Chapter 303: The Long-Awaited Camping House
As I observed the man lounging arrogantly, thoughts swirled in my mind. Nobility… So, adventurers of B Rank are treated as nobles, huh? I had heard that before, but I wondered if that applied in other countries as well. It seemed Ivan had brought Phonia along for safety, so we likely wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.
“I’m an S Rank Adventurer. I have no reason to yield to you.”
Still, I couldn’t help but think that the prestige of being an S Rank might come in handy in situations like this. I felt a certain level of consideration from the empire’s nobility.
“Oh, an S Rank, is it?”
“Your attitude is quite disrespectful, especially knowing that the Baron is a noble! No matter how high your adventurer rank is, it means nothing!”
Behind the impressed noble, a figure who seemed to be his attendant shouted indignantly.
“Oh, is that so?”
Watching the men maintain their insolent demeanor, I sensed that communication was futile. Perhaps it was best to retreat quickly.
“Then hurry up and hand that over.”
“Wait a moment.”
I stopped the eager attendant who was reaching out, and the so-called Baron stepped forward, crossing his arms and leaning back even further. Did he really need to lounge like that to speak?
“If you are indeed an S Rank Adventurer, I might overlook your previous disrespect… under the condition that you serve under me.”
“Uh, no thanks.”
“Huh?”
As I reflexively replied, the Baron’s expression shifted to one of shock, as if he had just been struck by a pigeon’s surprise.
“Why on earth would I listen to a noble from another country I know nothing about? It’s surprising that this hasn’t escalated into a diplomatic issue.”
This old man clearly didn’t understand his own position. Though we weren’t nobles, so it wouldn’t lead to diplomatic trouble, we were in a high-end area, and it was quite possible that important figures from other countries could be wandering about as well.
“…What are you saying—”
“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave.”
Before the attendant could finish his sentence, I swiftly turned away, clutching the mysterious mirror I had in hand, and left the scene. At the counter near the entrance, I slammed down a platinum coin worth one million Fron, dismissing any thoughts of bargaining, and exited the shop.
“Let’s get out of the Royal Capital quickly; it feels like we’re about to get tangled up in something troublesome.”
I conveyed this through telepathic communication, and everyone quickly agreed.
Having exited the shop, we made our way to the northern gate of the Royal Capital. We needed to act swiftly to avoid any potential complications. It was already early afternoon. We had made decent progress toward the Forest of Enchantment, but reaching it today seemed unlikely. We might have to camp somewhere along the way.
“What happened after that?” Ivan, who had retreated early, seemed curious. Upon relaying the events, he frowned in displeasure.
“Nobles are as insufferable as ever…”
“Nobles are scary…”
Fron gently lifted the trembling Phonia, comforting her. The sight of her patting Phonia’s head and nuzzling her cheek was incredibly heartwarming. I had to capture this moment on video.
“Oh… my battery is running low.”
Driven by a sense of duty to record the moment, I pulled out my smartphone, only to find the battery nearly depleted. I generated power in my palm to wirelessly charge it while filming. While it wouldn’t increase the battery life, at least it wouldn’t die on me mid-recording.
After reaching the northern gate, we stepped outside and headed north without delay. As expected, it began to grow dark before we reached the northernmost town near the Forest of Enchantment, so we decided to camp for the night.
“It’s time for the Camping House to make its appearance again.”
Once we stepped off the main road, a three-bedroom house materialized before us. It had undergone some magical renovations over the past month, making it even more comfortable.
First things first, I needed to charge my smartphone. I could prepare dinner while it charged.
Inside the house, I retrieved a large portable power source from the Dimensional Box. This impressive device housed a high-capacity battery capable of powering cooking appliances. The Camping House was equipped with a microwave and rice cooker, but since I wouldn’t be using them just yet, I connected my smartphone for charging.
“Oh, I should charge mine too.”
“Then I will as well.”
In the end, everyone with a smartphone decided to charge theirs.
“Wait, the portable power source is running low too.”
“Huh? Oh, you’re right. Once my smartphone is charged, I’ll swap it out.”
We had two portable power sources, one of which was charged and left in my apartment back in Japan. When the one we were using ran out, I would quickly replace it. I’d have to do that later.
“Thanks. Now, let’s focus on dinner.”
“Leave it to me!”
El seemed particularly enthusiastic. Influenced by both Japanese science and culinary culture, she was eager to showcase her skills. Though she acted like a maid at times, I knew she was just itching to experiment with various seasonings and spices, as well as use the microwave and rice cooker. As long as she was willing to do it, I had no complaints.
“Alright, El, dinner is all yours.”
“I’ll help too!”
“Do you have any specific requests for the ingredients?”
“Let’s go with rice, meat, and some vegetables… and make sure to add plenty of miso.”
“Understood.”
After we gathered the ingredients, I checked my smartphone and saw that it was fully charged.
“It’s still as fast as ever. The smartphones we knew took hours to charge.”
“True, but fast charging is a good thing.”
“Exactly. I won’t miss capturing adorable Phonia in action.”
And so, we headed to the kitchen, smartphones in hand, ready to document El’s cooking while she prepared dinner with Phonia’s assistance.