Chapter 30

Darius relaxed in one of the couches as he browsed through the Database, reminding himself about all of the information contained in the small infoblock. He had not gotten the chance to relax and contemplate like this since he had left his spawn point on day 1, so he was thankful for this opportunity.

Darius also confirmed some things he should and should not do while in certain places. For example, he certainly should not display his skills with the spear while in the homestead, although he planned to start showing it off in a town or city.

For mages to branch out into physical skills was rare and extremely peculiar. It was like a Ph.D. holder raising a pickaxe and going at it in a mine, or becoming an athlete.

It wasn't wrong or taboo per se, just extremely strange. However, it was definitely something that would garner him some strange nickname.

Darius was trying to smoothly assimilate with society, so he needed to build up a sensible identity from his very first point of encounter with society till he reached the higher echelons.

Otherwise, his unstable identity and origins would bite him in the ass later.

By the time he was reminiscing about his family on Earth, Portia knocked on his door gently and spoke from the other side.

"Master Darius, the bath is drawn and heated."

Darius rose to his feet and opened the door to see a changed Portia standing there. Instead of her questionable peasant girl's attire, she was now wearing a loose cotton shirt usually meant for boys with the sleeves rolled up, as well as black shorts that reached her mid-thigh.

Darius didn't look for too long and followed her to the bathing area. Portia did seem a bit downcast that he didn't comment on her new tomboyish look, but thought that she needed to try harder.

If Darius could have read her thoughts, he would groan with frustration. The Devil had tempted him to perform many evils in his past life and he had obeyed like the good child he was, but the Devil was truly greedy, wanting him to cross his own bottom line.

Or in this case, would it be more appropriate to say it was a Goddess?

Whatever the case, Darius entered the bathroom to find a small, tiled chamber with a good amount of ventilation inside. There was a medium-sized tub in the center of the room with steaming water already prepared for him.

Beside the tub were various soaps, sponges, and a small stool. There was also a clothes rack slightly distant to the tub, likely for him to hang his stuff. Rubbing his chin, Darius nodded.

"Thank you for the help Portia, this is quite spectacular. I shall take my bath now."

With that, Darius slowly began to remove his upper garments and hang them on the clothes rack. Just when he was about to pull his pants down, his senses tingled a warning.

He turned to see Portia still standing there with a flushed face, not really sure if she should leave or stay, also trying her hardest not to look but the burning curiosity of youth making this a failed task.

With a stiff smile, Darius reiterated. "Portia, thank you for your help with drawing the bath, but I would like to clean myself up now."

Portia nodded, still blushing and barely uttering. "That's why I'm here… Master Darius."

Darius paused for a second. He gazed at the teenage girl shyly peeking at him, the assortments of soaps and sponges, as well as the small stool by the side of the tub, and his mind clicked.

He groaned outwardly this time as he felt the onset of a headache. There was a great discrepancy between the way he viewed the world and the way these people did.

First of all, which sane father would allow his pubescent daughter to bath with some boy her age who literally had come from nowhere? Second of all, how could she willingly put up with this on their first meeting?

Was she simply stupid or uneducated? Did she not know about the matters between males and females yet? No, the way she behaved all shy and anxious showed that she definitely knew, yet she still chose to do this.

Darius was not sure whether to blame their culture, laws, or the Charisma stat of the Supreme System. In fact, Darius felt it was a combination of all three that had led to this pivotal moment in his life.

Unfortunately, a pivotal moment meant that he should feel conflicted about both choices, but there was no conflict to speak of here, Darius immediately made a decision and stuck with it.

"Please wait for me outside. I have some scars from my early childhood which I feel are unsightly and I do not wish others to see."

Even if he had to be rude or break her heart, he would not budge on this decision. Luckily, Portia was not blockheaded and bowed lightly before exiting the bathroom, her eyes brimming with tears.

It didn't matter whether male or female, being rejected sexually stung like hell. It did damage a person in more ways than one and required toughness to get over.

Darius made sure Portia had really left before stripping himself down and entering the tub. He sighed with pleasure once he felt the hot water soak into his pores, and his body shivered in ecstasy.

He had entered Faust for about 3 days, and since then he had only bathed once. As a person from the modern era who loved cleanliness, one could imagine Darius' frustration and disgust, but he was adaptable and mature.

He had been able to push his way through all the downs so far thanks to his various abilities, his quick mind, and foremost, the Supreme System. Darius settled in and reached out for the sponges and soaps, frowning when he realized that their make and utility were so far off from what he was used to.

Maybe the correct choice would have been to allow the young girl to bathe him? Still, Darius would rather struggle his way through than call her back.

Besides, he could use the peace of mind to sort himself out. He had gathered a lot of information from his journey here and from the mouth of Derrick. Now would be a great time to compile that information and draw up a proper game plan.

As such, Darius spent about an hour in the tub relaxing with his thoughts and washing himself before he got out and wiped himself down. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he opened the door of the bathroom to see Portia waiting for him there.