Chapter Fifty-seven: It Is Starting To Feel Like a Fantasy Now, Especially With No Guarantee Of Safety!
Just as Mr. Ville said, the two of us made quick work of moving the supplies to Campy. With him outside the Camping Car and me inside, we basically did a bucket brigade handoff to transfer everything. Normally, I’d run out of space near the entrance from piling stuff up and have to reorganize, load more, and reorganize again, over and over. But just not having to do that made things so much easier…!
“See? Two people knocks it out fast, right?”
“Yes, it went much quicker than I expected! Thank you!”
It took less than fifteen minutes to neatly stow everything in the fridge and storage compartments, which is unbelievably smooth by my usual standards. This is all thanks to Mr. Ville’s spatial awareness, as he meticulously planned the storage spots in the fridge like a 3D puzzle.
Our Gourmands leader is seriously reliable!
“Alright, I’m gonna grab my gear. The others are probably doing the same, so let’s regroup at the main gate in 30 minutes.”
“Got it! And this isn’t a thank you per se, but I will make a snack to keep your stomach satisfied, so please take it with you!”
“…Huh? This… Isn’t this ration for the dungeon? Can I eat this now?”
“It’s extras the shopkeeper tossed in, so it’s not part of the planned supplies. Besides, there’s not much of it, so I thought we could dispose of the evidence before any arguments start…”
As I handed Mr. Ville some barley tea for a break, I heard his stomach make an ominous rumbling noise… After he helped me out, it’d be rude to send him off on an empty stomach!
While I was shopping earlier, a kind granny shopkeeper gave me leftover pita bread as a bonus, so I reached for it and held it up in front of Mr. Ville. "Is it okay?" he asks, but his strawberry-colored eyes follow the golden-brown bread with an expectant look that is just too cute to handle… It is just one piece, given as a leftover, and I was worried that sharing it with the whole party would cause a fight due to its insufficient quantity, so this works out perfectly!
Without even using a knife, I tore the pita in two and generously spread some halberry jam I’d made earlier into the pocket.
There, a jam bread ready in under a minute!
…Eh? You say the pita pocket is meant to be stuffed with savories, not sweets? I get that, but we’re in a bit of a time crunch here—I can’t exactly dawdle making fillings right now. I had considered using the leftover ham from the fridge… but I wanted to save that for dungeon rations.
Plus, the carbs and sugar combo makes for a quick energy boost, perfect for fueling our upcoming activities.
“I see. Then I’ll take it… As long as we keep this between us, right?”
“Exactly, I’d certainly appreciate you keeping this discreet.”
“Understood… To think our cook has a bit of a wicked side.”
“Oh, hardly… Compared to our party leader, I’m an amateur at best!”
“This cheeky little mouse has a quick tongue too! Alright, see you at the gate!”
Flashing a mischievous grin, Mr. Ville wolfed down the jam bread, drained the barley tea, and brazenly ruffled my hair before heading off to retrieve his gear from the repository.
…You know, saying something like "a secret just between us☆" sounds so sweet and innocent, but “a confidential talk” sounds more businesslike, right? Either way, I just love these silly little moments, emergency or not!
“Alright, might as well do a bit more shopping on my way to the main gate…”
Stashing the wrapping cloth in my body bag, I dismissed the Camping Car. I tried it out a bit earlier, and it seems that if I move, Campy won’t relocate from where it was manifested unless I deactivate it first… Well, it’s not a big deal, so it’s fine.
While hurrying ahead, I picked up any ingredients that caught my eye, buying as much as I could carry. I was especially fortunate to be able to snag some bottled milk!
"Oh, Ms. Aria and Mr. Ed! You’re already here?”
"Mhm! All prepped!”
"We don’t need too many getup changes.”
Carefully not to drop the bottles or crush my new goods, I hurried to the main gate to find some members had already assembled. Mr. Ed didn’t look much different gear-wise, but… Ms. Aria?
How to put this—she is wearing a sort of white ao dai with frilly flared cuffs and pants? The fitted top half really accentuated her, uh, assets, while the lower part is flowy, creating a striking contrast that’s incredibly cute, but there’s a slit that goes up to her waist, revealing glimpses of her snow-white skin, which is simply irresistible!
The ethereal, translucent aesthetic totally suits Ms. Aria!
And wait, what’s that? There’s a red, rhinestone-like thing glimmering on her forehead…?
"…Mhm… compound eyes ornament…?”
"Compound eyes… those ruby-like gems are pretty… Do they help you see better or something?”
"Yes. I can sense presence better too… In fact… Xenon is approaching from behind right now.”
"Eeh! You can detect that too?! Amazing!”
Noticing my gaze, Ms. Aria brushed her bangs up to reveal the gemstones. There was one small gem above the center of her forehead, with another on each side. Additionally, there were small ruby-like gems just above the inner corners of her eyebrows. Against Ms. Aria’s overall pallor, these "compound eyes" were the only distinctly colored features.
As one gem glints, sure enough, Mr. Xenon ambles into view from behind Ms. Aria just as she’d said.
“Oh, you are already here too, Rin. Were you able to stock up sufficiently?”
“Fortunately, I believe I have enough for an extended trip.”
“Excellent. Now we just await Ville, and we can depart.”
Mr. Xenon himself had traded his usual light robes for a dark outfit called a “chokha” robe or something and carried a gemstone-studded staff—looking properly fantastical as well. Both he and Ms. Aria pulled off the whimsical aesthetic flawlessly thanks to being, you know, an ethereally beautiful woman and classically handsome elf.
"Yo, you’re all here!”
"Speak of the devil and he appears. The leader’s the last one as always, hmm?”
"At last! Shall we get going then?”
"Yes. Our destination is near town, but recent irregularities mean we can’t let our guard down on the road there.”
“Mm! Roger that!”
As Mr. Ville emerged from the commotion, his appearance seemed… not much different from usual, at least to my eyes. The only noticeable changes were the different colors of leather used for his armor and the addition of shoulder guards and gauntlets… Oh, and his weapon had changed to a two-handed greatsword… Is that all the difference? Maybe the grade of materials used has been upgraded too… but how would I know…?
In any case, the full Gourmands roster is assembled!
To avoid disrupting the bustling streets where life continues as usual, I control my facial muscles, which tend to harden, and pass through the main gate with everyone.
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