Chapter 208: A Well-Deserved Vacation

"YUNA!!"

Reinhard’s shout tore through the hospital room.

Emily, Lily, Yuna, and Maki gasped awake almost simultaneously, their eyes darting around as they sat up. For several seconds, all four remained tense, searching for the source of the sudden commotion.

Reinhard stared at Yuna.

She was alive. She was sitting right in front of him, looking around with the same confusion as everyone else.

Yet the vision Akasha had shown him remained painfully clear. The golden threads wrapped around Yuna’s body. The blade in her hand. The moment she turned it against herself.

He had been awake the entire time, asking Akasha to show him the next tragedy. He hadn’t expected the answer to be so horrifying.

Damn it.

Reinhard forced his hands to relax before speaking.

"Sorry. I got caught up in a horrible thought. I imagined something bad happening to Yuna."

Lily stared at him before releasing a long sigh.

"You scared us half to death! I thought another enemy had broken into the hospital!"

"Sorry. It was a pretty terrible thought."

"Well, I was having a terrible dream myself," Lily complained, sinking against her pillow. "Someone locked me in a room without food. I was about to starve to death!"

Emily burst into laughter. "That sounds more like a nightmare for everyone else."

"Hey! You should sympathize with me!"

Maki closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "We just woke up, and you’re already shouting."

"I’m expressing my feelings!"

"Loudly."

While the two argued, Yuna lowered her gaze with a faint smile.

"I’m sorry you were worried about me, Reinhard."

"It’s fine."

He returned her smile, keeping his expression relaxed even as the memory lingered. For now, Yuna was alive, and he would do everything in his power to keep it that way.

After the commotion settled, Emily turned toward Reinhard.

"What happened after we defeated Xanxus? The only thing I remember is him falling. After that, everything went dark."

Reinhard walked over and sat beside her. He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face before caressing her cheek.

"Someone pushed herself too far and collapsed."

Emily’s cheeks warmed. "Reinhard..."

Lily immediately burst into laughter.

"Oh, I get it! Someone finally returned to S-Rank, only to collapse right after her big victory. What a terrible way to celebrate!"

Emily glanced at her sister. "Didn’t you collapse too?"

"That’s different!"

"Why are you teasing her?" Maki asked. "You fell unconscious for exactly the same reason."

Lily froze.

Emily slowly turned toward her, a smile spreading across her face.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"I was supporting the team!"

"By sleeping?"

"I was recovering strategically!"

Maki raised an eyebrow. "You were unconscious."

"Strategically unconscious!"

Emily laughed, while Reinhard shook his head with a grin.

"You people have no appreciation for my sacrifices," Lily declared.

"Of course we do," Emily replied. "That’s why we’re letting you recover instead of asking how you managed to lose a fight against a pillow."

"Emily!"

The room filled with laughter, restoring the familiar warmth that had been missing during their recent battles.

Reinhard turned toward Yuna.

"And speaking of sacrifices, defeating all four Executives was incredible. Every one of them was an S-Rank Awakener like you, yet you still came out on top."

Yuna blinked, her cheeks slowly reddening.

"I only won because—"

"Of course you won," Lily interrupted. "There was never any other possible conclusion."

Emily nodded. "Exactly. There was only ever going to be one outcome."

"You two make it sound easy," Yuna murmured.

"Wasn’t it?" Lily asked.

"No!"

"Then you must have been holding back."

"Lily, that’s not how fighting works!"

Maki shook her head, but Yuna’s embarrassment had given way to a genuine smile.

"Still, you pushed yourself too hard," Maki added. "When I dragged Lily’s unconscious body upstairs, you were sleeping against the wall."

Yuna looked away sheepishly.

"Sorry. I really did push myself too much."

Emily shook her head. "It’s fine. You protected everyone, and we’re all here. That’s what matters."

"Besides," Reinhard added, "your job now is to recover. You’ve earned the rest."

Yuna’s smile softened.

"Understood."

Lily nodded solemnly. "Yes. Rest is important. Especially when you’re as hungry as I am."

Maki sighed. "You weren’t listening at all, were you?"

"I was listening to my stomach!"

A few minutes later, Lily suddenly looked around.

"Wait a second. If Emily and I both collapsed, and Yuna was sleeping against a wall, that means only Reinhard and Maki were still awake, right?"

"Correct," Maki answered.

"Then how did we get here? Did you two steal one of the Baal Family’s cars and drive us to the hospital?"

Maki immediately looked away.

Reinhard crossed his arms and tilted his head, wearing a peculiar expression.

Lily stared at them.

"What? Why are you two acting like that?"

Emily furrowed her brows, while Yuna tilted her head.

"Did something happen after we left the tower?" Yuna asked.

Maki glanced at Reinhard. He responded with a grin that clearly indicated he was leaving the explanation to her.

She sighed.

"When we left the ruined tower, Aurlieus Security was waiting at the entrance. The surviving Baal members were there, along with representatives from organizations allied with the family."

Lily’s eyes widened. "They were waiting for us?"

"The Baal Family had accused us of attacking them without justification," Reinhard explained. "Security wanted answers before deciding what to do."

"So what happened?" Emily asked.

"We showed them what we found in Xanxus’s office," Maki replied. "Records of the operations against our family, including surveillance and abduction orders, as well as evidence connecting the Baal leadership to the crimes in Marvello."

"The hidden recordings also exposed how they used blackmail to control their allies," Reinhard added. "Once the authorities saw the evidence, their accusations against us fell apart."

"The Association withdrew its accusation," Maki continued. "The surviving Baal members were detained, and the organizations connected to them are under investigation."

Emily stared at them.

"So all those people who tried to ruin our lives were behind everything?"

"The evidence exposed the leadership’s involvement in several serious crimes," Maki clarified. "The investigation is ongoing, but they can no longer hide behind their reputation."

