Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep - Chapter 177

The Village of Rat Holes (1)

“What should we do now?”

On the way back to the inn where we were staying, Maybell asked with a worried face.

It’s natural to be anxious, since the clue we finally found wasn’t very helpful.

However… it’s not like there were no results.

“First of all, let’s have a proper meal. And… hmm. Let’s go to the bathhouse.”

“Huh? A bath? But we haven’t finished finding Mom yet? Didn’t you say we’d go after that?”

“Hmm. That’s true, but the situation has changed a little, hasn’t it?”

At my words, Maybell puffed out her cheeks. The little brat is cute even when she does that.

“I’m not going for me, I’m going for you, so stop grumbling and follow me. First, let’s eat.”

“Yes… I’m sure you have something in mind. I’ll trust you.”

And so, Maybell and I turned away from the path back to the inn and headed for a restaurant.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The restaurant was, hmm. It’s a bit hard to say this, but… it was just okay.

The meat dishes that were good for eating with alcohol were fine, but the cuisine of this era… hmm. It was a bit bland.

There was a lack of spices, and the only thing that could be used to add flavor was salt, which was also very expensive.

Anyway, even in this world that is gradually improving, cuisine still had a long way to go.

However.

“It was good because there was a lot of meat.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

For a country girl… no, for someone living in this era, this alone would have been enough.

Well, let’s move on from the somewhat lacking meal.

“Is it okay to take a bath when we’re supposed to be looking for Mom?”

“Don’t worry, I have everything figured out.”

And so, Maybell and I headed to the bathhouse together.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The bathhouse itself was ordinary, considering the era.

Rather than a bathhouse, it was more like a hot spring. It was a bathhouse that was made by heating up water that flowed in through the waterworks and putting it in a bath.

Well, it’s a primitive bathhouse, so it can’t be helped. All they could do was pour hot water on themselves to wash their bodies.

Well, this is fine too. Yeah.

“I didn’t know that washing in hot water… could feel so good.”

“How have you been washing yourself up until now?”

“Well, I wash myself with cold water, or if that’s too hard, I just wipe my body with a cloth soaked in water. That’s hard to do in the winter, though.”

Hmm… well, firewood for boiling water isn’t free.

Not everyone can handle magic or spirits.

In the end, there would be a service like this where you pay money to have water boiled for you.

“But why did you suddenly want to take a bath?”

“Hoho. That’s the thing.”

I used my magic to create a small soap bubble on the palm of my hand.

To be exact, it’s a lump of magic resembling a soap bubble. Well, let’s skip the details.

“I heard from the priest that the person who is supposed to be your mother smelled bad, so I had a guess.”

“A guess?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you hear from the guards when we entered Armen? This Armen is a very clean place.”

At my words, Maybell nodded slightly.

“A waterworks that supplies clean water, and a sewer system that disposes of dirty water. A city with these facilities in place. It’s unlikely that there would be many people who smell bad in such a city, don’t you think?”

“That’s true, but…”

“That’s where one possibility came to mind. The possibility that your mother was in a place that smelled like that, and that the smell got on her.”

“Huh…?”

Maybell didn’t seem to understand what I was trying to say.

“It’s simple. Your mother is… most likely in the sewers or somewhere near them.”

“The sewers…?”

I nodded slightly.

“Didn’t the priest say that there aren’t many beastmen in Armen?”

“Yes, he did.”

“It’s not impossible that she was somewhere else and came to Armen to send a letter, but that possibility isn’t very high. So, if you think your mother is in Armen…”

I laid out some clues.

“Beastmen that are rarely seen, a pungent smell, and the sewers of Armen. If you think about all these factors…”

“Are you saying that Mom is in the sewers?”

“I’m saying that it’s a high possibility. Well, if she was somewhere else and stopped by here to send a letter… then it’s a wild goose chase.”

However, for some reason, I have a feeling that Maybell’s mother is in Armen.

So.

“Well, then.”

“Why do you say that?”

At the inn we had rented as our lodging, I was remotely operating the magic orb and looking into the sewers.

The dark, underground sewers. The crude sewers that seemed to have been carved out of stone were, honestly…. a very difficult place for humans to walk through.

Here and there, slimes that disposed of filth stuck and moved sluggishly, and they were swept away by the water mixed with filth.

I had imagined modern sewers a little bit…. but as expected, I was way off.

I wondered if there were any humans who could live in this kind of environment.

“Is this not it…?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been searching the sewers for a long time…. but I don’t see anything in particular. Did I go on a wild goose chase…?”

At my words, Maybell’s thin tail drooped. She really seemed disappointed.

Ugh. If this isn’t it…. what can I do?

I have no choice but to create an item that will help me find what I want.

What kind of item should I make? The popular image of a compass?

No, that’s a bit boring. Hmm. It finds what I want. Finds….

I pondered and pondered, and looked at Maybell.

What that child is looking for…, hmm….

In an instant, an image flashed through my mind.

A character from a certain famous bullet hell shooting game. A character with mouse ears. A character that had the ability to find things to some extent.

That’s it. Let’s do dowsing. Dowsing would be good.

While I was thinking about what to make,

Splash.

A sound came from the sewers.

Unlike the sound of water droplets falling, it was the sound of something heavy sinking into the water.

I turned my gaze in the direction of the sound, and something that looked like a small human was moving through the dark sewers.

“I found it.”

“Yes?”

“There’s a person in the sewers.”

I moved the orb and began to chase after the figure of the person.

A small figure moving through the sewers that were twisted and turned in a complicated way.

I followed after the figure and began to imprint the structure of the sewers in my head little by little.

The sewers were difficult to see as just a structure for disposing of filth.

A small human skillfully moving through that complicated path. Probably, a rat demi-human.

As I thought…. it seems my guess was correct.

“We’re following after a person, so let’s confirm the location and then go down.”

“Yes!”

But really, rat demi-humans in the underground sewers….

Hmm…. somehow, a certain game where a rat underground city was made under a human city comes to mind. Yeah-yeah.

Well, unlike the evil rat people that appear in that game, the rat demi-humans…. probably aren’t that evil.

It’s just that…. there will probably just be various things happening. That’s why.

I continued to follow after the small human, and.

“Whoa….”

The place the small human that came out of the sewers arrived at was a small village that existed deep underground.

“There’s a small village underground.”

“Yes? Underground?”

“There aren’t many people walking around…. but everyone is a rat demi-human. It’s like a village that was made to avoid the gazes of other humans.”

“Yes?”

I ignored Maybell’s absent-minded voice and looked around the small village.

Hmm. If there’s a village like this…. there’s no need to go through the smelly sewers.

I erased the structure of the sewers from my mind, and memorized the coordinates of the village.

“Get ready to leave. I’ll go there right away with teleportation.”

“Oh, yes!”

A village where only rat demi-humans live. It’s quite interesting.

Why is there a village like this in Armen’s underground? Why are the rat demi-humans here?

I don’t know the details…. but something smelled fishy.

A very suspicious, conspiratorial smell.