35.My true identity, revealed in the noisy bath

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

The evening after speaking to Weiss-san.

As the victory banquet went on and everyone was getting more and more drunk, Captain Walter, out of concern for us, kindly allowed the women in the company to leave the banquet early, namely me, Milly-san and Philias-san, who had apparently hit it off with each other, and another girl, who I had seen together with Philias-san before.

And so the four of us were free to do anything tonight.

Though, saying that I’m free right now was kind of a stretch.

With my right arm being held by Milly-san, and my left being held by Philias-san, I was completely at their mercy as they hauled me off like some rare creature to the women’s changing room of our rented accommodation.

It was only when the other three were already in their underwear around me that I realized the situation that was now in progress.

Sure, I got used to seeing my body in the hot spring before, but only because it was my own, I still felt intensely guilty about looking at another woman’s naked body, as if I were a peeper, and I hurriedly closed my eyes at the haunting sight and tried to leave before coming back later when I was alone…

“Um, can I come back after everyone’s finished…”

“Sorry, but no. If you fall and hit your head, we would be in big trouble. Your brother requested us to take care of you, so don’t struggle.”

Nii-sama, you plotted all of this?!

Philias-san, with her hair undone and let down naturally, really had the air of a neat and proper lady, when I had the chance to take a closer look at her like this… if it hadn’t been ruined by the wriggly hand gesture she was currently making as she approached me.

“Come on, just give in, nya. As a fellow woman, I just can’t overlook the fact that that you haven’t had a bath in three days, nya. Not to mention, you aren’t able to use magic to cleanse yourself, are you, nya?”

I couldn’t find any counterargument to Milly-san’s follow-up words… By now, she’d already in her birthday suit.

Bathing was something I’d been concerned about for a long time. I had been wiping myself with a wet towel for the past few days when I was about to sleep, but as a Japanese who bathed every day without fail, I felt a little uncomfortable and was concerned about the smell.

“I’ll do my best to take care of you.”

The last person who could have saved me from this predicament… one of the wizards I had seen before in the second squad during the battle, a petite girl with black hair cut around her shoulders, bowing her head in a heartless, apologetic manner, but with a hand basket full of hair and skin care products already down in her hand, her whole body insisting that she has no intention of letting me go as well.

Enemies. All of them were enemies.

One against three, one of whom was Philias-san, who was as strong as Reiji-san and Saul-niisama. It was an impossible battle.

In the blink of an eye, I was stripped down to my underwear and taken to the bathroom, where I found myself sitting in the washing area.

Why does this always have to happen…?!

There was a shower-like magical tool for three people and a bathtub that could hold four or five. In such a cozy atmosphere of a public bathhouse, I was desperately throwing my gaze to a place where I could see nothing… because if I dared to shift my eyes even a little, I would be caught in that “heavenly hellscape”. The sight of three beautiful girls, all of them of different types, unabashedly exposing their skin was too stimulating even for the previous “me”, no matter how little sexual passion “I” might have had.

“Ah! You’re getting split ends, nya…”

Milly-san’s sad voice leaked out from behind me. She was shampooing my hair, softly wrapping it in foam, one scoop at a time. We were spending twice as much time in the washing area as the others because of how carefully she was washing my hair. Why did she have to sound so sad about my hair getting split ends anyway…

“Well… this is troublesome indeed. Lenny, maybe tomorrow you could trim the ends of her hair for her.”

“Understood, Mistress.”

Troublesome… That word made me think of the events that had transcribed since I arrived here. Indeed, it was trouble after trouble, the latest of which being the explosion I was caught in the other day, so my body was starting to show signs of wear and tear…

“Um, if my hair gets in the way, I can just have it shortened…”

“”“Overruled (nya).”””

“Why…”

A unanimous rejection. It’s my own hair, and I didn’t have a choice…

Well, when I was still a “he”… uh, anyway, objectively speaking, if a girl with such beautiful long hair said that she was going to shorten her hair, people would disagree with that… Even though this waist-length hair was gorgeous to see in the game, in the real world, it got in the way of my daily life quite a bit, what a shame…

“Next, I’ll be washing your legs, milady. Please lift them a little… yes, place them on my lap. Let me know if it tickles.”

I was dazed and at the mercy of the comfort of being washed by others. Behind me, Milly-san was carefully rinsing off the foam from my long hair with lukewarm water stored in her hands, so that as little as possible fell on my body. 

Philias-san was washing herself nearby, and just a few minutes ago, Milly-san was there, having her hair combed by Philias-san. For some reason, we were taking turns washing each other.

