In the fifth level of the Cullatal Labyrinth, I also found a magic crystal.
By chance.
Collagen Coral Lv5
Collagen Coral Lv5
Magic Crystal
Cheap Sheep Lv5
When I appraised the monsters that appeared, it was inside one of them.
For a moment, I panicked, thinking four of them had appeared at once.
First, I hit the monsters with three Firestorms.
I repelled the Collagen Coral's body slam attack with my wand and finished them off with the fourth shot.
"I'm back, and I'm right nearby."
"No. There's a magic crystal over there."
I stopped Roxane from going back the way we came.
We moved forward, to where we had found the monsters.
A black magic crystal was half-buried in a cave-like depression in the rock.
"It's impressive you found it in the dark from a distance, Master."
"It was just by chance, as it was near where we found the monsters."
"Still, black magic crystals don't glow, so they're hard to find."
Indeed. Black magic crystals don't glow.
I might have missed them before.
I can't always appraise everything, but from now on, I'll try to appraise even places that seem empty.
"Do the others glow?"
"Yes, faintly."
In the end, they turn into white magic crystals, so they must glow.
It would certainly be easier to find them if they glowed.
"With a black magic crystal, I can only store magic power and not sell it, right?"
"Well, magic crystals can be fused."
Roxane took the black magic crystal and handed it to me.
"Fused?"
"Yes. When you press two magic crystals together, they easily become one."
"Is that so? The magic power doesn't decrease when they fuse?"
"It's fine."
I want to keep a few spare magic crystals, but it's fine to try one.
After all, it's only ten nals.
I took out a green magic crystal from my backpack.
I placed it on the palm of my right hand and held the black magic crystal I found in my left hand, stacking them.
The black magic crystal sank into the green magic crystal without much resistance.
It went in smoothly as I pressed it.
It felt good.
The resistance was just right, neither too hard nor too soft.
It felt similar to squishing bubble wrap in a cardboard box.
It was a bit addictive.
"So, it becomes like this."
When it was fully absorbed, one green magic crystal remained.
The black magic crystal I found should have had less than ten units of magic power.
It didn't have enough power to change the color of the green magic crystal, which had over ten thousand units of magic power.
In the end, we finished exploring the fifth level of the Bael Labyrinth by the time the bucket was ready.
The boss of the fifth level of the Bael Labyrinth is the Beep Sheep, which we've already fought once.
The combination of monsters and the boss on that level seems to be the same in all labyrinths.
I can't let the Beep Sheep use its skills.
I stuck to it closely and constantly targeted it with Durandal, which has the effect of interrupting spellcasting.
I made sure not to create any openings by blocking its kicks with my sword instead of dodging.
As long as I sealed its skills, I could leave the front to Roxane and just keep attacking from behind.
In the Cullatal Labyrinth, the coral monsters didn't seem to distinguish between front and back, so it was a bit challenging.
Still, with two of us, the number of attacks we had to deal with was halved.
We managed to win by swinging Durandal around.
"I'll return the medicine."
Roxane put down her backpack.
I gave her the medicine before the boss battle, just in case something happened.
I learned from the last boss battle.
If Roxane were poisoned while I was asleep, it would be a big problem.
If it was just an additional effect of a normal attack, Roxane would probably avoid it without any issues.
"Shouldn't you keep it until we see the monsters on the sixth level?"
"It's fine. The monsters on the sixth level of the Cullatal Labyrinth should be Mino."
The monsters on the sixth level of the Bael Labyrinth were the Naive Olives, which we had already fought on the second level of the Cullatal Labyrinth.
Since we had already fought them, it was relatively reassuring.
We could also defeat the level 6 monsters with four spells, so hunting on the sixth level shouldn't be a problem.
We put away Durandal and the medicine and moved to the sixth level.
The messenger from the wooden goods shop came as promised after five days.
When I said I could take it immediately, he went back and returned with a cart.
"Huge."
I said it out loud when I saw the cart from a distance.
It was big.
A large, circular bucket was placed vertically on the cart.
