Mira helped Ray pull off his shirt then watched him slowly step into the tub.
Ray sat down and let out a relieved sigh as the cool water washed away the blood and grime from his body.
He wasn't flustered or embarrassed about the fact that Mira was standing behind him while he was naked in the tub.
After all, the two had practically been raised together, so Ray had gotten used to such situations. However, a certain female Tauren was blushing furiously, like a flustered little girl, because not only did Ray look even more manly than before, but Mira couldn't help feeling more self-conscious in his presence, especially after having her first kiss with the man she loved that very morning.
Mira swiftly shook her head, hoping to feel calmer. Then, she knelt beside the tub and dipped a washcloth into the water.
She gently scrubbed his back to help him wash the parts where his hands couldn't reach.
For a while, the room remained quiet until Mira suddenly broke that silence.
"Ray?"
"Mm?"
"About this morning, when you kissed me, I was so surprised. Actually, I'm still surprised you did."
"Would you like me to kiss you again so you won't be surprised anymore?" Ray teased with a grin, but Mira stopped scrubbing his back as her face turned red as a tomato.
Steam was practically about to come out of her ears, but she pinched his back gently, because she knew he was still teasing her even when she was trying to be honest with him.
In response, Ray winced in pain, but he was pretending because he knew that it would make Mira happy if she saw him wincing.
And it worked because she was smiling right now. Mira couldn't help but feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
She still couldn't believe that Ray had kissed her that morning, but whenever she replayed the scene in her head, it just made her even happier, as she realized that Ray had directly proposed to her and promised to spend the rest of his life with her, and Mira wanted nothing more than that as well.
She smiled and gently rested her head on his shoulder.
Feeling her smile, Ray smiled in return before asking. "Are you still surprised by what I did?"
"Yes, I am, but I am also very happy."
"Well, happiness is good and that's all I want you to feel." Ray turned around and gently pulled her into the tub.
She was still dressed when he did that and now, she was soaking wet, but neither of them was bothered by this and Mira settled into the tub and rested her back against his chest.
The two spent the rest of the evening, cuddling, kissing, and giggling while relaxing in the tub before stepping out to change their clothes and have dinner with Helen and Emma.
That night, after dinner, Ray lay in bed and stared at the ceiling.
His body was still exhausted, but his mind was currently preoccupied with so many things.
That was because three months from now, Baron Harvard would be stepping into the village.
During this period, he would demand taxes that were worth gold coins, which was a fortune that no one in the village would be able to afford, and since the residents of Thornsville would refuse to do what he wanted, Harvard would take matters into his own hands, killing young boys and girls as a way of 'helping' families reduce the mouths they had to feed.
Mira would be among the few victims, but Ray would make sure that such a thing wouldn't happen again and that was why his mind was racing right now.
He was trying his best to replay all of the events that he might have seen or heard during his first life.
He really wanted to find ways that would help him grow stronger as soon as possible, but the only way he could do that was by fighting against monsters.
'But growing stronger isn't the only important thing now, though.' Ray uttered internally.
'I need better gears and weapons too.'
'But to get these, I would need coins, gold coins to be exact.'
'However, if I need gold coins, then I have to hunt monsters.'
'Monster hunting is the best shot I've got right now.'
'Sometimes, goblins keep copper coins but that's not really worth anything.'
'I heard Dire wolves have pelts worth silver coins, but that too still wouldn't be enough.'
'I need something good enough to make me rich.'
'Something big.'
'Yeah, something big like a dungeon.'
'Wait a minute, a dungeon.'
'Yes! That's it!!' Ray swiftly sat up as he tried to recall the image of a map he had seen years ago.
Ray had a really good photographic memory, so it usually helped him a lot during times like this, and that was why he was able to easily recall the image of a map he had seen years ago.
The image was so vivid and precise, that Ray was able to find what he was looking for.
It also allowed Ray to recall something very important that he had heard in his previous life.
Six months from now, and approximately fifty kilometers north of the village, Ray recalled hearing about a dungeon that was located there.
It was a small dungeon and it was referred to as the Goblin's nest.
It was a low-ranked dungeon, but it had weapons, gold coins, and enchanted items.
In his first life, three adventurers from the capital city had discovered this dungeon before clearing it out which meant that right now, no one had discovered it yet.
So, if he went now, he could loot it before anyone else even knew it existed.
Realizing this, Ray lay back down and smiled as he made his decision.
By tomorrow, he'd prepare for his upcoming journey, and in the next two days, he'd head straight to the dungeon, and by the time he got back, he would have everything he'd set out to look for.
'Yeah, that's what I'm going to do.' Ray smiled with satisfaction as he mentally prepared himself for the things he would do tomorrow.
But while he was strategizing, Ray suddenly heard a soft knock on his door which made him sit up straight on his bed.
*Knock* *Knock*