Chapter 142

Chapter 142. Off to the Beach (1)

“Heavenly Destruction Asura Gauntlet, huh…”

Gilbert, who had been quietly pondering with his eyes closed, shook his head softly.

“First time I’ve heard that name.”

“……”

Silence fell in response to Gilbert’s answer.

My and Berald’s gazes turned to the stained bandage placed on the table.

Though it looked utterly filthy now, as if it had been left under some bed for years.

‘If what happened earlier wasn’t an illusion.’

That stained bandage was undoubtedly an artifact of incredible power.

To the point where the gauntlet we found in the ruins felt insignificant in comparison.

“You said earlier that this bandage has some kind of magical power, right?”

“Well, it’s incredibly durable despite its appearance.”

Gilbert said as he picked up the stained bandage.

“Let me take a look.”

He took a deep breath and then pulled on the bandage with all his might.

“Huaaap!”

Not just pulling, but twisting and wringing it as if squeezing it dry.

Though Gilbert wasn’t a warrior trained in martial arts like Berald.

He was still born with a natural strength that could easily overpower most warriors, proving he was of the Iron Fist bloodline.

Yet, even with all his strength, the bandage remained intact.

“Hoo. See? No matter how hard I pull, it doesn’t get a single scratch.”

“So that’s why you said it has magical power?”

“Exactly. How long do you think an ordinary bandage would last?”

“Well… since they’re usually disposable, not very long.”

“But this bandage left by the Iron Fist, though dirty, doesn’t have a single tear when you look closely. That’s why I thought it had some kind of magical power.”

As Gilbert said, the bandage left by the Iron Fist had maintained its form perfectly over 500 long years.

“But I only thought it was a magically reinforced durable bandage. I’ve never heard of it having any hidden functions.”

“……”

In the end, even Gilbert himself, and the generations before him, were completely in the dark about the true nature of this bandage.

“Berald. Can you recreate what you did earlier?”

“Uh… that Heavenly Destruction whatever gauntlet thing?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm. Got it.”

Berald, wrapping the bandage around his hand, closed his eyes and focused his magic power.

*Whoooosh!*

Just like before, the bandage turned black and transformed into a solid gauntlet.

“Huh.”

Gilbert stared in surprise at the bandage, now transformed into a black gauntlet.

“…Is that the true form of the legacy left by the Iron Fist?”

“Seems like it.”

The reason the bandage was so stained was likely to hide the magical inscriptions on it.

“The question is, why can only Berald draw out the true power of this legacy…”

“I have a guess.”

Gilbert narrowed his eyes as he looked at the black gauntlet on Berald’s hand.

“Berald, that guy, has always been terrible at magic since he was a kid, but his punching skills were better than most heroes. And he didn’t even learn from anyone.”

“…So you’re saying he inherited the Iron Fist’s blood more strongly?”

“Exactly. Probably more than anyone in the ‘Ryu’ family lineage over the past 500 years.”

Suddenly.

I recalled what Principal Laonell muttered after Berald’s duel with Rios Ryu.

-“Could it be…? No, it can’t be.”

If that muttering was referring to the Iron Fist’s power within Berald.

‘Then it makes sense why Berald can wield the legacy of the Iron Fist that no one has been able to use for the past 500 years.’

Well.

Thinking about it, in my past life, Berald only started seriously learning martial arts after graduating from school… that is, after he turned 20.

‘And yet, he created his own martial art, Berald Martial Arts.’

That would’ve been impossible unless his natural talent was overwhelming.

“Hmm… So, to sum it up.”

Berald, clinking the gauntlet on his hand, grinned.

“We’ve got our hands on some incredible treasure, right?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Hahaha! So the saying ‘good deeds bring good fortune’ is true after all!”

Berald laughed heartily, clearly overjoyed.

His face showed no trace of the complicated worries about the Iron Fist’s bloodline or legacy.

‘Must be nice to be so carefree, kid.’

I stifled a laugh as I watched Berald.

Well, anyway.

The future was still changing.

Slowly, bit by bit.

For the better.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since we stayed at Berald’s mansion.

Just as the daily repetitive training was starting to get tedious.

“Ah, Dale!”

A handsome blond man arrived in a fancy magic carriage and entered the mansion.

Juliet, spotting me, waved her hand with a bright smile.

“Are we invisible or something?”

“Ah, s-sorry…”

“Hehe. Just kidding. So, Juliet, what brings you here?”

At Berald’s question, Juliet smirked.

“A good gift came from the foundation that’s collaborating with my father’s company.”

“A gift?”

“Yeah! Here, look!”

Juliet pulled out a few tickets from her pocket.

“Heavenly Resort stay vouchers!”