The dark-haired girl… She looked older than I am now, but probably younger than the previous “me”… Lenny-san was polishing my body with her fingers and a soft cloth, also with great care. I tried to tell her that I could wash my own body, but she insisted that “I shouldn’t take over what’s supposed to be her job”. I felt guilty for letting someone else serve me like that, but I was feeling incredible right now… Even though it was a shame play where I wasn’t allowed to do anything until my front was being washed… it was as if the fatigue that had been endured over the past few days was being washed away…

……

………

…………Funyaa~

……Wait, what?! I can feel my soul leaving my body!

Oh no, if this kept up, I was going to turn into a no-good person…

In any case…

“Philias-san, may I ask?”

“What’s the matter?”

“…It’s about Lenny-san…”

“Oh… Ehehe, how do you feel? She’s got such good hands, hasn’t she?”

“Yeah, totally…”

At my words, Lenny-san, who was polishing between my toes with her slender fingers, blushed and bowed lightly, saying, “Thank you very much”.

“This girl has been my attendant for a long time, you know. We’ve known each other since I was a kid, before I was a mercenary. When we lost our status and were forced to leave our home, she and a butler named Diaz were the only ones who followed us.”

“My mistress used to be really annoying, but she got better before I knew it.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

The easygoing manner they talked to each other exuded more trust than words could express. So that’s how it is. I did hear that Zeltis-san and Philias-san used to come from a noble family. As their attendant, it’s likely that Lenny-san came from some well-off family, too.

“Somehow… it feels really embarrassing to be treated like this, it’s not like I’m an aristocrat or a princess or anything…”

““…What?””

“…Eh?”

To my casually muttered words, Philias-san and Lenny-san turned to me with a look of surprise on their faces… like “What on earth is she talking about?”. Well, the atmosphere was much softer than that, but I shrank away from being stared at with such an expression.

“…Did I say something weird?”

Fearfully, I looked up and asked if I had misbehaved in any way.

“Well, that was pretty weird…”

“…Uh, Iris-chan, you aren’t just some aristocrat, you’re the legitimate princess of this country, don’t you know?”

“Yes. ‘Her Highness Irisria Nordglacier’… am I correct? It has been an honor to serve you in this way.”

The words slid through my brain, after a good few dozen seconds had passed.

“……………………Pardon?”

The only thing that came out of my mouth was such a silly sound.

“Princess of the Northern Magical Kingdom”, or “Northern Princess” for short. Such a title did exist in the game. However…

“I certainly didn’t expect that to be the case here as well…”

“Uh, give me a moment, nya, I’m getting a little confused, nya…”

The two reincarnated people a.k.a Milly-san and I were scratching our heads. How was it possible that my official position in the game carry over to this world?

“Loss of memories… so the Captain’s words are true. You’ve been missing for several years now, and it’s well known among the higher-ups. I’m sure a lot must have happened to you to look the same after all these years except changing your race.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Her Highness… If you need anything at all, just ask me, okay?”

With tears in the corner of her eyes, Lenny-san spoke to me in a quiet but firm tone.

“Well, I suppose it’s a bit late to say this but, I’m going to leave Lenny in Her Highness Irisria’s care as her personal attendant, so you can use her as you like. I hope you don’t mind if she isn’t at the level of a qualified court maid.”

“Eh, EHH?!”

“You see, for the time being, we’re supposed to conceal your identity. As long as we are working together, if your identity is discovered in any way, we can’t afford to build a reputation of having treated you badly. So aside from protecting you like we’ve been doing, we have to at least keep up appearances. I’ll join your escort as much as I can whenever I have time. And more than anything, it’s a bad idea to leave you alone among a bunch of men, isn’t it?”

Since my position was publicly known, should something happen to me, it’d be a big problem. Worst case scenario, they could be all executed…

“Y-You’re right, but that’s just…”

“There’s no need to worry. She’s fully on board.”

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to be able to serve you once again… This time, I’ll use this second chance with utmost sincerity, Her Highness.”

…Uh, what did she mean by “once again”?

I felt something tugging at my heart, but I couldn’t say no to her when she was looking at me with a serious expression on her face.

“O-Okay then… I’m pleased to work with you, hope we’ll get along…?”

“Your wish is my command.”

The look of obvious delight on her calm face made it impossible to pursue the matter further.

“By the way, I’m having a bit of a hard time deciding whether to treat you as Her Highness or as Iris-chan. Which do you prefer?”

“Um, the latter, please… Princess’s still a bit…”

I answered Philias-san’s question on reflex. I didn’t want others to treat me like a princess, as it’s going to be taxing for both parties.

“Mmm, if you say so. Alright Iris-chan, I’m washing the foam off, so close your eyes~”

“Yes, please do.”

With a splash of hot water, the foam left on my body was rinsed away. As I shook my head and tried to let the water escape, my wet hair was quickly and lightly wrung out by Milly-san and put up in an updo, and a cloth was immediately wrapped around it.

