Chapter 403: Face to Face with the Lion (4)

Splaaash!

The waves crashed against the shore.

The seawater, which had reached the mainland, retreated after sprinkling the sand with a whitish salt.

A sea breeze, smelling of salt, began to gently stir the palm leaves.

From the palms lined up like spears of light came the whisper of curtains.

Shaaa!

Welter, priest of the Church of the Outer God, closed his eyes to enjoy it.

The salty smell. The sound of the wind that seemed to cleanse his mind. For someone like him, who was always carrying Yu Sein’s problems, it was a much-needed rest.

Welter opened his eyes.

The bucolic coastal landscape, as if painted, remained unchanged. It naturally made him want to pray.

‘Oh, Outer God, your work is truly beautiful.’

It was a sight so far removed from his daily life that it felt like it belonged to another world.

While clearing his mind.

Kyaaa!

The blare of a conch shell blown from afar broke the peace.

“The sea demands watermelon smashing!”

Choi Seol-Ah raised a baseball bat. Welter frowned uncomfortably.

‘That outfit…’

Choi Seol-Ah was wearing a leather blouse and short sleeves, tied in a knot just below her chest. They called it a “tank top.” Beneath her abs, defined like the number 11, stretched long bare legs.

Oh, what a shame…

“Watermelons are for eating, not for smashing!”

The one who tried to take the bat away was Horntail, a girl who looked outwardly innocent but was in truth a dragon. Direct granddaughter of the Dragon Lord.

And despite that.

She was wearing a navy-blue Japanese school swimsuit, which contrasted with her pale skin.

“……”

Oh Outer God, forgive my knowledge of such things. I knew all of this before devoting myself to the church. Welter put his hands together in prayer.

“Even a dog would eat watermelons dirty with soil on top!”

“Are you saying I’m a dog!?”

“You resemble one quite a bit, as Headmistress Bobaps said.”

While the two argued, with a massive difference in height between them, Welter turned his gaze to the horizon. Yachts with triangular sails crossed the waters, breaking the surface as they passed.

“It’s hot.”

Welter rolled up his cloak and wiped the sweat trickling down his temples. He felt a pleasant warmth.

‘How peaceful everything is.’

This place was Hawaii.

***

“Ugh, aaah, so hot…”

Yu Sein complained under the shade of a parasol. Sprawled out, she panted like a stray dog in the sun.

She tried to take off the sheer jacket covering her shoulders, but a shout quickly came from outside the parasol.

“…Lady Saint! Your clothes!”

Welter shouted as if having a seizure.

“I’m hot! So hot!”

“That’s unacceptable! Indecent! You are the face of our church. If you present yourself half-naked, the dignity of the Church will collapse! That very day we will fall into decline!”

“Tsk.”

“Tsk?”

“Th—”

“That’s enough!”

“Coming to the beach only to stay all covered up? That makes the Church lose more popularity. Am I wrong? And besides, I bought a swimsuit… Bah, forget it. I’m taking it all off!”

“No! No! Nooo!”

“If I want to strip, what will you do about it?”

“At least this!”

Welter grabbed a handful of wet sand and hurled it at Yu Sein.

“Pfft! Pfff! Won’t you stop? It’s getting in my mouth!”

“Better to bury you alive than to stain the Church’s honor!”

“You damned radical! Help, pfff, someone help me!”

“……”

Only then did I open my eyes.

‘They don’t let me rest even here.’

I couldn’t sleep with all the commotion here and there.

In the distance, the chase between Choi Seol-Ah and Horntail continued, while closer by the shamanic ritual of the foreign sect was unfolding.

Although it wasn’t much different from usual, the warm air characteristic of Hawaii made everyone more excitable than normal.

‘Now that I think of it, this is the first time I’ve come to Hawaii for something other than work.’

A trip with old companions.

It was a joint proposal from Ryozo and Abel.

It just so happened that in Joaquin’s academy and graduate school, the midterm exams had already passed, leading into a break period. On top of that, “Joaquin’s Birthday” fell on a Sunday and was declared a substitute holiday, so we got three days off.

And I, without understanding anything, was “kidnapped” by my old companions to Hawaii.

And that’s fine.

Yes, it’s fine, but.

On the other hand, I feel uneasy.

‘Since we arrived, neither Ryozo nor Abel has shown up even once.’

I feel like I should brace myself for something.

“Kang Geom-Ma!”

What a racket!

When I looked toward the voice, I saw Yu Sein buried in the sand, only her head sticking out. At some point, Welter had completely covered her with a mound of sand.

“Humph!”

“Hmm, huh?”

“I’ll take some pictures.”

I paused the auto-farming in the game Blessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd and opened the camera app.

“Turn it off! Aren’t you going to turn it off?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Yam-ma!”

The mound of sand shook.

“Bishop.”

“Yes.”

Welter darted up the dune like lightning and sat cross-legged, pinning Yu Sein down with his body.

“This can’t be allowed!”