Heavenly Resort.

One of the most famous resorts in the Republic, known for its stunning beaches and luxurious facilities.

“Dale, you know where this is, right?”

“I’ve heard about it.”

It was one of the places candidates bragged about visiting after summer vacation, saying, “I’ve been there.”

Of course, I’d only heard about it—never actually been there in my past life.

“Hehe. If we go here, we can use a private beach together!”

Juliet, beaming, handed me five tickets.

“It’d be a waste to spend the whole vacation just training, right?”

“But isn’t this place super expensive? Are you sure it’s okay to accept?”

“Yeah! We’re, uh, friends, after all!”

Juliet smiled awkwardly, still a bit unused to the word “friends.”

I took the resort vouchers from her and looked around at the party members.

“What do you all think?”

“I’m all for it!”

“Me too! Me too! I really want to go!”

Berald and Iris raised their hands excitedly, practically bursting with enthusiasm.

“If Dale’s going, I’ll go too.”

Yuren nodded readily.

The last one left was…

“Hmph! A luxurious resort at such a crucial time? Unbelievable!”

Camilla scoffed as she took one of the tickets from my hand.

“You’ve all become too lax after achieving so much in recent training!”

She opened her eyes wide and thoroughly checked the validity date and time on the ticket.

“Don’t forget! We are heroes with a duty to protect the weak and defend the world from the evil Devil God’s forces!”

She carefully folded the resort voucher and stored it in her pocket.

“At times like these, we should be even more focused on training! How can you all be thinking about playing around?”

“No.”

Your words and actions don’t match, woman.

“W-well, of course! But I can’t ignore the party’s wishes just because of my own opinion! If you all really want to go, I’ll have no choice but to join you!”

Camilla was already looking forward to the resort, barely able to hide her excitement as her lips twitched.

I shook my head as I looked at her.

“No, if you really don’t want to go, we don’t have to.”

“…What?”

“I agree with Dale. I don’t want to force you to come if it goes against your beliefs.”

“S-Saintess?”

Iris placed a hand on Camilla’s shoulder and smiled gently.

“Camilla, you can stay here and focus on training.”

“……”

Silence fell.

Camilla’s shoulders trembled as moisture gathered in the corners of her eyes.

“Sniff… I-I understand…”

“Pfft! Ahahaha!”

Iris burst into laughter as she patted Camilla’s shoulder.

“Just kidding, kidding! Of course, Camilla’s coming too!”

“A-Airis!”

Finally realizing she’d been tricked, Camilla’s face turned bright red as she shouted, forgetting even to call Iris “Saintess.”

Iris, laughing again, turned to Juliet.

“Since it’s a beach resort, we’ll need to buy swimsuits, right?”

“You can probably rent them at the resort, but… if you have the time, it’s better to buy them in advance, right?”

“Hehe. Then, Juliet.”

Iris pointed to the magic carriage Juliet had arrived in.

“Can you take us to the city?”

“Of course!”

Juliet nodded with a bright smile.

And just like that, our short summer vacation was decided.

* * *

Heavenly Resort.

A resort so luxurious it felt like money was being poured into it.

One of the top five vacation spots across the three nations, so expensive that even heroes would think twice before visiting.

This Heavenly Resort had a unique system: using warp gates to provide each guest with a private beach.

Around the resort were about 130 small uninhabited islands, and guests could freely travel to their assigned island via warp gates.

“Let’s see… So we should head to Gate 33, right?”

While everyone was still getting ready in their rooms (surprisingly, each of us had our own room), I, having finished early, headed to the island first.

‘Need to grab a parasol and a mat… Oh, and some meat to grill.’

Since it was a private beach with no one else around, we could do whatever we wanted.

“Heavenly Resort, huh…”

In my past life, I never even dreamed of coming here.

Still feeling a bit dazed, I headed toward Gate 33.

*Whoosh.*

As I passed through the gate, a wide-open beach and picturesque white sand came into view.

“Wow! This is insane… Huh?”

Then.

On the beautiful white sand under the sun, I saw a parasol planted in the ground.

Under the parasol was a white beach chair, and lying on it was a woman in a relaxed pose.

‘What?’

Why is there someone else on a private beach?

‘Did I enter the wrong gate?’

I tilted my head, looking around in confusion.

“…Hmm?”

A familiar smell of cigarettes tickled my nose.

The woman on the beach chair slowly sat up.

A provocative black bikini contrasting with her porcelain-white skin.

A smooth, flawless body with long, slender legs.

As she pushed her sunglasses up, a scar running across her left eye came into view.

“So, how’s summer vacation treating you, Candidate Dale?”

Professor Elisha smirked as she spotted me.