Chapter 143: Let’s Go to the Beach (2)

The black-haired beauty rose from her beach chair and strolled toward me with a slow, leisurely gait.

I frowned at first, then asked, “What brings you here, Professor?”

“Mm. Am I… interrupting something?”

“No, it’s not that.”

The Celestial Resort assigned each guest group its own uninhabited island, connected by warp portals. In other words, unless they belonged to the same group, a guest couldn’t enter another guest’s portal.

Suddenly, Jules’s words echoed in my head. “This time, one of the foundations working with my father’s company sent us a fine gift.”

I muttered, “Don’t tell me that foundation is…”

“Fufu. It’s one I manage under my name. Jules’s father recently made a significant investment, so I made sure to send a little gift in return,” Professor Baldwin replied.

I let out a short, incredulous laugh. “Then how did you know Jules would invite us along?”

Professor Baldwin gave me a mischievous smile. “Who knows?”

I could only shake my head. There was no winning against her. “Well, either way, it’s, uh, nice to see you here, Professor.”

“Oh? Nice how, exactly?”

She sat back down on the beach chair, legs crossed, her gaze openly provocative. At the tip of her long, smooth legs, her toes were painted a glossy black that drew my eyes before I could stop myself.

“That’s, uh…”

Maybe it was because I had only ever seen her in business suits, seeing her in a swimsuit like this, I didn’t know where to look. So, I turned my head away.

She smiled in satisfaction. “Fufu! Judging by your reaction, I already know what you find nice. Anyway, how have you been spending your vacation?”

“Training, mostly. And a bit of ruin exploration.”

Curious, she tilted her head. “Ruin exploration?”

I told her about what had happened during our last expedition.

Shocked, she asked, “A-an Archbishop? You actually fought the Archbishop of Desire?”

“Yes.”

“My, my! And was that because you foresaw it, like before?”

“No. That encounter happened entirely by chance.”

Even I hadn’t expected the Archbishop of Desire to be draining mana from the Iron Fist’s so-called legacy with the Blessing of Exploitation.

Her eyes darkened with worry as she looked at me. Then, gently, she reached out and caressed my face. “And how many times did you die this time?”

“Ah, actually, not even once.”

Of course, I had used Blazing Fire and burned my own life force to create mana, so I had brushed against death. But at least I hadn’t died at Laxasia’s hands.

Relief softened her face. “Really?”

Then, with the same hand that had cupped my cheek, she playfully pinched it. “That’s a relief.”

Her smile was faint but filled with genuine warmth, as if she truly had been worrying over my every death. It stirred something inside me.

Perhaps as she had sensed my unease, Professor Baldwin’s smile deepened. “Hm?”

Her hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck, pulling me closer, until our gazes were inches apart.

At that moment, two cold voices cut in from behind.

“Dale?”

“What exactly are you doing?”

I turned my head to see Iris and Yurina staring at us, their eyes like ice.

Before I could stammer out an excuse, Professor Baldwin said, “Ah, Iris and Yuren. Enjoying your vacation?”

“Professor Baldwin? What are you doing here?”

“That, you’ll have to ask Jules,” replied the professor.

Every gaze swiveled toward Jules.

Wearing swimming trunks and an aloha shirt that was thankfully not a bikini, he looked flustered as he tried to explain. “Uh! I-I knew the tickets came from Professor Baldwin’s foundation, but I didn’t think she’d personally…”

Apparently, even he hadn’t expected her to show up.

Iris said coolly, “I see. So, we cadets came here to relax, and our professor decided to tag along.”

Professor Baldwin let out a small sigh, putting on a sorrowful expression. “If you put it like that, it almost hurts my feelings. I only wanted to see whether my dear students were enjoying their vacation. But, perhaps, I am unwelcome. My apologies. I’ll return to the resort.”

Iris faltered at her unexpected response. “Huh? N-no, that’s not what I meant.”

The unspoken judgment in everyone’s eyes—“Wow, what a heartless remark”—pressed down on her.

She hurriedly grabbed Professor Baldwin’s arm, forcing a smile. “W-wait! O-of course I was joking, Professor! Naturally, you should join us.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! You’re the one who gave us the passes in the first place. How could we not include you?”

Professor Baldwin draped a friendly hand over Iris’s shoulder. “Fufu. If you insist, Iris, then I have no choice. I’ll abide by your wishes.”

Her lips curled into a sly grin, her earlier sadness vanishing as though it had never existed. Realization dawned on Iris too late, and she realized that she had been played.

Iris’s face crumpled. “You’re not a spider. You’re a snake in disguise.”

“Fufu! I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t one!”

“Now, now, don’t get so worked up.” Professor Baldwin gestured toward a cooler packed with neatly wrapped cuts of meat. “Think of that as my contribution. I brought plenty of food, after all.”

“Top-grade beef from the Empire.”

