Healing Wounds and Testing the Waters

After forcing himself out of the old training ground, Leon turned into an empty alley and could no longer hold on. He slid down the cold, rough wall and sat on the ground, gasping for breath. Every breath pulled at the searing pain in his chest and abdomen. Andre's two punches had done far more damage than Leon had let on.

"Young Master! Are you all right?" Fili and the others hurried in after him. Seeing Leon's deathly pale face and the blood still at the corner of his mouth, they were all startled.

"I'm... not dead yet." Leon forced the words through clenched teeth. He tried to circulate his meager Battle Aura to regulate his internal energy, only to find it like a stone sinking into the sea. His meridians were sluggish and blocked. It seemed he had suffered serious internal injuries. "Help me back... to Count Strauss's Mansion."

He desperately needed a place that was absolutely safe and quiet to treat his injuries. Count Strauss's Mansion was his only option for now.

"Yes, Young Master!" Fili and Barton hurriedly supported Leon from either side. Jerome, meanwhile, cleverly ran to the street corner to hail a carriage. No longer drawing attention to themselves, the group quickly and quietly headed toward the Count's Mansion.

By the time the carriage stopped before the Count's Mansion, Leon was practically carried down. Light flickered in the eyes of the Magic Puppet at the entrance, as though it had scanned Leon's condition, but it made no move to stop him.

The mansion was as quiet as ever, with only the silent gliding of Magic Puppets breaking the stillness. Leon signaled for Fili and the others to leave, then gritted his teeth and dragged himself step by step toward his bedroom. Aunt Margaret absolutely could not see him in this miserable state—not until he had dealt with his injuries.

But what he feared came to pass. Just as he reached the corridor leading to the bedrooms, a cool voice came from the side.

"Looks like your 'victory' was hard-earned."

Leon's body stiffened, and he slowly turned his head. Elisa had appeared at some point in the shadow of a corridor pillar, holding a thick magic book in her hands. Her violet eyes rested calmly on him, as though they could see through his pretense of composure and into the weakness and pain beneath.

"I'm... I'm fine." Leon forced out an ugly smile and tried to stand straighter, but the movement tugged at his wounds, making him suck in a sharp breath.

Elisa closed her book and stepped closer. Her gaze swept over his robe, covered in dust and torn in places by Battle Aura, before settling on his pale face as he endured the pain. "You used words to shake his resolve. Clever, but risky." Her tone revealed neither approval nor criticism. She was merely stating a fact.

Leon was somewhat surprised that she knew the details. The news had spread faster than he had expected. "I had no choice. I was weaker, so I had to use a few tricks to stay alive." He admitted it frankly. Before Elisa, he found it difficult to maintain the façade of a spoiled young master.

Elisa offered no further comment. She merely said, "Your internal organs are injured, and your Battle Aura is in disarray. If you don't deal with it promptly, it will leave lasting problems." She paused, as if making an insignificant decision. "There is a hot spring bathhouse on the east side of the mansion. It draws from an underground magical spring. It will help ease your pain and guide your Battle Aura. You may use it."

A hot spring? Leon's eyes lit up. This was exactly what he needed. He had been worrying about how to deal with these injuries.

"That's great! Thank—" Before Leon could finish his grateful words, a bold—one might even say absurd—thought suddenly rose uncontrollably from his exhausted yet faintly excited mind.

He looked at Elisa's cool, breathtaking face so close to his, breathed in the unique cold fragrance from her body that calmed his mind, and remembered how he could only sleep peacefully while holding her every night, as well as their status as betrothed... A powerful desire surged up within him. What if I could soak in the hot spring with her? With that miraculous soul-soothing fragrance combined with the hot spring's healing effects, wouldn't his recovery be twice as effective? And besides... wouldn't this be the perfect chance to break the ice between them?

Once the thought took root, it grew like wild grass. Leon's heart began pounding uncontrollably, partly from his injuries and partly from the excitement and unease the idea brought him.

He licked his dry lips and tried to make his expression look less like that of someone with improper intentions, and more like one filled with pure anticipation for healing and... well... improving their relationship.

"Elisa..." he began hoarsely. "Um... if I soak by myself, the effect might... not be as good. Look, I'm hurt pretty badly. What if I pass out in the pool? And the scent on you... it seems to calm me. If we went in together... maybe I'd recover faster?"

He stumbled over the words, his gaze wandering. He had completely lost the calm, calculating manner he had displayed at the duel ground. Instead, he looked like an awkward young man experiencing first love, trying to invite the girl he liked. He had even resorted to the clumsy excuse of possibly passing out.

At his words, Elisa's violet eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at Leon. Her expression remained unchanged, but the air around them seemed to drop several degrees in an instant.

Leon's scalp prickled beneath her gaze, and he hurriedly added, "Don't misunderstand! I just... I just want the healing to work better! We're engaged, aren't we...? And it's only soaking in a hot spring. I promise I won't do anything!" He raised a hand as if taking an oath, but the movement pulled at his wounds, making him grimace in pain again.

Elisa remained silent. That silence seemed to last an entire century. Leon's heart sank little by little. I was still too forward... Just as he was about to give up and awkwardly say he had been joking, Elisa suddenly spoke. Her voice was still calm and even, but her words made Leon nearly think he was hallucinating from blood loss.

"Fine."

Leon abruptly raised his head and stared at her in disbelief.

Elisa had already turned and begun walking down the eastern corridor, leaving behind only a cool sentence that drifted through the air. "Follow me. If you pass out in the pool, I'll have the puppets fish you out and throw you outside."

