落とし穴３８堀：そこに女湯があるから 祭り始まる (Part1)
### Pitfall 38: Because the Women's Bath is There, the Festival Begins
"Alright, you men who want to peek at the women's bath, are you ready?!"
Ratz shouted at the top of her lungs, completely unconcerned about her pregnant belly.
" " "Ooooohhh—!!" " "
The men, ever faithful to their desires, roared back in response.
"Now, I shall explain the rules. If you don't follow them, I’ll feed you to the dragons. Take that to heart. Since you’re being granted a legitimate opportunity to peek at the women's bath, it’s only natural that breaking the rules will result in such a fate."
As Ratz said this, a massive, earth-shaking roar echoed from somewhere near where we were standing.
*Gyaaaaah!!*
"Well, as you can see, I’ve summoned the Dark Dragon, the hidden boss of my dungeon. If you think you can make it past him, be my guest."
"And for good measure, I’ve assigned a Lich from my dungeon, Eris’s Dungeon, to the defense team, so you’ll have to take care of that as well."
As Eris spoke, several pillars of fire erupted simultaneously from the direction of the women's bath.
*A Fire Tornado from a Lich.*
I hope she didn't bring out her favorite named Lich. I’d like to believe it’s just a standard Fire Tornado from multiple Liches.
"Like this, it’s physically impossible for anyone but you, Yuki-oniisan, to break through, so I recommend taking the 'peeping route'."
"Furthermore, the elite female knights from each nation are on guard duty. If you want to die physically or socially, feel free to try."
No, Eris, usually when you die physically, that’s the end of it... Ah, I see. Even after death, the tombstone will be engraved with 'Died while peeping.' Eris, you’re a cruel girl.
Also, Ratz, please stop hyping me up in such a public place. Both for the sake of information security and my own personal safety.
"It seems your wives hold you in high regard, Yuki. Or perhaps that means they’ll let you pass through the front gate normally?"
"I believe both are possible, Prince Teague. Yuki-dono is just that kind of person."
"Ho, he showed me brilliant strategic insight back in Gartz, but it seems that wasn't all there was to him."
See? Prince Teague next to me is watching with intense interest. I really don't want to be sent to Gartz later. Seraria and the rest of my wives are due to give birth soon, and I’m already busy managing the city on the New Continent. The idea of going to Gartz on top of that is just plain stupid.
Besides, for someone like me who has plenty of beautiful wives, this whole "peeping event" is meaningless. I never expected to be dragged into an event like this myself.
"Well then, enough with the threats, let’s explain the rules."
"Yes, indeed. I know you all understand, but I will state the rules clearly here. No claiming you didn't hear them later, and no looking for loopholes. Please act within the bounds of the rules and common sense."
"Now, the final goal of this festival is to peek at the women's bath. The goal for the women's side is to slaughter the low-life scum who come to peek."
No, don't slaughter them. Having people die at a festival is the worst.
"With that said, the men are set up to peek at the women's bath from the back."
"Traps that are normally impossible to bypass have been installed, but this time, the layout varies by country, and the number of traps has been limited so that they can be cleared."
"Therefore, the peeping group will start from 3km behind the women's bath. If you can break through that distance in 30 minutes, you will have successfully peeked at the women's bath."
"You won't be kicked out the moment you peek, so don't worry about that. Well, for about 30 minutes, anyway. Of course, if you lay a hand on anyone, we’ll throw you in the dungeon and execute you in accordance with Weed’s laws and the laws of your respective nations."
Yeah, is there even a need to consult the laws? You already said "execute"!!
"You are free to take a detour or go straight ahead. However, there are traps everywhere, so be careful. Teleportation traps will send you back to the starting point, so if you get caught in them repeatedly, you’ll run out of time."
"Well, since you’re participating in a peeping event, I assume you have energy to spare. That shouldn't be a concern. Also, please refrain from tripping each other up. It’s boring for those watching, and if you do that, you’ll be disqualified immediately. We have goblins monitoring, as well as Ria and Jessica on guard duty, so I don't think you’ll be able to get away with it, but please follow the rules."
So that’s why those two were standing apart—they were on guard duty. Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had some free time, so I might as well take it easy.
"Hey, Boss, I’m supposed to be your bodyguard, you know."
"Alright, Steve. Pretend to guard me and let me slip through."
"No way! The wives will kill me!!"
"It’s fine. You’re strong. You’re still a good match for Seraria or Deryu, right? You might even pick up a win. You won't die."
"That’s only if we ignore the rules and my salary!! That’s a losing bet!! Besides, those two are on guard duty, but they’re keeping a close eye on you, Boss. Isn't it impossible to escape?"
"That’s what you’re going to handle, Steve. Think about your name."
"Huh? Why are you bringing up my name?"
"According to the rules—or rather, in Weed—carrying weapons is prohibited. Neither I nor you have any weapons for this event."
"That’s a given."
"Listen, the name 'Steve' belongs to a legendary craftsman who could fell trees, dig up the earth, and create tools with his bare hands."
"No, that’s impossible."
What a boring guy.
"The explanation of the rules is over. Everyone, please return to the Adventurer's Guild for now. It is time for the women to set up the traps."
As Eris said this, the participants looked at the "peeping path" they would soon be walking and headed back to the Adventurer's Guild. Since the main participants were adventurers, the guild had agreed to provide a resting place. In truth, the guild probably wanted to participate in the public disclosure and sale of these traps.
"Oh, Yuki-san."
When I showed my face at the guild, Ovik noticed me and approached. He was a refreshing, handsome, and highly skilled adventurer who had decided to settle down in Weed as an exclusive. Since this area was a unique zone with mountains of dungeons, the guild wanted more exclusives besides Mauve and his group. It turned out to be perfect, as Ovik and his team were looking for a place to settle down anyway.
"So, being here... are you participating in the peeping?"
"No way. I’m on the Adventurer's Guild side. Besides, I just married Lari. I wouldn't do something like that."
*Tch.* I thought the number of married men peeping would increase. As he said, Ovik had married his partner, Lari. Seeing our wedding, Ovik had held a ceremony for Lari in a beautiful wedding dress, which I thought was quite gentlemanly of him.
"That’s right. Ovik wouldn't do something so perverted."
Lari appeared from the side, taking Ovik’s arm. That raised a question. In this world, as long as you have the economic means, you can marry multiple partners. Ovik shouldn't have any economic issues. Yet, he didn't seem to have multiple wives.
"Hey, Ovik, don't you have any other wives?"
I asked, just out of curiosity. Looking at the two of them, they seemed to be deeply in love with just each other.