“Yuck,” Sitting on a rock, Lilia took off her shoes. They were covered in smelly slime and chunks of crust. I covered my mouth as I stepped back when Lilia glared at me before lifting the shoe upwards.
“Noo! Don’t throw it at me!” I crouched downwards causing her to laugh.
“Why do you think I am going to throw them at you.”
I sneaked a glance at her. She had placed the shoe down on the ground while changing into a new pair. “So, do you feel grateful for me having you wear shoes now?”
“En, are you keeping the old one?”
“Let’s see… perhaps keeping it is a good idea~” She showed a playful look. “Perhaps I could throw them at an enemy one day.”
“...” I felt conflicted. It was logical, however I also felt a little sour.
She chuckled. “Just kidding~ Why would I want to soil my own storage equipment.”
She began to draw a magic symbol around the shoes. I used my hands to cover my eyes, while peaking at her through the gap. As long as I didn’t see the magic symbol it was okay!
When she finished, she got up. Covering her nose and mouth with a hand, she sprinkled a powder over the shoes, and with a woosh sound, a red flame began to burn it.
“Let’s go.”
“Is it okay?” Making sure to keep my distance, I went over to her side.
She rolled her eyes at me. “If you like smelling burnt shoes then you can stay.” Afterwards, she left without waiting for my reply.
“Wait!” I ran after her. “Lilia…” I grabbed her hand.
“Hmm?”
“Can I smell your fe- ow!” She flicked my forehead before I finished.
She blushed while pulling me ahead.
___
“Wow~” The town gave a different atmosphere than the ones above ground. It was as if it was in permanent night time, with lanterns lit up all over the place, giving the place an orange ambiance.
Lilia asked a scaleman where the nameless inn was. We made our way through the crowds. There were different races that I hadn’t seen before. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that they were different types of beastkin?
There was even the occasional vampire. However the gaze they looked at Lilia had changed. Instead it was one filled with disdain and disgust.
The reason being, the both of us had removed our color change disguise before entering town. Her eyes were no longer both red, instead one was red and one was blue.
It looks like halflings were looked down upon. Only the vampires though, the other races probably didn’t care.
As if they didn’t exist, Lilia continued to lead me forward until we reached a statue of a lion with a talon, 6 wings, and a snake tail.
“It’s as grand as always…”
Lilia didn’t stop as she walked straight into the inn and made a beeline towards the receptionist desk.
“A room for 1, 5 days. Normal Grade.” She said to the receptionist.
“As you wish.” This time, it was a lizardgirl. She had scales on her cheeks and neck, as well as the back of her hand. A long scaly tail stuck out of her kimono.
Taking the card, she led me straight into the room. “Bath first.” Making sure I didn’t run over to the bed, Lilia pulled me on the collar.
“En.” I wanted to take one too, especially after going through all of those Beheworms. In fact I had a faint illusion that our smells were mixed up.
Going inside the bathroom, I removed all of my clothing before taking a blue stone to fill the bath with water. It seems they followed the system of the other inn.
When the tub was full, I jumped inside to clean myself, refilling the water a few times until Lilia knocked on the door.
“I’m done!” Getting up, I walked over to the door and opened it. “I need a change of clothing.” Feeling Lilia look at me up and down, I felt embarrassed. However in the end I didn’t cover myself and let her look.
She gulped before taking out a change of clothing for me. “I’m going to take a bath.” Without giving me time to change, she lightly pushed me out before shutting the door.
“...” I dried myself and changed into the set of clothing. It looks like she chose a shirt and pants for me this time.
“Hmm hm hmm~” Humming a tune, I jumped onto the soft bed and hugged the blanket.
The sound of splashing came from the bathroom, most likely she was currently washing herself. Getting up, I went to the bathroom door and pressed my ears against it.
However strangely, hearing her sounds didn’t really turn me on as much as when she was looking at me.
Perhaps because she was simply taking a normal bath?
Shaking my head, I went away and sat back on the bed as I patiently waited for her to finish.
Not long after, she came out wearing a loose shirt and pants. Her slightly wet hair sticking against her clothing.
“Let’s go.” She smiled at me.
“En.” Getting up, I walked towards the door to place my shoes on before following her downstairs into the lobby.
She chose a table in an inconspicuous spot as she happily looked through the menu.
“Ne, Lilia, are you going to sleep soon?” I asked her.
She nodded. “Tonight~”
Yay! I felt like my goal was finally in view. With this, my mission would be completed.
Roasted Nightcrawler Legs. Lizard Tail Soup, Chopped Lizard Feet. Aside from spiders and lizards, there were all sorts of insect dishes.
I placed the menu down before taking a glance at LIlia. It seems she was lost in thought at it.
“Have you made your choice?” A waitress came over.
“Nn,” Lilia nodded. “I’ll take this.” The one she pointed to was a frog dish.
As for me, I decided to play it safe and take a lizard one. It should be fine right?
The waitress smiled and took away the menu. “Please wait just a moment.”
I looked around the place. Aside from the usual people gossiping about random things, what caught my attention was a boy. He had blonde hair tied in a ponytail similar to Lilias while wearing a black suit.
What stood out was the large plates stacked up next to him as he ate with fervor. Perhaps he noticed me looking as he turned towards me and smiled, causing a chill to run along my spine.
His eyes were red. Not the ones like vampires, but a burning red filled with the screams of countless souls.
