SPLASH SLOSH SPLASH

  A sparkling sea of stars glimmered as sunlight reflected all across the vast os. The sky was blue and so was the waters u, the salty and refreshing breeze blowing towards the nds as the sky climbed the horizons.

  The palm trees stood proud by the shores and their leaves swayed by the rhythm of the winds. The grains of sand ran all throughout the beach, passing by the crabs and shells just going about their usual days. The waves spshed again.

  Such a white beach was a beauty to behold, a treasure in the sea of blue. But even more so was the silver-haired elf standing on it, her hair sparkling like jewels as it fluttered in the winds, her eyes as blue as the sea before her.

  "'t you stay even a little bit longer?" ［Marika］

  "We'd love to, but we have a schedule to catch." ［Yuna］

  "Mmn... It 't be helped then..." ［Marika］

  "Fufufu! Don't be too sad now, Marika. We'll drop by from time to time, and you also call us whenever you want." ［Yuna］

  The sun had risen a several times, and the days epsed in the blink of a has been quite some time since Grey and Yuna visited the Royal Capital, and after finalizing their pns for their destination, they quickly set off.

  Sii was the furthest pce Grey khe two of them decided to pay the isnd a visit and start their journey from there. They spent a couple hours with the vilgers and everyone, just spending some happy times together.

  "It may be a bit te... But Great Chief, you sure look good in formal attire." ［Grey］

  "Hahaha. Thank you so much, Lrey. I was just in a meeting a couple ho. It feels stifling, but I'm gd you think so." ［Manelo］

  "Thehat mean we'll see Marika in a dress soon?" ［Grey］

  "Hahaha. She had the pleasure of wearing one just a couple days ago, actually. And I must say, she really did fit them quite nicely." ［Manelo］

  "P-Papa! Geez! I told you not to talk about that!" ［Marika］

  And speaking of Ti, they have been slowly but surely iing themselves in the Kingdom, all the while still retaining their own culture. It was a slow and gradual process which won't be ending anytime soon.

  For now, the Chiefdom is a special autonomous territory of Alfrione, and it is still not sidered a "True" vassal of the Kingdom. Not until the Chiefdom has fully stabilized and ied will the whole process be finalized by the High Officials.

  The King has been thinking of granting the Great Chief the rank of either "Baron" or "Vist", but that will take some time and sideration from both sides. After all, Alfrione isn't izing nor invading Ti, but annexing it. A peaceful retionship.

  A title, huh... Somehow, it feels a little strange... ［Grey］

  Really? Isn't it normal for territories to be annexed by rger ones? ［Yuna］

  I don't know... It just feels strange... ［Grey］

  Prey over and ain. After all, the culture in Merusia is rgely simir to Western Europe oh ba the Medieval Ages. Seeing Austronesian culture go along with western feudalism just felt a little strange.

  Well, no matter how stra will be, only ohing is sure, and that is, Ti will be the smallest territory in the Kingdom, smaller than the smallest Barony. Ironically, it would be richer than most Visties with all its natural resources. Truly absurd.

  "Then, just give us a call when you want. We'll be heading out now." ［Grey］

  "A-Ah, yes! Goodbye, Big Sister Yuna～! Big Brrey～!" ［Marika］

  "Fufufu! Goodbye too, Marika, Great Chief. See you ime～!" ［Yuna］

  "Have a safe journey, Lrey, Lady Yuna. Until ime." ［Manelo］

  There was no time to waste. With aing journey ahead of them, Grey and Yuna soon called for Sirius and her beautiful ptinum figure appeared out of thin air, the winds blowing away the sands as she spread her wings.

  Two figures hopped on her bad held on tight. She fpped her wings and she soared towards the endless blue sky, pierg the clouds and leaving rings of vapor and lines of white as she darted throughout the endless blue.

  Their destination was the Western ti of Vartes, located almost a dozen thousand kilometers from the isnds of Oiros. Though, with Sirius flying, it would be a journey which will only take a leisurely two days.

  And unlike Oiros which resembles Western Europe, Vartes resembles the traditional Middle Eastern nations ba Earth, from clothing to building. It was aing experieheir blood boiling by the sed.

  "Mmn～! Sirius, speed up faster, please～!" ［Yuna］

  "Uood, Mistress." ［Sirius］

  Sirius headed Yuna's words and she fpped her wings even harder and faster, the beats resounding like thunder and her figure resembling that of a shooting star from afar, a young dy smiling brightly on her back.

