"I don't need to bathe."
Night fell, and Lumine, finally able to rest, prepared to take a bath to relax. Before entering the bathroom, she invited Durandal to bathe with her.
Facing Lumine's invitation, Durandal refused without hesitation, not even lifting her head, her gaze fixed on the cooking notes in her hands.
"Why don't you need to wash? Are you the type who doesn't like bathing, Durandal? Or are you afraid of water, like a cat?"
"Afraid of water? If you're not worried about the water I've soaked in turning into a pool of venom, you can try it."
This fellow didn't even consider what would happen if toxins were directly introduced into a water source. Even if not liquid, staying in water for a period would still imbue the water with a layer of poison.
This fellow actually invited her to bathe together. This was probably an attempt to experience what it felt like to bathe in a pool of venom.
"How could that happen? You're worrying too much. As long as you don't actively release it, the poison on you won't Swirl out, right?"
Lumine had pretty much figured out Durandal's situation. Not to mention whether she would release toxins when startled, she generally wouldn't leak poison under normal circumstances, and the same applied to the air she exhaled.
In such a safe situation, Durandal was essentially non-toxic. So, even if she soaked in a wooden tub, it wouldn't turn the water inside into venom.
"Even if you say that, I still don't need to bathe. I am different from you humans. No matter what happens, I will not be stained with dust."
"But bathing isn't just about washing away dirt. It's also an important way to relax your body and mind. Soaking in a bath is very comfortable; you'll know once you try it."
"Soaking in a bath? Like that time a few days ago when you soaked Paimon in a pot?"
A few days ago, when Durandal and Lumine were resting, Durandal, just for a moment of inattention, saw Lumine put Paimon into a pot with fire burning underneath.
Paimon was sitting softly in the pot, while Lumine was at the pot's edge, continuously slicing various ingredients, like carrots, looking as if she wanted to cook Paimon.
Afterward, when she asked if Lumine finally couldn't resist cooking and eating Paimon, Lumine said she was just boiling hot water for Paimon to bathe in, not trying to cook her.
She said that, but Paimon was huffing and puffing all the way that day, not speaking to Lumine until dinner, which made Durandal suspect Lumine was lying to her.
Hearing Durandal's question, Paimon, who had been happy about bathing, suddenly became angry, her pink cheeks puffing out as she glared furiously at Lumine.
Lumine chuckled, and from an angle Durandal couldn't see, she held up two fingers to Paimon.
As Lumine's best companion, Paimon understood what Lumine meant the moment she saw the fingers.
[Two meals]
Hmph! Does this fellow really think she can buy me off with two meals? Who does she think I am?!
However, it seems that for the sake of her current conversation with Durandal, I won't interrupt her.
Hm! It's definitely not because I was bought off; it's simply because I don't want to interrupt her interaction with Durandal. I'm just such an understanding companion.
Paimon, the potential troublemaker, was gone. The conversation now returned to the matter of bathing together.
Should she bathe together? Durandal didn't have many thoughts on the matter. Bathing or not was the same; the only difference was doing it with others.
How to put it? She didn't dislike Lumine. As a good friend, she wasn't averse to physical contact with her.
But when Lumine extended this invitation, she always felt it was very dangerous, not in the traditional sense of danger, but in another very important aspect.
No matter how Lumine tried to persuade her, Durandal remained unmoved. In the end, Lumine had no choice but to give up, pouting as she and Paimon entered the bathroom together.
Durandal, waiting outside, occasionally heard laughter from the bathroom. She didn't pay much attention; such playful antics often occurred between the two of them.
It was just that later, Paimon made a very strange sound, followed by Lumine's "Let me see" and Paimon's "Traveler, no!", which made Durandal very curious.
Were these two really bathing properly again?
After a long time, Lumine and Paimon finally emerged. Lumine, wiping her hair with a towel, saw Durandal reading and walked over curiously, hugging Durandal's waist from behind and resting her head on her shoulder.
"What's this? A cookbook? Handwritten words, eh? Where did you get it?"
...A chef from Liyue. These are some of her culinary insights.
She struggled a little, telling Lumine not to maintain such an intimate posture and to properly dry her hair.
Having achieved her goal, Lumine didn't linger. She sat obediently on the bed, wiping her hair while watching Durandal.
