The Water Magician

This is the third night of the consecutive seven-night postings.

In the clean stable, with beautiful straw laid out, Ryo nods multiple times while watching Andalusia's joyful figure.

With such satisfaction, the lodging procedures were completed, and the two entered their room.

Unfortunately, there was no guest room with an open-air bath...

"There was a large public bath! The water was great!"

"It's strange to be able to take a bath right in the middle of the wilderness."

This was the conversation between the two after getting out of the bath.

Since leaving the Eastern Nations, there had been no baths in the towns where they stayed.

That said, Ryo is a mage specializing in water attribute magic.

Furthermore, he is originally from Japan.

Naturally, he filled an ice tub with water and took a bath every night... and Abel also enjoyed it...

"Well, the bath itself is not a problem with Ryo's water attribute magic..."

"Yes, yes. Every night, I showcased the wonders of water attribute magic. But the large public bath at an inn... that's a different experience."

"That's true. Just having a spacious bath changes the mood."

As they said this, they entered the dining place next to 'Sandman's Rest Inn.'

'Sandman's Rest Inn' did not have a dining area, so they were to eat at the adjacent 'Sandman's Dining Inn.'

"By the name, it seems like it's part of the same series of establishments as the inn."

"That would be the case. However, while 'Sandman's Rest' is one thing, 'Sandman's Dining'..."

"Let's hope they don't serve sand dishes."

Their concerns were unfounded.

The meal was wonderful.

As expected, it was recommended by the exchange manager from the merchants' guild as "the best inn."

Naturally, it was a good inn including the meals.

"Guests can eat as much as they like! That's amazing."

"This meat seasoning is addictively spicy."

Both Ryo and Abel were thoroughly enjoying the delicious dishes.

'Sandman's Dining Inn' felt like a slightly upscale restaurant, and the clientele was generally refined, but it didn't seem like they'd end up feeling like they hadn't eaten enough, which is common in such places.

Yes, if they could finish eating until the end...

When the two began to tackle the main meat dish... or rather, the refilled meat dish, the door from outside opened, and six men entered the shop.

Of course, there had been customers coming and going until now, so they were eating without paying much attention.

"There they are, those two."

Such voices could be heard from the men.

The six men quickly came to the table of the two and surrounded them.

Abel looked at them with a suspicious expression.

By the way, Ryo was completely ignoring them, not even glancing their way.

"Those are C-ranked adventurer Ryo and his porter. Let's have them come with us."

"I refuse."

The leader of the six, a light brown-haired man, said this as if it was natural, and Ryo immediately rejected them.

After saying only that, Ryo continued eating the meat dish in front of him.

Seeing this, Abel sighed softly and also started eating the meat dish.

The six men left standing there.

Surprised by the attitude of the two before becoming angry… seemed to have their anger gradually increasing as time passed.

"Don't mess with us!"

The brown-haired man yelled.

All the customers in the shop began to glance at the six.

"This is a place to eat. I think those who can't stay quiet should leave."

Ryo's calm voice weaved through the air.

Even hearing that, the six men seemed unwilling to back down.

On the contrary, there was one person who trembled slightly upon hearing such an out-of-character voice.

It was Abel.

(Ryo is angry...)

He understood the feeling.

If someone interrupted a pleasant meal, anyone would get angry.

That was natural.

"Hey!"

Bang!

Finally, the light brown-haired man tried to reach out to Ryo, but his hand hit something invisible.

"What the?"

"Is that a 'physical barrier'?"

The six recognized that they had been repelled by something invisible, concluding that it was a physical barrier.

Unbeknownst to them, Ryo had protected the two by surrounding them with an 'ice wall.'