Sea Story (3)
The impact was so strong that I nearly tumbled forward, caught off guard. What kind of lunatic walks around without looking where they're going?!
"Oh, Saintess. Are you alright?"
At Francois's worried words, I realized the lunatic was Celereja. Turning around, I saw her rubbing her nose and stepping back from me.
"Ow ow... Bertrand..."
"Just call my name normally—why'd you have to charge at me like that...? Huh? Blood from your nose...?!"
A thin trickle of blood was streaming from Celereja's nose. She wiped under it with her finger, checked the blood, and made a face like it was no big deal as she turned her hand golden. As holy power ripened in her palm, she swept it over her nose, and like magic, the nosebleed stopped.
Damn, that's a convenient ability.
"Seeing you, Bertrand, got me so excited I just... Ah, thank you."
Celereja smiled bashfully as she took the handkerchief Francois offered and dabbed her nosebleed.
She looks just like an innocent, carefree kid when she smiles like that... A weird person where madness and purity coexist.
"I came to buy some things for tomorrow too... Now that we've bumped into each other, let's go together. I was heading back to the inn anyway..."
"Sure."
Celereja's face flushed as she stood beside me. But she didn't link arms or lean into my side. As the city's one and only cleric, she wasn't that clueless to pull stunts like that where so many eyes could see in the bustling market.
We dodged pedestrians and carts while picking up what we needed. We'd buy the tents from a shop selling traveler's gear—they should have pretty much every kind of tent and hammock there.
"What about the tents? Planning to all cram into one big one...?"
"Nah. Thinking of getting four two-person ones."
"We're... seven people, and four two-person tents..."
Celereja folded her fingers one by one, calculating something, then suddenly clutched her face with both hands, flustered beyond words.
"Oh my... Heavens... Bertrand... Even for you, that's too blatant..."
"Huh? What are you talking about?!"
"I don't knowww..."
What the hell? Did she think I meant we'd share one separately? Sheesh...
Francois just gazed at the blushing Celereja with a kind, knowing smile, as if she'd read her mind completely.
We bought four two-person tents, a few hammocks, mats, and thin sleeping bags to match the headcount. Even in summer, the seaside dawns could be chilly—and this wasn't a one-off trip; no harm stocking up now since we'd vacation again.
I had to keep side-eyeing Celereja, who kept eyeing the large sleeping bags meant for two and trying to sneak them onto the cart. At Francois's suggestion, we grabbed mosquito coils too, plus some ointment from the apothecary just in case of bug bites or jellyfish stings. Oh, and a pack of cigarettes—snakes hate the tobacco dust. Someone once swore by quicklime, but from my hero days roughing it outdoors, that shit did jack.
With that, we had everything for sleeping... What else?
"Don't we need a big parasol? Shade would be nice, but we might not have any."
"Yeah. We do."
At the parasol shop, the sharp-eyed owner clocked we were beach-bound and started pushing all sorts of extras. The cart filled up fast. Any more and the mule couldn't pull it—and we didn't need anything else anyway.
"All done? I need to grab something too... Wanna come...?"
Francois and I followed Celereja into the street lined with clothing shops. I spotted other employees milling about farther down. She ducked into one, glancing back at me furtively the whole way.
When I asked why, turns out it was a swimsuit and women's lingerie shop. The front display was plastered with barely-there, super revealing outfits.
"Uh... I'll just wait outside. Going in there with the saintess might start weird rumors."
"Got it..."
Celereja looked inwardly disappointed but accepted it and headed in alone. Francois followed.
"Where you off to?"
"Might as well grab something while I'm here. Why? Want me to pick something nice for you?"
"No... Not that. Go ahead. I'll wait."
As the two women entered, I passed the time stroking the mule's back. That's when Della and Marim approached, arms full of stuff.
"Boss? What're you doing here?"
Marim eyed the skimpy lingerie on the shop's outdoor racks and me suspiciously, back and forth. Her voice dripped doubt.
"Waiting for Francois and the saintess. Hey, you think I'd loiter here just to peep at women's underwear?"
"Hmph... Fair point. The inn's crawling with it anyway—no reason to stand out here for more."
"What? What the hell's that mean?"
Marim narrowed her eyes at my retort.
"One of my panties went missing recently."
"The fuck? You saying I took it?!"
As I snapped, Della beside her tapped Marim's shoulder in a panic.
