episode_0396

-Dag-dak, dag-dak, dag-dak.

“The weather is nice, Lilith.”

“Yes, Master Ethan.”

Another week has passed since the day I bought a swimsuit at Lizzy’s clothing store.

Ethan and I were driving south as usual in our carriage to take our last exploration class of the semester, ‘Exploring Oceanography.’

Compared to when I usually go to an inquiry class, I carry a bit more luggage and a carriage with one more person than usual.

“… If I had known this would happen, I would have learned to drive a carriage. Even so, I never thought I would be the only one at the head of the table… .”

“It’s okay, so don’t feel pressured, Isabel. I’m just sitting next to Lilith because I like it.”

“… How about you just return to the carriage, Master Ethan? It seems like Isabel is too burdened to be left alone in the carriage.”

“Well. Then, I’m so sorry that I have to make Lilith drive the carriage by herself. Even so, I was always indebted to Lilith in this inquiry class.”

“Uuuu… .”

Ethan was sitting next to me, making Isabelle sound like she was dying of regret, completely ignoring her doctor’s request.

Even though we are the same maids, I am probably more dominant than Isabel because I have spent more time with her for a long time, so it is inevitable that Ethan will unintentionally seem to treat her differently.

‘Well, I kind of expected this situation from the time the three of us got into the carriage like this.’

For your information, it is an oceanography exploration class, and the reason why Isabel is riding in the same carriage is because, as I mentioned earlier, this class is the last class of this semester.

After taking the oceanography exploration class, I was planning to return home to Blackwood Estate in a straight line instead of going through the hassle of going back to the academy. In the process, if we don’t want to leave Isabelle alone in the dormitory for several months, we have no choice but to move together like this.

Of course, in her case, there was no need to take the oceanography exploration class, so she could have just gone home with Harold… .

‘No matter how I think about it, making me go home alone with that arms-length Too Much Talker is too harsh.’

Also, throughout the trip back to the mansion, he would tell stories about his time as a war hero, his past with his wife, and Ethan’s bragging about his bravery, so it was obvious that it would be much more difficult for him to listen to it than it is now.

It was also a good opportunity since Isabelle said she had never seen the sea since she was born. I thought about going to buy a swimsuit in case she wanted to enjoy swimming in the sea too, but she steadfastly refused to do so.

She said she was sorry for interrupting Ethan and I’s trip, but since she couldn’t sit around and play around, she had to go and focus on her maid duties.

There are many lodgings nearby for the oceanography exploration class, so it would be easy to find a lodging with a small room attached for Isabelle to stay in. In the academy dormitory, she was also using a different room in the same dormitory, so there was no particular inconvenience for Ethan and I even though she was accompanying us. There was no reason to feel it.

“Now that I think about it, I think this is probably my first time going out to the sea like this. Since Blackwood Estate is inland, there is no need to go to the beach.”

“Master Ethan, is this your first time in the sea?”

“Have Lilith ever been to the sea?”

“… There is no such thing.”

… In any case, it was a story of memories from a past life, not the present.

Of course, when I played 『Luminor Academy』, I experienced quite a few oceanographic exploration events, so strictly speaking, I would have visited the oceans of this world at least 15 times.

“Really? Then can you explain what the beach is like?”

“First of all, the southern sea area is famous for its strong sunlight and high temperatures. Dry soil with little moisture is spread out, and waves occasionally roll in on the water. For your information, seawater contains salt, so even people who cannot swim may find that their bodies float more easily than usual. .”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Then, Lilith, maybe in the sea… .”

Ethan looked at me with anticipation after hearing my explanation about the sea, and Isabel’s voice called out occasionally from inside the carriage.

The Blackwood carriage, carrying a master and two maids, was moving leisurely towards Pliana Beach in the south.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The Blackwood carriage arrived at the seaside accommodation with Ethan and Isabel.

Perhaps because we left a little early, it seemed that the group had not arrived yet, so it was Ethan and I who took some time to get a place to stay with a view of the sea.

‘The seaside villa is likely to be used by someone else, so it would be better to find a suitable inn nearby.’

A good accommodation to increase the intimacy of all party members at once was the seaside villa in this oceanography exploration class.

