A Refreshing Cleanse

Compared to our usual outings, the physical exertion had been far less, but I still thought it had been an incredibly exhausting dungeon clear.

Maybe the fatigue was more mental than anything…

I'd been taught things that were different from the norm, and it gave me a lot to think about.

Honestly, thinking hard wasn't my strong suit.

It was so much easier to just follow Master's orders and act on instinct.

But that alone probably wouldn't cut it forever.

Having more options was better. Even I understood that much.

"Phew. Finished securing the tent."

I drove in the last stake and made sure the tent wouldn't budge.

I'd set it up in a spot beyond the reach of the dungeon's toxins.

I wanted nothing more than to crawl inside and lie down, but all of us had been deep inside that thick toxic fog, so our clothes and skin were thoroughly contaminated.

The ring neutralizing the poison had nearly worn off, so if we didn't clean ourselves up first, it wouldn't be funny to wake up the next morning and find everyone dead.

According to Ramiza-san, such "accidents" weren't unheard of.

"There's a river nearby, but… bathing in it would be a bad idea, right?"

"That's right. We don't know if there are settlements or villages downstream, and a toxin this potent could devastate the river's entire ecosystem. Worst case, it becomes a dead river."

"The kind of thing that gets you yelled at by the local lord."

Yeah, figured as much.

Ramiza-san removed her black cloak and yawned, then looked over at us.

"Dumping stuff in a flowing river is out, but if we collect water somewhere and wash the poison off there, we can neutralize it afterward."

"Oh, is that so? Then how about I whip up a makeshift bath? I've been worked to the bone, so I've gotten pretty good at shaping things with earth magic."

"Ooh, nice."

Alexia-san used earth magic to reshape the surrounding rocks into a large bath.

It was big enough for all four of us with room to spare.

"Azu, I'll heat the water, so keep filling it up."

"On it."

I borrowed the Water Elemental's power and directed a stream into the stone bath.

It didn't have the kind of force you'd want in combat, but it was useful for everyday things like this.

Basically a household spell.

Alexia-san blasted fire magic at the bottom of the bath.

The water quickly began to steam.

"Won't having it this bright at night attract monsters?"

"With that dungeon nearby, the monsters out on the plains probably don't want to come anywhere close. Poison is terrifying to anything without resistance. And even if something does show up, we've got the barrier… Barriers really are wonderfully convenient. I used to have to scatter the entrails of strong monsters around my campsite to keep things away."

"A beast deterrent, huh… That probably works, but I can't imagine it lets you rest easy."

"Exactly. And hungry monsters come anyway, so you just kind of resign yourself to it."

There was a splash. Alexia-san had dipped her hand in the water to check the temperature.

"Mm, I'd say that's good enough."

"Then let's get in. Between the sweat and the stinging poison, I've been dying to."

Ramiza-san stripped down with cheerful, unabashed abandon and slipped into the water.

Elza-san and Alexia-san followed suit.

I felt embarrassed about being naked in the open air like this, but the discomfort won out.

I unclasped my cloak, removed my belt and gear, and first pulled my top off over my head.

Then I took off my trousers and stood there in my underclothes.

There was a strange sense of liberation.

Maybe it was the novelty of bathing outdoors.

I eased my feet into the water.

It was a little hot, but it felt like it was washing away all the fatigue and grime.

"Here you go."

"What's this?"

I was handed a round, squishy object.

When I squeezed it, it felt like a slime.

"It's a sponge fruit. Never used one?"

"No."

"You use it like this, see?"

Ramiza-san rubbed the sponge fruit on her arm, and it immediately began to lather.

The large bath was covered in bubbles in no time.

… My eyes, however, were drawn not to the multiplying bubbles, but to Ramiza-san's ample chest being enveloped by them.

They were really big.

"Huh, what's this?"

"Me too, please!"

Alexia-san was startled by the sudden onslaught of bubbles.

Elza-san took two sponge fruits and passed one to Alexia-san.

I tried scrubbing my body with one too.

The texture was finer than a towel, no different from scrubbing with an actual sponge.

And despite using no soap, it lathered up, which was kind of fun.

It seemed to work on hair, too.

"It's great for cutting through grease, and it also works for removing toxins. Scrub well enough and you'll have baby-smooth skin. The downside is that each one is single-use."

"That's perfect for camping. I brought soap, but it doesn't lather nearly this well."

"Exactly. And these bubbles neutralize the poison. So we can safely dump this water. The bubbles are safe for the river too. Just watch the temperature."

"Then let's drain it once and refill. Alexia-san, if you would?"

"Sure, sure. Got it."

Alexia-san flicked her finger and a crack opened in the edge of the bath, forming a channel leading to the river.

The water flowed out along the channel.

I figured it would cool down on its own along the way, but just to be safe, I sent water along with it to lower the temperature.

After the bath had emptied, everyone was still covered in lingering bubbles.

It looked pretty silly.

"Achoo."

"We'll catch a cold like this. Let's rinse off."

Alexia-san summoned a small fire spell inside the empty bath.

When I poured water onto it, there was a hiss, but the fire spell held steady.

The water that came out wasn't as warm as before, but it was warm enough.

We rinsed off the bubbles and scrubbed every last bit of ourselves clean.

Just as Ramiza-san had said, running my hand over my skin, it felt as smooth as a boiled egg.

It even seemed to be glowing, if I wasn't imagining things.

Thanks to the fire magic maintaining the temperature, the water stayed just right, and we could soak as long as we wanted without it cooling off.

For a while, nobody said a word. We simply soaked in the moment.

"Ahh, this is wonderful."

"It really is."

The moon hanging in the night sky was the only thing watching over us.

Just as I was thinking about getting out before I got lightheaded, Alexia-san stood up.

"Someone's coming."

We scrambled to our feet and wrapped ourselves in the towels we'd kept ready.

The towels dipped into the water and got soaked, but there was nothing to be done about that.

Several lights were approaching from the far side.

It seemed someone was headed our way.