KYDC Chapter 36

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“……”

Even though I don’t feel particularly inclined, I have no choice since we’re already in this together.

I decided to wake him up and just as I placed my hand on Hernan’s shoulder, his delicate eyelids trembled, revealing eyes as cold as glaciers.

“……!?”

Were you awake? I instinctively frowned as I asked.

“Since when have you been awake?”

Hernan answered nonchalantly.

“What do you mean…? I just woke up.”

Then, noticing my expression full of annoyance, he muttered with a hint of complaint.

“Isn’t it a bit much to look at someone like that as soon as they’ve just woken up?”

Too much? It’s just karma. I threw the clothes I had slept on last night at Hernan and said,

“Let’s get ready to leave quickly. It’s late, so we need to look around before the sun sets.”

Seeing Hernan dodge the clothes I threw at him with an annoyingly refreshed expression, even though he claimed he had just woken up, made me feel irrationally irritated.

Rather than wasting time picking a pointless fight and getting annoyed, it was better to finish the job quickly.

“Understood. Irina has probably already woken up and is waiting.”

Given the time, that’s likely the case. I quickly tidied up my clothes, disheveled from sleep, and threw on my robe.

It was so cold that even indoors, my face and fingertips felt numb outside the robe, likely because the fire in the fireplace had gone out while we slept.

Damn, it’s really cold.

As I realized this, Hernan’s robe, which I had carelessly slept on, caught my eye.

‘Doesn’t he feel cold…?’

Maybe he’s used to this climate after living in it all his life.

He should look disheveled after just waking up, with his hair all messy, but Hernan maintained an annoyingly perfect condition, seemingly unaffected by the cold or anything else.

“……”

Even if he had given me his robe and slept shivering, it wouldn’t have made much difference in discomfort.

His casual indifference to being tossed into a blizzard without a care was somehow irritating.

‘If he’s resistant to the cold, maybe he’s weak to heat.’

I thought I might find it slightly satisfying to see him struggle in the southern heat of midsummer, but then I remembered he had recently visited Nirvan.

He wasn’t dressed much differently then, though he wasn’t wearing a robe.

Considering he didn’t seem to be particularly sensitive to heat, he didn’t seem to be weak to heat as a trade-off for his cold resistance either.

‘Let’s stop thinking about it, the more I think, the more annoyed I get.’

That guy probably never even caught a cold in his life. Just as I grumbled to myself, Hernan sneezed as he adjusted his buttons.

I turned my head away with a huff and stepped out of the room first.

*

The hot spring we arrived at after about an hour’s walk from the village was truly in a natural setting.

A small sauna, which had been frequently visited by herbalists for baths a few years ago, was now neglected, showing signs of being untouched by humans for some time.

Inside the dilapidated hut was a small brazier used to heat stones, over which hot spring water would be poured to create steam for warming up the body.

Considering that we needed to wash up anyway, I thought we might as well use it, but…

“Don’t you think it might be better to just tear this down?”

The roof had slightly caved in under the weight of a heavy snowfall, with cold winds blowing in from above.

Not only was it impossible to raise the internal temperature to a comfortable level, but it also seemed unsafe, as the roof might collapse with someone inside.

This building didn’t seem usable at all.

“I agree. If we plan to build a new structure here, it would be best to design it to withstand the weight of snow or take measures to prevent snow from piling up on the roof.”

There wasn’t just one spot where the hot spring water emerged; there were plenty of places that could be turned into outdoor baths, with a large quantity of water flowing down to form a stream.

With this much water, it seemed more than sufficient to handle an accommodation facility with around 200 rooms without needing to drill for additional groundwater.

A more in-depth survey would be needed, but it seemed feasible to support even up to 500 rooms.

Now that we confirmed the suitability of the location, it was time to test the water.

Irina had gone off to patrol the area for any wild animals or other potential threats, leaving only that guy…

I glanced at Hernan, then reached out to touch the steaming water, slowly loosening my outer garment.

