38 – Devotion Offered by the Sword (13)
The floor of the bathhouse was covered with square tiles, and the bathtub was made of marble. It was spacious enough for four people, and the edges were carefully polished to be smooth. It wasn’t too deep, so even when sitting on the floor, the water would just cover the shoulders.
The bathing method was in the style of the Southern Kingdom. Servants would come in regularly to replenish the hot water in wooden barrels. Guests would simply sit comfortably in their full-body robes and enjoy themselves. Snacks and such were provided as well, with long wooden planks placed across the bathtub to hold pastries, tea, and wine glasses.
However, neither of them seemed interested in eating or drinking.
“Hmph.”
Lily turned her head angrily, while Cain sat on the other side, looking uncomfortable.
Lily’s robe was made of red silk, thick enough and with a deep enough color to hide any embarrassing body fat.
Cain’s robe was a deep blue, and Lily, despite being angry, glanced at him and thought, “It would have looked even better if the color were a bit darker.”
“I will fill the water.”
The attendants were individuals who had repeated such tasks countless times. They already knew when the water would cool down. Every 20 to 30 minutes, they would slowly pour in hot water. It had to be done gradually to prevent customers from getting burns.
Silently, the attendants closed the door and left. Cain swallowed his saliva.
“Um… sorry.”
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
“…Telling me to stay awake all night?”
Lily didn’t want to speak anymore. Her insides were boiling, and if there was an ice bath nearby, she would have jumped in immediately. Cain, seeing Lily not saying anything, assumed he had guessed the right answer.
“Okay, just get some good sleep. We might not be well-prepared for unexpected situations, but the likelihood of someone breaking in is low…”
Jingling. Lily shook a small bell. It was getting difficult for her to endure sober. The attendant who was waiting cautiously opened the door and entered.
“Did you find it?”
“Sake, strong and cold.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, wait a moment…”
Cain called the attendant. As the attendant approached, he whispered something quickly in Southern Kingdom language. Lily understood the words, but the intonation was a bit peculiar.
“I will prepare it.”
The attendant closed the door and left. Lily was very curious about what Cain had said. It seemed like a long explanation, but as soon as their eyes met, an eerie feeling surged, causing her to slightly twist her body.
After a while, three attendants came in. Each held a tray, one with bottles of liquor and two honey-coated snacks, another with a plate containing towels emitting a warm steam, and the remaining one was a pot, its contents unknown.
The pot was quite large; it could accommodate both of the attendant’s hands. After scooping up some contents, they poured it directly into the bathtub.
Petals and flower buds.
As the dried flower buds met the warm heat, they unfurled gracefully.
Like children frolicking in a field, petals of various colors danced on the surface of the bathtub. Red, white, yellow, blue, and between pink and purple, a rose bloomed widely among the flower petals.
Even after the guests quietly said their goodbyes and left, Lily couldn’t take her eyes off. It felt like being locked in a flower garden.
“Would you like a drink?”
Cain approached Lily and poured her a drink. He poured his own as well, almost overflowing. Lily pretended not to know and accepted the glass.
As the alcohol entered her body, the flowers danced. It seemed to soothe her angry heart a little. But the sadness remained, so she had to eat a honey-coated cookie.
“…What did you say earlier?”
Her tongue twisted a little, but it didn’t matter. Cain didn’t seem to care, either.
“When I listened closely, it was a dialect from the Southern Kingdom. It’s a minority dialect, and they like it when you speak the same words. So I asked for a flower and a warm towel. Would you like to smell it?”
Cain picked up the plate himself. Lily still smelled the warm towel. The soft yet sweet scent made her mouth water.
“It’s made with juice from desert fruits, good for the skin. It’ll make you feel good if you put it on your shoulders.”
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“My shoulders?”
“Yeah. The place you… bit.”
Where the tendrils of her tongue touched. Lily tilted her head. It was terrible to think about it again. She moved from the edge to the middle seat of the bathtub. She opened the robe slightly and exposed her shoulders.
“Please apply it.”
Cain didn’t immediately put it on. He cupped his hands and poured warm water from the bathtub, then carefully applied it to her shoulders. Just then, the guests came in and poured more warm water.
It felt a little hot, but soon it adhered comfortably, like someone’s murder. In the soft scent that seemed slippery, Lily closed her eyes. She wished she could slide down gently, under the warm and softness.
“Isn’t it too hot?”
“No. It’s nice.”
