A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

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Saint Karina has now recovered to the tenth rank and doesn't need their protection at all.

In short, Saint Karina just thought pretty girls were great. Even though these three girls couldn't really help with anything, they could still help with some housework. As long as they were pleasing to the eye and could replenish her "pretty girl energy," Saint Karina felt like she had inexhaustible energy just looking at their skin, which was smoother than tofu in miso soup.

Just like now, I feel satisfied simply by watching silently without going up.

However, Santa Karina, who was eavesdropping from a certain distance, seemed to want to hear exactly what they were saying.

264.Sunbathing

"Little Helo, are you tired?"

The captain was a social butterfly and quickly became acquainted with Saint Karina's harem.

"What? Hmm... I'm not tired, it's just that the feeling of being in the sun every day is a little unreal. I tend to overthink things, like sitting on a big ship with only a few of us as crew members, it's kind of weird."

"And Melissa is never here. She's always engrossed in her work, which makes me feel guilty."

Hero and Melissa have a good relationship.

During the time when Santa Karina was gone, Melissa was there for her. The two didn't have a very good relationship, but they got along well.

Because Melissa always liked to stay by Hero's side at all times, obeying her master's orders and fulfilling her duties.

Helo was a talkative and outgoing person. Unable to leave the palace of the Lorian Empire at will, she stayed within the palace grounds. She enjoyed listening to Melissa tell stories of the land. At first, Melissa was reluctant to tell them, saying that there wasn't much to say about the demons.

However, she eventually succumbed to Hero's persistent pursuit and began speaking reluctantly at first. After getting to the point, she didn't resist much anymore.

She was generally aloof, but she was quite comfortable around Hero.

"You and Miss Melissa are friends, right? You feel bad that your friend is busy while you're resting."

The captain's address to Melissa was much more distant. They hadn't exchanged many words since boarding the ship, and even the captain, with her naturally outgoing personality, struggled to manage a few pleasantries.

"Hey, I think you're just overthinking it. You're too hard on yourself. You're friends, but what you do is entirely your own choice."

"Hicks, do you really think so?"

Hero also omitted honorifics when addressing the captain.

"Of course, Miss Melissa is always busy with a piece of cloth, and there are no ghosts or sea monsters on this ship. Her busy schedule makes me very nervous."

So far, things have been calm and peaceful since we set off for the Sea of ​​Despair, and nothing has gone wrong.

Saint Karina knew that Melissa just wanted to keep herself occupied, as if she were preparing for an unknown war and didn't want to waste a single day.

"I can't say you're right, but if Melissa can take it easy, she can rest with us."

Saint Karina doesn't need them as combatants on this trip at all.

All she needed was a skilled captain like the one to guide her to the island in the Sea of ​​Despair. The mermaid princess was just in case.

However, to be honest, both Hero and Melissa are like mascots in Saint Karina's eyes. Their purpose is to keep them from being lonely, to make things more lively, and to be pleasing to the eye.

"She probably felt that we weren't on vacation, but on a mission, and that put too much pressure on herself."

"However, if you keep thinking about it and your nerves are on edge, it will put too much pressure on yourself and the people around you."

Haste makes waste, right? Hero understood this meaning from the captain's words.

"That makes some sense."

"Of course there's a reason for it, which is why I invited you to get up, relax, and have some fun sunbathing."

Saint Karina listened with skepticism. She thought the captain was just trying to slack off but was too embarrassed to do it alone, or perhaps she was afraid of being scolded by Saint Karina, so she dragged the lovely mermaid princess into it as well.

In that case, she probably won't be scolded at all.

In fact, someone's hunch was right; Saint Karina indeed had no intention of scolding them.

"Hicks, I think you're really smart, I really need a boost."

"And undeniably, it's very comfortable, isn't it?"

"Yes, I received your help, Hicks."

"Hehe, you're too kind, Little Helo. Actually, I'm a good person. I can't bear to see too many people suffer; it makes my heart ache."

She giggled.

The captain was a very easygoing person, at least that's how she treated the ladies.

