An Adventurer Mom, Who Awakened [Housewife] Skill Through a Login Bonus, Is Making the Most of Her Adventurer Life With the Weekly Flyers She Gets! - Chapter 78

Once they were a short distance away from the hermitage, Kachua and Amami both exhaled deeply.

“Ah… that was scary.”

“It really was, kero.”

Grandpa Daruma was truly frightening.

The wrinkles on his brow, his eyes, and every other feature of his face looked sorrowful—yet for some reason, only his mouth was smiling.

“Well then, see you, Amami-chan.”

“D-dear guest, are you really going, kero?”

“Yes. Ah, can I ask you for a favor? If anyone says they’re looking for Kachua, could you tell them I went into the Tenth Spring?”

“Y-yes, I understand. I’ll be sure to tell them, kero.”

Amami nodded earnestly.

“All right, here I go.”

Parting ways with Amami, Kachua finally headed toward the scene of the disappearances—the women’s bath of the Tenth Spring.

Kachua’s heart pounded as she stepped into the empty changing room and slipped off her yukata.

She held her ladle and pot lid in her hands for self-defense, and tucked the stuffed puppet Usami into the pocket of her bathing robe, then quietly made her way toward the hot spring.

Among her stuffed puppets, the Kumakichi dolls would have been much more reliable as guards, but judging from their names and appearance, they seemed rather boyish.

Since the women’s bath was strictly off-limits to males, Kachua decided it would be best to bring only Usami with her.

After lightly washing her body at the washing area, it was finally time to bathe.

“Ahh, what a nice bath~”

The Tenth Spring, said to be the darkest of all in the Detox Hot Spring Village, certainly had an especially rich mineral content.

“I’m melting~”

Kachua, who had been stiff with tension until then, felt herself practically dissolving from the blissful warmth once she entered the bath.

For a moment she was completely entranced, but quickly snapped herself back to attention.

“Ah! This isn’t the time to be melting away—I need to look for clues!”

Kachua looked around, but there wasn’t a trace of the missing person, not even another soul nearby, and nothing in particular seemed suspicious.

After all, this was the same place that the frog girls and other female adventurers had already searched.

“Well, of course it wouldn’t be that easy to find” she muttered.

She continued her search for a while, but there seemed to be nothing at all.

There wasn’t even anyone who looked remotely like a culprit.

If she stayed in the bath any longer, she’d just end up overheating.

With a sigh, Kachua stepped out of the water.

Since she had come all this way, she decided to at least look around the area, and as she stepped out—not toward the changing room but into the surrounding grass—

“Shhhhhh!”

Right in front of Kachua’s eyes appeared a spider the size of a human fist!

And before she could even react, the spider leapt straight at her!

“Eeeek! A spiiiider!!”

Kachua screamed at the top of her lungs, gripping the ladle in her hand tightly.

＊＊＊

Boom!

With a loud explosion, flames suddenly burst from the women’s side of the Tenth Spring.

“Eh? Kachua-san?”

Amami turned around in shock.

Although she had already parted ways with Kachua earlier, she had been lingering nearby out of worry.

Could something have happened to Kachua?

“I’ll be right there, kero!”

Just as Amami was about to dash off, a blonde-haired woman called out to her in a panic.

“Hey, have you seen a human woman with chestnut-colored hair?”

It was the human woman who had been with Kachua earlier at the esthetics area.

“Y-you mean Kachua-san, kero?”

“Yes! Where is Kachua?”

“She’s at the Tenth Spring! I’ll take you there, kero!”

“Please!”

Meanwhile—

“Phew… ah, that was scary…”

Kachua wiped the sweat from her forehead.

She had accidentally defeated the attacking spider with her ladle’s full firepower.

Having survived countless battles together, Kachua and her ladle were perfectly in sync.

She could now control its power output without even speaking.

The spider had been reduced to ashes.

It was a complete overkill.

From Kachua’s pocket, Usami suddenly hopped out and began to dance.

A message appeared before her eyes:

『Puppet – Stuffed Toy Ballerina Usami activated: Rabbit Dance – Effect: Intelligence +10 for the team』

Then, an additional message followed.

『Message within the dance: (There’s a sound coming from the hermitage. It sounds like someone is suffering.)』

“Eh? The hermitage… that’s where Grandpa Daruma was, right?”

Usami nodded.

Being a rabbit plushie, it seemed she had excellent hearing.

When Kachua had seen him earlier, Grandpa Daruma had looked terrifying—but she couldn’t bring herself to ignore a sick old man who might be in pain.

“Let’s go,” Kachua said, turning toward the hermitage.

“Kachua!”

“Ah, Ann, Amami-chan.”

She met up with Ann and the others along the way.

