Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

"Let's go, don't keep the people ahead waiting too long."

At this time, Tohru and Kanna would have already reached the finish line, so they needed to hurry and catch up. They couldn't let them wait too long.

After this small interlude, the three boats smoothly headed downstream together.

Chapter 81: Chapter 21 No One Won, But Gretel Lost

When Yuxian and the others arrived at the finish line, everyone else had already been waiting for a long time.

Kobayashi stood calmly to the side, her emotions seemingly unruffled. Only her hair, styled backward by the strong wind, showed that the journey had been anything but ordinary.

Little Jeanne sat there, still shaken. She couldn't keep up with Kanna's incredible speed. Although she had experience flying as Santa Claus, piloting herself was vastly different from being a passenger. She secretly resolved that the next time she used the sled, she would definitely not fly that fast.

The rafting activity had gone relatively smoothly, except Yuxian was a bit tired. It was much more tiring than being at the beach, where he could enjoy the view of beautiful women and relax.

The group slowly walked back, their day spent in enjoyment. They discussed their experiences with each other. Except for Martha, it was everyone's first time participating in such an activity, so the novelty was still strong.

They arrived at the parking lot, and the group prepared to drive back.

Just then, a few girls walked by. They were also on vacation. One of them said, "Let's have a pillow fight tonight!"

A pillow fight?

Their words were overheard by the group. Jack, being a good child who asks questions, asked, "Mom, what's a pillow fight?"

Yuxian didn't know much about it, but Kobayashi was quite knowledgeable. She had probably played similar games when she was younger and explained it to everyone.

After hearing Kobayashi's explanation, Tohru immediately raised her hand and said, "Kobayashi, let's have a pillow fight tonight!"

Kobayashi glanced at Tohru and said indifferently, "I'm too old for that."

She didn't want to have a pillow fight with a dragon; it was too dangerous. Sleeping peacefully was the most comfortable option.

Tohru immediately deflated, disappointed, and started muttering to herself.

Meanwhile, the children gathered again. They were also very interested in the pillow fight. Since there were disagreements about team assignments during the rafting, they decided to settle it with a pillow fight.

When the group returned to the guesthouse, the owner had already prepared dinner. This time, Yuxian absolutely refused to drink any alcohol. He hadn't forgotten what happened last night; his state then was truly terrible. If he accidentally said or did something he shouldn't have, he would regret it immensely.

After dinner, Yuxian wanted to return to his room to rest, but he was quickly kicked out by the little ones.

The room had been commandeered by them as a temporary battlefield for a monumental battle.

Illya, Gretel, Jack, Little Jeanne, and Kanna, five lolis, eyed each other warily, ready to spring into action.

Seeing this, Yuxian quickly retreated from the room, closing the door. The combat power inside was too formidable. If Martha and Mash were included, it could have escalated into a Holy Grail War.

The moment Yuxian closed the door, Gretel made the first move. She threw the pillow in her hand at Little Jeanne, saying, "I must win this time, the Master is mine!"

She was quite displeased about not being grouped with Yuxian during the rafting that day, which made her feel scared the entire trip. She particularly targeted Little Jeanne, who had proposed the so-called fair grouping.

Little Jeanne retaliated without hesitation, "You hogged the Master for so long during the mountain climb, and you still have the nerve to keep hogging him? I won't allow it!"

"Yes, the Master belongs to everyone."

Illya was also unhappy with Gretel's attempt to monopolize the Master. She formed an alliance with Little Jeanne, surrounding Gretel. It was two against one, and Gretel was quickly pushed onto the defensive.

"Jack, hurry and help me!" Gretel, seeing the situation turn against her, immediately called out to her good friend Jack, hoping to create a two-on-two balance.

Jack had been on the periphery of the battle, but Gretel's call made it difficult for her to refuse, so she joined the fray.

Jack's movements were relatively swift. Darting left and right, she helped Gretel divert a lot of the incoming attacks. Gretel's pressure quickly eased, and she began to counterattack effectively.

Kanna was oblivious to the complexities of their relationships, but that didn't stop her from joining the fight. She formed her own faction, smashing whoever she could, without any specific target. It was all about having fun.

The room became a three-way standoff of two, two, and one. The battle was fierce, and Yuxian, waiting outside the room, could clearly hear the sounds of "bang bang bang" from within.

