After replenishing our supplies in a nearby town, the military and our group continued onward as far as we could. Eventually, we arrived at our campsite for the night.
“Shun, it’s been a while since we last slept outside.”
“Yeah. Not since we traveled to the Southern Margrave’s territory.”
As I prepared dinner, Shiro came over and started talking to me.
Back then, we had slept in sleeping bags inside tents, but tonight, we were going to spread our sleeping bags out inside the carriage and all sleep together.
Sue and Ao were taking care of the horses. They wiped the sweat off them, cleaned them up with household magic, and then Sue cast healing magic on them as well. They’d worked hard all day, after all. The horses must have been tired, too.
“Fran sleeps in the middle!”
“Then Horn can sleep next to Sue-oneechan.”
It was already decided that Sue and I would sleep at opposite ends of the carriage, while the children laid out their sleeping bags wherever they pleased.
Still, I had a feeling the kids would somehow end up crawling into someone else’s sleeping bag and sleeping together anyway.
As for the military, some of the soldiers were setting up tents while others were resting inside the carriages. Since they also had to keep an eye on the people under their escort, the soldiers would take turns keeping watch over the surrounding area.
As for us, Ao said he would let us know if anything happened.
“All right, it’s ready. Shiro and the others, help me serve it.”
“““Okay!”””
“I’ll help, too.”
Together with the military’s rear support unit, we had prepared a hearty soup packed with meat and vegetables. We ladled it into bowls and passed them around to everyone.
The night had started getting colder, which meant it was just about the perfect season for warm, comforting food.
“It’s getting to be the perfect time of year for hot pot, too.”
“Yeah! Ishikari hot pot when it’s cold!”
“Maybe we could substitute a different kind of fish instead of salmon.”
Just like Shiro said, I’d love to sit around a kotatsu with everyone and enjoy a hot pot together.
Just then, Sue, Fran, and Horn came over to Shiro and me, bowls still in their hands.
“Shun-san, what’s hot pot?”
“A clay pot would be ideal, but basically, you put soup and ingredients into a small pot and everyone eats from it together. I like putting it on top of a kotatsu and eating while everyone stays warm.”
““Ooh! I wanna try it!””
“We can’t make hot pot right now, so we’ll have some after we get to the Royal Capital.”
Though I wasn’t sure whether we’d be allowed to set up kotatsu tables throughout the mansion, so we’d probably have to wait until we reached Sue’s baronial estate and ask first.
After dinner was finished without any problems, we cleaned ourselves up with household magic and went to sleep inside the carriage.
““Zzz… zzz…””
“I knew this was going to happen.”
“You can’t really blame them. They’ve always slept with someone else until now.”
Fran and Shiro were curled up in my sleeping bag, while Horn had climbed into Sue’s. Apparently, they didn’t like sleeping alone. Just five minutes after we went to bed, they had crawled into our sleeping bags.
I had a feeling this might happen, which was why I had prepared sleeping bags that were large enough for two people. The two of them were nice and warm, and with their body heat keeping me cozy, I figured I’d be able to sleep quite comfortably like this.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
