Volume Six, Interlude
A sound like a contented cat’s purr, magnified hundreds of thousands of times, suddenly brings her to consciousness. Thinking the winged lynx that’s now become a party member might be nearby, she reaches out her hand, but what meets her palm is rough fabric and the warmth of human skin.
Only then does Aria remember that she was sleeping next to Ed.
The sky visible through the gap in the curtains is simply dark, telling her it’s still too early for dawn to break.
It feels like just moments ago that they somehow managed to excuse themselves from Xenon’s mother’s chatter and hospitality and returned to the Camping Car that Rin had summoned… yet she seems to have fallen deeply asleep at some point.
Aria gently brings her face close to Ed’s chest as it rises and falls quietly.
(Huh? Little Goma is sleeping with Rin, so… why is there purring…?)
Gomamiso, who has grown attached to the members despite everything, always sleeps near Rin at bedtime. There’s no way she should be hearing purring sounds, but… Just as she reaches that thought, a flash of lightning that splits the sky and a deafening roar assault Aria as she still drifts in drowsiness.
“…!”
It’s not an enemy attack. It’s thunder.
Though her mind makes that judgment, her body, accustomed to emergencies, automatically jumps up.
Of course, it’s not just Aria. Starting with Ed, who was sleeping beside her, she senses her companions springing up here and there throughout the living quarters. Since they figured there wouldn’t be monster attacks in an elven settlement, tonight they all slept together without posting a watch.
In the dim light of the night lamp, the awakened members silently stare at each other.
Not satisfied with just thunder, it seems fierce rain has finally started falling too. Large raindrops pound the Camping Car’s roof, echoing with sharp crackling sounds.
“Whoa…! The rain and thunder are incredible…! I can barely see outside.”
“During the day… it was so… clear…”
“For this season, it’s unusual for the weather to change so suddenly like this.”
Even opening the curtains doesn’t allow them to glimpse the outside situation. Only for brief moments do lightning flashes illuminate the surroundings repeatedly. The pouring rain streams down the window glass surface like a waterfall, making it feel like looking at things from underwater.
“There’s nothing we can do about the weather, no matter how much we struggle. Thanks to Rin’s skill, being able to stay dry is a stroke of luck.”
Ville’s heartfelt murmur is exactly right. Back when the four of them were active together, if they’d been caught in such heavy rain during night camp, they wouldn’t have had time to exchange conversation. They would have been running around trying to keep themselves and their luggage from getting wet, and that alone would have drained their stamina.
And now, despite thunder echoing and rain falling like an overturned bucket, they can spend time leisurely…
“Seriously… ever since Rin came, everything’s changed for the better.”
“Mm… meals, travel… everything’s amazing…!”
Ever since Ville brought Rin along, the party’s quality of life has skyrocketed. Rin herself seems to have little awareness of this, but it’s no exaggeration to say that Gourmands’ recent success is thanks to her.
The food is delicious, travel is easy… an environment where they can focus solely on exploration, gathering, and subjugation is this comfortable…!
The one responsible for this comfortable life is currently sleeping in the bunk bed of the Camping Car. Even with the storm still raging outside, there’s no sign of movement from Rin’s bunk.
“Is Rin… still… sleeping?”
“I’m sure she’s fine, but could you go check on her just in case, Aria?”
“Mm! Leave it to me!”
At Ville’s words as he looks worriedly at the bunk bed that makes not a single sound, Aria puffs out her chest confidently. At this deep hour of night, only Aria, as a fellow woman, can intrude on a bedroom where a single woman and a cat are sleeping.
She steps onto the ladder lowered behind the driver’s seat and peeks lightly up at the bed.
“Mmm… fifty more minutes…”
‘I… sooo full…’
One person and one animal sleeping defenseless while muttering such classically typical sleep talk… Gomamiso has even forgotten its wild nature completely, sleeping with its belly fully exposed.
Feeling reluctant to wake the master and familiar who are breathing peacefully in their sleep… Aria quietly steps back down.
“Rin and Gomamiso… were sleeping… well.”
“I see… then it’s probably better to let them keep sleeping.”
“She’s our lifeline, after all.”
“We really need to take good care of her…”
When she reports what she saw exactly as it was, the leader makes his decision readily. The companions express their agreement without hesitation. Aria agrees, too, of course.
With the weather in such turmoil now, this Camping Car, where they can hole up, could indeed be called their lifeline.
Just as Rin looks after the members in various ways, Aria, Ed, Ville, and Xenon want to care for Rin, too. They want to express their daily gratitude.
“Still, what terrible thunderstorms… at least there’s no wind, which is a blessing.”
“Fortunately, my home is far from the mountains, so I don’t think we need to worry about landslides, and the trees in the residential area have lightning protection magic on them… but in case of emergency, disaster prevention magical broadcasts will be transmitted, so please follow those.”
“Disaster prevention broadcasts… something like that exists…”
It’s an unfamiliar term, but from the sound of the words, she guesses it’s magic for conveying evacuation advisories and damage information. Being separated from surrounding areas and towns, it probably developed so that in emergencies, they could share dangerous information within the village and take countermeasures.
“Hmm. It would be bad to miss those broadcasts if something happens. Should we post a watch?”
“Before the broadcasts, sirens play at quite a loud volume. If we don’t sleep too deeply, we should wake up… but considering the worst case, taking turns napping would be best.”
“I see. In a way, that’s just like usual.”
“Mm… that might be… good…”
The rain is terrible, but the wind isn’t particularly strong. There doesn’t seem to be worry about broken branches flying around or being crushed.
Moreover, rotating watches is something they’ve experienced many times before, and they should be able to handle it without problems, even in such stormy weather.
After quickly deciding the order, three members went to bed.
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