"I will help you wash up in a moment," Ryan said casually as he sorted through the items he had taken out of his storage pouch.

  "Huh?" Evelyn looked slightly dazed, clearly not processing it at first, her face filled with shock and disbelief.

  "No. I am not washing," Evelyn refused without a second thought. How could she possibly allow a man to bathe her?

  Ryan ignored her rejection and calmly took out the Perpetual Magic Kettle, slowly pouring water into the tub.

  Then he retrieved a Flame Crystal that radiated gentle warmth from his storage pouch and carefully placed it at the bottom of the tub.

  The Flame Crystal continuously released mild heat, gradually warming the water.

  "The smell of blood clinging to both of us is strong, and it will not fade easily. Do you really want to carry that stench with you for the rest of the journey?" Ryan said without turning around as he checked the water temperature.

  Hearing this, Evelyn instinctively twitched her nose. The faint but persistent scent of blood on her body made her realize that he did have a point.

  But no, that still did not make it acceptable for him to bathe her. Evelyn's cheeks flushed slightly, her inner turmoil almost written across her face.

  The tense standoff between the two was broken by the sound of Lyra gnawing on a magic crystal nearby.

  Lyra was hugging a magic crystal and munching away happily, tiny crystal fragments stuck to her little face, completely oblivious to how delicate the atmosphere around her had become.

  Ryan glanced at Lyra, briefly wondering whether he should coax her outside the barrier for a while.

  But after a moment's thought, he abandoned the idea. He had no worries about Lyra encountering danger in the forest.

  As a Celestial Drake, the draconic pressure she naturally emitted was enough to make magical beasts within a hundred kilometer radius submit, even in her juvenile form. Even beasts at the Mystic Mage level would not dare approach lightly.

  That was also why no magical beasts had disturbed them during their long trek into the deep mountains.

  Lyra, whose mind was occupied only with eating and sleeping, was different from Evelyn. Letting her quietly gnaw on magic crystals nearby was enough and would keep her from wandering off.

  Having made up his mind, Ryan ignored Evelyn's increasingly indignant and embarrassed protests.

  He reached up and unfastened the buttons of his bloodstained robe, the fabric rustling softly as he removed it.

  Of course, he still maintained his boundaries. He kept a pair of shorts on.

  The shorts were made of a tough, breathable material. Despite being worn for a long time, they showed no signs of damage, their quality truly exceptional.

  He even had another identical pair in his storage space, making it convenient to rotate between them.

  Ryan snapped his fingers, faint magical energy surging at his fingertips.

  The next instant, a protective magic array rose from the ground, enveloping him, Evelyn, and the wooden tub within it.

  At the final moment before the magic array fully sealed, Ryan clearly saw Evelyn's expression.

  Her pretty face was flushed red, her eyes filled with a tangled mix of embarrassment, indignation, panic, and a trace of helplessness she could not quite hide.

  Her usual cool and distant aura was tinged with an awkward, very human sense of fluster.

  The circular magic array had a diameter of roughly fifteen meters, offering ample space inside.

  The campfire burned quietly at the very center of the barrier. In the enclosed space, the firelight appeared even brighter, stretching their shadows long across the inner surface of the barrier.

  Ryan took out a soft white towel from his storage space. It had been soaked in floral essence extracted from rare flowers, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance.

  "Evelyn, do you still have that kind of purification liquid you gave me before? The fragrant one," Ryan said as he shook the towel in his hand.

  Seeing the shameless look on his face, Evelyn fell silent for a moment. Her fingers moved slightly, and two exquisite bottles of purification liquid appeared on the ground in front of her.

  Ryan's eyes lit up instantly. He had almost forgotten that as the Headmistress of the Glacial Arcana Academy, Evelyn was bound to have quite a collection of rare treasures stored in her spiritual space.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  He stepped closer, his gaze settling on the two crystal bottles. One of them was rather large and filled with a viscous liquid. It was high grade Mana Essence, and judging by the volume, her reserves were more than ample.

  The other bottle was small and delicate, tightly sealed with a stopper. Although no fragrance escaped, it was clearly the purification liquid he was looking for.

  With this purification liquid, the bloody stench clinging to his body could be completely washed away.

  Ryan could not help recalling the last time he had used this purification liquid. Just a small bottle had left him scented for over an entire month.

  Back in Snowmere City, countless people had asked him what kind of cleansing product he was using. Quite a few men were even more curious than the women, crowding around him and asking nonstop.

  In the end, Ryan could not take it anymore and spent a considerable amount of Origin Value to have the Grimoire purify the lingering scent for him.

  Evelyn's fingers moved again, and several small wooden boxes appeared on the ground, all filled with healing potions and alchemical draughts for restoring mana.

  "Take them and heal properly," she said as she looked at Ryan.

  "Evelyn, you really are a low key wealthy woman," Ryan exclaimed. Like a child who had just been given candy, he bounced over to her, wearing nothing but a pair of loose shorts.

