Volume 1 Chapter 2

2 A case where a female knight who is upset to death at the inn at the destination of the expedition is too cute (******Meeting at a mixed bath******)

The 'Blackhawk' team that I belong to is mostly in charge of the front lines on the battlefield. If we hear that a magical beast is appearing in the west, we send out an elite team to kill it, and if there is a skirmish with another country in the east, the whole unit acts as a deterrent to prevent unnecessary combat.

In other words, they are positioned as handymen. In other words, they are regarded as handymen, as if to say, "If anything were to happen, let them go."

This time, Karen and I went to a farming village located in the northern part of the kingdom's territory. The mission was to exterminate a magical beast that had nested in a nearby cave.

"Hmm, I guess that's all taken care of."

I fought off the last of the monsters and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was so easy that I didn't need to wipe the sweat off my forehead. Since I was only sent there originally as part of the training for the new recruits, I was also told not to put my life in danger.

Karen, who followed me, is just that. Just in case, she said.

"Captain, it's all done."

"~~"

When I called out to Karen-san, who was waiting at the entrance of the cave, she nodded and looked down at her watch, writing something down. It was a document to report to Karen-san's 'higher-ups'. (I swear it translated to watch)

"Hmm, okay. You've passed. When you're a rookie, sometimes you may forget to put a stop to it and get hit when you're not careful......."

No. That's never going to happen. I'm not the one who would screw up like that.

If this happens and you lose your life, or even if you don't lose your life, if you are crippled in your daily life, there is nothing more lamentable than that.

Because if that happens, I won't be able to see Karen-san up close.

That is the only thing that must be avoided.

So I'm definitely not the one to screw up on something like this.

But even after all that, Karen gave me a piercing look, as if to chastise me for completing the mission alone.

"It's a fine job. But you need to pick it up a little faster. It's too slow, no matter what. The other members of the group can do it more efficiently in half the time you can. I can do it in half that time. Otherwise, you'll be thrown out of the force."

"... Yes. I'm sorry."

The word 'fired' was uttered in an exceptionally composed tone of voice, and my elated feelings were immediately brought back to reality.

If I couldn't stay at Blackhawk, I wouldn't be able to live anymore. If I couldn't work with Ms. Karen anymore, I would probably quit even being a knight.

I don't want to do that.

"What a facial expression you have. If you don't want to get sacked, try harder next time. You weakling. Blackhawk doesn't need a wage-robbing gobbler like you."

In contrast to when I was away from the paperwork and work, Karen is a really strict person on missions. There are no such things as kind words. She only wants results without compromise, and if she can't get them all the time, she will simply cut you off.

This is the reason why Blackhawk's members are primarily in their thirties and forties, who are in the prime of their careers and have been serving as knights in the past. Most of the younger members were either fired or quit on their own because they didn't meet Karen's standards.

Because she is so demanding, people around her secretly refer to her as 'Demon Princess'.

"I understand, Captain ......, I'll keep that in mind."

"~Hmm, that's the end of the mission for the time being. If I had to, I would go back to the royal capital now and do some more work, but it's getting late. We'll just stay here in the village for the night."

Without even giving me a second look, Karen proceeded to the village where we would be staying.

"Ah……"

I stare at her back, which was getting smaller and smaller, carrying a special large sword that was my height. (sorry this wasn't translated properly)

"Huh ... huh ... the usual Karen-san is cute and nice, but the excessively cold Karen-san at work is also very nice....... I want you to tease me more, I want you to abuse me."(pervert)

I was in a state of light ecstasy.

Oh, of course, I'm self-aware of the fact that I'm a pervert. Of course, if someone other than Karen-san does this to me, I'll have to deal with a bit of pain.

×　　×　　×

The farming village where we went on this expedition is actually well known as a bit of a tourist destination.

The reason for this is the hot springs spewing out from various parts of the village~.

"Fluffy~...... I have come back to life ..."

On the recommendation of the innkeeper, I took a shoulder-deep soak in the outdoor bath.

