A few hours passed in that Inférius, the scene was full of bodies of the Renkai creatures, Slady was in front of the core.
The core had a similar appearance to a sphere made of flesh and blood, covered in snow and connected through "veins" to the dimension, pulsating, like a heart.
From the core, the Renkai creatures emerged, tearing the internal tissue and coming out, it was grotesque.
Slady used his pistol to shoot the demons, hitting them in the head and killing them instantly because their brains were always exposed.
He let out a sigh, firing a shot at the core, making the Inferius shudder, the demons that were present felt intense pain, starting to run towards Slady to kill him.
- "..."
He dodged their attacks, killing them with his two pistols or with his mechanical arm. Then he takes a certain distance, starting to shoot at the core, making the sphere of flesh gush blood and start to pulse faster and faster... until its glow disappears and stops pulsing.
Then, with no more Renkai creatures to appear in the dimension after the end of that core, Slady turned to leave that dimension.
- "I'm sure I lost my night's sleep..."
He walked through that cold dimension, looking like he was dying of sleep, despite his expression always being so neutral.
There was no one in that frozen solitude, only the cold wind on his face, making his hair fly in the wind. But his gaze landed on some Renkatas that were on the path, a rare and powerful ore that Slady could use for his own benefit (which would be illegal) or warn the Demon Hunters Association or personally deliver to the association.
Slady took some small parts of the ore, putting them in his pocket and walking again through Inférius, wanting to return to his library.
Minutes and minutes passed, Slady left through the portal. Then, he looked at the sky, seeing the sun rise and some puddles from the rain. He felt a little discouraged for not taking advantage of the rain and the night, but he managed to grab some Renkatas for himself.
Halfway there, Slady saw the umbrella he had dropped when he tripped and fell into the Inferius portal.
Arriving at the library, Slady opened the door, smelling the satisfying smell of the wood that makes up the library. He placed the umbrella next to the door, his two pistols were placed in a drawer on the library bench, and the Renkatas he had acquired were placed in a box with a lock.
He went upstairs, seeing Shaphira still sleeping in their bed in her original form, that made Slady feel more relieved.
Upon entering the nearby bathroom, Slady sat on the toilet, looking at his mechanical arm, looking thoughtful for a while, until he shook his head to get his thoughts away.
He got up from the toilet, starting to take off his clothes, starting with his coat and pants that were covered in snow, his eyepatch, making him close his left eye, dark red shirt is also removed, it was reeking of demon blood.
Taking off his underwear, Slady enters the bathroom stall, starting to take his shower.
- "..."
He feels the hot water run over his body, causing him a very pleasant sensation, the blood of the renkai creatures flowed through his body, going down the drain. His body was covered in bruises that seemed to hurt terribly, but Slady... there was no emotion on his face.
Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard.
- "Master, did you wake up so early?" It was Shaphira, who had woken up by the sound of the shower
Before Slady could answer, Shaphira opened the door, in her "human" form. She didn't mind seeing the man's nudity, he was like a father to Shaphira, after all.
- "Did you sleep well?" Shaphira asked, noticing the dark circles under Slady's eyes.
- "It's nothing... just a little insomnia."
Slady leaned against the wooden wall of the shower, letting out a sigh and feeling more relaxed.
- "I'm sorry, master. Can I take a shower too? I can do something for you." Shaphira says, her tail standing up straight, showing willingness
- "Do whatever you want." Slady says.
Shaphira smiles, opening the shower and getting into the shower with him, her fur covering her body becomes damp, she takes the soap and starts to rub it on Slady's chest.
- "You slept badly, master. Let me try to make the lunch you taught me."
- "..." Slady didn't react or object, just letting Shaphira take care of him.
- "If you can do it, I can get you a reward." Slady says, still with his eyes closed
- "Closed then, I'll try hard and I'll get a reward from the master!" Shaphira says, her tail starts to wag along with her ears.
The minutes of that bath were peaceful, Shaphira applied the soap all over Slady's body, including his private parts. Cleaning and caring for the one she sees not only as a master, but as a father.
After the bath, Shaphira wraps Slady's body with a towel, she didn't cover her own because her hair was already dry and covered her body by itself.
- "Master, can you take off the towel when you're in the room? It might do you good not to wear clothes once in a while."
- "You say that because you don't need clothes." Slady says.
- "I do too!" She laughs, pushing him into the room.
Slady doesn't even object, being pushed onto the bed, looking too sleepy to argue. He just picks up the used clothes and puts them in the laundry basket.
He just sits on the bed, taking the towel off his body and covering him with the blanket.
Shaphira sits next to Slady, speaking in a serious tone.
- "Master, you're tired, I don't want you to do anything today, do you understand? You do a lot for me, I want to do something for you today." She smiled, hugging Slady and leaving the room to go downstairs and go to the kitchen.
Despite the care, Slady had no peace, his mind lost in several thoughts. He covered his left eye with the eye patch, closing his eyes and trying to concentrate on trying to relax.
Some time later, Shaphira enters the room, surprised to see Slady sleeping, he rarely did that...
- "Master..."
She sits next to the bed, placing the plate of food on the nightstand, she puts her hand in Slady's hair, caressing it carefully, making Shaphira smile to herself.
- "Master, I'm sure you did something that kept you awake." She begins to whisper.
- "No matter what has ruined your rest, I will take care of you, because..."
Shaphira leans in, placing a kiss on Slady's forehead.
- "Because I love you, Dad."