Although she had ordered Solitär to take a bath immediately, problems quickly followed.
Hilariously, there was no bathroom, nor any water.
Solitär's house only had a tiny reserve of fresh water, not nearly enough for a bath. Seeing this, Fíliya quickly added another note to her journal.
[The Demon Race also needs to drink fresh water.]
"Hmm, there's no water. Fíliya, how do humans usually bathe?"
Solitär smiled at the girl beside her.
"Why are you asking that? You've lived for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, right? It's impossible you've never bathed before. You just stink, you're not actually dirty. You must have washed at some point."
Fíliya said impatiently, frustrated by the lack of water.
"Mmm... The skin of the Demon Race is very resistant to dirt. Dust and grime just fall off on their own, so we don't really need to bathe. I believe the last time I took a bath, the Demon King was still alive."
Solitär explained to Fíliya with a serious expression.
"That's disgusting! I don't care if you're resistant to dirt... I'm getting you clean today."
Fíliya said stubbornly.
"Well, I'm happy to cooperate with you, Fíliya, but the freshwater source is very far from here. And seawater isn't really suitable for bathing, is it?"
Solitär's expression remained a gentle smile, her eyes filled with an almost sisterly affection.
At this, Fíliya sighed.
Bathing in seawater... that would have to be a last resort. The freshwater problem had to be solved!
After all, she wanted to bathe too, and she had no desire to use seawater.
So, what was to be done?
Fíliya subconsciously pulled up the System's shop in her mind.
[Magic to Create Water] — 1.5 million
[Water Control Magic] — 1 million
Wait a minute... For the first time, Fíliya realized the water magic in the System's shop was sold separately.
Creating water out of thin air and controlling it required two separate purchases.
What a rip-off!
She cursed inwardly, but there was nothing she could do.
She was out of points anyway, so she couldn't buy them even if she wanted to.
And so, with no other choice, Fíliya had to place her hopes on Solitär.
"Solitär, do you know any water magic?"
To this, Solitär simply smiled and replied.
"I do not."
...
It was a scene that would have dumbfounded any human or demon.
A human girl and a demon, traveling together late at night to a freshwater lake deep within the forests of the Northern Plateau.
Behind them lay a massive container meant for holding water.
"Hah... I can't go on."
The human female named Fíliya fell backward, collapsing onto the grass.
She was completely drained from mana exhaustion.
"Pfft, didn't I tell you the water source was far, Fíliya?"
The demon female beside her chuckled.
"I didn't think it would be this far. Just flying one way drained all my mana... You figure out how we're getting back. I'm not moving."
With an aggrieved expression, Miss Fíliya chose to give up.
In that moment, she finally had a true sense of the sheer vastness of the Northern Plateau.
"Hmm, you look quite cute like this, Fíliya."
Solitär looked at the limp Fíliya on the ground, and with great interest, she crouched down beside her.
She extended a finger and began poking Fíliya's face.
"Your skin is so nice, Fíliya. And you're not wearing anything on it. I've caught some human women before whose faces were covered in a thick layer of stuff. I had to clean it all off for them."
"Heh, clean it off? To prepare the ingredients, you mean. Don't tell me you're getting hungry at a time like this. You're not thinking of eating me, are you?"
Fíliya shot Solitär a sideways glance.
"Of course not. I'm a greater demon who has lived a very long time. If you lump me in with those lesser demons who can't even control their appetites, I'll get angry, you know."
As Solitär spoke, she pressed her finger a little harder into Fíliya's cheek.
"But your face is so tender, Fíliya. If one were to eat it, the texture of the meat would surely be excellent."
Solitär said with a beaming smile.
"Should I thank you for the glowing review, then? 'Please come again'? Alright, stop messing with me and hurry up and get the water so we can go home."
Fíliya shook her head. Though she was too exhausted to move, she had to at least make a symbolic show of resistance.
"'Home'? Yes, yes. Home."
Hearing Fíliya's choice of words, the smile on Solitär's face grew even brighter.
Tch... As expected of a greater demon. Her acting skills are leagues above those of lesser demons.
Looking at Solitär's smile, which seemed even purer than that of a human girl, Fíliya couldn't help but admire her [Imitation].
Immediately after, Fíliya watched as Solitär used her mana to lift the massive container—which was several people tall and a dozen meters wide—and guided it to the middle of the lake. As easily as scooping water with a bowl, she filled the entire vessel with fresh water.
After the giant container floated back, Solitär sealed it with a custom-made lid.
Then, she walked back to Fíliya's side and held out her arms, preparing to pick her up.
"What are you doing? Just use transportation magic."
Fíliya quickly refused.
"Hmm, but I want to get on good terms with you, Fíliya. Humans use physical contact to deepen their bonds, don't they?"
"You're not human."
Fíliya pouted, annoyed.
"Refusal is futile."
Solitär completely ignored Fíliya's resistant glare and lifted her up in a princess carry.
Then, with an effortless leap, she jumped onto the lid of the giant container while still holding Fíliya.
Just like that, Solitär began to control the giant container as if she were riding a flying sword, heading back the way they came.
So this... is the vast chasm in our mana levels.
Fíliya was inwardly astonished.
She herself was completely out of mana, yet this [Reclusive Greater Demon] wasn't even the slightest bit out of breath.
...Some time later, the two finally returned to the abandoned shipyard building.
After setting down the water source, Solitär took some of it and filled a much smaller wooden barrel.
"Go ahead and heat the water. Don't use too much mana, just a slow, small flame will do."
Fíliya said this to Solitär before turning to go to the first floor.
While Solitär was heating the water, she planned to dispose of the human specimens on the first floor that made her uncomfortable.
Her method of disposal was simple: dig a hole and bury all the specimens together.
"Sorry, I don't have the ability to avenge you. I'll just send you off. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
Fíliya filled in the hole with a blank expression.
After filling the hole, she slowly returned inside the shipyard, to the [Bathroom] she and Solitär had just cleaned up.
By the time she entered the bathroom, Solitär had already undressed and was sitting in the wooden barrel.
Seeing Fíliya return, she immediately called out to her excitedly.
"Fíliya, it's just like you said! With the barrel full of water, the fire can't burn it. It only makes the water temperature rise slowly."
"It's just common sense."
Fíliya gave a perfunctory reply and then quickly undressed as well.
It's all this ridiculously stinky greater demon's fault. She made me stink too. I need a good, long soak.
"..."
The smile on Solitär's face seemed permanent. Being stared at like that, Miss Fíliya stopped undressing, feeling a bit creeped out.
"What?"
Fíliya asked impatiently.
"Hmm, I was just thinking that you don't seem to be showing any [Shyness] at all, Fíliya. I was really looking forward to seeing that expression on you. How disappointing."
"Tch, we're not even the same species. What's there to be shy about? Would you be shy if a pig or a dog saw you naked? Huh?"
"That's so mean, Fíliya. How could you compare me to a pig or a dog?"
"Shut up and move over. I can't get in."
Fíliya just shot Solitär an irritated glare before getting into the large wooden barrel used for bathing.
______
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