"Marim... That... I took yours to wash with mine... You just tossed 'em anywhere... Sorry..."
"Eek...?!"
Marim's face twisted horribly as she glanced at me and slinked backward.
"Hey, Marim. You..."
She grinned awkwardly, then vanished from sight in a blink. That little shit... Blink-teleported away out of embarrassment.
Left alone, Della sighed and loaded her purchases onto the cart. Come to think of it, I should thank her.
"Della. Thanks for always doing my laundry too."
"Y-yes...?! Uh... Y-yeah..."
It was nothing major, but she startled and started stammering. What's her deal? No way she's messing around with my clothes, right?
Della looks sweet, but she's got a seriously lewd side. Bubbly around me, but sneaky-pervy behind my back. I kinda knew, but the gap still throws me. Maybe she picked it up from her roommate Idwild. That black-hearted black mage might've taught innocent Della some naughty tricks. Speak of the dragon...
Idwild and Pelle were heading our way from the opposite direction. Idwild looked downcast for some reason; Pelle seemed pissed.
"We're back, Bertrand..."
"What's with the faces? Get ripped off or something? Weren't you with Pelle?"
"Nothing happened..."
Idwild loaded her bags onto the cart in a deflated voice. I shot Pelle a questioning look.
Arms crossed, staring elsewhere, she spat it out curtly.
"She wanted a swimsuit with chicken feathers."
"Swimsuit... with what now?"
"A bikini covered in chicken feathers at the chest and crotch."
Della gasped and covered her mouth, muttering about indecency. Idwild hung her head at the reaction.
"Not chicken feathers... Pretty bird feathers..."
"Chicken or phoenix, doesn't matter—that's not the point. A swimsuit with feathers is the issue. Told you merchants are all crooks. Don't fall for 'it suits you' lines. They're dumping unsold stock 'cause you're gullible. Get it together, Idwild."
Pelle unusually laid into Idwild with a long lecture. Della and I gawked at her. I'd never seen her talk that much.
"But you said a good figure makes any outfit look good..."
"'Any' means clothes that make you look human when worn by a human. Not that freakish feather clump no monster would touch."
Pelle's tone was calm but intense, overwhelming softies like Idwild into silence. As she mumbled something and Pelle wound up for another barrage, Celereja and Francois emerged, giving Idwild an escape.
"Everyone's here."
I took the paper bags from Francois and loaded them. When I held out a hand for Celereja's, she hurriedly hid it behind her back.
"I'll... carry mine..."
We pulled the cart back to the inn. On the way, Idwild eyed some street-vendor trdelník and licked her lips, so I bought some—one for each. The long dough wound around a spit, baked, and dusted with sugar—also called chimney cake—was savory-sweet and delicious.
"Hope tomorrow comes soon~ Sea~ I wanna see it~"
Della twirled lightly, humming off-key. We all burst out laughing at her.
The inn courtyard buzzed from dawn the next day. Five employees, one saintess, one dog, one ex-hero, and three Hell Horses filled the space.
The staff and saintess had changed into the flashy outfits bought in town yesterday, dazzling anyone who saw them. Already gorgeous women dolled up on purpose? Even in the pre-dawn gloom, the yard felt brighter.
The three Hell Horses were Idwild's summons: mine led, the others trailed. Summoning multiples at once gave her a nosebleed, but everyone chattered excitedly, helping me load the Hell Horses.
Ignoring worldly physics, the Hell Horses didn't flinch under loads strapped to their flanks.
The lead one, piled highest, carried Celereja hugging the box with Asenaris and me. Second: petite Marim, Idwild, and Della. Third: tall Francois and Pelle, who held Kali. Couldn't leave him behind. The livestock had feed for two days—no big issue.
"Ready to head out?"
"Yayyy!"
"Let's go!"
"The sea!"
At my will, the Hell Horses glided along the road, the rest stringing behind.
Hours later, we entered Grace Bay territory. From the hilltop, the horizon appeared distantly. Cheers erupted from behind.
"Bertrand. Looks like we're here."
"Yeah. We really made it to the sea."
I slowed my Hell Horse, descending the hill. As the ocean neared, I imagined cool sea breezes already. Last time, I'd come alone for that absurd sink-the-island mission. Now, vacationing with pretty ladies. Nostalgic, I glanced around—only to face an unfamiliar checkpoint on the road still far from the beach.