Afterwards, Lisbeth blushed and went into her room. I had originally planned to go buy blankets together based on her reaction, but it seemed I'd have to do it alone.
Speaking of which, Lisbeth's reaction to my suggestion pleased me greatly.
Remembering how she trembled with anger and cursed when I suggested sexual enhancement when I possessed the puppet? The change now was enormous, wasn't it?
I was almost 99% certain she'd accept the suggestion.
But there's always an exception. To guard against possible rejection, I devised various contingency plans while heading out to buy blankets.
I went to a bedding shop near the store where I bought casual clothes, bought pillows, fabric to use as sheets, and several blankets, then returned to my lodgings.
The stares from passersby were still piercing, but I didn't care about them anymore.
Just looking forward to tonight made my heart race.
Back in my room, I hastily made the bed and lay down to test it out; I could barely fit in, given my size.
As I lay there enjoying this feeling of satisfaction, I suddenly remembered I hadn't properly examined my current body, so I stood in front of the large mirror on the wall and began to scrutinize myself.
"Hmm...this..." Since transforming into my half-human, half-beast form, I hadn't had a chance to properly observe my body.
Without a mirror, I could only catch fleeting glimpses through glass windows. Even at Leona's clothing store, Leona personally took my measurements, so I didn't get a chance to look in a mirror.
Moreover, after what happened with Leona, I had no time to even think about looking in a mirror.
So now, I was truly examining my body closely...Looking at the monster in the mirror—a biped with almost black, dark brown skin—my feelings were somewhat chaotic.
Just looking at the body itself, it was quite astonishing and satisfying.
My thick arms were muscular, like those of a bodybuilder on performance-enhancing drugs; even without exertion, the veins bulged.
If you encountered someone with arms like that on Earth, you'd probably be terrified by their ferocious appearance.
Usually, a body with such arms would also be excessively muscular, as if injected with performance-enhancing drugs, but the rest of the body is different.
It's not the rounded, bulging chest of a bodybuilder on drugs, but a broad, slightly protruding, square chest that exudes a sense of firmness. Below that chest are abdominal muscles like they're pressed against a hard iron plate, and perfectly concave latissimus dorsi muscles that aren't overly prominent, along with a slender waist… Looking at the upper body alone, how should I put it? Despite the excessive muscle mass, it's like seeing a specimen of an ideal physique.
After confirming the upper body, I took off my pants and underwear, revealing the lower body.
The first thing that catches the eye is, as expected, the lower body.
Even as a half-human, half-beast, it retains the original form of a horse's body, so let's skip that.
Then came the legs.
Hmm.
The thighs and calves are simply terrifying.
Is it really a horse's leg?
More concerning than that are the reverse-jointed hooves and tail, but considering the area above the shoulders, it's not such a big deal.
Why is the face still a horse's face?
At least a human-like face would remind one of the Draenei from a certain game.
Because this horse's head looks exactly like the centaur monster from the game *Salamander Quest*.
No, it's practically identical to that monster!
The only difference is that it looks more ferocious?
And the horse's head and large neck make the already massive body appear even more imposing.
Looking at the shoulders alone, one would think it's around 190cm tall, though slightly smaller, but still over 2 meters tall due to the long neck and large head.
With such a body topped with a horse's head, it's no wonder people's gaze is drawn to it… After checking the body for a while, I tried transforming into horse form to observe myself again.
When I transform into a horse, my body changes like smoke; it feels quite magical.
Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I checked my status bar. Curious if it was still the default, I opened it again.
...
Name: Shimo
Race: Horse
Level: 18 (24850/44000)
Title: The Man Who Covets the Hero's Daughter
Age: 29 Horse Skills: [Language Comprehension] [Riding Assistance] [Form Change LV.1]
...
Uh…
Seeing the level increase, it seems I killed Erebus, so those experience points are mine.
I need more experience points than other adventurers, but I leveled up 5 times in one go.
This is excellent.
The title… well, I accept it.
More important than that are the horse's skills.
It seems there are hidden skills after all.
As expected, being able to speak or make the person riding on my back comfortable seems to be thanks to the skills.
Form changes are related to level, so does that mean leveling up will allow me to transform into a complete human form?
While I don't know what conditions are used to add items to the status bar, it's still very exciting news.
My current half-human, half-beast form is much better than the days when I could only walk on a horse's body, but that fierce-looking head is still a bit...unpleasant.
Just as I was thinking about naming each form, the sun had already set outside. I called out to Lisbeth from the next room, and she came out blushing and looking down.
I waited for a while in front of the dormitory with the silent Lisbeth, and then I saw Ars in the distance.
Judging by his appearance, he seems to have fully recovered... Come to think of it, this guy got beaten up three times by Erepos.
A three-game losing streak?
Afterwards, I walked into the dining room with Ars, who was walking towards me with a smile, and the silent Lisbeth.
