After a pleasant soak in the hot springs, we made our way to the annex restaurant. Even though the Holy Empire wasn’t exactly famous for its cuisine, the dishes laid out before us looked so appetizing they made my mouth water. The luxury inn’s reputation as a premier tourist destination wasn’t just for show; the chefs had put real effort into presentation.
With our bodies still warm from the bath and a table overflowing with delicacies, it should’ve been a perfect, blissful combination, one that would naturally make anyone smile. Yet, the atmosphere in the restaurant was as cold as a winter blizzard.
Laneige said, “Uwaaaah! I-I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Don’t sit next to ,” replied Senior Sophia. “Ahh! Why is this world so unfair?”
“C-co on! We’re friends! Friends sit next to each other!” Laneige replied.
Senior Sophia snapped at her, driving her away with a venomous glare. “Who’s your friend, you traitor!”
Over at another table, Camilla seed to be losing her faith entirely. “Maybe. Maybe the gods themselves are unjust beings.”
“What on earth happened?” I asked Iris quietly.
Iris shook her head, looking just as confused as I was. “I’m not really sure. Camilla and Senior Sophia have been muttering about ‘wealth inequality’ and ‘revolution’ for a while. I have no idea what they an.”
“I tried asking too, but they wouldn’t answer,” Yurina added with a shrug.
Senior Sophia and Camilla, who had sohow beco best friends since the hot springs, sulked together in the corner. While I didn’t know what had gone down, I knew that getting involved would probably just make things worse. So, I decided to leave them be.
I instead turned my attention to the feast spread across the table. “Wow! Are we really in the Holy Empire right now?”
Every dish looked exquisite, almost glittering. Despite the Holy Empire’s reputation for bland food, this place had clearly gone the extra mile for tourists.
“Hehe. See? I told you! Holy Empire food can be delicious when made properly!” Iris said, beaming.
“Well, to be fair, I don’t see many traditional dishes here,” I replied.
Still, as long as it tasted good, who was I to complain?
Iris continued softly, “You know, it feels a little strange being here, just relaxing like this.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because this is the Termal Region, the place where Lady Grace rests. I ca here a few tis before for the Seven Star Church’s ceremonies, but... Back then, I could never have imagined just sitting down and having fun like this.”
“Ah! right.”
If the trip had been for religious purposes, there was no way Iris would have been able to enjoy hot springs and fine dining the way we were now.
“Grace, the Light of Life... She was revered as a Saintess here in the Holy Empire, wasn’t she?” I asked.
Iris nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”
“I see. It’s a little different from how the Republic tells it.”
“How do they tell it over there?” she asked.
“Well, her fa isn’t quite the sa. Each country tells its own version of the Great Five Heroes’ stories. They emphasize their hero’s deeds more or polish up their personalities a bit to suit the national narrative.”
That was just how history worked, filtered and retold until it fit what people wanted to believe. It was especially so for Grace. Compared to tales of the Knight of the Sun Reynald slaying thousands of demons or Iron Fist Ryu Jin-Sung smashing the Archbishop’s skull, Grace’s healing miracles weren’t nearly as sensational. Outside the Holy Empire, most people didn’t even know who she really was.
Regardless, I found myself curious about her and asked, “What kind of person was she, really?”
Iris tilted her head. “Lady Grace?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s said she was infinitely compassionate and kind. There’s even a story that she used a divine relic, one gifted directly by the gods, just to heal a wounded child.”
I nodded, intrigued. “I’ve never heard that one before.”
“Hm. I think that was part of the first-year history class at the Hero Academy,” she replied.
“I must’ve been asleep.”
Well, there was a reason I was at the bottom of the class.
I then looked at Iris. “Oh, by the way, Grace had the Seven Eyes too, didn’t she? Like you?”
Iris gently brushed her fingertips along her eyes. “Yes, of course. The Seven Eyes are a divine blessing passed down to every Saintess.”
“Does that an you’re one of Grace’s distant descendants?”
“Oh, no. The Seven Eyes aren’t hereditary like a soul stigmata. They’re more like a blessing or a divine favor, sothing that manifests suddenly, without any warning.”
When she finished, her expression dimd slightly. She was once a girl who had lived an ordinary life, but that had changed forever when she awakened the Seven Eyes. Whether that change was a blessing or a curse was another question entirely.
Iris softly admitted, “There was a ti when I resented these eyes. But not anymore.”
Then she smiled at , bright and gentle. “Because if I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now, Dale.”
“Iris...”
A quiet, tender atmosphere settled between us until, of course, soone else interrupted us. It was Professor Baldwin and Yurina.
“Ahem! Have you two perhaps forgotten the rest of us are still here?”
“So unfair, the way you two just... Ugh.”
Their pointed stares broke the mont instantly.
Coughing, I apologized. “Sorry about that!”
Professor Baldwin flashed a sly smile. “Hehe! Anyway, just eating like this is boring, isn’t it? How about a little drink?”
“Are you sure that’s all right?”
“Why not? The official itinerary starts tomorrow. Let’s enjoy ourselves a bit tonight.”
She called over a server and ordered a few bottles.
With the glasses in place, she said, “All right then! Cheers to a pleasant field trip.”
Berald’s eyes glead. “Hehe! I don’t think I’ve ever tried the Holy Empire’s liquor before!”
