The shelter where people gathered was the large swimming facility nearby, Aqua Marina.
Since it was late, the facility wasn’t operational, but it was spacious enough for people to gather.
With warm heating in the indoor space, it was just perfect as a shelter when you think about it.
Holding Sabrina’s hand side by side, I cautiously followed Pixie’s guidance into the shelter.
There, I finally met David and Raine, whom I was so worried about.
“Sis… Bro!”
“Sabrina, and Yuria. I found you.”
“I was so worried! You didn’t answer any calls, seriously!”
“Mmmph, sorry….”
“….”
Raine hugged both me and Sabrina tightly, tears soaking her eyes.
Though I was suddenly pulled into the hug, it wasn’t that uncomfortable.
I guess it couldn’t be helped; we were unreachable during this emergency with undead roaming the hotel.
As our guardian, worrying is inevitable.
But why am I being hugged too? Well, it’s nice and warm anyway.
After the tearful reunion ended, we exchanged stories of what happened to each other.
Apparently, they had been wandering around together, flirting here and there, when suddenly the undead started attacking people.
Still, David was quite skilled at fighting well enough to protect himself.
Somehow, he managed to knock out the undead with his fists and quickly evacuated everyone from the hotel.
Judging by the bandages all over his body, it must not have gone smoothly.
Well, considering these undead were created by someone at the peak of necromancers, it can’t be helped.
“On our side, some dangerous gas-like thing suddenly appeared…”
“So that’s why Alice and Raven aren’t here.”
“That sounds like quite the disaster.”
When we explained what happened at the Enigma Auction, their expressions immediately darkened.
Just hearing about it made them realize how much Alice and Raven must have struggled.
They probably felt guilty for splitting up and going off on their own. They really are good people.
As we shared our experiences at the hotel, waiting in Aqua Marina, time passed.
It wasn’t until after 2 AM that Alice and Raven finally joined us.
And then, out of the blue, when they suggested returning to the hotel, Raine tilted her head in confusion.
“Wait, back to the hotel? Hmm, I feel uneasy about that….”
“At this hour, where else can we go? It’s peak season, so nearby hotels are almost all booked. We’ll just have to spend the night here.”
Raine seemed hesitant about returning to Saint Maria.
Her reaction wasn’t hard to understand.
The hotel was, just moments ago, a scene of chaos with undead rampaging.
Going back there would naturally make anyone reluctant.
Her point wasn’t wrong.
Normally, staying in a hotel overrun with undead would be unthinkable.
But Raven scratched his head as if to say it couldn’t be helped and offered an excuse that wasn’t really an excuse.
At this late hour, there was no place that could accommodate hundreds of guests.
Especially in this resort area, there weren’t any other hotels nearby. We had no choice.
Still, maybe he understood how Raine felt.
Alice reassured her by holding her hand and speaking with a confident gaze.
“It’s fine, Raine. All the undead inside have been cleared out, and Pixies will continue patrolling inside and outside the hotel. There’s no need to worry about anything similar happening again.”
“Ah… Well, if you say so….”
“Did it take so long because you were clearing out the undead?”
“Partly, yes. But also, we were delayed dealing with people who absolutely refused to stay. Now there’s nothing left for us to do. Let’s hurry up, wash, and rest.”
Raven, eager to stretch out and rest, turned around abruptly and marched toward the hotel.
Since there was a reason, we couldn’t help but follow him back to the hotel.
However, something strange happened on the way to our rooms.
As we headed to the elevator, Raven suddenly stopped us and went up further.
Maybe he forgot something upstairs?
Puzzled, we followed, only to end up staring at him in confusion when we reached our destination.
“Raven, where are we?”
“This doesn’t seem to be our room. This is the top floor….”
“Yeah. The Royal Suite. One of the most luxurious rooms in Saint Maria.”
Beep.
When Raven swiped the card key from his pocket, the door opened smoothly and silently.
It was as if the door welcomed its rightful owner naturally.
What’s going on?
Completely baffled, I looked at Alice and Raven.
