Chapter 102, Valley of Steam

Translator: Barnnn

 

By the time June arrived, the heat had come swiftly like an unwelcome guest. Even the evening bath schedule had shifted earlier to combat the worst of the heat.

Having washed up and readied themselves to turn in for the night, the trio lounged in their respective beds, chatting aimlessly.

 

“It feels a little stuffy,” Ize said, glancing toward the upper wall vent. “Maybe we should’ve asked for bigger windows in the container house.”

“But then winter would be freezing,” Fieda pointed out with a shrug.

“Hmm… Which would be worse, the heat or the cold?” Hal muttered, frowning as he stared at the narrow opening near the ceiling. “We wouldn’t be traveling much in winter, but still… It’s probably best not to design a place that leans too far in one direction.”

 

He trailed off into half-mumbled musings, the kind of practical fretting that seemed uniquely Japanese in spirit. Fixing up this particular container house wasn’t even an option — it wasn’t like Zoddoa could just swing by and make renovations. But the wheels in Hal’s head kept turning all the same.

 

“Don’t they have air conditioners in this world?” Ize asked suddenly.

“Air… conditioners?” Fieda parroted, puzzled.

“A machine that cools the air,” she explained.

“Ah. You mean a cooling device,” he said with a thoughtful nod. “I’ve heard the royal castle in Lazulseed has them.”

“So, only the elite, huh? What about electric fans?”

“I think I’ve heard of that too. A magical tool that produces wind, right?”

“That’s the one,” Ize confirmed.

“There might be one in a magical tool shop in the capital,” said Fieda.

“Yes, please!”

“If we’re going to buy one, we’ll have to get there before summer ends. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

 

Apparently, large cities had a better chance of carrying such magical tools. Jasted probably had a shop or two, but since they’d never had an urgent need before, they hadn’t gone looking — and now Hal regretted it.

The very idea of electric fans being sold in ‘magical’ shops felt like something ripped from a fantasy story. The kind of detail that would thrill any junior highschooler with an edgy streak.

 

“Do you think they sell anything else interesting?” Hal asked.

“Past Sages probably came up with all sorts of inventions,” Ize said.

Hal’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Maybe some strange ones with no clear purpose.”

“Exactly,” Ize laughed. “Your fellow Sages might’ve gone a little overboard.”

“My fellow sages,” Hal said solemnly, “are calm, composed, and poised. They do not make mistakes.”

“No clue what you just said, but that denial was suspiciously intense,” Fieda smirked.

“Totally suspicious,” Ize agreed.

Hal threw up his hands in exasperation. “Come on! Nonsense inventions are the most fun!”

“Such as?” Fieda asked.

“Like drinking tea without a teapot. Or runaway dinosaurs. Or dancing crabs?”

“I don’t even know where to begin with that,” he replied, baffled.

“Line up a bunch of Sages’ inventions, and I bet you’ll find plenty of overlap with Hal’s ideas,” Ize giggled.

“In that case, I’ll look forward to the capital,” said Fieda.

“You’re talking about me like I’m not even here,” Hal muttered into his pillow, face down and grumbling unintelligibly.

Fieda chuckled, then asked, “The capital’s about a two-week journey straight ahead. But… there are a few spots along the way that might interest you. Want to stop and see?”

 

Hal immediately lifted his head, wide-eyed.

 

“Like what?” he asked.

Fieda shot him a grin. “There’s one place called the Rotting Valley — or that’s the nickname, anyway. Supposedly it smells like rotten eggs.”

“Rotten…” Hal started, suspiciously interested.

“…Eggs?” Ize echoed.

 

◆

 

The horsebus climbed the rust-colored slopes of a mountain before beginning its descent on the other side. As they came around a bend, a deep gorge opened before them, framed by peaks and veiled in curling white steam that rose from the ground.

 

“Ugh, that stinks!” Ize cried, scrunching up her nose.

“Oh Goddess, my nose is burning…” Hal groaned.

“Definitely living up to the name,” said Fieda, not particularly affected.

