Along with all the other conveniences he had, there was also his bathhouse nearby... but it was so small that I didn't understand how he could fit in it.

It was a small, wooden structure with a large, round tub in the center. The walls were lined with shelves holding various bath products and towels, and a simple curtain served as a door.

As I approached the huge wooden basin of water, I noticed him using magic again to heat the water. That would have been my first object of interest if I hadn't had so many other questions to pester the dragonman with.'

“We're not killing anyone, relax,” he kept telling me, ”I'm telling you it's contraband.”

“Wait... So I'm not the first person to be in your territory???”

“No, but the first one who recklessly dared to go more than a hundred steps... if you're worried about being a pioneer .”

I hadn't said this before, but Grynoth had this ominous aura around him, not only because of how scary he could be when he was angry. The thing that made me worried even more was how accurately he could read thoughts.

‘He doesn't have telepathy, does he? Not that I mind but...I'd like to have at least some privacy...’

“Like neighbors peeking over each other's fences for interest, we've been doing it for a while. And as one thing leads to another, over time we have formed our illegal trade with humans. But like I said, the currencies are different, so we have to barter like the old days.”

Suddenly I remembered something.

“Have you ever seen a berry-like, um, a strawberry, only it's all blue and glowing?

“It's called a “crystalline”. It usually grows deep in the caves of Lum... uh, I'll show you on the map later. I suppose you've already seen one of your countrymen selling it, haven't you?”

“Holy Goddess…”

I wondered what that thing was since the first time I had seen it. Noctua is the foremost center of innovation and news in the world. I wondered what this thing was and where it came from, as it didn't grow in any region I knew of...which means the entire human continent.

“My whole life has been a lie...”

Grynoth laughed.

“Well, then it's about for you to finally get enlightened”.

As he spoke, the swirling in the cauldron stopped, and then he took out a still-glowing hand.

“All right, it's ready. Make sure you get a good bath.”

“By your command, general.”

“I'm going to get your stuff. Don't go anywhere until I get back.”

I wasn't going anywhere, because sitting in hot water was my favorite thing ever. I never liked to admit it, because I always thought it was a sign of laziness and sybaritism, but unfortunately, I couldn't order my senses not to feel pleasure when a warm shroud enveloped me.

Having washed all of my important places, I wiped myself with a piece of cloth that served as a towel and sat down on a bench.

While I waited for my scaly guardian angel, I thought about what else I had encountered so far that, as it turned out, originated from the dragon realm. Additionally, I couldn’t help but wonder which one of the human nations or organizations knew or even participated in a forbidden trade and how they managed not to get caught by the government.

‘I suppose I would have to ask Gry about that.’

Speaking of whom.

“Can I come in?” I heard a knock on the door.

“Yeah, sure!”

Grynoth opened the door and looked inside.

"Why are you wrapped up like an onion? Is it still cold?”

“No, but... I thought you might be embarrassed to see me naked.”

In actuality, I was embarrassed to show myself like this to other people. I only visited the bathhouses when there was no one around.

“Then you need not worry,” he reassured me, ”Somehow, I really doubt there's much to see anyway.”

“Wha? Heeeey, what do you mean by that?”

Not to get ahead of myself, but Grynoth most certainly had a way with words. At that moment it came to me that he was speaking a human international language, Nocturato, all along.The fact that he managed to learn it to such a high level became all the more mystifying.

‘Oh, well, I will find a comeback next time.’

“Now then, is that yours?” he asked, and at that, he showed me the bag that I had thrown away yesterday... safe and sound.

“Is that!?…” - I exclaimed and, completely forgetting about my shyness, in a flash teleported near him to inspect my bag. Even Gry recoiled..

“Hey, careful! Almost hit me. I'm hard as a rock, you know”.

Ignoring his complaints, I grabbed the bag and started examining it inside and out. He sighed, but before he could complain about how ungrateful we were, I interrupted him with a hug.

“Oh, thank you, Granite!”

As I pressed myself against the scaly giant I felt a little confusion on his part for a while, but then he reciprocated.

“You are coming up with… the most weird nicknames I’ve heard. In any case, do you have anything to change into?” he asked, unbuckling me.

“Yes, of course!’

“Good, then don't drag it out. I'll wait for you at home.”

***

After getting properly dressed, I triumphantly walked back to show my savior the new me.

