Chapter 132

The sea was so refreshing that I ended up playing around despite myself.
I never thought I’d be this lively at my age.

No, maybe it’s because I’m with these guys.
If I were alone, it would surely have been dull.

We played together as a group for a while, but eventually, everyone started doing their own thing.

Sepia and Arnella were wearing hats and fishing.
Noel seemed to be enjoying swimming far out.
When I researched about the sea beforehand, I read that beginners shouldn’t go too far alone, but Noel is an intermediate mage, so there’s no problem.

At worst, she can manipulate the water current if needed.

Mastema was floating near me in the sea, using an inflatable ring.

“Are you having fun?”
“Somewhat. Floating like this isn’t bad.”
“I see.”

She seemed to be enjoying herself.
Victor, on the other hand, disliked staying in seawater for too long and was observing us from the sky.
Is it because he’s currently a sword?

“I just don’t want my hair to touch saltwater. Don’t overthink it.”
“Well, do as you like.”

As I stepped out of the sea onto the shore, a bit of seawater entered my mouth.
Salty.
I remembered that salt is made from seawater.

“Mastema, help me out for a moment.”
“Sure, but what are you doing?”
“Just an experiment.”
“Hmm.”

Mastema rose from her inflatable ring and came over to me.
Her body, glistening with seawater, shone beautifully in the sunlight.
The black swimsuit also looked great on her.

“Take some seawater and separate it. I’ll heat it.”

I pulled out the fire sword from our belongings as I spoke.
When I channeled magic into the fire sword, the blade began to glow a bright red.

That was proof its temperature was rising.

Following my instructions, Mastema levitated a sphere of seawater.
It was large enough to be held with both arms and perfectly round.

When I plunged the fire sword into the sphere, the seawater started to boil.
Bubbles formed rapidly, and steam began to rise.
The fire sword was briefly cooled by the seawater, but with additional magic, its temperature increased again.
The blade’s color shifted from red to white.

Simultaneously, the seawater sphere shrank rapidly, and by the time the fire sword’s energy was fully released, it had reduced to about the size of a copper coin.

I sheathed the fire sword, which would naturally cool in its specially made sheath.

The sphere had turned white. When I touched it, the water had evaporated, leaving behind a grainy substance.
This must be salt. If I ever retire as an adventurer, I might make a living producing salt.

I pinched some and tasted it.
Of course, it was salty.

“Try it.”
“Hmm.”

Mastema sucked my fingers into her mouth.

“Yup, it’s salty,” she said, sticking out her tongue.

“Told you. Here.”

I handed her a water bottle from our belongings, and she opened it to take a sip.

“It might taste great on meat.”
“It’d probably go well with fish too.”

When I looked over at Sepia and Arnella, they had given up regular fishing and were using magic to catch fish instead.
I didn’t mind as long as it worked, but Sepia looked displeased, which was amusing.

Noel returned from her long swim just in time. Perfect—let’s eat.

We opted for a lively barbecue.

With a grill, magic for fire, and no trash left behind, it was a clean affair.
We cooked the food we brought along with the fish Sepia and Arnella caught.

For seasoning, we used the salt I made and a sauce Noel quickly whipped up.

“This is amazing!”

Mastema said as she eagerly devoured the freshly grilled food, especially enjoying the salt-grilled fish.

“You’ve got sauce all over your face.”

Mastema was eating so vigorously that sauce smeared around her mouth. Arnella cleaned her up as usual. It was a familiar sight.

Noel looked at the salt I had made.

“Did you make this salt, Master?”
“Yeah, though I couldn’t really tell if the flavor’s any different.”

Noel tasted the salt.

“It’s delicious. Much better than the salt you’d buy at the market. Maybe salt has freshness too?”

If Noel says so, it must be true.
It makes sense that even seasonings would deteriorate over time.

After finishing the meal, I quenched my thirst with cold water.
It wasn’t a particularly hot season, but today’s sun was strong, and the barbecue had worked up a sweat.

“The seafood here isn’t bad.”
“I wanted to catch something with a fishing rod.”
“There’ll be another chance. Right?”

We took our time to relax.
I tend to feel restless if I don’t have anything to do and end up looking for tasks, but that wouldn’t make for a proper vacation.
It’s better to savor the luxury of doing nothing.

Before I knew it, Victor, who had been missing, descended from the sky.

“I’ve found a labyrinth.”
“Now that you mention it, there’s one nearby. Though I heard it’s not a big deal since this is a royal retreat area.”
“Yes, it’s small in scale. There were hardly any monsters either.”

If a labyrinth is left unchecked, monsters will spill out from it.
Adventurers regularly enter labyrinths to cull the monsters, preventing this from happening.

Adventurers gain materials, and the country maintains safety. It’s mutually beneficial and why adventurers remain in demand.

However, this doesn’t apply to low-level labyrinths.
The monsters they produce are weak and few, so there’s no risk of an overflow.

It’s unlikely any adventurers would bother with a labyrinth in this area. In fact, the kingdom restricts entry.
The fact that there’s no issue speaks to how insignificant it is.

Still, I might check it out.
Hearing “labyrinth” triggers my occupational instincts.

“Where is it?”
“Over there.”

Victor pointed to a small island off the coast.

As I pondered how to get there, Sepia gripped her staff.
A bridge of water formed across the sea, leading to the island.

A path to the island appeared in no time.

“This should do it. Flying is an option too, but Arnella and Noel aren’t fully accustomed to it yet.”

She said it as if it were no big deal, but it was an incredible feat.
Sepia’s magical prowess is exceptional as always.

I tapped the bridge with the back of my hand—it was solid.
Yet it wasn’t frozen.

“I compressed the seawater. It’s strong enough.”
“Sepia’s magic is fascinating. If it were me, I’d part the seawater to create a path.”
“Please don’t. That would have far-reaching consequences.”
“Fine, fine.”

With that, Mastema stepped onto the bridge, wearing her jacket. She seemed to be in a good mood.