The *Kriemhild*.
Looking at the strange ship before him, its entire bow plunged into the ground, Ziger, who had never seen such a thing before, didn't know where to start asking—there were too many questions in his mind.
Brynhildr proactively broke the brief silence.
[Could you help me with something, brave warrior?]
"...What is it?"
[Please pull the *Kriemhild* out.]
"Huh?"
This request made Ziger dumbfounded for a moment. He subconsciously looked up at the *Kriemhild*, which was even taller than the large bell towers in cities. Just looking at it, one could tell it was impossibly heavy. Now, asking him to pull this ship out of the ground... like pulling a radish?
"I don't have that much strength."
[It's fine. You just need to strike here.]
Brynhildr walked to the bow of the *Kriemhild* and pointed at a specific spot.
[According to calculations, if an impact is applied here, the *Kriemhild* will tilt and fall due to its own weight. So, please attack here with full force. Don't worry about damaging the *Kriemhild*, as it will need repairs afterward anyway.]
Since it will be repaired later anyway, might as well break it a bit more now?
This approach left Ziger momentarily unsure how to respond. But since Brynhildr said so, he also walked to the spot she indicated, gathered strength, and kicked it with all his might!
*Boooooom~~~~!*
The striking sensation, as if hitting a large water vat, and the resulting shockwave made Ziger's leg tremble several times, causing him to stagger back a few steps. Before him, just as Brynhildr said, due to Ziger's kick, the already somewhat tilted *Kriemhild* immediately leaned further, and combined with its own weight—
*CRAAAAAAAAASH————————!*
With a sound of crashing into the earth and a cloud of sand and dust billowing into the sky, the *Kriemhild* landed quite heavily on the ground.
[Thank you very much, warrior.]
Brynhildr smiled.
[The *Kriemhild* is equipped with complete living facilities inside. Let me take you in to clean up.]
"Pfft pfft pfft... Okay, sure—pfft pfft!"
Having been splattered with dirt from being too close and now covered in dust from head to toe, Ziger spat out the dirt in his mouth as he followed Brynhildr towards the lowered hatch door.
The moment he stepped inside the *Kriemhild*—
"—!"
The scene presented before Ziger's eyes made him freeze in place instantly.
Although the *Kriemhild*'s exterior was quite massive, its interior space should logically be large as well. But even with that in mind, Ziger had underestimated its internal space—the corridor was as wide as a town street. On the walls extending on both sides were glass panels he completely couldn't understand and text that left him utterly perplexed.
The number of doors was also absurdly high. He could see a door almost at regular intervals, but none had handles.
Moreover, the ceiling overhead emitted light brighter than a normal bulb, bringing a hint of warmth.
[Welcome aboard the *Kriemhild*, warrior.]
Like the mistress of the place, Brynhildr smiled at Ziger.
[This is one of the four main passageways of the *Kriemhild*. Simply walking straight ahead will lead to the central control room. But before that, please come this way.]
Arriving before a door, Brynhildr touched the glass panel beside it a few times, and the door opened before Ziger. The interior layout looked like... probably a bathroom? But its scale differed too much from Ziger's concept of a bathroom; it was even larger than a Dragon Hunters' guild hall!
[This is the bathing area. Please clean yourself properly here.]
Brynhildr spoke while pressing a few times on another glass panel beside the door.
[I have set a suitable water temperature for you. You simply need to enter the bath over there and wash. Towels for drying are here. A change of clothes will be delivered automatically shortly.]
"O-okay..."
The quite thoughtful arrangements made Ziger somewhat uncomfortable.
[Then, I will wait outside until you finish bathing. Afterward, I will take you to the central control room.]
After saying this, Brynhildr exited the bathroom, leaving Ziger alone in the vast space.
Walking around and scanning the entire bathroom interior, Ziger couldn't help but sigh. "It's really... ridiculously large. A ship actually has so much space inside..."
Compared to this, Ziger felt the towns and villages he had lived in seemed like garbage dumps. They were simply in different leagues, with no comparison at all.
(Although it's hard to believe, but if it's just taking a bath...)
After taking off his clothes, which were filthy beyond belief, Ziger stepped into the large bath at the innermost part of the room.
"Mmm~~~~ This water..."
The temperature was quite suitable, not too hot nor cold. Additionally, perhaps because it had been too long since his last bath, Ziger felt as if a comfortable sensation enveloped his entire body, making him involuntarily sink bit by bit until his whole body was submerged in the bath.
[Commencing comprehensive inspection.]
In a place Ziger couldn't see, these words suddenly appeared on the wall opposite the bath.
[Physical condition: good. Mental condition: suboptimal. Presence of some degree of internal injuries. Initiating body repair functions.]
Brynhildr hadn't explained to Ziger that this bathroom, besides being for cleaning, also had therapeutic functions. Even injuries that were immediately fatal, as long as death hadn't occurred more than 24 hours ago and the body was relatively intact, not reduced to unrecognizable fragments, could be completely healed by soaking inside for a period.
Of course, Ziger, completely immersed in the bath, couldn't detect this. He only felt an unprecedented comfort.
And then...
——————————————————————
Three hours later.
"I... I'm really sorry..."
In the corridor of the *Kriemhild*, Ziger, now wearing a new set of clothes, looked down with a flushed face, apologizing as he followed Brynhildr. "I didn't think I'd fall asleep in the bath... making you wait outside for over three hours... I'm truly sorry!"
[Please don't worry about it, warrior. It's a common occurrence.]
[I can understand your behavior. Several previous contractors had similar actions. According to usage records, the longest bathroom use time was 19 system hours. In comparison, you were quite restrained—Do the clothes fit well?]
"Uh... yeah, they fit."
Ziger touched the clothes he was wearing—rather than fitting well, it was more like they were made precisely to his body measurements. The texture felt better than any fabric he knew, with no visible signs of how they were sewn. Additionally, after Brynhildr fished him out of the bathroom earlier, she sprayed him several times with various strange sprays. His hair was also messed with for quite a while with a comb and a machine that blew hot air.
To the point where he now somewhat couldn't recognize if the person in the mirror was really him.
[I have sent your original clothes for cleaning and mending. I will take you to retrieve them later.]
"Thank you..."
[You're welcome. Living quarters are also part of dragon slaying. A comfortable living environment helps stabilize a warrior's mind and aids physical recovery. Maintaining 100% condition at all times allows for better dragon slaying—We're here.]
After walking through several intersections, Brynhildr stopped before a door at the end of the corridor and placed her hand on the touch-sensitive glass panel beside it.
*Whoosh——————!*
The door slid upward.
A space smaller than the bathroom but with denser, more compact arrangements, resembling a vehicle cockpit, appeared before Ziger's eyes.
[This is the central control room. All operations concerning the *Kriemhild* can be performed here. The absolute nerve center of the *Kriemhild*.]
[The woman in the pilot's seat, now in eternal slumber, is my previous contractor.]
Brynhildr turned the pilot's seat towards Ziger.
Sitting on it was an elderly woman who appeared quite aged.