The both of us split up, each of us claiming a single hot spring for ourselves. With outcrops of rock blocking the line of sight, I could shuck off my clothing and soak in the warm water.
After removing my clothing, I decided to rinse them in the hot spring as well, and then spread them out over the shore and let them dry. In any event, I had brought spare clothing in my backpack, so I wasn't worried.
With my laundry done, I then placed my glasses next to my clothing, immersed my body in the hot spring and soaked in the yang qi saturated waters. Closing my eyes, I relaxed for what seemed to be the first time in almost a week. Since the steam was fogging up my glasses, there was no point wearing them and trying to see through them.
While I immersed myself in the warm water, I could feel the fatigue and tension inside my body begin to melt away.
"Phew."
I had heard that hot springs had amazing effects on the human body, able to accelerate the healing of injuries – even old ones. It also burned away my exhaustion and warmed me up after trudging in the snow for so long.
Even though I was an ice mage who was immune to the cold, that didn't mean I necessarily enjoyed being cold. I was more resistant to it and wouldn't suffer from frostbite or hypothermia, but it was still a discomfort. It was like having a higher tolerance to pain, but that didn't mean I was masochistic enough to enjoy suffering through it. I enjoyed the warmth emanating from the hot springs after suffering through the cold for so long, as much as anyone else.
Keeping my eyes closed, I leaned against the edge of the hot spring and reveled in the pleasant sensation. Taking a bath in the warm waters was always comfortable and I couldn't help but enjoy the long, leisurely soak. For too long, I had been fighting and pursued by demonic beasts. And now I finally had the chance to relax.
Then I heard a splash in the water somewhere ahead of me. My eyes immediately flew open, but as usual I couldn't see through the thick fog. I suppressed the desire to reach for my glasses. Even though they wouldn't entirely be useless in this steam because of the enchanted lenses and array of magical sensors installed within them, I had a feeling I would be wasting my time.
Silvia was also enjoying her soak in the hot springs.
"How are you doing?" I called out in a loud voice, checking on her.
"I'm all right. This hot spring is doing wonders for me."
"Good to hear that."
"Yes, hot springs are known for their rejuvenation and recuperative properties," Silvia said. I heard her sigh in relaxation later. "We will be back to 100% soon."
"Yeah. That's great."
"But for tonight, we should just relax and allow ourselves to heal."
"Agreed."
I kept my eyes shut and enjoyed the soak. I didn't know if I dozed off, but it seemed to me that a good amount of time had passed.
A sudden splash caused me to freeze momentarily. My consciousness leaped to full wakefulness and I glanced around warily, my hand halfway toward my glasses. . However, before I could do so, I heard a familiar giggle.
"Gosh, you're so tense."
"…huh?"
I was surprised to hear Silvia's voice. She lazily swam toward me, causing ripples in the hot spring.
"What are you doing here? I thought we agreed…"
"Uh, sorry about that." Silvia shrugged unapologetically. "I was just feeling a bit lonely by myself."
"Even so, this isn't very appropriate…" I trailed off, only to notice something was not right. Even though I wasn't wearing my glasses, I could see that her skin was flushed deeply. Probably from soaking in the hot spring for too long.
No. I was mistaken. The red complexion wasn't from the warmth of the hot springs. I could detect traces of mana saturating her body. Worse, I recognized the mana signatures of the spells that I had so recently witnessed.
The charm spells from the incubi and succubus from earlier.
"Silvia? Are you all right?"
"Of course." Silvia swam about in the hot spring, her manner relaxed. In contrast, I couldn't help but be tense. "I feel pretty…good, actually. I just need a little more…"
She turned to me and licked her lips. The charm spells appeared to be clinging to her skin, causing her to almost glow. Pheromones, I realized now. There was a sweet scent being produced off Silvia's gorgeous body.
"You're under the effects of the charm spells? How? I thought you managed to resist them. Didn't they fail?"
Normally, if the spells had failed, they should dissipate harmlessly. But it appeared that the charm spells that the seductive demons had cast upon Silvia earlier hadn't completely faded away. If anything, they had persisted over the last few hours, slowly wearing away Silvia's magical resistance until it got to her core.
"I wonder about that." Silvia shrugged indifferently. "Earlier, during the battle, I managed to resist the effects of the charm spells, but evidently I failed to disperse them completely. Probably I was too exhausted to completely get rid of them. And…it seems that the hot springs amplify the effects of the seduction spells."
"What?!"
The hot springs could do that? Then again, the hot springs had miraculous healing properties that allowed for rejuvenation. Not just for biological organisms, but also spells, it seemed. Now that I thought about it, I realized how saturated with mana the hot springs were. No wonder they could be used to augment spells.
This wasn't good.
"When I first saw you, my liege…in that village back in the human kingdom, I never imagined you would come this far." Silvia ran a hand through the strands of her silky, silver hair before letting them fall back into the water. "And then you showed up again in the castle as a vampire. That was a surprise. You've grown a lot since then."