 

They hadn’t even reached their destination yet, but thanks to the wind, the stench was already creeping up the hillside.

The sulfurous tang of hydrogen sulfide — known in Japan as that “rotten egg smell” — wafted through the air.

 

[It’s so odd,] Hal thought to himself. [I mean, how many modern Japanese people have actually smelled a rotten egg? And weren’t we taught in science class that sulfur itself has no smell?]

 

Whatever the case, the source of the stink was no corpse, but rather a hot spring. The kind of detour Hal, self-proclaimed lover of hot springs, couldn’t resist.

 

“I wonder if they’ve got hot spring eggs,” he said excitedly.

“Or hot spring yogurt,” Ize chimed in.

“Kekyo?” Sato chirped.

“And hot spring manju!” Hal added.

“Ooh! And carbonated rice crackers!” Ize said.

“Kekyo!”

“Okay, okay, enough! You three are too loud!” Fieda snapped. “Nothing’s guaranteeing that this world would have YOUR world’s snacks, you know.”

“Well, that’s true…” Hal admitted, but he was already scanning the area eagerly.

“Maybe a Japanese Hero passed through and made something,” Ize added.

 

As it turned out, they had. The hot spring town they arrived at bore plenty of signs that a Hero from Earth had once visited.

 

“There’s a covered arcade!” Hal exclaimed.

“Hal, look — no manju, but that shop has steamed bread,” Ize pointed out. “The sign says it’s filled with… Kudyu?”

“Kudyu? Isn’t that the tasteless beans?” Fieda frowned.

“Is it? I wouldn’t know.”

“Now I’m curious. I’m gonna go buy one!”

 

Without waiting for a response, Hal leaped off the slow-moving horsebus and jogged over to the shop.

 

“He really couldn’t wait?” Fieda sighed.

“Let him have his moment. Apparently it’s one of Earth’s things he’s painfully missed since coming here,” Ize said, smiling fondly.

 

Though there was no other traffic in sight, Fieda carefully pulled the horsebus to the roadside just in case. From afar, they could see Hal chatting with the shopkeeper — his face moving from surprise to joy and back again. At last, he handed over some coins and returned, a bag of steamed bread clutched proudly in his arms.

 

“They’re all filled with Kudyu, apparently,” Hal explained, “but each one’s flavored differently.”

 

He split the buns and handed out the pieces.

 

“How ’bout we start with the plain one?” he suggested.

“Yes, it’d be easier to compare that way,” said Ize.

“Whoa, the filling’s dripping!” Fieda exclaimed.

 

Inside was a surprisingly soft, white cream. They each took a bite, and a slightly grainy texture spread across their tongues. It was sweet, but not overwhelmingly so — not as rich as whipped cream or custard. It had a gentle, nostalgic taste. Something… suspiciously familiar.

But Ize couldn’t quite place it, and the mystery gnawed at her even as she stuffed the rest of the bread into her mouth.

 

“You know, I think… it’s white bean paste,” Hal said, licking some of the filling off his bread and looking closely at the rest.

“White bean paste…? Oh! Like anko!”

“Anko?” Fieda asked. “That the black stuff inside those mizumanju?”

“Yeah, exactly. The only real difference is the type of bean used,” Hal explained.

“I thought Kudyu didn’t taste like anything,” said Fieda.

“Most beans taste plain until they’re processed. It really depends on how you cook them. This one’s pretty good. Let’s try the other two!”

 

There were two other pieces of steamed bread: green and orange.

Hal reached for the green one first.

 

“I’ve got a guess for this one,” Hal said. “The shopkeeper mentioned it was made with a bitter vegetable.”

 

As before, he divided it evenly. Ize brought her piece to her mouth — and paused.

 

“That smells nice,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s definitely mugwort,” Hal nodded.

“Smells like medicine,” Fieda muttered, wrinkling his nose.

 

He didn’t seem to enjoy it, but Hal and Ize ate without complaint.

The outer dough had been kneaded with mugwort, and from within the sweet filling came not only the flavor of the Kudyu they’d had earlier, but also a faint scent of green tea.

