Chapter 22 : The Dragon Who Awoke from Sleep (4)

The children’s laughter echoed softly through the cave.

The simple game of throwing and catching stones, like the ones often played in the human world, was so much fun for them that the three didn’t even notice the time passing.

“Sori, it’s your turn now!”

“Yes, sister!”

Even Mir, who had been sulking in the corner just moments ago, joined in and was now giggling… well, it wasn’t so bad.

A thousand-year-old imugi, acting just like a child.

That one must’ve been quite lonely deep down too.

As I quietly watched them, my eyes were drawn to the children’s appearances.

Sori, who washed alone frequently, was relatively cleaner, but Lisette had even smudges of soot on her face.

If she were still a noble, she probably had maids to bathe her and comb her hair every day, didn’t she? Now, not being able to wash properly for several days must be taking a toll.

That rascal Mir probably hadn’t had a proper wash since she fell to the dirt floor either.

‘…I said I’d build them a bathhouse, didn’t I?’

It was a plan I had postponed because of Mir.

Before bringing her to the cave, I had already scouted a location suitable for bathing.

Watching them play was nice, but it felt like it was time to keep my promise.

Hygiene is important, after all.

The human body is more fragile than you’d think, and these were young children, so even a little filth could easily lead to illness.

Even when I was human, I quite enjoyed going to bathhouses.

Soaking in hot water once a week always left me feeling refreshed.

Of course, it’d be impossible to make a tub big enough for my current enormous body, but at the very least, I should make sure those little human children can wash properly.

I lifted my heavy body from the ground.

As the cave floor rumbled slightly, the children who had been immersed in their game turned their eyes toward me.

[Alright, that’s enough playing for today. Everyone, follow me.]

When I addressed the children through willpower, they looked puzzled.

“That’s it? Hmph…”

Mir, who had just started getting into it, seemed a bit disgruntled.

Still, when she noticed I was about to move, she came up to my side and clung to me.

“Dragon, where are we going?”

Sori trotted up and asked.

She seemed to have grown a little taller again.

“Is it training again?”

Lisette stood beside Sori and mumbled with a nervous look.

[We’re going to build a bathhouse. You’re all too dirty now, so I’ll make a place for you to wash.]

“Wow! Hot water!”

Sori’s eyes widened with excitement.

Even Lisette, standing next to her, perked up at the sound of it, her eyes sparkling.

Well, it makes sense — they must’ve been feeling pretty grimy.

“Is it nearby?”

Lisette asked about the bathhouse.

Her voice, unlike before when she was sharp and wary, was now filled with anticipation like a child’s.

[Yes, there’s a spot I had scouted earlier.]

I turned and walked toward the cave entrance.

The children quickly followed behind me.

“A bath, huh… though I guess I do feel a bit grimy…”

Even Mir, grumbling, was quietly tagging along.

She must’ve wanted to wash too.

Living in the body of a human girl instead of those sleek scales must be frustrating.

Now that I think about it, how did she turn from an imugi into a human?

I should ask her about it later.

With that curiosity in mind, I stepped outside the cave, and the fresh forest air pierced through my lungs.

Sunlight scattered down through the leaves.

The spot I had checked earlier wasn’t far from the cave entrance.

It was a small clearing with just the right amount of trees, giving it a cozy feel.

The ground was relatively flat, and on one side, small rocks were clustered together.

Most importantly, the faint sound of running water could be heard nearby.

Getting water seemed like it would be easy.

[Here. This is where we’ll build it.]

I stood in the center of the clearing and declared.

The children looked around in wonder.

“Wow… A bathhouse here?”

Sori exclaimed in amazement.

[Yes. First, we need to dig a pit big enough to soak your bodies.]

I pressed my front paw firmly against the ground.

The ground was firm, but with my strength, it wouldn’t be difficult to dig.

Back when I was human, I would’ve needed tools like a shovel, but now, these huge claws were my best tools.

Thud!

I scraped at the earth with my front claws, and clumps of dirt were torn away.

It looked just like an excavator, leaving marks with every scoop.

The children let out little gasps of awe.

After a few more swings of my claws, a fairly deep pit began to form.

Ah, the power of a dragon.

Perfectly suited for this kind of manual labor.

“Amazing…”

Lisette’s soft murmur reached my ears.

She still seemed to believe I was a fearsome dragon, so every time she saw my strength, she responded with a mix of fear and awe.

Well, she’s not wrong.

Whether I’m a fearsome dragon or not, I am powerful, and it’s only natural for a small child to be intimidated.

“That was so fast… Dragon, you’re incredible.”

“Y-yeah… really… beyond what I imagined.”

Sori said with sparkling eyes, and Lisette agreed with a trembling voice.

Digging the hole was easier than expected.

I scooped deeply with my huge front legs and pushed the dirt aside with my tail, and soon, a pit deep enough to reach the children’s height took shape.

It was big enough for three or four children to fit inside easily.

‘This should be good enough to soak their bodies.’

But it wasn’t finished yet.

It was still just a hole — calling it a bathhouse would be embarrassing.

I needed to smooth out the floor and walls and line it with stone.

Filling and heating the water would come after that.

As I was busy digging, I suddenly sensed Mir watching me with her arms crossed.

“Pfft.”

Her expression had that familiar, mocking smirk.

[…Hmph.]

With a sly cat-like grin, she scoffed at me, so I spoke to her through willpower.

Mir snorted.

“Hmph, just being ridiculously strong doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing. Don’t you realize it’ll just turn into a muddy mess if you fill it with water like that?”

Of course, I had planned to line it with stone.

Back when I was human, public baths were finished with tiles or cement, not just bare dirt, so it was only natural that filling it with water would instantly turn it into muddy water.

