Part 1
Diablo opened his eyes.
He was in his own room at the high class inn, the 《Phoenix House》──on top of his bed. Even the cloth that went up to the ceiling had delicate embroidery applied to it.
He had drank an MP Recovery Potion, so he did not particularly have a corporeal sense of fatigue.
Was what he was vaguely feeling, something like burnout syndrome?
──I sure am hungry.
He got out of bed with hunger as the reason.
I've changed a bit from when I was a Gamer if I do say so myself, is what he thought. In the past, he wouldn't have moved even if he was hungry.
Rather, he couldn't move. Only when he was shooed away by a game event with a time limit would he finally move.
When he opened the thick curtains, the area outside the window had become a madder red.
「Oou, so it's already evening……」
After the fight at the Inner Court──
Diablo descended at the plaza in front of the eastern gate of the third district, and walked back to the inn from there.
He nervously waited for about three hours.
After seven o'clock, Rem, Shera, Horun, and Rose safely returned, and he was finally able to feel relieved.
Taking a breakfast that seemed like a supper, and then lying down on his bed……
It was now.
The wall mounted clock told him that he had slept for close to half a day.
He rung the bell that was installed in the room.
Before long, an inn employee came along. It was a courteous female Dwarf.
「You had called, dear guest?」
「Umu, I would like to request a meal and a bath. Also, what are the others doing?」
「I was entrusted with this.」
A message was written on stationery.
It seemed that Rem went to make a report to Alicia. She's conscientious as always.
Shera took Horun along and went to go shopping in town. So even though so much stuff had happened, she went to go sightseeing the next day. Her ability to go at her own pace is amazing!
Rose was on standby in her own room.
"There is no need for meals. Be sure to convey anything that happens to me. Be sure to not wake Diablo up." It seems that is what she asked the employee to do.
Although there were some unprecedented things, I'm grateful for their usual consideration, is what he thought.
At any rate, it didn't seem like there were any particular problems.
The Dwarf employee bowed her head.
「We shall prepare your meal and your bath immediately.」
「Make it hot water.」
It was a high class inn, so there was a table for meal-use in every room and, moreover, they even had bathtubs.
There was a need to have them bring with regular water or hot water, but they could enter the bath at any time.
When he lived in his former world, he didn't like baths. Since he couldn't play the game during that time, he thought of it as a waste of time and couldn't stand it.
Now, it was a supreme pleasure.
Come to think of it, he had heard stories of hot springs in Faltra City.
──It might not be that bad to try going to a hot spring.
He didn't know the details, but since the problem with the Church seemed to be finished, there was probably nothing Diablo could do anymore.
He did reveal himself as the Demon King as well as God after all, so he couldn't get close to the Church. On the contrary, it was dangerous to even stay in the royal capital. If he were found by a believer, as for what would happen……He had nothing but premonitions that he would fall into a troublesome situation.
Diablo had a meal alone for the first time in a while.
There was freshly baked bread, tender roast beef, and crisp pickled vegetables. In addition, there was grilled fish and was accompanied by fruits.
It was delicious.
However, it was dull being alone.
Should he have called Rose? However, she did not have normal meals. He felt bad about having her just keep him company for this.
──To think that I would feel that a solitary meal would be lonely.
Even though he thought "Being carefree was the best!"
He then entered the bath that the employee prepared while he was having his meal. To soak in warm water, it was his first time do so since he came to this other world.
The core of his body was warmed up.
It was as if his fatigue melted in the hot water.
「Ahh, this is the best……」
At that time, door was humbly knocked on.
「……Diablo, are you awake?」
It was Rem.
He replied from the bathroom.
「Umu, you may enter!」
She opened the door.
「Excuse me.」
「Over here. Do you have some sort of hurried business?」
「No, I am not in a hurry……Shera and Horun, they seem to still be shopping, right?」
「Umu.」
Rem came to the bathroom.
「Ah……So you were bathing in cold water.」
「It's a bath. Are you not used to bathtubs? You should try entering as well. This is something good.」
Of course, Diablo said that with the meaning of "you should have a bath prepared in your own room".
Even so, standing stock still, Rem blushed.
「……I, I understand. I also……was thinking that, I would like to wash my sweat off.」
Fua?
Rem started taking her clothes off.
──Awawa!?
He was flustered and thought about trying to stop her, but that was probably bad.
Not limited to Pantherians, the common people of this other world have a custom of bathing in cold water in lakes and rivers. Washing away sweat with companions wasn't rare.
Rem and Shera had bathed in cold water before after all.
Right now, pointing out her misunderstanding would be equivalent to saying "I don't want to go in together with you", so in other words, it would be like saying that Rem was not a companion and rejecting her.
It would be great if he could somehow skillfully say it in a way that wouldn't hurt her but……
Just as always, words like that didn't come out.
While he was thinking, Rem had taken off her clothes.
She covered her small chest with both of her hands.
And then, for her lower part, her panther tail coiled around and covered it.
──Rather, isn't doing it like that even more incredible!?
Diablo's heart had a sudden rise in its pulse rate.
Rem winced.
「U, um……When you stare at me that much, it's a bit embarrassing.」
「I-I-I-I see!」
Diablo tore his gaze away. He leaned his back on the bathtub.
Rem got in.