It was truly impressive to be able to throw pillows with such force. He figured he'd have to apologize to the guesthouse owner tomorrow and pay for the damaged pillows.

As long as they were happy.

Yuxian simply moved a chair and sat by the door, keeping guard for them.

The battle inside continued. By now, the few remaining pillows were tattered, and the stuffing flew everywhere, filling the room like a snowstorm.

"I will absolutely not let you monopolize the Master!" Little Jeanne declared righteously to Gretel.

"Yes! We won't let you succeed."

Gretel didn't care and retorted forcefully, "There could have been someone grouped with the Master, but you wasted that opportunity. I won't listen to you anymore!"

"No means no!"

"Then let's settle this!" Gretel said no more and picked up a tattered pillow to resume the battle.

Jack stayed out of the argument, quietly supporting Gretel.

She didn't quite understand what they were arguing about; she had simply promised Gretel she would help her.

She hadn't thought about monopolizing Yuxian. As long as she could stay by her mother's side and obey her mother, she felt content. She didn't know what they were fighting about.

Kanna was even more indifferent. She didn't have such worries when she was with Kobayashi and Tohru. Now, with so many friends playing together, her current life was incredibly joyful compared to her time in another world.

Yuxian, waiting by the door, grew bored and started yawning. After an unknown amount of time, the room door finally opened again, and Gretel walked out dejectedly.

"You lost?" Yuxian asked, blinking.

Gretel looked up and stared at Yuxian for a moment before slowly walking away without answering.

Several children walked out one after another. Judging by their expressions, none of them seemed particularly happy, which made Yuxian very puzzled.

Who won or lost?

Finally, Little Jeanne explained to Yuxian, "No one won, but Alice lost!"

Little Jeanne said with a serious expression, "Everyone agreed not to cheat and not to use other abilities. She violated the rules, so she lost."

Yuxian blinked. No wonder Gretel looked so dejected. So, this battle had no winner, but it did have a sole loser.

You're something else, Gretel!

Section 82: Chapter 22 - No More Waiting

Yuxian saw that the room was a mess and didn't have the urge to go in and rest for the time being. He thought for a moment and then walked out of the house to find Gretel.

He was a little worried about Gretel's dejected expression when she left earlier.

Moreover, the look Gretel gave him earlier made his heart tremble. Thinking of many things, coupled with Gretel's cheating this time, Yuxian felt he should have a good talk with her and care about her thoughts.

The children had been together for quite some time, but it was inevitable that they would have their own thoughts. As their Master, Yuxian should play his role well at this time, ensuring they got along harmoniously without problems.

Yuxian walked out of the house and found Gretel sitting alone on the steps in the yard, lost in thought.

The faint moonlight shone on her, casting a small shadow behind her, making her look very lonely.

Yuxian sighed inwardly. He walked over and sat beside Gretel, watching the moon and stars with her.

Gretel noticed Yuxian's arrival. She didn't speak, still silently gazing at the starry sky, lost in her own thoughts.

Yuxian broke the silence and asked softly, "What are you thinking about, Alice?"

Gretel looked at the stars in the sky, her eyes unblinking, and answered faintly, "The stars in the sky are so beautiful, but they are so far away from us."

Yuxian didn't understand her meaning. What was the connection between the stars' beauty and their distance?

He fell silent for a moment, unsure how to start the conversation. When playing with the children, Yuxian had many ways to handle things, but at this moment, he felt a bit at a loss, not knowing how to comfort Gretel.

Before Yuxian could speak, Gretel continued, "Master, will you also be as far away from Alice as the stars are?"

Yuxian chuckled lightly, "I'm right beside you, how can I be far? You can reach out and grab me."

Gretel turned her head to look at Yuxian. After a moment of stunned silence, she slowly leaned her body, resting her entire weight against Yuxian.

Her body was very light, and leaning on Yuxian's shoulder, he didn't feel much weight. Yuxian simply picked her up and placed her on his lap.

He rested his chin on Gretel's head and rubbed it gently, asking, "Alice, why did you cheat when playing with your friends? Don't you want to lose?"

Gretel sat quietly on Yuxian's lap, without any movement, as still as a doll.

"Is everyone going to hate Alice?" Her tone was calm, not sounding fearful, complaining, or guilty, but more like stating a fact.

