That voice came from the neighboring massage table that we couldn't see from here due to the curtains dividing us. I felt two presences there.
One was somewhat high-pitched, yet a clear and beautiful voice of a girl. Her transparent voice, akin to the ring of a bell made out of glass, leaked ecstatic moans.
"Aah, that's the spot. So good... It's getting quite an improper moan out of me. Ah, a little bit on the right, please. Nghhhaaah."
No, rather than ecstatic, they were more like slovenly moans. Having remembrances of that voice, I reflexively pulled open the curtains. That would've been quite a breach of manners usually, but forgive me this once.
There lay a girl with an innocent yet bewitching body with her silver hair tied up in a bundle. The masseur granny that was massaging her back appeared to be quite troubled.
"You... What are you doing here!?"
"Nhg!? Ah, Ohh, Isn't it Re—Nicole! Fancy seeing you here!"
The one that reincarnated me, gave Michelle her divine bow, and taught her how to use her gift... The goddess was there. She barely avoided calling me Reid, perhaps realizing that it would put me in a tough spot.
"Ah, Goddess!"
"Aaahh, Err, Michelle, was it? How you be—ooghh, hey it hurts! Do it gentler, gentler I say!?"
"Miss, your muscles are amazingly... Not stiff. Are you sure you need a massage?"
"But I do! Very much so! I've gotten mentally fatigued lately."
She, a god, flapped her feet in protest towards the masseur. I couldn't feel an ounce of dignity in that behavior. No, well, I've never felt any dignity from her in the first place.
"As I said..."
"Hold on to that question, Nicole. It'd be bad to answer that question here, let's leave it for later."
"Ah...Okay."
There were Cortina and Letina whom she never met. And Michelle didn't know the full story either. There were probably things she couldn't talk about here.
"Err, by Goddess... You mean the one that gifted that bow to Michelle?"
Cortina, also sprawled on the table, asked as she pointed at the bow case hanging from Michelle's shoulder. It held the silver longbow, the Third Eye, that this goddess gifted her.
"Nn, thasss righttt. Well, I can create as many of those as I want aaaanyway."
"I mean, that's not something you can create so easily... Ah, that's right. Thank you for that occasion! I am Cortina, currently acting as Nicole's guardian. Thank you very much for helping her."
"Oh, don't mention it. Besides, I have some interest in heeeeeaahh!? Hey, my bone! It cracked just now, it really cracked!"
"Your body sure is hard, dear customer. You don't even have that much meat on you."
"You sure are supper meddlesome. I'm a frail girl so please be more gentle. I mean it. This is important!"
"Yes, yes."
The granny continued to massage the noisy "Goddess" with a wry smile. Looks like she was quite used to this. In the end, we couldn't talk about anything serious there, so we just spent the massage time in idle chatter.
After it ended, we all went to enjoy the baths. Michelle and Letina headed for the open-air bath beyond the back door, livening up the place. The two had far too different social standings, but they did not seem to mind it. Their innocent relationship brought a smile to my face.
I hoped that even after they grew up and became adults, they would remain close friends.
Finia and Cortina challenged the small cabin—the steam bath installed on the other side of the massage tables. It was the so-called sauna, which heated the body from its very core, improved blood circulation and accelerated the skin rejuvenation, or so I heard?
I believe those two looked young enough to not need to rely on such a thing, though. When I voiced my thoughts, they poked on my cheeks, saying, "I don't want to hear that from someone with such smooth and squishy cheeks!" That's so unreasonable.
And so, I was now left face to face with the being calling herself a god.
"So, why are you here again?"
"That's my line. I came to cure myself in the hot spring, and you suddenly showed up. That surprised me, you know?"
"You sure you are telling the whole story?"
"I can't say I approve of your wording. Girls should act cuter! And gentler! That's what I've been taught, you know?"
"That's not the problem here."
We withdrew to the dressing rooms for a bit, where the goddess inserted a copper coin in the magical cooling box and purchased a bottle of milk. Then she put a hand on her waist and downed it in one go... while nude.
"Try to cover yourself a little."
"There are only girls here, I don't caaare."
"I'm a former guy, you know?"
"Heheh, if you think you can do anything lewd to me, go ahead and try."
"Khh!"
As she said, I lacked my important sidekick now, so I couldn't even harass her. Rather, people would instead enjoy it if I got naked. Leaving that aside, I had something important to ask the goddess.
"By the way... Why are you wearing a choker?"
"Hm? My glasses would've gotten cloudy, right?"
"Do you have a bad vision or something?"
"No, it's an item that seals my power. Same goes for this choker."
"Heh..."
When a god descended on the world it could invite a lot of trouble. But still, I wish she at least covered her breasts and nether region.
"That reminds me, there is a cave near this Elven village, right?"
"Yeah, I've heard about it in the academy. They apparently used it for practice trips in the past."
"Right. Digging up the source of that cave is what gave birth to this hot spring district. So, the thing is... A rare monster has been making appearances there lately."
"A rare monster?"
"It's a species of Dragons called Carbuncle," the goddess spoke its name with a solemn tone. "The gemstone on its forehead is extremely valuable, you see..."
