Night had fallen by the time William finished eating all the birth skin.
His mind buzzed with new information. Languages he'd never heard before now made perfect sense. The history of Demon Kings stretched back thousands of years in his memory. Magic circuits. Power structures. Different monster races.
And one thing became very clear: the fox tribe was at the bottom of the hierarchy.
"Your Majesty must be tired," Arisu said softly, stroking his hair. "We should clean you up before sleep."
"I'll prepare the bath!" Alice hurried toward a wooden door at the corner of the room.
Bath? William's eyes followed her. Wait, they're going to bathe me?
His new body was small like a 'shota', but his mind was still that of a grown man. The thought of these two beautiful fox girls bathing him made his face heat up.
"Come, Your Majesty." Arisu lifted him gently and followed Alice.
The building was simple. Wooden walls. Thatched roof. Nothing fancy. They walked down a narrow hallway lit by oil lamps. The floor creaked under their feet.
This wasn't a palace. More like a large tribal longhouse.
They entered a cave opening at the back of the longhouse. Steam billowed out from within. The temperature rose immediately as they went deeper.
Natural hot spring. The cave walls were rough stone, slick with moisture. Water dripped from somewhere above. The air smelled faintly of sulfur.
They emerged into a larger cavern. A pool of crystal-clear water bubbled gently, heated by geothermal activity from deep underground. Smooth rocks surrounded the edges. Crude oil lamps provided dim lighting.
Very Japanese onsen style, William realized. A natural hot spring bath.
Alice was already kneeling by the pool's edge, testing the water with her hand. "It's perfect today!"
Arisu carefully set William down on the smooth stone floor. Then both girls began removing their simple robes.
Unlike the ceremonial clothes from before, these were plain. Rough fabric. Handmade. They wore nothing underneath.
William's brain short-circuited. "Wait, wait, wait!"
"Your Majesty is making sounds," Arisu smiled, her fox ears twitching. Her body was completely exposed now. Curves in all the right places despite her obviously meager diet.
Alice was the same. She knelt beside William and started unwrapping the cloth around him. "Let's get you clean, Your Majesty."
This is bad. This is really bad. William tried to cover himself, but his small arms wouldn't cooperate.
"Ara? Is Your Majesty embarrassed?" Alice's tail swished playfully.
"So cute," Arisu added with a gentle laugh.
They lifted him together. Alice stepped into the natural pool first, carefully finding her footing on the smooth rocks below. She sat down in the hot water with a satisfied sigh. Then Arisu carefully handed William to her.
The water was hot. Really hot. Steam rose around them. But somehow his new body handled it fine.
Alice positioned William on her lap, his back against her soft chest. "See? The spring's warmth is perfect."
Arisu stepped in next, sitting across from them on a submerged rock. She cupped water in her hands and began pouring it over William's head.
"We need to wash off the birth fluids properly," Arisu explained, working her fingers through his hair.
Alice gently cleaned his body with a rough cloth. "The Tribe Elder said we have to take good care of Your Majesty. You're our tribe's only hope."
"That's right," Arisu's voice grew more serious. "The fox tribe is the weakest among all monster races. We're always pushed around by stronger tribes. But now that Your Majesty has been born..."
"We finally have a Demon King as our protector!" Alice finished excitedly, hugging William from behind.
'Soft. Too soft.' William's face turned red.
"We've been waiting for this day our whole lives," Arisu continued, her amber eyes gleaming in the lamplight. "The prophecy from our tribe said a Demon King would be born from our tribe. Someone who would change everything in this warlords' era."
Alice nuzzled against William's head. "We'll protect you, Your Majesty. No matter what."
The warmth of the water, their gentle touches, and the exhaustion from being born finally caught up to him. William's eyelids grew heavy.
"I think His Majesty is sleepy," Arisu whispered.
"Let's finish quickly then." Alice's voice was soft.
They washed him efficiently after that. Then Arisu lifted him from the spring and wrapped him in a worn but clean cloth. It wasn't soft silk, just rough cotton, but it was warm.
Alice dried herself quickly and put on a simple sleeping robe. "I'll prepare His Majesty's bed."
"I'll be right there," Arisu said, still drying William carefully.
They brought him to a small room. A futon lay on the floor, covered with animal furs for warmth.
Arisu laid William down gently and covered him with the furs.
"Sleep well, Your Majesty," she whispered, stroking his cheek.
Alice knelt on the other side. "We'll be right here if you need anything."
Both girls lay down on either side of the futon, like guards. Their tails curled around themselves as they settled in.
'What an exhausting day, I have just been reborn into another world, but it is filled with so much foreign information that I cannot understand or comprehend.'
William wanted to say something. To thank them. To ask questions. But exhaustion took over before he could do anything.