Viktor and Gwen stood at the doorway, looking into the room.

"Why did you agree to this? We should have asked more questions or waited a bit longer..." Gwen said.

Viktor glanced at her and replied, "Remember why you're here. You didn't come here for a vacation or to sleep."

Hearing Viktor's words, Gwen shook her head and calmed down.

However, it was clearly awkward for a single man and woman to stay in one room at night. Moreover, there was only one bed, albeit a large one.

Gwen furrowed her brow, pondering for a moment before volunteering, "I'll sleep on the floor."

Viktor nodded and agreed, "Alright."

Gwen was taken aback.

As a knight, she was used to sleeping anywhere in her armor. However, Viktor's reaction... made her feel somewhat displeased.

Gwen couldn't quite understand why she felt this way. In her mind, there was no concept of being courteous or not.

Viktor was a mage, more fragile than her, so he should naturally sleep on the bed.

However, after a long day's journey, Gwen felt sticky inside her armor.

To be honest, Gwen wanted to take a bath.

She had been on long missions before and had always managed to endure. But perhaps because there was now a man in the room, she suddenly became conscious of whether she might smell or not.

She patted her cheeks, trying to shake off these unnecessary thoughts.

Gwen wasn't one to impose on others.

Given the size of the inn and the current time, it was clear that they couldn't provide her with a hot bath.

But with all the sweat on her body, what if she really did smell? What should she do?

She was so preoccupied that she forgot she was still wearing her full armor, which made noise with every slight movement.

Viktor, while magically examining their surroundings, didn't forget to set up a sound-blocking barrier at the door.

After ensuring there was nothing unusual around, Viktor heard the scraping sound of armor and frowned. He turned to see Gwen, looking extremely troubled.

She was biting her finger, her face full of worry.

"Why haven't you taken off your armor yet?" Viktor asked.

Hearing his words, Gwen became a bit shy, lowering her head as her cheeks turned slightly red, almost imperceptibly.

......

"You mean you want to take a bath? In a place like this?" Viktor sat in a chair, holding his forehead.

There were no partitions here, let alone a ready-made bathroom.

The entire room only had one large bed, two chairs, and a table.

It was too rudimentary.

Under these conditions, Gwen actually said she wanted to take a bath...

"What a willful request," Viktor remarked.

Hearing Viktor's words, Gwen felt even more embarrassed. She had only mentioned it casually and was even prepared to sleep in her armor.

It would just be uncomfortable.

She was a knight; even if she smelled a bit, she could endure it until she got home.

She missed the warm bathroom and comfortable bed in her own home.

Suddenly, a bright green light flashed in front of her. Gwen looked up to see Viktor's suspended hand constructing a mysterious magic array on the floor.

The green light rings began to overlap, and the carved paths gradually merged.

[First-tier Magic: Wood Carving]

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As soon as the magic array formed, vines and wooden tendrils sprouted from the floor array.

They automatically bound together, forming the shape of a bathtub.

The magic simultaneously polished the exterior of the tub, making it smooth and gleaming with a dark luster.

Gwen blinked, seeing the bathtub she had been longing for suddenly appear on the floor.

Viktor hadn't stopped his actions.

Blue and red magic arrays alternately spun and combined between his left and right hands, flashing alternately. The air in the room gradually became hot.

Viktor clasped his hands together, and the two arrays converged, forming a brand new formation.

A double magic array?

This was the first time Gwen had seen such an advanced technique of multi-casting, as she wasn't a mage herself.

But what did Viktor intend to do?

It became evident.

The air grew humid, and water materialized from the array, coming into contact with the heat from the red array.

Almost instantly, the water temperature rose sharply.

Scalding hot water, as if squeezed from an air sponge, poured into the bathtub.

Gwen was completely stunned by the scene before her, blinking her eyes, feeling utterly amazed.

"This... this was done by magic?" she asked.

She had seen mages before, but never one who could do things as effortlessly as Viktor.

For the first time, she realized how convenient magical abilities could be.

"If you trust me, then please, go ahead," Viktor said while snapping his fingers.

A small black array appeared on the ring on his hand, and black mist curtains surged out from the array, isolating the space between them.

This side couldn't see that side, and that side couldn't see clearly here.

Seeing Viktor complete all this, Gwen suddenly felt emotional.

Having a mage by your side during a mission...

Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all?

She wasn't a fussy person, and Viktor had already done so much. Moreover, she had her sense of justice activated.