Alice, noticing my gaze, awkwardly giggled and pulled me inside by the hand.
“Whoa, this is…!”
“It’s huge! Much bigger than before!”
“Is that real gold on the ceiling? Wow… A chandelier and even a mini wine cellar?”
Inside was a breathtaking sight, almost unreal.
Our original Premier Suite was two or three levels lower in luxury compared to this.
If the previous room felt like living in a dream, this was on another level entirely, as if we were dreaming within a dream.
“Yuria! Look at this bed! It looks super expensive!”
“…!”
This quality is definitely extraordinary. It feels like touching clouds in the sky.
As I pressed down on the bed with my hands, enjoying the unusual sensation,
Behind me and Sabrina, still busy exploring, came David and Raine’s voices demanding an explanation.
“Raven, what exactly is going on?”
“That’s right. Did our room change?”
“The person originally supposed to stay here left because they couldn’t handle the hotel anymore due to the undead. With unusable rooms cropping up, adjustments had to be made… So, yeah.”
He gave a rough explanation and then collapsed onto a luxurious-looking sofa, clearly exhausted.
The material was larger and fluffier than the sofas in the office. When I sat down,
Sure enough, the expensive item felt different, even on the skin.
But David and Raine still seemed unsatisfied with Raven’s vague explanation.
Alice, smiling wryly, added more details for them.
“In fact, Victor insisted we played a major role in resolving the situation… So the owner of Saint Maria gladly allowed us to use this room for free!”
“That’s… Well, understandable.”
“Anyway, everyone staying at this hotel now is free of charge. Only the hotel owner got the short end of the stick.”
Raven said that, shaking his head side to side.
Free for all guests? Just thinking about the financial loss makes my head spin.
I flopped over sideways on the couch, overwhelmed by the mental math.
Still, according to reports, despite the Seven Stars’ attack, there were no casualties.
Considering the potential human damage, this outcome was practically miraculous.
Perhaps this will attract even more visitors next year.
These days, it’s a dangerous world where accidents can happen anytime, anywhere.
More focus might be placed on how situations are handled rather than the incidents themselves.
“Hurry up and wash, then sleep. After resting, we’ll decide whether to return to Night Haven tomorrow or stay here a bit longer.”
As I rolled around on the couch, organizing my thoughts,
Raven spoke, looking utterly exhausted.
Right. It’s already nearing 3 AM.
It’d be best to wash off the dirt and crash on the bed.
The changed room was the ultra-luxurious Royal Suite.
With three large bathrooms, there wouldn’t be much delay.
“Yuria, shall we bathe together for old times’ sake?”
“Ah, I want to wash with Yuria too….”
“Hehe, since we’re here, why don’t all the girls bathe together? The bathroom’s big enough anyway.”
“…!”
Why do these people keep wanting to bathe with me?
I felt slightly troubled by Sabrina and Alice’s requests.
But thinking about it, I’ve already shown them my face.
And monopolizing such a large, fancy bathroom would be a bit much.
I ended up being dragged into the bathroom without resistance.
“My goodness, so cute. Yuria’s like an angel.”
“Right?! If Yuria didn’t wear a mask, everyone would know how adorable she really is!”
Maybe it was Raine seeing my bare face for the first time.
She casually threw out compliments that made me blush.
Well, I do like my face, but being called an angel or artwork every time…
I still didn’t know how to react. I doubt I’ll ever get used to it.
“It’s a shame you always hide it. But thinking that I have exclusive access, it’s bearable.”
“….”
Alice carefully rinsed the foam from my hair as she spoke.
Exclusive access, huh? Not far from the truth, really.
In reality, the number of people who’ve seen my face can be counted on one hand.
Most are trustworthy, both personally and skill-wise.
After the noisy bath time ended, and even the water in our hair was completely dried,
I was assigned a bed taller than myself and crawled into it slowly.
“Ugh, sleepy…. My eyes are closing just lying on the bed….”
Peeking out from under the thick blanket, I slowly drifted off to sleep.
So, the first day of the trip ends like this.
What an incredibly long day.