Emily lowered her gaze. "I’m glad," she said quietly. "I don’t want our family to have to go through something like this again."

Reinhard gently squeezed her hand.

"Neither do I."

Lily’s expression hardened.

"They tried to make us look like the villains after everything they did? How shameless can they get?"

"Very," Maki answered.

Lily clenched her fists before gradually relaxing them. "At least they can’t keep threatening us now. I’m sick of having to wonder when the next attack will happen."

Yuna nodded quietly.

"It’s a relief to know we can finally move forward."

For a moment, nobody spoke. They had spent so long preparing for the next danger that the thought of living without that constant pressure felt almost unfamiliar.

Then Lily’s expression brightened.

"Wait! If everyone hears about what happened, won’t we become even more famous?"

Reinhard smiled. "I wouldn’t be surprised."

"Great! At this rate, even people who live under rocks will know who we are!"

"Let’s hope they don’t," Maki muttered. "We already have enough trouble."

Emily laughed softly, and the tension in the room finally eased.

Then Lily sank against her pillow and groaned.

"I’m so tired. I want a vacation."

Reinhard immediately straightened. "A vacation?"

Lily opened one eye. "Yes, a vacation. Somewhere we don’t have to fight, worry about being attacked, or spend every other day dealing with some ridiculous crisis."

"Somewhere with good food," Emily added.

"And somewhere we can relax without worrying about our security," Maki said.

Yuna nodded. "That sounds nice."

"See?" Lily exclaimed. "Everyone agrees! We’ve earned it. I don’t want to hear about another enemy, investigation, or S-Rank battle for at least a month!"

Reinhard chuckled.

A vacation sounded wonderful. He had more than four hundred million credits before the latest battle, and his billion-credit reward from Akasha had increased his available funds to over 1.4 billion.

For once, he could arrange something extraordinary without worrying about the cost.

Emily deserved to enjoy the world again. Lily deserved to have fun without another crisis interrupting her. Maki could explore something simply because it interested her. And Yuna could spend time with the family without having to focus on protecting everyone.

They had spent so long fighting to protect their future that he wanted to give them a chance to enjoy it.

He pulled out his phone.

"Actually, that’s not a bad idea. If you could go anywhere for a vacation, where would you want to go?"

Lily answered immediately.

"Somewhere in Aurlieus!"

"Of course you’d pick somewhere close," Maki remarked.

"What’s wrong with that? Aurlieus has plenty of great places! We could eat at restaurants, go shopping, visit entertainment districts, and sleep until noon!"

"You could do that without leaving the city," Maki pointed out.

"Exactly! That’s why it’s perfect!"

Emily considered the question.

"Elyndor might be nice. I’ve gone there to relax plenty of times. There are beautiful places outside the combat districts, and I haven’t visited them in a while."

"That sounds good," Reinhard said.

Maki rested a hand against her chin.

"A spa resort in Lunaris wouldn’t be bad. Somewhere like Baba Lo or Ingo Inn. We could spend a few days enjoying the hot springs and treatments."

Lily turned toward her.

"Would there be food?"

"Of course there would be food."

"Then I approve."

Reinhard laughed before turning toward Yuna. "What about you? Where would you like to go?"

Yuna blinked. "I don’t really have anything in mind. I’m fine with anywhere you choose." She gave him a gentle smile. "You feel the same way, don’t you?"

Reinhard chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose I do."

He was happy as long as they were together. But he had another question.

"What if money weren’t a problem? If you could go anywhere and experience anything you wanted, where would you really want to go?"

The four women blinked.

Lily looked at Emily. Emily glanced at Maki, who seemed to understand the question immediately. Even Yuna’s expression brightened slightly.

Then Lily sat up. "The answer is obvious! It would, of course, have to be—"

"Solmara City," Emily and Maki said at the same time.

Lily stared at them.

"Hey! I was going to say that!"

Emily laughed. "You were taking too long."

"I was building anticipation!"

Maki shook her head, though she was smiling.

Solmara City, the Golden Coast, was famous for its extraordinary resorts, magical attractions, magnificent restaurants, and experiences that even wealthy Awakeners rarely enjoyed in full. A single visit could cost a fortune, and experiencing everything the city offered could require far more than an ordinary vacation budget.

It was the kind of destination people dreamed about visiting someday, only to postpone the trip when more practical expenses appeared.

None of them had seriously considered going together.

Reinhard’s grin widened.

"Then that’s where we’re going."

The room fell silent.

"Huh?" Lily asked.

"Solmara City," Reinhard repeated. "We’ll take a vacation there."

Lily stared at him.

"A-Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn’t I be?"

"Because it’s Solmara!" she exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how expensive that place is? The resorts alone cost a fortune! We can’t just decide to go there!"

"Can’t we?" Reinhard held out his phone. "Here. Take a look."

Lily accepted it, still wearing an expression of disbelief. She glanced at the screen, expecting to find a booking page or a list of possible expenses.

Instead, she saw the account balance. Her eyes widened. She stared at the number, then looked at Reinhard before checking the screen again, carefully counting the zeroes.

"S-So many zeroes!"

She clutched the phone against her chest.

"Wait! Does this mean we can actually stay at one of those ridiculous luxury resorts? The ones with private beaches and food prepared by famous chefs? We can do all that without going broke?"

Reinhard grinned. "That’s the idea."

Lily looked as though he had just promised her the greatest experience of her life.

"I’m never letting you take that phone away from me!"

"Lily, give it here," Maki said, walking over.

She glanced at the balance, then stopped. Her expression went blank as she checked the number again. "Over a billion credits?"

Emily looked from Maki to Lily, then back at Reinhard. Her expression shifted from confusion to disbelief as she finally understood what she was seeing. "What?"