We arrived at Osen town on the evening of the fourth day. It seems like we had been moving faster than expected. In order to enter inside the town, I showed my guild card with the status hidden to the gatekeeper.

Once in the past, they seemed to use some kind of ancient relic to confirm identity of person who enters the town.

I, eh? Is that necessary?

I look around, there seems to be no one who acts like that other than me. The gatekeeper sends me a wry smile.

There is only simple fence surrounded this town, there were no high walls like in the other cities. I asked for the reason, it seems because the scenery of hot spring town will be ruined so they removed the walls. However, he taught me that there is invisible magic barrier that always protected the town.

Other things he taught me, this town is divided into three sections. They seems to be called "mixed bath district", "men bath district", "women bath district", their difference are just like how it sounded.

Most of people went to the district following their own gender, that as expected. There seems to be soldiers who entered mixed bath district very rarely, but most of time there were only men inside.

Although in the past mixed bath district only used for bathing, recently over there, borrowing a wisdom from certain shop in the south, a place that dedicated as common place for men and women to soak only the foot called footbath was made. It seems that place was popular and more people come to mixed bath district.

Actually, it seems that the magic barrier was also a wisdom from that store, people in this town revered highly of the store owner. For a moment, I remembered the all black dressed peddler when I hear about this store. But thinking back about the change in this town, it’s likely a different person.

I mean, the owner of this store thought something amazing. If by any chance I come back to my hometown, I’d like to visit the store.

I ask them to return my guild card while talking, after that we enter the hot spring town, Osen.

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It seems the place we entered was the entrance of mixed bath district. It’s already late night so we are planning to look for inn to stay a night.

I want to go looking for Meru at once, but an unfamiliar town, moreover night time, I don’t know where should I start without slightest clue. I abandon the idea for tomorrow. I hope Meru stay safe.

All inns in the mixed bath district were fully booked so we headed to the men bath district. But after a little thinking, we all decided to go back and stay in a barn at the mixed bath district.

Because in the men bath district, muscular men who seems to be Haosui challengers are all over the place. There are time when the heat of hot spring get into their heads and a fight broke. That district has turned into a lively (noisy) place.

I think that our judgment isn’t wrong. We ask for permission from the innkeeper and spend the night inside a barn.

On the next day, we were allowed to use hot spring because of the innkeeper’s kindness. I decided to search for Haosui as the first step in looking for Meru whereabouts.

I asked the innkeeper; apparently Haosui fighting challenge has become number one entertainment in this town so the location was found out immediately.

Haosui fight her challenger on the big stage in the middle of town. It seems that some people especially comes here to watch it. Based on the information we all headed to that place.

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historical

There are two people on the stage, man and woman. The man showed off his exquisitely well-trained body with proud to stir up the audience. He wields a giant sword that seems to be able to cut a tree in single strike. With one hand, he swing a giant sword from overhead while making buzzing sound to stir up the audience even more.

On the other side, standing to confront the man is a small tall girl around 14 years old. Her hair color is bright green. Part of her hair were arranged to stand with hairpin in such a way resemble two horns.

Is that pajamas? It just as I said. She wore a loose clothes from top to bottom, both of her hands are hidden inside overlong sleeves. This is the very appearance of someone who just woke up, not someone who is going to enter the battle.

However, what caught my attention the most are her eyes. On a small face where the childness remains, there are sleepy half-opened eyes with dark red color. I think she had swallowed the red ball, but I didn’t see a crack anywhere on her body. How come?

That peddler said that he wanted me to meet "that girl", there is no doubt. And form his words, I came to understand that he was talking about this little girl I’m seeing right now, the northern hero Haosui.

The battle in front of me ended with an overwhelming victory of this Haosui girl.

Along with a war cry, the man swung his giant sword towards Haosui. However Haosui didn’t move an inch, seemed sleepy and yawned.

The audience who didn’t know about Haosui would have thought the battle ended with that attack. However, the giant sword never cut Haosui. The moment it touched her body, the giant sword crumbled down and shattered.

The audiences get all excited because of the sight, while the man turns his eyes at Haosui as if just seeing an illusion.

Well, even I can do the same.

There was no Haosui’s figure at the end of a man’s line of sight because she had moved beside him. Then, with a fist that Haosui casually released, a man’s body flew somewhere to unknown place out of the town.

The audience understood that Haosui’s victory has been established, they raised a cry of celebration even without knowing about what was just happened.

[No less of “The World’s Strongest” .....Her strength is a real deal. Even I’m not sure I can win from her] (Grave)

[The World’s Strongest?] (Wazu)

I carelessly reacted to Grave-san’s murmur.

[Yeah, that’s Haosui-chan’s nickname. Just like “The Whirlwind” of mine] (Grave)

[I see] (Wazu)

Certainly, that was one of inhuman strength. Ordinary sword will crumble just by hitting her..... Let’s not think about myself.

More importantly where is Meru right now? Does it mean she is in Haosui’s place?

I restlessly look around the surrounding area but couldn’t find Meru’s figure. I thought whether I should ask Haosui directly.

Our lines of sight meet when I turn my eyes at Haosui. He stares for a moment and slowly approach me. She speaks words while standing on the stage in front of me.

[.....are you the person that child was talking about?] (Haosui)