The cart was about one meter high, and the bucket was about two meters in diameter, making it about three meters tall in total.
The bucket protruded about halfway above the driver's head.
There might be furniture of similar height, but it felt unusually imposing when I thought of it as just a bucket.
As the cart approached and I took it, it was indeed big.
It was about two meters tall, just as I had ordered, slightly taller than a person.
"Here is the item you ordered."
"The boards are thick and sturdy, aren't they?"
The boards used were quite thick.
The bottom board also seemed to be quite thick.
"It would break too easily if it wasn't this thick."
The messenger who brought it said this and left.
It would break if it wasn't this thick.
How much water can it hold?
Let's think about it.
One liter is one thousand cubic centimeters.
One cubic centimeter is one centimeter by one centimeter by one centimeter.
One hundred centimeters by ten centimeters by one centimeter is one thousand cubic centimeters, or one liter.
One meter is one hundred centimeters, so one meter by ten centimeters by one centimeter is one liter, and one meter by one meter by one centimeter is ten liters.
A container with an area of one meter by one meter and a depth of one centimeter can hold ten liters of water.
Hmm?
It's a lot more than I thought.
The area of the bucket is pi times the radius squared, so with a diameter of two meters, the radius is one meter, making it 3.14 square meters.
With a depth of fifty centimeters, 3.14 square meters times fifty centimeters times ten liters is 1,570 liters?
Calm down.
Calm down.
There's no mistake in the calculation.
I recalculated, but there was no mistake.
This bucket can hold 1,570 liters of water.
One liter of water is one kilogram, so 1,570 kilograms.
That's about 1.5 tons.
It's an incredible amount of water.
I never thought I'd deal with such a weight in my daily life.
The boards must be thick, too.
"Let's take it upstairs to the second floor."
"Yes, Master."
Roxane and I carried the bucket upstairs.
Well, it's more like a bathtub now.
It was quite heavy, but we could roll it, so it wasn't too difficult.
The stairs were also manageable with two of us.
We brought it into the second-floor room with a drain.
After we brought it in, we carefully and slowly laid it down.
The room was about eight tatami mats in size, so there was plenty of space even with the bathtub.
"Sure is a nice house."
"Um, what is this?"
"Listen and be amazed. We're going to use this as a bathtub."
I declared to Roxane.
Getting in is heaven, but making the water is hell.
One Water Wall spell can make ten liters of water, so it would take 157 spells to fill it up.
157 times.
Just to make the water.
My head hurts.
"Is a bathtub something you use for a bath?"
"Yes. To take a bath. I want to prepare it right away."
"Understood."
I don't know how long it will take.
I should prepare early.
First, I lightly washed the bathtub and used Water Wall to fill a water barrel.
When it was full, I put a Fireball in the barrel to heat the water.
One Fireball makes it lukewarm, and two make it hot.
Considering the water might cool during preparation, I used two Fireballs before transferring it to the bathtub.
If it's too hot, I can dilute it with water.
Unlike a ceramic barrel, the bucket is made of wood, so I didn't heat the water in the bathtub to avoid it catching fire.
While filling the bathtub and consuming magic power, I teleported to the labyrinth to recharge.
It's a lot of work.
"I guess I can only take a bath once a week."
"Once every ten days or twice, maybe?"
I complained when I teleported to the labyrinth.
This world doesn't have the concept of a week.
To Roxane, I must seem like a strange person who occasionally says incomprehensible things.
A very strange person.
The temperature in the bathroom got even higher as I worked.
It was like a sauna.
I had Roxane wait outside while I worked alone.
I was drenched in sweat after a short time.
"Here."
When I came out, Roxane handed me a hand towel.
I wiped the sweat and teleported to the labyrinth again.
Is it worth all this trouble just to take a bath with Roxane?
I must be a pervert.
In the end, I stubbornly filled the bathtub with hot water.
I did it out of spite.
I filled it to the brim.
It probably took more than two hours from the start of the preparation.
I prepared extra water in the barrel and went outside.
