Chapter 90

Countryside

The light of the bonfire illuminated the area. The crackling of the firewood was music to my ears. I extend the reach of Presence Detection, even as I watch the swaying flames. But there is nothing around us, and I yawn and chuckle to myself.

Daniela was sleeping in the tent. It was currently around 3 o’clock in the night. I had taken the second watch, but there was little to do besides keeping the fire going by adding wood. And so I decided to use the time to boil some boar bones for the morning’s soup. I removed the scum with a spoon as I gazed at the two moons in the night sky. I didn’t understand how it worked, but the third moon was not visible tonight.

Eventually, the moons moved to the western sky, and the eastern side began to grow with a pale light. The dawn was almost here. And we had still not seen any monsters. Not even one animal. It had been a quiet and peaceful night.

I went to wake up Daniela once the sun came up. When I peeked into the tent, Daniela was wrapped in a blanket and sleeping softly. I poke at her adorable face and pull her out of the world of dreams.

“Daniela, it’s morning.”

“Mmm…mmm…”

“Come on, get up. It’s morning.”

“Mmmmm…”

Perhaps I had poked her a little too much, because she now hid under the covers. In that case, there was nothing for me to do but pull up the blankets where her feet were. And touch her with the block of ice I had generated.

“Ahh!?”

“Ah, there you are.”

“Whawhaa…what are you doing!”

“A prank, since you wouldn’t get up.”

“Tsk…I will remember this, Asagi…”

She glares at me as I pull her up to her feet. Now, it was time for breakfast.

Daniela would wash her face if you left her a bucket full of water. And so I prepared our breakfast in the meantime. I took the bones out of the pot that had been boiling from the night before. The soup would probably be fine as it was, as I was careful to remove the scum. But the chef inside me was not satisfied with that. And so I took out some ingredients from the hollow bag and tossed them into the pot after chopping them up. Then I sandwiched some vegetables and ham with bread. Once the soup was ready, the Traveler’s Breakfast ‘Asagi Special’ would be complete.

“Mmm…something smells very good.”

“I’ve been boiling it since last night. I was bored.”

“I see. Peace is the best…”

“Exactly. Let’s eat then.”

“Yes, thank you.”

We bit into our ham sandwiches and drank our soup. The morning air and chirping of birds really added to this moment of peace. The soup that had taken hours to make had turned out great, and the vegetables in the ham sandwiches were fresh and crunchy.

“What should we do today?”

“Mmm…we walk today as well. There is a village ahead of us, but I doubt that we will reach it. If things continue to go smoothly, we should arrive by midday tomorrow.”

“Got it. Well, we’ll take it easy. We aren’t in a rush here.”

“Yes…we have plenty of food as well. Let us just be careful to not get injured. That was delicious.”

“You’re already finished? Hey, wait…”

“It was so good that I could not stop eating. You relax and enjoy the meal. I will do the cleanup.”

“Thank you…mmm…”

“It is nothing.”

Stuff like that was becoming more common as we traveled together. I guess it was because of our mutual affection and that we had become closer. But I wasn’t going to rest on my laurels either. You should be respectful even when you were close. Give and take.

I hurriedly stuffed the rest of the food down my throat and stood up to help.

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Eventually, or should I say, finally, the scenery around us changed. The flatlands slowly turned into slopes as we entered hilly terrain. We climbed a gentle hill and stood on top. It was strangely chilly, but the weather was nice. There were horse-like wild animals feeding on the grass. Sometimes they would get up and run, which was entertaining to watch. I wished that I had a camera with me.

“Hey, Daniela.”

“What is it?”

“That’s not a monster, is it?”

“Aye, it is an ordinary horse.”

“Hmm.”

You could hear the loud stomping, but there were no signs of them coming towards us. I guess they were just exercising after a meal…how peaceful.

“Let’s take a break. I’m tired.”

“Yes…the weather is fine, so we can rest here for a while.”

I remove my equipment and sprawl out on the grass. The wind gently caresses my face. Was it a spirit? The clouds that floated in the sky looked like you might be able to touch them if you stretched your hand out. But once you did, the infinite sky felt like it would swallow you up. Daniela looked at me strangely as I jerked my hand back, but I shook my head to say that it was nothing.

She was lying down next to me as we looked at the clouds, when birds came flying. A red-colored pair that sang and played as they soared above our heads.

“I wonder if they are a couple.”

