Reincarnated as the Strongest Dragon

Chapter 13: New Experiences II

My room on the next floor was a bit bigger than the room Mira stayed in, as expected since the price was double. The bed was also a fair bit bigger.

“This room is nicer than the one I’m staying in,” Liz said, looking around. “Bed looks comfier as well.”

I opened the only door in the room and found the bathroom. “Oh, look at how big the bath is,” I said and looked inside, “Speaking of, the man downstairs said that the more expensive room came with baths. What about the cheaper rooms?”

“They only have a toilet. You can either go to the public bath they have on the first floor or wipe yourself down with a wet cloth,” She said and looked enviously at the big bath.

“Do you want to go take a bath? I could go for one after 2000 years,” I said and smirked.

“You mean like together?” She looked at me anxiously.

“Would that be so bad?”

“No but…” She seemed to be worried about something.

“But?” I said and batted my eyelashes.

“I… I don’t like to show my body to others,” she said reluctantly.

“We are both girls though?”

The age old freepass I never get tired of using.

“It’s not that… But…”

“How about this then?” I took a candle holder from on top of the drawer next to the door and proceeded to make a flame from my index finger to light the candle. I put the candle in the corner of the bathroom before touching the magic stone on the wall, turning off the light. “There, basically blind in here.”

Liz looked in through the door and wondered what to do.

“I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want,” I said and touched the water and fire magic stone which promptly started filling the bath with hot water. “But I would really like a bath so if it’s okay with you I will take one myself.”

“No… I will join you.”

“Okay,” I said and snapped my fingers, instantly getting naked.

“That really is convenient,” Liz murmured while she started unlacing her clothes.

“I told you,” I said with a grin and started to wash my hair and body before sitting down in the bath.

Liz entered the bathroom and closed the door, making it almost completely dark except from the faint light from the small flame on the candle. “Don’t… Look, okay?”

“I’d never.” I said and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling.

I’d never?! God I want to look. My neck is basically fighting against the urge to turn my head now. If I wasn’t immune to the blind status effect I would use a spell on myself.

Liz finished washing her hair and sat down at the other end of the bath, covering her chest with her arms.

“Would you like to try that wine now?” I asked, trying to make her more comfortable.

“Yes please.”

I pulled out a bottle and two mugs from my [Inventory] and poured some for Liz and then filled my own mug.

“It’s delightful,” She said after taking a sip. “The wine I had earlier can’t compete.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said and took a sip myself. “But it would be unfair to compare the two. I think I paid the equivalent of one large gold coin for one bottle of this.”

“One large gold coin for a single bottle?” Liz blurted out and looked at her mug, “And you are fine just letting me drink some?”

“Of course, you can drink as much as you want.” I smiled and poured her some more.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Liz asked with some unease in her tone, “I can’t do anything to repay you.”

“Why indeed,” I said and leaned back, “Honestly I don't know… It just feels… Right?”

“Right?” 

“Yeah, like, I feel like I want to do it so why shouldn’t I? Sorry if I can't explain it.”

“That’s alright. It was a weird question.”

By now Liz had relaxed her position, holding the mug in one hand and letting the other rest next to her legs, revealing what she tried to hide, two very long parallel scars going diagonally from her heart down to her stomach.

“Aren’t you going to ask?” She asked and looked at me, however much she could see in the dark.

“Do you want me to?”

“People usually do.”

“I’m not really like other people. I don’t think I can even fit in the people category.”

She let out a small laugh. “Hah, I guess that’s true.” 

“If you don’t want to tell me then I’m fine talking about something else.”

“Well, as you might have guessed this is why I don’t want to get naked in front of others,” She said and traced the edges of her scars with her fingers, “Scars aren’t that uncommon for adventurers but one this big and in this place draw a lot of unwanted attention.”

“How did it happen? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“A werebear swiped at me and I couldn’t react in time.”

“I’m guessing it was wounded?” I said and tried to look at the scar the best I could in the dark.

“Why do you think that?”

“Two scars from a monster with three claws.”

“Very perceptive of you. The werebear had escaped from fighting some other adventurers and I was unlucky enough to be in its way. I had no chance against one myself at that time.

I moved closer and lightly touched the scars with my fingers. “From the looks of it you were lucky to survive this. Any closer and it would have damaged your heart.”

“I managed to drink a potion to close the wound but by the time I got back to town it was too late for any healing magic to remove the scars.”

“Don’t let one trait define you,” I said and moved back.

“I know I should think like that but it’s hard,” She said and took a sip of wine, “Don’t you have anything about your body that you are self conscious about?”

“Remember that this isn’t my real form. I designed my own body so in my eyes I’m perfect… except that I would like to be a little bit taller. I never did figure out how to change that.”

“You think I could learn that spell?”

“Hmm, that might be hard. I don’t even know how it would work for a human. Illusion magic would be one thing but to actually change your body is a whole other difficulty.”

“With illusion magic at least I wouldn’t get so many stares. Being able to use public baths at normal hours would be nice.”

I don't think I have any magic that could remove a scar that old. Chrono magic maybe? No, even if I did manage to create a spell like that it would most likely turn back her entire body, levels and all. Maybe Elyxire would work? It’s supposed to be a complete restore but who knows how it works on old scars. Guess it wouldn’t hurt to try?

“Apologies in advance,” I said and pulled out a small vial from my [inventory] and poured it into my mouth. I then leaned forward and gave Liz a deep kiss, forcing the contents into her mouth. I pulled back when I noticed that she swallowed.

