The Overseer & The Class S "Hero"

Chapter 31

"I must say, is travelling supposed to be this comfortable?" Ellis remarked, standing with Axtca in nothing but a towel.

Aurelius pointed to three wooden tubs at his feet, water balls dropping into them. Soon, steaming water filled them to the brim. Iona watched behind a tree, reluctant to show herself as always. It had been a week since we departed the city, in a larger wagon led by the beige and brown horses.

"No," I answered dryly, "it's just that Aurelius's here."

"I'm honoured."

Me and Aurelius left behind the sounds of water splashing and the fragrance of soap and shampoo, to our own bathing area a little whiles away. We washed up with our backs to each other, and just as I reached for my towel, Aurelius stopped me.

"Wait."

"What is it?"

"I want your participation in my experiment."

I thought of the consecutive days Aurelius had been making balls of water float in midair.

"Your shower?"

He snapped his fingers, a ball the size of a watermelon forming above my head.

"I'm glad you understand."

I cinched my towel round my waist, finding a large mossy rock to sit on. Anyway, I have plenty of spares. Spreading out my arms, I looked expectantly at him.

"Well, have at me."

A jet of water pummelled down on me, drenching my towel and almost going up my nose.

"Oh, too strong," came his voice.

"Even after all that practice?" I commented, brushing my waterlogged bangs out of my eyes as a larger ball of water materialised.

"It's going to be perfect this time," Aurelius vowed.

I shielded my eyes with my left hand, water cascading from above in a much more gentle manner, running in rivulets down my arms.

"How's the temperature?"

"Lukewarm."

As I said that, it gradually became hotter, almost pleasant. Putting down my raised arm, I leaned back bonelessly on the rock, eyes closed. A few seconds later, I was promptly scaled before the water became ice-cold and turned back into lukewarm.

"I'm done."

Untying my towel, I wrung it out and wiped water off my face.

"What happened at the end?"

Aurelius was frowning at three balls of water in front of him, fused to one another like conjoined triplets.

A thin air cushion spread across the ground, keeping my feet clean as I walked over, fishing a dry towel out from my storage pouch.

The clear globes of water were very beautiful, just that one was rippling madly as it gave off a cloud of steam, and another sported a thin layer of frost.

"When the hot water ball ran out, instead of disappearing slowly, it rushed out all at once, before the ice water could contend with it."

Aurelius waved his hand, his creation bursting a few trees away. He hadn't seen reached the level of erasing his own creations once they reached a certain scale, but his grasp of magic is as impressive already.

"Once you perfect it, we'll be the only adventurers who get daily showers," I said brightly.

"Anytime now," Aurelius promised, finally fixing the clothes he had haphazardly worn. "With your cooperation."