Sea Story (2)
Pelle's hurried retreating footsteps made Idwild turn around. She too startled like a stray cat spotting a large dog and scampered off toward Pelle.
"What? Is there something on the stairs...? Gasp!"
Celereja clattered down the dim staircase in her heels. She scanned them one by one: Pelle and Idwild huddled back there, Marim and Della staring blankly while locked in an embrace, and Francois with her serene smile.
"You all rushed down so suddenly, I got worried and came to check."
"Saintess. You've got work tomorrow—shouldn't you head up and rest...?"
I eyed Celereja's complexion with considerable tension. She might be utterly obedient to me, but if she snapped, no one could predict how she'd react. Sure, she wouldn't unleash destructive holy power or physically harm anyone, but relationships aren't just about brute strength. The current situation was highly delicate.
Celereja was young, fiercely jealous, and obsessively fixated on me. And here I was, heading off on vacation to the beach with the other staff—gorgeous, slender, busty women, no less. No doubt her mind was conjuring images of an orgy unfolding inside a beachside tent. The idea of wholesome fun like splashing in the water or slicing watermelons probably never crossed her thoughts.
She wouldn't tolerate that. She'd either sabotage the trip or throw a massive tantrum to tag along...
"I wanna go too."
Right on cue. Just as expected.
Celereja glared at everyone with eyes blazing, as if we'd gathered in the hall for some secret demon-worship ritual.
"I wanna come along. Vacation. Beach."
At her declaration, Pelle and Idwild looked like they'd seen death itself, but the rest—the 'normal' humans—greeted her with perfectly reasonable enthusiasm.
"That'd be great!"
"Saintess, wanna go shopping for swimsuits in town together?"
"Uh... um... sure?"
Evidently expecting fierce opposition, Celereja instead faltered at Marim and Della's warm welcome. She glanced at me hesitantly, stumbling over her words.
"Of course. Come along, Saintess—as long as leaving the temple for a day won't cause issues."
At my approval (?), Celereja's face instantly softened. She clasped her hands and twisted her body this way and that.
"Really? I won't be in the way...?"
She'd been snarling like she'd flip the whole place if left behind just moments ago, and now this sudden one-eighty was hard to keep up with. But what could I do? That was Celereja's personality—and her charm.
"In the way? Nonsense. It'll be better this way. Right, Francois?"
"Of course, Bertrand. The Saintess is more than welcome. I'll whip up some refreshing sorbets for you."
Celereja shyly nodded at Francois's gentle, kind words. The unexpectedly warm reception had melted away her anger and wariness completely.
Meanwhile, Pelle and Idwild—who'd retreated all the way to the far end of the hall beyond the bar's candlelight—now wore shadows of despair on their faces.
It wasn't that they clashed with Celereja or disliked her. But to demons and black mages, a saintess was a natural predator. Even accidental contact with her holy power would sear them with excruciating agony, like a burn. A holy beam? Instant death, probably. Monsters tended to drop dead on the spot from that stuff.
I hadn't tested it, but even brushing skin might hurt—holy power coursed through her body, after all. The thought of beach frolics and bonfires alongside her must be pure torment. But with the mood as it was, they couldn't voice a peep.
That meant it was up to me to smooth things over. Couldn't let our first group vacation implode before it even started.
With this many folks in tow, minor squabbles were inevitable.
"We'll do normal business until tomorrow, then head out the day after. Pick up any swimsuits or necessities in town tomorrow. I'll cover all other expenses."
"Hehe... sounds good... right, Pelle?"
Idwild grinned idiotically at Pelle, who nodded curtly. She funneled every coin of her pay into debt repayment, after all.
"Never been to the sea before. Who'd have thought we'd actually go."
"Me neither. I'm dying to see it. Right?"
Della and Marim linked arms around each other's waists, chattering excitedly as they climbed the stairs in perfect sync. They were clearly thrilled. Poor things—Marim dashing across the sweltering summer city three times a day, Della buried in chores all spring...
Trailing behind, Idwild mumbled about checking the wardrobe for swimsuits, only for Pelle to snap sharply.
"Show me before you pack it."
"Y-yeah... got it..."
Celereja, glued to my side, muttered to herself about needing to handle temple duties early tomorrow, so regretfully she'd sleep separately tonight.
"So, where are we headed? Inland as we are, any beach is a good haul away."
I shook my head at Francois's question. No specific spot in mind yet.
"Dunno. Need to think on it. Distance doesn't matter much—Hell Horse gets us anywhere in a flash."
"Hm. In that case, we should aim for somewhere beautiful."
"Know a good place?"
Francois pondered briefly, then lit up.
"Grace Bay in the kingdom's south. Went once as a kid—still unforgettable, it's that stunning."
"Near Marquis Kekers's territory. Perfect."
I'd been to Grace Bay before on business—sailing out from there to sink an island spawning dimensional gates full of monsters. Crystal-clear waters, blindingly white sands. A gorgeous beach. Back then I'd cursed nonstop at the insane orders; now, a vacation. Life was full of surprises.
The next day, I set up a sign in front of the inn.
Closed from tonight through the day after tomorrow.
Reason: Summer Vacation
With the notice up, the vacation suddenly felt real. The staff buzzed with excitement, more lively than usual.
Once the morning guests checked out and dinner service wrapped, they tidied and cleaned the inn at breakneck speed.
"Hurry up! Come on!"
"The shop's closing soon!"
Marim and Della, already in the yard, urged me on. They were beside themselves with glee.
We loaded the mule-pulled cart with town purchases and headed down the road. Della and Marim scampered ahead, the rest strolled around the cart.
"Listen up, Idwild. I told you—shop with me. No wandering off for weird stuff."
"Hehe... okay..."
Pelle extracted yet another promise from Idwild. I knew her fashion sense was abysmal, which explained the nagging since yesterday.
I turned to Francois walking beside me.
"Francois. Payday's not till later, so... let me advance you some for anything you need."
"Much appreciated."
She accepted the coin pouch with refined grace, not peeking at the amount like a true noble.
Though evening had fallen, town glowed with lights from shops and homes, streets teeming with pedestrians. Too hot by day, they came alive at cooler dusk.
Our inn staff—town celebrities—drew stares. Some greeted us; others snuck peeks.
Della and Marim vanished arm-in-arm. Idwild, aiming for a clothing shop, got dragged elsewhere by Pelle's grip on her arm.
"Francois, go grab what you need. I'll hit the market for trip supplies tomorrow."
"Sure. Mind if I tag along? Nothing specific comes to mind."
We led the mule toward the market. Supplies were basic: cooking gear and ingredients from the inn, maybe tents for overnighting on the beach. For seven including the Saintess, four two-person tents seemed right—three for the group, one for me. Hammocks, large parasols... Men-only would've meant crashing under trees, but not this crew.
Grace Bay was remote—no villages or towns nearby. Marquis Kekers's lands were close, but noble territories gouged prices. Prep was key.
As I mentally tallied items nearing the market entrance, something slammed hard into my back from behind.