  Time passed just like that and the sea remained as blue as the sky. The whole view was blue as be, lush isnds of green and rocky isnds of gray dotted here and there. There were also wonderful events to spot to make their journey iing.

  From massive waves spshing all over the pce to whales rising from the surface to breathe and make waves as they jumped. There were all sorts of hings both Grey and Yuna could rarely see, unfolding before their eyes.

  "Woah～! Grey, those weird fishes below us are called dolphins... Right? There are so many of them～!" ［Yuna］

  "I've never seen that many of them as well... I think it was called a 'Megapod' was it? There should be over a thousand dolphins there..." ［Grey］

  "Over a thousand... That's amazing..." ［Yuna］

  Or so Grey said so like an expert, but actually, he's only seen them in animal and nature dotaries on televisions. He's seen some dolphins in aquariums before, but never a group se, it covers hectares of surface area.

  Of course, it was a first for Yuna as well, her eyes sparkling ever shtly as she looked down the blue sea, satisfying her curiosity like a little child. Grey asked Sirius to slow down so that the young dy could have a good view.

  "And no, I don't know if they're edible or not." ［Grey］

  "But I haven't said anythi... I'm not that gluttonous, you know..." ［Yuna］

  "Sure, sure. Let's just go with that." ［Grey］

  "Mou... I don't want to talk to you anymore..." ［Yuna］

  Or so she says, pouting and puffing her cheeks, trying not to look Grey in the eyes. Meanwhile, Grey was only smiling ever so softly, chug at how cute his fiancée was. It didn't even take a minute before Yuna talked to Grey again.

  Flocks of seagulls h over the sea, flying fishes jumping in and out of the sea, massive whale-type beasts spanning over a hundred meter long, colorful and radiant coral reefs, aiful sandy beaches sprawling over the isnds they passed by.

  A couple more hours passed and soon, the sun slowly started sinking down the sky. Afternoon has already arrived, and lunch has passed. It was finally time to take a break and enjoy themselves for a little while.

  "Oh, that looks like a nice isnd. What do you think, Yuna?" ［Grey］

  "Grey, you do know I 't see as far as you dht?" ［Yuna］

  "ht... Hahaha. Silly me." ［Grey］

  After spotting a nice-looking aively rge isnd over the distance, Grey then asked Sirius to nd over there a for a while. She fpped her wings, the sands blown away once again as she nded her ptinum figure.

  The isnd was not very big, just spanning about a few hectares. Still it was plete with rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, a small forest, and some beautiful coves spread all over the isnd. It was a nice pake a resort.

  Most of all, it was located in the middle of the o, a few thousand kilometers away from the mainnds. It ce which they could have for themselves, not a single person to bother them as they eheir leisure. The perfect isaway.

  "Hmm... Should we make a beach house here?" ［Grey］

  "A beach house? Why so suddenly?" ［Yuna］

  "Nothing much... I just thought it's a nice pce to spend some time together. You know, for vacations and stuff. Like a secret hideout." ［Grey］

  "Ohh! That's a nice idea, Grey! We should do that!" ［Yuna］

  Grey mentio to his beloved, and the tter agreed almost immediately. Just the sound of a "secret hideout" got her blood all riled up. Her imagination ran wild, all sorts of ses and series pying out inside her head.

  The young dy's eyes were sparkling brighter than the sun as she thought of all sorts of things to add to their future isaway house. Grey knows those things would be far from possible, but she looked very adorable thinking so, so he just let her be.

  Thankfully, Grey mao vince his fiao calm down. They decided to struct the beach house ohey had free time and finished everything. They'll make sure to make the best beach house possible.

  "Then, should we start cooking, Midy?" ［Grey］

  "Un!" ［Yuna］

  Grey and Yuna wasted no time to prepare lunch, and without a hitch, pulled out their portable kit and pced it on the beach. They also structed a quick hut for shade with pnt magic, making a nice cozy pce for them.

  Though, while the two of them were cooking lunch, Grey couldn't help but notice the young dy's eyes gng towards the nearby forest from time to time. There was curiosity brewing in her eyes, obviously wanting to explore the isnd.

  "Haah... Just e back when lunch is finished. Go and enjoy yourself." ［Grey］

  "N-No! It's fine! We still o cook lunch, after all!" ［Yuna］

  "I cook lunch by myself just fine. Have a lot of fun, alright?" ［Grey］

  Of course, the fool that he was, Grey couldn't help but spoil his beloved. He's been teasing her ooo many times as of te, after all. He should also spoil her from time to time or else, she'll start sulking. He just loves her too much.