“Ahem.”

At the playful sound of a cough behind me, I confidently turned around and opened my outer garment wide.

“……!?”

Hernan flinched in surprise, his shoulders jerking.

I could guess what he had been expecting, but the idea that I would enter the water without anything on after bringing someone who works at the region’s top resort, famous for its hot springs, was laughable.

“I’m wearing a bathing robe underneath, so don’t get any strange ideas.”

It didn’t look much different from a regular night robe, but it was made of high-quality fabric that drained well.

It was offered as a take-home gift in luxury rooms, and those who wanted could purchase it directly from the counter.

I brought it along to test it, thinking it might work well even in this water quality…

‘Good thing I brought it.’

Judging by Hernan’s subtly dissatisfied look, it was a relief.

As I slowly stepped into the water, warm enough to make my skin tingle slightly, I felt the fatigue from the previous day melt away like snow.

‘Ah… this feels nice…’

At some point, the little dragon was perched on a low seat, dipping into the water with a tiny bottle of liquor it had seemingly hidden away.

As the water rose to chest level, the robe clung tightly to my body.

We could market this as a spa with some herbal packs added in.

Since this place had been frequented by herbalists for treating injuries, it might make a good storytelling angle.

As I was enjoying the warmth and pondering business ideas, Hernan still hadn’t entered the water.

“……?”

What’s taking him so long?

Puzzled, I looked up and saw Hernan, looking somewhat awkward, standing by the water in just thin trousers, glaring at the surface.

“What are you doing?”

If you’re going to come in, just do it.

He had neatly folded his shirt and stood there like someone undergoing survival training in the snow, suspiciously hesitating by the water.

I had a good idea of what was going on as I watched him dab his finger in the water and quickly shake it off.

“You won’t get cooked in this; just come in.”

I thought he wasn’t sensitive to heat. Is he bad with hot things?

The water was a bit on the warm side, but not unbearable or hot enough to cause burns.

Watching him flinch as if he had been shocked made me chuckle.

“It’s not about getting cooked….”

It seemed I was right, as Hernan dipped his hand in again, this time up to the back of his hand, before quickly retracting it.

Since this guy had always seemed so composed, the thought of finally discovering a weakness made me smile.

“Are you usually bad with hot water?”

I held back a laugh as I asked, seemingly teasing him. Hernan’s face flushed as if it had caught fire.

“Well, there’s that, but…”

There’s that, but what?

I wondered what excuse he was going to come up with next.

I cupped some water in my hands and splashed it lightly on his foot, which was precariously balanced on the edge of the spring.

“What do you mean ‘but’? Just get in. Are you going to wait until the sun comes up? We have a mountain of work to do.”

The playful laughter, as if giving him a rare scolding, made it clear that Hernan’s shoulders were flushed from the nape of his neck.

He used to act annoyingly sly, but now he was suddenly embarrassed and flustered over something so trivial.

It was almost amusing to see him so lost and unsure of where to look.

Anyway, I didn’t mind watching him squirm.

I took Hernan’s cold, unresponsive ankle in my warm hand and slowly pulled it into the water as if it was nothing significant.

“Wait, wait a minute…!”

“I heard you. Just be quiet for a moment.”

As his toes began to submerge in the water, I felt the delicate trembling of his instep through my palm.

His feet were large, white, and beautiful, almost like they were carved from marble.

The tendons on the instep were nicely defined, and the width of his foot was just right.

I thought to myself that people with peculiar tastes in feet would surely appreciate them.

Eventually, I pulled his whole calf into the water.

“Is it really that unbearable?”

I asked with a light smile, and Hernan covered his face with his hands.

Why is he acting like this?

It didn’t seem like something to be so embarrassed about.

Just then, as my gaze shifted naturally to our now closely aligned lower bodies, a rustling sound came from behind.

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