"A lot of things have happened."
I sighed, inching away her subconsciously. I felt extremely awkward. Silvia was clearly a very beautiful member of the opposite sex and I found myself reacting to her. I had best get out of here before any accidents happened.
"Yes…it has been only a year, but it feels like an eternity." Silvia sighed.
"I guess. Anyway, I'm done, so I'll be getting out first." Shaking my head, I then proceeded to get out of the water, but Silvia tackled me, causing me to crash into the side of the hot spring. "What are you doing?"
"Just indulge me for a bit," Silvia replied, wrapping her hands around my neck. Her skin was flushed, but she didn't seem delirious. "This will benefit the both of us."
"Benefit? What are you…?"
Silvia cut me off with a deep kiss. I could feel her pressing the full length of her body against mine, her well-endowed breasts flush against my chest.
"I always wanted to do this. The more you grew as the next Demonic Emperor, the more attracted I was to you. No…even before then, I thought you were an interesting human with a lot of potential.���
"What?" I spluttered, but she wrapped her legs around my waist, her thighs squeezing my hips. Gently pushing me down, she straddled me. Leaning over, she pressed her face into my shoulder.
"Just indulge me for a bit."
"That's…"
"You've saved me so many times…I want to repay you somehow."
"This isn't repaying me. I don't want…"
"You don't have to be shy," Silvia interrupted me with another kiss. She pulled back and smiled. "Your lower half is pretty honest, you know?"
"That's just a natural, physiological reaction…"
"I know. And so is this."
In one single stroke, Silvia took me inside her, impaling her upon my shaft. The both of us gasped when we became one, my member rigidly pulsating inside her warmth.
"Thank you," she whispered into my ear, her hands on my shoulders. She closed her eyes slightly and leaned forward. "If it's you, then I have no regrets. No…it has to be you."
"What are you talking about?��� it took everything I had not to groan, especially when she started moving her hips.
"I'm relatively young when compared to the other Divine Generals." Silvia sighed as she gently grinded her loins against mine. "But even so, I have spent too much time on the frontlines. I've been so focused on leading my troops and fighting endlessly in so many wars that I've neglected romance. But just like every other female, I desire to get married someday."
"Yeah. But why me? Is it because I'm the…?"
"No. You being the Demonic Emperor has nothing to do with anything. I'm not after the position of Empress. I have no interest in the throne, which was why I swore fealty to you. I don't want to get involved in that." She paused momentarily, her eyes gazing somewhere into the distance. "But you are a different story. I don't know when, but sometime when working under you, I found myself drawn to you. I was always jealous of Stella, you know? I was afraid that you'd choose her over me. But it seems like she's willing to remain as your aide. That your relationship remained platonic."
"Well, we didn't have any opportunity or time to do anything. We were involved in one battle after the other. We spent the last year or so fighting for our lives."
"Perhaps. But what happens after you consolidate your position atop the throne? There will be more women aiming for you. Surely all of them will be aiming for the status of Demonic Empress."
She turned to look at me, and I was struck at how close our faces were. I was staring right into the blue depth of her eyes, feeling as if I was drowning inside a clear sea.
"As much as I do not wish to get involved in politics, it breaks my heart to imagine you with another woman."
"And you didn't think to ask me for my opinion regarding this matter?" I asked a little sourly. She giggled.
"I already know you're attracted to me." She leaned over and kissed me. "Call it woman's intuition. This is just to seal the deal."
…I probably could never win an argument against a girl.
"Anyway, the final decision is up to you, my liege. You can choose to accept me or reject me."
She then giggled.
"I'm happy enough to offer myself to you."
"You are not an object to be offered," I said immediately. "You should take care of yourself more."
Silvia giggled and rubbed her cheek against mine affectionately.
"Thank you. I know you think highly of me, and I appreciate it. But you should also remember your position, my liege. You're our ruler. You have the right to use us as you see fit. However, we are all willing to serve you precisely because we know how much you value all of us, and how stubborn you are when it comes to refusing to sacrifice us just to grab victory."
"Uh, okay." My hands were cupping her bottom and my hips were moving in conjunction with hers so that I could thrust deeper into her from below. I gritted my teeth, nearly unable to withstand the next wave of pleasure. "But it's undeniable that many people have lost their lives under my orders. I have led plenty of subordinates to death over the course of this civil war."
"Deaths are inevitable. Don't blame yourself for it. Even if you didn't give the command, many of us would have died anyway. we would much rather give our lives for a cause we believe in, in a leader we love – a leader like you – than live under oppression under a ruthless tyrant who callously discards our lives just for the most meager of victories."
"Thank you. I really appreciate it."
And then the both of us succumbed to waves of pleasure, with me ejaculating inside her and she convulsing from her own climax.
Around us, the fog from the hot spring seemed to thicken, as if drinking in the heat of our lovemaking.