Chapter 169: Warm Bath. [18+]

The bright morning sky cast rays of warm sunlight over Andrea as she studied the ground next to the statue of the champion. The warmth felt strange after spending so long surrounded by snow and ice, almost as though the Ruins of Humanity had suddenly remembered what sunlight was supposed to feel like.

Thanks to Damien’s water sorcery the other day, practically all the ice had melted and the sky over the city seemed to radiate warmth. Water still flowed through the ancient pathways, carrying away centuries of accumulated debris and revealing parts of the ruined city that had remained hidden beneath the frozen wasteland.

Her soft palm touched the ground with her eyes closed. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, the next moment, she suddenly shot up, her ability activating once again. This time, the sense of death was overwhelming.

Claire emerged beside her, immediately noticing the change in Andrea’s expression. "Is it that bad already?"

Andrea nodded.

"Should I summon the Round Table members?" Claire asked.

Andrea contemplated for a moment, her amber eyes remaining fixed on the ground. "No, just Damien."

Damien stretched with a yawn of relief. He glanced back, Hannah was still sleeping like a baby, and the new Eidolon priest was still snoring in the corner of the building.

Damien didn’t mind leaving them here. He was confident Hannah could protect herself from the priest, but regardless, he summoned the undead priest and commanded him to stand guard. He couldn’t have the Eidolon priest escaping while he was gone.

With that taken care of, Damien finally allowed himself to enjoy the results of his undead’s sorcery.

Eventually, Damien found his way to the very edge of the city. He knew this place had a bathhouse, and thanks to the rain, they were full now.

The roof of the bathhouse was gone, but the place was secluded, so Damien was confident no one would come to disturb him. After everything that had happened recently, a bath sounded like exactly what he needed.

He immediately stripped down and located the last bath, but his face instantly froze when he saw who was already inside.

"Shit... Yuri, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were already here."

Damien grabbed a rock and used it to cover himself, but it didn’t help much. The rock was hardly large enough for the job, and the situation had already become far more awkward than he would have liked. Just as he was about to bolt away, Yuri suddenly spoke.

"Wait..." Her voice was just as calm and soothing as ever. Her pristine skin appeared to be glistening under the soft sunlight, and water resembled gems sliding off her bare shoulders.

Damien was trying hard to remove the image from his mind, but it couldn’t be helped. He’d already seen it all, and closing his eyes wasn’t going to magically erase what he’d seen. If anything, he suspected that would only make remembering it easier.

"Don’t leave..." she continued softly. "There’s only one bath left, you can join me if you want to."

Damien felt soft tear drops gather at the edge of his eyes. For once, he wasn’t sure whether he should consider himself unbelievably lucky or question why the Tower seemed determined to make his life this strange.

Of course he wanted to join her. Who wouldn’t? The problem was that accepting immediately would make it painfully obvious what was going through his head, and Damien still possessed enough dignity to avoid making himself look completely shameless.

"Of course I want to join you, who wouldn’t... no, no. Damien, keep your head cool, this is too good to be true, since when are you this lucky?"

He kept those thoughts to himself, maintaining a silence that lasted just a little too long.

Seeing that Damien did not respond, Yuri’s expression fell. "I was hoping you could heat up the bath using sorcery."

Damien instantly turned around and faced her once more. That was a completely reasonable request, and more importantly, it gave him an excuse to stay.

"Well, if you put it that way, I couldn’t possibly leave a damsel in distress. I have got to heat up that bath, even if it’s the last thing I do."

Yuri stepped away from the middle of the bath, her sudden movement exposing her well-endowed chest in the process. Damien’s eyes immediately noticed it before he forced himself to look elsewhere. As he entered the bath, he tried his hardest to make it seem like he wasn’t looking, but he wasn’t deceiving anyone, least of all himself.

A small ball of black miasma formed beside him, and the Lich’s arm emerged from it. The faint purple runes covering its skeletal limb began to glow, and a strong heat wave emerged from the runes in its hand until the water in the bath was near boiling.

Damien watched the water begin to steam and nodded with satisfaction. He had no idea how long the Lich could continue using sorcery before becoming exhausted again, but at least it was useful when he needed it.

Yuri sighed a soft breath of relief. Even drinking water was rare for them, so finally taking a warm bath was the greatest reward she could ask for since they conquered the city. The simple comfort seemed almost excessive after everything they had endured, but neither of them complained about it.

She relaxed and laid back, allowing the warm water to support her as she silently admired the sky above. The clouds were no longer dark, and sunlight now reached the city without being blocked by endless snow or storm clouds. It was a completely different sight from what they had grown accustomed to.

But who truly knew for how long it would last? This world wasn’t too fond of warmth and light.

Damien remained quiet, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere. He could still remember how quickly everything in the Ruins of Humanity could change.

"I wish this could last forever," Yuri said almost to herself.

The words made Damien hesitate. He wasn’t sure whether she expected an answer or had simply forgotten he was there. He couldn’t think of a sarcastic response that wouldn’t ruin the moment.

So he remained silent.

Eventually, Yuri straightened her back once more, and stepped in his direction.