The Hot Springs

After leaving the mirror with Iden, the Dark Lord led the way to the hot springs. At first, it seemed like they would be leaving the West Wing; however, he stopped in the middle of the hallway and opened a door to his right. They were now in between the West and North Wing, and Aurora figured the hot springs were located in the North Wing.

However, she was surprised to see that the room they were entering was not the hot springs. In fact, it was too small and cramped for that, and the only source of light was from small crystal lamps on the walls. In the center of the room, a star surrounded by a circle was drawn, and although it was basic, Aurora quickly understood its significance.

"A teleportation circle?" She asked out loud as Dark nodded in confirmation.

"It will be faster than taking the stairs. The hot springs are underground,"

"I thought only the dungeons would be underground. How big is this castle?" Aurora inquired in stupefaction while the Dark Lord scoffed.

"It is only natural that it would be big! It is the Dark Lord's castle, after all! Most of the castle's structures are underground. There are currently 70 floors, and I plan on making even more! The dungeons are on the very bottom" He announced as the witch widened her eyes.

70 floors? This was insane! What could possibly be on all those floors? Aurora couldn't help but wonder if some of them were used for experimentation. Maybe for breeding war mounts or even sapient hybrids, although she knew that would involve unwilling subjects. She couldn't help but be curious about what a half-elf half-orc would look like, assuming such a breeding was successful. Her mother had never taught her about the castle's layout, so this was all new information for Aurora.

"I hope we won't visit all the floors now because I'm not sure I will have the patience for it after the last day," Aurora sighed while rubbing the back of her neck.

"I wasn't planning on it. I'll mostly show you the upper ground of the castle. The hot springs are an exception. I'll let Iden explain the rest of the floors to you. If you are going to be one of my generals, you need to know your way around the castle," The Dark Lord explained before stepping forward to approach the circle on the ground. "Since you haven't been authorized yet, I'll have to use my own magic to activate that teleportation circle," He said as he pointed at it with a finger, then dark magic escaped from it.

As the Dark Lord's magic made contact with the circle, it immediately triggered the intricate lines etched into the ground, causing them to glow with a bright, pulsing light. Aurora watched in fascination, never before having witnessed a teleportation circle being activated in such a way. Most circles were designed to activate upon contact, often serving as traps to ensnare unsuspecting intruders. However, the ability to deactivate the circle at will was a unique and useful feature, particularly if the circle was intended for the exclusive use of specific individuals.

Aurora wondered if this was a new method of activating a teleportation circle, or if it was something exclusive to the Dark Lord's power. The possibility of such a feature intrigued her, considering the potential for secret and secure transport throughout the castle. She wondered if the circle could be further modified to allow for the transportation of objects and materials, rather than just living beings.

From what the Dark Lord said, it could also be inferred that only the people recognized by the circle would be able to trigger it. She didn't want to imagine what would happen to someone that wasn't authorized to use it and tried to trigger it since the Dark Lord wasn't the type to be merciful. Nevertheless, her curiosity got the better of her.

"What would happen if I tried to trigger it myself?" She couldn't help but ask as Dark looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"Oh, you would be vaporized," He replied in a straightforward way as Aurora nodded, only a bit surprised. She was expecting worse. "Now follow me. I've set the teleportation spell to transport us to the hot springs," Dark explained before walking into the circle and instantly disappearing in a flash of light.

The witch followed suit. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. One second she was stepping in the range of the teleportation, then she found herself behind the Dark Lord again. She quickly stepped out of the circle to avoid getting teleported back to where she was and looked around.

The room was dimly lit, with only a few flickering magic lamps on the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced around them. The sound of dripping water echoed through the room, as small streams of hot water trickled down from the ceiling and pooled into the ground.

As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, the Dark Lord and Aurora could see the various pools of water that were scattered around the room. The men's baths were on the left, and the women's on the right, with a separate area for mixed bathing in the center. The pools were not in good condition, with cracked tiles, chipped stones, and a thick layer of algae and moss covering the walls and floors. While they were currently in the mixed baths, Dark already figured the other two were in a similar state and would need repairs as well.

Despite the state of the hot springs, the Dark Lord could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia as he gazed upon the place. He remembered the grandeur of the baths, the decor's elegance, and the experience's luxuriousness. But now, it was all but a distant memory, buried deep beneath the castle above, forgotten by time. It was true that he didn't see those thousand years pass since he was nearly wiped out. However, it was like the feeling of having lived a millennium in nothingness was embedded in his soul now.

Time may have forgotten it, but he certainly didn't. While Jenna didn't like his peeping, she and the other consorts certainly had a lot of fun with him down there.

The water in the hot springs was coming out of two statues depicting the head of a griffon. It wasn't like a stream was pouring down, though, but drops instead. Something was probably clogging the pipes, or the magic used to make it function wasn't working anymore. The walls probably looked beautiful in the past, too. They were made of quartz, which was now fissured, and had the Dark Lord's sigil on them.

Aurora approached one of the pools to inspect the water and immediately gagged at the sight. The water was murky with a bit of mud at the top. Frogs and snakes could be seen swimming in it while a rat's body was floating on the edge.

"I know they were wonderful in the past, but I would advise against trying them out now," The Dark Lord said, bringing her out of her thoughts as she threw him a look and huffed.

"Right, because I was just dying to get into that…" She muttered loud enough for him to hear while stepping back.

"Well, you didn't look that excited, but as I said, I would advise against it. Unless you don't mind the filth, which wouldn't turn me off that much…" He retorted, totally missing her ironic tone.

"That was sarcasm," She responded as the Dark Lord raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"I do not know what sarcasm is, but I hope you will speak clearer when we start our operation to conquer the world like I was meant to," He crossed his arms as Aurora didn't bother explaining what sarcasm was.

"To make it simple, I didn't actually want to get into one of these pools. But I have to say that I wouldn't mind someone repairing these hot springs. I've never been to one of them before, and it looks like it would be pretty good," The witch stated as she cracked her neck. "And I've been stiff for months! I really need something relaxing,"

"Well… I know something that would both relax you and relieve any stress, but I suppose you do not want that yet…" Dark suggested as Aurora rolled her eyes again, knowing perfectly what he was referring to. "I will tell Iden that the hot springs take priority for repairs after the castle's upper ground side. Now, since there's nothing more to see here, shall we continue this visit?"

Aurora was grateful that he considered her feelings to the point that he would ask the shapeshifter to give priority to this place. He wasn't lying when he said he rewarded his loyal subjects, so maybe working under him wouldn't be so bad after all. Moreover, she did kill her brother thanks to him.