with the determination of “This is a request from Lord Zess! Put your lives on the line!”

Zess stares blankly at the ceiling.

When I soak in the bath, my mind relaxes.

As much as I cannot think about anything, I can think about anything.

“……That’s right, let’s check the status for the first time in a while.”

Zess chanted the status in his mind.

Name: Zess

Race: Human

Occupation: 【Cleaner?】

Level: 54

Muscle strength: D

Defense: D

Agility: B

Mental strength: S

Endurance: D

Skill

“Cleaning” “Purification”

“The Eye of the Spirit” “???”

“You’re leveling up again.”

“Of course. Zess has changed the lives of many elves with his ‘Purification.’ His influence is enough to raise their levels by several.”

“Well, that makes sense…”

Nodding at the explanation that flew in from next door, Zess squinted to further check his status――,

“Huh?! W-What, Y-Yggdrasil, why are you here?!”

Zess jumped in surprise at the sight of Yggdrasil, who had quietly slipped into the bath next to him without him noticing.

Her wavy green hair was tied up in a bun on top of her head, and her skin had a reddish hue, possibly from the hot springs.

And just like on the day we first met, she was naked.

Yugushiru quietly soaked in the hot spring, looking up at Zess with a puzzled expression.

“I can only move near Daiju and Zess. So, it’s only natural for me to be by Zess’s side.”

“Y-Yeah, that’s true, but…”

“More than that, this hot spring? It feels so good…”

With a blissful expression, Yggdrasil murmured, and Zess found it somewhat ridiculous, quietly submerging himself back into the bath.

“Honestly, it would be even better if it were an outdoor bath.”

“Outdoor hot spring?”

“It’s an outdoor bath. Here, you’re surrounded by rocks, right? It’s fun in its own way, giving a secret base vibe, but a bath surrounded by the outside scenery feels nice too.”

“…I’m curious. I want you to make it next time.”

“If you’re going to ask for help, you should ask the dwarves instead of me.”

Feeling somewhat pleased by Yggdrasil’s honest reaction, Zess looked at the status again.

Hmm? What’s this “?”…?

Upon closer inspection, it appeared that a garbled “?” had been inserted into the profession and skill sections.

I thought it might be a mistake, so I checked the status again, but it still displayed the same way.

“Hey, Yggdrasil. There are these kinds of characters in the names of the jobs and skills.”

While saying that, Zess makes a “?” shape with his fingers.

Contrary to Zess, who was bewildered by an event he had never heard or seen before, Yggdrasil remained calm.

“That’s a sign of changing jobs.”

“Changing jobs?”

Yugushiru scoops water with both hands and reflects his face on the surface.

“There are always unexpected things in everything. Even if they are statuses determined by the gods. Among such irregularities, the status changes to something even more correct.”

There, Yggdrasil paused for a moment and turned her lovely face towards Zess.

With jade-colored eyes that seem to draw you in, they stare intently.

“Congratulations, Zess. You, who have continuously defied my expectations as a great spirit, have finally surpassed even the gods’ expectations.”

“…Did I do something? Wap?!

Yggdrasil splashed the water he had scooped with his hand onto Zess’s tilted face.

Zess was about to protest the sudden attack, but a cheerful voice came flying from the entrance of the cave.

“Darling! I’m coming in too~!”

Naked Sonia comes running in.

Sonia jumped towards the bathtub as if diving into a pond.

While tracking that figure with his eyes, Zess was reflexively using “Cleansing.”

Splash! A column of water shot up, and at its center, Sonia shivered all over, shaking off the hot water that had clung to her long hair.

In that completely emotionless manner, Zess couldn’t help but shout.

“Hey! You can’t run in the bathroom! And diving in is not allowed either! Also, you must rinse off before getting into the bath! Got it?”

“Gr-grrr… S-sorry…”

At Zess’s rare outburst, Sonia looked dejected and submerged her face into the hot water, making bubbling sounds.

Seeing that figure, Zess couldn’t help but reflect.

When I think about it, there are no rules for taking a bath in this world, huh?

I ended up imposing my own convenience on them.

“Ah, sorry, I yelled too much. But look, it’s dangerous and the hot water might splash on others, so be quiet when you get in.”

“Grrr… fine.”

Sonia, who had nodded slightly, finally lifted her face.

And then, I find Yggdrasil next to Zess and bristle my fur.

“W-why are you here?”

“It’s only natural for me to be with Zess.”

“Growl! I thought we were first!”

“Us?”

As I felt a sense of discomfort with Sonia’s words of regret, a voice suddenly came from behind.

“With this wooden tub, you scoop up hot water and pour it over your body, right?”

“That’s right—wait, Flora-san?!”

“Ex-excuse me for intruding.”

Reflexively looking back.

Kneeling by the bathtub, there was the naked figure of Flora holding a wooden tub.

Thanks to her long hair, posture, and the wooden tub, the crucial parts were not visible—but the incident by the riverside came to Zess’s mind.

While I hurriedly bow my head and try to calm my mind, I hear a splash next to Zess.

“Haah, phew…”

While feeling flustered by Flora’s overly seductive voice, Zess somehow manages to squeeze out a question.

“Wh-why is Flora-san here too?”

Then Flora answered shyly.

“I was asked by Sonia where Zess is, so I’m here to guide you.”

“Even so, you don’t have to come all the way inside.”

“Well, um… I was worried about being alone with Sonia-san.”

“Well, I suppose if Sonia had gone on a rampage, the nice bath would have been ruined.”

“That’s not what I meant, but…”

“Huh?”

When I glanced to the side, Flora’s face was flushed bright red.

Since I’m not used to soaking in hot water, I probably get lightheaded easily.

“Don’t overdo it too much. Even if it feels good, if you soak for too long, you’ll end up feeling unwell.”

“Y-yes…”

Unexpectedly ending up in a mixed bath, Zess finds himself surrounded by three members of the opposite s3x and doesn’t know where to look.

Even though I wanted to get out of the bathtub, it was somehow embarrassing to stand up with three people there.

“…We need to have another hot spring built.”

In his dazed mind, Zess thought about such things.

After that, for a few days, Haku was inexplicably in a bad mood.

With Yggdrasil’s help, Zess somehow managed to find out the reason, and then he and Haku soaked in the hot spring together once again.