Seaside Accessories

They spent the rest of the evening at the inn in relative peace.

Moving around under the intense sun took more out of a person than expected, and while Azu and the others were fine, Yohane was thoroughly exhausted.

He declared that relaxing in an expensive inn was part of the vacation experience, then immediately flopped down.

"So monsters show up in the ocean too."

"Well, yeah. A place with no monsters would mean no life exists there."

"That's news to me."

"Ahaha, it's just a hypothesis. The Creator King faith goes back a long time, so. I don't know what the Sun God faith's take on it is, though…"

Elza said that much, then let the topic drop.

This priestess definitely has the most secrets among us, Alexia thought to herself.

For a cleric of a religion that was all but extinct—one serving in the provinces, no less—she had a strangely broad range of knowledge.

Azu didn't seem particularly bothered.

Having a reliable priestess counted for a lot.

"Hmm, if monsters disappeared, we'd have less work too."

"That's true. Not that we're doing it by choice."

"For now, I think things are fine the way they are. What happens later is up to Master."

Elza glanced toward Yohane, who was lying down.

He should have been able to hear them talking, but there was no response.

He appeared to be completely asleep.

"Well, knowing his personality, I don't think he'd toss us aside the moment we stopped being useful. He put it into words for us too."

"Yes. I'm not worried about that."

There was a time when this kind of topic would have put a flicker of uncertainty in Azu's eyes.

But now, there was none of that.

"You've gotten stronger."

"Children grow up fast."

"Um, thank you…?"

Eventually the sun sank low, painting the sky a deep red.

The clouds, the sea—everything was steeped in the colors of sunset.

Azu woke Yohane from his nap.

"Look—it's beautiful."

The sight of the sun sinking into the ocean was nothing short of vast and magnificent.

Waking to that view, Yohane said nothing for a long moment, simply staring.

Azu stood beside him, watching him watch the sunset.

"I'm glad we came."

"Me too."

For dinner, they ate what the inn provided.

Salt-grilled monster fish—the same kind Azu and Elza had eaten earlier that day—along with impressive-looking sashimi of a blue-backed fish.

And rice.

"Can you really eat this fish raw?"

"They wouldn't serve it if you couldn't. I've never seen this kind of fish before, but it doesn't look like a freshwater species."

"I suppose that's true, but still."

After some debate, Yohane ended up being the designated taste-tester and confirmed it was, in fact, perfectly edible.

Not that there'd been any real danger to begin with, given Elza's purification miracle—but it was an unnecessary worry all the same.

The next day, swimming was banned at the beach due to the appearance of the dangerous Kraken monster.

No casualties had occurred yet, and the ban was the obvious precaution.

There were a few complaints, but since the area had developed enough as a tourist destination to offer plenty of entertainment beyond the beach, the crowds simply dispersed to other attractions.

Still, the ocean was the main draw.

A prolonged closure would mean a steady decline in visitors.

He felt some sympathy, even if it wasn't really his problem.

Munching on fruit, the four of them wandered into the shopping district.

They hadn't made it over here yesterday, so the timing worked out.

First, they browsed a shop selling ocean-themed accessories.

Pearls, processed coral—items you could only find by the sea were on display.

The presentation was well thought out, too. Everything was arranged to look its best while still being easy to pick up and examine.

Very instructive, Yohane thought, studying the layout—when the shop owner, a woman, emerged from the back.

"See anything you like?"

"I was just admiring the quality of your merchandise."

Alexia shot him a look that said she could see right through him, but Yohane ignored it.

This was a necessary skill for doing business.

You couldn't even get started without it.

"For your young ladies?"

"I was thinking about it. I'd also like to bring a few pieces back home if possible."

In Spartia, jewelry and accessories were state-controlled, which made sourcing them straightforward despite limited quantities.

But in a tourist spot like this, wholesale purchasing was impossible unless you won the shopkeeper over first.

Buying a few souvenirs was one thing, but wanting to buy in bulk just meant you'd be told there were plenty of other buyers to go around.

"Hmm, I can sell you enough for presents for your ladies, but beyond that… Normally I wouldn't mind, but right now it's a little difficult."

"I see. That's a shame. Then I'll take these, please."

Yohane selected some accessories and paid.

Three pieces. Eight gold coins total.

Not cheap. Quite a sum, actually.

After leaving the shop, he handed one to each of them.

For Azu, a matching pair of blue coral earrings.

For Elza, a pearl ring.

For Alexia, a hair ornament crafted from jade-green coral.

"Think of it as a vacation souvenir."

"Th-thank you so much!"

"My. I'll graciously accept."

"I'm so happy—does it look good on me?"

They each put on their gifts immediately, and the accessories brought out their individual charms perfectly.

"They suit you well. Money well spent."

"That was expensive, though… Are you sure?"

"If I don't give back once in a while, people lose their motivation. Especially when they start wondering what they're even working for."

"That's true. People don't run on purpose alone. Although someone as straightforward as Azu might be the exception."

"You can't live on good feelings."

"I thought I was already giving back plenty in our day-to-day life, but sure."

Giving up on the wholesale idea, they drifted from shop to shop.

One place even offered light gambling. Surprisingly, Alexia turned out to be bad at it, while Elza was good.

Even more surprising was how good Azu was—so good that they were politely shown the door.

"If I just follow things with my eyes, I can usually win."

"I think that only works for you…"

Azu's eyes weren't just excellent—they were on an entirely different level.

That was likely what gave her such remarkable combat instincts.