Chapter 445 – In the Western Sea

“Hmm… I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

Sheila came gliding rapidly across the water surface from behind. Marceska chased after her with a delighted laugh.

“Sheila-san is quite fast.”

“Indeed… It’s strange how she can glide so quickly on water when she just floats along when swimming.”

I answered Grace who was gliding beside me.

We were skimming across the surface of the lazy river pool using a combination of water walking and water current manipulation magic. Since we were gliding on the water’s surface, I had also taken measures to protect against getting chilled by using wind magic around the lazy river area.

After having enjoyed swimming with everyone to some extent, I thought we’d try something different, and so we began… The lazy river pool had essentially become a skating rink, and it was surprisingly fun.

As for me, I was leisurely circling around while holding hands with others, but Sheila and Marceska seemed passionate about high-speed laps.

Regardless of Sheila and the others, Ashley and Marlene also appeared to be enjoying themselves. Ashley was being led by the hand by me along with Grace. Marlene was balancing on one foot, being led by the hand by Claudia and looking happy.

“Shall we switch hand-holding partners soon?”

“No, I’m fine with…”

Rosemary hesitated, but… Grace smiled and shook her head slightly before moving away from me. Seeing this, Rosemary closed her eyes for a moment before switching to hold my hand.

Seeing this, Ashley and the others also released hands and ended up gliding with different partners.

The combination became me, Rosemary, and Claudia. Grace happily glided across the water holding hands with both Ashley and Marlene.

“…I wonder if this could be reproduced with boot-type magic tools?” said Rosemary.

“Considering risks like falling, we might need to modify the facilities a bit more for that purpose. It would be dangerous if someone hit their head on the edge, after all.”

Plus, when you’re water-gliding, normal swimming becomes difficult. There might be various things to consider.

“Theodore! Ahaha!”

This time it was Seraphina’s cheerful voice.

Now Corulis came gliding across the water with Princess Stephania and the others on its back. However, it wasn’t using its feet but was sliding on its belly like a penguin.

And then—perhaps inspired—Lavigne formed something like an ice board at her feet and began gliding behind Corulis. Eclair and Ramriya were also riding on Lavigne’s head. …I guess they’re having fun in their own way.

Hmm… Maybe I should let Balor and Caduceus play too. They should be fine while I’m at the poolside.

The female members said they were going to the hot spring since they’d worked up a bit of a sweat from water-gliding. Apparently, everyone had prioritized the pool this time and hadn’t bathed yet.

Since I had already bathed once, I headed to the rest area after swimming normally in the pool.

King Melvin and the others seemed to have moved to the rest area as well. At about the same time as me, the Grand Duke, the Duke’s family, and Prince Josiah also returned to the rest area.

“Are you alright?”

“My, my. I reverted to my childhood self.”

Duke Driscoll shook his head with the impression of being somewhat tired from playing. It seemed he had gone down the slide several times with Oscar and Vanessa after getting out of the bath.

“I thought I should try it at least once for future reference… It reminded me of when I rode earth dragons in my youth,” said the Grand Duke as he dried his hair with a towel. It appeared the Grand Duke had also tried the slide.

He was smiling wryly but didn’t seem displeased. I guess he found it unexpectedly enjoyable after trying it. Prince Josiah was also smiling cheerfully at the sight of the two.

“Did you enjoy yourselves?”

“Absolutely. We fully enjoyed both the large bath and the swimming area.”

“Indeed. We don’t have things like this in our territories.”

When I spoke to them, the Duke and Grand Duke nodded. That’s good to hear.

A delicious smell wafted through the rest area. Apparently, the royal chefs were stationed in the rest area to provide snacks for late-night eating. It was a thoroughly accommodating environment where you could swim, relax in the bath, or enjoy conversation while satisfying your appetite.

King Melvin, Old Sigmund, Albert, and Tephra were all apparently enjoying billiards together in the rest area.

As we approached, Tephra was just about to sink the 9-ball into the pocket to win.

“Oh! Well done, Lady Tephra.”

“Magnificent, Tephra-sama.”

“Fufu. I couldn’t let Albert win every time, after all.”

It seemed to have been quite an intense match. From what I heard, Albert was improving his billiards skills, but Tephra also occasionally played in the mansion’s game room, so her skills shouldn’t be underestimated. Though it does feel strange that a spirit would be skilled at billiards.

“Since we’ve just finished a round, why don’t we all have some tea?”

Then King Melvin turned his face toward us and spoke.

But first… Since this was the first meeting between Tephra and the Grand Duke and Duke’s family, I should introduce them to each other. After I announced each other’s names, Tephra broke into a smile and said:

“I’m Tephra. Pleased to meet you.”

“This is… a high spirit? I am Debonnis Bartwistle.”

“I am Owen Driscoll.”

The two greeted Tephra with expressions that suggested they now understood the meaning behind the Fire Spirit Hot Spring’s name.

And so, we all settled down to enjoy conversation while drinking carbonated beverages, tea, and the like.

“—My son also approves of the reconciliation with the Duke’s family. He’s watching over my domain this time, but he said he’d like to greet the Duke, Lord Oscar, and Lady Vanessa next time.”

“Oh? Then we should definitely arrange an opportunity to meet.”

“Yes. We’d be delighted.”

The Grand Duke and Duke seemed to be discussing matters with the next generation in mind.

The Grand Duke’s eldest son and his wife were also pleasant people. They seemed like they would get along well with Oscar too.

After settling matters like when and where to meet, the conversation shifted to other topics. From talking about Tephra, the discussion moved to how wide my circle of friends was… and then the Duke looked at me and said:

“That reminds me… There are stories about mermaid species appearing near that island.”

“That island” probably refers to the island the Duke entrusted to me.

“Mermaid species… Sirens? Or Mermaids?”

“I cannot distinguish between them. I’ve never actually met them myself, and unfortunately, aside from Miss Justia, I’ve never seen a mermaid species who has released the humanization spell.”

Well… The difference between the two is probably whether they can use cursed songs or cursed melodies. It’s certainly hard to tell them apart. If there are reports of people hearing those, then they would be Sirens.

“If I recall correctly, there was trade with mermaid species in the Duke’s territory.”

“Yes. We have a relationship where we trade fabrics and clothing woven from water spider silk in port towns. I don’t know if they’re the same tribe since the distance is considerable… But they apparently carry shipwrecked fishermen to shore… They don’t seem to be a tribe hostile to humans.”

The Duke answered the Grand Duke’s question. Water spider fabric, huh. Meaning that’s the clothing for mermaids, which becomes swimwear for us. So the fabric that came into Termwills was obtained through trade in the Duke’s territory.

Most mermaid species are friendly. According to the Duke, he apparently issued notices to lords, soldiers, and adventurer guilds in various districts of his territory not to harm mermaids. It seems the mermaids that appear near the island should be treated similarly.

…Hmm. Perhaps there’s a possibility I might encounter those mermaids when I go to the western island. I’ll keep that in mind.

Anyway… The Grand Duke and Duke seemed to have become quite comfortable with each other, enjoying themselves while drinking tea. Considering the purpose of this gathering, it could be called a great success. And so, the day of reconciliation between the Grand Duke and Duke passed peacefully and cheerfully into the night.