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Extra Story 3 – Welcome to the Impregnable Beach Castle (Part 2)

Extra Story 3 – Welcome to the Impregnable Beach Castle (Part 2)

Everything moves forward smoothly after that.

Then, on the day in question…

「Uwaah…!」

The dog-eared secretary with chestnut-colored hair Cashew voices out her amazement as she teleports into the area.

The Boss Area on the 6th Floor was chosen for this outing’s beach stage.

It’s the most suitable place, as it’s a square-shaped room, with half of it being a sandy beach and the other half being the sea.

It’s spacious enough, and the weather inside has been set to be sunny.

The walls of the room had been decorated with sceneries of the ocean, the sky, and a long sandy beach, so that they don’t look like walls at first glance.

The beach was filled with other guests. The 1st Floor’s Hellhounds and the 6th Floor’s Mermaids are swimming, the 4th Floor’s Werewolves are running on the sandy beach, and the 8th Floor Dragonkin are training.

Among the Werewolves, I also see the “Black Explorer” Foras, a Minotaur who is a direct subordinate of Lemegeton.

Beyond them I can see the food stalls for Furcus.

「So this is the beach!」

Cashew’s eyes shine as brightly as the sun.

「Is this the first time you’ve seen the sea?」

「Yes! I wish everyone at home could be here as well!」

Since we had decided to focus participation for this beach outing on the castle’s staff only, I was unable to invite Cashew’s family this time around.

We usually welcome her family with open arms, but if Cashew’s younger siblings Nuts and Mia were here today, the firm Cashew would have to take care of them as their older sister.

I want her to enjoy herself to the fullest today.

「We’ll invite them for the next time. Maybe we could go with your family to a real beach, how does that sound?」

「Yes!」

Cashew is wearing a blue one-piece. It seems that her mother picked it out for her.

It’s simple and cute.

『As expected, my partner is wearing black shorts.』

— Leave me alone.

Dark is also wearing a black one-piece today. She’s always naked, so it’s surprising to see that there’s such a thing as her wearing clothes.

『You can be honest with me and tell me 「You look cute, partner」, you know?』

Her child-like self is sitting on my shoulder and moving her legs back and forth as she says that.

— Well, even if she’s a Spirit, it’s a bit uncomfortable to see her floating around naked all the time, so I’m sure glad to see her wearing something for once.

『Eh～、do you see us Spirits with that kind of eyes, partner? Now I feel embarrassed…』

Dark deliberately covers her chest with her arms and twists her body to the side.

— Could you please go back to looking like a black chick?

『Ahaha.』

As I have my usual troubles dealing with Dark, some of the Hellhounds notice Cashew and I and rush over to us.

Their fur had absorbed water and got stuck to their bodies, making them look thinner than usual.

「Hello there.」

We bend forward and pet them.

Then they use their jaws to grab us by our swimsuits and try to pull us to the water.

「E-eh?」

Cashew is taken aback by this.

「I’ll go with you later. Can I ask you to take care of Cashew?」

They bark cheerfully in response.

「L-Lem?」

「Don’t worry. I’ll join you in a moment. Ah, but don’t go too deep.」

All of the Hellhounds are here, so she should be fine.

「Okaay.」

Cashew nods as I pat her head and tell her that.

She goes to the water’s edge, and at first, she timidly steps forward into the water, but soon starts to frolic about with the Hellhounds.

After I make sure of that, I turn my gaze around.

There’s also a bar counter in the food stall area, where the Boss of the 2nd Floor “Spirit Commanding General” Kimaris and the Boss of the 1st Floor Boss “Watchdog of Hell” Naberius in his Demi-Human form are having a drink.

Over their swimsuits, Kimaris is wearing a dark-colored shirt, and Naberius is wearing a flashy-colored shirt.

「Well, even if there’s sand everywhere, just having the sea makes it all very attractive. I wonder if should try adding an oasis area to change the scenery a bit.」

「I think a small water area in the middle of a wilderness would be a good fit. But if I try to do something like that in the 2nd Floor, I think it’s going to look like a poisonous swamp at most.」

「Hahahaha! So, since the setting of that area is that of an abandoned city, it won’t be possible to create a bright and beautiful atmosphere.」

「Yeah, exactly.」

The two of them seem to be on very friendly terms, perhaps because they work physically close to each other.

In terms of the connection between the 1st Floor and the 2nd Floor, they’re already a pair.

The Adjutant Monster of the 2nd Floor, the Dark Elf “Black Wound Hunter” Leraje is lying on her back on one of the beach beds.

Her swimsuit is a white bikini that may be a little uneasy about its amount of fabric, similar to the one she uses as part of her Avatar’s costume.

