tanding outside the tavern in the red hot glow of the setting sun which paints every object orange, Melan is helping Percibell stand up while they wait for another carriage to pass by.

At this point, they made several attempts to look for one by walking around, all of which failed because Percibell kept swaying and stumbling. Now they are back where they started.

「Hihihi... am sorreeh,」 she giggles with a flushed red face and ears.

「Dear, oh, dear, you do have trouble staying up, do you not? At this rate we shall never catch a transport,」 Melan responds.

「｟Hiccup｠ dududu, there...! Hehehe,」 she says while pointing at an incoming carriage pulled by two horses.

「Yes, good job Percibell! We shall try and see if this one can carry us,」 Melan says with a soft smile on her face, trying her best not to fall while keeping Percibell upright.

She waves at the incoming carriage and walks up to it slowly. Taking out a small pouch with several shiny gold coins from inside her black cloak, she shows it to the coachman and asks, 「Does young sir perhaps have space for 2 people?」

The coachman's eyes widen with his mouth agape and his neck lunging forward at the sight of the gold coins. He shows Melan and Percibell his best smile, a flash of yellow and crooked uneven teeth, and says, 「Get on.」

§§§

Melan and Percibell arrive at a huge, two-stories-high mansion with a tiled roof and decorative overhangs. The windows are double glazed with colorful patterns, the walls plastered neatly with white clay, and the front door, wide enough to accommodate a small wagon, is made out of cherrywood decorated with mahogany filigree insets. The brass doorknob resembling a drake's head holding a gold ring is visible from a distance. Walking the pathway to the entrance with an uneven step, Percibell can't help but marvel at the size and decor of the building. In the corner of her eyes, she notices a smaller, wooden building off to the side, resembling a stable.

「Whoooooa, Miss Melan, this is amazing! You must be extremely rich!」 she exclaims.

Melan scoffs, still trying her best to keep Percibell upright. As soon as they enter the mansion, Melan stares at Percibell with a half-serious gaze.

「Now, I do think some baths are in order,」 Melan says.

Percibell reaches for her pointy ears and clutches them while looking down.

「Haha, I must stink pretty bad, I'm so sorry,」 she says with a tinge of shame.

Melan's serious expression changes into a helpless smile.

「No, I understand, you are, after all, an adventurer. Now, let us get those boots off so we may clean ourselves.」

Entering the bathroom, which lies further down a long corridor, Percibell once again can't help but gasp at the sight.

She is standing in a spacious room, lit by what appear to be white, glowing stones mounted in the walls every few paces. Their glow is soft and casts a slightly yellow-orange hue on everything.

A large and oval white bathtub with enough room for 3 or 4 people is situated in the center of the room. The floor is made out of grey slate tiles and is pleasantly warm to the touch of their bare feet. There is an open shower on the side of the room with a small chair underneath the showerhead.

「Whooa! What's this? I have never seen a bath like this! This is amazing Miss Melan!」 she exclaims, ears fluttering.

Melan's face exudes a hint of pride for a change and she puffs out her chest.

「Hmhm... I know right? It even beats the one at the Royal Palace in every aspect except size」 she says with a humming tone.

「Wow, what? Miss Melan you have been at the human Royal Palace?!」

Realizing that she messed up, Melan's eyes widen momentarily.

「Ah- no, wait, ahem, I mean... It is what I was told by the person who built this,」 she responds and returns to her usual graceful expression.

「You're so amazing Miss Melan, to be able to have something like this,」 Percibell is beaming with admiration.

They start undressing and with Melan's help, Percibell is able to remove her dirty linen and leather clothes. Melan walks up to the large bathtub and raises her hand over it. Moments after, a stream of steamy hot water appears out of thin air and starts pouring down into the bathtub.

「The only issue is that it needs plenty of water, making it quite difficult to use if you do not have a sizeable amount of mana」 Melan says while turning around. She sees Percibell standing, mouth wide open and face frozen in a dumbfounded expression.

「Hot water just like that?! And without any incantation?! Just who are you Miss Melan? You're too amazing!」 she exclaims. She approaches her with unsteady steps to take a closer look.

「You could easily become an S-ranked adventurer with this skill! I'm so envious. I can only control the wind a bit.」

Melan finishes filling the large bathtub and starts walking towards the shower, 「Fufu, you think too much of me... Now now, let us wash off the dirt before the water cools off,」 she says with a chuckle while pulling Percibell with her.

She ushers Percibell to sit at the small chair, facing the wall below the showerhead.

「Ah no... awuu... I can do it myself,」 Percibell squirms while Melan lets a stream of warm water cover her from head to toe while she slides her hand all over her body, causing Percibell to blush and squeak.