  "Grey～! I love you! You're really the bestest in the world!" ［Yuna］

  Her once hesitant eyes were quickly wiped away, her eyes now sparkling like the blue sea before her. She gave Grey a warm and tight embrace, a lovely smile blooming on her face as she snuggled her fa her chest.

  After a quick demonstration of affe, Yuna soo all the cooking to Grey and dashed towards the forest at full throttle, her eyes gleaming ever shtly. Her head immediately started turni and right, searg for all sorts of things.

  Well, I say all sorts of things, but as expected... The things she was searg for were her than herbs, fungi, and magits, and also some edible fruits and spices while she was at it. She was full of excitementー

  "Why...? Why...? Why isn't there any...? Why...?!" ［Grey］

  Unfortunately for Yuna, there were no such things as medial herbs to be found. There were only weeds, grass, vines, and flowers to be seen. And not a single one of such things could be used for alchemy as she hoped.

  If there was something to be happy about, it was that there were some edible fruits and berries growing here and there. She's never seen them before, but with a little sniff, she could tell that they weren't poisonous. She's an expert with pnt life, after all.

  "Mmn～! These are so sweet! Amazing!" ［Yuna］

  Surprisingly enough, the berries she picked were extremely sweet and juicy, tasting something like a strawberry, only a bit sweeter and packed with a citrus punch. It was her first time eating them, but she immediately fell in love with them.

  The young dy cheered up in an instant as soon as she had a taste of the berries, eating a couple more and stuffing her cheeks full of them. She was happy as be, her smile extending from oo another.

  "Right! Let's get some frey too!" ［Yuna］

  She flicked her fingers and a basket appeared out of thin air. Yuna then ran here and there, pig berries left and right, only leaving much behind for the birds and little critters of the isnd to eat. She couldn't just eat them all, after all.

  Her steps were light as a feather but her strides were as hasty as the wind. A single minute, a single basket of berries. And it wasn't just the berries. The young dy alsed some fruits for her and Grey to enjoy ter.

  Grey, I found some wonderful fruits and berries here. we grow some in the Sanctuary ter? I promise to look after them. ［Yuna］

  Sure, why not. Just don't the whole forest out, alright? ［Grey］

  Un! I'll keep that in mind! ［Yuna］

  Berries, fruits, nuts, and even more berries. Yuna tinued her fing, all the while meeting a couple tiny critters and some beautiful birds perg on the branches. She was full of happiness, expl the small isnd with her hasty steps.

  Well, with how small the isnd was, it wasn't long before she explored every nook and y of it, arriving on the edges of the isnd and greeted by a blue sery from all ahe sound of spshes echoed as the waves hit the cliffs.

  There were a couple isnds in sight, but most of them were rocky and void of aation, not as beautiful as the isnd they are in right now. Still, it was beautiful and mystical, Yuna snapping a couple of pictures.

  "Oh, you're back already?" ［Grey］

  "Well, the isnd isn't that big, after all. I found some iing things, but it's mostly normal in all pces. Too normal, actually" ［Yuna］

  "Hmm... I don't think it will be that b soon enough." ［Grey］

  "Hm? What do youー" ［Yuna］

  SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH ROOOAAAAARRRRR

  Yuna couldn't even finish her words, when a cacophony of spshes and gushes rang out all throughout the sea. A massive, unnatural wave rose from afar, apanied by a deafening roar of not just one, but multiple creatures.

  A riot of aquatic beasts rushed forth towards them, seemingly stampeding and shing out violently. Massive waves and streams were made on their wake, chaos and danger rushing about in the deep sea of blue.

  Most of the beasts were E-rank and below, but the rger ones were at k, and even at B-rank. There was also a massive whale amongst the beasts, a gargantua spanning over a hundred meters, eyes filled with panic.

  "Waah... That's amazing... Does this always happen in the sea...?" ［Yuna］

  "I highly doubt it. In the first pce, many of those beasts are territorial and would kill one a sight. Something abnormal is happening." ［Grey］

  "Phew... That's a relief. We don't want our beach house to be destroyed every time, after all. That would be troublesome!" ［Yuna］

  "Yuna... This isn't the time to be worried about that, you know..." ［Grey］

  It was a disastrous sight, able to destroy port and coastal towns in a jiffy, but Grey and Yuna were not scared, or rather, they were uhey simply watched the sery unfold as if it was some sort of amusing spectacle.

  After all, it wasn't the first time Grey and Yuna saw such a sight. When they knew of Ti, they also entered a rampage of aquatic beasts, endangering the fishing boats and patrolling ships. It was too simir to be a ce.

