After eating and drinking their fill, the two followed the broad stone stairs deep into the castle's ground floor.
They pushed open a heavy wooden door, and a cloud of white steam washed over them.
"What is this..." Joern instinctively stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the sight before him.
It was a rustic but fully equipped hot spring pool.
The surrounding floor had a rammed-earth foundation edged with stone bricks. There were no lavish decorations, only the most practical construction.
Natural geothermal heat warmed the pool, sending fine clouds of steam rolling through the hall. They could faintly hear the water bubbling.
A faint mineral scent mingled with the warm, moist air.
Outside the castle, freezing winds still howled, but indoors felt like another world.
But soaking in a hot spring in a place like the Northern Frontier?!
That was enough to make people more envious than owning a gold deposit!
"Boss..." Joern took off his coat as he spoke, his voice dripping with envy. "You actually have a place like this in your fief?"
Louis stood beside him, smiling lazily.
"Just a lucky break." He brushed it off casually, though his face betrayed unmistakable smugness.
Joern had already stepped into the pool, nearly moaning with pleasure. "Ah! Now this is how people should live..."
The warm spring water seeped into every frozen muscle, driving out the chill bit by bit until even his bones felt warm.
It could not compare with the luxurious bathhouses in the Imperial Capital, with their ornate carvings and fragrant air.
Yet the hot spring's rugged, primitive atmosphere had a unique charm of its own.
"Ah... if only I could soak here every day. Now this is the life of a noble..." Joern leaned against the edge of the pool, his