Chapter 12: "I Still Don't Want to Lose Human Dignity!'"
The group, having taken a sufficient break, continued briskly on their journey. However, catching up and recovering the lost time proved to be difficult. Even as the day began to darken and shadows lengthened, the three had not yet passed through the grasslands.
"It's getting quite dark...," Eel remarked, surveying the surroundings while holding Rod's reins. Lala, walking beside him, had a vaguely unclear expression.
Eel made a decision, "Alright, let's camp here."
"Eh, camping!?"
"There's no choice. Even if we continue walking now, we won't reach the nearest village before nightfall."
Despite Lala expressing dissatisfaction, her objections were promptly dismissed.
"Sorry, both of you. It's because I was being chased by the Black Wolf..."
"No, Romi did nothing wrong."
"Yeah, we were planning to camp at least once anyway. It's not a big deal."
"Huh? I didn't hear about that!?"
Apologizing and consoled by the other two, Romi expressed gratitude once again. Lala, seeking an explanation for Eel's casually dropped words, was ignored.
"Well then, both of you, unload the luggage from Rod. I'll prepare the campfire."
Eel issued the command, and the three began preparations for camping.
"By the way, Romi, how are you carrying your luggage?"
While unloading luggage from Rod's back, Lala asked Romi. Despite being a traveling priestess, she seemed to have no luggage other than her staff.
"I have various things attached to the back of my priestess robe," Romi replied. Saying so, she casually loosened the front of her loose white priestess robe. Under the thick robe, various tools such as an emergency kit and a thin water bottle dangled. She seemed to be wearing several layers of clothing under the thick robe, and in reality, she appeared much slimmer than her appearance suggested.
"That's a specially made robe for battle priestesses. It's durable, protecting against water and injuries. Since battle priestesses mostly travel under the open sky, the design is compact to carry luggage as efficiently as possible."
"Wow, that's impressive. This way, you don't need to watch over your luggage."
"Hehe. But this is quite heavy."
Impressed, Lala held up the hem of Romi's priestess robe. Indeed, it felt quite heavy, not only due to the stored tools but also because of the weight of the priestess robe itself.
"Speaking of luggage, what about that silver box you were carrying, Lala?"
"Huh? Oh, that...," Romi pointed to the cryosleep device that Lala had on her back. It was a peculiar object shining in silver, with only a slight chip on one end.
"It's quite an important item. It becomes useful for various materials."
"I see. Well, I haven't heard anything about its taste in the sales pitch..."
Lala made a puzzled face in response to Romi's vague explanation. Her words seemed incomprehensible, and Lala scratched her cheek with a troubled expression.
"Come on, you're stopping there. Sorry, both of you. Because of me being chased by the Black Wolf..."
"No, Romi did nothing wrong."
"Yeah, we were planning to camp at least once anyway. It's not a big deal."
"Huh? I didn't hear about that!?"
Apologizing and consoled by the other two, Romi expressed gratitude once again. Lala, seeking an explanation for Eel's casually dropped words, was ignored.
"Well then, both of you, unload the luggage from Rod. I'll prepare the campfire."
Eel issued the command, and the three began preparations for camping.
"By the way, Romi, how are you carrying your luggage?"
While unloading luggage from Rod's back, Lala asked Romi. Despite being a traveling priestess, she seemed to have no luggage other than her staff.
"I have various things attached to the back of my priestess robe," Romi replied. Saying so, she casually loosened the front of her loose white priestess robe. Under the thick robe, various tools such as an emergency kit and a thin water bottle dangled. She seemed to be wearing several layers of clothing under the thick robe, and in reality, she appeared much slimmer than her appearance suggested.
"That's a specially made robe for battle priestesses. It's durable, protecting against water and injuries. Since battle priestesses mostly travel under the open sky, the design is compact to carry luggage as efficiently as possible."
"Wow, that's impressive. This way, you don't need to watch over your luggage."
"Hehe. But this is quite heavy."
Impressed, Lala held up the hem of Romi's priestess robe. Indeed, it felt quite heavy, not only due to the stored tools but also because of the weight of the priestess robe itself.
"Speaking of luggage, what about that silver box you were carrying, Lala?"
"Huh? Oh, that...," Romi pointed to the cryosleep device that Lala had on her back. It was a peculiar object shining in silver, with only a slight chip on one end.
"It's quite an important item. It becomes useful for various materials."
"I see. Well, I haven't heard anything about its taste in the sales pitch..."
Lala made a puzzled face in response to Romi's vague explanation. Her words seemed incomprehensible, and Lala scratched her cheek with a troubled expression.
"Come on, you're stopping there. Let's get back to work."
"Yes, yes."
At Eel's command, Lala let go as if bouncing off, and Romi started helping with their tasks.
"Alright, this should do it," Eel declared as the three cooperated, completing the preparations without taking much time. Rod folded its legs, lying down by a thin tree, emitting a gentle snore.
The three gathered around the blazing campfire, settling down.
"Are you going to hunt something tonight?"
"No, this time we don't have any streams nearby, so we brought portable rations."
Lala frowned at Eel's reply. Considering what Eel had said during the day, the rations were not expected to be particularly delicious.