When my body was finally fully washed, I looked into the mirror once again and saw my dainty body, regaining the glow that had dulled after a few days of bedridden life… I think I’ve lost a little weight. When I pinched my stomach, it felt even thinner than before. I was too skinny to begin with, I guess I had to eat a little harder…

“Look, the shadows have disappeared. I’m so glad that you’re doing well again.”

“Uh, I still have to recover mentally… Sorry for the inconvenience.”

As Philias-san, who had her hand on my shoulder from behind and was peering into the mirror, said, the painful shadows that had covered the area around my eyes from fatigue over the past few days had completely disappeared. In this way, I seemed to have outwardly recovered completely.

“Iris-chan, lemme carry you into the bath, okay? Lenny, you’ve done well enough, so wash yourself and come over here. I’ll take over from here.”

“Yes, thank you for the kind offer.”

“Um, if it’s this close by, I can do it myself… Wah?!”

In the blink of an eye, I was picked up lightly, and my legs flapped in surprise, but I was carried to the bathtub without a flinch, perhaps because of the difference in our physical abilities.

“Oh no you don’t. I can’t let a girl with lame legs like you walk around on this wet and slippery floor without support. Just leave it to your big sister here.”

“…”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t even walked on my own feet since I entered the changing room. Philias-san, who had soaked only her feet in the bathtub before me, gently soaked only my toes in the hot water.

“How’s the water? Is it too hot?”

“It’s okay…”

As someone who was used to hot baths in Japan, I think it was a bit lukewarm. I preferred it to be as hot as the hot spring I was in the other day…

“I’m going to put you down, then.”

Slowly, slowly, I was submerged in the bathtub. Then, once the water reached slightly below my shoulders, I finally expressed the question I had been feeling up to this point.

“…Why am I sitting on your lap?!”

I turned bright red and yelled.

Yes, I was somehow completely wrapped up in the arms of Philias-san, who came in with me when she soaked me in the bathtub. The feeling of naked bodies in close proximity could not be better. My extra sensitive back was coming back to bite me, pun unintended.

“It’s alright, we’re both girls, aren’t we? Besides, I’m just afraid you’ll sink if I let go of you.”

She had a point there. This bathtub was a little deep for my body, and with my current crippled body, I would sink if I got distracted. I was ashamed that I doubted her concern and reluctantly withdrew…

“Ah… Just the perfect size… The texture is fine, smooth, and great to the touch… It’s so nice to be young…”

“I know right, nya?! Swap with me after you have your fill, nya.”

“That’s your goal all along, isn’t it?!”

I took all of it back. Her only concern was her own self-interest!

Philias-san hugged me from behind and pressed her body against me… Her chest, CHEST!!

Chest, now that I think about it…

My gaze was guided to that side of Milly-san. Her slender yet glamorous chest attacked my vision with its overwhelming mass.

I looked down at my own chest… so “plain”. If I felt generous enough, I could call it a gentle hilly region.

“What’s wrong?”

I looked at Lenny-san, who had finally finished washing herself and moved into the tub, noticing the petrified me and called out to me with concern. This petite girl should be the closest to me in stature, right…?

Two mountains firmly asserted themselves.

I see, so this is what they called “shortstack”.

“W-Why are you staring at me with such tearful eyes, did I do something to offend you?”

She asked me a question with a frightened look on her face, and I suddenly come back to my senses… No, you didn’t do anything wrong, I didn’t mind your size at all!

“Aww, don’t be so pessimistic, Iris-chan. There’s still room for growth in the future. I’d seen your mother’s portrait before, and she had a little… a little…”

Why was she cutting off her sentence at the end there?! Certainly, my “mother” in my memories looked very young!

…No, I should calm down. My memories as a man told me being small had a lot of advantages. There’s no need to beat myself up by comparing to others. If I looked at it calmly, there’s nothing to fuss about at all.

“…Well, we’ll figure something out.”

“I SAID I DIDN’T MIND!!”

My exclamations echoed through the bathroom as sympathetic eyes looked at me and tears came to my eyes…

(Author’s Note)

The title “Northern Princess”, which had been mentioned several times, finally reached the person herself.

People wouldn’t probably treat her like a princess that much… probably.

As a side note, The reason why Iris’ name was extended this time is that the royal family of Nordglacier in this world is a magical nation, and the words used in the chanting in the work, the words used in the magic of the attribute that the person symbolizes, are supposed to be attached to the back of the name.

For example:

• “Ria” in “Irisria” means “Light”.
• “Lus” in “Aureolus” means “World”.
• The older brother who doesn’t appear in this chapter is supposed to be “Saulques”, with “Ques” meaning “Thunder”.