"Besides, we're friends now, and we're doing this kind of dangerous mission, sailing in dangerous waters, so we need to help each other even more. When I was sailing before, I always worked together with my crew in a friendly and cooperative way, so no matter what happened, it wasn't a problem."

As for now, her crew has been given a month-long vacation.

Because Saint Karina and her companions didn't know how long it would take to find the island where the Demon Dragon was imprisoned. The Sea of ​​Despair was vast, and few people ventured there; there weren't even any nautical charts.

When faced with danger, one must solve it oneself. Only Saint Karina, now that she has recovered her tenth-tier strength, dares to venture out.

None of the crew members objected to the paid leave. With such a long vacation, most of them, who have children and families, could go back and spend quality time with their wives and children.

"Hmm... I do feel very comfortable. The sea breeze is so pleasant, it feels completely different from the sea breeze I used to feel when I would sneak out to play on the sea. I like the feeling of the sea breeze on my face on the deck. Although my skin is dry, the sea breeze keeps replenishing the moisture."

The atmosphere between the two of them was surprisingly good.

In fact, aside from their overly attractive swimsuits, as long as they don't remove the fabric from their private areas, they are innocent.

Saint Karina had originally planned to scare the two who had been slacking off these past few days, but... now Saint Karina just wanted them to get some rest.

Anyway, she doesn't need the two of them to do anything more for her. At most, she needs to explore the origins of species late at night and needs the girl to come and warm up her cold sheets and blankets. The temperature at sea drops sharply at night, and the girl's body heat will quickly warm up the cold things in a very short time.

And then there's Melissa, she really pushes herself too hard.

Although demons are unlikely to die from overwork due to being busy with cleaning and other tasks every day, such a state can easily make people feel stifled.

Santa Karina thought she should go down into the cabin and have a good chat with Melissa, and encourage her to join the two on deck for a sunbath, to catch her breath, and not push herself too hard.

She should learn to relax. This isn't a demon's lair or a demon army; there's no need to be overly cautious or afraid of being punished for doing something wrong.

Alright, if you have an idea, just do it. The ship isn't particularly big, and even without using search magic, finding Melissa shouldn't be too difficult, given some time.

She wasn't in the corridor, the kitchen, on the deck, or in the engine room. In fact, when Santa Karina found her, Melissa was in Santa Karina's boudoir—the largest room on the entire ship, the one reserved for the captain.

Originally, this honor belonged to Hicks on the Avlov, but now it has been transferred to St. Karina. She is the backbone of the ship and the rightful captain.

265. The charm of contrast

When Saint Karina saw her, she was making Saint Karina's bed. Because her back was to her, Melissa didn't notice Saint Karina immediately.

She was patting Santa Karina's pillow, which was warm and cozy, probably having just been taken out to air out.

The movements were exceptionally nimble and skillful, indicating that they had been done many times before.

"Cough cough."

To avoid startling Melissa by suddenly approaching her, Saint Karina coughed to remind Melissa of her presence.

"ah!"

In fact, even so, it's quite frightening for someone who's focused. Melissa let out a cute cry, her face flushed.

"Master, why are you here?"

"I'll just wander around."

Saint Karina made up a random excuse.

"Are you cleaning my room, Melissa?"

"Yes, actually I should have come here earlier. I had a lot of things to do, so I delayed a bit..."

Melissa stammered, not trying to find excuses, but because she felt she wasn't good enough and was afraid of being scolded by Saint Karina.

"I have to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner, even though it's just fish, caught by Hero. Vegetables and fruits are refrigerated in advance, and I have to clean all the rooms, because they get covered in dust if I don't do it every day. I also have to inspect all the cabins to see if there are any problems and check for safety hazards..."

"Okay, I know you've done enough. I don't mean to blame you, but you don't need to report everything you do to me. You've done enough, you should learn to rest."

Saint Karina felt a headache coming on.

She finally understood why the two people on deck said Melissa was so worrying; she was like a wound-up top that just wouldn't stop.

Having spent so many days on the ship in this state, it is indeed worrying to see her mental condition.

“Master, thank you for your generosity. I am truly touched that you understand me. I will definitely try my best to be a useful person to you.”