"What kind of portable rations do you eat, Eel?"
"Hmm? Oh, these."
As if curious as a fellow traveler, Romi asked Eel while rummaging through her bag. What she was presented with was a square, dried, clay-like object of burnt sienna.
"What's that...?"
"I grind up animal meat and vegetables, compress them, and solidify them with animal fat. It's called meat block. It's a staple food for travelers – it's nutritionally balanced, can be eaten without cooking, easy to store for a long time, and it's easy and inexpensive to make."
"The fact that taste isn't mentioned at all in the advertising is scary..."
To Lala, who made a face like she was about to cry, Eell responded with a mischievous smile without saying anything.
"Meat block, huh? Well, it's a staple among staples. I have smoked meat, nuts, and dried fruits."
"I-I'd prefer that!"
"Don't take other people's things without permission."
"Romi! Please! I still don't want to lose human dignity!"
"This pure white girl, what is she talking about? You can say that after eating."
"Mmgh!?"
Finally, Romi was peeled away from Lala, who clung to her as if about to cry, and a meat block was thrust into her mouth. With eyes that had lost their radiance, she chewed and moved a bit faster after a moment.
"Surprisingly delicious!?"
"Who willingly eats something bad? Portable rations are considered popular among travelers."
"Eel! I want another one!"
"Tch, she has a good personality... Buy what you eat when we get to Yalda."
"Yes!"
In contrast to earlier, Lala's eyes sparkled brightly, and Eel, with a somewhat villainous smile, handed her an additional meat block.
"Somehow, Eel and Lala seem to get along well."
"Is that so? I've only known her for two days."
"Eh? Really?"
Romi, who had somehow approached Eel, seemed surprised at the shallowness of their acquaintance.
"Anyway, you don't have to be too reserved. Especially with Lala."
"She's friendly, and she doesn't know how to doubt people."
"Yeah, it's like she was raised in a protective greenhouse, sheltered from danger."
While Romi, consoled by the other two, once again expressed her gratitude, Lala, with hamster-like cheeks, continued to chew, seemingly oblivious. Watching her, the two couldn't help but smile without realizing.
"Well, after eating, let's sleep. We'll take turns watching the fire, so get ready."
"Gmgh!? Gofuh. ...If I use nanomachines to watch over, everyone can sleep, right?"
"The role of a watchman includes intimidation. To troublemakers, a camping site where everyone is peacefully asleep is just a lump of sugar."
"That's true... Alright, I'll stay awake. I can go without sleeping for a day or so—"
Aiming for the suggested idea, Lala was caught firmly by Eel. Her amber eyes, narrowed, pierced through her.
"I understand the convenience of nanomachines, but don't use them indiscriminately."
"...Y-Yes."
In response to Eel's unusually sharp words, Lala shrunk back.
"Alright, I'll take the first shift. Wake up whoever's next when the time comes."
"Yes."
"Yes. Thank you."
With that, La;a wrapped herself in Eel's coat and lay down next to the campfire. Romi, too, slightly loosened her priestess robe and closed her eyes right next to Lala.
"Good night, Eel."
"...Yeah. Good night."
Feeling the warm light of the campfire on her back, Lala slowly sank into the sea of sleep.
...
...
...
...
"Hey, wake up."
"Fyaa!"
With a strong pat on the shoulder, Lala woke up. Because she had been sleeping soundly, she felt like she had been awakened as soon as she fell asleep, but when she looked around, quite some time seemed to have passed.
"Ugh... Can't you wake me up more gently?"
"You didn't wake up no matter how many times I called. It can't be helped."
Lala sends a hateful look at Eel, who simply says this.
However, she has ripped off her cloak and is already in a sleeping position..
"While adding firewood to prevent the fire from going out, stay awake until all those stones over there turn red."
"These stones? Is it this?"
Lala picked up the semi-transparent stone contained in a long metal case, which had been rolling by the campfire.
"Yeah. It should turn completely red in about three hours. Well then, good night."
"Waah!? Good night..."
Quick to fall asleep, Eel immediately began to emit a quiet snore. Romi, too, with a full smile on her face, moved her fingertips while closing her eyes. Lala sat on the cryosleep device, looking up at the night sky filled with sparkling stars.
"There are three moons..."
Once accustomed to the darkness of the night, she was amazed by the brightness of the stars scattered across the celestial sphere. Back on her home planet, the sky was filled with iron and carbon, and seeing the stars was rare.
"I wonder where this is..."
Speaking softly while shaking the slightly reddening stone, she expressed her thoughts in a small voice. Despite doing nothing special, she still had no idea which planet this could be. None of the star maps stored in the database corresponded to the stars visible now.
"If I gather a bit more material, I could make some makeshift satellites."
The cryosleep device, now used as a chair, had become redundant. Still, she carried it diligently, as its materials could be used to create various devices.
"...Leaving such a big lump as it is is cumbersome. I might as well turn it into various tools."
Tapping the silver surface with her fingertip, Lala contemplated such ideas. The stone was only halfway red. Stretching a little, she placed her hand on the cold metal.
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