Episode 90: Soup in the Dark Night
We moved again, and now it’s night.
We’ve set up camp.
I mowed down the tall grass to some extent with a blade, laid out a leather sheet on top, and smoked it with the bonfire to ward off insects, while also using it as a light source.
There were no encounters with monsters or bandits.
As I’ve said before, monsters and bandits aren’t stupid.
They won’t recklessly attack a group that’s clearly larger than them without a plan.
Certainly, monsters, unlike animals, are characterized by their ferocity and tendency to kill without reason… but as living beings, they can’t escape the instinct for self-preservation… and will avoid combat if they’re at a disadvantage.
However, if they see an opponent as equal or weaker, they’ll try to kill other creatures for reasons like “protecting their territory” or “being agitated after giving birth.”
Those with some intelligence… like goblins and orcs… don’t just kill, but also inflict pain with malice, or even rape.
Even such terrifying monsters are, in the end, living creatures.
They won’t come looking for death…
It’s the same with bandits.
Ignoring the irregular case from before, where they “were actually soldiers from an enemy country!”, bandits are usually just failed Strider.
Or deserters… Most are escaped farmers.
They have poor armaments and combat abilities, so they surround and attack the weak in numbers. Of course, the bandits don’t want to die either.
Therefore, bandits won’t attack a fully armed group of people pulling several carriages.
It might be hard to understand without actually experiencing it, but combat, or killing each other, is an extremely risky act… It’s better not to kill each other for the sake of some minor benefit.
And… it’s night now. Or rather, it feels like after dusk?
In another hour, the sun will be completely down.
In cold regions with no streetlights, the night is truly dark. So dark that you can’t do anything. You have no choice but to sleep.
So, we started setting up camp…
I quickly set up the tent.
Recalling the structure of the large outdoor tent I used on Earth, I used magic to process and create a “Super Tent.” The shape is probably a cabin tent.
Then, I immediately started preparing dinner.
Making food for thirty people by myself is exhausting.
I dumped bottles of pre-peeled and parboiled stewed vegetables into a huge pot, the kind used for school lunches. Carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions, and celery, I guess.
Then, I added diced pork ham that had been seared on an iron plate and simmered it.
For seasoning… I think I’ll use granulated consommé today.
I made three large pots of soup. I have to do this, or it won’t be enough.
The staple bread is long-life Panettone bread that I baked in advance. This bread lasts for about two months at room temperature.
And then, the usual pickles… today’s are daikon radish, cucumber, and paprika. I opened these.
Also, I teriyaki-grilled thawed beef with garlic, sugar, and soy sauce, and added red chili peppers and baby leaves. This is probably the main dish.
And for dessert, I’ll serve baked apples with honey.
“Yosh!”
“Nothing’s ‘Yosh’ about that…?”
Katrina’s passionate, serious reply stabs me.
“Why are you… like this…!”
“But it’s delicious, so it’s fine, right?”
“It’s fine, but… this…! The incongruity of having more delicious food during camping than when I was a Knight!”
“But it’s delicious, so it’s fine, right?”
“It’s fine, but!!!”
“Daikon! Daikon radish salad is delicious, yes!”
Ah, Kaede popped up.
“I also cooked some rice, just in case…”
“Give it to me!!!!” “Me too!” “Me too!” “White rice!”
The other Easterners besides Kaede snatched the rice away…
…Whoa, amazing! They’re eating a mountain of rice like in a Japanese folktale with daikon radish pickles!
The other girls are…
“Yummy yummy yummy!”
As usual, Shio is gorging herself.
She’s eating by the kilogram, but that’s the default, so no problem.
Margot was also quietly eating next to Shio.
The patrol members who can’t participate in the meal are crying with their stomachs growling. It can’t be helped, they’ll be replaced in an hour, so I’ll feed them then.
“Mmm, delish…!”
“It really is delicious… After all, that man’s abilities are high.”
Irene, the axe-wielder with Dwarf blood.
And Theresia, the one-eyed swordswoman.
The two of them dislike me for my frivolous attitude due to past traumas with men…
But that’s another matter, they’re enjoying the meal.
“Alright! It’s almost time to switch! The squad that just ate, go on patrol! The squad that was on patrol, eat!”
“““““Yes!””””
Oops, it’s time to switch.
The girls who started lining up in front of me are holding out wooden plates on trays, so I ladle plenty of soup onto them.
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, there’s still plenty for seconds.”
I do the serving like that… and then, the last ones.
“Boss, give me three breads. I’m starving.”
Keira, the rat beastkin from the Slums.
“I’ll take three breads too, Dru-kun?”
Cheeria, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Wood Elf.
I handed the trays to the two of them, and that’s the end.
“Okay, anyone who wants more can help themselves!”
I said that and took off the serving mask and gloves.
I want to eat too.
“Boss, sit next to me.”
Keira said that, so I sat next to her and started eating.
“Yeah, it’s good, it’s good. As always, anything the Boss brings is delicious.”
Keira laughs in an uncouth way, “Shishishi.”
It can’t be helped, that’s how people from the Slums are.
“The ham and bacon that the Boss gives to the Slum kids! That was a delicacy when I was a kid! I fought with the other Slum kids over a tiny piece.”
“Should I bring more?”
“No, no, only to the extent that it doesn’t burden you! You’re already donating to the Slums, and that’s a big help!”
Keira, you see… isn’t very cute.
For example, Elves are basically all super-beautiful, beyond even Earth’s silver screen actresses, but other races aren’t particularly beautiful!
There are both ugly and beautiful people, with the same distribution as on Earth.
Among them, Keira is short, as befitting a rat beastkin… and her face is, well, average.
She has freckles, monolids, and narrow eyes. Her front teeth are a little large, and she has a round face. Overall, she has a rustic impression.
She’s not beautiful. Well, there’s that thing where that’s good in reverse!
That kind of girl hasn’t been held by me.
Too presumptuous, she said. She declined even when I invited her.
Keira, who grew up in the Slums, has been held by many men in order to survive.
Even if virginity isn’t that important among the commoners… in the eyes of the world, she’s a “dirty Slum woman.”
She said that it’s impossible for her to be held by me. She told me to find a better person and be happy.
She left me with those words… and now she’s working as a Strider like this.
It’s sad, but it’s an individual choice. If Keira chooses that, I have nothing to say.
But…
“…Keira. Whatever the reason, I intend to help you if you’re in trouble. If there’s anything, tell me anytime.”
“…Too good. Those are words too good for me.”
While talking about that, I finished my meal…