Time seemed to freeze in the bath as Lakshman stood there, stunned at the words her had just heard. He felt his mind going haywire because of the shock of hearing his future wife say such dangerous tempting words. As time resumed to move on, and she asked him again in a timid voice.

“You don’t want to?”

“N-No! That’s not it!” Lakshman responded automatically while stumbling a little. Forcing his mind to focus on what was happening there, he asked her, “Um…! If you want to talk, I think doing it somewhere else is a good idea. I mean… this is a dangerous situation and … you’re a woman…”

For a moment, there was silence before he heard her say something that made him almost fall over in shock.

“Oh? If it’s about my clothing, I’m fine. I am well dressed, you see?”

“No! It’s dangerous, and I’m a married man!” Lakshman blurted out in a panic.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the room felt quite heavy and it surprised him because he did not understand what happened. While he was feeling puzzled, Asura berated him inside his mind in a furious voice.

“What the heck are you doing, pushing her away? Opportunities like these don’t come cheap!”

“Dammit, Asura! I said I’ll take every opportunity to get closer to her, but this is skipping several steps in one go!”

“So, what? She’s your wife in the future! Get on with it! What happened to that courage from earlier? Huh?! Get a move on! This is destiny at work, so don’t you dare back out now!”

Lakshman, who was feeling the gloomy pressure emanating from the girl behind him, sighed and gave in to Asura’s pressure. At the same time, he was feeling a little worried about what might happen in such a tentative situation. Worried, he activated Elemental Sight with a mutter and glanced towards her, making him feel relief when he saw that she was filled with blue color, that of an ally and confirmed whom he was speaking to.

“V-Very well, um, Raze?” He asked her name with a question in a nervous voice. “I’ll speak to you now since you’re so adamant about it.”

Suddenly, the gloomy pressure vanished and the room was filled with a bright atmosphere as she said, “Really? Thank you! I really mean it!”

Sighing again and resigning himself to his fate, Lakshman turned around and slowly walked towards the bath that was covered in steam. Thus, he decided he would have his bath after finishing his conversation with her and sends her away.

He sat down near the edge of the water and put his feet into the water, feeling a warm heat rising up his legs. At the same time, he let out a small contented sigh in relief as the stress in his body was somehow being released and the very touch of the water was making him feel very relaxed and contentment.

“Nice, isn’t it?” She asked, appearing out of the steam as she sat down and entered her feet into the water like him.

“Yes,” he replied, turning to face her and knew instantly it was Raze by the mask she wore on her face.

He was amazed to find that she was wearing a white dress that did not show a single skin other than the smooth skin of her neck, arms, and legs. It made him momentarily wonder whether the whiteness of the dress would become transparent if water was splashed on it, but he remembered that she had been washing herself moments before and realized the clothes she was wearing were special.

For a moment, there was silence in the room other than the occasional splash of water from them moving their feet. He glanced at her sideways and noticed that she was resolutely looking down at the water and remembered that she was bad at starting conversations when she felt very awkward or embarrassed.

“This part of her didn’t change at all,” he thought with a smile. Then he asked, “So, what did you want to talk about, Raze?”

She immediately glanced at him, and he could sense the relief emanating from her as she asked, “I wanted to first ask you what happened on the night when that explosion occurred.”

“The night of the party when that attack occurred?” He asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

She nodded her head and asked, “You saved me, but I don’t think that was the end of it. If I am correct… you also saved everyone else because… I saw shadows… many of them, all of whom were covering the people by acting as their shields! That was your technique, wasn’t it?”

“She’s sharp, as expected from my future wife,” he thought again, feeling surprised and happy to finally relate to the wife he remembered from his memory of her.

“Yes. It’s certainly a technique,” he replied in a quiet voice and left his sentence hanging, waiting for her to prompt him.

“As I thought!” She exclaimed, sounding triumphant at learning the truth. “What technique was it? Shadow Clone?”

Lakshman could not resist to snort with laugher at her choice of technique name, causing her to look at him while tilting her head in confusion.

“Sorry but that technique’s taken by someone else,” he replied with a grin on his face. “No. My technique is called the Thousand Army. It basically creates a thousand copies of myself that appear quite real. They can even use my techniques if I choose to allow them to.”

“A thousand copies…? Wow…!” She muttered under her breath, making him look at her in interest.

In the past, when he was developing his Thousand Army, she had not shown the same kind of surprise like his other wives as if she knew he would eventually develop that powerful technique. Instead, she somehow understood their instability at that time and often gave him helpful tips on how to improve their performance and stability. That was how he had managed to make his Thousand Army technique into a technique to be reckoned with.

“So, these thousand copies of you took the blow and vanished from sight, causing it to look as if a miracle had happened,” said Raze, speaking in a shrewd manner that made him smile a little. “I can understand you wanting to keep a low profile and pass on that achievement to another hero, but isn’t that… a bit obvious?”

