---
Just as Vance mentioned Lucifer, both Mara and Zyrelia became intrigued. They too wanted to learn about this secret technique their father, Lucifer, had taught Vance — the one that allowed him to run across water without sinking. Even if it involved slight variations, it was still far better than nothing.
Eager to discover what Vance had in mind, Zyrelia quickly lost her patience and asked, "Sir Vance… What idea did you have?"
Vance smiled and replied, "Nothing special, my lady… Just trial and error. I'll keep trying until I succeed."
Hearing this, Mara rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "But Sir Vance, we don't have enough time to waste on endless trial and error. Wouldn't it be better to look for an alternate solution if your idea doesn't work well?"
Mara's point was practical — there should always be a backup plan.
After thinking over her suggestion, Vance replied, "If my plan fails… then both of you princesses have only one option left: swimming with me."
The moment Vance said that, Zyrelia gave him a cold pout. "I don't want to swim. It will ruin the dress Daddy gifted me."
Vance responded calmly, "Both of you princesses, I have a solution for that problem. You can simply get naked, store your dresses inside your space storage rings, and then swim freely without ruining them."
Mara shook her head. "Your suggestion is reasonable, Sir Vance, but the problem is… we sisters don't want to show our naked bodies to anyone else. The only male who can see us naked is our Daddy. We only wish to reveal ourselves to him, because since birth we have devoted everything to our Daddy — he is the only one we love. If anyone else were to see us naked, it should only be our mothers and grandmothers."
Zyrelia nodded vigorously like a pecking chicken as she listened to Mara. "All of us daughters and our mothers… we are all wives of our Daddy. We don't want anyone outside our family to see our naked bodies, and we don't want anyone except Papa to touch us."
When Vance heard their firm reply, he said, "Then why don't we do something acceptable to both of you? It's not like you don't have money. If I remember correctly, my master always gives all of you a weekly allowance, right? So why don't both of you go shopping and buy some extra clothes for yourselves? In the meantime, I'll keep trying to find a way to run on water. If I haven't succeeded by nightfall, we'll depart in the early morning hours by swimming."
Listening to Vance's suggestion, both girls nodded in agreement and vanished from the spot.
---
Seeing that both girls had left him alone, Vance stood before the rolling sea waves and gazed at them for a while. Then, piece by piece, he removed his full metal chain mail armor and all his clothes, storing everything — including his spear — inside his space storage ring.
Completely naked now, Vance took several steps back. He cast reinforcement magic on his legs and began counting down in reverse:
"5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0…"
The instant the countdown hit zero, he sprinted toward the incoming waves at high speed. The moment his feet touched the water, there was a loud splash. Water droplets flew everywhere as his legs sank beneath the surface.
Despite this first failure, Vance didn't feel discouraged — his mind was full of ideas. After thinking for a moment, he recalled, 'It must be due to a lack of proper technique…'
'When my liege demonstrated how to run on water, he mentioned several concepts that are hard to remember in full… but I still recall some examples, like stones skipping across the water.'
'Yes, I remember now… The stone Master threw had a flat surface that made contact with the water. So, could having a flat surface help us float?'
'But how do I create a flat surface for myself and the princesses? The biggest issue is that stones are heavy and will eventually sink once momentum decreases… Maybe wood would work. Yes… hollow wood floats easily on water. Why didn't I think of that earlier?'
'I can craft special footwear for all of us — made of wood, with a wide, flat surface, and hollow inside.'
'But before relying on this plan completely, I should first make a prototype for myself. I don't want to cause any trouble for the young ladies.'
With his thoughts organized, Vance's first priority was to find suitable wood: durable, highly buoyant, and naturally water-resistant. The second step would be shaping it correctly, and the final step would be testing it.
Driven by determination, Vance began searching for the right type of tree.
---
After nearly two hours of shopping, the two beautiful shadow-daughters of Lucifer returned to the secluded part of Nikon Beach where Vance was waiting.
They had expected to find Commander Vance experimenting with various methods to solve the water-running problem. Instead, they found something entirely different.
Vance sat alone, surrounded by numerous logs of wood. In the bright afternoon sunlight, his naked body glistened like a sacred gem. His muscular, chiseled physique looked like a masterpiece carved by a goddess with utmost care.
If any other woman had seen Vance in that state — completely naked, with his veiny and girthy manhood hanging between his powerful legs while radiating raw masculinity — they would have fallen head over heels for him. Many would have approached him with clear intentions of being thoroughly ravished on the spot, or even proposed marriage right then and there.
But Mara and Zyrelia were no ordinary girls. In their eyes, there was only their father — Lucifer. Their love for him ran so deep that they could never imagine anyone else in his place. For them, Lucifer was Daddy, lover, husband, and everything in between. This same devotion was shared by all of Lucifer's shadow-wives and shadow-daughters.
Both sisters looked at Vance with confusion. They couldn't understand what he was doing with all those different logs of wood. It was clear he was crafting something, but they couldn't see how carving wood had anything to do with running on water. He obviously wasn't building a boat or raft.
Overwhelmed by curiosity, Zyrelia asked casually, "Uncle Vance… Why are you naked? And what are you doing with these logs? Is this part of your idea?"
Vance looked up at her cold yet puzzled face and smiled. "Young miss… First, I tried reducing all excess weight on my body, thinking it would help me run on water… but I failed completely. That's why I'm naked. After that failure, I remembered some of Master's teachings and created a prototype for footwear that can float on the water's surface while supporting our weight. I've already tested it myself. Right now, I'm crafting pairs for both of you. With this equipment, we'll be able to run across the sea easily. I'm also making extra pairs in case the first ones get damaged."
Upon hearing that Vance had successfully found a solution to their problem, both Mara and Zyrelia lit up with visible joy and excitement. Beautiful, mesmerizing smiles bloomed on their lips, making them look like enchanting dolls capable of toppling entire nations with their beauty.
Mara reached into her space storage ring and took out two wooden skewers of roasted fish, handing them to him without formality. "Uncle Vance… Here, take these two skewers of roasted fish. We bought them for you. We've already eaten our lunch."
Vance accepted the skewers gratefully, feeling quite hungry after the mental strain of precise crafting. He took a bite from one and said to Mara, "It's good."
Both girls immediately replied in unison, "Not as good as Daddy's cooking."
Zyrelia added, "But it's acceptable."
Vance quickly finished the first skewer and said, "My princesses… We will depart in the early evening hours. I'm confident these floating wooden footwear won't break midway and your dresses won't get ruined. Still, as a precaution, please store the clothes Master gave you and wear the new ones you bought today."
Mara and Zyrelia agreed at once. Without hesitation or concern for Vance's gaze, they swiftly removed their current outfits, revealing their smooth, jade-like skin and alluring, mature figures that could mesmerize anyone who saw them.
They knew Vance was utterly loyal to Lucifer and would never dare to touch his Master's women. Because of this, even while seeing their naked bodies, Vance felt no lust or attraction. He simply continued eating his second skewer.
Meanwhile, the two sisters stored their precious clothes in their space storage rings and changed into the newly purchased outfits.
Once dressed, Zyrelia announced, "Uncle Vance, we're ready."
Vance nodded. "Wait just a little longer… Let me finish crafting this last pair. Then we'll be ready to depart."
With that, he washed his glistening hands with seawater, retrieved his chain mail armor and clothes from his ring, put them on, and resumed work on the final pair of floating footwear.
---