Demonic Dragon: Harem System

Chapter 154: Refreshing bath.

The day had started out perfectly beautiful, the skies glowing with a vibrant and contagious blue, just like the sun that covered the plains and forests; not a cloud could be seen anywhere in sight. It was a day that even Strax could hardly express how lovely it could be.

"It looks like it's going to be hot today," he commented with a smile as he got up. His body was somewhat sweaty and covered in dirt... Well, he had slept on top of a cart, so of course, he was dirty by now. Especially given the weather conditions.

"So many problems to solve..." he murmured, watching everyone already working again to fix up the camp before leaving. For a moment, he felt a fleeting peace... "Hey! Darling!" But soon, the shouts reached his ears, and he saw Monica calling him. She had already changed clothes and looked quite clean... Unlike him...

Strax looked at her with a smile and quickly jumped down from the top of the cart, landing swiftly in front of her with a breeze... Not exactly a pleasant one, if you know what I mean...

"Wow... darling..." Monica said, waving her hands in the air to create some airflow to clear the... bad odor. "Y-you smell terrible..." she said, giving up on trying to dissipate the smell and pinching her nose with one hand while pointing towards the forest with the other. "There's a stream up ahead. The girls and I used it to bathe...

You'd better go do the same, okay? We don't want animals following us on the way... You're drawing too much attention." She said with a slightly serious tone but a mischievous smile gradually breaking through; she was holding back from laughing too much.

He rolled his eyes slightly but couldn't help but smile a little. It was clear he knew Monica was completely right, and his smell was indeed far from pleasant. He looked at her smiling, "Alright, alright, I'm going, Miss," he replied mockingly, still trying to maintain some dignity as he turned and walked towards the stream.

As it wasn't far, he quickly reached the spot, which was indeed deserted. He could only hear the sound of leaves under his feet and the gentle murmur of water flowing ahead. "I'll have to bathe quickly..." he murmured, still much work to be done; they needed to leave as soon as possible to reach Eldoria that same day.

Despite this, he was looking forward to washing off the grime accumulated overnight and refreshing his mind.

Upon reaching the stream, Strax paused for a moment to appreciate the place. The stream was fed by a small waterfall, and the crystal-clear water flowed gently over the stones, creating a serene and inviting atmosphere. He sighed in relief and began to remove his dirty clothes, tossing them aside.

"I could get used to this peace easily... Should I build a house in the mountains when this is all over?" he said, stepping into the cool water. The temperature shock was revitalizing, and Strax felt the dirt and fatigue start to dissolve.

As he washed his face, he couldn't help but laugh at himself. "If anyone saw me now, they wouldn't believe I could get this dirty." The flowing water carried away the grime but also seemed to wash away some of the tension built up over the past few days.

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the nearby trees. Before he could react, a figure leaped out from behind a bush, and Strax jumped, spinning around quickly to face the intruder.

"Hey, calm down, Strax, it's me!" Samira laughed, holding her stomach from laughing so hard. "I didn't know you got so scared!"

Strax huffed, trying to regain his composure. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Samira just shook her head, still laughing. "No, I just came to check if everything was okay. And it looks like you finally decided to take a decent bath." Strax made a face but couldn't stay serious for long. "Well, I suppose it was a good idea... if I had known I'd have an audience, I would have charged admission."

Samira threw a small stone into the water, splashing a bit on Strax. "Come on, finish up, we don't have all day. Everyone's ready to leave; it's just you and those two left, and no one wants to wait for the 'stinky' one here." She made a face, "But I just got here!" Strax said, and she just smiled.

"You should have woken up earlier, sleeping beauty," she said, turning her back to him, "And wash that hair well; now that it's long, you need to take good care of it, or you'll ruin your appearance." She said with a smile as she walked down the small hill back to the camp...

