Chapter 259: A Brief Break
Alright, so I boldly declared that I would stop the Great Demon God, but…
「Takeru, we need a break for now.」
「Yeah, you’re right.」
「I can’t fly anymore unless I take a rest…」
Oracle, who had been standing for a moment, collapsed back onto the ground. No surprise there, after that intense battle.
Especially since Oracle had accompanied me into the body of the Great Demon God—it had to have taken a toll on her mentally as well as physically.
I was so exhausted that I feared I wouldn’t be able to move if I sat down.
「Nation’s Father, should I prepare some food? We have some rations, or I could find something edible nearby.」
「Eh, I’m not really in the mood to eat.」
We had just been fighting tentacles and were left drenched in goo. My whole body was covered in slime, and I was utterly drained. I wasn’t even close to being in the mood for food. Oracle, sitting beside me, nodded in agreement. ‘I couldn’t eat a thing.’
Finally, I gave in and sat down. Even the Dragon Maids, usually so energetic, were sprawled out, looking as if they’d just been through hell.
Facing that mass of tentacles wasn’t just physically exhausting—it took a toll on your mental strength too.
Hydra, the Beast Tamer, still lay flat on the ground, unconscious and showing no signs of waking up. Honestly, I was beginning to worry if she was still alive.
Yeah, there’s no helping it. We needed a break.
「Kaara, you’re holding up pretty well, huh?」
「Yes, I wasn’t fighting much, just measuring the movements of the Great Demon God.」
That’s right. Thankfully, Kaara was keeping her composure. Thanks to her, the rest of us could afford to take a breather.
「Nation’s Father, since you’re all covered in dirt and slime, would you like me to prepare a bath for you?」
「A bath? Out here in the wilderness? There’s no way there’s a bath.」
The landscape was barren—just a red, dusty wasteland with no water in sight.
「Just a moment. This is a volcanic area, so there should be underground water nearby…」
Kaara placed her hand on the ground, as if she were probing it, and then began casting a spell. Suddenly, the earth shook as she shattered the bedrock beneath us with her magic.
「Hey, what are you—」
Before I could finish my sentence, water burst from the ground with a thunderous roar. No, wait, it wasn’t just water—it was hot water, steaming violently.
「It’s a bit hot, but I’ll cool it down and funnel it into a bath. Just give me a moment.」
Kaara quickly began shaping the land with her earth magic, creating an open-air bath in the middle of the wilderness.
She redirected the gushing hot water into the huge trench left by the passing tentacle, turning it into a pool.
With a swift motion, she dropped some large rocks into the trench, sculpting them into a proper bath with polished, smooth surfaces.
Shockwave-like blades of wind shot out, slicing the large rocks into perfectly square tiles, which she then laid on the floor of the makeshift bath.
In no time at all, Kaara had created a fully functional bath in the middle of the wasteland.
「Kaara, your magic really is incredible.」
As a ruler, watching her perform large-scale construction like this made me feel almost foolish for trying to do things the hard way. But then again, she was an advance mage, so she was an exception.
Relying on her too much would just make people lazy.
「I’m honored by your praise.」
The Dragon Maids let out excited cheers and dove into the bath, wasting no time at all.
Since they usually wore little more than a single layer of cloth, they stripped down in an instant.
「Um, maybe I should sit this one out…」
It’s fine if Kaara joins the bath—after all, she’s my wife.
But when it comes to the other Dragon Maids, it feels a bit awkward as a man to bathe together with them.
Maybe I’ll take care of Hydra for a bit and wait my turn.
「Takeru, what are you talking about? At this point, they won’t mind. Look, the water’s just right.」
She had already stripped down and was floating in the bath, beckoning me over. I do love a good hot spring, but I had to hold back for now.
「Ugh…」
Before I could make a decision, Hydra started to wake up.
「Hydra, you okay?」
「I… I failed, didn’t I?」
She asked, sitting up with a gloomy expression.
「Don’t beat yourself up. You did great.」
「Ah… It was such a good chance to prove myself… But now I’ll probably get demoted, right? Am I going to be reduced to a foot soldier again? I don’t want that!」
Suddenly, Hydra clung to me, caught up in her own whirlwind of emotions.
Her usual bondage-style outfit, now drenched in goo, stuck to her skin, making the embrace far less pleasant than it could have been.
「No, you’re not getting demoted. I promise.」
「Really?」
Yes, really. Now, could you let go?
We’re both covered in slime, and this is starting to feel gross.
We were both in a sticky situation—literally.
「I seriously just want to get in the bath.」
「There’s a bath?」
Hydra asked, surprised.
「Yeah, can’t you see?」
「King General-sama, that’s… a bath?」
Despite the obvious steam and the others already enjoying it, Hydra didn’t seem to recognize it as a bath.
「Yep, it’s a hot spring. Have you never seen one before?」
「Wow… so that’s all hot water? I didn’t know there were baths outside.」
「Yeah, I guess baths aren’t common in Abyss Continent.」
「Not really. Only nobles or the super-rich have them. I was a captain constantly on the move, so I never had the luxury.」
So she lived a pretty modest life, despite being part of the Great Demon King’s inner circle.
As we chatted, Oracle called out again, sounding impatient.
