The Chantry bathhouse, after dark…

Soap, lightly scented with lavender and roses, lingers in the air. Hot steam cloaks the room in shifting waves of vapour, swirling and rolling like restless phantoms born of water.

Communal bathing is the norm in the Chantry of Eternal Light – a sacred tradition of the Order of Selene. We sit on small wooden stools before mirrors fogged by steam. Wooden pails filled with warm water drawn from iron taps wait at our feet, bars of soap in our hands as we scrub the day’s toils from our bodies.

It’s… a thing. I won’t lie – when I first joined the Order in the previous timeline, it felt downright… mortifying. Awkward. Now? Well, it’s grown on me. Mostly. I still prefer the private sanctuary of a personal shower, but I’ve learned to roll with this. Except when it’s crowded. Or noisy. Okay, maybe I haven’t quite figured this out yet.

Tonight, though… the bathhouse is quiet. Anna and I are the last ones in after a long day. Helping that family of villagers clean up their Slime-infested house had taken longer than expected, but their heartfelt gratitude and homecooked meal made it not so bad. By the time we returned home to the Chantry, the sky was already dark.

It’s been a good evening overall, really. For the hours we spent cleaning and tidying, I hadn’t thought once about that awful nightmare – y’know, the one with the Demon Lord being dark and terrible. I even almost managed to convince myself it was just a bad dream. Almost. I’m still feeling quite a bit of tension in my chest… like my heart’s about to explode at any moment.

“Umm… Arisa?”

Anna’s voice breaks through my thoughts, her words soft but tinged with concern. She’s sitting beside me, her light skin glowing faintly in the steam.

“Are you okay? You’ve been staring at the ceiling for a while…”

I blink, realising she’s right. My gaze had drifted upwards, lost in the play of light and vapour above. Oops. My bad. And uh… damn! Her breasts are… how do I even put this? Yeah, let’s just say they’re really something else… even compared to mine!

“Arisa?”

“Oh! Uh… yeah, I’m fine,” I stammer in a bid to play it cool, quickly pulling myself back into the moment. “Sorry about that! What were we talking about?”

Anna’s worrying gaze doesn’t waver. “You dropped your soap, and… you’ve been staring… oh! Umm…”

Her eyes flicker down to the bar of soap lying between us on the floor, and her cheeks redden ever so slightly as she places a hand on her cheek. That’s when I realise where my gaze must have wandered. Oh. Oh no!

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“Shit!” I yelp, wrenching my eyes away. “I swear I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay,” Anna says quickly, though her blush deepens as her other hand moves almost instinctively to cover her chest. “It happens sometimes…”

“Still! My bad…” I mumble, scratching the back of my neck in a futile attempt to appear composed. “I didn’t mean to, y’know… uh, compare…”

“Compare?” Anna echoes, her blush spreading like wildfire. “Oh! Umm… I know what you mean. People always say…”

Her words falter, tapering off into silence as her cheeks flush deeper. Somehow, she looks even more flustered than she did a moment ago.

“That you’re blessed by Rinnah herself?”

“Umm… that’s one way to put it…”

“Hey, they’re not wrong!” I add with a laugh, hoping to lighten the mood. “Take it from me – I’m totally an expert on such matters. Trust me!”

Anna shakes her head, finally laughing softly. “Arisa, honestly…”

Her laughter is like a balm to my soul, soothing our awkwardness. For a moment, we sit in comfortable silence, the sounds of dripping water and the faint creak of wood filling the space. But even so… her earlier concern lingers within her gaze as she looks at me.

“Something’s bothering you,” Anna says gently, her tone leaving no room for denial. “You can tell me, you know! I’ll listen.”

I hesitate momentarily, my hands still in the water of my pail. Part of me doesn’t want to bring it up; it feels silly and irrational. But I remember what Lady Iris said to me at tea… and when I look at Anna’s face, open and earnest as it is… I find myself speaking.

“I… had a nightmare about the Demon Lord,” I admit quietly. “It was two nights ago, I think. It’s probably nothing… but it’s been fucking with my head. I can’t shake off this weird feeling of dread in me. I…”

Anna’s expression softens. With a warm smile, she reaches out to me, her hands warm and steady on my shoulders. As I look at her, my steadfast Paladin… a calm reassurance washes over me.

“Anna…”

“If you dream of the Demon Lord again,” Anna says firmly, her voice filled with quiet conviction. “Dream of me as well. We’ll slay it together, Arisa. You said we defeated it in your old timeline, right?”

“Yeah,” I reply, bowing my head solemnly as the memory flashes briefly in my mind. “We did.”

“Then we’ll do it again. Together,” Anna declares with a smile, her confidence as steady as her grip. “In your dreams, in this world… we’ll slay all the Demon Lords wherever they appear. That’s my holy vow to you, my Healer.”

Her words send a warmth through me, stronger than the heat of the steam around us. It’s a good feeling. And I’m glad she’s here.

“That does sound like a plan,” I say, grinning despite myself. “Oh, Anna! You’re really something amazing, y’know that?”

“So are you!” Anna replies, her smile bright enough to light up the room. “Now stop worrying. You’ve got nothing to fear as long as I’m here!”

I laugh, the tension in my chest gone. “Thanks, Anna. I really needed that.”

“Anytime!” Anna declares cheerfully, her hands retreating as she settles back on her stool. “After all, what kind of Paladin would I be if I didn’t support my Healer?”

“Heh! And what kinda Healer would I be if I didn’t have such an awesome Paladin protecting me?” I answer, grinning cheekily from ear to ear. “Why, I shudder at the thought!”

As the steam swirls around us, we return to the simple task of washing up. Every now and then… our eyes meet, and we share shy smiles that linger just a bit longer than they should.

Good grief. I’m living the dream.