As we are in the north of the country, white snow is gently falling from the dimly lit sky. It is a magical sight.

At this time, I was the only one in the hot spring. So I felt a little bad, but I was determined to enjoy it without hesitation.

I think it might be a bit extravagant, but it is my job as a knight to restore my tired body and soul. Basically, I have to work every day, so I can't overlook this kind of opportunity.

"But if you take too long a bath, Karen will be furious with you, saying, 'How long are you going to take a bath, you lazy bastard?' ...... Well, I'm all warmed up now."

As I turned away from the hot spring, I thought to myself, "I'll come back next time I get a big vacation (I'm not saying I will).

From the thick clouds of hot water, an unpredictable sight met my eyes.

"Fufu ... I can't tell him, but I was really looking forward to going to the hot springs here ...I feel awkward because I didn't do anything on this mission, but~"

"...... Huh? Captain?"

It was Karen who was exposed with skin as white as the snow there.

I couldn't see the important part because of the hand towel she was holding and the thick steam, but she was probably *****. Since she was about to enter the hot spring, well, it was only natural.

"Huh!? No way, that voice, Haru !?"

"Yes, this is Haru. Are you going to take a dip now, Captain?"

"Well, that's true... but more importantly, why are you here?"

"Eh? That's because there is only one hot spring in this inn."

"I know what you're referring to! I know that, but that's not what I'm implying......."

　Yes. Perhaps what Karen wants to ask is technically, 'why am I there at a time when women are supposed to use it?'

　However, I also have my reasons. I was told by the owner, an old lady, that this time of day is the 'men's time'. Since there is only one hot spring, they categorize the baths into 'men only,' 'women only,' and 'mixed bathing,' so I was careful and chose the 'men only' time slot.

"That means the old lady who owns the inn is ......!　Damn, I thought she was gawking at us......."

　Oh, so the perp was the innkeeper, after all.

　Maybe the grandmother lied to me telling me that it was "men's time" and to Karen that it was "women's time" while it was originally the time of "mixed bathing" and planned to let us together here.

　What a meddler. I suppose the old lady had a hunch about the relationship between the two of us who had come on a mission.

　Old lady. That's a GJ, in my opinion. (Good Job. It was written like that)

"Ugh. ......!"

"Huh? Captain, where are you going?"

"Of course, I' m going to get out of here, you imbecile! Oh ... how can I do such a shameful maneuver, such as taking a bath with a man? "

　Karen-san, who is clearly upset, turns on her heel and scurries away from me - a complete change unlike when she's on duty.

"Oh, Captain, if you keep running so fast..."

"! Hyan-- !?"

　Just as her footing became negligent, Karen's foot got caught on the wet and slippery cobblestone pavement and she fell with a resounding thud.

　Because of her over-tense mission, once Karen loosens the strings of tension in a situation like this, she turns into a klutz.

"Captain, are you okay?"

"Haru!? Hey ... I'm okay~"

"No. Let me see. It's always the slightest tear that causes a breakdown - that's what the captain has taught me. I'll make certain you're not hurt."

　I rushed over and gently touched Karen's ankle. It was silky smooth, but I didn't have time to dwell on that right now.

"You don't seem to have ...... sprained it. Captain, I'm going to have to move you around a bit."

"No, I mean, Haru, no, ......!"

　The moment I grasped her ankle a little harder, I heard a slightly elevated voice from Karen.

"Does it hurt? Then I'll heel you right now. ......"

"No, it doesn't. There's no problem with injuries. Just ......"

　Karen's gaze went directly to my lower body.

"We're both ***** ... this is embarrassing ..."

"......"

"Oh, hey, don't gawk at me.......!"

　Oh, God.

　How pure-minded is this person?

　She's so cute. She's adorable.

　So, that's how the little mishap in the bath ended for the moment.

　But the meddling of the old lady who staged this incident did not stop there.

(Was this chapter better? The way I upped the quality of the translation and how I kept the original format?)

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