It could only be said that Mona truly lived up to being a Hydro Vision holder.
Jack had already been underwater for several minutes, yet she still refused to come up, holding her breath as if determined to stay hidden.
Looks like I'll have to go down and drag her up.
The spring was deeper than it looked. Jack dove to the bottom—only to spot Mona huddled about ten meters below, gazing at him with shimmering eyes.
He couldn't speak underwater, so Jack swam straight to her.
Mona leaned against the rock wall, clutching her bath towel tightly.
You're making it look like I'm some kind of villain, Jack muttered inwardly.
He cupped her cheeks and pressed his lips to hers.
[Why aren't you coming up to bathe?]
[Huh? Telepathy?!]
[Just a trick with Aralia Element Power. I'm not good at it yet, so it only works mouth-to-mouth.]
[Do you think I'll buy that?]
[Believe it or not, if I say so, that's how it is.]
Their thoughts mingled as they kissed, bodies pressed close in the water.
The day before yesterday, after Jack defeated a three-star monster boss, he had gotten a random skill stone pack. Inside was Ocean's Will—one of the advanced items from the Mysterious Relics module. It granted buffs like permanent underwater breathing, night vision, and faster swimming.
Underwater, he now moved even more freely than on land.
So Jack decided to punish Mona, who had dived down only because she didn't want to be teased on the surface.
[S-Stop kissing! My towel's about to slip!]
[It's fine. Look, I'm not even wearing one, and nothing's happening.]
[Damn it… Is this the day my suffering begins?]
[Day of suffering? Oh, you mentioned that before. So, you were already prepared to be taken advantage of by a pig like me, huh?]
[Why would you say that out loud?!]
[Then I'll prove it with actions.]
[Eh—?!]
Mona's thoughts scattered. Her body trembled. Facing Jack, her mind went blank, as if she had grasped the Zen principle of "form is emptiness."
...
"Phew… Eula, how much longer until that hot spring you mentioned?"
"Almost there, Amber. Why are you so impatient?"
"Because we've been fighting monsters all night! Seriously, don't they ever sleep?"
"Maybe it's because humans sleep at night. Like demons in fairy tales who only eat children who stay awake."
"Eeek! Don't scare me like that, Eula!"
One red, one blue. Fire and ice. Two beautiful maidens walked side by side in the snow.
They were Amber, the Outrider Knight, and Eula, the Spindrift Knight—sent by the Knights of Favonius to Dragonspine on a mission. Their task had been to investigate Abyss Order remnants driven here by Kaeya.
Yet these past few days, not a single Abyss mage appeared. Instead, bizarre monsters swarmed the mountains.
They had already rescued several adventurers on the brink of annihilation. But it was only a drop in the bucket. Unless they found the source, the flow of victims would never end.
"There, that cave! The spring's inside!"
"Yes! Finally, a proper bath!"
Amber hugged Eula's arm and bounced excitedly. Eula smiled despite herself, leaning close to whisper in Amber's ear.
"Let's see how much you've grown lately~"
Amber flushed, glaring back. "Ugh! Can we please stop with the chest exercises?"
"No," Eula declared flatly.
"Wuwu…"
"I recall someone begging me for help before. Now you're backing out? Do you think the Lawrence family's secret techniques are just lying around for anyone to take?"
"I-I'm sorry, Eula! I didn't mean to waste your kindness. But… those massages are just too embarrassing…"
Amber's face was crimson, her legs pressing together at the memory.
"You'll endure them whether you like it or not," Eula scolded. "That scoundrel has plenty of beautiful girls around him. Cute as you are, your figure can't compare to mine or Lisa's. If you stay like this, you'll never catch a man's eye."
"No way! And what about you, Eula? If you keep being so tsundere, Jack won't notice you either!"
The two, who had been walking arm in arm, instantly grew combative when the man they both cared about came up.
Eula frowned, then tugged at Amber's clothes.
"Ah!" Amber yelped, crouching down and glaring up at her like a frightened rabbit.
Eula smirked triumphantly—only for Amber to retaliate, tugging off Eula's jacket.
"Pfft!" ×2
The two stared at each other's disheveled forms, then burst into laughter.
"Honestly. Just one Traveler, and already he's meddling with our sisterly bond. Too sinful."
"Eula's right! We should definitely hold a grudge."
Smiling, they clasped hands, then leapt into the spring together.
Plop!
Two bodies hit the water—but four splashes rang out.
Eula and Amber froze. Surfacing before them were Jack and Mona.
Eight eyes met. The air turned still.
"…Yo. Amber, Eula. Long time no see," Jack said at last, breaking the silence.
Eula snarled, hurling an ice spear his way. Jack tilted his head and dodged.
"Hey! Why are you here?! And doing such shameless things with Mona, no less!"
"Clarification! He's the shameless one, not me!"
Mona had already drifted to Amber and Eula's side, glaring at Jack with them.
With two pairs of angry eyes on him, Jack looked desperately at Amber, hoping for mercy.
Amber: ( ? 3 」 ∠ )
Gurgle, gurgle~
"Amber is sinking! Quick, save her!"
The three of them immediately fell into a chaotic scramble.
Finally, after Jack performed artificial respiration, Amber regained consciousness.
"Huh? Am I still dreaming? I actually saw Jack, Eula, and Mona, and we're all bathing together. How strange."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.