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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“The sea! The sea!”
“Welcome back, Master.”
Johan, who had been relaxing in the hotel room, gave a dry response to his master, who had just burst in excitedly.
He had been concentrating on his book and hadn’t really heard what she’d said. Assuming it was just more of her usual nonsense, he hadn’t paid much attention.
Evangeline, seemingly displeased with his lack of enthusiasm, leaned in close to his face.
“The sea, Johan.”
“…Master, I can’t see my book.”
“The book isn’t important—the sea is!”
The sea. A strange word to hear in the middle of a snowy December.
Though some might find a winter sea romantic, it wasn’t something to get this excited about.
“The sea…? If you want to see it, you can just go with Marguerite.”
“No—that’s not it! Let’s go swimming, Johan!”
“…In this weather?”
Johan looked out the window. As if on cue, a gust of winter wind rattled the pane.
He stood up and opened the window, and a blast of frigid air filled the room.
Beatrice, who had been snuggled under the covers, shivered and groaned.
“We’ll freeze to death, Master.”
“It’s fine! I found a place where we can swim even in winter!”
“Found…? Where did you go?”
His master had been gone for less than an hour. Finding a beach warm enough for swimming in the middle of winter in such a short time was… illogical.
He tilted his head, puzzled, and Evangeline, with a sheepish grin, looked away.
“Well… there’s a place! Anyway, you’re coming, right? We have to go, we’re going!”
“…Well, if you’re that excited about it, I won’t object.”
Johan, seeing Evangeline’s excitement, tilted his head and asked,
“So, where is it?”
“Uh…”
Evangeline scratched her cheek.
“…I don’t know.”
“…Excuse me?”
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“Oh, right. Okay, I’ll do that.”
Evangeline quickly made a phone call and got the location of the beach. Johan, hearing the voice on the other end, recognized it as the Emperor’s.
‘Did she… go see the Emperor in that short amount of time?’
She had left after reading the Emperor’s letter, so it was a logical assumption.
He still didn’t understand why she had gone…
“Alright, Johan! We have the location! Let’s go!”
“But… can we just go? Don’t we need swimsuits and stuff?”
“They said we can rent them there!”
His master, for some reason, was desperate to go to the beach. And a disciple’s duty was to obey his master.
Johan quietly followed. He then glanced at the others.
“So, who’s coming?”
The other witches, it seemed, understood the foolishness of going to the beach in the middle of winter. None of them were interested.
Beatrice and Lynne said they’d rather stay at the hotel, and Regina and Linna said they had other things to do.
Even Marguerite, who could teleport to and from the beach at will, wasn’t interested. She saw the train ride as a waste of time.
“Take this with you. I’ll come if I feel like it.”
“Oh, okay.”
She handed Johan a small charm, then left to enjoy her day.
With most of the witches declining, Evangeline was practically glowing with the prospect of a beach date with Johan.
“I’m going too.”
“…Hm?”
“I said, I’m going too.”
Hecaterina, however, decided to crash the party. Evangeline looked at her, as if to ask if she was serious.
Hecaterina just shrugged, and Evangeline, a hint of annoyance in her voice, replied,
“Why…?”
“I’ve never been to the sea before.”
“That’s it? The sea, in winter?”
“It’s my business where I go and when.”
Evangeline, realizing she couldn’t get rid of her, sighed and hung her head in defeat.
But her disappointment was short-lived. She took Johan and Hecaterina to the train station.
“…Master, this is…”
“Yes, our train.”
She pointed to a train waiting at the station. A luxurious train, the kind even the wealthy couldn’t easily afford in this era.
More specifically, a military train.
“We’re taking… this?”
“Yup!”
‘I’m not even in the military.’
Johan thought this as he boarded the train.
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As expected of a military train, all the passengers were men.
The train had a bar and a snack counter, and the staff were all women.
Male passengers, female staff. The intention was obvious. Johan chuckled.
When the train reached its destination, he would undoubtedly see the bikini-clad staff mingling with the soldiers. An open environment often led to open minds.
“Johan, want a snack?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Okay? How about a drink?”
“Not really.”
Johan, trying to placate the excited Evangeline, who was tapping her feet and humming, glanced at the woman sitting next to him.
A blue-haired woman, covered from head to toe, not a single inch of skin exposed.
From the insignia on her uniform, she was a soldier. Johan found it hard to believe a woman of her beauty could achieve such a high rank in this era.
‘A witch.’
A military train heading to a resort for Imperial soldiers, and a beautiful female soldier on board. He remembered what the Emperor had said about a guardian witch, and he realized this must be her.
Fortunately, she seemed uninterested in them, her nose buried in a book.
“Johan? Who are you looking at?”
“…Just… a witch. It’s interesting.”
“There’s a witch here?”
Evangeline, who had been watching Johan’s face, finally noticed the other witch.
She frowned and drew the curtain.
“Don’t look at other women.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Hehe, what should we do first when we get there?”
As Evangeline, her mind already at the beach, snuggled against him, Hecaterina, who had gone to get a drink, returned.
“…What are you two doing?”
“Oh, Rina! Get me one too.”
“What? Hey, I got this for myself—!”
“Oh, come on.”
Hecaterina frowned as Evangeline snatched her drink, but Evangeline, unconcerned, sat down.
Hecaterina, looking at them with exasperation, sat down and muttered,
“Just you wait, I’ll get you back for this.”
“Threats from someone who’s just going to see you later aren’t scary.”
“Hmm, really?”
Hecaterina scoffed and looked at Johan. Her purple eyes scanned him, and Johan, feeling a sense of unease, looked away.
The train chugged along, heading towards an unknown destination.
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The moment he stepped off the train, Johan felt a suffocating heat. The winter clothes he had worn in the Empire were unbearable in this tropical climate.
He took off his coat and headed to the hotel, where he changed into a t-shirt he had packed just in case.
Evangeline and Hecaterina, also unable to stand the heat, changed into lighter, summer clothes.
“Alright—! Rina and I will go rent swimsuits, so you go find us a spot, Johan!”
“Huh? Okay.”
Like the wind, Evangeline disappeared with Hecaterina. Johan, watching them go, rented a parasol and a couple of beach chairs and headed towards the beach.
The beach was already crowded with soldiers, all in their swimsuits, enjoying their vacation.
Johan, a civilian in a military resort, didn’t want to mingle, so he walked along the beach, looking for a quieter spot.
He soon found a secluded, empty stretch of beach. He began setting up the chairs and parasol.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“Huh? Oh…”
He turned and saw the blue-haired witch from the train.
He tilted his head, confused.
“What do you mean, I shouldn’t be here…?”
“Because I’m here. The private beach for nobles is over there.”
“…Is it a curse?”
“You catch on quick. Yes. A curse.”
She said this and held up her hand. Despite being on a beach where everyone was showing skin, she was completely covered.
White gloves that covered her entire arms, and white stockings that did the same for her legs.
“A curse that freezes everything I touch… thanks to the Empire, I can live a normal life, but… in case I accidentally touch someone, you should be careful—what are you doing!?”
“Oh, it’s fine for me. I was just curious what’s underneath.”
Adelheid, startled by Johan’s sudden grab at her glove, quickly pulled away, covering herself.
“D-don’t come any closer. If you touch me, you’ll freeze…”
“I said it’s fine.”
Johan touched her face. According to her, his hand should have frozen solid, but it didn’t.
He waved his hand in front of her face, showing her it was unharmed.
“…No, this is impossible.”
Adelheid stared at Johan, her eyes wide with disbelief.
…She could feel a warmth spreading across her cheek where he had touched her.
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