Chapter 4: An Unexpected Bath

‘Home’ was mentioned, but in this border town, Eve didn’t truly possess such a thing.

Well, alright. While it might sound a little harsh, it was undeniably the truth.

Xiluo’er recalled the plotline in her mind. The city she currently resided in, the Border City, Cana City, was the southernmost city in this country.

Beyond Cana City, extending further south, lay an endless expanse of forest.

As for the protagonist, Eve, at this point in the story, it hadn’t been long since she was bestowed the title of “Hero.” She had arrived in this city after the Lord of Cana City entrusted a mission to the Adventurer’s Guild.

In Cana City, Eve was staying directly in a room provided by the Adventurer’s Guild for its members.

At least in the game, the save point for this map was precisely the Adventurer’s Guild.

A thought surfaced, and Xiluo’er shook her head.

The events unfolding in Cana City were far from simple.

Eve would not encounter anything lighthearted or pleasant here; moreover, she would even cross paths with the traitor, Xiluo.

But what did any of this have to do with their Xiluo’er?

Xiluo’er simply wanted to flee once her injuries healed; she didn’t wish to spend another second by Eve’s side.

After cautiously dipping one foot into the bathtub to test the water temperature, Xiluo’er slowly lowered her entire body into the hot water.

Naturally, Xiluo’er kept her bandaged arm out of the water.

‘Forget it,’ she thought. ‘No more worrying about these things. First, a peaceful hot bath.’

“Huuuh…”

A soft moan escaped her lips instinctively, but Xiluo’er quickly covered her mouth.

‘No, that sounded… terrible.’

Since transmigrating, Xiluo’er wasn’t yet accustomed to her current body, especially since she was now a girl.

‘Wait a minute,’ she mused, ‘If I’m bathing right now…’

After a soft cough, Xiluo’er’s gaze uncontrollably drifted downwards.

‘It’s my own body, after all. I’ll get used to it sooner or later.’

Just then, a gentle knock echoed from outside the door.

“Xiluo’er, are you in there?”

It was Eve’s voice.

“Ah, I am…”

Before Xiluo’er could finish her sentence, Eve pulled open the bathroom door and walked straight in, her expression utterly blank.

Between the two of them, only steam obscured the view. Startled, Xiluo’er instinctively covered her lower body with her uninjured arm.

However, she quickly remembered something else and used her other hand to shield her chest simultaneously.

‘How could this person just walk in while someone else is bathing!’

Eve, however, did not react with the same alarm as Xiluo’er. After a brief glance in Xiluo’er’s direction, Eve calmly walked over to the mirror and began to coil her long, white hair into a bun.

Only then did Xiluo’er realize that her reaction had been overly dramatic.

‘In Eve’s eyes, since they’re both girls, it probably doesn’t matter, right?’

Of course, Eve simply assumed Xiluo’er was a bit shy and timid around strangers.

“The Adventurer’s Guild still needs to process your check-in. My apologies for making you wait so late to bathe.”

Dressed in light-colored loungewear, Eve spoke somewhat indistinctly, a hair tie held between her teeth.

Xiluo’er merely shook her head.

Although Eve possessed a “three-no” personality (no expression, no emotion, no desire), her true nature was kind. It was simply that the plot of *The Hero’s Adventure Tale* was exceptionally dark, profound, and cruel, ultimately molding Eve into that cold and ruthless character.

Naturally, the dark, profound, and cruel aspects of the plot were also inextricably linked to Xiluo’er’s original character.

Eve had already coiled her long hair at the back of her head. After a slight adjustment, she nodded in satisfaction and then walked directly towards Xiluo’er.

“Eve-sis… Sister?” Xiluo’er gasped, startled. “You…”

“To help you bathe.”

Eve’s slightly detached tone made her words sound utterly self-evident. She gestured towards Xiluo’er’s arm, which was suspended outside the water, and continued.

“It must be very inconvenient for you to bathe like this, isn’t it?”

Xiluo’er conceded that it was indeed a little inconvenient, but she would rather endure the inconvenience than have Eve help her bathe.

Facing Eve while naked was quite stressful for her, and a little… embarrassing.

Yet, though she opened her mouth, Xiluo’er uttered nothing. Eve had already taken a towel from the side without a word.

It seemed her refusal or acceptance no longer mattered.

****

Xiluo’er was indeed a very cute child.

Eve realized this anew.

It might not have been so obvious when she was cloaked in a tattered hood and covered in grime, but once those coverings were removed, Xiluo’er revealed herself as a pearl veiled in dust—a petite and adorable girl hidden beneath ragged clothes.

With long black hair and a delicate frame, her violet eyes always gazed timidly, holding an expression that was hard to distinguish between wariness and fear.

Perhaps it was due to suffering too many wounds, despite being such a small girl.

Such a frail body; fortunately, she hadn’t sustained any serious injuries from the collision today.

Still, was it truly such a petite girl who had suddenly appeared before the carriage, clad in a tattered cloak?

‘It felt like it should have been someone a little larger…’

‘Nevermind,’ she thought. ‘I probably misjudged the situation, given how sudden it all was.’

Eve shook her head, wiping Xiluo’er’s back with the towel, taking the opportunity to observe the girl before her.

“Xiluo’er, how old are you this year?”

“Fifteen, I think.”

Xiluo’er’s reply surprised Eve. She had initially thought this frail girl was only eleven or twelve.

‘Could it be due to years of wandering and insufficient food, leading to stunted development?’

Eve’s gaze drifted past Xiluo’er’s long hair, landing on a certain less-than-ample area of her chest.

However, Xiluo’er hadn’t lied.

The original owner of this body was indeed around fifteen or sixteen years old.

Xiluo’er had indeed been an orphan since childhood.

Yet, her childhood wasn’t spent in an orphanage. A cult had secretly adopted these orphans, training them into assassins through incredibly cruel methods.

Many children were tortured to death during this process; those who survived could only reside in the shadows.

Xiluo’er was one such survivor.

After transmigrating, Xiluo’er retained some of the body’s original memories. Those blood-stained, painful recollections permeated her soul, carried through this very body.

‘But…’

‘Who knew what Freya, that unreliable goddess, had done? After turning into a girl, this body appeared significantly younger than its actual age.’

‘Her physique was simply too petite!’