We have peace by the lake?

Approaching Sangria by the lake, she seemed a bit uncomfortable in her attire. Serena and I were curious about why she appeared uneasy.

"What's going on, Sangria? Is everything alright?" Serena asked with a concerned expression.

Sangria shifted her weight from one foot to the other before admitting, "Well, to be honest, even though I appreciate the outfit you designed for me, Lady Serena and the invitation to join you on this business trip, I'm not entirely comfortable."

Business trip? Ah yes, I told the villagers we left on official business. Actually, I just wanted to have some fun but I didn't want everyone to come with me or it'd get a too occupied.

"What's causing your discomfort, Sangria?" I inquired.

Sangria hesitated for a moment before shyly confessing, "I'm not really comfortable wearing so little clothing."

Isadora's playful voice interrupted, "Aww, Sangria! You're so cute and innocent!"

I took the opportunity to excuse myself from the group for a brief moment. While I was gone, Isadora turned to Serena and asked, "Where did he go?"

Serena just shrugged in response.

When I returned, I had a warm, cozy blanket in tow. I draped it over Sangria's shoulders, placing my hands on my waist as I reassured her that she didn't have to expose her body if it caused her discomfort. Besides, with Mojito being present, I didn't feel comfortable leaving her or my ladies so exposed.

Sangria's eyes sparkled with gratitude, and she smiled warmly in response. "Thank you, my lord."

It was a bit strange.

Sangria was usually so ambivalent that her being so emotionally expressive came as a bit disturbing. Maybe she just needed the right motivation to act in this manner.

To my surprise, the rest of our group decided to join in on the fun as well.

Isadora latched onto me, rubbing her nipples and breasts against my arm, "You're such a sweetheart, you know that?"

Serena mirrored her on the other side, "We think you're amazing!"

Even Fasit, our grygan leader, jumped on me from behind, her breasts resting atop my head as she exclaimed, "You really are a gentleman!"

I laughed and revel in the moment as the group showered me with affection. "Honestly, you guys are just too much!" I said, in-between my several fits of laughter.

---

As I lounged by the great lake, taking in the sun's rays and enjoying the serene atmosphere, my female companions, Fasit, Serena, and Isadora, played a whimsical game of tag nearby. Mojito was still recuperating from the unfortunate kick he received the an hour ago (not our fault!), and I couldn't help but snicker at his plight. Meanwhile, Martini, the old-timer of the bunch, was patiently fishing by the bank.

"Hey Martini, how's the fishing going?" I quizzed, curious about his progress.

"Ah, just trying to catch something decent that Mimosa can cook up tonight," he replied with a sly grin.

"That's great, but why don't you join us in the water?" I offered, gesturing to the playful antics of my friends.

"Tsk tsk, no thanks young blood. I'm too old for that kind of fun. I'd rather watch you all splash around from here," Martini chuckled.

I couldn't help but chuckle along with him as I prodded further, "So how many fish have you caught so far?"

Martini let out a rib-tickling guffaw and replied rather sheepishly, "Hahaha, lost twelve baits you could say. It's not been a good day for me."

I couldn't believe it; Martini had surpassed Jericho (32, third child and second son) as the worst fisherman I knew!

Just as I was about to bid Martini farewell and join Mimosa and Sylphie, who were signaling to me from a distance, he stopped me in my tracks. His voice was grave as he said, "Wait, don't go just yet. You'll want to stay for my big catch tonight."

I didn't know what to make of it - his demeanor was borderline creepy as he spoke of breaking bones and bloodshed - so I beat a hasty retreat, eager to team up with Mimosa, Sylphie and their new herb discovery.

"Hey, Mimosa, what cool herbs did you find?" I shouted as I scampered to her side, leaving Martini and his fishy eccentricities behind.

Mimosa approached me with a glint in her eyes, her silky hair fluttering in the breeze. "I found some herbs that turn blue when water is poured on them," she uttered breathlessly.

Naturally, I was skeptical about such a claim, but before I knew it, Sylphie floated by, corroborating Mimosa's story with glee. "Yes, it's true! You have to see it to believe it!" Sylphie sang out.

Well, I wasn't one to pass up a good herbal experiment, so I summoned a jet of water with my [Water Magic] and poured it all over the herb. Would you believe it? The darn thing turned blue! I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear in wonderment.

"We should bring some back to the domain and have you and Fasit research more on it," I suggested.

Sylphie, being the genius she is, chimed in, "And we can get some help from Flora too! She's an expert when it comes to plants."

"That's a solid plan," I nodded, impressed by Sylphie's quick thinking.

Mimosa, being the gracious lady she always was, bowed her head and thanked me for my suggestion.

"You're so kind, Great Lumiere.." (Mimosa)

She was always so well-mannered. Of course, Mojito liked her, but I didn't think they had a shot together. Mojito was a... dingbat. Yes, that's the nicer word to use.

As we continued to bask in our success, we heard a thundering roar from Martini's fishing spot. In the next instant, he bellowed that he was the fish god and would conquer every fish in the sea. Suddenly, his reel started spinning like crazy, and before we knew it, Martini had hauled out a massive fish equivalent to the size of a building. It was gasping for air, but still alive and kicking.

Fasit, Isadora, Sylphie, Serena, Mimosa, and I watched in stupor as Martini bellowed at the top of his lungs for Mojito to capture the beast. "Get that son of a bitch, Mojito!" he roared.

Mojito, who was still recovering from his previous injury, was shaking in his boots. But when he saw the daunting fish, he summoned lightning energy and raced towards it. His movements were so fast that I couldn't quite catch them, but the next thing I knew, he had executed a thunderous kick that sent a shockwave throughout the vicinity.

"I call that my ultra-special combo fish kick technique!" Mojito exclaimed, clearly he just copied my - Super Lumiere Kick. But, let's not point fingers.

The sun had finally set, casting an orange glow over the beach.

In front of us lay an unbelievably large fish, so large we had to gawk at it with amazement.

Fasit smiled. "We're going to enjoy eating such a magnificent specimen."

I looked at Martini and told him, "You're the best old man!" but he looked like he was about to cry when he hugged me and told me that my faith in him had kept him going.

I almost regretted not having more faith in him. I thought he wouldn't catch diddly-squat

"How are were going to cook it, though?" Serena asked.

Mimosa smiled. "Just leave it to me!"

Sangria nodded in agreement, saying, "Mimosa's an excellent cook, I could eat her cooking all day."

We waited for a few minutes, and then Mimosa told us dinner was ready.

We were all seated on the sand with our wooden bowls filled with fish sauce we'd made. The ingredients were collected from Serena's storage ability, so there was no need to worry about lack of cooking aids. We ate around a bonfire, and it was the best cookout we'd ever had, honestly.

Out of nowhere, Mojito shouted, "Mimosa, you're an amazing cook! I hope you'll cook like this for me when we get married."

Mimosa giggled and kindly told him: "I don't think that'll ever happen.."

We laughed, but Mojito's tears were flowing silently. He was so low, I didn't even need to look up when I spoke to him.

As usual, Isadora was feeding me and giving me water to drink, and if a small stain came on the side of my mouth, she'd sensually lick it off with her tongue. It was a bit strange, but it was Isadora, what could I say?

Sylhpie yawned.

"Are you tired? Sylphie?"

She rubbed her eyes and said "Yes master." She looked cute when she did.

I smiled at her mildly, "Alright, return to the spirit world and get your rest."

"Mimosa, you'll teach me how to make that dish right?"

"Really?!" Mimosa asked excitedly.

"Yes!" said Serena, looking eager to learn.

I was busy rubbing my belly, my way of saying "this is amazing," with a huge smile on my face.