At her words, he chuckled and said, “Actually, yes. It was obvious, and I was worried that someone might’ve noticed. I thought it was fine since everyone acted according to my plan but, as it turned out, three people saw through it and that includes you as well, Raze.”

She remained silent, but he could sense the surprise she felt from his words, but he did not truly understand her surprise. More than his words, she was actually surprised by the soft expression he was showing her. Not sure what to make of it, she decided to move on and continue her conversation with him as she was burning with many questions.

“That’s quite the brave act you conducted, but why? I was under the impression that you weren’t thrilled to be here, and may even have some ill will towards us, your summoners, so why bother saving us?”

Silence fell in the bath as he seemed to be thinking over her question before saying, “This and that are completely unrelated.”

“Huh?” She asked, sounding confused.

“Summoning us from our home worlds at your convenience does make you guilty, but you are still people, and I swore I will save whoever I can with the power I possess,” he replied in a firm voice while facing her with a cool expression on his face. “It doesn’t matter whether the other person was human or not; I will help them because I can.”

He sensed the surprise from her despite her expressions were hidden by her mask and, sure enough, her next question made his suspicions to be correct.

“That’s… strange. I’m sorry if I’m being discourteous but… I don’t get it. I mean… um… what do you gain out of such… self-sacrifice?” She asked finally, sounding as if it took a lot of effort for her to ask him that.

Her question was followed by a still silence that made the air feel a little cold, causing her to shiver considering her feet were in warm water. At that moment, as she glanced at him, she saw a sorrowful smile on his face that made her feel a little strange on the inside. In the next instance, she saw him glance towards the water and start explaining to her something that stunned her with shock and disbelief.

“Even after all these years, my motives are always being questioned… but… I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again; I do this for my own satisfaction. You see, I have this… vision of my past life… a life that was filled with chaos, blood, and the deaths of so many that died at my hands and many more that no amount of hands could count. I was striving for a dream to unite the world and bring peace, but the path I chose was wrong, and my family paid the consequences.”

He faced her with a sad smile on his face and said, “It was a nightmare, but it made me learn my mistakes from my past, and I decided to not repeat them. This is where I’ll echo my friend’s words: ‘If you have the power to make a difference, then do it because only you can’ and ‘If you abide by justice, that same justice will protect you. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but it definitely will protect you.’ Powerful words, aren’t they?”

She nodded silently in agreement, watching him quietly as he continued speaking.

“Those were words my parents always told me, and I also believe they are worth following. I mean, I wasn’t there when my parents were killed, and my sisters didn’t have a brother to stand by their side at that time, but… I’ve decided to be different to what I used to be; to be better than my past self and that is why I help whoever that needs it. That’s why I am like this.”

Raze slowly nodded her head in understanding when he finished his explanation and asked in a curious voice, “But your injuries… no one cared… no one noticed…”

This made Lakshman burst into a laughter that startled her before he said, “Well, to be honest with you, that explosion was practically nothing to me after all the life and death battles I’ve been through. It’s just like a scratch you get when you slip and fall.”

“Just a scratch?” Raze asked, sounding amazed by how easy he disregarded the injury that she felt was very serious. It made her realize she knew nothing about the man sitting next to her, and it made her curiously ask, “Just… what kind of life did you lead up till now?”

He slowly turned and looked at her with a small smile on his face and asked, “Do you want to know?”

She hesitated, thinking she was digging deep into his privacy, but she also came to the realization that he seemed to want to share his life story with her. And so, when she nodded, his smile broadened, but he shook his head in denial.

“Sorry, but that’s for another time.” When she was about to protest, he raised a hand and said, “I didn’t say I won’t tell you. It’s just… I’m not ready to tell you now. Maybe later, when the correct time presents itself… you’ll know all about me. You will anyway because…”

He trailed away, leaving his sentence hanging and made her ask him, “Because… of what?”

To her surprise, he extended a finger to her mask and touched the nose part while saying with a cool expression on his face, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Due to the mask hiding her face, he did not know that her face had turned bright red, and her heart began beating quickly. She clutched her chest as it tightened, making her wonder it was what the hot sensation that she was feeling at that time.

“Is there anything more you want to know that I can answer today?” He asked with a slight grin on his face.

Raze looked at him in complete silence for a moment before asking, “How does it feel to freely use your powers?”

This surprised him, and he raised an eyebrow and responded by saying, “How it feels? Well… natural, I guess?”

“Natural… That’s great,” she said in a quiet voice, turning to look down at the water with a gloomy atmosphere surrounding her. “I suppose relying on these devices on a daily basis made it difficult for us to use magic like you.”

