Chapter 181: Reliable and Unreliable
Chapter 181: Reliable and Unreliable
That night, as Erza had predicted, they didn't find any towns and had to camp out in the wilderness.
In stories, this kind of situation is often described as "rushing along the road and missing a place to stay," which usually leads to some event happening.
The two carriage drivers, sharing similar concerns, felt uneasy about camping out in the open, especially at night when dangerous beasts could appear. The cold weather only added to their unease.
However, after Erza's sincere request, they finally agreed.
Rod was relieved that she hadn't resorted to her sword to convince them but had instead earnestly begged them to stay. Her earnestness, though, was a bit overwhelming.
Worried they might think she was coercing them, Rod offered to protect their safety and even suggested they could pay extra.
This made everyone happy.
Erza pulled out a pot from her luggage and set up a campfire to cook. Rod, putting to use the tent-setting skills he had learned from Gray, quickly set up the tent.
Once everything was in place, Rod was looking forward to tasting Erza's cooking again, but she informed him that they hadn't brought any ingredients.
All she could do was boil some water.
Rod was puzzled. "Wait, Erza, you have so many suitcases, and you brought all the kitchen tools and spices, but you forgot the ingredients?"
Erza looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, space was limited, so I had to leave some things behind."
Rod glanced at the large cart full of suitcases. Limited space? What could possibly be in there?
Seemingly reading his thoughts, Erza explained, "Mostly, they contain mementos from missions, some important gifts, and then the usual camping gear. By the way, the chainmail armor you gave me is in there. I like it so much that I wanted to bring it. Do you want me to put it on and show you?"
If any other girl had said that, Rod would have suspected she had a crush on him. But Erza, like Cana, genuinely considered them all as brothers.
She definitely didn't mean it that way; she simply cherished the gift and the sentiment behind it.
Rod politely declined. "I'm glad you value the gift so much, but we're off-topic. The real issue is what we're going to eat tonight."
The food he had brought had been finished at lunch, which Mirajane had rushed to prepare for him at the guild before they left, sharing half with Erza. Now, they were stuck without dinner, which was frustrating.
"I'm sorry, I was careless and overlooked this. I'll accept any punishment after the mission, and I can take a smaller share of the reward," Erza said, clenching her fists in earnest reflection.
Rod rubbed his forehead, sighing. Here we go again, getting serious about the wrong things.
"Never mind, let me handle it. Summon, Shadow Wolves!"
Six Shadow Wolves appeared, their sixteen green eyes startling the two carriage drivers.
"Go on, catch some prey. Rabbits, pheasants, anything will do."
Rod remembered seeing rabbit tracks in the snow earlier in the day while using the river crab to scout.
Winter made prey scarce, but the Shadow Wolves were efficient. They returned quickly with a small deer-like animal.
"Is this too small? Oh, it's a roe deer."
Rod was relieved. A roe deer of this size was definitely an adult.
Next came Erza's culinary performance. Several knives flew through the air, and she expertly bled, skinned, and butchered the roe deer in one fluid motion.
She then started preparing the soup and skewers.
They had a hearty meal and even shared some with the carriage drivers, who, despite bringing their own dry rations, were more than happy to have some meat.
"Change outfit!" A flash of light enveloped Erza, and she was now wearing a purple nightgown.
Winter and nightgowns... Well, mages don't follow the same logic as ordinary people, and she has a sleeping bag, anyway.
Rod noticed the pattern on Erza's nightgown. "Is that the Heart Cross logo?"
"Yes, that's right. This brand has excellent quality," Erza said. "The armor I usually wear is also made by this company."
"Is that so?" Rod recalled the yellow cross with heart-shaped ends on Erza's usual armor.
The Black Feather Armor he had seen before also had a white logo.
He hadn't noticed before... maybe it's because Mira has been endorsing them lately.
"Wait, isn't Heart Cross just a clothing company? They make armor too?"
Erza replied, "They didn't at first, but I asked them nicely, and they were quite understanding."
"Uh... Can I ask how you 'asked nicely'?"
"Can you make me some armor? (with a really strong aura)" Erza demonstrated, then returned to her normal expression. "It was something like that."
"Hah... hah..." Rod chuckled nervously. "What a considerate company."
"Alright, since there might be dangerous beasts around, let's assign someone to keep watch."
"I don't need to assign anyone. I'll have Worm keep watch." Rod summoned Worm.
Worm isn't great at fighting, but it can certainly keep an eye on the campfire and act as a lookout.
Mainly, it consumes almost no magic.
"Hmm?" Worm looked a bit confused.
Erza asked, "Can you handle it for the whole night?"
"No problem. Worm can stay for 24 hours without a time limit."
Rod entered his tent, blocking Worm from following. "You're in charge of the watch. I'll treat you to a Poro Feast when we get back."
"Whoo!" Worm squatted at the entrance of Rod's tent, looking like a fluffy snow lion.
Erza squatted down and patted Worm's head. "I'll leave it to you. Call me if anything happens."
"Whoo!" Worm nodded seriously.
It's hard to tell where its head ends and its neck begins, though.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, they all washed up, the water provided by Rod's text magic.
"Text magic is so convenient," Erza said as she changed back into her armor.
"Changing outfits is even more convenient," Rod said. "Can you teach me?"
"Sure, it's not a difficult magic." Erza was very proactive, explaining the basics of changing outfits while packing up the tent.
As long as you're not using it in battle, changing outfits is fairly easy to learn.
However, to have as much 'outfit space' as Erza and switch armor as quickly as she does, you need a lot of talent and practice.
Rod didn't need to learn it to that extent. He just wanted to get the basics down to make travel more convenient.
The carriage set off again, and Erza noticed Rod flipping through the mission files. "Aren't you going to practice?"
"Huh? Oh, no, I think I'll wait until we get back. It's better to conserve magic for unexpected situations during the mission."
Actually, he was afraid of failing and ending up like Gray, which would be incredibly awkward.
He'd rather practice at home where it's safer.
(End of Chapter)
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