“Who knows. Perhaps they are brothers.”

We chuckle as we look up at them. Eventually, the two birds moved away from us, as if suddenly remembering that they had something to do.

The wind blew, and only the sounds of the moving grass entered our ears. I looked over to Daniela, and saw that she was sleeping. She was so relaxed. But, hmm, I was getting drowsy too.

A yawn escapes me. I make a half-hearted attempt to fight it, but then quickly succumb to the lure of sleep.

□ □ □ □

“Mmm… Achoo! Mm…damn it, I fell asleep…”

It was a sneeze caused by the cold that woke me. It was really careless of me to fall asleep in the middle of a field. I guess it was because I had not gotten enough sleep last night. I looked to the side and saw that Daniela was sitting up.

“Ahh, you are awake.”

“Sorry. I slept way too much.”

“Do not worry about it. It was only that you looked so comfortable like that, I could not wake you up.”

“Uh…I wasn’t making any weird faces then?”

“You looked cute to me.”

“Ah…”

I look away in embarrassment as she smiles. And then I saw that the sun had fallen in the western sky. I had slept for so long. There was no point in walking now. We would have to camp here tonight.

□ □ □ □

That night too was uneventful until the morning. As I had made breakfast yesterday, it was Daniela’s turn today. When I finished washing my face, I saw bacon, eggs, and toast set out on our plates. It was a great menu that stimulated one’s appetite.

“Let’s eat.”

“Here’s yours.”

We ate our breakfast together. The eggs and bread were delicious and cooked just right. I’m so glad she wasn’t one of those girls who turned food into dark matter…

This time we finished at the same time and cleaned up together. It is fun to continue traveling with someone as you help each other. The things we did every day might be the same, but the scenery changed, and it was fun seeing what the other person would cook. It made me really regret that I had not widened my repertoire in terms of cooking. But that could always be changed. I wanted to make even better dishes for Daniela.

“We should arrive at the village tonight.”

“Now that I think of it, we’ve only gone to developed towns or cities up until now.”

“Villages are nice and quiet, but some do not have inns.”

Apparently, such villages would often allow you to stay in open houses. A countryside homestay? That sounded very appealing to me. But Daniela was not crazy about such events full of communication opportunities…

“So, what is this village called?”

“Ahh, what was it…”

“Hey, hey. I’m counting on you, master Daniela.”

“Sorry. I was too interested in the Adventurer’s Town, that I forgot to look it up.”

“Ah, is that right. I don’t blame you for that. I’m interested in that place as well.”

“Yes, yes. I am not to blame. By the way, the Adventurer’s Town is called Replant.”

Yes, that was really useful to us now… It seemed like we were being a little rude to the village we were about to arrive in, but I guess we’d find out what the name is soon enough.

The sun was still high. And we would apparently arrive soon by just walking, so I wanted to test out my gear a little.

These boots were made from accel panther leather, and that suggested enhanced speed. I was looking forward to seeing what would happen with a little magic…and so I hadn’t used ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None’ to spoil the fun.

“Hey, Daniela.”

“What, Asagi.”

“I want to experiment with my equipment. Like, how fast can I run with you on my back.”

“Hmm… But you have to stop if it becomes dangerous. Alright, now crouch.”

She gladly accepted my request. I love her. I carry her up and concentrate on sending magic into my boots. I was momentarily reminded of what happened with the assault kobold, but I could feel the power entering my feet, and there was no miasma this time.

“Okay, here I go.”

“Understood.”

I enjoyed the sensation of her chest pressing into me as she held on tight. My foot pressed into the dirt, and then I ran.

“Oh, ohhh!”

“This…is…fast!”

It really was quite fast. Perhaps close to 40 kilometers per hour… I would be even faster if I wasn’t carrying Daniela. Could I run like this all the way to the village? Instead of increasing my speed, I keep it level. Thanks to that, we were able to reach the village just as the sun began to set.

…There was a gate. It had no doors. No doors meant no defense walls. I guess they didn’t have the funds. It really was the countryside. There were fewer houses then the village that my grandmother lived in.

“Ah, so what does that say?”

“It says, ‘Welcome to Senka Village.’ This is Senka Village then.”

“I see.”

Does that mean that I can’t read Flugelnian? As I stare at it hard, I start to feel like I do understand the meaning of the words. I guess it changes when necessary for me. I felt yet another wonder of being in another world, as we passed through the gate of Senka Villiage.