「Takeru! Enough chit-chat, get over here already!」
「Ugh…」
While I was still hesitating, Hydra spoke up again.
「Ano… would it be alright if I joined in the bath as well?」
「Of course. Wait, are you actually going to…?」
Since she had never seen a bath before, I half-expected her to step in fully clothed, but instead, she started undressing.
Her leather outfit peeled off like it was barely clinging to her skin in the first place. Turns out that bondage outfit was just wrapped around her body.
Demons have some peculiar clothing, that’s for sure.
While watching this, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of her bare body.
Hydra’s blue skin, characteristic of demons, gleamed in the light, and her figure—well, let’s just say it was quite striking, with curves in all the right places.
Whoops, staring too long would be rude.
「My clothes are dirty anyway…」
「Yeah, if you’re going in, hurry up and get in.」
As I turned my gaze away, my arm was suddenly pulled.
I was lifted up in a flash, and when I looked, it was Queen Dareda.
My other arm was pulled as well.
It was Are.
「How long are you going to keep this up?」
「No, Queen Dareda, this isn’t good!」
Are then spoke with exasperation.
「What do you mean it’s not good? If hero stays all soggy like that, it’s a problem for us too. Now, stop being stubborn and get undressed already.」
At this point, I had no choice but to comply.
Both my armor and clothes were forcibly stripped off.
But still!
「Hey, son-in-law. We’re all family here, so you don’t have to worry about being naked anymore, okay?」
「That’s right. No one cares about seeing you naked; it’s no big deal.」
Well, maybe not for you, but I do care.
But I couldn’t resist the forcefulness of the Dragon Maids.
In the end, I was dragged into the bath.
Ah, but once I was in, it was a good bath.
「Son-in-law, you’re probably worried about infidelity, right? Then, why don’t you just make all of us your wives?」
There it was again, that absurd logic unique to the Dragon Maids.
I really wished Queen Dareda wouldn’t say such things, because when she does, it tends to actually happen.
「Mother, that’s not allowed! Hero is mine! You always say things like that, only thinking about yourself!」
With a splash, a wrestling match broke out between the Dragon Maid mother and daughter.
They must have recovered quickly after soaking in the bath, despite being so exhausted earlier. What a lively bunch.
「Takeru, you’ve finally arrived.」
「Ah, Oracle.」
She clung to me, but I didn’t mind.
She is my wife, after all.
「I’m your wife, so it’s fine if I stick close to you, right?」
「Yeah… it’s been a while since we could relax like this.」
The slime from the tentacles had been sticky and unpleasant, but now that it was gone, I felt much better.
Just then, Kaara approached.
「Nation’s Father, would you like something to drink?」
She offered me a glass filled with some juice.
I took a sip and was greeted with a sweet and tangy taste.
「Oh, this is good.」
「I found some lemon trees nearby during my exploration, and I also discovered a beehive, so I mixed the honey with the lemons.」
Honey lemon juice, huh?
It was the perfect refreshment for my tired body.
「You should try some too, Oracle.」
「I’d rather have Takeru’s energy instead.」
With that, she climbed onto me.
As an Ancient Succubus, Oracle could absorb my energy to sustain herself.
Just when I was finally starting to recover, now she was draining my strength.
「Wait, hold on. Not here, in front of everyone.」
「Seriously, I’m running on empty. If I don’t refuel, I can’t even fly.」
Come on, not in front of everyone!
Kaara chuckled softly.
Well, I didn’t mind since Kaara was my wife too, but when Hydra started approaching, I quickly pushed Oracle off.
「King General-sama」
「W-What is it, Hydra?」
「About our earlier agreement, I’m not asking for the position of general, but will you at least appoint me as Captain of the Demon Beast Corps?」
「Ah, yes, that’s right. I’ll officially appoint you as Captain of the Demon Beast Corps with full honors in the military.」
Although Hydra failed to control the Great Demon God, she proved herself as a skilled beast tamer.
The Metal Dragon under her command had power comparable to the Black Cedar Warships, so treating her with the same rank as a captain seemed fitting.
Even though we don’t currently have any other beast tamers under our command, if I paired her with the Reptilian mercenaries who control fire dragons, they might form an impressive force.
「Thank you so much!」
「Whoa, why are you standing next to me?」
「Well, everyone else is gathered around you, right? I’m also your close aide now!」
I understood Hydra’s obsession with promotions and being a close aide, but I really didn’t need her demonstrating that in the bath.
Even the others who had been wrestling happily joined in.
「That’s a great idea! I’ll serve the hero too!」
「Me as well!」
「How many times do I have to tell you, mother, that this has nothing to do with you?!」
「You’re so selfish. You should share!」
With the Dragon Maids splashing around as they charged into the bath, chaos ensued.
「Hey, Oracle, what are you trying to absorb in the middle of all this commotion?」
「Just a little bit…」
If she drained my energy now, I’d be completely immobile again.
Even though Kaara went through the trouble of preparing the bath for me to relax, it wasn’t as restful as I’d hoped.
※※※
While we were busy in the hot springs, off in the distance, the Great Demon God, over a hundred meters tall, slowly slithered eastward, its tentacles writhing.
Though its pace was slow, its progress was steady.
They said that in about six months, it would cross the Siren Sea and reach the distant continent of Eura.