“Kachua, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. But Usami says she heard sounds coming from the hermitage.”

“I see. Then let’s check it out. The others will be here soon too. They can’t enter the women’s bath, but the hermitage isn’t part of it, so it should be fine” Ann said, gripping her spear tightly as she slid open the hermitage’s door.

Kachua and Amami nervously peeked in from behind.

“Ah!”

Inside the dimly lit room, besides Grandpa Daruma, there were now two human women lying on the floor—women who hadn’t been there earlier.

They were wearing the same type of bathing robes as Kachua.

It was the missing guests!

“Ugh… Amami…”

Grandpa Daruma groaned weakly.

“G-Grandpa Daruma! Are you all right, kero?”

Amami hurriedly rushed over to him.

“Please, hang in there, kero!”

Amami supported the weakened old frog and gently shook him. The eerie smile that had been fixed on his face earlier was now gone.

He exhaled painfully and spoke in a strained voice.

“Y-you… defeated the spider… didn’t you?”

“Spider?” Ann tilted her head.

“Yes, the spider. The spider was controlling me. Those women were trapped all this time in the webs that had been spun across the ceiling of this hermitage.”

“Eh? Really?”

So the culprit behind the disappearances had been that spider monster.

According to the old man’s account, he had been suddenly attacked by the spider a month ago and had since been controlled by its threads.

Unable to move of his own will, he had become nothing more than a puppet under the spider’s command—an incredibly terrifying monster for its size.

The spider had been using him to lure in women, intending to flee the hot spring village with them. But before it could escape, the spring master, Lord Gama, had quickly sealed off the village—trapping it inside.

The spider, unable to escape, spread its web across the ceiling of the hermitage and hid the unconscious women within the shadows of the ceiling beams, waiting for the hot spring village’s lockdown to be lifted.

Naturally, the hermitage had also been investigated by the search teams, but the spider controlled Grandpa Daruma, forcing him to pretend to be bedridden.

Since the old man, under the spider’s control, truly looked gravely ill, it was impossible for anyone to suspect him.

Out of respect for his condition, the search teams didn’t check every corner of the room, and thus failed to notice the missing women hidden above the beams.

While waiting for the lockdown to be lifted, the spider’s next victim arrived—the mother from the『Friendly Family Group』.

The spider captured her as well, intending to seize the opportunity to both escape and hunt for more prey.

And then Kachua appeared.

The spider monster was terrifying in its ability to control others at will, but physically, it wasn’t all that strong.

Normally, the cautious creature would ensnare its victims in webs before attacking but because Kachua didn’t look particularly threatening, it must have underestimated her.

It attacked her head-on but when it came to her hatred of insects, Kachua was easily a thousand times more aggressive than usual.

She obliterated the attacking spider in a single blow, an utter overkill.

＊＊＊

“…And that’s how it happened, kero.”

Kachua and her companions were now inside the golden castle that could be seen from the hot springs—the Frog Castle’s main keep. There, they were being warmly received by Lord Gama, the master of the springs.

In the Eastern region, the seat of highest honor was said to be the elevated position with its back against the wall—and it was none other than Kachua and the Gamma Team who were seated there.

It was the treatment reserved for the highest-ranking VIPs.

As they enjoyed a feast of the hot spring village’s specialty, a traditional kaiseki meal, Kachua and her group listened to the explanation.

A short distance away sat the members of the『Silver Dawn Corps』and the『Friendly Family Group』.

Only Ann was missing—she was currently participating in a special post-bath『Frog Diet Fat-Burning Course』 program instead of joining the meal.

Grandpa Daruma had been a large frog but Lord Gama, the spring master, was even larger.

As expected of the hot spring king himself, he exuded a commanding presence—a truly powerful-looking Frog Lord.

“Thanks to all of you, we were able to locate the missing persons and save old Daruma as well. You have my deepest gratitude” said Lord Gama, bowing his head.

“Thank you very much”  Then, all the frogs seated in neat rows across the large tatami hall pressed their hands to the floor and bowed deeply, showing their utmost respect.

“Um, are the missing people and Grandpa Daruma safe?”

Kachua, worried, asked Lord Gama.

After the incident, she had seen everyone rush in and rescue them, carrying them away somewhere, but she hadn’t heard anything since then.

“They are quite weak, but their lives are not in danger. They should make a full recovery,” Lord Gama replied.

“I’m so glad…”

“Yeah” said Laura, both she and Kachua breathing sighs of relief.

“However, unfortunately, we still know nothing about the true identity or purpose of that monster.” Lord Gama said with a heavy sigh.

Because Kachua had defeated the culprit with a single blow, the incident was resolved but the spider’s motives remained a complete mystery.