Lisbeth, who had said she would treat me, only said "anything is fine" and then fell silent.
Okay, Lisbeth.
Although it's futile, you can dwell on it a little longer.
"So the heroes have all gotten up, and most of the seriously wounded have received good treatment. They've mostly recovered to the level of minor injuries, and with another day or two of treatment, they should be able to move again," Ars informed. Thanks to the church's full commitment to treatment, almost all of the dozens of wounded have now fully recovered.
Speaking of the church reminds me of Paul the Hero's lover, Claire.
That slut should be trained into a slave by me. When would be a good time to start?
"Now that even the dangerous Hero Devourer has disappeared, it should be good for us to rest for a few days and then level up. Should we also look for some normal dungeons? Depending on the difficulty, there should be quests we can get."
"Oh… speaking of which, normal dungeons are assigned by guilds as quests, right? Are there any suitable places for us to go?"
"Hmm… the size and danger level of dungeons vary greatly. Large dungeons are assigned to multiple guilds, but for safer dungeons, it's a battle of who gets the quest assignment first."
According to my common sense, in places like dungeons, the first to find and enter is always the best bet, but that's illegal.
If you enter without a quest assignment, you can die or be killed inside without any repercussions. No wonder I always felt the kingdom was blatantly interfering.
So, Ars, Lisbeth, and I discussed our next steps over dinner, and when we returned to our lodgings, Ars gave me a strange look. Then I realized I had also been assigned to stay there.
Ars looked surprised again, then laughed and said it would be convenient to travel together in the future.
Actually, that wasn't important at all, Ars.
Before going upstairs, we bought some daily necessities, bottled drinks, and a few snacks at the dormitory convenience store, ending up with two bags full.
Without realizing it, we had quite a lot of stuff. Seeing the exorbitant prices at the convenience store, I realized I'd have to buy everything I needed from outside vendors or general stores in the future.
So Ars went up to the second floor, and Lisbeth and I went up to the third floor… Before entering my room, I whispered to Lisbeth,
"I'll wait for you. Think it over carefully."
Hearing my words, Lisbeth flinched. I smiled and went into the room. It seemed this wasn't 99% but 100% certain.
Relieved by Lisbeth's reaction, I put the drinks in the refrigerator and headed to the shower.
Lisbeth would probably hesitate for a while before coming; I needed to prepare in advance.
Thinking this, I turned on the water as Lisbeth had instructed, and warm water cascaded down from the ceiling.
Ah, how long has it been since I last showered?
I used shampoo and shower gel I'd bought from the convenience store, focusing on cleaning member.
After a quick rinse, I used soap—a touch of civilization—and the feeling was so touching I almost cried.
I washed for quite a while, even scrubbing the horse's mouth clean, then used a towel I'd bought to dry myself.
I dried member especially carefully.
Then, from the drinks in the refrigerator, I took out a beer in a strange bottle… Good heavens.
It was ice-cold…!
Thank you…!
I unscrewed the cork with my thick hands and drank it straight from the bottle.
'Ugh… I'm about to cry…! This is so sinful! My body, scalded by hot water, soaking in ice-cold beer! It really… really makes you want to commit a crime! I even considered robbing someone for a bottle of beer!' "Gahhhhhh!" After months of finally getting a proper shower, I enjoyed an ice-cold beer.
It really brought tears to my eyes.
I completely understand the feeling of that character in a certain manga who was dragged to an underground labor camp and finally got to drink beer after so many years.
So this is how precious civilization and freedom are!
Savoring the beer, although this half-human, half-beast body used to make me a little unhappy, now it doesn't matter.
I can walk on two legs and have hands, so what's a mere horse head?
I finished the beer, and after my body was completely dry, I only wrapped a cloth around my lower body and lay down on the bed without even wearing underwear.
Imagining Lisbeth still hesitating, a surge of joy welled up inside me.
Lying in bed with this expectation, humming a little tune, I waited… but Lisbeth didn't come.
I glanced at the small alarm clock I bought from the convenience store; it was already past midnight.
I should usually be asleep by now.
What's going on?
Could I have stumbled upon that 1% chance?
I anxiously got out of bed and paced around the room.
I was certain Lisbeth's face had appeared, so why?
Did she fall asleep while thinking about it?
Didn't I say I'd only wait until tonight?
Or did she mistakenly think she had to wait every day?
I paced anxiously for about thirty minutes… Suddenly, I heard a very faint knock on the door.
Without thinking, I rushed to the door and slowly opened it.
"...Ah…" Standing there was Lisbeth, wearing a dress that looked like pajamas and a hooded magician's cloak, her face flushed.
"Come in, Lisbeth. I knew you'd come."
I felt a wicked smile creep onto my face as I put my arm around Lisbeth's shoulder and led her into the room.
This was the day a female had taken the initiative to come to the newly built love nest of a male in Radia.