"Just what I needed..." Strax murmured as he submerged his head in the water. "Respect for me has completely died..." he thought, though at least... "They seem lighter, after all that... I caused..." he murmured. He still felt a bit guilty for making them "hostages," preventing them from leaving the mansion when Beatrice was kidnapped...

Although, of course, he didn't truly regret it; he knew it wasn't a nice thing to do. His possessiveness and protection couldn't justify his means.

As Strax enjoyed the refreshing bath, the sound of the flowing water was almost hypnotic. The peace was a welcome relief after the challenges of the past few days. However, this tranquility was interrupted by a conversation coming from the other side of the stream. Curious, Strax decided to investigate, moving silently towards the sound.

When he reached the rock that separated the stream from the pool, Strax carefully peeked over the rock, only to find Lyana and Evelyn in the midst of a bath, completely naked. The sight took him by surprise, and he froze for a moment, unsure how to react.

Despite Evelyn still wearing a veil over her eyes, he could see her body, which was... well, not in the best shape, due to her illness worsening again... as Tiamat had said, she had only bought time, not a second chance at life and a healthy body... As for Lyana...

"H-how do you hide that behind all that leather and iron?" he murmured, noticing the size of the woman's breasts, as well as her entire body... but something drew more of his attention than her body: a scar... On her ear, it looked like it had been torn off...

He had never really noticed it before, after all, the woman's black hair covered her ears, making them barely visible, but now, with her hair tied back, her entire body was quite clear...

"Oh, I... This is not happening..." Strax murmured to himself, quickly turning around to move away as he sensed an aura...

Unfortunately, the sound of his movement caught Lyana's attention, who looked in the direction of the noise with a suspicious look. "Is someone there?" she asked, pulling a piece of makeshift clothing to cover herself. Evelyn, who had been distracted, also looked in the direction Lyana was looking. "What was that?

Who's there?" Both were advanced cultivators capable of detecting small mana points nearby, and for some reason, Strax forgot that... The situation quickly turned chaotic as Strax tried to hide behind the rock but slipped and fell into the water with a splash. "Damn it!" he shouted, trying to get up while water splashed everywhere.

"Ah! Who's that?" Lyana screamed, getting into a defensive position, though her face was flushed with embarrassment. Evelyn was also completely flustered, her face turning as red as the cherries in their backpacks.

"Sorry, sorry!" Strax exclaimed as he stood up in the water, trying to cover his face with his hands. "I didn't mean to... I just heard a conversation and... and... Ah, damn it, be more careful! What if it were a man with ill intentions?!"

"You! You damn pervert! What do you mean, a man with ill intentions? We're the strongest in the group; we'd kill him on the spot!" Lyana said, still trying to cover her body and moving away from the water's edge. "The only troublemaker here is you! Because we wouldn't be able to kill you!

You bastard!" Lyana shouted, her face trembling with desperation and embarrassment.

Evelyn began covering herself with her hands, trying to find some clothes to put on as the embarrassment spread through the situation. "Are you sure it's just curiosity about our conversations, Strax?"

Strax crouched in the water, his head almost completely submerged to hide from their gaze. "I didn't know you were here. I thought it was just a quiet spot!"

Lyana and Evelyn started dressing quickly, trying to regain their composure. The situation was as embarrassing as it was comical, and despite his desire to hide, Strax couldn't help but feel a bit of shame as well.

Finally, after a few uncomfortable moments and a good dose of nervous laughter, everyone managed to compose themselves. Strax, now standing in the water with his head bowed, began to apologize again. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

...

...

...

Not long after... He found himself staring at three wild beasts...

"Are you looking to die?" Samira asked, her hair almost standing on end with the flames flickering around her. And it wasn't just her—somehow, he also felt as if several purple lightning bolts were emanating from Beatrice in front of him...

He was sitting on a small stool while the three monsters circled him completely, with Samira in the center and Monica and Beatrice on either side of her. It was as if a lion was being followed by two tigers.

"I hate you..." he thought, remembering Lyana...