“Aaaaagh!”

Clack, clack!

Yu Sein resisted several times, but soon wore a resigned expression. Since it came to this, she might as well take advantage of it as a sand-therapy session.

While restarting the auto-farming I had paused, I asked Welter.

“By the way, bishop, how come you came with us?”

“Ha ha, since we are close to the portal, it is my destiny to escort the saint.”

Yu Sein interrupted.

“Destiny? All you do is build mud houses, that’s what.”

“…Be quiet.”

“So much talk of ‘the saint, the saint’… Ugh, I’m tired of it. I’m going to sleep.”

….

“…zZZ.”

Yu Sein dropped her head to the side and instantly fell asleep. Welter, seeing that, let out a deep sigh.

“In any case… I’ll continue. The reason I’m here is because His Holiness the Pope sent me a message.”

The Pope of the Church of the Outer God. It had been a long time since I heard from him. He lived in seclusion, researching the truth. He wasn’t interested in exercising power or influence, and lived a sage’s life.

“What kind of message?”

“It was about the second apocalypse.”

Without realizing, I gripped my smartphone tightly. Seeing my expression, Welter nodded.

“He clearly said that you are involved.”

The Pope, with his clairvoyance, used to utter prophecies. It’s somewhat funny that I, being a demigod, should receive an oracle.

In many mythologies, even the gods themselves privately consulted oracles.

‘After all, I am half a god.’

It seems that something is truly brewing. So let’s pay attention to the Pope’s message.

I straightened up and sat properly.

“Didn’t he say anything about how imminent it was?”

“He did not mention that.”

“But from the way it feels, it must be soon. He already assigned you as babysitter of that fake saint.”

“…Yes. That’s why, or thanks to that, ha ha…”

Welter let out a hollow laugh.

“I fulfill my duty, but I feel apologetic. Lord Heavenly Sword, you’re on a trip with your old companions, and I feel like I’m in the way.”

“You are not. Since you came, rest well. You must be having a hard time because of that makeshift saint.”

“Heavenly Sword…!”

Welter was visibly moved. It seemed he had been carrying much sorrow.

Watching a grown man make that kind of face was rather uncomfortable.

Welter rubbed his eyes and looked toward the coast. His cloak, marked with Cain’s seal, fluttered in the sea breeze.

“It’s a beautiful place. Hard to believe there’s a portal to Hell on this island.”

“Where the shadow is densest, the light shines brightest.”

Welter blinked. He smiled softly.

“You’ve matured so much. Even your words have depth. I’m proud.”

Welter was already an adult when I was still a student. Although he treated me with respect, he saw me as a younger brother ten years his junior.

“On the other hand… if you’ll allow me, Heavenly Sword, sometimes it saddens me to see you. You carry too much burden from a very young age…”

“I can endure, for now.”

“Haha, as always. Still, if you ever need help, do not hesitate to reach out to me.”

“Yes, I will.”

We smiled at each other.

Welter brushed back the long locks at his temples.

“That said, lately swimsuits are far too revealing. It shouldn’t be that way…”

“They have high defense. Don’t worry.”

“Defense? What do you mean by that?”

Ah. I slipped up.

Pff!

“……”

Yu Sein let out a snicker. When had she woken up?

“Got caught, young virgin?”

“Shut up. Since you can’t show even a bit of skin, your defense is zero, and with one hit you’re out.”

“Good heavens…”

Welter looked at her disapprovingly.

“You’ve played too many games.”

“It’s all part of my preparation for the apocalypse, Bishop Welter.”

“Do not project a false halo when saying such things.”

“Tch. Dad’s sleeping.”

……

“…zzz.”

And she fell asleep again. Just as Welter shook his head in exasperation,

Fwoooosh.

The texture of the cloak fluttered differently. Without thinking, we followed the trail of the wind with our eyes. On perceiving it, our faces opened wide, with eyes, nose, and mouth completely out of place.

Step… step…

Two women walked gracefully. At first, it was like staring straight at the sun.

“Uuuuh… how refreshing.”

The sage Media stretched. In her swimsuit, the silk lace fabric tied at her hips brushed her ankles, drawing sighs.

“Should I swim?”

Rachel Mura turned and stretched her arms. Her golden twin-tails slapped against the muscles at the back of her thighs.

“Sorry, I’m like a rock in the water.”

“Then why are you wearing a swimsuit?”

“Hehe. To your eyes this looks like a swimsuit? It’s battle armor.”

Media cast me a lascivious glance. I quickly looked away.

‘Huh?’

Brother, your eyes are about to pop out from staring so much.

Ahem.

Welter cleared his throat loudly upon noticing the gazes.

“Tr-truly… th-this is the end of times! L-look at those outfits! Ah…”

He was only murmuring it inwardly.

But…

Step…

With the next person in line, the serenity Welter barely maintained shattered like a wave.

And my reaction wasn’t much different.

“…Abel.”

He held his breath until his throat tightened.

She was beautiful.

