Chapter 23: An Unexpected Encounter in the Demon Lord’s Bath

A tingling ache emanated from his chest.

Qiaolun awoke to find himself submerged in a vast bathing pool.

The wounds, immersed in the water, were mending at a visible pace.

In just a few short breaths, Qiaolun could no longer discern the searing pain of his fractured ribs.

“What miraculous pool water,” Qiaolun murmured.

“Though its healing speed isn’t as terrifying as Mandragora’s, I can distinctly feel the magic within my body surging.”

“Surely, this is safe to drink.”

Qiaolun possessed neither a magic eye capable of discerning mana content nor any related spells.

Nevertheless, he instinctively knew this pool water was not merely mending his injuries and nourishing his body; the mana it contained was so pure it could be directly absorbed into his magical circuits.

‘Fortunately, the Demon Lord didn’t kill me,’ he thought.

‘To be honest, when she truly got serious, a genuine terror of death had gripped me.’

Qiaolun’s aptitude was not particularly exceptional among humans.

Before enlisting in the Lord Hero’s army, he had initially intended to join the regular military, hoping to secure compensation and a soldier’s pay.

In his hometown, such a sum represented considerable wealth.

Remembering his sister, still attending school in Dawn City, and his mother back home, Qiaolun found himself utterly unwilling to sacrifice his life for some grand “human cause.”

Moreover, Qiaolun was still so young; he also yearned for a sweet romance of his own.

Just as Qiaolun, filled with curiosity, cupped the seemingly clear pool water to his lips, a subtle ripple began to spread on the other side of the swirling white mist.

“Who’s there?”

Qiaolun, now alert, rose to his feet, his injuries mostly healed, and moved towards the source of the disturbance.

Judging by the surrounding facilities, it was clearly a bathroom.

Back in the human realm, Qiaolun had heard that nobles would specially concoct precious potions to mix into their baths, using them to nourish their bodies and enhance their magic; he surmised that demons likely practiced similar customs.

Although Qiaolun’s original room had its own bathing facilities, this was his first time in this particular, grander area.

‘Perhaps it’s a demon attendant,’ he mused.

‘Surely there wouldn’t be a woman in the men’s bath.’

“Go tell the Demon Lord,” Qiaolun called out, his voice firm.

“Thanks to her, I’m almost fully recovered, and I’ll be leaving immediately.”

“I won’t speak of what happened here, nor will I divulge any information regarding the Demon Lord’s abilities.”

Possessing the ability to nullify magic was a truly terrifying power.

This implied that perhaps only the mightiest dragons could pose a threat to the Demon Lord; humanity, in her eyes, was likely negligible.

Qiaolun understood that the Demon Lord had deliberately incited the human realm to organize a Hero’s army to challenge her, and she had precisely anticipated his own enlistment.

This revealed that she had been observing him, meticulously crafting her scheme only after gaining a thorough understanding of his character.

Qiaolun would wisely keep his mouth shut, for he, and by extension his family, lived under the Demon Lord’s watchful eye.

‘I can’t believe this person actually wants to get close to someone as insignificant as me,’ he thought, a shiver running down his spine.

‘Before she gets bored, I must quickly leave the Demon Lord’s castle.’

A sudden splash of water erupted.

Qiaolun frowned in confusion.

‘Strange,’ he mused, ‘why would an attendant be in the water?’

A low, urgent whimper sounded again.

Qiaolun sensed something amiss.

“Who exactly are you…”

A sharp, delicate shriek echoed through the steamy air.

“Wait, Vivi…” a voice gasped.

“You… don’t do that there, ah…”

Feeling a tingling, numb sensation between her legs, Yunajin slumped weakly against the edge of the pool, her small black tail unconsciously stiffening straight.

The thick white mist was dispersed by Yunajin’s sharp cry.

Qiaolun finally discerned a succubus maiden sprawled at the pool’s edge not far from him.

Although her lower body was submerged in the water just like his, her still-dry hair indicated she had only just arrived.

Yunajin had her back to Qiaolun, but she twisted her head to glance at his stunned and surprised expression, a deeper flush spreading across her cheeks.

“Lord Hero, doesn’t this spring water taste rather good…” Yunajin offered, a forced smile attempting to mask her acute embarrassment.

