Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

Illya and Little Jeanne were very happy with everyone's praise. Being recognized gave them a great sense of accomplishment, and smiles appeared on both their faces.

Seeing this, Yuxian said to them, "Stand still, I'll take a picture of you to keep as a memento."

He had Illya and Little Jeanne stand by the sandcastle while he slowly backed away, framing them and the sandcastle in his camera.

Click! Click!

The beautiful scene was frozen in this moment.

"We want one too! We want one too!" Jack and Gretel, seeing the fun, also wanted Yuxian to take their pictures.

Yuxian naturally wouldn't refuse. He had them stand together for photos, some individual shots and some with multiple people.

One, two, three... Yuxian didn't know how many photos he took. In the end, he simply had everyone come over. Yuxian asked a nearby tourist to help take a family photo of everyone together.

Kobayashi, Tohru, Kanna, and Elma came over too. Everyone stood together, striking different poses, capturing this scene of laughter and joy.

ps: This reinforcement quest for Saber...

I swear you guys are targeting me, Artoria!

Chapter 77: Chapter 17 Critical Hits Little Jack

The scorching summer sun beat down. Even with the sea breeze blowing on the beach, it couldn't ward off the oppressive heat.

Seeing that the beach house sold shaved ice from afar, Yuxian couldn't resist the urge to try some this time, even before the children asked.

He led everyone to queue up. The beach house was doing brisk business, and the line outside looked quite long. Fortunately, the uncle inside was quick, so Yuxian and his group didn't have to wait too long.

The icy shaved ice mixed with sweet syrup melted in his mouth, and a cool sensation shot straight to his head. Yuxian couldn't help but shiver.

The sight of the group lined up, eating shaved ice together, was quite spectacular. They had been playing for a while and were all a bit tired. Eating and resting together was a pleasant and happy experience.

As everyone was eating, Little Jeanne secretly approached Yuxian and whispered softly, "Master, can we go swimming in the sea later..."

"Swimming? Sure!" Yuxian blinked, not understanding why Little Jeanne was asking for his opinion. Of course, they should go swimming at the beach; otherwise, what was the point of coming here?

"But..." Little Jeanne hesitated. She had never swum in the sea before and was inevitably a little scared. She didn't dare to go alone, which was why she came to tell Yuxian, hoping he would accompany her.

But she didn't know how to ask. She couldn't just say she was afraid to swim alone and needed Master to accompany her; that would be too much to ask.

Little Jeanne's hesitant expression made Yuxian curious. He thought for a moment and said, "Do you need me to go with you?"

"Mhm, mhm!" Little Jeanne nodded quickly like a woodpecker, a happy smile on her face. She was very pleased that Yuxian understood her meaning.

"Then let's all go together," Yuxian decided to call everyone. "It wouldn't be right to come to the beach and not go swimming."

Everyone agreed to the suggestion and decided to go swimming after they finished eating.

Yuxian knew how to swim, but this was his first time in the sea, not much different from Little Jeanne.

However, he wasn't worried about safety. Anyone here wouldn't let him encounter danger. In fact, Little Jeanne wouldn't be in any danger either; she was just genuinely a little scared.

The summer seawater felt cool and comfortable as it touched their skin.

Kanna and Tohru went all out as soon as they entered the water, darting through the water like swordfish.

The younger children didn't join the fray. They played around Yuxian, not straying far from him.

Perhaps because it was their first time in the sea, even Jack seemed well-behaved, simply diving and surfacing repeatedly, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Illya acted naturally, with no issues. Little Jeanne, however, was different. She looked very stiff, her movements awkward and comical as she paddled.

Yuxian couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Hearing the laughter, Little Jeanne sat up and glared at him, her cheeks puffed out in displeasure at Yuxian's mockery.

Yuxian swam over to her and said, "Relax, don't be so tense. I'll be watching you."

With Yuxian's encouragement, Little Jeanne indeed relaxed considerably. Her movements were no longer stiff, and she slowly paddled in the water, soon adapting to the rhythm and becoming at ease.

"Ah! Master, save me!"

Just as Yuxian was guiding Little Jeanne, a scream came from behind him.

Yuxian immediately turned around and saw Gretel sinking into the water, as if she had no buoyancy at all.