He downed his glass in one go, and his face twisted instantly. Nevertheless, clutching his mouth, he sohow managed to swallow it down. “Gah!”
Professor Baldwin chuckled, clearly expecting that. “Hehe! The Holy Empire’s spirits are famous for being potent.”
“Doesn’t really fit their holy image,” Yurina muttered.
Professor Baldwin turned to her. “Not a fan of alcohol, Yurina?”
Yurina carefully replied, “It’s not that I dislike it. I’ve just avoided it since I was worried it might interfere with training.”
“Well, tonight there’s no sword practice to worry about. Why not have a taste?”
Yurina finally picked up her glass of wine. “All right, then, I’ll try.”
Without hesitation, she downed the entire thing in one go.
“Wait! Holy Empire liquor isn’t sothing you should just...”
Yurina blinked, eyes gleaming as she lowered her empty glass. “Oh, that’s actually not bad! I’ve barely ever had alcohol before, just a sip or two at most, but this... This is surprisingly fragrant and pleasant.”
“Is that so?” Professor Baldwin replied with a hint of surprise.
“Yes. May I have another?”
“Hmph. Don’t overdo it, though.”
Yurina shrugged and held out her glass again, confident and unbothered. “Haha, I’ll be fine.”
She said with a playful grin, “Professor, you do know whose descendant I am, don’t you?”
Thus, the night of our field trip truly began with laughter, a feast, and the faintest warmth of camaraderie under the golden lights of the Holy Empire.
***
Our drinking session lasted for an hour or so.
When it ended, Yurina swayed in place, her half-lidded eyes scanning the room for . “Hehehe! Daaaaale. Where are youuu?”
I sighed, watching her stumble about completely drunk. It made recall that Yuren was always bad with alcohol in my past life. Even when Berald and I drank ourselves half to death every other night, Yuren would quietly sit under a tree, sipping tea instead.
Professor Baldwin smirked, dryly saying, “Hmph! Looks like our great hero’s descendant is utterly wasted.”
She turned to . “Since you’re sharing a room with Yurina, would you mind looking after her?”
“Honestly, this is your fault for giving her the drink in the first place,” I replied.
“She was the one insisting she could handle it. That’s hardly my responsibility.”
Groaning under my breath, I helped the drunken Yurina to her feet and guided her out.
As we walked, she clung to my arm like a child and said, “Daaaaaaaale. Carry ee.”
The sharp scent of liquor hit square in the nose.
I sighed again and crouched so she could climb onto my back. “Fine. Get on.”
But as soon as I started walking, she kicked her legs happily from where she hung behind .
Full of excitent, she said, “Hehe! Let’s go for a walk, Daleeeee!”
“What? No. You’re going straight to bed.”
She tugged insistently at my shoulders, whining like a spoiled child. “Waaaaaaalk!”
Eventually, I gave in and changed direction toward the inn’s garden. Moonlight bathed the path, glimring on the carefully arranged stones and flowerbeds.
Her voice ca softly from behind my ear. “Dale, your back’s warm.”
Through the thin fabric of her clothes, which she had freshly changed after the bath, I could feel her warmth against my skin. The sensation clouded my thoughts for a mont, until suddenly, a faint white glow flickered before my eyes.
“Huh?”
I wondered what it could be. It wasn’t fireflies since the light was too bright. Soon, I spotted it: a small orb, about the size of a fist, floating around in slow circles, humming gently before darting off into the dark.
“What the hell was that?” I muttered and almost took a step to follow it.
However, Yurina said in a slurred voice, “Ugh! Dale. My head’s spinning.”
Setting aside the strange light for now, I turned back toward our room. “Alright. Let’s go back.”
Once we got there, I laid her down on the bed. Thankfully, since she had already changed after the hot springs, I didn’t have to worry about that.
“Dale, thirsty,” she said.
“I’ll get you so water.”
I poured a glass of cold water and handed it to her. She took it in both hands and gulped it down eagerly, like a little squirrel with an acorn.
“Haaah.”
“Feeling any better?” I asked.
“Mm! Yesh! Fine.”
She didn’t look fine.
“Just lie down and get so rest.”
I turned to head for my own bed when Yurina suddenly grabbed my hand and tugged down beside her. “Hiiiyahhh!”
Before I could react, she straddled , her silver hair catching the moonlight streaming through the window, glimring like liquid light.
“Y-Yurina?”
“Dale, why don’t you ever touch ?”
“What?”
“We’re dating, aren’t we? Shouldn’t we at least... kiss?”
Now that she ntioned it, I had kissed Iris and even Professor Baldwin before. But I had yet to kiss Yurina.
Her flushed face hovered inches above mine, eyes hazy with heat and alcohol. “Or do you just not want to?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, her soft lips pressed against mine. “Mmph.”
I could sll the faint taste of wine, her warm breath, and a gentle, clumsy tongue brushing against mine. It was dizzying.
“Hehe. Finally, our first kiss.”
I reached up toward her. “Yurina.”
However, she suddenly lurched away. “Ugh! M-my stomach—”
She scurried away, clamping a hand over her mouth, and bolted for the bathroom. “Bleghhhh!”
I followed with a resigned sigh, holding her hair back as she leaned over the toilet, retching miserably. Rubbing the back of my neck, I just stared at the scene.
Unbelievable. Kissing and then imdiately throwing up?
It almost felt like sohow, I was the one who had done sothing wrong.
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