Ch.94Rest at the Sea (5)

I somehow managed to survive, but an unforgettable memory has been permanently etched into my mind. Thanks to that, I don’t think I’ll ever play beach volleyball again.

But can we even call that beach volleyball? It was probably more like a life-or-death battle than beach volleyball.

Anyway, even though that insane battle has ended, it’s still only 3 o’clock. Now I really need to rest.

But just as I was about to head to the parasol, Agath blocked my way and said,

“Lite? Do you want to play beach volleyball with just us now?”

“I’m really tired… so I just want to rest…”

“Coming all the way to the beach and just resting without doing anything? That’s such a waste. Let’s just have fun.”

“I guess doing nothing does feel a bit wrong.”

“Right? So now let’s play bea—”

“I’ll go fishing with Leo.”

Fishing is an activity that doesn’t require much energy. Plus, I rarely get the chance to do it except at times like this.

I should just go fishing and rest a bit. As I started walking with that thought, Agath showed her disappointment and said,

“But then I can’t take sexy photos…”

“That’s exactly why I’m going.”

“You’re reeeally a bad girl.”

“Thanks, Agath, you’re really disgusting too.”

With that, I walked over to where Leo and Yong-in were.

***

When I arrived at the same spot as before, I heard the same conversation as earlier.

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“So it is.”

They must be using the same magic as before to make their conversation unintelligible. At least I know what’s going on this time.

“Hello, do you have any extra fishing gear?”

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“You know your speech sounds weird, right?”

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

Leo suddenly started using hand signals to express what he wanted to say. I guess that means he can’t speak properly.

“So you’re saying you can’t undo the magic, right?”

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“So it is.”

“…This is driving me crazy.”

Leo kept repeating the same confusing words while handing me a spare fishing rod. Let’s just quietly fish now.

***

I was definitely trying to focus on fishing. But one critical problem arose.

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“So it is.”

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“So it is.”

The problem was that the mind-numbing conversation kept repeating endlessly. If it at least sounded different each time, it might be bearable, but even the tone was exactly the same, making it even more maddening.

Thanks to this, I’m experiencing mental anguish instead of peace. Still, it’s much better than being with Agath.

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“So it is.”

I take that back. Being with Agath would probably be more mentally stable.

“Can’t you make the conversation audible to me too?”

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“Damn it, you know I can’t understand you!”

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“So it is.”

“…I’m just going to leave.”

“Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.”

“So it is.”

So I fled at full speed from this cursed place and returned to where everyone else was.

Then Agath approached me with an excited expression, holding a fish.

“Look at this! A fish…”

“Aaaaaaaargh!”

What’s going on? Has the magic effect not worn off yet? Or am I still within the range of the spell?

Just as I was about to flee much further away, Agath dejectedly said,

“What’s wrong with a fish…?”

“…Can you say something other than ‘it’s a fish’?”

“Why are you suddenly talking nonsense?”

“Say something more, I don’t care if it’s even a dirty joke, just say anything other than ‘fish’!”

“Lite, take off your swim—”

“I’m sorry. Please refrain from dirty jokes after all.”

Even a fish is better than a dirty joke. Now that I’ve experienced both, I know for sure.

Anyway, as I finally started to find some mental peace, Agath asked curiously,

“So what happened that made you suddenly try to seduce me into making dirty jokes?”

“I heard the same lines for almost an hour.”

“What lines did you hear that made you like this?”

“‘Hey. Look at that, it’s a fish.’ ‘So it is.'”

“Don’t joke around, who would say those lines for an entire hour?”

“Leo and Yong-in.”

“…They’re mages, you should understand.”

There’s a rumor that all mages are mentally ill. That’s definitely not just a rumor but the truth.

“But why do you suddenly have a fish?”

“It was floating around nearby, so I just picked it up.”

“Isn’t the water shallow here? Why was a fish floating around?”

“Remember what happened during beach volleyball earlier?”

“…It’s amazing there’s only this one fish.”

Anyway, now there’s really nothing to disturb my peace. So I’m really going to rest now.

“Then I’m going to rest a bit.”

So I was finally about to relax under the parasol…

“Hi, did you enjoy fishing?”

But this time, Ju-an came over and started talking to me. Well, I guess it is a bit odd to just rest when we’ve come all the way to the beach.