Kachua couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about it.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s not your fault, Kachua-san” Bernhardt said.

“With unknown monsters, holding back could be dangerous.”

“That’s right. Safety first. I’m just glad you’re safe” Og and Rick added, speaking like seasoned warriors.

“That spider must have slipped in hidden among someone’s belongings. The hot spring village is usually peaceful, so we let our guard down” Lord Gama said regretfully.

Still, it would have been impossible to stay vigilant against something so small.

The『Friendly Family Group』and the『Silver Dawn Corps』planned to remain in the village a while longer until the rescued women made a full recovery.

Kachua and her companions were invited to stay as well—『as a token of gratitude』they were told—but since Ed and Barbara were waiting for them, they had to return home.

At their farewell, the members of the『Friendly Family Group』and the『Silver Dawn Corps』said,

“Thank you so much. We’ll definitely repay this debt. Just say the word, and we’ll do anything!”

“That’s right. We may not be good at fighting, but we’re confident in our inventions. If you’re ever in trouble, please call on us” they added, each expressing their gratitude and promising their help.

Then Lord Gama and the others stepped forward.

“It’s modest, but please accept this token of our appreciation,” Lord Gama said, handing Kachua a jar and a bottle filled with liquid.

“What’s this?”

“The jar contains Gama’s Oil—the pure essence of the restorative secretion we produce. It should be effective on nearly all wounds. Please make use of it.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

“The bottle, on the other hand, holds sacred water drawn from a spring deep within this hot spring village. It’s effective against illnesses and can even dispel curses. Unfortunately, it cannot remove a curse as powerful as the one afflicting this guest, however” he added, glancing toward Og.

“Thank you. I’ll use them with care.”

Both would surely be useful in her future adventures.

“Dear guest, please accept this, kero,” Amakichi said, handing her a sheet of paper.

Written on it were the words:【Detox Hot Spring Village – Frog Bath Unlimited Passport】.

“Please come visit us anytime. You’ll always be welcome—and of course, it’s free, kero.”

“Thank you, Amakichi-kun!”

“See you then!”

“Goodbye!”

“Thank you!”

Vowing to return someday, Kachua and her companions departed from the Detox Hot Spring Village,Frog Hot Spring.

＊＊＊

When Kachua returned from the dungeon, she hurried to pick up Barbara, and after that, it was time for dinner.

That evening’s meal was a delicious bento made by the frogs as a souvenir.

There were chimaki—steamed rice with fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves—along with savory dashi-flavored omelets, teriyaki chicken, and grilled fish. The meal was perfectly balanced with simmered vegetables for nutrition.

Even dessert was included: a dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet red bean paste.

It was a traditional Eastern-style menu—unusual to them, but seasoned in a way children would enjoy, and the two ate happily.

However, only two bentos sat on the table—Kachua’s portion was missing. Barbara looked at her curiously.

“Mom, where’s your dinner?”

“Mom already ate at the dungeon today” Kachua said with a smile.

“Eh, really?”

“Today, Mama and the others went to a frog hot spring. The frogs let us eat at their castle. Tonight’s meal was also a gift from them.”

“Eh? A frog hot spring?”

“There’s a place like that in the dungeon?”

Both children were brimming with curiosity about the frog hot spring.

“It was so much fun. We can’t go right now, but once you two are older and able to enter the dungeon, let’s all go together, okay?”

“Yeah!”

“We can go too?”

Barbara’s face lit up with excitement, but the clever Ed looked a little worried.

“Yes, everyone said they’d like to go together” Kachua replied.

It was on the fiftieth floor of the dungeon—a rather dangerous place—but all the members of her team had invited her to come again.

“Now then…”

After dinner, once she had tucked the children into bed, Kachua sat down to write a letter.

It was addressed to her husband, Alan, who was stationed at the border.

The situation there had slightly improved compared to before. Civilians still couldn’t enter, but letters and small packages could now be sent through.

According to Alan’s previous letter, a medicine made by Lady Minerva of the wealthy Garfa family had reached him and been a great help.

Alan didn’t go into much detail, but it was clear that fierce battles were still being fought on his side.

Kachua decided to send the frog jar she had received to Alan.

Everyone agreed with the idea without hesitation.

Since the hot spring’s effects had been so powerful, Lord Gama’s Oil would surely prove useful over there.

She packed it carefully, and as an extra gift, she included a few rabbit plushies she had mended herself since returning.

The bear puppets might have been more capable in combat, but sending dolls that might suddenly attack something didn’t seem wise—it could cause misunderstandings about her husband’s character at the front lines.

“Please stay safe… my dear” she whispered.

With that heartfelt wish, Kachua drifted off to sleep.