Washing clothes didn’t turn out to be as easy as I’d hoped. Not having a basin of water made things far more complicated, but we managed.

I’d created a line of thread between two trees that we used to dry the clothes. It was quite warm today, so it shouldn’t take too long. While that was going on in the background, Cellestra combed and braided half my hair again.

“This is quite relaxing, you know?” She said.

“I think you mentioned that before. I’m happy you enjoy it.”

“Think I can leave my clothes here to dry while we are out?”

“You afraid someone will steal them?”

Cellestra shrugged.

“I don’t know,” I continued. “I think they may be done drying by the time we leave with temperatures like this. If not, I’ll use my spell to speed up the process a bit.”

“Alright.”

“Is there anything else we can do before we leave?” I asked.

“Well,” She said with a smile. “We’re almost done turning you into the most beautiful spider lady again, and we’ve taken care of my clothes. I think we’re done for a while.”

“I had an idea earlier,” I started. “Should we get a tub, perhaps?”

“To bathe and do laundry?”

I nodded.

“Hm,” She let out as she thought. “You might be on to something here, but…” She trailed off and thought again. “Can’t you make something like that yourself? You know, dig a hole, line it with silk. Will that work?”

“Uh, it might. I believe it’s resistant to water enough for that to work, but emptying it will be a bit of an issue. I mean, I can probably evaporate it with my flame spells, but I might burn the threads too. Besides, it shouldn’t be hard, or expensive to find one in the city.”

“Meh, you’re right,” Cellestra said, slightly disappointed. “I guess I was wishing too hard.”

I grinned. “Nothing wrong with that. I do like the fact that I can make things myself now. Even if it’s exhausting, I’m proud of my work on our shelter. I never thought I’d enjoy it this much.”

“It is a work of art,” Cellestra said with a giggle. “But if I hear that right, does that mean you want to go shopping after the meeting?”

“I mean, we could. I wanted to make a new shirt for you today as well. Other than that, we could perhaps look for some armor for you while we are in the city?”

“Sounds good to me,” She said before chuckling, causing me to turn my head to her.

“Irony,” She answered. “I’ll be the knight in armor.”

“We’ll have to see how much that affects me,” I said. “I think my greatest advantage right now is speed. Some extra weight on you will probably be useful so you’re better anchored on my back. It probably allows me to make quicker turns and maneuvers, but I’m hesitant to add weight to myself. If I were to armor my entire body, and I don’t even know if it will do much in terms of protection, it’s likely to remove my one advantage.”

“How much do you think about these things?” Cellestra asked with a sly smile on her lips.

“Too much for your liking, I’m sure.”

She shook her head. “This is about living, Kealyna. I don’t mind you thinking about it. In fact, think about it as long as you want. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s funny.”

“I guess that’s one of the things I took from your spell in the dungeon. It didn’t do much to me besides the shard that penetrated my eye. I had some fragments embedded in my rear, but none of them did any significant damage. I’m hoping that there are going to be some more skills to improve my carapace. Having a skill like that has its advantages. The amount of money I’m going to save will be insane.”

Cellestra giggled softly. “Very practical thinking.”

“And for that, I fear we need to face different enemies. This current dungeon doesn’t seem to have any monsters with properties that can help me.”

“You ever thought about some basic skills like your threads?” Cellestra asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Is there a way to improve those? Perhaps by eating spider monsters?”

I felt the muscles in my face contract as I was disgusted by her idea. I remembered the taste of spiders all too well, and it was wholly unpleasant.

“That doesn’t look good.”

“I fear you may be on to something, but last time I ate spider,” I paused as I shuddered. “Yuck!”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“I mean…” Cellestra let out.

“Not so much of an advantage in some scenarios I guess,” I finished. “But yeah. I feel like I’ve only seen very little of what I can acquire. I’m kind of excited to see more.”

“Damn, Kealyna, we just cleaned you.”

“I know, right,” I said. “This pretty spider is going to get herself all dirty again soon enough. I’m afraid I can’t help that part. Anyway, let’s check your clothes and prepare to move.”

I was glad to find that they’d dried. Apparently, the temperature was high enough and we’d talked long enough for them to be finished. Cellestra quickly stashed them in her backpack as I retrieved my weapon. There was no way I’d leave such an expensive item behind.

On the way to the farm, Cellestra seemingly had a thought hit her, and she instantly voiced it.

“Would it be an idea to make some sort of curtain for our shelter?”

She didn’t elaborate further, but the idea was clear enough.

“Let’s keep that in mind. That sounds like a good idea,” I said.

We reached my parents’ residence, and since Elira was free for the day, it wasn’t unexpected when she came running at me as soon as she saw me approach. Holding on to my promise from yesterday, I lifted her up and placed her on my back as I approached my mother and father at the table, drinking tea and reading something respectively.

Elira commented on how soft and pretty I was, which caused me to giggle as I addressed my parents.

“Good morning. How are things there?”

“Pretty quiet, but that’s okay,” My mother responded.

“And dad, you’re looking for possible teachers again?”

“Nope. I’ve given up on that for the time being. I’m just reading the news. They even have an article about you.”

“Is it a good one?” I asked, curious but wary.

“It’s pretty positive. Talks about how you’re joining the guild and how you have the favor of a goddess. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also Soranir’s signature below it.”

“I guess it helps people’s acceptance of me. I’m not so bad once you get to know me.”

“You’re an angel,” My mother said. “People will know that soon enough if you stick around.”

“I have no intention to move anytime soon. There’s plenty to do from what I’ve heard.”

“Happy to hear that,” My mother continued. “I can’t get enough of you. Would you two like something to eat before Soranir arrives? I made some bread earlier.”

“Can’t say no to that, now, can we?” I turned to watch Cellestra and Elira in front of her.

“That’s very hard to decline, indeed,” She replied.

Fresh bread was always delicious, even more so to know my mother had made it herself. This was among the things I’d missed most. I considered myself very lucky to be able to experience them again.

After lunch, I took Elira with me for a swift run around the field as she’d have to stay inside for a while as we had that meeting. My mother had made her aware of it, and I figured I’d at least play with her for a bit before that.

“Sis, why can’t I be there when you talk?” She asked me when we were about halfway done.

I sighed and thought of an easy way to explain things.

“It’s because it’s going to be boring for you, but some of the things we will talk about would make you very sad. I don’t want you to be sad, do you?”

“No,” She said after shaking her head.

“Do they make you sad, too?” She then asked.

“Sometimes they do. It’s something you will need to deal with when you grow older, but there’s no need to think about it now, okay?” I turned my head as far as I could to smile warmly at her.

“Okay,” She replied softly.

I didn’t want to go into it deeper than was necessary. She still had a childhood to enjoy, and in my opinion, it should be as worry-free as possible.

When we arrived back at the farmhouse, I could see that Soranir had already arrived. A horse waited at the side of the building, and the mayor sat at the table. I wasn’t sure if it was noon yet, but my experience with him was that he wanted to get things done as quickly as possible.

It seemed today was no exception.