Yuxian comforted her, "How could they? Everyone won't hate you."

The little ones might be unhappy with Gretel's actions, but they would definitely not hold a grudge because of it. Yuxian was certain of this. They were all little angels, definitely not petty people.

Yuxian said earnestly to Gretel, "What you did was wrong, Alice. Apologize to them, and you'll still be the best of friends."

Gretel gently shook her head, "Alice isn't afraid of being hated by everyone."

Yuxian frowned upon hearing this, unsure what to do.

He hadn't finished formulating his words when Gretel continued, "Compared to being hated by everyone, Alice is more afraid of waiting.

When I suddenly left Chaldea, Alice was so, so scared. Scared she would never see Master again.

Even though Sister Atalanta and everyone else were by my side, Master wasn't. Alice thought she would have to wait for a very, very long time again.

Alice has had enough of this waiting. She wants to be by Master's side at all times, without leaving for a moment.

Every time Master leaves her side, she's afraid she'll never see him again, afraid she'll have to wait for a very, very long time before they can meet again.

Alice hates waiting."

Listening to Gretel's slightly tearful words, Yuxian felt a pang of heartache. He felt he wasn't a competent enough Master, failing to notice Gretel's feelings and causing her constant anxiety.

He gently embraced Gretel and said softly, "Master promises you, I will never make you worry again, nor will I make you wait. I will always be by your side."

He sincerely hoped to dispel Gretel's insecurity. He would also do his best to fulfill his promise. Anyone who wanted to take them away from him would be his enemy.

"Thank you, Master. Alice feels so happy," Gretel finally smiled and said sweetly.

"I feel very happy being with you all too."

Yuxian and them were already tightly bound together. This Bond could not be easily severed. They had become Yuxian's family, his children.

"Actually, I know Jeanne-chan is right, but I still can't help but want to monopolize Master. Am I being too greedy?" Gretel continued, her tone much lighter now, no longer as heavy as before.

"Is that why you cheated? But you must have known you'd be caught. With your clever mind, how could you not have thought of that?" Yuxian teased Gretel with a light laugh.

In this matter, Gretel had made a very foolish choice. They were all Heroic Spirits; how could she possibly hide her cheating from everyone? Yuxian didn't know what Gretel was thinking at the time, perhaps she just acted impulsively.

Gretel blushed slightly. She definitely could have thought of that. However, since they were all evenly matched, no one could do anything to the other. Moreover, Jack wasn't very ambitious, and with Kanna causing trouble, it was impossible for her to win. In her haste, she threw caution to the wind.

Gretel's displeasure at Yuxian's laughter made her say in embarrassment, "Master, you're making fun of me!"

"Hahahaha!"

Gretel's words made Yuxian laugh even harder. However, he felt relieved. Gretel had returned to her usual self, indicating that her mood had recovered and she wouldn't be lost in thought anymore.

Gretel, clearly unhappy, pulled her hand away from Yuxian's and hopped off his lap. She stood in front of him, her cheeks puffed out, glaring at him with wide eyes.

Yuxian immediately stopped laughing, but the smile on his face was too much to contain, his entire face contorting.

Gretel's little face turned bright red, looking incredibly cute under the moonlight. Yuxian raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright, I won't laugh anymore," he said.

He stood up, patted Gretel's head, and continued, "Since Alice lost, she has to accept her punishment. How about this, the room is a mess right now and we can't sleep. So, your punishment is to clean the room. That way, everyone will forgive you for cheating."

"Really?" Gretel didn't want to be disliked by everyone. She was very willing to make amends.

"Mm, let's go back inside, and I'll explain to everyone."

The two walked back into the house, one after the other.

Section 83: Chapter 23 - A Fall into a Pit, but Not a Loss of Wisdom

Back inside, after Yuxian explained Gretel's punishment to the little ones, no one had any objections. They thought it was an excellent idea and unanimously approved.

Gretel earnestly borrowed cleaning tools from the residents of the house.

She wore a kerchief on her head and an apron around her body, holding a broom in her hand, looking like a housewife.

However, her small body, wearing an ill-fitting apron and holding a broom taller than she was, looked incredibly comical and amusing.

The others peeked curiously from the doorway, watching the room. Seeing Gretel being punished gave them a sense of novelty.