Lux woke up in the middle of the night and was momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar room he was currently in.
It took him a while to remember where he was and why he was there. However, after his memories gathered, a sigh escaped his lips.
He then stood up from the bed and looked at his blood-stained robes, which he still hadn't changed out of since the end of the battle in the Divine Empire.
It was at that moment that he remembered his Grandmaster mentioning something about an underground spring inside the residence.
Lux opened the Elysium Compendium and checked the map to see where it was located.
A few minutes later, the Half-Elf descended the stairs that led to the underground spring.
When he arrived at his destination, he unceremoniously removed his clothes and entered the spring water, creating splashing sounds as he walked towards the stone located at its center.
It was at this moment that he realized that he wasn't the only person in the spring.
"W-Who is there?!" Aur, who noticed that someone had entered the spring, hurriedly covered his body with a bath towel before crouching down, submerging his body underwater.
Lux looked at the Dragon Prince, whose face, for some reason, had turned beet red as he stared at his naked body.
Currently, only Lux's legs were submerged underwater, leaving his naked middle and upper body bare for Aur to see.
"There's no need to feel panicked or anxious," Lux said. "It's just me. I didn't know that you're this fidgety, Aur."
Lux then continued to walk until he was only a meter away from the Dragon Prince before sitting down, leaning his back on the boulder that was located at the center of the spring.
When he opened his Elysium Compendium earlier, he saw that Aur was bathing in the spring. Seeing that the Dragon Prince was alone, he decided to join him since both of them were boys.
Lux then casually washed his arms, chest, and neck with the hot spring water before sighing.
"This water feels good," Lux said softly. "I feel that my exhaustion is being washed away."
Aur, who had somewhat regained his calm, eyed the Half-Elf with concern.
He could tell that Lux wasn't as lively as he used to be and only kept up appearances. The Half-Elf's aura was also very weak, like a candle that was about to burn out.
But before he could even say words of comfort to the red-headed teenager, Lux looked in his direction and smiled.
"You're weird, Aur," Lux said. "Why are you covering your entire body with a bath towel in a hot spring? Is the mighty and handsome Dragon Prince feeling insecure about his body?"
The Half-Elf had said these words in a teasing tone, which made Aur have the strong urge to smack him.
'Why do you think I am covering my body?!' Aur clenched his right fist underwater. 'Isn't it because you came here unannounced!'
Lux, who had no idea that the Dragon Prince was very tempted to smack him, eyed Aur up and down.
"You always wear robes that cover your entire body," Lux commented. "I'm not gonna lie, I expected that your body was lean and toned, but looking at you now, you look very delicate."
Aur had wrapped his body with his bath towel, covering his chest, and lower half, leaving his shoulders and arms bare for Lux to see.
Suddenly, and without any warning, Lux held Aur's arm and used his free hand to caress it.
"Strange. You don't have any muscles," Lux muttered. "Also, your arms are so soft and smooth. It is very femin—ack!"
Aur smacked the side of the Half-Elf's face with his palm, making the latter release his hold on him to rub his face.
"Sorry, I was just curious," Lux stated as he rubbed his face. "I was in the wrong for not asking for permission to touch you."
"I-It's fine," Aur who had smacked Lux's face subconsciously broke out of his daze and tried to smooth things out. "I'm just not used to being touched by men."
"Oh? So you're always being touched by women?" Lux chuckled as he leaned his head on the boulder. "As expected of a Dragon Prince, you are surrounded by beauties."
Aur wanted to say that Lux had misunderstood, but in the end, he decided that it wasn't worth it to correct him.
The two then sat in silence as they soaked in the hot spring waters.
Suddenly, Aur broke the silence and offered to wash Lux's back.
The Half-Elf didn't find any problem with this, so he nodded his head and allowed the Dragon Prince to wash his back.
Lux closed his eyes and enjoyed Aur's soft hands on his back. It was then when he realized that the Dragon Prince might not be a warrior, but a mage.
The reason? His hands weren't rough and calloused, which was a typical trait of those who wielded martial weapons.
While Aur was washing Lux's back, he noticed that tears were flowing down the Half-Elf's closed eyes.
Although the Dragon Prince wasn't sure, he thought that Lux wasn't aware that he was crying. It gave him the strong urge to hug him, which his body subconsciously did.
However, due to his unexpected movement, the bath towel that was covering his body became undone and fell on the water.
Aur didn't notice this and hugged Lux from behind.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Aur said softly as he hugged Lux tightly. "I wanted to console you, but I didn't want to sound superficial. I know that you cared deeply, and respected your Master, even going so far as to go to the Divine Empire to save him.
"That act alone is worth more than a thousand words, and it resonated in my heart. I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough to help you. I wish I could have done more. Perhaps, things might have ended differently."
Aur closed his eyes and held Lux close to him. He didn't notice that he was no longer wearing the bath towel, and his body was pressing against the Half-Elf, as he held onto him tightly.
Lux, who was feeling melancholic, felt two soft mounds pressing on his back.
Unfortunately, he wasn't in the right state of mind to wonder why Aur's chest was soft like marshmallows when it should be firm and hard.
The two stayed like this for several minutes.
Seeing that Lux was still hurting, Aur could no longer hold himself back and moved in front of the Half-Elf.
He then wrapped his arms around the red-headed teenager's head and pulled him close to his chest.
Aur then lightly patted Lux's back, encouraging him to cry and let all the pain that he was feeling, out of his system.
Half an hour later, Lux lightly patted Aur's back, signaling to him that he was feeling better.
The Dragon Prince reluctantly released his hold on the Half-Elf's head and looked at him with concern.
"Aur, I'm sorry," Lux said as he looked at the Dragon Prince with a serious expression on his face. "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have done the things that I have done to you."
"It's fine," Aur said with a sad smile. "Both of us are friends. This is the least I can do for you."
Lux had a complicated look on his face as he held the Dragon Prince's gaze.
However, as if to make sure that his guess was right, the Half-Elf's gaze moved down to look at the Dragon Prince's chest, which made the latter subconsciously follow Lux's gaze.
When Aur looked down on his chest his body immediately stiffened.
Without saying anything, the Dragon Prince hurriedly stood up and left the scene in haste without even giving the Half-Elf a second glance.
Lux could only watch as his friend's smooth and perky backside faded from his sight after a few seconds.
A moment later, Lux summoned Hana, who appeared in the hot spring with white bandages covering her chest.
"She's a girl, right?" Lux asked as if asking for a second opinion.
Hana nodded. "She is."
"… What now?" Lux inquired.
"That will depend on her." Hana shook her head. "I just hope that things won't escalate outside of your control, Master."
After saying those words, Hana disappeared leaving the Half-Elf alone in the hot spring.
Lux looked at the floating bath towel, which Aur had used to cover his body in a daze.
A few minutes later, he also left the hot spring, feeling cold, despite the fact that the water had been keeping him warm, not so long ago.