"I'll leave it at this for today. It's done."
The bathtub was about 90% full of hot water.
The bathroom was filled with white steam.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"I have time, so let's go to the labyrinth, have dinner, and then take a bath."
I took the hand towel from Roxane and wiped the sweat.
When I put my hand in, the water was still quite hot, so it should be fine for a few hours.
"Um, can I join you?"
"Of course, that's the plan."
Is Roxane averse to baths?
Even if she doesn't want to, I want her to join.
I intend to order her to join if necessary.
"Baths are for nobles. Besides, I was told to wait outside halfway through."
"I had you wait outside because it was steamy. We won't both be drenched in sweat."
"Oh, I see. I thought there was something special for you."
She thought that.
I petted her dog ears while returning the hand towel.
"Well, it is special. I'm going to take a bath with Roxane."
"Eh... um..."
"Will you join me?"
"Y-Yes, thank you."
Good.
She agreed to join me.
If she had refused at the last moment, all my hard work would have been for nothing.
After finishing all the work for the day, we entered the bathroom.
The water was still a bit hot.
I created a Water Wall directly on the bathtub and diluted it with water.
Adjusting the temperature was a challenge.
It's hard to fine-tune with magic.
I stuck my right hand in the bathtub and stirred it.
Is this good enough?
I have a rough idea of how long it takes to make the water.
Next time, I can heat half the water in the barrel with one Fireball.
It should be a bit easier. Really, just a bit.
It might be easier when I level up.
Before dinner, I floated a lemon in the bathtub.
I'm not sure if it's exactly a lemon, but it was translated as such, so it must be.
I'm not sure what herbs to use for a shobu bath.
It would be bad if it had a strange, raw smell.
For a yuzu bath, maybe I could use some other citrus fruit.
Lemons have a nice scent.
Since they are edible, they shouldn't release any strange substances.
Roxane set a lantern in the hole in the room.
I bathed and lightly washed my body.
After washing Roxane's body, we both got into the bathtub.
It felt great.
The warm water enveloped my entire body.
I stretched out my arms and legs.
The large bathtub made it feel like a hot spring.
It wasn't made of hinoki, so it didn't have a rich wood scent, but it was still wonderful.
I laid my head on a hand towel placed on the edge of the bathtub.
Roxane lay down next to me.
I reached out and pulled her close.
It felt great.
Her slender, supple body came close.
Thanks to the buoyancy, I could easily pull her close.
I entangled my legs and clung to her.
Roxane's skin felt smooth in the water.
It was soft and smooth, and felt very good.
"Ugh, this is the best."
"Yes, it feels very good."
I felt like the meaning was a bit different, but since Roxane seemed happy, it didn't matter.
Something brushed against my knee.
It felt strangely pleasant.
I reached out to see what it was.
It was her tail.
Roxane's tail spread out in the bathtub like seaweed.
When I scooped it up with my arm, it felt like a soft brush caressing my hand.
In the water, it was light and delicate, caressing my arm.
This was an unexpected discovery.
"Roxane's tail feels great."
"Is that so? Thank you."
I reached out and shook her tail multiple times.
It swayed gently in the water.
It swayed like a gentle breeze.
Roxane's tail is perfect for the bathtub.
Taking a bath with Roxane was even better than I expected.
It's too much work to do every day, but I want to do it once every ten days, no, once a week, no, once every five days, maybe even every three days.
I shifted my body and submerged my head in the bathtub.
The water seeped into each strand of my hair.
I scrubbed my hair in the water.
After scrubbing it multiple times to remove all the dirt, I raised my head.
"It feels great. Try it, Roxane."
"Okay."
Roxane submerged her head in the water.
I reached out and scrubbed her hair in the water.
I also washed her dog ears.
Her hair didn't have the same swishing sensation as her tail.
Still, it felt soft and entangled around my fingers in the water.
Roxane stayed submerged for nearly a minute.
She eventually raised her upper body and shook off the water.
When she came up, I secretly stared at her large, jiggling mountains.