Trying to describe it beyond that seemed to distort her essence.

The wind toyed with her skirt. The fitted H-line shape made my head pound. Seeing the perfect curvature of her legs, my lower lip trembled slightly.

Apparently, Abel felt embarrassed by my shameless gaze and began to twirl the hair beside her ear with her index finger.

“Do I look… strange?”

Impossible.

Thank you for being born.

Thank you for marrying me.

“Beau-tiful.”

“Pff.”

When I bit my tongue, Abel let out a little laugh.

“I’m glad. But careful, the next one isn’t any less.”

Abel stepped aside.

The shadow dissipated, and the silhouette behind her was revealed all at once.

Fwoosh.

If not for the sound of the waves, I would have thought time had stopped.

The coconut palms seemed to sway, leaving a trail.

“Don’t stare so hard.”

“Ah… ah.”

“It’s not common for me to wear this type of clothing, you know that.”

Compared to Rachel or Media Poison, this time there was far more fabric covering her body. Only the neckline was slightly exposed. An off-shoulder dress.

And a roughly woven straw hat.

Beneath her delicately marked collarbone, the blouse fluttered softly. Ryozo, embarrassed, pushed Abel forward.

I lowered my gaze as if I were a criminal.

“Though…”

Ryozo took off the hat. She wiped the corner of her lips and murmured.

“That immediately looking away… what’s that supposed to mean?”

A bit of sand slipped through Welter’s teeth.

“Oh, for real, Lord Almighty…”

That “Lord” nearly stopped my heart.

***

I spent half the day acting awkwardly.

The impact of her beauty, camouflaged by familiarity, wreaked havoc in my head.

I was so flustered that, without realizing, the sunset was already looming over the horizon.

The water scales shifted from the glow of particles of light to a crimson red.

Step, step.

I walked in silence. Ahead, I watched Ryozo’s straw hat.

‘Ryozo and I.’

It had been a long time since we had a moment alone. Since Avalon Island, it had all been meetings and more meetings.

“Shall we stop here?”

“Yes.”

Ryozo crouched down. She pulled from a bag some sticks the size of chopsticks. They were portable mini fireworks called Seonhwang sparklers.

I sat facing her. Ryozo hugged her legs and with her free hand lit a sparkler.

Fsssh.

The spark burst at the tip. I felt someone watching us.

It was Choi Seol-Ah, who pointed her fingers at me like a gun and winked. Then she walked away as if her mission was complete.

Crackle.

Sunsets in Hawaii are exceptionally brief. In a blink, it was night.

The only light was the sparkler trembling in Ryozo’s hand.

“Are you enjoying the game?”

Ryozo spoke, watching the sparks.

“Ah, yes… more or less.”

Thump.

My already clumsy way of speaking grew even worse.

“I’d like to play with you too, but I barely have time…”

“Wait, you…?”

Ryozo knew.

She knew I wasn’t wasting time in the game on a whim.

She knew. I could fool a ghost, but not Ryozo.

“When everything related to that game ends, we’ll play together.”

“Yes…”

“Like now.”

Silence.

“……”

“……”

What am I supposed to say?

My brain shut down.

Should I apologize for Media and Rachel burying their heads in the sand?

Then—

“Ryozo.”

“I’ll respect whatever decision you make.”

Smell of gunpowder.

“…I won’t say it doesn’t affect me. But Rachel… she’s better at reading people than anyone. Have you heard that saying you can see ten meters under water, but not one meter into a person’s heart?”

“Yes.”

“I can see ten meters in the water, but I struggle to see inside the heart. Rachel is the opposite. Though she may seem like she has a muscle-brain, she’s incredibly perceptive with people.”

No.

Ryozo, you too are very considerate.

“If Rachel decided to stay with you, it’s because she thought you needed her.”

The sparkler was already half burnt and bent. Did it reflect your emotions, burning slowly inside?

Ssshhh.

Silence returned.

The stars watched us patiently from above.

“Someday…”

Ryozo barely managed to open her mouth.

“Will I be able to know your secret?”

“……”

I couldn’t answer right away.

Secret.

Those two syllables rose in my throat.

‘That I am the God of the Sword.’

And that I come from another world.

Ryozo, how much have you suspected?

I’m afraid.

But still…

“Someday it will come.”

“I see.”

Ryozo smiled faintly.

“This… doesn’t it look like a star?”

She nodded toward the nearly burnt sparkler.

“Yes, just like one.”

“People make wishes on stars. I don’t think this is any different.”

“Shall we make one?”

“Yes. This is closer than a star.”

“All right.”

I closed my eyes.

‘As long as this stays like this.’

Even if it’s selfish, I want this everyday life to continue.

‘With everyone.’

And especially with you.

“……”

“Did you already make the wish?”

I opened my eyes after a moment.

“Yes.”

“Perfect.”

Ryozo held the sparkler to the end.

“The wish has been received.”

In the darkness, her arms wrapped around my neck.