Chapter 92

Not long after the hot spring was completed, Lamuros suddenly leaned against a tree.

"Hmm..."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"...I seem to have reached my limit... I'm sorry."

Lamuros blinked, struggling to keep her eyes open,

"I've been resisting and got really tired... I'm sleepy..."

With that, she slumped and fell asleep.

It seems she also recovers her magic power through sleep.

Since leaving her there would be dangerous, Hestia dragged her back to her hut.

Though the way she carried her was a bit rough,

"Well, I guess she'll be fine. ...Since everything is over, I think I'll take a bath."

There was still some time before lunch, so I decided to enjoy the hot spring first.

I threw my clothes in the changing room, washed my body casually, and got into the bathtub.

The milky white hot spring water gradually warmed my body.

"Ah, hot springs are really great..."

I relaxed, letting my body sink into the bathtub.

"..."

Hestia, who had returned from her hut, was staring at me intently.

"What's up? Hestia, are you going to join me?"

"Hmm...? Can I really come in?"

"Sure, feel free to use it. I built it for everyone."

Besides, this hot spring contains magic power, which should be good for Hestia, who has injuries all over her body.

"Um, I think... it might help my injuries."

"Then, let's get in and heal. It's like a hot spring cure."

Hestia hesitated for a moment, looking at her body, then at me.

"I'm pretty dirty right now, covered in mud. Is it okay? I once got scolded in a human bathhouse for entering while covered in mud."

"Oh, it's fine. I've set up the pipes so they won't clog. If it gets dirty, we can just change the water."

There's plenty of hot spring water in the dungeon below, so there's no need to worry.

"Um... then, I'll come in."

With that, Hestia took off her clothes and headed to the washing area.

She washed off the mud from her body and then got into the bathtub. Then,

"Ah..."

She let out a rare, relaxed sigh.

"Yep, it feels great, doesn't it?"

"Um... I don't get to soak in such a large bath often. I usually just take a water bath."

I see. Is it because she's a dragon and doesn't usually soak in baths like this?

"Dragons are generally clean, so they do take water baths. ...But Lamuros is an exception."

"Is she really that much of an exception?"

"Normal dragons wouldn't let slimes stick to them for a year. They would wash them off or something."

Ah, so it was unusual for her to fall with the slimes.

"Right, the slimes were definitely draining her stamina and magic power. The magic stone in her core was abnormally large... By the way, what happened to the slime's magic stone? You took it when you pierced it."

As Hestia said, I had captured the slime's magic stone,

"Oh, it's buried underground as usual."

While Hestia was away, I had it buried in our property.

It was similar to what I did with the previous dungeon master, so I could do it smoothly.

"Earlier, I felt the dragon vein's magic power slightly strengthen. It was because of that."

"Really? You can tell it's been strengthened a bit? I can't sense anything like that."

"Don't worry about it. It's probably like a pinch of sand in a desert to you."

That's an interesting analogy. I'd like to be able to sense it a bit more.

Maybe I'll ask Sakura and Hestia for some tips later.

Anyway,

"It's great that everything ended peacefully. We can take our time in the hot spring."

"Um..."

Hestia nodded slightly and looked at me.

She smiled a little shyly,

"And, belatedly, thank you. You really helped a lot... I was really glad you came."

"You're welcome."

We enjoyed the warmth of the hot spring, chatting leisurely.