After watching the snow falling in the sea until the end, Judas and Eliya climbed up to the beach.
“What in the world was that…?”
Eliya muttered absentmindedly.
Snow falling underwater?
She couldn’t believe it, even with her own eyes.
Since there was no record of such an event in Judas’s memory either, Eliya couldn’t figure it out.
“I don’t know what it was, but it was definitely a cool sight.”
Judas still sounded excited.
Every time she saw him acting like a child, Eliya felt an odd yearning.
He was unbearably adorable, and she couldn’t help but wonder how a child that resembled both of them would react to such an experience.
Of course, not right now.
She wanted to enjoy their time together a little longer.
“Yeah.”
Eliya lightly laughed in agreement with him.
That was a reaction she wouldn’t have normally made.
There shouldn’t be something she didn’t understand after seeing it with her own eyes.
That would be a potential threat.
She needed to comprehend and grasp everything.
But right now, Eliya didn’t feel the need to.
If she didn’t know, so be it.
As long as it didn’t seem like a real threat, she could let it slide.
“Maybe it was a miracle that happened because I was with Judas.”
Snow falling from the sea.
No different than a miracle.
And he was the one who always gifted her miracles.
After such a nonsense yet pure statement, Judas pulled Eliya into an embrace.
He just couldn’t resist when she looked so cute and lovable.
Eliya snuggled into his arms obediently.
“Hmph.”
Judas inhaled her scent as he held her and stared blankly at the sea.
The sea, which had once been turbulent, had returned to its usual quiet state.
Swish, the calm waves rolled in.
The soft sand underfoot.
‘Hmm…’
It was the perfect spot for some water play.
“Eli.”
“Yeah?”
“Do we have time?”
“Yeah, a little. We set out early due to variables like the weather, but since we made it to Beelzebub without any issues, we have some leeway. Why?”
Judas sneaked up behind her and hugged her from behind.
He turned her towards the sea.
“Want to go in?”
“Again? You want to see it again?”
“No, not to watch the sea. I was thinking about actually getting in the water.”
“…I can’t swim.”
Eliya mumbled.
“You just have to wet your ankles. Have you ever played in the water?”
“No, but didn’t you say it’s your first time in the sea? You can swim?”
“Even if it’s not the sea, I’ve had places to swim.”
“…Ah, right.”
Swimming requires a massive amount of physical strength, so she had learned it as a hobby to train and change the atmosphere.
“Are you going to dislike getting wet?”
“I can change in the cage, but….”
She had plenty of spare clothes there.
They refill them or wash them periodically.
So, that wasn’t an issue.
Eliya fidgeted with Judas’s hand as she pondered.
The only time she’d ever experienced water on her body was when bathing….
The thought of jumping into those waves without warning made her worried.
“Well, if you want, I can’t say no.”
Nervous but pretending not to be, she said.
Judas knew her true feelings and just smiled, kissing her on the head.
“Let’s take it slow. I’ll hold your hand.”
“Okay….”
Judas took her hand and led her.
They carefully crossed the edge of the sand where the incoming waves seemed close.
The wet sand felt different this time.
It was a complete sea, unfurled before them.
She sensed its depth.
What if she fell in?
It was a slightly overreactive worry.
Despite being shorter than Judas, she still had a way to go before the water got deep.
Suddenly, a wave crashed and enveloped Eliya’s feet.
The seawater was colder than she expected.
“Eek!”
Startled, she jumped and clung to Judas.
He patted her back gently and asked.
While everything was new and exciting for him too, he prioritized keeping Eliya safe and reassured.
“Is it really cold?”
“Uh-huh, a little surprising. It’s cold, but it feels refreshing.”
The waves rolled in again.
They broke with white foam.
Swish, the refreshing sound.
It rose to her ankles.
Eliya stood still, focusing on the sensation.
It felt mystical.
Not just this beach, but everywhere land meets the sea has such wonders.
How immense is nature?
The following thought was impulsive.
“I want to take off my shoes.”
“Hmm? Sure, go ahead.”
Eliya tossed her shoes aside, supported by Judas.
He followed suit and removed his shoes too.
The cold, wet sand.
It tickled as it slipped between her toes, getting swept away by the waves.
They stepped further in.
The water came up to their knees.
Eliya felt a little scared.
If the waves pushed hard, her body would sway.