[That’s true, but then what are we supposed to do?]

“Tsk. That’s why you have to use your head—your head! There are stones lying all around, so why not use them to reinforce the walls and floor?”

Just as Mir said, there were plenty of stones of various sizes scattered nearby.

Seeing her teach Lisette magic, it seemed like Mir was quite skilled at it.

So rather than saying I had thought about finishing the bath with stones, like some amateur, I decided to actively use Mir’s magic.

[…Why don’t you help out—you can use magic, can’t you?]

Mir’s eyebrows slightly raised at my words.

“Why should I?”

[You’ll be staying by my side for a hundred years to receive spiritual energy—without a bath, it’ll be uncomfortable for you too.]

She seemed to hesitate for a moment at my words.

Maybe it was to avoid saying anything while receiving energy from me, or maybe she just really wanted to get clean—either way, she looked like she was seriously considering it.

“Hmph! It’s not for you or anything—I’m just helping because I feel bad for those kids. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

She glanced sideways at the children.

Ah, so it wasn’t for me or herself—it was for the children.

Maybe she had grown attached to them after playing air games together.

There was a strange warmth in her eyes as she looked at them.

Mir, you’d make a great instructor too, wouldn’t you?

Well, in any case, it’s a relief she agreed to help.

[Then I’ll leave it to you. Could you move those stones and attach them to the walls and floor?]

I pointed with my front paw at the flat, large stones lying nearby.

Mir grumbled, clearly annoyed, but still walked over to the pit.

Then she started making gestures in the air.

And then something amazing happened.

The stones scattered nearby began to rise into the air as if they were alive, and started flying into the pit on their own.

“Whoa…!”

“It’s magic!”

Lisette and Sori exclaimed in awe.

“She—she didn’t even chant a spell! Amazing!”

“Hmph.”

Lisette’s eyes sparkled as she carefully watched Mir’s every gesture.

Compared to her own light magic, this was on a whole different level—it was real “magic” happening before her eyes.

And the fact that Mir could use it without any incantations showed just how advanced her magic was.

Puffed up with pride at Lisette’s reaction, Mir moved the floating stones as if she were controlling them with her hands, stacking them neatly on the walls and floor of the pit.

“Mir, you’re amazing!”

“Hmph, this is nothing.”

The gaps between the stones were filled with small pebbles or soil.

Watching her move and stack the stones without lifting a finger—using something like telekinesis—was truly fascinating.

So this is magic, huh.

‘…Convenient, for sure.’

I dug out the ground with strength, and Mir handled the delicate finishing work with her magic.

We had a proper division of labor going.

[Lisette, you’ll be able to do this one day too.]

Seeing Lisette watch on with envy, I told her that she would be capable of it someday as well.

Startled by my encouragement, Lisette blushed.

“O-of course! Magic like that… I’ll be able to use it soon too!”

Her bragging sounded childish, and I couldn’t help but smile inside.

Still, it seemed like she was getting more motivated about magic, which was a good sign.

Maybe her skills would improve if Mir helped teach her.

The work continued smoothly.

I kept digging the pit wider and deeper, and Mir stacked stones to match the space I carved out.

“I want to help too!”

“Th-then me too.”

Sori, excited, started picking up small stones and bringing them to Mir, or pretending to clean up clumps of dirt around me.

“Lisette, help me carry this!”

“Okay… Mm…”

Lisette was hesitant at first, but encouraged by Sori, she began to carry small stones too.

“It’s heavier than I thought. Sori, you’re really strong.”

“Hehe, you’re strong too now, Lisette!”

We were all absorbed in our roles for a while.

A dragon, a thousand-year-old imugi girl, and two human children—who would believe they were building a bathhouse together?

It might sound ridiculous, but for us, this was an important task—we needed this facility.

Time passed.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, we had finished something that looked very much like a stone bathtub.

It wasn’t perfectly smooth yet, but it looked good enough for the kids to soak in.

The depth was just right, and the size was generous.

“Wow… it’s done!”

Sori cheered, looking at the finished stone tub.

Lisette was searching with a proud expression to find where her stones had been used.

Mir still stood with her arms crossed and a sour look on her face, but I thought I saw a faintly satisfied smile at the corners of her lips.

[Good job, everyone.]

I said with sincere appreciation to the kids and to Mir.

Especially to Mir, I added a bit more heartfelt gratitude.

[You were a big help, Mir.]

“Hmph, this was nothing.”

Mir turned her head away, looking shy.

Now, all that remained was to fill it with water and heat it.

We could fetch the water from the nearby stream.

If I made a few trips, I could fill it up quickly.

The problem was how to heat the water.

I could use my breath, I guess…

‘It should be easier than roasting meat—it’s just heating water, after all.’

Still, who knows what could happen? Like during that magic surge incident.

What’s the safest and most efficient way to heat the water?

I looked down at the finished stone tub, thinking of solutions.

We were almost there—only the final step remained.

[Let’s fetch the water first. We’ll figure out the heating after.]

I told the kids.

We had to go to the stream and fetch water first.

“How are you going to bring the water? We don’t have any buckets or containers…”

Sori tilted her head and asked.

“You’re not going to carry it in your mouth, are you, Dragon?”

Lisette added with a slightly worried expression.

But if we had all-purpose magic…?

[Wait, can’t you just fill it with water using magic?]

“Using water magic where there’s no water nearby is really inefficient!”

Ah… so you can’t even use that kind of water magic, huh.

I clicked my tongue, now wondering how to carry water with this huge body.

That was a separate issue, but there was no choice but to face it.

Thinking of the kids getting a nice clean bath—even if it was a hassle, I had to do it.

Seeing their happy, eager faces made it all worthwhile.