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Now, the meat was cooked just right. I took the small estoc that Daniela used as a skewer and thrust it through the meat. It went on a plate with some toasted bread and was placed on our low table. Once the soup was served, our first dinner during our Flugelnia trip was complete. By the way, I happened to make this table. I just needed the tools and a little help from Jack of all Trades, Master of None, and it was easy. Being able to become a carpenter so easily made me wonder if this skill really was a cheat, but then I remembered Matsumoto. It was clear that he had taken all of the real protagonist luck. Which was a relief.

 

“Danielaaaa. Dinners served.”

“Coming.”

 

Daniela was wiping her body behind the tent and answered without showing herself. I wouldn’t have exactly minded if she did it in front of me. Hehe.

The cleaned up Daniela sat opposite of me as we ate. First, the soup.

The Hearty Camping Soup(named by me) had a splendid combination of thick, juicy meat and light and sweet vegetables, giving it a rich, delicious flavor. I could not be more pleased with it myself. The vegetables would melt in your mouth and the meat barely required any chewing. It was a good thing that I had prepared the ingredients before throwing them in the hollow bag, even for simple meals like this. I had done it during our midday break.

Now the meat. The spices were sharp and went well with it, or so my nose told me. Then I bite into it. There was no time to calm myself, and I kept eating without being able to stop. Then I dunked the bread inside of the soup and also had some of it with the meat. And all was right with the world. And then our dinner was done.

 

“Ahh, I am quite full.”

 

Daniela said with great satisfaction as she rolled onto the ground. That reminded me of something.

 

“Daniela. Back where I’m from, people say that lying down right after eating will turn you into a cow.”

“Hmm… Do you mean that your breasts will become larger?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

 

I denied it and looked away as Daniela cupped her breasts while lying on the ground. There was something very provocative about her recently. Like when we spent the whole day at the inn…no, never mind that. Some things should be kept private.

 

“I meant that you’d get fat.”

“Asagi, why did you not say so!”

 

She sat up quickly. I chuckled at this reaction, but then she pouted with annoyance. This meant that I could now sit down next to her and amuse myself by poking at her cheeks. Daniela was not amused, she folded her arms and looked away unforgivingly.

It took me the entire night to get back in her good graces.

 

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And so our journey continued in this fun fashion. We passed the prairies, traveled through the rocky hills, and were occasionally attacked by rabbit-like monsters that hid in holes. These grass rabbits had light green-colored fur and small horns protruding from their heads. Well, horns or not, they were hardly a threat to us. We easily killed them and helped ourselves to their horns.

Once we were out of there, we came out to a place that was full of large boulders. Monsters called stone lizards would jump out with earth magic attacks here, and we even encountered a group of goblins with their stone weapons.

This countryside adventure lasted for three days until we finally reached the Allessa mountains. The summit was covered in a thin layer of snow. You could see streams of smoke rising from between the mountains, indicating where the mining towns were. It seemed like a distance that we could cover within the day.

 

However, this was the moment that I was the most afraid of.

 

As for why, I had a knack for getting into the worst trouble upon first arriving in a new town. If I wasn’t getting chased by forest wolves, then I was being chased by wyverns. There was no doubt that something was waiting for me here. Daniela did not seem concerned as we walked, but my eyes darted to every corner, suspiciously inspecting everything. Presence Detection was constantly spread out and activated, and of course, I kept an eye above our heads too. I would make sure that there were no small shadows blocking the sun before checking the ground again. Would something jump out from under our feet…it was a possibility.

 

“What is it, Asagi? You seem very anxious.”

“Don’t let your guard down, Daniela. It is when you think that you have won, that something completely unexpected will happen.”

“And who do you think you are fighting?”

 

Daniela looked at me with exasperation. But I couldn’t be bothered by it now. I was too busy securing our safety. The journey was not over until we were inside the town.

 

Right then, Presence Detection caught something approaching us from behind. Didn’t I tell you! My prediction had been right!

 

“Daniela! Enemy approaching from the back!”

“What?”

 

I quickly unsheathed my claw blade and held it in front of me. Something was approaching us at great speed, causing a cloud of dust to rise in the air.

 

“Asagi.”

“Get ready, Daniela! The enemy is coming!”

 

A carriage appeared from within the dust cloud. A banner was fixed to it. So it wasn’t a monster. Then was it…

 

“Could they be bandits?!”

“There would not be bandits so close to the town. And that banner…”

 

The carriage came closer and closer. The two horses trampled the dirt wildly as they approached.

The driver was coming into view. …Hmm, there was something familiar about, no, it couldn’t be.

 

“Ahhh! I knew it would be you when I saw your equipment! I could spot that wind dragon armor a mile away! Oh, but why are you pointing your sword at me?”

 

Silently, I lowered it. The driver was the owner of the Paw Armor Shop.

 

Now, what was I supposed to do about all these wasted emotions?

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