“Now, that’s better. You look like an actual human being now,” Grynoth said, nodding approvingly.

“Wait, what did I look like before?”

“Beats me,” he shrugged, sarcastically ”Some homeless street urchin probably.”

‘What's wrong with this man...?’

I couldn't understand why he had to spoil our interaction  with something rude every time.

“Well, now that this phase is over, it's time to move on to the next one,” he announced, —. “Since you want to become my… housemate, you will have to take care of my house: cooking, laundry and cleaning up after yourself.”

Keeping things in order seemed like a ridiculously cheap price to pay for what he'd already done for me, but something was bothering me.

“Since you have shower gel, I assume you also have other basic tools of civilization, right?”

I wasn't naive enough to believe that he also had a dishwasher, but at least a mop, a rag, and some cleaning supplies would be nice.

”We usually keep things clean with magic, as we do not have access to a lot of the modern tools you have. Until you master it, I'll try to assign tasks you can do, if possible buying everything you need from your people.”

“Wait… until I master it? Just like that?”

As I heard the words, a rush of adrenaline coursed through my veins. My heart pounded with excitement and anticipation, but my mind was unable to fully grasp the meaning behind the simple phrase. I felt both energized and bewildered at the same time.A thousand questions popped into my head at once.

“We'll talk about the details a little later,” Grynoth reassured me, ”but in the meantime, I'd like you to help me organize your new room.”

“Of course”.

I had forgotten that in this spacious hut, Grynoth had a couple more doors. Apparently behind one of them was another living room.

***

Well... I guess calling it a living room was a bit of a stretch. It was more like a dusty closet with an old bed and some furniture. But hey, I've slept in worse places.

“It could use some vacuum cleaning,” I said.

“Vacuum what?”

“Well, it's a device in our realm that allows you to get rid of dust quickly.”

“Well, luckily, I have something else. Can you open the window?”

Taking my mask out of the bag, I put it on myself and opened the window.

“What's that thing on your face?” He asked me right away.

“Oh, this? It's called a mask,” I said, feeling my voice becoming a little muffed, “We wear it so we don't get infected during epidemics, also it protects us from dust.”

“Plagues are understandable, but dust?… Are you, humans, so frail you can be struck down by a speck of dust?” He asked, and I realized that the hardest test I'd have to endure would be to keep myself from butting heads with him again.

“Well, *unfortunately*, the Great Goddess didn't send us scales, muscles, or cool magical abilities, so just take me or leave as I am,” I sighed heavily.

“I guess I'll have to be more… *thorough* with your training then.”

At this point, I was beginning to doubt my decision to stay with him, but thank the Goddess my built-in adventurer's resolve always comes to my aid in times of fear and doubt, so I sucked it up and told myself I was ready to endure anything.

After I opened the window, Grynoth whispered some abra-cadabra again, put out his hand, and in the next moment I was almost blown away by a real hurricane.

“Woah, that’s so cool! I want to do that, too!” I said, my hair rustling with the flow of wind. Yeah, this cleaning method is yet to be invented in our realm.

“Well, watch and learn, human!”

After a few minutes of raging, the storm subsided.

“Behold,” he said kindly, and I was surprised at how much this room immediately looked better.

I whistled and was about to venture forth when I noticed a detail about Grynoth I didn't know before: Back when he used magic earlier, this bracelet I once saw in the morning on him wasn't there. And now, I noticed him putting it back on again.

"Um... Grynoth, if you don't mind me asking, why do you need this thing on your wrist?"

"Oh, this? A magic blocker. Once you become proficient enough with magic, you will be able to forgo incantations entirely, and while it is convenient, sometimes it may lead to unintended consequences. So I wear this to block the flow of mana within me so I can’t accidentally ruin the day for myself or people around me."

"Oh... wait, I thought yesterday, you said you weren't that proficient with magic..." I said, scratching the back of my head.

For a moment I saw Grynoth’s surprised face, and, afraid, I touched the subject I wasn’t supposed to.

Nevertheless, he quickly recovered and answered:

“I admire your perceptiveness, that is a good trait to have. With your permission, however, I would like to not disclose that for now. There are a great deal of things you do not yet know, at even more you aren’t supposed to.”

“Oh, ok, no problem. Confidential information and all.”

After that, he left and returned holding a prehistoric broom.

“Can you sweep?”

“Pfft... of course!”