Arad entered the men’s bath with Alcott while Aella headed alone to the women’s section.
Inside the men’s bath, Arad couldn’t help but notice’s Alcott’s scared body. Burns and bruises spared no spot from his back down to his legs.
Alcott noticed Arad staring at him, and he smiled, “This one?” He pointed at a scar on his shoulder, “I got it from an angry werewolf. You can see the shape of his teeth here.”
Arad looked away, scratching his cheek, “I assume you managed to kill him?”
“No, I dragged him back to the church where they cured his curse. He bit me as I carried him.” Alcott replied with a straight face.
[Does this man know how dangerous werewolves are? He could have caught the curse.]
“Weren’t you afraid of getting cursed as well?” Arad asked, and Alcott laughed. .
“I was young at the time. I wanted to become a werewolf.” Alcott replied with a smile.
“Thankfully, you failed. It’s dangerous to be inexperienced.” Arad sighed, but Alcott approached him, “Let me tell you a secret. I did get cursed and became a werewolf for over a year before curing myself.”
Arad backed away, “Are you crazy?”
“No, I just got bored smelling like a wet dog the whole day.” Arad scratched his head, “So I aimed for vampirism next.”
[This man is crazy. We should leave.]
Arad found a stool to sit on, “I find it hard to believe you.”
Alcott looked him in the eyes, “Look here, at my neck.” He pointed toward two fang marks, “I did find a vampire, a hot woman at that. I did a quest to kill her.”
“So you killed her after turning you into a vampire?” Arad asked, finally getting interested in the tales of the old adventurer.
Alcott grinned, “No, we made a deal.” He started talking, “The quest was to kill a vampire, so I went there with the intent to kill the beast, but when I found she was a hot woman, I tried to capture her alive to turn me into a vampire.”
“And you won?”
“Yes, I beat her to a pulp, and we made a deal. I let her live in exchange for turning me into a vampire. But there was a twist. What do you think it was?”
[Vampires can enthrall the people they turn. I bet he spent a long while as her slave.]
“She enthralled you?”
“No, I turned into a vampire stronger than her. So she couldn’t control me. The twist is that she couldn’t run away. Everyone still hunted her.” Alcott smiled, puffing her chest, “We married so the church won’t see her as a threat. She lives in this city with me.”
[This demon can’t keep getting away with it.]
“Are you a vampire now?”
“No, I cured myself a few years ago. My wife is still a vampire, though.” Alcott laughed.
Arad’s head started hurting, “Are you a human now? How many monsters have you turned into?”
“You can say I’m a human now.” Alcott rested his arms on his waist, “I became a werewolf, vampire, zombie, werebear, weretiger, and even a frog at some time. I remember a magic item that turned me into a woman for a month. That was horrible to go through.”
Alcott stared at Arad. “Don’t activate any magic item before having a wizard apprise it first, or you might end with two nasty bulges on your chest.”
“You went through a lot. No wonder you’re an S-rank.” Arad sighed, getting ready to get out of the bath.
“You’re right. You can’t reach S-rank without having a Hiccup or two.” He scratched his head, “I’m a bit tame compared to other S-rank. They are crazy.”
“Like what?” Arad asked.
“A friend of mine kidnapped the princess of the neighboring kingdom. Just for him to return married to her two years later, he infiltrated the royal castle and kidnapped her sister three days before her wedding. When they tried to stop him, he took the queen and ran away for another year.” Alcott sighed.
“So he’s a criminal? Why are they letting him stay as an S-rank?” Arad asked.
“The king was a tyrant, forcing his daughters to marry different nobles to further his political power. But don’t worry about him. My friend killed him a few years ago and is the king now.” Alcott smiled, “He’s a good guy, I swear. His name is Javor, and he likes to fool around a lot.”
Arad got exhausted from listening to him, so he decided to leave. In the changing room, Arad found a batch of clothes waiting for him. They were a gift from Alcott’s mother.
They were a set of clean clothes. They were a bit big for him, but they looked nice.
After getting out, he found Aella waiting for him in the guest area, chatting with a red-haired woman. “Arad, what took you so long?” Aella stood, rushing at him.
“Alcott burned my ears with his stories. Who’s the one you’re talking with?” Arad asked. The woman looked young, barely surpassing her early twenties. For some reason, her red eyes gave him a strange feeling.
“Ah! She is madam Ginger, Alcott’s wife.” Aella smiled, and Arad froze in place.
^The vampire!^
[The vampire!]
They both screamed internally.
“Nice to meet you. You’re the new adventurer Alcott has been talking about?” Ginger asked with a smile that scared Arad.
^She is scary. To think a vampire is hiding between people.^
[You’re a dragon hiding between people.]
Arad froze in place, unable to find a reply. All he could think of was bringing her vampirism up.
[Say something about Aella and diverge the conversation.]
“I see you have met Aella,” Arad asked with a smile, looking toward Aella.
Ginger smiled, “Of course, she’s a sweet girl. Her face and ears flush red at the faintest compliment. I bet her blood is quite light.”
Arad shuddered, “I assure you, she tastes sour.”
Aella stared at him, “What do you mean?”
Ginger touched her cheek, “Ara, Aella didn’t mention you were in that kind of relationship.” She grinned, “But worry not, I won’t tell anyone.”
“What are you two talking about?” Aella got thrown out of the loop, unable to keep up with the two.
“AHHH!” It was then that Alcott exited the bath, stretching his arms. “That was a nice bath, especially since not many people are here today.”
Alcott’s mother glared at him from behind the counter, “Having fewer customers is a bad thing. Ask the carpenter to make us a new sign.” She yelled at him.
“I told you it’s not a sign’s problem. The water is just a bit too hot for most people. We have to find a way to cool it down a bit.” Alcott dried his hair with a towed that Ginger handed to him.
“Say, Arad, want to go on a quest with me to the cave system beneath the city?” Alcott asked with a wide smile.
“To do what?”
“I just said it. To find the spring’s source and try to cool it a bit. I’m going with Ginger, you can come with Aella if you want, and I will pay handsomely.” Alcott approached Arad.
“I will think about it,” Arad replied.