“No. It was a truly horrible time. So, is there anything fun to do?”

“Want to build a sand castle?”

“We’re not kids, why would we do that?”

“The Saint over there is enjoying it a lot.”

I never imagined Rebecca would have such a childish side, building sand castles. With that thought, I turned my head toward where Rebecca was.

There I saw a magnificent sand castle as tall as a three-story building, with Rebecca happily refining it from the top.

I’d like to retract my statement about her childish side and replace it with: Rebecca has the qualities of a sand castle master.

“…How did you make this?”

“With sand and seawater!”

“Is that even possible?”

“When I turned the seawater into holy water and sprinkled it on the sand, it worked!”

“…”

Let’s assume holy water makes sand harden when it touches it. But that castle isn’t something that can be made in an hour.

She probably collaborated with others. There’s no way she could have made that alone.

“But who did you make this with?”

“I made it by myself!”

“…Is that possible?”

“It worked when I tried!”

Come to think of it, Rebecca’s physical abilities were much better than I thought. Then maybe it is possible.

“You made it really well.”

The castle is visually stunning from the outside. Plus, the height and proportions are all as precise as if measured with a ruler.

“Come see the inside too! I’m still far from finished!”

Rebecca shouted energetically from atop the sand castle, like a child at an amusement park. I wonder what’s inside.

With that thought, I entered and saw furniture made of sand and sand paintings hanging on the walls.

“What do you think? Aren’t they well-drawn?”

Rebecca shouted confidently. At this point, she should go beyond pride to self-indulgence.

“…How did you really do this?”

“I drew them myself!”

“…”

They say saints are beloved by God. So maybe it’s natural for her to have this much talent?

I don’t even feel inferior or anything. Instead, my mind is filled with awe.

“…I’ll go prepare dinner now.”

“It’s only 4 o’clock?”

“Since there are many people, there’s a lot to cook.”

“Alright, then I’ll help you.”

I needed all the help I could get in this situation, and luckily someone offered to assist. This will make things easier.

As we exited the sand castle, Rebecca suddenly stopped and said,

“Wait a moment, I have something to do.”

Then Rebecca pulled out a sand-made switch from her pocket. Just as I was about to ask what it was, Rebecca pressed the switch and…

BOOM!

The sand castle in front of us exploded.

“…How the hell did you do that?”

“First, I blessed myself with extremely good luck. Then I just piled sand randomly, and it turned out like this!”

“…Could you possibly cast that blessing on me sometime?”

“I’m sorry, this blessing can only be cast on myself, so I can’t do that for you.”

How lucky do you have to be for randomly piled sand to turn out like that? If her luck is this good, couldn’t she just use this against the Demon King and win?

The probability of that is practically zero, but I desperately wish it could happen.

Of course, if the problem could be solved so easily, there would have been no reason for me to come to this world. So I’ll just do what I can.

***

I’m currently doing what I consider to be the best action among those available to me.

That is, preparing tonight’s dinner.

…I mean, there’s nothing else I can influence, so what else am I supposed to do?

Anyway, I’m preparing ingredients with Rebecca’s help.

“Rebecca, could you pour some oil over there?”

“Sure.”

Rebecca took the oil and went to the kitchen next door.

BOOM!

And suddenly the kitchen exploded.

I ran toward the kitchen without a moment to think. There I saw the exploded gas stove.

“Rebecca, what did you do?”

“I poured the oil.”

“And that made the kitchen explode?”

“I know, right?”

Suddenly, various memories flashed through my mind.

The incident where Rebecca set the kitchen on fire while trying to heat milk, or when she created a bizarre combination of text claiming it was a kimchi stew recipe.

“…Where exactly did you pour the oil?”

“On the fire.”

“…You didn’t pour it on the frying pan, but directly onto the flame, did you?”

“Yes, I poured it directly on the fire.”

Okay, first let’s put out the fire and get Rebecca out of the kitchen immediately.

God seems quite fair. He gave her talent for building sand castles while simultaneously cursing her with terrible cooking skills.

Anyway, I made the best choice I could once again.

“Ju-aaaaan!”

I need to call Ju-an to help put out the fire and, while we’re at it, ask him to help prepare the ingredients.