He looked at her with a start and remembered that Erza did not know how to sense the Force let alone use it freely. It made him realize the reason for it was due to the people of Alzard World had come to solely depend on technology, such as the Magic Enhanced Devices, that they had cast aside their natural ability to grow, adapt, and evolve as a race. Along with that was the problem of natural substance being very minimal in this world, such as plants, trees, and water that supply the power to spirits and nature to sustain itself.

“This explains why we couldn’t use magic, and probably can’t even now if we didn’t have our Hero Weapon,” said Asura, confirming the thoughts that he and Lakshman shared previously on this matter.

“The people of this world stopped evolving as a race when they started evolving the things around them instead,” thought Lakshman in a sad voice. “This isn’t right…! This isn’t what nature wanted…! It’s like destroying a part of ourselves… and they don’t even realize it!”

“Drop it, Lakshman. No amount of your words will carry any weight because they just don’t care anymore,” replied Asura in a firm voice, who had quickly understood the mentality of such a civilization better than his present-self.

Lakshman shook his head in sadness and looked sideways at Raze, who was looking sad at the prospect of not being able to use magic as freely as him. Then an idea came to him, and he smiled as he quickly proposed it to her.

“Do you want to learn my way, Raze?” He asked tentatively, a little worried that she might refuse.

At his sudden question, she looked up and turned to stare at him through her mask in total silence for a few seconds.

“Y-You mean it? I-I can learn in… your way of using… magic?” She asked nervously, fearful to be refused when such a glimmering hope was suddenly thrown onto her.

He nodded and said, “Of course. We won’t know until we try, won’t we?”

“Yes…! Yes! We won’t know until we try!” She said, suddenly becoming very excited at the prospect of being able to use the methods that Lakshman uses in his activating his techniques. “When can we start?”

“W-Wow! H-Hold up!” Lakshman exclaimed, raising his hands up in surprise when she suddenly moved very close to his face.

Even though she was wearing a mask, he could smell the same sweet smell that he remembers about his wife back in his home world. When she questioned him again, he looked surprised and shook his head to clear his thoughts to focus on the topic at hand.

He gave it a thought about when they should start, but he had no idea of their schedule. So, he gave up and asked her instead.

“When do you want to start? It’s your choice.”

She leaned back to sit straight and fell silent, thinking about when the good time for him to meet her would be. Seconds later, she turned to him and said, “Tonight, around eight in the evening. How does that sound?” When he looked surprised, she quickly went on to say, “Please! Just the basics for an hour! I think that’ll be sufficient!”

He was hesitant considering it was night time and there could be trouble, however, looking at the eagerness of his future wife made him ignore everything else. After all, his love for his wife is greater than his fear for the problems.

“Sure. Let’s meet tonight… but… where should we—?”

“In my room, on the top floor of the castle facing the courtyard,” she said quickly, cutting across his sentence. “You shouldn’t be able to miss it since it’s directly the top most when you look towards the castle from the courtyard.”

“I see…! Wait! You’re inviting me into your room?!” He exclaimed, registering for the first time the shocking fact a little late.

At his exclamation, she actually giggled as she was unable to contain her feelings and asked him in a curious voice, “Why are you so surprised? I thought boys liked to visit girls in the night or was I mistaken?”

“N-No! You’re not mistaken!” Lakshman said hurriedly, realizing he was panicking more than he should be. Trying to get his act together, he stammered, “It’s just that it… surprised me! Yeah! Surprised me because I wasn’t expecting it!”

She chuckled with laughter, and he smiled wryly in embarrassment of his initial panic. A moment later, she lifted her legs out of the water and rose to her feet before glancing down at him with her mask still hiding her face and expression on it.

“I expect you to be on time, teacher,” she said, causing him to look towards her in amazement as she walked to the side of the wall. When she pressed on it, there was a sudden movement of rock before the wall to the side slid open, causing him to shout, “What?!”

She turned around and placed a finger to the mouth of her mask and said, “Shhh,” before waving goodbye and taking her leave through the hole, which quickly closed itself right after.

There was a moment of stunned silence in the bath before he thought, “There’s a secret doorway in the bath! Unbelievable!”

“That’s probably how she snuck into here in the first place since the Royal Guards were sure the bath was empty and the others didn’t seem to react as you would expect when you find a girl already using the bath,” said Asura inside his mind in a reasonable voice. “Anyway, about tonight…?”

“Yeah…” muttered his present-self with a slight nod of the head in agreement.

He sighed, took his clothes off and entered the bath, sighing contentedly as he relaxed inside the warm waters with the steam spreading everywhere. His thoughts turned back to the conversation he was having with Raze, who was the real Erza that he knew off, and wondered again why she was hiding her true identity and that a duplicate was put in her place. Not knowing the answer, he could only sigh in resignation.

“Well, I’ll do my best tonight!” He muttered, raising his fist into the air with determination as his excitement slowly rose, and he enjoyed the rest of his bath time in peace.