When the others finished looting the bodies, they all started making their way west, in the direction of the next town.
After walking for a few hours, they reached an area close to a lake and decided to take a break.
The lake spanned a few hundred meters wide, and they couldn't even see the end of it because some areas were covered by large boulders and trees.
For the rest of the way, they didn't run into anymore zombies, which caused them all to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
They had been hungry and thirsty for awhile already, but nobody wanted to fall behind by taking a break by themselves.
As the adventurers and elves went to the lake to get a drink of water, Kaori spoke up.
"We're gonna go look for a spot to clean ourselves further down the lake."
"Ok, I'll go with you, too."
As Kio finished his words, he received a glare from Kaori.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm only going to make sure it's safe, then I'll immediately leave. But I'll still stay somewhere close by, since keeping you girls safe is my priority."
"Fine…"
As they walked around the lake, they noticed Fae some distance away, walking over towards them.
"What's the matter, Fae?"
"I found a spot that's more isolated for bathing. I just wanted to invite your girls to use it too."
"Oh? Well, thanks."
Kaori and Miyu became excited and wanted to quickly check it out.
"Umm.. is that area relatively hidden? We don't want others to peep on us, and I'm not sure if my brother can watch over the surroundings by himself."
"You can call me Fae. And yes, I've already ordered my friends to spread out and keep an eye around the area."
"Can we trust them?"
"Don't worry. If they try to take a peep, I will personally punish them."
"That's a relief. You can call me Kaori, and these girls over here are..."
As the girls introduced themselves to each other, Fae nodded in acknowledgement.
She felt like these four girls were different from all the vile humans she had heard about and witnessed for herself.
As the girls were heading towards the location mentioned by Fae, Kio noticed Luna was also tempted by the chance to clean herself.
"Luna, why don't you go join them?"
"Sure."
"Kaori, take these before you go."
"Wow. You even have these?! Thanks!"
"Make sure you help the other girls use it."
"Kay~"
Kio handed over a set of body wash and shampoo, along with some towels to Kaori, before turning around with Dan.
They then walked tens of meters away to the other side of a large boulder, leaning against it while staying on guard.
Mary had already left Dan's side and joined the girls, so it was just the two of them at the moment.
Kio was glad that they planned ahead, storing quite a lot of daily necessities into the luggage.
Although he only wanted to take a few of these initially, Riko and Yuki were adamant about packing as many as they could fit back then.
He would've preferred to pack more food, but he didn't want to get caught by Jay's group.
Since they were all trapped inside the store, if somebody spotted them hoarding all the food for themselves, things would've turned ugly.
Thinking about their current situation, Kio was glad that the girls did what they did.
It's pretty much impossible to get more soap and shampoo from their world, while food shouldn't be a big problem here.
Since Riko and Yuki struggled to use Inventory at the start, he even has all three luggage in his own Inventory.
As long as they as they use these things sparingly, it should last them for quite some time.
Thinking about Riko again, his mood turned gloomy.
But as soon as he thought about Yuki, he felt ashamed of himself for being deceived by her.
Since he got tricked by Yuki once, he decided to take that as a lesson to be more careful around people.
He knew he could definitely trust Kaori and Miyu unconditionally.
'Although Miyu used to be such an energetic girl, she must've been heavily affected by the deaths of her family members. I'll just have to find some time to talk with her later, before she gets overwhelmed.'
As for Luna, he thought of her as a strong, prideful girl. Even if she is a little weak in the morning, she is extremely adorable while eating snacks and sweets.
He could somewhat trust Dan and Mary due to their chat yesterday, but he knew he absolutely couldn't trust Ren and Saotome.
As for Fae and her elven friends, it's too early to make a judgment.
While they were standing guard, Kio took out two cans of beer and passed one over to Dan.
"Thanks."
"I should be the one thanking you for all the help you have given us."
"Hahaha. So, why don't you tell me why you were making such a glum face just now?"
"Sigh… I was just thinking about Riko."
"That girl from before? How'd you two meet?"
"Well... It's a long story, but meeting her changed my life."
Although he didn't mind telling some things to Dan, their story was a little too personal to share.
"What are your plans for the future if you can't get the Revival Jewel? Even my party failed to pass the trials back in the days."
"I… don't know."
"Well, have you thought about getting together with another girl?"
"I still love Riko, so I don't think I can… At least, not now."
"There are so many girls around you. I hope you don't hurt them as well as yourself by holding back."
"Sigh… Enough about me. What about you? Have you ever thought about remarrying?"
"The only woman I will ever love in my life is Helen. We grew up in the same village and became adventurers together, so my feelings for her will never fade."
"..."
"Besides, I have my little girl to take care of. I'm busy enough as it is, keeping an eye out for a suitable partner for her."
"Why are you asking me to find another girl if you aren't going to do so yourself?"
"Heh, my situation is different from yours. Besides, there's nothing wrong with getting a few wives for yourself."
"Eh? Don't tell me polygamy is legal here?"
"As long as a man has the ability to feed his family, there's nothing wrong with having multiple wives, so you shouldn't worry so much. Maybe some of those girls will be fighting over the position of the main wife in the future. Hahahaha."
"..."
Although Kio doesn't know how long it will take them to get the Revival Jewel, he never really thought about having a harem.
As he recalled from his original world, there were indeed many novels where the protagonist would have a big harem.
However, he grew up in a monogamous society, so he wasn't able to change his mindset that quickly.
But since he already has Luna as his partner, he knew he had to think about that eventually.
Although Luna called him a 'fated partner', it felt more like they were lovers, since they held hands and slept in the same bed together.
"What do you think about that slave girl, Luna?"
Just as he was thinking about her, Dan directed their conversation towards her.
"Well, although I do feel attracted towards her, I'm not sure if I'm just pitying her."
"If you are feeling pity for a slave, why didn't you feel the same for any of the other slaves? Why didn't you free the slaves from Ren? You and I both know how they're going to turn out in the end."
"..."
Kio just realized that his feelings might not be what he initially assumed. But even so, now isn't the time to think about it, since their main priority is to get to somewhere safe.
*Splash*
As the girls finished cleaning themselves, Kio and Dan decided to move a bit further away so the girls could get dressed.
After a few more minutes, footsteps could be heard behind them as they saw the girls walking over.
The sight of five cute girls after a bath was definitely enchanting, as even Dan was slightly charmed by their beauty.
As for Kio, his eyes were only looking towards one of them.
Her lustrous silver hair was definitely more captivating than the previous dull gray color.
Adorn in a white dress with thin shoulder straps and frills along the edges, a bit of her sky blue bra could be seen.
Her matching blue panties would occasionally enter his vision as the dress fluttered from the wind.