She really did get in together with him……
She entered turning her back towards Diablo.
So she thought that facing each other would be embarrassing.
Certainly, if they were like this, all he could see would be things like the back of her head, her slender nape, and her delicate shoulders.
If she had volume to her chest, it might have been different, but he couldn't see that.
But however!
Their skin touched.
Rem's butt was set down in between Diablo's legs. And then, her slender, small, and soft-looking body was settled down in between his arms.
In front of his eyes, her kitten-like panther ears moved with a twitch, and the drips on the hair ends of them flew off.
「……Um, was it really not a bother?」
「O-o-of course nyot!」
「Eh?」
「Ahem! Of course not!」
「……Thank goodness.」
Rem brought her body closer.
She leaned her small back on Diablo's chest. Her butt touched the inner part of his legs.
Soft.
It felt like his sense of reason would fly away.
When Rem made a glancing look his way, her cheeks were bright red.
Although it was awkward, she expressed a smile looking happy.
「……Ehe……I entered together with you.」
「O, ou.」
──S, so cute.
So she was a girl who could make this kind of expression. He was together with her often, but he felt like this was his first time seeing it.
「Ahn……」
Rem leaked out a nasally voice.
Going "Eh?", he was bewildered.
When he realized it, Diablo had tried to hug her with both of his arms.
「Wait……I……!?」
「……Nn……This hot water, it certainly, does feel good.」
Rem inclined her head.
She leaned it on Diablo's arm.
Thank goodness she didn't get mad.
──Just when I thought my sense of reason was going to fly away, it had flown long ago! I don't think I understand what is being said, but when a small, young cat-eared girl smiles at me, it can't be helped, right!
Unfortunately, it seemed that Diablo's sense of reason was in the middle of a vacation.
He tried to hug Rem tightly.
「Hafuu……Um……?」
「Ah, no, that's to say……」
「……Diablo, something is, hitting my back.」
「EH!?」
「……Something hard.」
「C, could it be a horn?」
「……Could it, really be that?」
Rem squirmed about and moved her butt.
When he thought that it might be because she was uncomfortable──
Something wrapped around it.
「ッ!?」
He involuntarily swallowed his breath by the unknown stimulus.
──This is, could it be, her tail!?
Rem's panther tail wrapped around Diablo's "horn".
*Zoku zoku* The muscles along his spine trembled.
「Uu, oo.」
「Nn……fu……」
Rem leaked out a sigh.
「Ou, oou……」
Splishing and splashing, the bathtub's water surface swayed.
Maybe because they were feeling dizzy from the long bath, the two of them had not just their faces but their whole bodies turn red.
Diablo unintentionally hugged Rem's body close.
Grabbing her bulged chest, he stimulated the tips.
「AH!?」
「Oh, cra……」
A shock ran through the muscles along Diablo's spine.
Rem covered her own mouth with both hands, and controlled her own heavy breathing.
「ッ…………Nnnn……ッ!」
And then, within his arms, she repeatedly convulsed.
──Pantherians, they sure are incredible……
*Bakin!* The sound of metal breaking was made. It came from the room's foyer!
Both Diablo and Rem went *Biku!* and were surprised.
*Mishi, mishi* There was some creaking, and someone was approaching the bathroom.
Rem's shoulders trembled.
「……ッ!?」
In a way different from just a little while ago, this was probably her being frightened.
A voice came from the room.
「Master, there is a visitor.」
「O, ou……So it's you, Rose. Erm……I seemed to, have heard a really incredible sound though?」
「I am terribly sorry. Since I had sensed an unsettling presence, I failed in adjusting the power of my right hand. I seemed to have destroyed the lock.」
Rem quivered like a kitten that was in front of a stray dog.
Certainly, if Rose had seen the act from a little while ago……He kind of didn't want to imagine it.
Diablo told Rose.
「Because I will be preparing myself, lead them to the common room! Rose, you wait there as well.」
「This Rose will assist you, Master.」
「Seriously?……Ah, no……Do not treat me like a suckling child. I have no problem dressing myself without the help of someone else!」
「……I am terribly sorry. I shall await your orders in the common room.」
Rose left.
Going *Fuuー*, Diablo breathed a sigh.
Rem got out from the bathtub. Warm water fell down from her slightly reddened skin. Drops dripped from her long, black hair.
Seeing her long and narrow tail, Diablo unconsciously blushed.
She breathed a sigh.
「……I thought my heart was going to stop.」
「Do you find Rose scary?」
「……Even I am an Adventurer. No matter how strong she is, I will not be afraid of her. Merely, if she were to see me in a place like this……As expected, it's embarrassing.」
「I, I see.」
「……Also……It's because I wanted to keep this a secret between just the two of us.」
After saying that, as if to gloss over her shyness, Rem hurriedly got out of the bathroom.
Diablo solidified.
「…………」
She, with both her wet skin and wet hair as they were, put on her clothes.
Her cheeks bright red, she glared at his direction.
「……I, do not want to destroy the peace of this party. So this sort of thing, I find it questionable.」
「Th, that's, true.」
「But……Um……I was, happy…………And it felt good……」
The last part was said in a small voice that sounded like it would disappear.
Saying only that, Rem turned her back towards him.
Leaving no sounds of footsteps, she had most likely gone out from the room.