“Is this going to get any smaller?”
Kaiyak’s grumbling seemed to represent the mood of the group.
Just as grumpy as his voice, the faces of the team were packed with irritation, except for Rubina, who was perched on Kaiyak’s shoulder.
“Is that the Duchy of Kapatia?”
“…Duchy.”
Only Yona knew what a bear country was, and she almost burst into laughter.
Suppressing her laughter, Yona corrected Rubina while stretching her neck to look ahead.
The line, indeed, was extraordinarily long.
If everyone was waiting to enter the Duchy of Kapatia, they might as well have set up sleeping bags by now.
“Rubina, aren’t you cold?”
James reached out to Rubina, and she quickly jumped into his arms, having been looking around on Kaiyak’s shoulder.
“I’m not cold.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Not cold, but I’m boiling inside from the frustration.”
Just a day quicker than James said, exactly two days later, the entrance to the Duchy of Kapatia appeared on the horizon.
The Duchy of Kapatia, the heart of the Empire of All Humans, was both a central state and a significant player with the best port, acting as a hub for all kinds of logistics.
Unlike the distant Kyatus Empire filled with naval fortresses but lacking trade ports, it was inevitable for the Duchy of Kapatia to flourish, allowing merchant ships to come and go freely.
Thanks to that, both land and sea routes were always bustling with people in the Duchy of Kapatia.
“How many people?”
“Four. One child.”
“What’s with the child?”
“Those two’s daughter over there.”
Kaiyak pointed between Yona and Alex.
The guard, who had taken four adventurer badges and was checking them, couldn’t help but glance back and forth between Yona and Alex.
“The kid’s hair color doesn’t match.”
Yona’s hair was a dull milk color with no shine, while Rubina’s hair was black, so it made sense.
Meanwhile, Alex pointed at his bald head.
“Ah, my hair was originally black.”
“Is that so? But why is it bald?”
“I’m an adventurer. Hair can obstruct your view, and if it gets grabbed, that’s trouble.”
Even while laughing, the guard still couldn’t shake off his suspicion.
Bending down to examine Rubina, the guard’s face was one Rubina hesitated to call handsome, especially with a black dot in the middle of his forehead and a single hair sprouting from it.
Rubina looked at the guard’s face for a moment and then tugged at Yona’s sleeve.
“Um—Mom, this uncle has a hair growing out of his mole.”
That one statement was enough to leave Yona, Alex, Kaiyak, and James in complete shock.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry… so sorry!”
As the guard’s face visibly stiffened, Yona panicked and clamped her hand over Rubina’s mouth.
But even faster than that, Rubina pointed at Alex’s head.
“Dad doesn’t have a single strand of hair.”
Puhaha—
The guard burst into laughter.
Thanks to that, the mood lightened, and Yona’s face relaxed a bit.
“This is quite the dilemma. I guess I’ll just have to pluck it out. Anyway, got it. Go on in.”
It was a stroke of luck that the guard didn’t nitpick any further.
As soon as the guard gave his permission, a thick wooden barricade swung open.
Stepping through the barricade, they were greeted by the already deep darkness of the Interior of the Duchy of Kapatia.
The stone-brick buildings clearly displayed the nation’s wealth.
There wasn’t a single wooden house in sight; only brick structures reigned, contrasting sharply with the wooden houses seen in the towns they passed, including Evian.
Whether it was coated with plaster or not, the uneven exterior walls added to the building’s charm.
Moreover, the street lamps lining the entrance to the city were adorned with glowing stones as big as an adult’s fist, making it easy to see even at night.
“Crazy, why do I have to act like a mom with a kid?”
“If you don’t, you can’t get in. What else can you do?”
“What’s so great about this anyway?”
It seemed Yona was not fond of the excuse she had given to the guard earlier.
Considering he still thought of himself as a guy despite being in a woman’s body, he wasn’t keen on using the excuse of being married to Alex.
“For me, it’s great. We’re already known as a couple adventurers in Evian; should we try that here too?”
“Stop saying crazy things.”
Yona gave Alex a sharp slap on the back of his head.
“Hey, hitting is bad.”
Roubina interjected, her hands on her hips, glaring at Yona.
Having gotten used to her new surroundings over the past few days, Roubina was gradually returning to a demeanor that fit her age group.
“Look, Roubina’s right. You shouldn’t keep hitting Alex on the head.”
“What’s wrong with that? I want to do it.”
“No way. James uncle said you shouldn’t hit people who are hurt.”
“Hurt? What’s this bald guy hurt from? Not at all.”
“Alex uncle is bald because he says his head hurts, said Kaiyak uncle.”
“…Roubina?”
“So, it’s Yona sister who keeps healing Alex uncle’s head.”
They kept exchanging silly jokes as they walked through the night-shrouded Kapatia.
Thanks to the row of street lamps in sight, walking in the night posed no problem at all.
“But it’s amazing.”
“Right? After all, it’s the most bustling country in the Empire.”
“It’s more impressive than what I saw in the textbooks.”
It was also Yona’s first time in Kapatia.
Though she had learned about the great empire of Kapatia during her education at the Cathedral, experiencing it firsthand was a completely different feeling.
“Alright, let’s find an inn first. No matter how great it is, freezing to death on the street is still the same.”
“Do you know a place?”
“Nope. We’ll have to look around.”
Finding an inn in a big city like this shouldn’t be too difficult.
It’s not too difficult to find a place where inns might be located.
If you head to a place with frequent foot traffic, you’ll find a tavern, and there’s a high chance that tavern also doubles as an inn or there’s one close by.
