CHAPTER 203: CHAPTER 203: BATHING

Asuna knelt down and began washing Herag’s feet.

Herag closed his eyes, enjoying Asuna’s service, while contemplating the upcoming plans in his mind.

Asuna washed for a while, glanced at Herag, wanting to speak but hesitated.

Though Herag had his eyes closed, he could sense her movements and asked, "What do you want to say?"

"Master, I... I want to take a bath," Asuna said, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Since entering the Lime Mountain Range, it’s been more than a month already.

A month without bathing was truly uncomfortable for Asuna, who loved cleanliness.

She spent almost every day inside the wooden cabin, barely tolerating her own odor.

But the cabin had only one room, with no partitions at all.

The cabin was designed for single occupancy.

During this time, Asuna had been sleeping on the ground, near Herag’s bed.

At first, she was worried about Herag accidentally rolling over onto her.

But after a few days, she discovered that Herag was focused on meditation every night, and her concerns gradually faded away.

During this period, Asuna had also been observing Herag.

She found that Herag spent his days either performing tasks outside or engaged in meditation, eating, without wasting any time.

Even Asuna had to admire the fact that Herag was truly dedicated, focused solely on cultivation.

After getting acquainted over time, Asuna found that Herag wasn’t that difficult to get along with.

Unlike other master-servant relationships where servants were often beaten or verbally abused.

Initially, Asuna had mentally prepared herself for such treatment, yet none of the anticipated abuse or disgrace came to pass.

After understanding Herag’s temperament, Asuna became aware of another issue.

It was why she had been spared by Herag.

Herag had been intrigued by her ability to discern the power of his bloodline.

He mentioned researching it, but hadn’t taken any action so far.

Asuna speculated that Herag’s research wouldn’t be conducted at Base 27.

Herag intentionally hid his strength and identity to remain unnoticed at Base 27.

His research might expose information, which is likely why there hadn’t been any action yet.

Asuna couldn’t help but think, once Herag finished the research, what value would she still hold to him?

She worried that if she lost her value to Herag, she might be discarded like trash.

If she wants to avoid such a fate, she must proactively increase her importance in Herag’s mind.

Just having a tiny bit of significance to Herag might ensure she’s not discarded when she’s deemed valueless.

How can a woman hold some significance in a man’s heart?

Thinking about this, Asuna already had the answer.

In fact, before Herag returned, she had been pondering over this question.

While washing Herag’s feet, a thought emerged but she felt shy about expressing it.

Finally, she gathered her courage and voiced her desire for a bath.

Upon hearing her, Herag thought it to be a trivial matter, simply saying: "Alright, heat some water yourself and bathe later. You don’t have to ask me about such things in the future."

In his view, it was just a bath. He never forbade her from bathing.

There was a large wooden tub in the cabin, meant for bathing.

The tub was spacious enough to accommodate two people without any issue.

After finishing washing Herag’s feet, Asuna tidied up and began heating the water.

Before long, the wooden tub was filled with hot water, and Asuna gathered energy particles, summoning some cold water to mix into the tub.

"Go ahead and bathe. I’ll head out first, call me when you’re done," Herag said, preparing to leave to avoid embarrassing Asuna during her bath.

Blushing, Asuna quickly replied, "Master, please... please stay here. I’m scared if you leave."

Once she spoke, she steeled herself, and directly removed her caster’s robe, revealing her white undergarments beneath.

Her agitating figure was before Herag’s eyes.

Herag’s heart ignited upon seeing her pale skin.

After removing her robe, Asuna continued to undress.

Her white undergarments soon came off...

She bent to raise her leg, taking off the white long socks on her legs.

A few minutes later, Asuna was left without any secrets before Herag.

Her face was bright red as she stepped into the tub, whispering, "Would Master like to bathe as well? Asuna can serve you."

Upon saying this, her ears turned red.

Never had she thought she would be able to utter such words one day.

What Asuna did not know was that this was the Master-Servant Contract subtly influencing her.

Herag took a deep breath, accepting Asuna’s invitation, joining her for a bath.

...

The next morning, Asuna was still fast asleep.

Herag understood the implication of Asuna’s action.

He never intended to kill Asuna, considering her upbringing for when they returned to the Wizard Plane.

After all, she was a fairly talented caster and still had utility.

Asuna had been overworrying and frightening herself.

During this period, Herag also learned a lot about casters.

The caster apprentices here didn’t have specific phase distinctions, generally aligning with the stages from First-Class Wizard Apprentice to Third Class Wizard Apprentice.

The Initial-tier Caster corresponds to the stage of a Gaseous Wizard, Middle-tier Caster corresponds to the Liquification Wizard stage, High-tier Caster correlates with the Crystalization Wizard stage.

Asuna had also mentioned that above High-tier Casters, there were Magic Masters and Great Mages.

But those were major figures whom Asuna hadn’t witnessed.

Herag could only surmise that Magic Masters were equivalent to Level 2 Wizards, and Great Mages possibly Level 3 Wizards.

This gave Herag a clearer understanding of the extraordinary power levels in this world.

"Master, you’re awake."

At this moment, Asuna slowly opened her eyes, her big eyes complemented by long eyelashes, appearing very enchanting.

She struggled to sit up, and as the quilt slipped off, it revealed a tempting view: "Master, I’ll go prepare hot water for your face wash."

Herag embraced her, letting her lie back down, "No need. You should rest well."

Asuna’s face reddened, feeling slightly shy, covering half her face with the quilt, she nodded, "Mm~"

Herag continued to lie beside her, cuddling for a while before getting up to dress.

He sighed.

The patrol duties began again. Such is the hardship of a worker’s life.

Life within Base 27 was generally monotonous and boring, apart from mission outings, one mostly had to remain inside the base.