Volume 9, Chapter 8 – The Suggestive Sound of Water

After the zombie Gran had disappeared from their sight, Lin looked at Yisi with a gaze full of surprise.

“I didn’t expect you to have such a talent. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen Gran get bested by anyone other than Atwood.”

“Wasn’t that guy easy to deal with? I just said a few words, and he left in a huff.”

“You’re probably the only one in the entire Divine Religion who thinks so.” At this point, Lin looked the drenched Yisi up and down, hesitating for a moment. “It’s too far from the noble district. Walking back in wet clothes, even a vampire could catch a cold. Come with me for now. We need to find someone who knows lifestyle magic.”

“I suppose I can…”

But more than the trivial matter of her wet clothes, she wanted to know other things. For example, why did that man named Gran, who was also a member of the Divine Religion, hurl such foul words at Lin, the Hero of the Divine Religion? Since everyone in the Divine Religion revered the Gospel as a god, they should be very united. A situation like this, resembling sectarian infighting, was something she, if she were the Pope, would have nipped in the bud no matter what.

Of course, no matter how strong her curiosity was, it would have to wait until she changed into a set of clean clothes. The feeling of cold, wet clothes clinging to her skin was truly unpleasant. Yisi followed Lin’s advice and went deeper into the Divine Religion’s base.

Arriving before a nondescript door, Lin placed her hand on the doorknob with practiced ease.

“Open.”

A faint blue light appeared in her palm, accompanied by an extremely soft, crisp sound, like the striking of a triangle. Before Lin could even turn the knob, the door opened on its own.

Yisi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Rеaԁ οn ΚαtRеαⅾinɡСαfе

“Are all the rooms in the Divine Religion like this? Do you need magic to open them?”

“No, most rooms can be opened directly. This place belongs only to me, so it has a magic lock. Although there are five such rooms in the Ducal Capital, this is the one I use most often. It’s closest to the central avenue.”

“Huh? You mean… this is your bedroom?”

“Yes.”

Nodding as if it were a matter of course, Lin responded to Yisi’s surprise.

Yisi, who had been feeling indifferent until now, suddenly tensed up.

Isn’t this a girl’s bedroom?

The reason she had followed Lin was because Lin said she needed to find someone with lifestyle magic. She had planned to wait for the magic caster to dry her clothes and then sit down to properly inquire about the Divine Religion. She never imagined Lin would bring her to a place as private as a bedroom. Although it wasn’t her first time in a girl’s room, whether it was Camilla’s or Andrea’s, they were people she was very familiar with. When she visited, it was usually for official business, and her mind wasn’t on the room’s decor. This was the first time she had visited the room of a girl like Lin, whom she had just met.

A sense of nervousness and restraint welled up within her.

“Um… weren’t we going to find a magic caster who knows lifestyle magic?”

“We just need to have a maid summon one. We can wait in the room. The ‘Dry’ spell of lifestyle magic only works on clothes, not people. I can’t let you go back like this. Dry yourself off first. The bathroom isn’t very big, but it’s quite comfortable.”

Rеаⅾ oո ΚаtReаԁіոɡСаfe

“Eh…”

That’s not what she was worried about. Then again, being invited to take a bath in the room of someone she had just met—what kind of crazy development was this?

“Aren’t you coming in?”

Lin, who had taken off her shoes and entered the room, looked at her strangely, as if she were looking at an oddball.

“No…”

According to the customs of the era she came from, being invited to a girl’s room meant you were either close friends who could talk about anything, or you were lovers in a relationship. Although she was now Yisi, taking this step felt indescribably strange, as if she were stepping into forbidden territory.

But being timid here would only make her look weird… As long as I think of myself as a very cute girl, it should be fine. If I don’t have any strange thoughts, I won’t feel guilty.

With that thought, Yisi mustered her courage and stepped into Lin’s room.

A small yet exquisite bedroom.

Unlike the simple, unadorned room she had imagined, Lin’s room was decorated in a very girly fashion. Although it wasn’t a stereotypical girly pink, the room’s powder-blue theme still gave off a feeling of, “Ah, this is definitely a girl’s room.” On the low cabinet were various small items only a girl would use, like a comb, lip paper, and ribbons. The walls weren’t simply painted but were covered in powder-blue wallpaper. Even the corners of the low table and bed, places one might easily bump into, were wrapped in padded flannel by Lin to prevent accidents. Added to this was the sweet, floral, girlish fragrance that filled the room. The moment she stepped inside, Yisi felt too embarrassed to take a second step.

“Umm…”

Rеαԁ οո KаtRеαdіnɡСαfe

“What’s wrong? You have a strange look on your face.”

“It’s my first time in your room… I’m a little nervous.” What Yisi didn’t say was that she felt as if by entering, she would ruin the atmosphere. After a pause, she cautiously announced her entry before mustering the courage to walk further in. “…Pardon the intrusion.”

Lin was stunned for a moment, then her expression became even stranger, mixed with a hint of embarrassment.

“Are you nervous… To be honest, this is the first time I’ve invited anyone other than Red and Purple. Usually, not even the maids are allowed in. I didn’t tidy up beforehand, so the room is still messy. Please bear with it for a moment. Oh, right, you should take off your wet clothes. There are towels here.”

With the self-awareness of a host, Lin rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out a loose nightgown—clearly something she wore herself, a size larger than Yisi.

“It might not fit well, but it should do for now. It’s much colder underground than on the surface. I’ll go heat the water in the bathroom first. There’s a magic circle set up in there, so it won’t take long to get hot water.”

“Mm, ah.”

Yisi stiffly accepted the nightgown. Only after Lin had gone to the other side of the wall did she let out a long sigh of relief.

“Haaah…”

It was sheer torture.

How could she possibly take off her clothes in front of Lin? She was the type who didn’t wear a bra. If she took off her blue dress right there, Lin would definitely stare at her strangely for a long time.

Reаd оո КatRеaԁіnɡCаfе

Gradually relaxing, Yisi, with nothing to do, knelt on a soft flannel cushion and looked up at the room’s decor. Just like her first impression, the arrangement was very girly, a stark contrast to the cold efficiency Lin displayed in battle. If Lin hadn’t been able to find the clothes so proficiently, she would have even suspected that this was a room Lin deliberately showed to outsiders.

“If there were curtains, they would definitely be pink too. Even Andrea’s bedroom isn’t this fancy.”

Of course, Andrea’s room wasn’t like this, not because Andrea lacked a girlish heart, but because as the Queen of the Blood Clan, even though it was impossible for outsiders to set foot in her bedchambers, she had to maintain the dignity befitting a monarch at all times. The proof was that during the two-year-long dream, Andrea had decorated the wooden cabin nicely, though it had to be dismantled shortly after due to their displaced life.

From the other side of the wall came the splashing sound of water.

She’s probably filling the bathtub.

There was an indescribable, subtle feeling in her heart—or rather, a turmoil. Even though Lin wasn’t bathing, she still felt uneasy. Being in a closed room with a beautiful girl she had just met, in this delicate setting of being soaked to the bone, plus the sound of water from next door that she could hear but not see—the only people who could remain calm would probably be ascetics and monks. It was a normal reaction for her mind to wander.

“—No, what am I doing? Am I the kind of beautiful girl whose mind is filled with nothing but unhealthy thoughts?”

Taking a deep breath, Yisi threw all the miscellaneous thoughts out of her mind, got up from the soft cushion, and began to observe the room’s arrangement.

Her gaze was soon drawn to a red object on the low cabinet, and her expression turned serious.

“This is… I can’t just pretend I didn’t see this…”