There was a saying across the continent. If one wanted the best seafood, one had to go to the Republic. If one wanted the best vegetables, one had to go to the Holy Empire. But if one wanted the best meat, one had to go to the Empire. That was how renowned meat from the Empire was, famous for both its quality and its taste.

Iris replied, “Ahem! Well, if you insist that much, I suppose I have no choice.”

“Oh? I never thought a Saintess would be swayed by meat from the Empire.”

“What, do you think just because I’m a Saintess, I eat only greens?”

“Haha, I was only teasing,” replied the professor.

Professor Baldwin folded her arms, her gaze sweeping over Iris from head to toe. Despite being at the beach, Iris was bundled up in loose, modest clothing that didn’t fit the atmosphere at all.

“You didn’t bring a swimsuit?” she asked.

“No, I… I did bring one, but…” Iris sneaked a glance at Berald, Yuren, and Jules, then quickly covered her mouth with a cough. “I’ll wear it later.”

“Hm? If not at the beach, then when do you plan on wearing it?”

“I-I’ll wear it when I feel like it! Anyway, Professor.” Iris narrowed her eyes at Professor Baldwin’s black bikini. “Isn’t your swimsuit a little too revealing?”

A body without a trace of excess flesh was wrapped in nothing but palm-sized scraps of fabric. Part of Iris wanted to snap and say, “Isn’t that way too shameless?” but even as another woman, she couldn’t help but marvel.

Professor Baldwin’s figure was flawless, the kind that drew involuntary admiration.

“I think this is pretty normal,” Professor Baldwin replied.

“It’s not normal at all! Come on, hurry and put on a shirt!”

“Fufu. Fine, no need to fuss.”

While the two bickered, Yurina’s gaze lingered a little too long on Professor Baldwin in her bikini.

Noticing her stare, Professor Baldwin slipped on the shirt Iris shoved at her, lips curving upward in amusement. “So, Yuren, you are a man after all.”

“Ah! S-sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just… try not to stare too openly.” Her voice turned into a soft murmur, and she flicked her eyes at me. “After all, this body is already taken.”

Professor Baldwin then turned to me. “Speaking of which, I still haven’t heard your opinion, Dale.”

“My opinion?”

With a teasing smile, she tugged lightly at her shirt collar. “How do I look? Does it suit me?”

There was no need to even ask; of course, it suited her, too well in fact. But with Iris and Yurina glaring daggers at me from the side, the truth was not something I could say out loud.

So, I said, “It’s not bad.”

Professor Baldwin narrowed her eyes slyly at my carefully chosen words. “Well, I’ll let that slide for today.”

She shrugged, then strolled back toward the beach chair.

The summer sun blazed overhead, and just like that, our short summer vacation had begun.

***

We forgot our worries and burdens for a while, playing on the beach for hours. By the time the sky burned orange with sunset, it was nearly evening. We had enjoyed our fill of swimming and grilled meat, and it felt like the right time to return to the resort and wind down.

“Shall we head back?” I asked.

Berald let out a booming laugh, nodding proudly. “Wahaha! That was delightful! I feel as though I’ve returned to my childhood!”

Behind him stood an enormous sandcastle, as big as an ox, towering magnificently.

I let out a wry chuckle. “What are you, a kid? Building something like that?”

“Mm? But, Brother, you seemed to enjoy it quite a bit while helping me earlier.”

“That was just me pretending so you wouldn’t feel embarrassed, idiot.”

Honestly, it was kind of fun. In my previous life, I could never even imagine enjoying youth like this on a beach. Back then, summer vacation meant nothing more than grueling days filled with part-time labor just to make ends meet. Playing like this once in a while wasn’t so bad.

Building sandcastles with Berald, splitting into teams for a volleyball match, grilling meat over a fire, laughing and talking together—it all felt like a picture-perfect page out of youth itself. Embarrassing to look back on, probably, but it was a memory so good that I would want to experience it again someday.

Still, I need to get back on track with training tomorrow. A day’s rest is more than enough, I thought.

I was just about to head back to the resort when someone tugged lightly at my sleeve. It was Yurina.

“Um! Dale,” she said.

“What is it?”

She fidgeted, unable to meet my eyes. “Could we… stay a little longer? I, um, have something to show you.”

“Alright.”

I told the others I would handle the rest of the cleanup and urged them to head back first, even Iris, who insisted on staying. Somehow, I managed to push her along with the others. Then I returned to the spot where Yurina had asked me to meet.

The waves whispered under a darkened sky, and the moonlight shimmered on the surface of the sea, silver and serene.

Waiting there was not Yuren, but Yurina in her original form, dressed in a silver swimsuit, glowing under the moonlight.

“You came,” she said.

***

On the way back to the resort rooms, Iris suddenly stopped walking.

Camilla tilted her head. “What is it, Saintess?”

Iris bit her lip, lost in thought. Then, as if making up her mind, she turned around. “No. I can’t just leave Dale alone like this.”

“Saintess?”

“I’ll go meet him for a bit! You go on ahead to the room!”

Iris broke into a run, dashing toward the warp portal.

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