「Hiku! Ugaa.... uwu.」

Melan chuckles and watches as Percibell's red ears dance around. Finding it cute, she feels prompted to touch them.

「Iiiiiiihhhhhh~! W-wait... not th...ere,」 a startled Percibell exclaims.

「Ara, are these perhaps very sensitive for you?」 Melan asks with a smug look on her face.

「Hehe... y-yes... I was born that way.」

「Fufufu... I see, then I shall try and be careful. Let me just clean them thoroughly, alright?」

Melan fetches a bar of softly fragrant soap from below the chair and starts cleaning Percibell's ears with it. Embarrassed, Percibell is looking down, shuffling around while trying her best to not make any sounds, 「Mnnnnhhh... Ngghhh... owo」

After cleaning the inner side of Percibell's ears, Melan moves on to her hair.

「My... you have such lovely hair. This cream color is truly beautiful... it feels so silky and smooth. Though, might it not be too long? It's almost touching your butt.」

「Thank you, hehe, my mom had long hair like this,」 Percibell responds with a grin.

「That is very wonderful. Alright, close your eyes,」 Melan starts rinsing the bubbly soap off of her hair, then moves down to her modest chest.

「Now then... eii!」 grabbing both breasts with her hands, Melan starts groping them playfully.

「Ughiiiii~!」 Percibell lets out a startled yelp.

With a mischievous smile, Melan measures the quality of the elf's breasts.

「Hmhm... these are very cute. Springy, feel nice to the touch, the size... not too small, but not overwhelmingly big either.」

「Aggagga... M-Melan... nooo... please stop,」 Percibell is once again completely flushed red and tries to fight off Melan's groping hands by shifting her chest around.

Finally relenting, Melan removes her hands and chuckles, 「Fufufu... there I go again, I must apologize, but you are just irresistibly cute, dear Percibell.」

Percibell starts cupping her own breasts while gazing at Melan's with a sour face.

「I can't compete with Miss Melan... I've heard that men prefer big ones like yours,」 she sulks.

「Ara, that's not true Percibell,」 Melan says with a sly smile while moving on to wash her back.

「Really? My figure is also not as great as yours... I'm envious,」 the elf says, still sulking.

Melan cues her to turn around to wash her legs while consoling her, 「There is a place for every type of woman in this world. For you especially, I can guarantee that.」

Reaching near Percibell's crotch with her hands, Melan tries pulling her legs apart, but Percibell forces her legs shut.

「Ah- uhmm... I can handle that part myself,」 she says with an embarrassed look on her face, ears drooping all the way down.

Melan looks at her with a focused gaze for a few moments.

「Alright, I'll let you do that, but in turn allow me to spectate so I can ensure you do it properly.」

「Ughuu....it's really embarrassing to have you watch,」 she says as she's washing her intimate place while Melan keeps scrutinizing her figure.

They switch places under the shower once she's done, and Melan quickly washes her own hair and body before taking the elf to the bathtub.

「I can't express how thankful I am, Miss Melan,」 the elf says, reclining with a relaxed face. 「Today might be the best day of my life. I was saved and then we drank together, and now I'm allowed to experience such a luxurious bath. I'm so happy I met Miss Melan.」

「Fufufu... I am happy to hear that,」 Melan giggles in comfort with closed eyes. 「It is because you are so cute, dear Percibell, remember this.」

A few silent moments pass and Melan opens her eyes only to find Percibell starting to fall asleep.

「Mnhya,」 she mumbles as she descents into a sound sleep.

Melan gazes at her with astonishment before letting a wide smile slowly appear on her face.

§

In a small, well-lit storage room filled with boxes and objects arranged on shelves, Melan walks around, a white towel tied around her chest, hair braided and resting on the front of her body.

Opening the boxes one by one, she keeps taking out small objects and examining them until she pulls out a tiny purple vial, the size of her thumb. Holding it up to her face, she hums and smiles.

She exits the small room and approaches half-sleeping Percibell, who is also covered in a white towel, leaning against the wall of the hallway. She pushes Percibell along the hallway while the elf mumbles incoherently.

「Mmmhnyaa... Orphelia...」

They arrive in front of a well-decorated mahogany door with a gilded frame. Melan pauses, holding her breath at the sound of growling coming from the other side. The noises could be mistaken for a beast about to hunt its prey. Deep and gritty, it seems to reverberate in the other room before coming to the door.

「Melan... Thaannk... Haannyaa.」 Percibell mumbles.

Staring at the door with determination in her eyes, Melan gulps and apologizes under her breath before reaching for the door handle.

「Forgive me Percibell.」