She almost fell asleep. She felt a slight dizziness. If she said she felt drunk, she really was drunk, just like a sparrow on a branch, sitting for a moment and then flying away.
“You can remember this feeling, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Sure. Let’s cover it with good memories.”
“Give me more.”
“Huh?”
Lily decided to be more assertive. Professor Anna said so too. Happiness is something you grab for yourself.
“Sensation. Give me more. Give me a lot more. Pour it abundantly. I’m hungry.”
Lily thought she wasn’t drunk, so she didn’t notice her tongue drying slightly.
Cain hesitated for a moment, then gently placed both hands on Lily’s shoulders.
And lightly massaged her shoulders. With his large, warm, and thick hands, Lily felt reassured. Did her head tilt slightly?
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
She almost slipped again. Lily raised her head, as if she had never been surprised before.
“Ye…yeah?”
“Were you really upset about not sparring? To the point it lingered in your heart?”
Lily nodded.
“To be honest, I found it a bit surprising. That it would bother you so much. Is there any, special significance to it?”
“Spar…” frustratingly. She didn’t know that either. Lily decided to teach him a lesson.
“Don’t be deceived. No matter who the opponent is. No matter what they’re holding. No matter how well they fight… all that is useless. Just… the person and me. You have to see each other as you are.”
“It sounds a bit difficult.”
“You’re foolish. I knew you would say that.” Lily had another drink. She didn’t even realize that Cain followed suit.
“Just me as I am. The opponent as they are. Whether it’s a sword, a shadow, it doesn’t matter.
Deflect, block, stab with what I have in my hand. It doesn’t matter what the opponent’s weapon is; pierce, evade, let the blood flow.”
Communication in sparring is physical… listening to what the other person says and conveying my own words is necessary…”
“It’s still difficult.”
Frustrating. Lily really disliked this fool. Why couldn’t he understand something so simple?
“Speaking with words… that’s right… when you clash physically… you quickly understand. It’s originally difficult with words. It’s a conversation divided by body, weapons, and gestures, not the mouth…”
“You’re drunk.”
“No. Fool. I’m not drunk.” Of course, she wasn’t drunk. Lily’s mind was clear. “Cheek!”
“Cheek?”
“Do it on the cheek too. Every time I think about it, it gives me chills. That he licked my cheek. Erase it. Wipe it away. Quickly. Saying it covers it with good memories.”
Maybe grabbing him by the neck would be faster. It seemed like a good idea. Lily turned her body. Cain seemed startled. Trying to escape again, no chance. She climbed onto his legs.
“I got you…”
Why did he keep trying to escape? It was impossible to run by wriggling the body back and forth.
Lily thought Cain might be drunk. Or maybe her strength was strong enough to shake Cain back and forth.
Right. Cain wouldn’t escape.
“You can’t go before doing it. Bad guy. Just try sparring for real. I’ll make you unable to move for a month in bed.”
A sturdy arm wrapped around her waist. That’s right. Now things were going a bit more smoothly. Lily was satisfied.
In the happiness of everything going well, Lily closed her eyes slightly.
Trying to escape again. Did he think he could get away from me?
Lily was pulled back.
Something hot and moist touched her cheek. What is this? Why is it like this… Lily opened her eyes slightly.
The front was not clearly visible.
I blinked, wondering what I was seeing.
I felt like I had seen that profile somewhere before. It was so familiar.
It reminded me of the way they kissed openly in front of the farmers… It was intense…
“Hic.”
Heartbeat.
My body trembled. A shiver ran through me, starting from my spine and spreading throughout my entire body.
Hic! Hic!
My fingertips and toes turned cold. It was unbelievable. The water was so hot. Had I been outside of the water for too long? I tried to throw my body backwards.
Before something reliable, warm, and grateful could support my back.
“Did I startle you?”
Hic! Cain’s face trying to hold back a laugh.
“No!”
I really wanted to hit him.
“You were startled. That’s what.”
Hic! Hic! My body didn’t listen. It twitched aimlessly, following the throbbing of my heart. My whole body felt electrified, as if struck by lightning.
“I know, too! I know enough!”
“Oh. Yeah? What do you know?”
“I read it all in books!”
Hic! Hic! My heart was pounding too hard, too fast. It became a little difficult to breathe. Now my whole body was trembling.
It felt like the alcohol was flowing through my veins, not my mouth. The world spun before my eyes, and the petals seemed to laugh silently.
Embarrassingly, her large chest kept protruding.