 

“Do they not have matcha around here?” Hal mused aloud, glancing at the steamed bread in his hand.

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen any,” Ize replied.

“Maybe they just plant different species,” Hal suggested.

“Wouldn’t it work if you just ground regular green tea into powder?”

“Then it’d just be like the powdered tea they serve at sushi joints.”

“Fair point,” Ize said with a soft laugh.

 

As the two of them bantered back and forth about matcha, Fieda sat beside them, chewing a piece of the steamed bread with a sour expression.

 

“Seems healthy enough,” he muttered, “but I couldn’t eat too many of these.” He sighed and reached for the final one in the bag. “Bright orange. My guess is carrot or pumpkin.”

“Same here,” Ize agreed.

 

Perhaps still reeling from the shock of the mugwort flavor, Fieda cautiously took a bite of the orange-colored bread.

But once he tasted it, his expression softened. Seeing that, Ize followed suit and took a bite of her own — and, just as expected, the flavor was exactly what they had guessed.

 

“Right on the mark. Carrot dough with a pumpkin-flavored filling,” Hal said.

 

Just as he said, both predicted vegetables had been used. Of the three pieces of steamed bread, the pumpkin one was the sweetest, but the rustic flavor of the carrot dough balanced it out, making for a surprisingly pleasant bite.

Hal’s face lit up with satisfaction at their first local discovery since arriving in the hot spring town. He was already mentally sorting out plans to stash one of every flavor into his Magic Bag.

Catching each other’s glances as they flicked their eyes from the empty bread bag to their respective Magic Bags, Hal and Ize shared a knowing grin.

 

“All right, let’s move the horsebus,” Fieda said. “Doesn’t look like there’s a checkpoint, but let’s check with the Guild to be sure.”

“”Okay!”” the other two chimed in.

 

As they guided the horsebus down the road, surveying their surroundings, they came to a building marked with a sign that read “Tourist Information Center.” No guardpost was in sight. From the looks of it, the center was doubling as a checkpoint and concierge service, directing visitors to their lodgings of choice.

Guards in matching happi coat-like uniforms handled the horsebuses one by one. After checking papers and confirming details, they either hopped onto the driver’s bench or jogged alongside the horsebuses through the gate and into the town proper.

Before long, it was the trio’s turn.

 

“Welcome to Fuyuya, our famous hot spring town!” beamed one of the guards with the practiced cheer of a hotel concierge. “Will you be using the public baths today, or do you plan to stay overnight?”

Hal leaned forward from the horsebus seat. “You have day-use baths too?”

“But of course!” the guard replied brightly. “With a day pass, you can enjoy the baths at multiple inns — even ones you’re not staying at!”

Hal gave a wry chuckle. “Hah. Just like a Japanese onsen town.”

“Pardon?” the guard tilted his head.

“Ah, nothing. Don’t mind me.” Hal turned to Fieda. “How many nights are we thinking?”

“Two, maybe three. Either is fine.”

“Then let’s go with three, if that’s all right.”

“No problem.”

“Understood! Three nights it is,” the guard confirmed. “Now then — would you prefer an inn with a private bath? Communal bath? Mixed bathing? Open-air?”

 

At the mention of mixed bathing, both Hal and Fieda hesitated, visibly stiffening.

Behind them, Ize let out a low, knowing chuckle.

Doing his best to ignore her amusement, Fieda cleared his throat and said,

 

“One with a private bath and open-air facilities, please.”

“Certainly!” the guard replied, as if he hadn’t noticed their momentary pause. “As I mentioned, you’ll be able to visit other inns’ baths as well. We’ll provide you with a map and a guide listing each bath’s unique features.”

 

He proceeded to fill out a form and, after verifying the group’s Adventurer Registration Cards, gave Fieda a courteous nod before hopping up onto the driver’s bench of their horsebus.

 

“Now then, allow me to escort you to one of Fuyuya’s proudest establishments — our long-standing hot spring inn, The Sage’s Sigh!”

 

At that pronouncement, all three of them froze in perfect unison.