As Marius slowly woke up and stretched his arms, he found Ayla standing at the foot of the bed, staring at him.
"Good morning, hero."
Marius pulled the blanket away and rose from the bed. "Can you cut that weird shit out?" No really? Can she stop doing that? It's creepy!
Ayla cocked her head, placing a finger on her cheek. "Weird shit?"
While Marius grabbed his shoes and slipped them on, he uttered, "You not blinking is just… weird…" For his mental state, he needed her to cut that shit out.
Lowering her head, Ayla responded, "should it displease you, you have the choice to kill me now, or I can choose to commit seppuku."
Marius facepalmed, ignoring her, and glanced at the window, realizing that the sun had just risen. "Well, let's head down to the bathhouse. After we get cleaned up, we can dip."
Moving towards the door, he reached out and opened it. He motioned to the goddess. "You coming or not?"
"Right away, hero." Ayla trailed after him, leaving the room and proceeding down the hallway.
As they descended the staircase, the old wooden steps creaked. The inn was quiet, the early morning light casting long shadows.
Marius's mind was still groggy but slowly waking up. He was surprised he hadn't gotten annoyed at anything. He wasn't a morning person.
After reaching the bottom, they headed towards a back door, which, once opened, revealed a building connected to the inn. The warmth from inside was present.
As they stepped inside completely, they were greeted by two doors that led to different rooms: one for females and another for males.
"Don't waste too much time," Marius advised her, while he made his way towards the entrance for men. After entering, he started removing his clothes and placing them in a cubby.
Taking hold of a towel, he moved towards the water, which was bordered by stones. Submerging himself up to his neck, he retrieved what appeared to be soap that rested on the side.
"Hero, would you like me to wash you?"
Marius sighed, no longer fazed by the goddess's sudden appearance, and replied nonchalantly, "sure." To be honest, he wouldn't mind being cleaned by a beauty.
At the end of the day, he was a man. He wouldn't shy away from this. He wasn't like those typical harem protagonists who panic and blush uncontrollably around any female.
Adjusting his posture to sit more upright, he lifted his back out of the water and passed the soap to the goddess. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax, savoring the fragrant steam and listening to the gentle trickle of the wall-mounted mini-waterfall.
Just a second later, Marius suddenly felt two enormous marshmallows pressing against his back. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Yes, hero. I'm using my breasts to clean you." Without hesitation, Ayla responded in her usual dead tone. Swiftly gliding along his back, moving up and down.
"Well, I'm not complaining." Marius muttered. Inhaling deeply for relaxation. If he wasn't careful, he would fall asleep.
Once done with his back, Ayla asked, "Hero, would you mind getting up and facing me?"
"Sure." Marius stood up, turned around, with no shame. He wouldn't lie, as he was enjoying this. He just was a tad bit guilty.
Since he was sure she was under someone's control—seemed to be forced against her own will. But this wasn't that bad for a goddess? Right? I mean, aren't these divine beings all degenerates?
Marius pushed that aside and didn't dwell on it any longer. He just wanted to savor this relaxation.
"Thank you." Ayla started using her marshmallows to clean his chest and various other parts of his body.
Once fully done, she stopped and took a step back. She glanced up and down his body, nodding her head as if satisfied with her handiwork—of cleaning.
Marius allowed her to gaze at his body before returning to his leisurely soak in the water. The goddess then joined him, taking a seat beside him.
"What's next, hero?" Ayla asked, submerging her entire body, except for her head, in the water.
"Like I mentioned last night. I want to register at the adventurer's guild, make some coins from quests, and level up. But, I think beforehand, I'll sell my clothes. As to not draw too much attention."
Having slept on it, Marius was dead bent on getting rid of these clothes. Even though he would miss them… They were expensive!
"While climbing the wall, I noticed a merchant setting up their shop near the gate." Ayla reminisced, placing her finger beneath her chin.
"Did you just say you climbed the wall?" Even though Marius had lost his surprise when it came to her, he was still aware that the wall's height was no less than 15 feet.
'Is she spiderman?' He made a joke silently inside his head. No seriously? Was she?
"Don't worry, hero. Nobody saw me."
Letting out a sigh, Marius made the choice to put it behind him and concentrate on today. "We're gonna be busy today. Prepare yourself.
"Yes, hero."
Once a few minutes passed without a word. Marius understood that he couldn't linger in the bathhouse all day, tempting as it may be.
They needed to keep moving, so they exited the bathhouse and made their way to the changing room to dry off and get dressed.
"Uh, I'm really gonna miss these clothes…" Marius gazed at his reflection in the mirror, fully dressed. These were the first set of nice clothes he had bought on Earth. The clothes he planned to wear for his job interview—software engineering.
"Once we sell them, we can steal them back," Ayla suggested, turning around. She double-checked to ensure her clothes were fully on, adjusting them as needed.
"That's very hero-like," Marius mumbled as he let out a small chuckle. He never expected her suggesting something like that, not even in a million years.
"I have a single purpose: to support you on your journey as a hero—to protect this world."
"Then why suggest I steal?" Marius asked, turning around to face the goddess.
"If it helps you on your journey, then it's a worthy sacrifice," Ayla answered.
"Again, not very hero-like." Marius scoffed. Didn't "IT" desire for him to become a fully-fledged hero, always doing good and protecting this world?
What could be the reason for allowing the goddess to utter such words?
"Perhaps not in the traditional sense," Ayla conceded, shrugging her shoulders.
"Whatever. Let's head out." Marius remarked. He made his way towards the exit.
"Yes, hero." Ayla walked behind.