“I…”

Rather than dwelling on the immediate awkwardness, Qiaolun was far more concerned with understanding why she was even here.

‘What is going on?’ he thought, bewildered. ‘A communal bath? I’m a man, damn it!’

It had to be said that Yunajin’s smooth, flawless back effortlessly captured Qiaolun’s gaze the moment his eyes fell upon it, and the glimpse of her small, delicate side profile only further fueled his imagination.

A series of small bubbles erupted beside Yunajin.

Qiaolun immediately averted his gaze.

“Did you just fart?!”

He instinctively covered his mouth, a sudden wave of nausea washing over him as he recalled the water he had just consumed, even if the other party might not have done anything at that exact moment.

“No… not really,” Yunajin replied, her hand reaching down into the pool.

This suggestive gesture made Qiaolun lose his composure, and he simply plunged his head underwater to cool down.

“Vivi, that’s enough, ugh…”

A blob of grey Slime crawled up Yunajin’s arm and settled onto her shoulder.

“Next time you’re this mischievous, I’ll have to punish you!”

“But you told me to clean the dead spots thoroughly,” Vivi said innocently.

“What dead spots?” Yunajin retorted.

“From now on, you’ll follow my direct orders!”

Yunajin lightly flicked Vivi’s soft body, having clearly not anticipated the Slime’s cleaning power to be quite so… effective.

“Lord Hero, you can lift your head now,” Yunajin announced.

Qiaolun rose, preparing to flee, but as he took a single step, a sudden realization of something amiss halted him.

“Whoa~”

“Damn it!”

Qiaolun, like a bashful child, quickly retreated back into the water.

“Did you see that, Vivi?” Yunajin exclaimed, her small face alight with an excited expression. “That thing looked quite impressive!”

Being a succubus, she was, after all, revealing a bit of her true nature.

“I wouldn’t know,” Vivi replied. “We Slimes don’t have those.”

Hearing them discuss such a topic, Qiaolun, his face flushed with acute embarrassment, abruptly interrupted them.

“Stop talking, Demon Lord, what is the meaning of this?” he demanded, his voice tight.

“Even prisoners are entitled to their private space.”

“Don’t you feel any shame doing this?”

“Er, you have a point,” Yunajin conceded.

“Then why don’t you quickly…”

“But this is my exclusive private bathroom, you see,” Yunajin said, placing a finger to her lips, her light-red eyes gazing at him flirtatiously as she chuckled.

“In other words, you’re the intruder here.”

Qiaolun, looking utterly resigned, stared blankly at Yunajin.

“Alright, alright,” she said, a playful smile still lingering. “You’re no fun. I won’t tease you anymore.”

“Feeling much better now?” Yunajin asked.

“The ribs you fractured are now mended,” Qiaolun replied dryly.

Qiaolun still vividly remembered when the Demon Lord had casually struck him with her sword hilt.

Though he had managed to block the blow with his own weapon, the force had been so immense that it had traveled through his sword, impacting his chest with jarring intensity.

“You were injured too?” Qiaolun scoffed. “I don’t believe it.”

He didn’t believe she was merely here for a bath, but he found it even harder to believe that the Demon Lord would require this pool water to heal or replenish her magic.

“Oh, I was, I was!” Yunajin chirped.

Beneath the newly rising mist, the maiden’s figure was vaguely visible.

Yunajin raised her arm, attempting to show Qiaolun her “scars.”

“No, no, no! I’m not looking!”

Qiaolun averted his face.

He was, after all, a gentleman, and he could at least maintain his basic rationality.

A profound silence descended upon the spacious bathroom, broken only by the incessant dripping of water in their ears.

“Lord Hero, aren’t you going to leave first?”

“I feel a little shy with you here.”

‘Oh, so you *can* feel embarrassed!’

“Just take your bath normally,” Qiaolun grumbled, annoyed. “With all this mist, neither of us can really see the other.”

“But one of us has to leave first, right?” Yunajin’s eyes brightened. “Unless you want to stay together?”

She seemed quite pleased by the idea.

“No, thank you.”

“Ladies first.”

“How rude! You want to see me naked!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Fine… then let’s just stay here and see who gives up first!”

“Fine by me! I’m not afraid of you!”