She thrashed her limbs, struggling, but it was no use. Anyone who knew how to swim knew that the more you struggled, the faster you sank.

Yuxian immediately rushed over and pulled her up.

Seeing Yuxian arrive, Gretel clutched onto him like a drowning person, almost pulling Yuxian into the water with her.

Fortunately, Yuxian managed to calm her down and bring her to the shallow water before she recovered.

"Alice, are you alright?" Yuxian asked urgently, worried that Gretel might have had a problem. Her state just now didn't seem faked.

Yuxian really hadn't expected Gretel to not know how to swim. She hadn't mentioned it beforehand, so Yuxian had assumed everyone knew how to swim, just like Jack was moving freely in the water.

"Hoo... hoo..." Gretel gasped for air, thoroughly frightened and still recovering from the shock.

Seeing Gretel's state, everyone gathered around, asking about her condition with concern.

"Alice, why didn't you say you couldn't swim beforehand? I could have prepared a lifebuoy for you."

"Master, you big dummy!" Gretel, finally recovering, cried out loudly, "Have you ever seen a book that can swim?"

Yuxian also reacted, realizing that Gretel's true form was a fairy tale book, so her inability to swim made sense.

However, there was still one thing he didn't understand: the current Gretel was actually Alice in disguise. Did that mean Alice couldn't swim either?

Hearing Yuxian's question, Gretel looked wronged and said, "I thought so too, but for some reason, as soon as I get in the water, I just start sinking..."

This was also why Gretel hadn't told Yuxian beforehand. In fact, she herself didn't know she couldn't swim unless she used magic to float on the water's surface. Once in the water, she would uncontrollably sink.

"Ah—I know!" Jack, who had been tilting her head and staying silent, suddenly exclaimed as if she'd thought of something.

"Alice is a landlubber, just like Mom said!"

Critical Hit!

As expected of Jack the Ripper, her critical hit ability is strong, striking with a critical hit right off the bat!

"Jack! We're breaking up! You've lost me forever!"

Gretel was deeply hurt by Jack's words. She was already very upset, and Jack's comment sent her over the edge, completely ruining her mood.

Facing the agitated Gretel, Yuxian could only comfort her softly. This was not the time to kick someone when they were down and joke around.

Jack's words were unintentional, and he couldn't show any schadenfreude, as that would truly make Gretel sad.

"Alice, would you like to borrow the Tarasque?" Martha also stepped forward to mediate.

"No! I have the Jabberwocky, I don't want your ugly, monstrous dragon!" Gretel refused without thinking, her tone not very pleasant due to her anger.

Martha didn't mind. As a saint, she wouldn't stoop to a child's level, and besides, the Tarasque was indeed a bit ugly.

(Tarasque: Big sis...)

With Gretel's outburst, everyone lost the mood to continue playing. Since it was getting late, they decided to pack up and head back to the lodging.

The first day of their seaside vacation thus came to an end...

Section 78: Chapter 18 - Bad Alcohol Hurts People

It was getting late. By the time they returned to the lodging, the sun was already setting, casting long shadows behind them under the vibrant sunset.

The seaside environment was vastly different from the city. With less pollution, the sky appeared exceptionally clear, which was very refreshing.

Yuxian felt that coming to the seaside for vacation was indeed an excellent choice. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

Dinner was prepared by the lodging's owner, a service included in the fee. Compared to their usual meals, the food provided by this lodging was more characteristic of the local area.

Everyone ate with great enjoyment. The owner of the lodging was clearly skilled in the culinary arts to be able to run such a place.

While not reaching Emiya's level, it was much better than an ordinary household. Coupled with some local specialties, even the little ones, whose palates had been spoiled by Emiya, expressed their satisfaction, which was no easy feat.

Kobayashi started drinking beer again. It had to be said that on a summer day like this, a mug of ice-cold beer was indeed a great pleasure, refreshing the mind and spirit.

Yuxian had originally intended not to drink. He hadn't had alcohol in a long time since he started taking care of the children.

He had a clear understanding of his alcohol tolerance, and the fact that he had transmigrated after getting drunk had made him somewhat resistant to drinking.

However, Martha placed a large mug of ice-cold beer in front of Yuxian and kept nudging him with her eyes, which made him somewhat unbearable.