“You used to be good at keeping your mouth shut in front of the peasants?”
“Well, that was when I was going…! And, it was just acting like a couple! But now…”
Deviously, without warning. Who said to kiss on the cheek? You should leave room for defense. He’s definitely a bad guy. Definitely cunning.
“You bastard…”
Lily nodded her head. She couldn’t hold back her laughter. Her trembling body seemed to scatter like flower petals.
Was it a sigh from Ahuk that came out of his own mouth, or from someone else’s mouth? It was impossible to know.
But it was certain that Cain was falling into the darkness below.
Bad guy. I knew it.
Lily felt at ease.
* * * * *
Cain shook the limp Lily, still in his arms. The quick-witted maids, perhaps sensing the situation, came in trying to suppress their laughter.
“Please help her dry off a bit. Could you take her to bed? Um… she had a bit too much to drink. Some water near the bed too… I apologize.”
A mature-looking maid laughed.
“It seems the madam is very happy. She’s smiling so sweetly.”
Cain lowered his head.
“She’s not even a heavy drinker. I don’t understand why she keeps insisting like this.”
The maids took Lily in their arms. They seemed accustomed to such situations. Cain got up to make it easier for them.
He went to the adjacent room, dried himself off, and changed into the prepared male servant’s attire. He didn’t forget to take Haspel’s emblem.
The night was moderately deep. The moon was somewhat bright, but it wasn’t bad. At least there wouldn’t be any trouble finding the way.
Having walked the streets of Magdeburg before, this wasn’t Cain’s first time. However, he had never infiltrated the building of the Tribunal of Religion.
Cain walked towards the quarters where the servants stayed. A well-groomed man with a mustache was waiting.
The two went down to the underground quarters without exchanging a word. Along the way, sturdy servants were visible, robust and agile young men at first glance.
“Is everyone in the Security Bureau so rude?”
The mustached man complained. It seemed that the recent events had greatly bothered him.
“Don’t you think the Guard Bureau’s approach is outdated? In this day and age, what does kebab have to do with anything? If you say something like that anywhere nowadays, you’re likely to get a punch.”
“It’s a well-accepted method in Magdeburg,” the mustached man chuckled. “Anyway, let’s look at the blueprints.”
The basement was filled with rolled-up blueprints.
“Where are you planning to breach?”
“The Tribunal of Religion building.”
The man unfolded one rolled-up blueprint on the desk.
“This is the fortress design plan for Magdeburg. The Tribunal of Religion building is from here to here. We’ve turned a part of the city wall into an actual wall. The rest has been expanded, but… we haven’t changed the structure of the city wall itself.”
“How about the security?”
“At the main gate and the city wall. Also stationed at the entrance of the building. There are fixed guard posts. A more strict area is towards the guard barracks and the direction of the prison, but you won’t go there anyway, right? So, you don’t have to worry too much about the guard posts. The problem is the monks, rather.”
“The monks?”
“Yeah. You know, the people of the Tribunal of Religion are a bit eccentric, right?” The man twisted his mustache slightly.
“So, they are famous for strictly adhering to traditions. You may have heard, but without being in the military, they take turns every night to take a turn at staying awake.
Holding a torch in one hand, they walk around the corridor, reciting prayers or hymns in a certain rhythm and beat, measuring time. When they think it’s enough, they wake up the next duty person.
High-ranking inquisitors take turns serving night duty, and apprentice inquisitors or trainees take turns staying awake. The problem is, these guys go to different places every time.”
It was an unexpected issue. The guard posts could be easily breached, but avoiding unpredictable monks and not knowing where they are would be a challenge.
“Is it certain that we’ll be carrying lanterns?”
“That is certain.”
“Then avoiding detection shouldn’t be difficult… but avoiding it and getting caught are somewhat different issues.”
The mustached man pulled out another blueprint. It was the layout plan of the Inquisition Headquarters.
“What about this? Here, do you see a tall tower on the outer fortress wall? The tower is not connected to the rooftop of the religious tribunal, but if you go across the rooftop towards the central garden… you infiltrate through the balcony on the garden side. It seems easy to escape if you set up a hook rope on the rooftop in advance. Can you do it?”
Cain looked around. It was a bit challenging, but a relatively safe route.
“I can do it.”
“Equipment is in the adjacent room.”
Forty minutes later, at the entrance gate leading to the Inquisition Headquarters, the Magdeburg patrol supply carriage hesitated.
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