I woke up to the sound of loud snoring. Liriel was sprawled out on the bed next to mine, still clutching that magical wine glass that never emptied. The inn was cheap, with thin walls and a musty smell that didn't help my mood. My wallet was empty, save for a few coins that wouldn't even buy stale bread. After the herb disaster, I needed money. And, if I'm being honest, a moment of peace to figure out how to have a normal life in this world—maybe even a chance with someone, if that was even possible with these three around. Just thinking about Liriel, Elara, and Vespera gave me chills.
"Wake up, you useless goddess," I said, nudging Liriel. She mumbled something about a "divine throne" and rolled over. I gave up and headed to the guild alone, the morning sun beating down hard.
At the guild, the quest board was packed. Hunting wolves seemed risky, escorting caravans was boring. Then I spotted a notice that looked perfect: "Protect hot springs from monster toads. Reward: 50 silver coins, plus a free bath." A hot bath sounded like a dream, and the job seemed simple. My mistake.
I went back to the inn and dragged Liriel along, still grumbling. Elara and Vespera appeared out of nowhere, as if they could smell trouble. Elara, with her glowing staff, said, "I can use ice magic to freeze those toads. Just… not for long." Vespera, adjusting her bow and light armor that barely hid her succubus aura, grinned. "I'll charm them and shoot. Or at least try." Liriel huffed. "This is mortal work, not for me. But since I'm here, I'll fix everything with my divine magic."
I tried to keep the group focused. "It's just killing some toads and taking a bath. No explosions, no stray arrows, no weird magic. Got it?" The three looked at me like I'd asked for the impossible.
We arrived at the hot springs, a place surrounded by smooth stones and steam rising from the water. The tavern owner nearby, a chubby guy named Torin, greeted us with a suspicious smile. "You're those flashy adventurers, right? Heard about the fiasco in the field." My face burned. The farmer's gossip had already spread. Torin was the type who loved a good story, and I could tell he'd make our reputation worse. "The monster toads are small but sticky. Don't destroy my springs, please," he said, pointing to a natural pool where something was moving in the water.
"Relax, we've got this," I said, trying to sound confident. Deep down, I knew this was going to go wrong.
The moment we stepped into the spring area, the toads appeared. They were the size of cats, with shiny green skin and bulging eyes. They looked harmless—until they started leaping and sticking to everything. Elara raised her staff. "Ice magic, activate!" A freezing ray hit a toad, turning it into an ice cube. But before she could celebrate, she dropped to her knees, gasping. "Mana… gone…" she muttered, collapsing into the water with a splash.
Vespera, laughing like she was at an amusement park, tried her succubus charm. "Come here, little monsters!" It worked too well. A dozen toads leaped onto her, covering her in slime. "Yes, hit me!" she shouted, thrilled, as she flailed. She grabbed her bow and shot an arrow that flew straight into a tree, ten meters off target. I tried to yell at her to stop, but another arrow whizzed past my head.
"Liriel, do something!" I begged. With an air of superiority, she raised her hands. "Divine purification magic!" The spring water started bubbling, getting way too hot. "Oops, overdid it," she said as steam rose and the spring turned into scalding soup. I tried fighting with a borrowed guild sword, but the toads were slippery. I slipped on a rock, fell into the hot water, and felt my clothes start to dissolve. "Not again!" I yelled, trying to cover what I could.
The worst came when Liriel tried to fix the mess. "Another spell, this time it'll work!" What came was a glow that, for some reason, made our clothes transparent—again. Elara, still out of mana, was slumped on the shore, her robe clinging to her body. Vespera, covered in toads, didn't seem to care, laughing as she fired more useless arrows. I, swimming in boiling water, tried to hide behind a rock. That's when the spring overflowed, and a hot wave flooded Torin's tavern.
Customers screamed, tables flipped, and Torin appeared at the door, looking ready to murder us. "You destroyed my tavern!" he roared. The crowd stared, pointing at our half-dissolved clothes. Someone yelled, "The hot spring perverts!" and the nickname stuck instantly. I tried to explain it was an accident, but Torin was already spreading the story to other adventurers, with details that never happened.
We returned to the guild with five dead toads, enough for a minimal reward. But after deducting the tavern damages, we owed 20 coins. I sat at the inn with a watery beer while Liriel sipped her magic wine. "This is your fault, Takumi. Who picks a goddess as a skill?" she said, nearly falling off her chair.
Elara, still pale, promised to train her mana but didn't sound convinced. Vespera, scratched up from the toads, grinned. "That was fun. Next time, I want to get hit more." I rolled my eyes. My head was spinning, thinking about how to pay the debt and avoid more humiliation. Then, Liriel, half-drunk, let slip: "You know, I heard Torin talking about a Demon King's general lurking around. But that's mortal business, right?" Before I could ask, she passed out, spilling her glass.
I stared at the ceiling. A Demon King's general? That was way too big for me. All I wanted was a hot bath and, maybe, a normal date someday. But with these three, my life seemed doomed to a cycle of disasters and rumors. How was I going to survive this world?