The City of Katuranos

We will only be staying at Katuranos for a day. In the last few days, we had the chance to stay in inns along the way. It was great to sleep in beds. And today we will stay in a hot spring resort. Along the coast of Orion, there is a bunch of volcanic activity, and they have multiple hot springs around the country. This is my first experience in a hot spring in this world.

On earth, I got the chance to get into a hot spring once. For our senior trip in high school, we went to Ecuador and had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in thermal waters in the middle of the green mountains. It was beautiful—a scene to be remembered. I didn’t have many friends back then, but I got to talk with some people and wear a swimsuit. It was very friendly and relaxing. I wonder what the hot springs are like in this world. I can’t wait to get to the hotel.

“Dad, when are we going to the hotel?”

“We have to go to the merchant guild first. I need to deliver some equipment they purchased from us. Then, we go to the artcraft guild to say hello and make some connections. After that, we will go rest at the hot springs resort.”

“Yes!” Albus and I are excited about the hot springs.

“Dad, it’s my first time in a hot spring. Do we need anything to get into the hot springs?” We didn't bring any swimming gear or anything. I wonder if we need to buy some staff.

“Don’t worry, princess. The resort will give us anything we need.”

“Okay. Albus, have you been to a hot spring before?”

“Never, my first bath was at the house too.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“In the slave marker, we would have a bucket of water every three days for Mom and me to wash our bodies with a pumice stone and soap.”

“You probably had a hard time being a slave.”

“I was worried, always worried about tomorrow, and about getting separated from Mom.”

“Are you happy living with us?”

“Very, I get to eat so much food. And Mom is happy too. I wish I could become as strong as master Antonina one day.” Albus is a lot more talkative. However, he has no facial expression, or his words don't match his body language. 

“Do you have any dreams for the future?”

“Dreams? What do you mean?”

“Like, is there any work you would like to do? Do you want to get married? What do you see for your future and your Mom?”

“What I hope for the future is for my Mom to be okay, and I want to stay forever in this family. I want to serve you the best I can for the rest of my life. I have never been so happy. Please, Miss Cato, let me serve you forever.”

“But if you could do anything in the world. What would it be?”

“But I can’t. I’m a slave. I will do whatever master Antonina tells me to do.”

I didn’t say anything else to Albus. I don’t understand the life of an enslaved person. You must always behave and obey. You can never make a mistake. You can’t work freely. Some people look at them as pests of society. You don’t belong anywhere. People think you are capable of the most disgusting things. You’re worth less than food or furniture. However, they are the backbone of this society. They do the kind of work that no one else wants to do, but they offer it at the cheapest price.

…

After a long day, we have finally arrived at the hot springs resort. The resort is high up in the mountains. Well, everything is mountains in Katuranos. But here we can see a little snow, probably from last winter. The temperature is cold, but the water must be amazing. The structure is made out of wood. It’s beautiful. I imagine this place must be costly. The lobby has couches, games, a drinking bar, and stands with free food for the guests.

“Please, this way.” The bellhop told Dad.

“Please, make sure you visit every area of the resort. We offer a variety of services, including massages, hot springs, a gym, a mini games room, and buffet-style dinner and breakfast. Let me know if you have any questions. This is your room.”

“Thank you! We are good.”

The resort doesn’t have all the rooms in the same building. The rooms or cabins are distributed throughout the resort. The room was beautiful. The room has a white carpet, wooden walls, a balcony with a jacuzzi, a restroom with a bathtub, a desk, and two queen beds.

“Oh, this is so nice, Dad.”

“Master Paulus, thank you for bringing me here. Some day, I will bring Mom to something like this.”

“Ha ha ha! Of course, Albus. You are part of the family, don’t feel shy.”

“Please allow me to sleep on the carpet floor. You two can use the queen beds. I'm not worth sleeping in such a bed.”

“Daddy, I want to sleep with you. Let Albus take one bed for himself.” I said to Dad, hugging him.

“Of course. Did you hear Albus? You get a whole bed for yourself.”

Albus’ mouth was wide open, and his eyes were shining.

“I don’t deserve such a reward, but thank you, master Paulus.”

“Okay, let's go eat!”

The dinner was terrific. We have all we could eat. There were different kinds of dishes from all over the world. To my surprise, I encountered a wide variety of dishes from other continents that were pretty similar to those on Earth, like Peruvian causa, Brazilian feijoada, Mexican mole, Japanese sashimi, Italian pasta, Indian curry, and Chinese kung pao chicken. Everything was delicious. Albus and I could not stop eating. The sweets were also amazing with ice cream and chocolates of different kinds. I wish the whole family were here.

“Dad, why haven’t we done this before with the whole family?”

“Ha ha ha. Well, we couldn't do it before. We have the means now. The business is doing great, and thanks to you and Eugina, Mom can do adventuring more often. Also, your Mom is not a big fan of these kinds of places. I think she would prefer to go camping or something.”

“Mom would have us train to death every day.” The three of us were looking at each other.

“I guess we all miss home.”

“I want to see Mom, Camillus, and Aunt Albina.”

“-M goo - as far – munch- as I'm - gulp- with any of you,” said Albus with food in his mouth.

“Do you think they are doing well, Dad?”

“Of course, your Mom is strong. Sure, sometimes she doesn’t think things through, and she can be a bit extreme in her decisions, but she is a good Mom, wife, and household. She would always ask my opinion on things. And treat me with love.”

“Yeah, you are right. There is no way Mom has done anything dumb. right?”

Dad and I sigh.

…

After dinner, we went to the hot springs. We went to the family side. After showering, they gave us special clothing to get into. Everyone was wearing the same design, kids and the elderly. We were all wearing bathrobes and a swimdress bathing suit under, both males and females. There were multiple natural-looking pools in the open. The higher you go on the mountain, the hotter the pools are. Some of them had waterfalls and caves. You could see the steam coming out of the pool and the beautiful white peaks of the mountains in the distance.

“Pura vida,” that’s what I heard some Hispanic people would say on occasions like this.

“What did you say?” asked Albus.

“Nothing, just how relaxing and nice it feels to be in these pools. It reminds me of a feeling I’m not sure what”

"I feel like the hot waters are embracing me."

"You are right. It feels like being in the belly of Mom when she was pregnant, about to have me." That's right. That's the feeling I remember with these waters, the sense of being in mom's womb. I had forgotten about that. However, that was the best place in the world. 

"Ah?"

"Sorry, just a thought."

“This trip has been my first time doing many things. Miss Cato, I will give you my life. Please continue having me as your slave.”

“You don’t need to be so formal, Albus. We are brothers. Family takes care of each other.” I understand slavery a little better now. I still think it is wrong, but having Albus and his mom with our family is great. I don't want them to go anywhere else. I want them to stay with us.

“How are you doing, kids?” Dad was slowly getting into the pool. They didn’t have swimdresses his size. His swimsuit looks too tight in the chest, and it feels like at any moment he will flash everyone.

“Dad, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just have to be careful. Ha ha ha!”

“Master Paulus, I heard people say that these waters have healing attributes. Maybe your magic can be cured.”

“Oh, thank you for letting me know, Albus. I will make sure I get a good soak.” Dad said, smiling. He has probably tried everything to cure his magic.

We got in different pools, each hotter than the one before. I was walking in front of Dad, while Albus was covering his back. He walked without a care in the world, even though some people were giving him looks. We relaxed, went back to our rooms, and rested for the night. Tomorrow will be an early morning to continue the journey to Gan.