And with that, it was time to set up camp.
We made camp right in front of the forest.
I unfolded a magic-material foldable tent…
“This… This is amazing!”
Francis exclaimed, which was understandable.
Francis was born into a warrior family.
In a society as male-dominated as this one, there was no room for letting a mage simply idle.
Because of that, Francis had been in constant training since childhood…
Francis knew that such tents were only used by high-ranking military officers.
Depending on the scale of the battle, of course, but for skirmishes like this one, soldiers usually slept outside, even in the rain.
Many even died from colds, contagious diseases, and other illnesses…
So, the fact that there was a durable, large tent that even a single soldier could carry seemed to have been quite shocking to Francis.
“This is really nice… You don’t plan on selling it, do you?”
“Not at the moment… I wouldn’t have much use for the money anyway.”
“Then what are you earning for?”
“It’s a hobby.”
And for my reputation.
“Still… It’s cold, isn’t it? Winter’s already here… I wonder if it’s snowing in the Klein territory by now.”
Hmm?
“Does it snow at your house, Fran-chan?”
“It snows at your place too, doesn’t it? After all, you and I are both northern nobles.”
Ah, right.
The northern nobles, centered around the Klein marquisate…
The north is inland and borders enemy nations, so it has the highest concentration of nobility and military power.
Conversely, in the south, where the church is headquartered, it’s forbidden to station many troops. Grace is from the church-controlled southern lands, part of the Arclight family.
As for Yuki, she’s from the western coastal region.
The west is near the sea, but most of the interests there have been claimed by foreign nations, so it’s not a strategic area. Saying the sea isn’t strategic is just crazy.
Oh, and to the east lies another foreign country, and beyond that is an endless stretch of wilderness, still unclaimed. There are supposedly horse-riding nomads out there, so maybe one day someone like Altera or Genghis Khan will invade.
“By the way, you’re from the north, so why are you so tanned?”
“My mother’s from a western noble family. I’m the child of a concubine, after all.”
Ah, I see.
“Or maybe it’s just my natural complexion…? Does skin color really matter that much?”
Wow, Fran-chan just said something great!
…Well, in this world, there are non-human races like beastfolk and dwarves.
The ones who get discriminated against are those non-human races, so humans are just lumped together as one group.
If not, we’d be outnumbered by the non-human races.
Well, that’s fine, I don’t really care.
“Aren’t you cold? You don’t seem to mind… Wait, your hands are warm! What did you do this time?!”
Fran-chan grabbed my hands and started yelling again.
Back when a simple kiss used to get her flustered, now she grabs my hand naturally, which is cute, don’t you think?
Fran-chan was treated so harshly by her parents since she was a child, so just showing her a little affection makes her fall for me so easily. She’s really adorable.
“This here is a magic tool I made, called a ‘heater’.”
With that, I took out a flat board, about the size of a smartphone.
“What’s this? Another game console?”
“No, it’s just a board that stays warm forever.”
“Wow, that’s convenient… Wait, forever?!”
“Yeah. It absorbs ambient magic and the weak magic humans naturally emit, converting it into heat at maximum efficiency. So it stays warm without using magic stones or anything. Oh, and it can also cool things down on hot days.”
“That’s incredible! Really incredible!”
Warming her cold hands with the heater I gave her, Francis said:
“Oh… It’s so warm… Your inventions are so amazing that I don’t understand half of them, but this one is just simple and practical.”
“If you want to warm your body, hold the heater to your chest.”
“Is that so? Oh, you’re right…”
I handed out heaters to the others as well.
“Alright, time to get ready for bed.”
I said, preparing to sleep.
First, I expanded the compressed blankets…
“Huh? What’s that?”
Yuki asked.
“This? It’s a futon.”
“I-I know that, but it just tripled in size…”
“Ah, when you press this selector, it compresses back down to a smaller size.”
“That’s… groundbreaking…”
“I’ll also put down a heater.”
“Hmm, this is like a large heater, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Now, get into the tent.”
I said, and then…
“Um, I’ll keep watch tonight. I couldn’t walk much during the day and I feel bad for being a burden.”
“I will do the same. I slowed us down and I apologize for that…”
Grace and Drill said.
“Huh? Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ve set up an ‘alarm system,’ a ‘barrier,’ and a ‘monster repellent.'”
“…What?”
“It’s not ‘what.'”
The four of them, except for Ada, made astonished faces.
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘alarm system’… but did you just say ‘barrier’? Like the one in the royal castle? The artifact one?!”
As usual, Fran-chan was the one shouting.
I replied in my usual tone.
“No, not the one from the royal castle.”
“R-right! There’s no way, even for you, to recreate the royal treasure…”
“There’s no way I’d make such an outdated piece of junk. This is a new model, far more advanced.”
“I knew it!!!!”
Fran-chan slumped over.
“This is unacceptable! No individual should be able to replicate a nation’s treasure!!!”
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
“Yes, you are amazing!!!”
Hmm, but seriously…
“It’s not that hard to make, you know? If you studied up to Magic Application B and Basic Magic Tool Creation B, you should be able to make it too.”
“Are you… serious?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“You’ve lied countless times, but let’s ignore that for now… So, you can really make barriers…”
Francis pondered with her hand on her chin.
It’s not really that big of a deal though.
In terms of complexity, game consoles are definitely more intricate.
“…Hey, is there anything you want? Fran-chan will get you anything~?”
Oh, that’s blatant flattery.
Fran-chan has decent combat and practical skills, but she’s absolutely hopeless at negotiation!
The one who’s good at that is Grace. She’s sharp.
Grace knows that I enjoy overturning situations with overwhelming power and malice, so she doesn’t try to outtalk me. Instead, she handles things with sincerity.
On the surface, she just looks like a pure and pious saint.
“Fran-chan, I’d like your chastity.”
“I-I already gave that to you, idiot!!!”
“Well, who knows? Maybe that time in bed when Fran-chan got so happy she wet herself was just an illusion. We’ll have to check again!”
“W-why do you say things like that?!!!”
And so, we flirted and fell asleep in the tent…