Liz looked at me with a confused look. “W-What are you doing? And what was that?” 

I looked down and saw her scars rapidly disappearing, “A gift,” I said with a smile as I ran my fingers over the area where the scars were supposed to be.

“Wait, what?! My scars are gone!” Liz looked down in astonishment.

“I apologize for not asking beforehand, I wasn’t sure that it would work so I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

“You got rid of my scars! Thank you, thank you, thank you,” She put her arms around me for a hug, spilling some wine into the bath in the process.

“Don’t waste the wine,” I said with a giggle.

She pulled back from the hug and asked, “But what did you give me? I didn’t think there was any potion or healing magic that could remove an old scar.”

“Oh, you know, just a vial of Elyxire,” I said nonchalantly, knowing full well what humans thought of it.

“...” Liz was utterly speechless.

I took my mug of wine and took a sip while I sat in front of Liz, waiting for her to say anything.

After a brief moment she regained the ability to speak, “Isn’t Elyxire the mythical cure all medicine that people doubt ever existed?”

“That would be correct.”

“And you wasted it on me…” Liz said with a concerned look.

“I didn’t waste it. It helped you, didn't it?”

“But… Even if I work all my life I could never repay you! It’s basically priceless!” 

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. You already paid after all.”

“Huh, What do you mean?”

“I’ll call it even for the kiss I stole,” I said with a smile.

Liz, now registering that I had indeed kissed her, said in a flustered voice. “But still! I can’t accept that.”

“I could go for another if you don’t think it was enough payment?”

“Wha-”

“I’m only joking,” I said and laughed. “You already swallowed it and I said it was a gift. I pretty much forced you to drink it so it was nothing you could do, right?”

“It just doesn’t feel right.”

“Sigh, I guess I should stop messing with you. You are just so cute so I couldn't help myself.”

“What do you mean, was it something else that I drank?”

“Nono, it was the real deal,” I said and held up the vial, “But do you know why it’s such a mythical potion that people doubt its existence?”

“Because no one knows how to make it anymore?”

“Elyxire is not made, it’s just a single ingredient you put in a bottle. The problem is that the effect wears off after thirty days.”

“So that’s why there are none around? Anything from the old days would just be a bottle of water if found?”

“That’s one problem. The other is the ingredient itself, it’s not exactly something you can find in the general store.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“Of course. Do you want to take a guess? It’s something that is almost impossible to come by and it’s just a single liquid you bottle up.”

“Some kind of natural liquid that has all but disappeared today maybe… Can I have another hint?”

“You’re looking at it.”

“What do you mean? The vial?” She asked and looked back at the vial.

I moved my face dangerously close to hers. “No.”

She looked at me with a flustered face before speaking. “Is it you?”

“Correct,” I whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“Elyxire is the name you humans came up with. The real name is just tears of a dragon. Without [Identify] at level ten you won’t see the name nor the effect so I guess they came up with something themselves. That’s why, even if you see it as some priceless gift you can never repay, for me it’s just… water,” I said and shrugged. “Though I guess I would have to cry, in dragon form mind you. Might not be so easy to get.”

“That explains why it doesn’t exist anymore. No one has reported seeing a dragon in ages.”

“Said by someone that is sharing a bath with one,” I said with a smirk.

“Common sense has flown out the window ever since I met you.”

“I will have you know my common sense is on point… from a dragon's point of view.”

She looked at me and shifted her body slightly. “So, uh, your face is still very close,” She said with a flushed face.

“Does it bother you?”

“I… I don’t know,” She said, getting increasingly flushed.

“Quite a conundrum,” I said and leaned back slightly, “What is your deal anyway?”

“Deal?” She asked with a quizzical look.

“Yeah, like is it boys? Girls? Both? Neither?”

“... I haven’t really had any experience,” She said, looking a bit embarrassed, “Due to my scar I haven’t really gotten close to people in that sense.”

“But you don’t have a scar anymore.” I said and cocked my head.

Liz gazed right into my eyes. “Then maybe girls?.”

I reached down under the water surface and grabbed her left hand and put it against my chest. “How does this feel?” I asked and studied her face in the flickering candlelight.

“... Pleasant,” She said and ever so gently squeezed her hand.

“Then maybe your deal is girls… Or dragons,” I said and let go of her hand.

To my surprise she kept her hand on me and softly traced her fingers across my collarbones. We both just sat there in silence and looked at each other until she removed her hand and finally broke the silence. “You might be right.”

I reached out and started to trace my fingers along where her scars had been.

“You know, you don’t act very ‘dragony.”

“First I don’t have a ‘dragony’ name and now I don’t act ‘dragony’. There is just no pleasing some people,” I said before leaning forward, kissing her.

She reciprocated my advance, albeit clumsily. 

I hope I’m doing the right thing here. I really shouldn’t, she knows I’m a dragon after all... She doesn’t seem like the type of person that would tell anyone though. What if she expects something more than I do? What do I even want? I did consider asking if she wanted to come with me to the capital but what if things get awkward between us when we wake up tomorrow? Should I stop? I usually keep my acquaintances and pleasure separate.

I kept my hands above the waist while I contemplated if I should call it quits or not. At this stage I might as well just let Liz take the lead. I put my hand on her cheek and looked her in the eyes when everything went dark.

I let out a small laugh. “I guess we have been in here for one candle.”

“Should we get out of the bath?”

“Do you want to get out of the bath?”

“Not really, It’s quite cozy in the dark… but my fingers are getting pruney.”

“I guess we should get out, the bath isn’t going anywhere.”