Chapter 92: Grumbling in the Bath
“Afyaaaaaa~~~~~”
When I sank into the piping hot bath Bach-san had prepared, a rather old-man-like sound escaped my lips.
Seriously, baths are the best!
“Still, though…”
I looked down at my own body, which had turned a dusky color. It used to be a translucent white, but after being bathed in dragon’s blood, my skin color had changed. How strange.
It doesn’t seem to be a case of the dragon’s blood poison not being fully purged. I’ve checked myself over and over and found no injuries or illnesses, and even the court mages and court apothecaries examined me and said there were no problems.
“Well, I guess my skin color doesn’t really matter.”
And there are other parts that have changed. My eyes. My red irises now had pupils that were vertically slit, like a reptile’s. On top of that, the color of my irises themselves seems to have gotten a bit darker. A dark, blood-like red.
My skin color is still within the human range, but my eyes are a definite no-go. There aren’t any humans with eyes like these, are there? What is this? Could they be dragon eyes? How did this happen?
“Haaah…”
Somehow, even though I went to the trouble of defeating a dragon, the future looks fraught with difficulties. It’s not like a witch trial, but what if I get persecuted? I’ll cry, you know?
“What am I gonna do about this? And hey, am I even still human?”
I just don’t know…
In the first place, there was no event like this in the game, was there? Why would bathing in dragon’s blood cause something like this?
There are so many things I don’t understand.
“Well, I guess it can’t be helped now… It’s not like I can go back…”
But, there’s one thing I’ve noticed. Apparently, these eyes have pretty good vision. Compared to my original eyes, things look so much clearer and sharper, it’s obvious at a glance. I could even count every single one of the Headmaster’s fine wrinkles.
Well, the impact of my appearance is a concern, but the fact that they’re enhanced is a welcome point.
As for the rest of my body, there might be some other changes too, so I’ll look into that gradually.
“Ahhhhhh, heave-ho.”
Speaking of which, I hear the academy will be temporarily closed for a while. The school buildings suffered damage, and the grounds were contaminated by the dragon’s blood.
Besides, we can’t use the grounds until we do something about that giant dragon’s corpse.
Regarding the dragon’s materials, it’s not confirmed yet, but it looks like we, the ones who defeated the dragon, will get them. Dragon scales, fangs, and claws, of course, but even its meat and blood are apparently high-grade materials. They say there’s no part of a dragon that goes to waste.
The sale price for all that… It’s said it could build ten or twenty castles. Well, it’s an astronomical sum, that’s for sure.
With that much money, I could develop my domain no matter how badly I mess up.
I pictured the faces of the Baumgarten domain’s people. I’ll let them live in luxury too!
Somehow, I’ve been blessed with good fortune regarding money since coming to the Royal Capital. I hope it continues.
I think it’s safe to say I’ve graduated from being a poor noble.
“Now then, the academy will be closed, so what should I do?”
If possible, I’d like to go on a trip or something. This world is the setting for Legend of the Magic Sword. It’s not exactly a holy site pilgrimage, but there are many places I’d like to visit.
Also, going to other countries might be nice. The food and culture of another world are appealing, right?
I only know about this world through Legend of the Magic Sword, after all.
Thanks to that, I have several key pieces of information about the Evil God, but I’m ignorant about things like the climate and customs of these countries. I couldn’t even travel abroad in my previous life, and there’s still time before the Evil God revives. An elegant trip sounds like a very good idea.
“Come to think of it, what about him…”
I’d like to go on a trip, but there’s also a problem I can’t quite take my eyes off.
It’s about Reinhardt, the game’s protagonist.
In the game, the adventure part starts right after the academy assault event. Reinhardt would gather companions, hunt monsters to grow his Gift, and this is when the real preparations for his journey begin.
There are plenty of characters I want Reinhardt to recruit for his future. I intend to leave the subjugation of the Evil God to Reinhardt.
Because, subjugating the Evil God is dangerous and troublesome, right?
If this were a game, I’d gladly embark on the quest to defeat the Evil God, but this is reality. It means repeatedly camping out dangerously for days, constantly fighting monsters, challenging numerous impregnable dungeons, fearing dwindling food and supplies, and at the end of it all, a battle with the Evil God, the enemy of the world.
Taking on something like that is the height of masochism, isn’t it? Why should I have to do such a thing?
Since we have a protagonist, let’s have him defeat the Evil God.
For that to happen, Reinhardt needs to set off on his journey in perfect condition.
If left alone, he seemed likely to become estranged even from Bianca, his childhood friend and the main heroine. There are probably many other points that need improvement too.
“Honestly, what a handful…”
But this is all so I can have an easier time in the future. I should just think of it as an investment in my future.
“Lily? What are you doing in a place like this?”
“That’s my line.”
“Watakushi was just thinking of washing Onii-sama’s back…”
“Riri will do that. Onee-sama, go somewhere else.”
“Ah! Hey, wait!”
As I was lost in thought, it started to get noisy outside.
Are Cornelia and Lily going to barge in again?
We’re both thirteen now, so it’s probably better if we bathe separately, right?