At this moment, Durandal was still wearing the same Lolita-style dress. Although it was beautiful, she couldn't wear this outfit all the time, could she?
"Are you planning to sleep in this outfit later, Durandal?"
"I don't need to sleep."
"Stop~ You can't refuse this. Before, I had you keep watch to prevent monster attacks. Now we're in a safe place at the inn, so you should rest properly."
When they camped outdoors every day, Durandal usually kept watch. No matter how much Lumine complained or suggested a watch schedule, Durandal would always refuse.
Even if she had objections, Durandal could use various methods to make her sleep soundly until the next morning, completely unstoppable.
"I told you, I don't need to sleep. I am different from you humans; I don't need to recover energy through sleep."
"Don't always identify yourself as a God, Durandal. You are human now, and as a human, you should act like one. Sleeping is something almost every human does; you shouldn't refuse."
Lumine said earnestly, "And sleeping isn't just about recovering energy; it's also about relaxing your body and mind. If you're lucky, you might even dream. Have you ever dreamed?"
"Dream? No. Since I don't need to sleep, I haven't dreamed."
"Then you should really experience it. While I can't guarantee you'll dream on the first day, you'll eventually dream as you gradually get used to the process."
Durandal was silent for a long time. What would she dream about? Things that happened in the past? Her past... was there anything good to dream about?
Recalling those past experiences, she didn't want to add to her discomfort.
However, Lumine was right. She was now traveling as a human, as Lumine's companion.
Since she was in human form, her behavior should also try to adhere to human standards.
"I understand. I'll try."
"Good! That's the spirit. That's much better."
Lumine nodded with satisfaction, clapped her hands, pointed at Durandal's clothes, and said, "First, you need to change out of that outfit."
As soon as she finished speaking, a flash of white light occurred. Lumine and Paimon covered their eyes. When they lowered their hands, Durandal had already changed her clothes.
It was a very cute style of pajamas. When Klee had taken Durandal to her room before, Durandal had seen this set of pajamas in her room and had copied a set.
Unlike the usual Demoiselle-like Durandal, this Durandal made Lumine's eyes light up, wanting to step forward and examine her closely.
"Wow, that's amazing! You made the clothes so quickly. Does that mean you can have any clothes you want?"
"Yes, any clothes I want, I can create with a single thought. Whether it's ordinary fabric or armor, it's a very simple matter."
Lumine nodded. This was a good thing! This meant that in the future, the difficulty of seeing Durandal in other clothes would be greatly reduced, provided Durandal was willing to change into those clothes for her to see.
"That's amazing. By the way, is this ability related to you transforming into a human form?"
Durandal nodded. She had gained this ability when she could transform into a human, a kind of self-taught skill that was particularly convenient.
"Oh, I see. So what did you look like as a God before you could transform into a human?" Paimon asked curiously.
Durandal was so beautiful; her God form must have been very majestic. This made both her and Lumine curious about Durandal's original appearance.
But Durandal's expression wasn't very good. Of course, she wasn't repulsed by her original appearance; if she truly was, she wouldn't often summon clones to do things for her.
The reason for her expression was simply that recalling those past experiences made her feel very sad.
Lumine noticed Durandal's discomfort, held back Paimon, who was about to say something else, and gently shook her head, telling her not to continue.
There must be something they didn't know about, and they didn't want to bring up Durandal's painful past.
"I don't want to show that form, Lumine. However, if one day you need me to return to that form, I will. But... if I return to that form, our journey will also end, won't it?"
When Lumine saw her in that form, she would surely feel fear and disgust towards her. At that time, she would no longer be qualified to stay by her side and continue traveling with her.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. It was just a curious question, so why did it develop in such a strange direction?
Paimon blinked, looked at Lumine, and asked with her eyes, "Did I ask something I shouldn't have?"
Lumine shook her head. This question mainly centered on Durandal's original form. Although she didn't know what kind of form it was, it must have been very frightening.
Regardless, her journey didn't require Durandal to return to that form. She only needed to maintain her current appearance.
The three chatted in the room for a while, until late at night when it was time to sleep. Lumine excitedly lay on the bed, patted the space beside her, and said,
"Come on! Durandal! Come and sleep with me."
"..."
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