Ethan and I hurriedly composed ourselves after nearly crossing the line on the bed, and we made our way downstairs. Both of our faces were still flushed from the earlier tension as we entered the changing room. The villa’s manager, seemingly oblivious or purposefully ignoring the awkward atmosphere, calmly ushered us into the sa changing room.
‘Please place your clothes in this basket. I will have them washed, dried, and returned to your room by tomorrow morning.’
“Oh, is there only one bath...?”
‘Enjoy your ti, Lord Ethan and Miss Lilith.’
Screech.
“......”
“......”
It would be ridiculous to ask for two separate baths just because the mood felt awkward, especially after accepting their hospitality. So, in this odd atmosphere, Ethan and I slowly began undressing to prepare for our bath.
Thump.
‘Calm down, it’s not like this is the first ti you’ve shared a bath with Ethan.’
Thump, thump.
‘Besides, it’s not like anything ever happened in the bath before, aside from a few innocent monts of washing each other...’
As I tried to steady my racing heart, I took off my clothes layer by layer. It was sowhat comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one feeling overly self-conscious—Ethan was clearly dealing with similar feelings.
Once we placed our clothes in the basket and stepped into the bath, we simply sat across from each other, occasionally pouring warm water from the tub over our bodies.
Splash.
“......”
“......”
Splash, splash.
“......”
“......”
The tension between us was thick enough to cut. Though we were fully exposed to each other, neither of us had any intention of doing anything indecent. I had already fulfilled my goal of lifting Ethan’s spirits earlier, and as Ethan had pointed out, we were technically still in the middle of the necromancy class.
Despite the villa manager guiding us into the sa bath, it wasn’t as if either of us had co here with impure intentions.
Glance.
“......”
Peek, peek.
“......”
Still, no matter how much we tried, we couldn’t entirely suppress our curiosity. I found myself sneaking glances at Ethan’s body, and I could feel his eyes occasionally drifting toward as well. It was natural to be curious, wasn’t it? After all, we’d seen each other’s bodies many tis before, but this atmosphere made everything feel different.
Every now and then, when our eyes accidentally t, we both quickly looked away, startled.
‘It’s almost like Ethan is two different people—one when we’re doing indecent things, and another when we’re not.’
It was hard to say whether he was more innocent or more sly. I didn’t mind either side of him, though.
After hastily finishing the bath, trying to avoid prolonged eye contact, we slipped into the tub together briefly, mostly to soak in the warmth, before getting out. By the ti we returned to our room, the villa’s manager had already laid out fresh bedding for us.
‘As I ntioned earlier, I will be changing the bed sheets and blankets daily, even if they remain clean. Please feel free to use them without worry, Lord Ethan and Miss Lilith.’
“...Yes, thank you.”
“You can stop emphasizing that point now.”
The more the manager said not to worry about it, the more we couldn’t help but focus on it.
It occurred to that I should probably ask for the manager’s na. It felt odd to keep referring to her as just "manager."
“By the way, do you have a na, Miss Manager?”
‘I was created by Professor Mamari to manage this villa, so I was not given a proper na.’
“Then is there a title or na we could call you by? It feels a bit strange to keep calling you ‘manager.’”
‘My official designation is ‘Intellectual Spirit Villa Manager, Model 4.’’
“That’s a bit long for a na, don’t you think...?”
‘You may call Dina if you prefer.’
“Alright, Miss Dina.”
‘Yes, Miss Lilith.’
Though the na had nothing to do with the original designation, I chose not to question it.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
“Lilith, it’s coming from above!”
“I’ve got it, Lord Ethan!”
The next day of our necromancy class battle.
Ethan and I were once again in the thick of a fierce battle with another undead boss monster. This ti, it was a “Toxic Blood Ghoul,” a zombie-like creature with a body as hard as ice. Its tough body resisted most magic, and it had the added ability to use poisonous attacks, making it a difficult opponent without proper preparation.
But despite the danger, Ethan and I were handling it with relative ease, attacking it from both sides.
‘As long as you’re prepared, it’s not too hard.’
The ghoul’s body was so hard because of the poisonous blood flowing through it. By purifying the blood even temporarily, its tough body beca soft enough for a sword to pierce through.
Thunk!
‘Grahhh!’
The ghoul let out a pained cry as my third dagger struck it. Coated in a healing aura and blessed with a ‘Cleanse’ spell, the dagger was effective enough to slow it down. I couldn’t kill it outright, but my role was more about supporting Ethan than delivering the final blow.
“This is your chance, Lord Ethan!”
“Haaaaaah...!!”
With my signal, Ethan charged at the ghoul, his sword brimming with energy as he delivered the final blow. His blade cleaved the ghoul cleanly in two, severing it at the waist.
Slash!
‘Graahhh...!!’
“Now, Lord Ethan!”
As soon as the ghoul’s upper and lower halves separated, Ethan and I tossed our sealing magic stones. Just before it could regenerate, the ghoul was sealed away, with half of it trapped in each stone—just like with the Giant Skeleton the day before.
‘Toxic Blood Ghoul, you’re mine!’
I couldn’t help but feel a bit triumphant, holding the magic stone in my hand. Sealing monsters in stones like this reminded of those ani I watched in my previous life. It was funny how the ga Luminor Academy had so many little references like this.
With the second task completed, I felt a sense of relief wash over . The battle had been tough, but we had succeeded.
『Lilith has reached Level 34!』
It was nice that fighting bosses like this made leveling up so much faster. The Toxic Blood Ghoul was tricky to fight without soone like Lilith or Ceresta in the party, but with the right combination, the difficulty plumted. Of course, it had still been tough with just the two of us, when it normally required eight.
Even so, thanks to my support with the daggers, Ethan had been able to take full advantage and deliver the finishing blow.
“Phew, today went faster than I expected, Lilith.”
“Yes, we didn’t struggle nearly as much as yesterday, Lord Ethan.”
“We should be able to rest more tonight. Even though we’re working at night because of the class, I don’t think sleeping during the day is good for our condition.”
“I agree, Lord Ethan.”
It definitely felt better to get more rest after sundown. Ethan was managing, but after so many years as a morning person in my maid duties, I wasn’t used to sleeping during the day.
“Let’s ask Dina to prepare a al for us when we get back. We can eat quickly, have a nice bath, and then sleep until late afternoon tomorrow...”
“Lord Ethan?!”
Mid-sentence, Ethan suddenly winced in pain and clutched his arm. I rushed over to him, concerned, placing my hand on his left shoulder where he seed to be in pain.
“Lord Ethan, are you all right?!”
“I’m fine, Lilith. It’s nothing serious.”
“That didn’t sound like nothing, Lord Ethan. Please, be honest with .”
“...It’s just a slight ache in my left shoulder. Maybe from gripping my sword in a different way than usual...”
“......”
Usually, Ethan wielded a sword in each hand, but in the battles these past two days, he had used both hands to deliver the final blow. Now it seed he had strained his shoulder—a critical part of a swordsman’s body. Seeing him injured made feel a deep unease.
‘If only Ceresta were here, she could heal him right away...’
Unfortunately, Ceresta had gone off with another group for a different research class. There were no churches or healing facilities nearby either, leaving us with limited options for treatnt.
‘A healing potion can’t fix internal muscle damage, and wrapping it with bandages would take too long to heal...’
With the final assignnt looming tomorrow, we needed Ethan to recover by the end of the day. But I wasn’t sure how we could manage that.
With those worries in mind, I hurried back to the villa with Ethan, determined to find a way to help him.
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