I made my way out to the hot spring. Steaming water still poured endlessly from cracks in the stone, running down cooling rock channels before splashing into the bath itself. Excess water flowed over the sides and off the cliff. It was truly a sight to behold.
A four-meter-tall giant covered in blue-gray scales sat in the bath, his back against the stones.
Apparently, Villiers Fim enjoyed the hot spring in his human form. With each breath, tendrils of steam rose from the water’s surface and spiraled away. Sitting in the bath and soaking, he looked truly relaxed, like the monkeys that frequented the famed Jigokudani hot spring.
Without opening his eyes, the Dragon Lord spoke. “Are you just going to keep standing there?”
I was lingering at the edge of the water, dipping my toe in and watching the flesh return before yanking it back. I lost count of how many times I repeated that. The shock of what had happened earlier made me pretty hesitant.
But I couldn’t stand around like this forever. I made up my mind and fixed my eyes on the water’s surface. This time, I’d only face the past seven days’ emotions—days when I hadn’t even been conscious. The burden would be infinitely smaller than last time.
“Here goes nooooothing!”
My skeletal frame dropped into the water with a sploosh.
I stayed underwater with my eyes firmly closed, my body tensing as I waited for shock to wash over me. When nothing happened, I poked my head above the surface and looked around.
I felt a tingling sensation throughout my body, starting deep within and slowly spreading, but none of the overwhelming emotion I’d felt last time. I relaxed in the warm water and let out a deep sigh.
“Haaaaaah.”
I would definitely need to take a dip here on a regular basis.
As long as I could release my pent-up emotions before they had a chance to get out of hand, using the hot spring wouldn’t be such a big ordeal. I could bathe daily if I wanted, as I had in my old life. Maybe even twice a day.
I washed my face with a handful of warm water. Back in my flesh-and-blood body, at least for the moment, memories of my actions returned. From regret over having taken lives to the warm, fuzzy feeling of soaking in a bath, the feelings were all complicated, yet oddly comfortable at the same time.
I let the water soak into my skin while thinking about my next steps.
I’d achieved my goal of restoring my real body, even if it wasn’t the body I’d expected. I tugged gently at my elongated ears as I scrutinized the face that looked back at me from the water’s surface, testing out different expressions.
I wanted to see just how long the hot spring’s effects lasted.
I lifted myself out of the water and sat on the stone edge of the bath, leaving only my legs submerged.
My dark elf avatar, the one I’d used before switching to the skeleton, had quite a nice body—rippling muscles covered in beautiful brown skin. However, only a short time after leaving the water, my upper body became semi-transparent. A few moments after that, my bones showed as my skin faded away.
The parts of my legs that were still in the water retained their form, giving me the appearance of a skeleton wearing flesh socks—a pretty shocking sight for anyone who might pass by.
Apparently, after I left the water, it only took about ten minutes for my skeletal form to return.
I dropped back into the bath and started paddling, flesh reappearing on my body as I swam. I scooped up some water with my hands and drank it. It was flavorless, but slid easily down my throat, sending a pleasant warmth into my stomach.
I returned to the bath’s stone edge and sat.
This time, I retained my body long after the ten-minute mark.
I looked over at the Dragon Lord, who sat a little farther off, occasionally splashing his long tail against the water’s surface.
“Does this mean the curse has been completely lifted?”
Villiers Fim looked at me and shook his head. “I don’t know the specifics, but from what I’ve seen of your curse, I don’t believe you’ve returned to your true form yet. Just how did you become cursed, anyway?”
I was grateful that the way he posed this question made it sound rhetorical. I had no idea how to answer.
I’d already been a skeleton when I came to this world. The curse had traveled with me. If I wanted straight answers, I’d have to ask the gods themselves.
Thinking over the problem raised more philosophical issues, such as how and why I was alive at all.
“Villiers Fim,” I said, “I would like your permission to make this abandoned shrine my own.”
“Do as you please. This place was built by the cat clan leader Hanzo, anyway. As long as you don’t get any funny ideas about taking over my home in the forest, I don’t mind.” The Dragon Lord closed his eyes, dunked his head under the water, and blew bubbles up to the surface.
“Thank you.”
I climbed out of the hot spring and made my way to a small building behind the shrine, where I’d left my armor. Halfway through getting dressed, I stopped and looked down at myself.
“I guess I don’t really need to put on my full armor.”
I decided to wear only the bottom half, which would make it easier to monitor how long the hot spring’s effects lasted. I flexed my upper body’s well-toned muscles; I could see my blood vessels pulse.
“I wish I could get a good look at my whole body.”
I added a full-length mirror to the list of items I wanted to buy for the home I was already building in my head.
I made my way back to the shrine, where I assumed Ariane and Chiyome were waiting. I found them talking in the large, grass-covered space between the shrine and the building where I’d stored my armor.
“Ah, Ariane. Sorry for the wait.”
Ariane turned, looking taken aback. “Arc, your…your curse was lifted? How are you feeling?”
“I don’t seem to be having any problems. According to Villiers Fim, the effect is still temporary, but I drank some spring water to see how long it will last.”
I struck a bodybuilder’s pose, flexing the muscles in my upper body.
Ariane made a strange face. “Why are you posing like that?”