Leon stood there blankly for a full three seconds before he reacted in ecstatic disbelief. She had agreed?! Elisa, who was as cold as ice, had actually agreed to take a Shared Bath with him?! This... this was even more unbelievable than defeating Andre!

Suppressing both his agony and excitement, he hurriedly limped after her.

The east wing of the Count's Mansion was even quieter. After passing through several corridors, they came to a wooden door carved with water-element runes. Elisa pressed one particular rune, and the door silently slid open. Warm, moist air washed over them, carrying the faint scent of sulfur and medicinal herbs.

Beyond the door was an enormous room. The floor and walls were laid with some kind of warm-colored magical stone, smooth as mirrors. At the center stood a massive, irregularly oval hot spring pool. Its water was a faint milky white, steaming gently, with unknown magical petals and herbs floating on the surface, giving off soft glimmers and a pleasant fragrance. Steps along the pool's edge led down into the water. In the corners of the room stood two female-shaped Magic Puppets holding bath towels, their faces expressionless.

Rather than a bathhouse, it was more like a small healing sanctuary.

"Get in." Elisa was concise as ever. She walked behind a changing screen beside the pool.

Leon's heart pounded like a drum. He went to the other side of the screen and awkwardly removed his torn, filthy clothes. When the warm pool water rose over his injured body, the soothing heat and gentle magical energy contained within made him let out a satisfied sigh. The pain throughout his body eased considerably.

He leaned against the edge of the pool with only his head above water, but his eyes kept drifting toward the screen. Steam clouded his vision, preventing him from seeing clearly. He could only hear faint rustling sounds, which somehow made the atmosphere even more suggestive and expectant.

After a while, footsteps sounded. Elisa emerged from behind the screen.

She wore a conservative white silk bathrobe that wrapped her body tightly, exposing only a stretch of fair neck and her delicate ankles. Yet even so, the robe could not completely hide her gracefully curving figure. Her wet dark-brown hair draped over her shoulders. Without her usual cold, tidy appearance, she seemed somewhat languid and soft. Her expression remained unchanged, but the steam had given her pale skin a faint flush, softening her distance and making her beauty almost breathtaking.

Leon stared at her blankly, unconsciously softening even his breathing.

Elisa seemed not to notice his fixed gaze. She walked directly to the pool's edge, tested the water temperature, then slowly descended the steps into the water. She chose the farthest opposite corner from Leon and lowered herself in until only her shoulders and head remained above the surface. Then she closed her eyes, as though she had truly come only to soak and recover.

Ripples spread across the water with her entrance. That cool, soul-soothing scent carrying a distinctive floral fragrance seemed to grow richer and easier to notice amid the rising warm steam. It drifted into Leon's nose in fine strands, strangely calming the mind and body that remained unsettled from his injuries and earlier tension.

The healing effects of the hot spring were truly remarkable. Combined with Elisa's scent, which rivaled a top-grade calming potion, Leon felt the pain in his body fading rapidly. Even his sluggish Battle Aura showed the first faint signs of loosening.

The pool was silent, save for the soft flow of water and their breathing.

Leon secretly observed Elisa across the pool. Her eyes were closed, tiny droplets clinging to her long, curled lashes. Her expression was serene, as though she had truly fallen asleep. Steam curled around her, making her look like a water fairy, beautiful enough to seem unreal.

The tranquil, lovely atmosphere left Leon in a daze, and he nearly forgot his injuries and every trouble in the outside world. Gathering his courage, he broke the silence, his voice slightly husky with nerves.

"Elisa... thank you."

Elisa did not open her eyes. She merely gave a quiet "Mm," in response.

"Um... what kind of fragrance do you use? It smells really nice." Leon searched for something to say, trying to close the distance between them.

This time, Elisa opened her eyes. Her violet gaze appeared especially hazy and deep through the steam. She glanced at Leon and replied evenly, "It isn't a fragrance. It is my constitution—or rather, the scent naturally emitted by my magic power. My teacher called it the Tranquil Body. It is beneficial for stabilizing Spiritual Power and magical perception." She paused, then added with a trace of barely perceptible mockery, "It is especially effective on people like you, whose Spiritual Power is restless and unstable."

Leon suddenly understood. It was not incense—it was an innate gift. No wonder it was so effective. He gave an embarrassed laugh. "That's true... Whenever I'm near you, I feel especially at ease. I sleep more soundly, too." The words sounded a little too intimate, and his face grew warm.

Elisa did not respond. She simply closed her eyes again, clearly unwilling to continue the topic.

Leon felt somewhat disappointed, but he did not dare be too forward again. Following Elisa's example, he relaxed against the pool's edge, closed his eyes, and focused on guiding the hot spring's energy and that calming fragrance to heal his injuries.

Time slowly passed in the silence. Warm water wrapped around his body, and the miraculous soul-soothing scent lingered at his nose. Leon felt more relaxed and comfortable than ever before. The exhaustion of both mind and body gradually washed over him, and his consciousness began to blur...

In that half-dreaming, half-waking state, he seemed to hear Elisa say something very softly. Her voice was as fleeting as mist over the water.

"Today... you weren't quite as annoying."

Leon jolted awake and looked toward Elisa. Yet she still had her eyes closed, resting as though those words had only been his imagination.

But Leon's heart began racing uncontrollably. Her words were like a stone cast into a still lake, sending ripples spreading through his heart.

This Shared Bath had contained no seductive scenes, no improper behavior, not even much worthwhile conversation. Yet invisibly, some layer of ice seemed to be quietly beginning to melt in the warm spring water.

For Leon, this was not merely healing. It was also a successful test, a subtle thaw in their relationship. He knew the road ahead remained long, but at least he had taken the first step toward change—and seemed to have received a faint yet genuine response.