Eternally Regressing in Another World

After dinner, I went to take a bath.

"That fight with Nest had me surrounded by a sea of flame the whole time. Sweat’s soaked through everything..."

Last time, I’d gotten completely wasted from overdrinking, but this time was different. No dizziness, head clear, I was taking my time enjoying the spacious bath. Then, a familiar voice reached my ears.

"...Here we go."

Right. Tender’s nasty little prank from before. Just in case I was wrong, I listened closely to confirm.

"Phew, I think I had a bit too much to drink."

Alright, no mistake. Same exact line as last time. Got put through hell over this before. Now, how should I handle this? While turning that over in my head, the glass door slid open cautiously.

"Oh? Is no one here?"

Seemed like the steam was hiding me from view. Might as well strike first.

"Oh hey, funny running into you, Elizabeth."

I called out deliberately. That reaction clearly caught "Elizabeth" (Tender) off guard, eyes going wide, flustered.

"Wh-what’s wrong? Showing up in a place like this means something, doesn’t it?"

"No, ...um, well, that’s..."

Lost the moment to speak up, huh. Starting to enjoy this a little.

"Hey now, you’re looking pale. Why not hop in the bath and warm up?"

"Wha, wha, wa... wait, why!?"

Already dropped the noble lady speech entirely. Without bothering to cover myself, I stepped toward "Elizabeth" (Tender).

"Why, what do you mean? Come on, get in."

"Wa-wait wait wait! Time out! Time out!!"

Getting close to a genuine reaction from "Elizabeth" (Tender) now. Honestly, this was starting to get embarrassing for me too. Time to spill the reveal.

"...Kidding, kidding. Drop the spell already, Tender."

"Huh!?"

Tender stared at me, mouth hanging open. After a few seconds, he finally spoke.

"How’d you know!?"

The moment he said that, Tender reverted back to his real form. Genuinely impressive magic, I had to admit privately. Shame the way he uses it is so dumb and pointless.

"Just a hunch. Elizabeth told me about your magic earlier."

Well, that was a lie.

"But wait, what if it had really been Lady Elizabeth!?"

"In that case, I’d have just said I mistook her for you and was teasing her, easy enough excuse."

"You’re worse than me at this. ...Seriously."

After that, Tender and I soaked in the bath, chatting leisurely. Well, from my side, most of it was stuff I already knew. While talking, a voice came from the changing room.

"...Hear something?"

"Yeah, sounds like Elizabeth."

"No, that’s not me this time, seriously!"

Tender shook his head vigorously, the exaggerated motion sending ripples across the bathwater. Then, from beyond the glass door Tender had left open, a slurred, pathetic voice drifted in.

"Hic, uuuh... my bra won’t come off."

Saying that, Elizabeth stumbled toward the door in her underwear. Watching this, there wasn’t a trace of dignity left in her. Where had that reliable presence from the fight with Nest gone? While I was thinking that, Tender, unable to hold back any longer, shot straight up out of the water.

"Wh-what are you doing, Elizabeth!?"

"Huh? Why ish Tender here~?"

"Never mind that, put your clothes on! The women’s bath is over there!"

"Nooo, thish is the women’sh bath~... oh, it came off~"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

Peaceful. Thinking that idly, I let myself sink further into the warmth of the bath.

"I’ve been humiliated!!"

I know. Age appropriate maiden, noble lady status aside, that scene was just plain undignified for any woman. Listening to Elizabeth’s shouting, I casually brought another forkful to my mouth. For what it’s worth, right now I was eating the shortcake Elizabeth had handed over as hush money.

"Now that you’ve eaten it, this stays absolutely between us. Understood? Especially you, Tender!!"

"Why single me out!? I wasn’t going to say anything!"

No question, that was based on past behavior. Come to think of it, back in the previous timeline, hadn’t he almost blabbed and gotten thrown in the dungeon for it? But something about this bothered me a little. Last time, Tender hadn’t been present when I ate the hush money cake. Things might be diverging slightly from the future I remembered... Probably best to get prepared ahead of time, just in case.

"Hey, mind if I borrow a carriage once I finish this? I’ll have it back within three hours or so."

"That’s fine, though I’ll be assigning an escort, just so you know."

"An escort?"

"Yes. It’s a somewhat sensitive period right now. Information leaking carelessly could become a matter of life and death."

Right, the king’s summit. Makes sense, before a major event like that, having someone dressed as suspiciously as me wandering around unsupervised would be a real risk.

"Ah, got it."

We’d only known each other for a few hours, after all. Being cautious was only natural. I hadn’t actually done anything wrong, so I could carry myself with confidence.

"So, who’s coming along as the escort?"

"That would be me."

The one who answered was Selva. I hadn’t even noticed him standing right behind us.

"Oh, well, thanks in advance then."

"Yes, likewise."

I always ended up speaking formally around Selva. Guess it’s just that natural dignity of his.

"Where will you be heading, might I ask?"

"Just to see an acquaintance, a writer."

There was something I really needed to discuss with Old Man Beard. And I wanted to get my hands on the gun ahead of time too, just in case. If I headed out now, he’d probably still be home or at the hospital.

"Shall we depart right away?"

"Yes, please."

"Understood."

Selva gave a light bow and left the room right away. Probably off to arrange the carriage.

"Thanks, Elizabeth, that cake was seriously great."

"No need for thanks. ...Just make sure you never speak a word of this."

Face flushed, Elizabeth said that, and I just gave an "alright" and left the room. Grabbing my things and heading to the entrance hall, the carriage was already waiting. A luxurious looking carriage, white with gold accents here and there.

"We’ve been expecting you."

Selva gave a light bow in front of the carriage, and I found myself bowing back reflexively. Felt oddly like I was being treated to some kind of formal reception.

"Where would you like to head?"

"Um, north side of the city, please. There’s an old house with a windmill out at the edge of town, heading there."

"Understood."

Selva opened the carriage door with practiced ease. Thanking him as I climbed in, the interior matched the elegant exterior perfectly. White toned throughout, the cabin was spacious. The curtains and seats were a beautiful shade of red, soft and comfortable to the touch. The seating had the plush, sinking comfort of a luxury sofa, sturdy and well built. Looking up, a jeweled depiction of Pegasus decorated the ceiling, sparkling beautifully like stars.

"We shall depart now."

Saying that, Selva flicked the reins. The horse gave a small whinny, and the carriage began moving. I watched the passing scenery blankly, sinking slowly into my own thoughts.