Although the accommodation can accommodate approximately 8 to 10 people, living in a room with a warrior party already full of 8 people was not exactly the way I wanted to live.

Although we had no choice but to cooperate in the final boss battle of Oceanography Exploration, there was no need to stay in the same place and eat and sleep together.

“If there is a triple room with a separate room, can I rent it for a week? And also a week’s worth of horse fodder and wagon storage… .”

Actually, like other inquiry classes, the class ends in 4 nights and 5 days, but the reason I decided to make it a week was because I wanted to use this opportunity to spend a little more time on vacation with Ethan.

I had a bit of a break from the last necromancy class, but honestly, it was more like a little leisure found in a crisis rather than a vacation.

On the other hand, Pliana Beach was clearly a background created for people to play around as it was a map created by the game company for a swimsuit event. As I already said on the way from the carriage, it was a place that was difficult to come to even once in a lifetime, so I guess I should take a good nap and go back now that I’m here.

Ethan had already agreed to this, so there was no particular problem. The same goes for Isabel.

“It looks like his party hasn’t arrived yet.”

“That guy… Oh, are you talking about the hero’s party?”

“Yes. Last time, the hero said that he was also taking an oceanography exploration class. Bring all your party members with you.”

“… … ?”

… When did the two of you become close enough to even have private conversations without my knowledge?

It seems that the fact that we fought and risked each other’s lives during the last humanities inquiry class, and that we shared the same dormitory, helped us become closer.

Well, since we were in the same grade and in the same department to begin with, and were both main characters in 『Luminor Academy』, it might be more like we became friends too late.

Other than that, the three people were carrying their luggage while talking about their current life at the academy and recent acquaintances.

Not only did we have to move all the luggage that we would take to the Blackwood family for a few days to take an inquiry class, but the amount was quite large.

“Phew, I think this is the end.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Master Ethan. Also, I am sorry for making Master Ethan help with what was originally supposed to be me and Isabelle.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Lilith. I did it because I wanted to. If we move it this quickly, we can rest together quickly.”

“That is also true. Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that Master Ethan has done a great job, so I would like to express my gratitude.”

As I was contemplating whether to unpack my belongings that I had moved into the hotel and pack up what I would use today, or go downstairs and have a meal at the inn first, I heard the sound of a carriage coming from outside.

Seeing a gorgeous imperial carriage and an equally gorgeous castle carriage coming in, it was not difficult to guess that it was a party of warriors.

-Dag-dak, dag-dak, dag-dak… .

‘They are destined to be noticed wherever they go.’

From around Part 4, the hero party’s whereabouts cannot be publicly announced, so those loud carriages will not be used, but the story is still in the middle of Part 3.

In particular, Seraphine, a member of the royal family, and Serista, a saint, had to be constantly informed of where they were in the empire and where they were moving, so no matter what, they had no choice but to travel in that gorgeous carriage.

“Ugh, hmmm… !”

“… Well, we’ve finally arrived, hero! Is this where we will stay during this oceanography class?”

“Okay. Remember, we’ll be staying here for the next five days. In particular, Silena said that it looks like a similar house, so don’t just go into it, but remember what’s written on the doorplate.”

“Do you know what kind of child I am? Don’t ignore an elf’s memory.”

“… Okay, let’s go in quickly. If you want to make noise, you can do so inside… .”

A warrior party that appears to have arrived with 8 party members, just as it was in the humanities exploration class the other day.

As I was watching blankly, wondering if the members were still the same or not, I saw another fancy carriage creeping up behind them.

-Dag-dak, dag-dak… .

‘… … hmm?’

Another royal carriage followed a little later than the arrival time of the two carriages.

‘Who is it? Is it just a wagon? If there was a royal family other than Seraphine in the Academy, it would probably be Mezlen… .’

“Lilith, let’s have dinner first. I pack my bags and have a shower after eating.”

“… Understood, Master Ethan.”

Because of Ethan’s call to go down for a meal, we didn’t even know who was coming down.

… I could only assume that Seraphine, who had a lot of things to pack, would have brought along the same luggage as me and Ethan when returning home.