Boom—!
Thunder roared, and the sound jolted Mino awake.
"Ugh…" She rubbed her eyes groggily, startled by the rumbling outside. A flash of blinding light flickered past the window, followed by another deep boom rolling across the sky.
"Thunder?" Mino blinked in surprise and quickly got up.
She tiptoed to the window and peered outside.
It was already dawn.
The morning sky, once bright, was now swallowed by heavy clouds that churned and rolled endlessly, making her feel tiny and insignificant before the vast, majestic power of nature.
"The night has passed," Mino whispered with a small smile. She turned lightly, her gaze landing on the painting hanging on the wall.
Her expression softened. "Every time I look at it, it feels unreal…"
She had spent all night staring at it, unable to understand how such a painting could have been made.
"It's shameful," she muttered, covering her face as yesterday's memory of her own clumsy attempt at painting resurfaced. The thought made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Another clap of thunder brought her back to reality. With one last reluctant glance at the painting, she pushed the door open and stepped into the hall.
The firewood in the hearth was already burning.
"Where is everyone?" she wondered aloud. Glancing around and finding no one, she stepped into the yard—where she saw Luciel busily working.
"Luciel, what are you doing?" she asked curiously.
"Preparing to collect rainwater," he replied while directing the Rock Tortoise to reshape the yard. He was slanting the ground so that rainwater would run toward a large tub he had already placed in a lower corner.
"Then what should I do?" Mino rolled up her sleeves eagerly.
"Go make breakfast first," Luciel instructed after thinking for a moment. "And prepare a little extra charcoal—we'll need it later."
"Okay," she nodded obediently.
"I only thought about rain last night," Luciel murmured, glancing up at the thick, swirling thunderclouds, "and today it came."
At dawn, he had already received word through the tri-colored lizard—Bloodbeard's group had set out.
"At this pace, we'll likely cross paths around noon," he calculated.
All the more reason to store as much water as possible.
Luciel dragged sturdier logs from the yard and began sawing them into planks for more tubs. With careful work, smoothing edges on stone and sealing gaps with spider silk, he made three large watertight bathtubs in just over an hour. He only paused briefly for breakfast before continuing.
By noon, thunder still rumbled—and then, at last, the skies broke open.
Rain poured down in sheets, hammering the earth so hard that each drop stung against the skin.
The Rock Tortoise withdrew into its shell, huddling beside a hill, unwilling to move in the storm.
"Luciel, what should we do now?" Mino stood at the doorway, her eyes fixed longingly on the downpour. She was itching to run out and wash herself. After all, Luciel had teased her more than once about the sour smell on her body.
"You plan on bathing fully dressed?" Luciel glanced at her suspiciously. With rain like this, there was certainly enough water to clean.
"Well, of course—how else?" she asked innocently.
"Go to the bathroom. I'll remove the roof," he said, noticing her filthy clothes. Washing them outside in this torrent wouldn't clean them properly.
Mino's cheeks flushed at the way he looked at her. "Okay…"
With his ability, Luciel split the bathroom roof apart, letting the rain cascade in. "Go on, but don't take too long."
"Alright," she answered softly, face still red, before slipping inside.
Luciel ran a hand through his wet hair, sighing. "Who knew even taking a shower could be so troublesome…"
Glancing around, he finally pulled off his own shirt and stepped into the rain curtain.
Ten minutes later, dripping wet, he returned with freshly washed clothes clinging to him. He lit the firepit and put broth to boil.
"Not having spare clothes is inconvenient," he muttered, ruffling his damp hair.
Then he remembered the five rolls of cloth he'd found earlier. Drawing his saber, he cut a three-meter piece, folded it in half, and sliced a hole in the center for the head. Without needle and thread, he stitched the sides with spider silk, leaving openings for the arms—fashioning a simple sleeveless robe.
"Hisss—!" Mino shivered from the cold as she finally emerged, hugging herself and sucking in chilly breaths. She had stayed under the rainwater for more than half an hour.
When she entered the hall, she froze at the sight of the strange robe in Luciel's hands.
"Here, change into this," he said, handing it to her.
She blinked. "How do you even wear this?"
"Head through the middle, arms through the sides," he explained briefly before ushering her into the room.
Catching a cold now would be dangerous—there were no medicines left in this wasteland.
"I'll make another one for myself later," Luciel sighed. He wasn't cold, but the clammy clothes stuck uncomfortably to his skin.
Soon, Mino stepped back out, now dressed in the robe. She tugged at the loose fabric shyly. "Luciel… this outfit feels strange."
Luciel looked up—and for a moment, he was speechless.
Cleaned of dirt, her skin was pale and smooth, her delicate face framed by long aqua-blue hair. Her big sapphire eyes glimmered beneath a pair of soft blue rabbit ears that gave her an ethereal charm.
He hadn't expected that, after washing up, the timid, scruffy girl would reveal such striking beauty.
"Sit down and drink some hot soup to warm yourself," Luciel said finally. The last thing he wanted was for her to catch a cold.
"That's the most troublesome way to start," he muttered under his breath.
"Come drink too," Mino said, cheeks still pink as she poured two bowls.
"You first. I'll finish this robe," Luciel replied with a small wave of his hand.