“You’re useful enough already. In fact, you don’t have to work so hard. I think you can relax occasionally, like going to the deck with Hicks and Hero to sunbathe.”

Saint Karina thought to herself that if she were the boss, her employees would probably praise her for being so wise if they heard this.

“Master…is that really what you think? To make me do nothing like those two.”

Melissa looked strange; she didn't seem to appreciate it.

"Of course that's what I think, otherwise I wouldn't have said it."

"Can those two become useful to their master?"

Melissa shook her head, looking like she had a headache.

"Forgive my bluntness, Master, but if I were like those two, there would be no one to do the work on this ship. You would have to do it yourself."

"Especially Miss Hicks, that young lady is probably from a rich family, she does things very carelessly and just does things half-heartedly. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I simply stopped entrusting anything to her and did it myself."

The captain certainly doesn't need to do everything herself.

On the Avrov, there were waiters, security personnel, and sailors—first, second, and third mates—hired by the captain. In short, these were the people she paid to work on the ship. Apart from making decisions, such as designating the passenger ship's route and passenger capacity, the captain mostly just needed to be a hands-off manager.

“Master, I bet she didn’t do anything at all. If she were in the demon realm, under those guys, someone like her would have been fed to the demons long ago.”

Melissa seemed to realize something, and looked a little angry.

It seems our captain really did do more harm than good, which is why Melissa is so angry.

"Hoohoohoo."

She was slightly out of breath when she spoke, which was a sign of anger.

"Hey, there's no need to be so angry. Besides, I didn't let them on the ship to do these chores or rough work. I just wanted them to help me find that island. As for the ship, I bet it won't break down; I've enhanced it with magic."

As for housework, there are actually quite a few empty rooms on the ship; you don't need to clean every single one. We won't be staying on the ship all the time, and this ship probably won't have a second chance after this use. There's no need to spend time and effort maintaining it.

The ship was indeed expensive, not cheap, even though it was much smaller than the Captain's Avlov.

But Santa Karina can afford this amount of money.

In fact, if she wanted, she could have built a fleet of luxury passenger ships like the Avlov, forming a magnificent fleet.

"Also, Melissa, you're no longer in the demon realm, so no one will do anything to you if you slack off. I'm your master now, and I won't let that happen."

Saint Karina reminded her.

"What you just said sounds just like the devilish tone adults use in fairy tales to scare children into going to bed."

"I'm sorry, Master, I didn't mean to speak to you like that. I've just been at sea for a while and I've gotten a little impatient."

“I didn’t hold it against you. I believe you didn’t mean it. You just hate it when someone is slacking off, especially when they’re working under their favorite master. I know you’re not targeting me or trying to scare me. Actually, girls can be quite cute when they’re fierce, that’s a good thing, Melissa. You don’t need to apologize to me every time.”

Saint Karina didn't care at all.

"Really? I'm cute like this?"

Melissa grasped the essentials.

"Of course! Think about it, isn't a kitten that's just come out of the box, all cute and fierce? Even if this kitten grew horns on its head, wings on its back, and a tail on its butt, would you be afraid of it?"

Then, Saint Karina smiled slightly.

"This contrasts charmingly with your good manners, speech, and attire. I won't blame you, Melissa."

"Don't push yourself so hard. If you can't do it, just take it as an order. My order is for you to relax, or rather, to balance work and rest. I won't ask you to do absolutely nothing, but you can't stubbornly push yourself to the limit. You're my toy, you know."

Melissa was naturally one of Saint Karina's favorite collectibles; otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered to keep her by her side so often.

If we're talking about protection, even a sixth-tier demon general can't offer Saint Karina any protection.

"I see……"

She could already envision what would happen to herself and the two lazybones, and she wasn't exactly happy. In fact, Melissa had to crack her knuckles to resist the urge to feed them to the sea monsters.

Her knuckles cracked as she clenched her fists. She had accepted Saint Karina's demands, but her pride wouldn't allow her to admit that the other two had done a better job. So, she stiffened her neck and remained defiant.

266. Soothe Melissa's emotions