I'm sure there was furniture out there just as tall, so maybe it wasn't actually that huge, but for a mere wash-tub, it had a strangely imposing presence.
As the horse-drawn carriage pulled up and I took delivery of the item, I realized it really was massive. It was a good two meters across. The craftsman had followed my orders perfectly, making it just a bit wider than a person is tall.
"Here is the item you ordered, sir."
"The wood is thick. It looks sturdy."
The planks were incredibly thick, and the base seemed to have a substantial amount of weight to it as well.
"It has to be this thick, or it would fall apart immediately under the pressure," the deliveryman said before heading off.
If it needed to be this sturdy just to keep from breaking, I wondered exactly how much water it would hold. I decided to do the math.
One liter is a thousand cubic centimeters. A ten-by-ten-by-ten centimeter cube is one liter. A hundred-by-ten-by-one centimeter volume is also one liter. Since one meter is a hundred centimeters, a volume of one meter by ten centimeters by one centimeter is one liter. Therefore, a container with a surface area of one square meter and a depth of one centimeter holds ten liters.
Wait. That was a lot more than I thought.
The area of a circle is radius squared times pi. With a diameter of two meters, the radius was one meter, giving it an area of 3.14 square meters. If the depth was fifty centimeters, then 3.14 square meters times fifty centimeters times ten liters per centimeter of depth came out to... one thousand five hundred and seventy liters?
I needed to stay calm. I took a breath and checked my work. There were no mistakes. I calculated it again, but the result was the same.
This tub could hold one thousand five hundred and seventy liters of water. Since one liter of water weighs one kilogram, that was one thousand five hundred and seventy kilograms. In other words, 1.57 tons.
That was a staggering amount of water. I never expected to deal with measurements like "tons" in my everyday life. No wonder the wood had to be so thick. Given the sheer scale of it, getting enough hot water to fill it was going to be an ordeal.
"F-For now, let’s get it inside."
"Yes, Master."
Roxanne and I worked together to move the tub into the house. Honestly, at this size, calling it a bathtub felt more appropriate than a wash-tub. It was quite heavy, but since we could roll it on its side, we managed to move it without overexerting ourselves. With the two of us pushing, it wasn't a problem, and it just barely cleared the front door.
We moved it into the room next to the kitchen where the drain was located. This would serve perfectly as a bathroom. After getting it into the room, Roxanne and I carefully and slowly laid it flat. The room was about the size of an eight-tatami mat room, so there was still a decent amount of space even with the tub inside.
"As expected of a mansion," I noted.
"Um, what exactly is this for?"
"Listen and be amazed. I’m going to use this as a bathtub."
I made the declaration to Roxanne. Getting into it would be paradise, but producing the water was going to be hell. To fill this thing, I’d have to use Water Magic a ridiculous number of times. And the water didn't just need to be created; it had to be heated. My head was already starting to ache.
"A bathtub... is that something used for bathing?"
"That’s right. We're going to take a proper bath. I want to start the preparations right away."
"I understand."
I had no idea how long this would take, so I figured it was best to get an early start.
First, I gave the tub a light rinse to clean it. Then, I placed a water jar on the rim and used Water Wall to fill the jar. Some water splashed over the sides, but since it landed in the tub anyway, it wasn't an issue. Next, I fired a Fireball into the water jar to heat it up.
Unlike the ceramic jar, the tub was made of wood, so I figured I shouldn't shoot Fireballs directly into the bathtub itself. It would be a disaster if the wood caught fire. I considered submerging a small jar or a heavy stone in the tub and aiming at that once it started filling up, but I decided to wait until there was more water.
Once the jar was hot, I emptied it into the tub and started the process over. I found that for a full jar of water, one Fireball made it lukewarm, while two turned it into boiling water. Factoring in the time it would take to fill the whole thing, I assumed the water would cool down, so I hit every jar with two shots before pouring it in. I could always adjust the final temperature by diluting it with cold water at the end.
As I filled the tub and drained my MP, I warped back to the Labyrinth to recharge. It was grueling work. To make matters worse, warping all the way to the Vale Labyrinth was inefficient because the round trip consumed MP itself. The Quratar Labyrinth was so crowded that it would take even longer to find a quiet spot.
I thought about using the map to climb to a less populated floor in Quratar, but I decided against it. It might be dangerous. Then I thought about looking for another Labyrinth near the city, but that seemed like too much effort as well. If I just kept doing this, eventually my level would rise, my MP would increase, and I wouldn't need to recover as often. I just had to endure it for now.
It was also a massive pain to put all my equipment back on every time I entered the Labyrinth, especially since I was just killing one monster with a single hit from Durandal.
"At this rate, we'll only be able to do this once a week," I grumbled.
"A 'week'?"
"...Once or twice every ten days."
The complaint had slipped out during my second trip to the Labyrinth. The concept of a week didn't exist in this world. From Roxanne’s perspective, I must have looked like a total eccentric who occasionally spouted nonsense.