So Gwen removed her armor and undergarments and sank into the bathtub.

Now, she felt nothing but bliss all over her body.

Vega raised its eyelids, looking at Viktor sitting in the chair reading a book with a hint of disdain in its eyes.

"I find it hard to imagine you wasting your spiritual energy just to do such trivial things."

Viktor took out a bottle of blue potion and gulped it down.

The small amount of mana he had just consumed was replenished.

Being away from home, he needed to remain vigilant at all times, keeping himself in the best condition.

Putting down the empty bottle, he replied to Vega:

"You don't understand."

"Fine, fine, I don't understand," Vega mimicked him, deadpanning a retort.

"It's the first time I've seen you care so much about a woman."

Viktor shook his head, remembering the Valkyrie Gwen from the game.

That mage of her, unstoppable whether facing gods or demons, was still deeply etched in his mind.

She was undoubtedly the most difficult boss he had ever encountered.

If one could avoid being her enemy, who would want to become her opponent?

As he thought this, the rustling sounds from next door reached Viktor's ears.

Viktor: "......."

In some ways, he was a normal man.

The sounds from next door disturbed his thoughts. The content of the book seemed impossible to remember now. At this moment, he just felt incredibly irritated.

Would it be too late to set up a sound-blocking spell now?

Gwen would notice.

But... he lowered his head slightly.

[First-tier Magic: Self-Suggestion]

His eyes flickered briefly, then dimmed.

Gwen, freshly bathed, poked her head out from the other side of the curtain:

"Um, I also washed my clothes. Could you..."

Before she could finish, Viktor's hands were already activating another array.

[First-tier Magic: Hot Wind]

A bright red magic array lit up on Gwen's side. She looked back, feeling warmth behind her.

"Thank you, I can dry them now..." Gwen said, somewhat embarrassed as she pulled her head back.

"Phew." Viktor kept his eyes cold, maintaining the last shred of rationality in his mind.

"By the way, don't you need to take a bath?" Gwen asked Viktor from the other side.

He held his forehead with one hand, his face showing an irritated expression.

"...I have a wind-repelling spell on me. I don't get dirty from dust and wind."

"Also, if you're suggesting I use the water you've just bathed in, I'll come over right now."

Viktor spoke coldly to Gwen. Right now, he just wanted Gwen to get dressed and come out quickly.

"I'm sorry... I got carried away," Gwen apologized.

Calm down, calm down.

This phrase kept echoing in Viktor's mind.

"I've been thinking, perhaps I need a bed. Otherwise, the clothes I just washed will get dirty," Gwen suddenly remembered and made another request to Viktor.

"Gwen! I'm not your parent! Listen carefully! I can't cater to your every need!" Viktor exclaimed.

......

Gwen, now dressed, was sleeping soundly on the only large bed. As for Viktor...

He sat quietly in the chair, expressionless.

He had acted after all...

First, he used magic to put Gwen to sleep, then used magic to move her to the bed.

"That Gwen should have been cold and heartless," he thought.

The Gwen he knew always coldly executed the royal family's orders, like an emotionless killing machine.

But the current Gwen hadn't reached that level yet.

Although she was still aloof towards others, she still existed with unnecessary emotions like an ordinary person.

She would continuously question the innkeeper about having only one room left.

Even after he had helped her, she carefully continued to make requests of him, yet didn't dare to cross his bottom line.

When she made mistakes, she would apologize, and her attitude wasn't as unyielding as he remembered. Certainly, she was still strong, but...

"She's not the Gwen I knew," he thought.

He turned his head to look at the sleeping Gwen and shook his head.

But this thought lingered in Viktor's mind, impossible to erase.

......

Gwen stood at the front of the line, directing the knights on how to proceed.

"Today we're investigating the volcano. If you notice any unusual activity, don't act rashly. Report immediately!"

The knights looked at Gwen, feeling that she seemed in particularly good spirits after waking up.

And she seemed... cleaner?

The knights didn't know what had happened last night, and Gwen was already looking towards Viktor beside her.

The knights seemed to have an "Oh~" expression on their faces.

Viktor, seeing that Gwen had organized the troops, turned to leave.

"Viktor, where are you going?" Gwen asked.

"We can escort you to a designated location, or you can directly accompany the knight squadron."

"No need," Viktor replied.

He raised his eyebrows, looking towards the dormant volcano in the distance.

He knew that a huge monster lay dormant there, and his mood was a mix of heaviness and excitement.

"I'll be acting separately from you for now."