Her impression changes considerably just by removing the rest of her outfit from it, such as its cloak and shorts.

The Adjutant Monster of the 1st Floor, the “Invisible Slaughterer” Glasya-Labolas, who has shining white fur, is comfortably curled up and sleeping next to her. His bird of prey’s wings are folded, and his curled-up appearance resembles that of a large dog.

Leraje doesn’t seem to be actually sleeping, and would occasionally stroke Glasya’s fur.

His jaw is loose with satisfaction.

「Kyaaa! Fuu is so cute!」

As I turn toward the sweet, high-pitched voices, I see a group of maids.

To be precise, a group of people wearing swimsuits designed with maid outfits in mind.

They were the Boss of the 5th Floor “Demon of Love” Sitri and her subordinate Dream Demons.

Each of the people in this group of “swimsuit maids” have a camera in their hands, and are surrounding a certain someone.

「Miss Fuu! Please look over here~」

「Could I ask you to pose for me? Put the bottoms of your fists together and rest your chin on top of them… That’s it! So cute!」

It’s clear who they’re referring to by “Fuu”. It’s the Boss of the 8th Floor “Reaper Knight” Furcus.

She’s also wearing a white, tight-fitting swimsuit that looks like the ones worn during competitions, similar to her Avatar’s costume.

The maids are holding up some kinds of papers and ask Furcus to pose one after another while taking pictures.

「Fuu! Make a heart with your hands and look over here! Here’s three meal tickets!」

It seems that they’re giving her tickets that can be exchanged for food at the stalls as a means to pay her for letting them take her pictures.

Furcus simply nods with a 「Mm-hmm」 and makes a heart as requested with her usual blank look on her face.

The camera shutters go wild as the maids continuously take pictures of her.

Right after that, a chorus of 「So cute~」 begins.

「Fuu! For the next picture, put on a swimming ring!」「Miss Sitri, how about some swimming arm bands as well?」「Hmm, even though Fuu is small and cute, wouldn’t Lucy look better on those?」「–! You’re a genius, Miss Sitri! Please ask our Demon King later!」「Do it yourself~」「But that would be disrespectful of me!」

『If someone like the Dragon Killer were to see her right now, they’d probably faint.』

「Ah, you mean Valac… Yeah, definitely.」

I fought against the current “Dragon King” Valac in the All-Heaven Festival Contest, and she also is one of my ring’s Contractors.

She seems to care a lot for her childhood friend Furcus, but she always has a cold attitude.

If I were her, and I found out that such a childhood friend was being photographed doing cute poses and swimming in the sea… I would certainly be making a big fuss right now.

「But that aside… Swimming rings, huh? It looks like Cashew can swim, but I probably should’ve prepared some of those for her, just in case…」

The shallow water should be fine, but if she were to swim a little farther ahead, where she has no footing, it could get dangerous.

I take another look at her and find her playing in the water with the Hellhounds.

On the seaside, the Boss of the 6th Floor “Ruler of the Waters” Vepar is drinking a colorful juice on top of a large seashell floating on the water — her top also looks like seashells — while her Adjutant Monster “Seamonster” Forneus is swimming leisurely with half of his body above the surface of the sea.

Aside from them were other “Mermaids”, as well as the 7th Floor’s “Birdmen”.

The Boss of the 7th Floor “Eloquent Thrush Lord” Caim seems to be talking incessantly about something, and Forneus seems to be answering in a friendly manner.

The Adjutant Monster “Phantom Thief Crow” Raum was playing in the sandbox. He’s rolling on the sand, getting his wings covered with it.

I can also confirm the presence of the “One-Horned Poet” Amduscias, who is another one of Lemegeton’s direct subordinates, and the several Demi-Beast Alraune she employs.

「Everyone, please don’t run off to where I can’t see you~」

Amdusias is a Demi-Human who can go back and forth between centaur form and human form, and now is a beautiful woman with a single horn growing from her forehead.

Now in her human form, she’s wearing a white swimsuit that looks like a one-piece from the front and a bikini from the back.

「The ocean…」「So salty…」「Well, we can still drink it…」

The Alraune suck up water from the shallows while saying such things.

As I looked at them, wondering if they would be alright… I see something starting to fall from their leaves.

They seem to discharge salt out of their bodies, just like plants that grow on the seashore.

Those girls also sucked the blood of vampires before, so they may have the ability to adapt to several kinds of liquids.

While I’m thinking how interesting that is… one of them says 「Ah~?」as she gets swept away by the waves.

Amduscias manages to catch her and bring her back to shore before I could rush out to help her myself.