Though Judas was holding her tightly.
“Are you cold?”
“Yeah. It’s nice and refreshing.”
Eliya could now understand why people enjoyed swimming to escape the heat in summer.
After being under the hot sun and entering the cool water, it felt incredibly refreshing.
Judas checked on Eliya and took another step forward.
Before long, the water reached Eliya’s waist.
“Is this level okay?”
“Yeah.”
At first, she was scared, but now it was fun.
It’s really weird.
She just got into the water.
But sometimes the crashing waves made her body sway, and it felt fun.
She didn’t know why. Plus, she had been scared at first.
Maybe it was because she was sure Judas would keep her safe.
‘By the way, it seems like Judas wants to swim.’
But she couldn’t swim herself.
After all, her experience of physical activity was virtually zero unless it was stuff she enjoyed doing with Judas.
There was no way she could swim in the ocean.
‘But I want to let Judas do what he wants….’
As she pondered what to do.
-Bang!
Water splashed lightly up.
Towards Eliya’s face.
Judas playfully splashed water at her.
He held back his laughter as he looked at her drenched figure, pretending not to notice and waiting for her reaction.
“……”
With water dripping from her hair, she quietly looked up at Judas with her red eyes.
Judas felt something was off.
“Uh, um, Eli? That was just a joke….”
“Joke? Jokeful indeed.”
Eliya said while wringing her hair out.
Around her, droplets of seawater began to rise.
Numerous large drops floated up. That was magic.
Judas quickly took a defensive stance.
“Your Highness, I apologize. It was my foolishness that committed a terrible sin. Please show mercy with your great heart….”
“I’ll forgive you. But only after you pay the price.”
Water droplets began to fly toward Judas.
“Don’t do that…!”
*
Completely soaked, Judas was in trouble from the seawater.
Eliya was the same.
Even drenched by the magic, Judas couldn’t leave Eliya behind, so he just embraced her there.
Because of that, they both got wet together.
They spent quite some time splashing around, fooling around in the water.
Before long, Eliya was laughing along with Judas.
It was all staged, from the serious use of magic to the exaggerated play.
From the very start, she was excited at the thought of retaliating when he had teased her like this.
Only after some time did they reach a temporary peace agreement.
“Ugh, salty….”
Judas wiped his mouth with his hand, complaining.
His hand was wet from the seawater, and wiping wouldn’t help; Eliya chose not to point that out.
She simply found him adorably charming just as he was.
“Judas, don’t you want to swim?”
“Hmm? Ah, yeah, but it’s okay if I don’t.”
“I care.”
It wouldn’t do for Judas not to do what he wanted because of her.
That was unacceptable.
‘A float….’
That was something available in the world Judas lived in.
A thin synthetic material filled with air to help float in the water.
Unfortunately, they had none of that here, and there was no craftsmanship competent enough to make one.
‘What should I do….’
Eliya’s serious thought made Judas feel proud.
Actually, there was one way.
A bit embarrassing, though.
“Eli.”
“Yeah?”
“There… I know a method.”
“Really? Then let’s do it right away. I want you to swim!”
“Um….”
Judas, deep in thought, began to take off his pants.
“…?!”
Eliya quickly looked around to confirm they were alone on this beach, far from prying eyes.
That was not his intention.
*
He tightly tied both ends of his pants.
Then flipping them inside out and plunging them to the water would let them hold air and serve as a temporary tube.
The user just had to hold onto the waist.
Eliya did not know this as Judas had categorized it under survival skills in his memory.
While he explained all this, Eliya responded.
“Well, if it’s just the pants I need… couldn’t I just go back to the cage and get some?”
“…….”
Judas froze for a moment and then silently put his pants back on.
Eliya chose not to point out his embarrassment.
While he was putting on his pants, she quietly made a trip to the cage, returning with a pair of extra pants.
Accepting the pants, Judas quietly tied them up to create a temporary tube.
As Eliya grabbed onto the inflated pants, she asked.
She decided to ignore his embarrassment.
“Will this really work?”
“Yeah, it might be difficult since it’s your first time, but it should work fine.”
“Uh-huh….”
Feeling a bit anxious, Eliya followed his words.
She leaned over onto the water, holding the pants.
With Judas’s big hand holding her waist, it was smooth sailing.
“Whoa, whoa…! I’m floating! I’m floating on the water!”
