This golden bathhouse was actually made using the blood of Her Majesty the Empress?
After hearing this from Esdeath, Merraid was utterly stunned, completely caught off guard by such a revelation.
Furthermore, as Esdeath dropped this bombshell, another piece of intelligence suddenly surfaced in Merraid's mind.
Cerydra... Godslayer!
A so-called god had never appeared on this continent; even the Revolutionary Army thought Cerydra's title was just a joke.
But now, especially after hearing about the properties of the Golden Bathhouse, the doubt in the eyes of Merraid and the others largely vanished.
Healing wounds, cleansing impurities, enhancing one's physique... with so many miraculous effects, even an Imperial Arm might not be able to achieve such feats!
Coupled with Cerydra's overwhelmingly terrifying strength, it seemed the word "god" was the only logical explanation.
The group rode a disc-like elevator straight up, quickly arriving at the very top of the bathhouse.
Before they could even get a clear view of the upper level, a familiar and moving melody drifted down, instantly captivating everyone's attention...
"La la la~"
There were no actual lyrics, just a soft, low humming, yet it was enough to completely relax the minds and bodies of anyone who heard it, washing away all their accumulated fatigue.
"Is this... Hysilens singing?"
The girls, having been her captives once, naturally wouldn't forget the older sister who loved to sing, nor would they forget her enchanting voice.
However, compared to before, Hysilens's song seemed to carry a distinct sense of joy—and perhaps an irrepressible undercurrent of excitement?
What were they doing? Just what exactly was going on?
Taeko and Chelsea immediately imagined something wholly inappropriate for children, their small faces flushing red.
Merraid, however, who harbored an intense interest in beautiful girls, practically had stars in her eyes upon hearing the voice, lost in her own wild thoughts.
Esdeath shot her a sideways glance, seemingly displeased by Merraid's blatant stare, but she didn't comment on it.
The elevator soon carried them to the very top of the bathhouse. As the enchanting melody grew louder, the group grew increasingly tense, terrified of committing some act of disrespect.
However, when the scene at the summit came into view, everyone save for Esdeath—even the worldly and experienced elder, Barbara—froze in shock.
The area wasn't particularly large, but the gold of the water here was far more dazzling than the pools below. It was clearly a pool of much higher purity!
Sitting at the edge of the pool was a plainly dressed girl with white-blue hair, gently kicking her feet and splashing the water.
If it were just this scene, it could be chalked up to a young girl playing in the water—certainly not enough to render everyone speechless.
What was truly impossible to ignore was the "big fish" in the water!
Hysilens's upper half emerged from the bathwater, her head resting gently on the young girl's lap as she softly hummed her tune.
But her lower half wasn't a pair of human legs at all; it was a massive fish tail. Moving in tandem with the girl's feet, it gently tapped the water's surface, creating a crisp, splashing rhythm...
Though their movements were slight, each one sent distinct ripples cascading across the dazzling Golden Bathhouse.
The scene was beautiful to the absolute extreme, making one loath to disturb its perfection. However, since Cerydra had invited the Assassination Clan here, this tranquil picture was bound to end soon.
"Welcome, members of the Revolutionary Army. Please, step in and enjoy this rare leisure time!"
As Cerydra spoke, the golden pool seemed to come alive. Countless streams of water rose from the bath out of thin air, coiling around the four of them.
Like a giant hand delicately lifting a set of precious figurines, the water gently deposited the group into the bath...
It was a little hot, but incredibly comfortable.
If they had to describe it in a single phrase, it felt almost like returning to a mother's womb.
This unprecedented sensation left the four of them stunned. It suddenly made sense why the Chrysos Heirs downstairs were partying so enthusiastically... Anyone would be ecstatic to hold a banquet in an environment like this, right?
"What do you think of this place?"
Cerydra lowered her head, gazing tenderly at Hysilens resting on her lap, her small hand gently stroking the Siren's hair.
This unusually affectionate demeanor instantly brought to mind two people deeply in love. Barbara's eyes widened, and she cast a somewhat awkward glance at Merraid beside her.
As an elder, Barbara really didn't understand the trends of the youth. She had thought that girls who had preferences like Merraid's were a rarity, yet here she was, witnessing it again.
Merraid, meanwhile, was somewhat at a loss. Watching the "deeply affectionate" pair, the thought of joining them did indeed cross her mind. However, the moment that thought was born, it was instantly slaughtered by an icy glare.
Turning around, she met the gaze of the Dux Alptraum, Esdeath...
Esdeath, someone whose strength had once been on par with her own, had undergone such a terrifying metamorphosis in just a few short months that a mere look was enough to paralyze her with fear.
Just what kind of monster has she become?!
Merraid didn't dare say it out loud. Within that freezing stare, she felt as if she were staring into a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses, even experiencing the vivid illusion of being slaughtered countless times over...
As an Assassin, honing one's senses was only natural.
Merraid had always possessed exceptional instincts, but running into Esdeath like this was a sheer stroke of terrible luck.
"Dux Alptraum, enough playing around. Come here."
Cerydra, who had been waiting for an answer, noticed Esdeath's little intimidation tactic. She immediately waved her over to stop her from harassing the Revolutionary Army guests.
"By your command!"
With just a single sentence from Cerydra, the frost on Esdeath's face completely melted away. She immediately leaped gracefully into the Golden Bathhouse, leaving Merraid and the others absolutely dumbfounded.
Cerydra... actually possessed such terrifying command over her subordinates?
Just how did she do it?
Before they could even process this, the golden pool waters churned violently, reacting to a sudden transformation in Esdeath's body.
The moment the blue-haired girl's legs submerged, they completely vanished without a trace, replaced by a fish tail nearly identical to Hysilens's.
The blue "fish" swam a quick lap around the pool before arriving at Cerydra's feet. Mimicking Hysilens, she gently rested her head on Cerydra's other thigh.
Cerydra, Hysilens, Esdeath.
The three of them snuggled together just like that, but...
While it was undeniably an incredibly harmonious scene, to Merraid and the other three watching from the opposite corner, it looked somewhat bizarre.
It was as if... a certain someone had suddenly grown two giant, long legs?