  "Hm? Why are ying out the camera, Grey?" ［Yuna］

  "Just got a feeling... Is all..." ［Grey］

  Grey spared no time and quickly whipped out the camera and a tripod with it as well. He quickly set it up and pced it firmly on the sandy beach, making sure it was stable with the use of magid tur on soon after.

  BEEP BEEP SHUTTER

  A couple beeps echoed in the air, and the camera started rec the se. Since Grey made it with the use of magic, it should be able to record a clear crity even if he zoomed a couple dozen times and slowed down ses several times.

  He doesn't know when he'll be able to use such footage, but it was better to be safe than never. He couldn't point his finger around it, but he had an ominous premonition about what was happening before them. It was good that he upgraded the camera.

  "Grey... Just asking, but... How many of those beasts are edible?" ［Yuna］

  And just when Grey couldn't be any more worried, Yuna suddenly surprised him with a suddeion, a bright smile blooming on her face. It came out of nowhere, all the worries Grey once had quickly dissipated.

  "Well... At least none of them are poisonous..." ［Grey］

  "Fufufu! Great! Then, I'll go hunting for a while and cate fresh ingredients for us. Let's add them to our menu!" ［Yuna］

  "Haah... Whatever... Go suit yourself." ［Grey］

  There was no point thinking too much about it. With such fierce determination burning in her eyes, there was no way Grey could stop Yuna. He simply let her do whatever she wanted, heaving a lengthy sigh as he tio cook.

  Meanwhile, the young dy had already set her eyes towards her targets, log her sights on the big ones whilst w what they'd taste like. Just thinking about it was more than enough to make her blood boil iement.

  The young dy reached out one of her hands towards one of the B-ras and aimed for its head. It may be uer, but there's no way she'll miss such a neon red color, practically aiming to be hit. She soon shot her shotー

  "Hm? Couldn't I just use that?" ［Yuna］

  ... Or at least, she was about to do so.

  Suddenly, a random thought appeared in her mind. She has mostly been using her daggers ic to finish off oppos, but retly, she has gained a new ability which she hasn't mastered quite skillfully.

  The only time Yuna could use su ability was in the sanctuary against Grey or the familiars. She could never use them in the real world where forests and pins were as fragile as grass. However, such a ditio apply right now.

  Realizing such a situation, a bright aed smile bloomed on Yuna's face. She lowered down her hands and inhaled a breath of fresh air. She held her breath for a short while, a brilliant and cold gleam shining from her eyes.

  "The's find out, shall we?" ［Yuna］

  She activated the "Winter Forest" and took her step. The once warm and salty breeze quickly turned cold in a mere instant, snow started falling in the middle of the o and a deadly blizzard blew and touched the sea of blue.

  Starting from where her foot rickly frost and ice spread all throughout the blue sea and froze all water in sight, spreading in an instant and dev everything in sight as if there was no tomorrow, the sea painted a gcial blue color.

  The once violent waves which rushed malevolently were frozen in an instant, thick sheets and ks of ice yered atop one another and everything reag the freezing point. Frozeation grew lush and tremendously.

  "Hm? That's iing." ［Grey］

  "Oh? you see what's happening, Grey?" ［Yuna］

  "Yeah. Wait a moment. I'll share my sight with you real quick." ［Grey］

  It wasn't just the surface. Uer was starting to freeze as well, roots of id frost brang out ever so quickly and turning several meters into a massive gcier, extending even further as time passed.

  After the roots, as if mirr the surface, an uer Winter Forest was created, trees and grass extending even further as if trying to prove that the water was their nourishment, growing even more lush than above.

  As for the beasts, there was o say anything. They were all pinned down by the massive ks of ieedles of thin frost pierg their insides and killing them in an instant, as mercilessly and coldly as possible.

  Even the hardier and more resistant ones only sted a few seds, their fmes of life swallowed by Yuna's endless frost. They may be B-ras but pared to Yuna, they were nothing but small fries. Just some strange fishes, as she would say.

  "Ehh... Are they all... dead...?" ［Yuna］

  "Yeah. Seems like it." ［Grey］

  Yuna wao fight and hunt, but with her gaining the most advantageous domain, the effectiveness of her ability was multiplied several fold. No, it was too effective, it didn't even st a minute. Looks like fighting will be left for another dayー

  CRACK CRA

  ... Or at least, so it seemed. When suddenly, anargantua ehe fray and shed broke through the sheets of ice. It shed its tentacles around, its eyes glowing a deep and fierce red color.

  CHAPTER 403 END