Eventually, the temperature in the room rose until it became unbearable. It was like a sauna. I made Roxanne wait outside while I handled the work inside. I was drenched in sweat within minutes.
"Here you are."
When I stepped out, Roxanne handed me a towel. I was incredibly grateful. I wiped myself down and went back for another round in the Labyrinth. Was I really going through all this just because I wanted to take a bath with Roxanne? I was a total deviant.
In the end, I filled the bath out of pure spite. I was desperate. Create, heat, fill. I did it over and over again. It must have taken more than two hours from when I started. Finally, I prepared one last jar of boiling water as a reserve and called it a day.
"I think that'll do for now," I said, stepping out of the bathroom.
The tub was about ninety percent full, and the room was thick with white steam.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"We still have some time. Let's go to the Labyrinth one last time, have dinner, and then we’ll take a bath together."
I took the towel from Roxanne and wiped the sweat from my brow. I tested the water with my hand and found it quite hot; it should stay warm for at least a few hours.
"Um... is it really alright for me to join you?"
"Of course. That was the whole plan."
I wondered if Roxanne disliked bathing. Even if she did, I was determined to get her in there. I wanted her in that tub no matter what. I was prepared to make it an official order if I had to.
"Only royalty and the high nobility take baths. Besides, you told me to wait outside earlier..."
"I had you wait outside because it was hot and stifling in there. There was no reason for both of us to be miserable and sweaty."
"Was that the reason? I thought perhaps it was something special you had to do alone, Master."
So that’s what she was thinking. I patted her dog ears as I handed back the towel.
"Well, it is special. It’s special because I’m getting in with you, Roxanne."
"Oh... U-Um..."
"You'll get in with me, right?"
"Y-Yes! Thank you very much."
That was a relief. If she had turned me down at the very end, I wouldn't have known what to do with all that wasted effort.
After we finished all our chores for the day, we finally entered the bathroom. The water was still a bit too hot, so I used Water Wall directly over the tub to dilute it. Adjusting the temperature was another struggle; magic wasn't great for fine-tuning things. I stuck my right hand in and stirred it around. This seemed about right.
I’d figured out the timing now. Next time, I could probably get away with just one Fireball per jar for about half of the water. That would make things a little easier. Just a little. I hoped it would get even easier as my level rose.
I had several lemons floating in the water. I wasn't entirely sure if they were identical to the lemons from my world, but the system translated the name as "lemon," so that was good enough for me. I didn't know which local plants would work for an iris bath, and I didn't want to risk the water smelling like raw weeds. For a citrus bath, I figured any kind of local fruit would work. Lemons had a nice scent, and since they were edible, they shouldn't have anything toxic in them.
Roxanne set a lantern into a wall niche. We poured some water over ourselves to rinse off, and after I finished rinsing Roxanne's body as well, we both stepped into the tub.
It felt incredible. The warm water enveloped my entire body, and I stretched out my limbs. Since the tub was so large, it felt just like being at an open-air hot spring. It wasn't made of cypress, so it lacked that rich woody aroma, but it was still magnificent. I folded a towel on the edge of the tub, rested my head on it, and lay back.
Roxanne lay down beside me. I reached out and pulled her close. It felt wonderful. Her slender, graceful body pressed against mine, and the buoyancy of the water made her feel light in my arms. I tangled my legs with hers and held onto her. In the water, Roxanne’s skin felt incredibly smooth—damp, yet velvety.
"Mmm. This is the best."
"Yes. It feels very nice."
I had a feeling we were talking about slightly different things, but Roxanne seemed happy, so I didn't mind.
Something soft and rhythmic brushed against my knees. It felt strangely pleasant. I reached down to see what it was. It was her tail.
Roxanne’s tail was swaying through the water like a long strand of seaweed. When I scooped it up, it felt like being brushed by a fine, soft paintbrush. Under the water, it caressed my arm with a lightness and delicacy that was almost hypnotic. It was an unexpected discovery.
"Your tail feels amazing in the water, Roxanne."
"Does it? Thank you."
I reached out and moved her tail back and forth. It rippled through the water gently, feeling like a passing breeze against my skin. Roxanne's tail was made for the bath.
Sharing a bath with her was even better than I had imagined. It was too much work to do every day, but I wanted to do this at least once every ten days—no, once a week. Maybe once every five days. I'd even be happy with once every three.
I shifted my position and submerged my head completely. The warm water soaked into every single strand of hair. I scrubbed my scalp, rinsing away all the dirt and grime from the Labyrinth before surfacing again.
"That feels great. You should try it, Roxanne."
"Okay."
Roxanne dipped her head under the water. I reached out and ran my fingers through her hair while it was submerged, even giving her dog ears a gentle wash. Her hair didn't have that same brushing sensation as her tail, but it felt sleek and heavy as it tangled around my fingers.
Roxanne stayed under for a good minute. Eventually, she sat up and shook the water from her hair. I'll keep it to myself that I was staring intently at her massive peaks as they jiggled violently when she surfaced.
Baths really are great. They're the absolute best.