Eliya shouted excitedly.
Her voice sounded like a joyous child giggling, making Judas smile warmly.
“Judas, you’re holding me, right?!”
“Yep, I’m holding you. Don’t worry.”
“Wow, how can a person float in the water…. Ouch!”
Eliya’s exuberance was interrupted as seawater splashed into her mouth.
Judas chuckled and said.
“Be careful.”
“Uh-huh…!”
Leaning on the pants tube, Eliya instinctively kicked her legs.
Splash, splash, she splashed the seawater as she moved forward.
Even when tilting at an angle against the waves, her movement speed was quite sluggish.
Judas watched her kick and splash away, filled with warmth.
‘There are so many cute ways to have fun.’
Sizeable surprise filled him too.
He had no idea Eliya would enjoy herself this much.
Swimming and splashing around moments ago, her laughter was genuine.
When she was with him, Eliya often smiled.
He could see her having genuine fun.
But seeing her enjoy playtime like today was a first for Judas.
‘I hope to see it more often in the future.’
He resolved firmly to come to the beach every summer.
“Judas? You’re holding me?”
“I’m right here holding you.”
“If you let go, I’ll fall in…! Don’t let go!”
“Okay, okay.”
He didn’t mention that the water was shallow, reaching his thighs now, instead focusing on respecting Eliya, who was doing her best, swimming like a dolphin across the ocean.
‘…But didn’t this start so I could let him swim?’
Well, it was fine if not.
Eliya was adorable, so it didn’t matter.
Eliya eventually swam close to the shore before standing upright.
Her panting face was glowing with excitement.
“Swimming is fun…!”
“Adorable.”
“I was floating and moving all by myself!”
She was so ecstatic that the compliment didn’t faze her.
She subtly checked Judas’s reaction.
“But this started with me letting you swim….”
“Why care about such things?”
Judas gently tidied Eliya’s wet hair and patting it.
Eliya, who was rubbing against him like a cat, spoke.
“I’ll do it by myself this time, so you swim too.”
“Can you do it alone?”
“Yeah! …You’ll have to hold me at first, though?”
Judas smiled as if unable to argue.
“Why are you laughing….”
“Because you’re cute.”
“Hmm….”
Being called cute finally made her blush.
Judas gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Afterward, he helped Eliya float on her own, then enjoyed swimming himself.
It was his first time swimming in the ocean, but he managed it reasonably well.
Eliya marveled at how Judas swam on his own.
‘How can he float and move like that….’
More impressive than watching him part the sea with magic was seeing him swim.
While Eliya, too scared to kick, contentedly floated holding onto the pants tube, sunsets seemed enough to enjoy.
Every time the waves came, her body would bounce up and down, making it enjoyable.
At one point, Judas approached her while doing a backstroke and pulled her along to swim.
Only after ample time did the two of them emerge from the water, completely drenched.
“Did you have fun?”
“Uh-huh, super!”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
When he suggested they go into the sea, he was worried she might dislike it.
That fear turned out to be quite unnecessary.
As Judas shook off the water, he suddenly took notice of Eliya.
Today she wore a white dress.
And she was soaking wet.
Which meant her clothing clung to her body.
The contours became visible.
Underneath, her underwear… and so on….
Eliya also noticed his gaze.
She teased him a bit.
“Why?”
“Uh, well…”
Judas awkwardly averted his eyes.
In fact, Eliya had been watching his body since earlier.
Wet clothes clung to him, accentuating the muscular outline.
Eliya stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
She intentionally pressed her upper body against him.
“Judas.”
“Um, yeah, Eli….”
“There’s no one else on this beach.”
“……”
“This area is uninhabited. No one comes by, and the trade route doesn’t pass through here.”
Her tone was playful and provocative.
“What should we do?”
Judas replied with an unexpected kiss.
“Ah…!”
The kiss didn’t last long.
Pulling back, Judas chuckled as he said.
“Salty.”
“Uh-huh… exactly.”
Their lips tasted of salt from the seawater.
But neither thought of backing down.
“Are you curious about how it tastes in other places?”
Eliya provocatively drew closer, and Judas succumbed.
“We’re going to be swallowing a lot of salt today.”
He playfully accepted it again, and their lips met once more.
This kiss persisted far longer.
Swoosh….
On the white beach that muffled their noise was just the two of them.
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