However, now that the city is large, it’s a bit tricky to find a bustling spot, so they started walking toward the direction of the loud voices.
Not long after, they were able to locate a tavern that was brightly lit and doing a booming business even at this hour.
“Dinner and a room.”
“How many?”
A strangely styled man with long hair tied back glanced at Yona and asked.
It seemed like he might say something inappropriate, so Alex took a quick look at Yona, but surprisingly, she didn’t seem to care much.
“Four adults and one child.”
“We don’t have a room that big.”
The number of people didn’t add up.
Yona, Alex, Kaiyak, James, and Rubina.
Even if Yona and Rubina shared a room, there would still be Alex, Kaiyak, and James left, which meant one of them would need a private room. Renting three rooms would be a waste of money.
“Me, Rubina, and Alex can share one room, and Kaiyak and James can share another.”
“Finally admitting to the couple adventurers— Puhuh!”
“Wanna say that again?”
Yona jabbed Alex sharply in the side and turned to Kaiyak and James.
“See? Two rooms work, right?”
Without waiting for an answer, Yona told the owner straightforwardly.
“Two rooms with bathtubs, and meals. We’ll eat in the room.”
There was no way she wanted to mix with those sweaty guys for a meal.
After taking off his gear and hanging it on the bedside table, Alex tried to sit on the bed but ended up plopping down on the floor instead.
‘…What situation is this?’
Yona somehow managed to get Alex to share a room with her. Of course, Rubina was there too, but at that moment, thoughts of Rubina had completely vanished from Alex’s mind.
The only thing filling his head was the fact that he was going to spend the night in the same room as Yona.
Moreover, the sound of washing was coming from the bathroom in one corner.
It was Yona washing up.
Rubina’s voice was mixed in as well, but it was automatically filtered out in Alex’s ears.
Alex looked down at his hands.
As he fiddled with them, the sensation from earlier came rushing back vividly.
‘They were big… really, absurdly big…’
Alex was a warrior and, being around Kaiyak, didn’t just stand out for his height; he was a hulking figure. With his job as a guard, he had significant strength, and of course, his hands were as big as pot lids.
Yona’s breasts had such overwhelming mass that they could easily fill Alex’s hands.
‘It wasn’t right to just step back when told to move.’
– Get down, you brat… it’s heavy.
It was a mistake to quickly come down, startled by Yona’s icy voice.
Honestly, he shouldn’t be thinking like this, but he should have savored that touch when he had the chance.
No, maybe when that opportunity came, he should have boldly claimed that “breast-massaging voucher” even more shamelessly.
– Go for it, don’t regret it after missing the opportunity.
‘Ughhhh!’
Alex rubbed his head vigorously.
His bald head left a brief red mark as he scratched, but it quickly faded away.
The noise faded and then disappeared.
“Who knew it would just vanish like that?!”
A silent scream.
There was a constant sound of water.
Having paid extra to rent a room with a bathtub, I was finally able to wash myself with hot water, and it seemed like I was about to get my money’s worth.
“Ah, damn, damn!”
Listening to that sound of water just made my imagination run wild.
If I just opened the wooden door, Yona would be there.
Yona, with not a single piece of clothing on.
If I just opened that wooden door—
And then the wooden door swung open.
“Hey, Baldy.”
The steamy door opened, and Yona appeared, her body haphazardly covered in a thick cloth.
“Uh, uh, uh?!”
“Why are you so surprised? Just wash that thing off and style your hair.”
Yona nonchalantly shooed Rubina away.
Rubina’s face flushed bright red, and with steam rising up, she really was quite cute after being cleaned up.
“Oh, and give me my nun outfit. There should be an extra nun outfit in my backpack. Bring that too.”
“Uh, uh…”
“Oh, and my underwear is there too. Bring that one as well.”
“U-Underwear…?”
Alex turned red without even having washed himself yet.
Underwear, underwear… It’s not okay to show the body, but is underwear fine?
“Hey, the water’s getting cold. Hurry up and bring it. I need to wash it.”
Yona frowned, but Alex remained frozen in place.
If he moved now, it would definitely feel awkward.
“Seriously, you man…”
Yona scowled and walked out of the bathroom.
Then she approached her bed and started rummaging through her backpack, but since the cloth wasn’t very large to begin with, it slipped right off the moment she let go.
“You’re such a bother, seriously.”
“Uh, uh…”
Alex couldn’t find the words.
And who could blame him? Yona was facing away as she rummaged through her backpack, but that alone was already enough to deliver a blow to his senses.
Her narrow shoulders,
Clearly defined collarbones,
A slim waist.
From that slim waist emerged the curvy outline of her ample hips.
And her pure white butt.
Soft, milky, and a perfect crescent that was hard to tear his eyes away from.
Moreover, every time Yona moved, the heavy mass on her chest was visible from behind—
Alex found himself staring blankly, forgetting even to breathe.
“Seriously, you’re such a bother…”
That scene didn’t last long.
Yona pulled out her underwear and nun outfit from her backpack, placed them on the bed, and pulled the cloth back up to cover herself.
Then she headed straight into the bathroom and closed the wooden door.
“Yona’s older sister has a huge chest.”
“…I know.”
“Yona’s older sister is super slim.”
“I know that too.”
“Yona’s older sister is incredibly beautiful.”
“I know that well.”
“How do you know?”
“Because this uncle has known Yona’s older sister for a long time.”
“Then does the uncle like Yona’s older sister?”
Alex couldn’t answer Rubina’s question.
Maybe he just couldn’t bring himself to answer.