  Seeing him run over with only shorts on, his well defined upper body fully exposed, Evelyn's already flushed cheeks instantly turned even redder. She hurriedly turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

  Ryan paid no attention to her embarrassment. He efficiently stored the high grade Mana Essence, the alchemical draughts, and the healing potions into his storage space.

  Then he picked up the bottle of purification liquid, twisted open the stopper, and dripped a few drops into the wooden tub.

  This time, Ryan did not climb fully into the tub. Instead, he soaked the towel in warm water and quickly wiped the blood and dust from his body.

  A faint, pleasant fragrance immediately spread throughout the magic array, and the lingering smell of blood was swept away completely.

  Moments later, Ryan finished washing and changed into a clean robe.

  He lifted the wooden tub and poured the bathwater, now tinged with faint traces of blood, outside the magic array. Then he took the Perpetual Magic Kettle again, refilled the tub with water, and placed the Flame Crystal back inside to heat it once more.

  Evelyn's eyes were fixed on the steadily rising water level in the tub. Her heartbeat grew faster, and the sense of panic in her chest intensified.

  She had no doubt that with Ryan's personality, he really would not hesitate to help her undress and wash her.

  No. Absolutely not. Evelyn's eyes darted about in panic before finally landing on Lyra nearby.

  Lyra was hugging a small bottle of Mana Essence and drinking happily, with several magic crystals stuffed in her mouth as well, looking utterly adorable and carefree.

  At last, the tub was full. Warm steam carrying a faint floral scent spread through the air. It was time for her to bathe.

  Ryan immediately put away his earlier playful grin and adopted an extremely serious expression, like a gentleman who strictly adhered to propriety.

  He even seemed to give off a faint scholarly air, completely different from how he had been moments before.

  "Evelyn, rest assured. I will absolutely never touch anything I should not," he said solemnly, his tone so earnest it was as if he were making a magical oath.

  After finishing his righteous declaration, Ryan carried the wooden tub to Evelyn's side and took out a brand new towel from his storage space.

  Just like the previous one, it had been soaked in floral essence extracted from rare flowers, combining cleansing properties with a gentle fragrance.

  "No. Let her help me wash," Evelyn said urgently, her gaze snapping toward Lyra not far away.

  At the moment, Lyra was clutching a magic crystal and munching on it with crisp crunching sounds, occasionally lifting a small bottle beside her to take a sip of Mana Essence, her cheeks puffed out adorably.

  Lyra seemed to sense that someone was calling her. She lifted her head in confusion and looked over, her watery eyes filled with innocence.

  Paired with her fair little face and the magic crystal crumbs stuck at the corner of her mouth, she looked exactly like a dazed and adorable child.

  "Mom…" Lyra said indistinctly, her small mouth still moving slightly.

  Ryan looked at her open mouth. He had expected her to call Dad first, but instead, her very first word was mom.

  He chuckled inwardly. It seemed Lyra truly liked Evelyn, while Evelyn herself had not fully accepted this daughter yet and still maintained a somewhat cool and distant demeanor.

  "She is just a child. How would she know how to help someone bathe?" Ryan said to Lyra."Keep eating. You do not need to worry about this."

  Lyra obediently nodded, immediately turning back to bury her head in the magic crystal again, wearing an expression that clearly said she had heard nothing and knew nothing, completely abandoning Evelyn's silent plea for help.

  "Then I will not wash," Evelyn said firmly when she saw this, realizing she could not count on Lyra. Her cool eyes were filled with resistance.

  "No. The smell of blood on you is far too strong," Ryan said, completely ignoring her refusal.

  Under Evelyn's embarrassed and indignant gaze, he turned around, opened the crystal bottle of purification liquid, and added a few more drops into the wooden tub. The faint floral scent instantly grew richer.

  He placed the new towel into the tub and gently stirred it to ensure it was fully soaked.

  With every additional movement Ryan made, Evelyn's heartbeat quickened, the heat rising in her cheeks along with it, until even her breathing became a little hurried.

  "By the way, you should change your clothes as well. You can do it while bathing," Ryan said as he wrung out the wet towel.

  "No," Evelyn refused just as decisively as before, though she knew perfectly well that Ryan would most likely pretend not to hear it again.

  "Do not worry. It is not like I have not seen…" Ryan stopped halfway through his sentence, suddenly realizing he had misspoken, and forcibly cut himself off.

  That alone was enough for Evelyn to understand what he meant. The tips of her ears instantly turned red, though she herself, immersed in embarrassment and indignation, did not notice it.

  In just a single day, she had already lost count of how many times she had blushed or felt her ears heat up. At this moment, she felt as though her entire body was growing warm.

  "Not seen what?" Evelyn asked, even though she already had a vague idea of the answer, forcing herself to put on a look of confusion.

  "Nothing. Nothing at all," Ryan said quickly, waving his hands. Then he turned around and squatted in front of Evelyn, his gaze falling on her clothes.

  "Look at the state of what you are wearing. It is completely ruined," Ryan said as he gently tugged at the sleeve on her right shoulder.

  The fabric there had already been blown to tatters during the earlier battle, torn open and ragged, faintly revealing the thin gauze undergarment pressed close against her skin beneath it.