NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23 - Preparations for the Journey
The next morning.
Letty slowly roused herself from a half-awake state. As soon as she sat up, she felt a presence near her.
“Good morning, Letty!”
It was Ellie, as usual.
“…Good morning, Ellie.”
She nodded in response to Ellie’s cheerful greeting. Ellie leaned in, almost like a puppy, so Letty gently pushed her away and got out of bed.
Still in her underwear, she slowly stretched her legs, arms, and back, checking her condition. She felt as fit as ever.
“If you wanted, I could help you stretch you know?”
“…Your hand feels a bit… off.”
They exchanged such trivial banter as Letty finished stretching and got dressed. Ellie was already in her usual robe.
“Let’s have breakfast. I helped to make it today!”
“…You actually cooked?”
“Of course, cooking on the battlefield is part of the job, you know.”
That was one of the reasons they were given humanoid forms. In war, humans needed to eat, and while they could bring cooks, creating mana dolls capable of cooking meant they could reduce the number of personnel needed. That’s why later models like Ellie had cooking skills.
There was another reason, but according to Ellie:
“I absolutely refused that part, so I’m pure!”
She gave a strange appeal. In any case, it was convenient to have female-shaped Mana dolls to control the three basic needs of male soldiers.
“I see… Well, I guess I’ll leave it to you during our journey.”
“Yes, of course! Leave it to me! …I’m so tired of eating those hard rock-like breads…”
She patted her ample chest confidently and then muttered under her breath. Letty had never really minded the bread.
“Letty, can you even cook?”
“…I’ve never had to… there was no need…”
“Were you really eating properly…?”
“Of course I was eating properly”
Ellie looked at her with a suspicious gaze.
For a woman, she was quite tall but slender. Her arms and legs were so thin, it seemed like there was barely any muscle. Even during camping, she seemed satisfied with just hard bread and nuts.
“When you say ‘properly’, do you mean to just eat three times a day?”
“Yeah, isn’t that enough?”
“What did you eat?”
“Bread and nuts.”
“That’s the same as our camping food! We need to eat meat!”
Ellie grabbed Letty’s shoulders, realising she was right. And she realised just how thin Reti was.
“But meat is expensive…”
“We have plenty of money, at least for now!”
In this era, agricultural productivity was improving, and the food situation wasn’t as bad as it used to be. However, meat was still considered a luxury in most cities, as livestock farming was more common in rural areas.
“Alright, then… I’ll make it my mission to fatten you up on this trip!”
“…Is that really a goal for this journey?”
Letty raised an eyebrow, amused by Ellie’s sudden enthusiasm.
“…Oh, right, you said you wanted to eat something delicious.”
“Yes, I haven’t been able to eat properly because I was so busy!”
The food old man Bob made was much better than the camping food, but it wasn’t exactly a feast.
“So… maybe Ellie’s cooking will be delicious?”
“…Don’t say that… but I’ll do my best! Come on, let’s go eat.”
Ellie pulled Letty’s arm, and Reti didn’t resist. She was a bit surprised at how easily she was being led around. And somehow, she didn’t mind.
“Okay, okay, don’t pull so hard…”
Without resisting, she followed Ellie downstairs to the dining room.
After breakfast, they went shopping for their journey.
Wols was a city located on a major east-west road and was a thriving centre of trade. The city was ruled by Duke Tandelum, who was also the chancellor, and as a result, there were many merchants. Being a large city, there was also a large adventurers’ guild and many adventurers.
It was the perfect place to buy supplies for their journey.
First, they visited a shop that sold weapons for adventurers.
“What about this staff?”
“Sorry, I don’t really know much about them…”
Ellie examined the various weapons, especially the staff for magicians.
If they got into a fight on their journey, it would be best if Ellie didn’t reveal her abilities. She could kill everyone she encountered, but she didn’t want to involve innocent bystanders.
So, she decided to disguise herself as a magician during their travels.
Since there were magic spells called “Mana Bolt” and “Mana Blaster,” she thought she could fake the incantations.
“It’s not just the design, but the mana conductivity is good. I think this one is the best of the lot.”
“Hey, young lady, you have a good eye for this stuff.”
“Oh, you’re so kind, sir!”
When the shop owner overheard their conversation, he joined in. After talking about staffs for a while, Ellie managed to get a 20% discount.
“Ellie… you’re terrifying…”
Letty couldn’t help but mutter.
After that, they went to a general store to buy camping gear and other necessities. They chose the largest one, which had a wide variety of goods.
“I think one blanket is enough for both of us.”(TL note: yes, you tell her Ellie)
“That was an emergency…”
Despite some resistance from Ellie, they bought plenty of blankets, water pouches, backpacks, and other essentials…
Considering the possibility of rain, Letty also thought a small tent might be useful. It was strange for her to be thinking about things like this, normally, she wouldn’t have cared for such details when travelling alone.
“Hey, Letty, look at this pot! It’s great. You can use it for boiling or frying, and it’s easy to carry around!”
Ellie pointed to a large iron pot. It was shaped like a deep round shield, with a gentle curve.
“…Okay, but are you really going to cook?”
“Of course! I’ll make sure you never go hungry!”
“Where does that level of enthusiasm even come from…”
Though a bit surprised, Letty eventually agreed. It isn’t a problem if Ellie wants to cook.
They also bought wooden plates, spoons, and magic stones for starting fires. In addition to their usual bread and nuts, they bought potatoes, dried meat, and other preserved foods.
She had bought more than she thought they needed. But for some reason, she really didn’t mind.
**Next: And so, The Morning of Departure**