Washing the Body

Beside a giant boulder by the river, billowing steam surged from the top of a wine barrel secured next to it.

Even if the height made it impossible to see inside the barrel, one could tell from this sight alone that the river water poured into it had already come to a boil.

That should be enough.

Observing the heat rising from the barrel, I temporarily stopped the work at hand.

A blazing fire roared before me.

Of course, this fire was not directly beneath the barrel.

The barrel was made of wood; if I placed it directly over the flames, the wood would likely catch fire before the water ever boiled.

The bonfire was positioned to the side of the barrel, and for safety, I had utilized the terrain near the river to dig a small channel to separate the two.

Near the fire, several round stones placed at the edge were glowing red-hot; these stones were the true secret behind how the water in the barrel was boiling.

“I probably don’t need to add any more… mm-hmm!”

Standing up from beside the fire, I stretched my back.

Until just now, I had been repeating the task of heating stones and dropping them into the barrel.

Now that the preparations were complete and the spare stones were being heated properly, I could just add them as needed later.

Now, then.

Gazing at the wine barrel before me, a joyful smile spread across my face.

“Time for a bath!”

Bathing is one of my few hobbies, even though the number of times I have been able to relax and bathe in my life has been pitifully small.

Turning the makeshift faucet I had crafted on the barrel, I caught the scalding hot water in a wooden basin filled with a bit of river water.

To take this bath, the construction of this barrel and the preparation of the hot water had taken me nearly the entire morning.

Gazing at the position of the crimson moon in the sky, I estimated there was still an hour left before noon.

“Finally… this is amazing!”

Sitting on a chair and feeling the steam wafting from the wooden basin, my heart leaped with excitement.

I looked around; there were no signs of the Nako people by the river, only the occasional small animal passing by.

Most of them were rabbit-like creatures with horns on their heads that hopped about, appearing harmless.

Perhaps because the Nako were out hunting in the forest, the wild beasts that would normally frequent the riverside tended to stay away.

Though for me, simply confirming that no one else was here was enough.

Under the cold winter wind, the high temperatures of the barrel and the bonfire created a pocket of warmth.

Setting down the basin filled with hot water, I undid my buttons and began to take off my clothes piece by piece.

The chill gradually seeped through my skin and into my bones, but the steam from the hot water and the bonfire simultaneously preserved my escaping body heat.

Although this wasn’t my first time bathing in such weather, the contradictory sensation of hot and cold when first undressing was always hard to get used to.

Thud!

My heavy clothes hit the ground, and the tools carefully hidden inside clattered against each other.

I undid my hair tie and removed the lock-picking tools hidden in the gaps of my hair, allowing my long, curly black hair to spill down.

Having carefully hidden my tools within the folds of my clothes, I approached the wooden basin, now nearly naked with only a towel covering my lower body.

“Uwaa…”

As I pressed a hot, damp towel to my face, the warmth that softened my entire body made me let out a blissful sound.

However, when the towel left my cheeks, the black grime on it was a bit of a mood killer.

But looking to the other side, reflected in the steaming water was a woman with disheveled hair and heavy dark circles under her dull, fish-like eyes.

“……”

I was speechless for a moment, simply staring blankly at her beneath the water’s surface.

That was undoubtedly me.

Skin like jade, a delicate nose, and red lips—it had only taken a thorough washing to reach this level.

If it weren’t for the eyelids that drooped from frequent all-nighters, I imagine there would be even more men around me.

Come to think of it, those have decreased significantly since coming to the Demon Realm. In a sense, am I enjoying a stroke of good fortune?

Recalling a certain pervert who used to chase me relentlessly to confess his love, my brows furrowed slightly.