He picked up the mug, brought it to his lips, and downed more than half of it in one go.

He let out a long sigh of relief. The feeling was indeed quite good. Yuxian put down the mug and asked, "Can saints drink alcohol too?"

"Why not?" Martha replied while drinking her ice-cold draft beer.

Compared to Kobayashi and Yuxian's hearty drinking style, Martha sipped her beer elegantly, not at all like someone drinking beer.

After downing a large mug of draft beer, Yuxian felt a bit dizzy. With his alcohol tolerance, he had likely reached his limit.

He saw Martha sipping her beer and said with some displeasure, "What's the point of drinking beer so slowly? Beer is meant to be drunk in large gulps to be satisfying!"

On the other side, Kobayashi had also gotten into the mood, slapping the table and exclaiming, "Right! Right! Big gulps are satisfying!"

"Is that so?" Martha picked up her mug and downed the entire glass in one go.

She slammed the mug onto the table and looked at Yuxian provocatively, clearly indicating that her alcohol tolerance far surpassed his.

Yuxian said to Martha with displeasure, "Hey! You were faking it earlier, weren't you? You can hold your liquor so well."

After drinking, Yuxian became more talkative. He refilled his and Martha's glasses, clinked hers, and said, "Since we're drinking, let's drink to our heart's content!"

After a few rounds, the mood grew livelier.

Yuxian could no longer control himself. He asked Martha, "Since saints can drink, can they get married?"

Martha looked at Yuxian upon hearing this. Seeing that he was clearly drunk and starting to talk nonsense, she raised an eyebrow and replied, "Well... I originally didn't plan to get married, but if it's the Master... then it's no problem."

Huh? What did she mean, "if it's the Master, then it's no problem"?

The children were playing amongst themselves, not paying attention to their conversation. However, Mash's attention had always been on Yuxian. Upon hearing Martha's words, she immediately became anxious and wanted to speak.

Martha stopped her with a glance, signaling her not to worry, as she had her own plans. Mash then swallowed her words back.

Yuxian was also taken aback by Martha's answer, but a wave of alcohol rushed to his head. He subconsciously waved his hand and said, "No, no! I can't beat you, I'd get beaten by you every day."

Martha's expression turned dark. If she hadn't seen that Yuxian was drunk and if Yuxian wasn't her Master, she would have made Yuxian truly experience the might of her Iron Fist Saint Disciple. The last person who dared to slander her like that had been beaten so badly he didn't recognize his own mother.

Mash covered her mouth and chuckled secretly. Hearing Yuxian's answer, she felt much more at ease.

Martha suppressed the urge to hit Yuxian and continued, "Then, Master, who do you think is the best in Chaldea?"

Yuxian let out a drunken hiccup, swaying unsteadily. He threw an arm around Jack, who was beside him, and declared proudly, "Of course, Jack is the best!"

Jack had been talking with Gretel, and Yuxian's interruption startled her. She didn't know what was going on, but upon hearing Yuxian's words, she immediately said, "Mhm! Mom is the best!"

Gretel was very unhappy that Yuxian had interrupted them. She glared at him, expressing her displeasure at him breaking up their whispered conversation.

Seeing this, Yuxian pulled Gretel over as well, saying, "Alice is also the best!"

"Master smells awful! Let us go!" Unlike Jack, Gretel didn't indulge Yuxian. She leaned back, trying to get away from the alcohol-reeking Yuxian.

Yuxian let go of the two girls and turned his head to the other side, towards Mash. He rested his hand on Mash's shoulder and leaned in, "Mash is also the best!"

Yuxian was completely drunk. He slumped all over Mash, and if Mash let go, he figured he'd fall straight onto the floor.

Mash reached out to steady Yuxian, afraid he would fall. Yuxian was thoroughly drunk and rambling incoherently, but Mash was still happy to hear him speak.

When people get drunk, they tend to talk a lot. Yuxian kept muttering, continuing to drone on:

"Jeanne-chan is the best!"

"Illya is the best!"

"Big sis is the best!"

"Abby-chan is the best!"

"The purple-haired old... beautiful girl is the best!"

In Yuxian's eyes, they were all the best. Martha felt like she had asked a foolish question. She shook her head, a charming smile gracing her lips.