Chapter 61
Brilliant sunlight poured down from the sky.
Heat haze rose from the scorched earth, and the horizon far in the distance sparkled like jewels as it reflected the light.
Blue sea and sky. White clouds.
A scene that screamed of summer spread out before them.
"Clael-sama! Look, it's the ocean, the ocean!"
"Yes, it's the ocean. Please don't stand up from your seat, it's dangerous."
"Amazing... It's so beautiful...!"
Reina pressed herself against the window of the magic train, her eyes sparkling as she gazed outside, captivated.
Clael shrugged with a helpless smile, his expression softening fondly.
Reina and Clael were riding the train together.
It was a magic train—not powered by steam or electricity, but by magical energy.
Since there were few stations and routes, the distance it could travel was limited... but in the game, it was the primary means of long-distance travel.
(There are no cars or steamships, but there are trains... What a strange world.)
Being a game, such inconsistencies were probably left vague.
But such things didn't matter—not when compared to Reina's smiling face right in front of him.
Reina and Clael were headed by train to a summer resort called Amira Coast.
Taking advantage of the summer vacation, they had left the shrine in the hands of a substitute priest and set off on a trip together.
Reina, thrilled by her first long trip with Clael, had been standing up from her seat and exclaiming excitedly for a while now.
"Clael-sama, look! It's the ocean!"
"It is the ocean."
"It's the mountains! And the beach!"
"Yes, the mountains. And the beach."
"It's a seagull! And a whale!"
"A seagull, yes. And a whale."
"It's a dragon!"
"A dragon... A dragon!?"
Hastily turning to look out the window, they saw a dragon gracefully gliding through the sky.
Dragons were classic monsters. They appeared as powerful enemies in this game too... Would it attack?
'Gyui...'
The dragon flying diagonally above the train turned its head, looking down at them with golden eyes.
Those eyes held strong hostility toward humans... but in the next moment, they seemed to show fear.
'Kyui!'
The dragon let out a chirp like a small bird and flew off somewhere.
It looked as though it had fled in fear... but what could it have been afraid of?
"Mama, there was an angel flying outside the window!"
"Oh my, Rio-chan."
The conversation of passengers seated across the aisle could be heard.
A small boy and a woman who appeared to be his mother were sitting together, chatting happily.
"How lovely to see an angel. I wonder if it's still there?"
"Nope, it already went way up. It flew off chasing a big bird!"
"I see. What did the angel look like?"
"The angel was wearing white clothes and had blue armor on—"
"Uh-huh, and then?"
"And then, it was holding a silver spear, and its face looked like a bunny plushie!"
"A b-bunny...?"
The mother's voice stiffened at her child's unsettling words.
"Its face was a bunny, but its body was super muscular! Totally ripped! It was swinging a spear around and chasing a bird as big as this train!"
"W-wait, Rio-chan!? What on earth did you see!?"
"............"
Clael gave a wry smile as he listened to the conversation from the neighboring seat.
Children often see things that adults cannot.
Fairies, zashiki-warashi, Totoro... Most of the time, they're imaginary beings that don't exist in reality.
"Ah, Clael-sama. We're almost at the station."
"Yes. Let's get ready to disembark then."
Nodding at Reina's words, Clael took down the bag he had stored in the luggage rack.
Their one-week vacation was about to begin.
Their first trip together.
For Clael, it might even be his first time going to the beach since reincarnating into this world.
(Partly for Reina's sake... but since we're here, I should enjoy it. Of course, I can't forget the other matter.)
However... they must not forget that this trip wasn't solely for leisure.
An incident was set to occur at this resort.
(The event that happens during Reina's first-year summer vacation... 'Black Sea of the Water Demon.')
It was an event that would definitely occur in the game.
Clael had generally decided not to interfere with the game's storyline, but this event couldn't be avoided.
(If this event is ignored, the entire region could be destroyed... I definitely can't overlook it.)
"Clael-sama, the magic train has stopped. Shall we go?"
"...Yes, let's go."
Feeling a bit guilty toward Reina, who was simply enjoying the trip, Clael picked up their luggage and stepped off the magic train.