Chapter 12

The carriage travels along the dirt road on a beautiful sunny day hitting stones and bumps, making for a very uncomfortable ride. We are shaken and knocked about, and if Satou hadn't put all the cargo in his storage, I wouldn't be surprised if some of it fell on us. When I got on the carriage, I wasn't expecting the most comfortable ride, but this was worse than I imagined it would be.

"Ooh!"

"Meow!"

Pochi and Tama try to leap out of the carriage, but Liza is there to stop them. Pulling the duo by their belts, she keeps them from jumping. This has happened countless times. Every time a small animal like a mouse or rabbit is spotted, they instantly try to attack. We aren't travelling that fast, but they could have been hurt if Liza hadn't stopped them.

"Pochi, Tama, you'll fall out if you lean over the sides, so please keep your backs against the coachman's box,"

"Yes, sir."

"'kaaay."

The two of them seem to have got the message, but I thought that the last time Satou warned them. It is only a matter of time before something else catches their eyes. I smile as I watch their tails waggle and their ears flicker.

Apart from the duo causing us to worry and the uncomfortable ride, there have been no problems. We haven't run into any monsters or bandits. This may be just me, but I was expecting to have had some encounters by now from playing games and watching anime. This is probably because of the Earl's army. He spoke with pride when he told me of the peace and safety his soldiers had brought to his land. At first, I was worried that the statement might be raising some flag, but nothing has happened so far.

We have been travelling for about an hour now and so far passing through grassy hills and small patches of trees. When we first started our journey, there were plenty of other carriages and people travelling on foot. But now, we haven't seen a single person for a while. Most had gone in the opposite direction to us at a fork in the road a while back. According to Satou, they were heading down the west highway, which was where Seiryuu County's mining city was located. Beyond that, the road crossed two more counties into one that was apparently a very prosperous area for trade.

There were counties and baronies to the south, too, in the direction we were heading. But due to their relaxed laws and less money spent on combating monsters, most people avoid them.

"Meat?"

"Sheep, sir!"

It wasn't long before Pochi and Tama spotted something else. I couldn't see them at first from where I was sitting, but soon a massive herd of sheep came into view. There was a shepherd, too, but he didn't notice Tama and Pochi waving at him. I think I can even spot a small sheepdog running among the herd. It was skillfully running around to keep the herd of sheep together. The carriage hit another large bump, nearly causing me to bite my tongue as the straight road we were travelling along took a broad curve around a hill.

"Be more careful with your driving!" Arisa complained as she used Pochi as a step stool to reach Satou upon the coachman's seat.

"Don't ask so much of me. I'm still a beginner,"

"Arisa, you're heavy, ma'am,"

"Sorry, sorry. You were in the perfect position for me to climb on top of you, so I couldn't help it,"

Arisa jumped up onto the coachman's stand and snuggled next to Satou, resting her head on his shoulder as she apologised. Satou really has his hands full with her.

"It's almost lunchtime. There's a stone slab on the next hill that seems like it could protect us from the wind… let's stop and eat there," Satou suggest, and everyone agrees to it.

We continued travelling for a little bit down a weed-covered path before stopping. Satou started giving out instructions to his slaves as soon as we stepped out. They quickly get to work tending to the horses and setting up the area. I had to help Mia down from the carriage before Pearl, Nana, and I helped out by collecting rocks with Liza to use for the stove and picking some wild barries that Pearl said were edible.

"Mission complete, sir,"

"Done!"

"Good work, you two,"

As we returned, everyone else was finishing up their own jobs. Pochi and Tama come running from the horses with their report, and Satou patted them on their heads. Lulu is also done as she apparently had been inspecting the carriage.

"Master, there are no issues with the wheels or the axle. They had bits of weeds stuck to them, so I cleaned them off,"

"Great. Thank you, Lulu," Satou smiles, making Lulu blush. "Lulu, can you help me unharness them?"

"Certainly, sir,"

Pearl, spotted something in the distance, so our group left again to go investigate. It wasn't anything too bad, just something called a Horned Rabbit that Liza killed with a single thrust of her spear. We return, and Liza starts to bleed the rabbit while Pearl and I make a stove. Nana wanted to help, but she was too clumsy and ended up preparing the firewood. It takes us ten minutes to build, but when we are done, we have built a sturdy looking stove, and Lulu arrives to help Nana add the firewood.

"Master, is it all right if I start the fire now?" Lulu asks as she and Nana finish loading the stove with firewood. She takes out a flint in one hand, ready to use it.

"Hold on, Lulu. Use this instead," Satou says, taking out a thin metal stick.

"Ah, I've never used this Magic Item before. How does it work?"

"Fire comes out of the tip when you press down on that raised area,"

"Wow, how remarkable! Being able to make fire this easily is like magic,"

"Well, it's a Magic Item, after all,"

The fire quickly sparks to life, burning away the wood. This is my first time seeing a fire spark to life so quickly. That is a fantasy world for you. Even tasks as simple as starting a fire for cooking and heating have a magical tool.

"Has anyone cooked before?" Satou asked after a few seconds, and most of the group shook their heads.

"I've kept watch over the fire and peeled vegetables and such, but I've never done any proper cooking," Lulu answers first.

"Number Three had all the cooking duties, so I lack hands-on experience. I am learned in the basic operational sequences of cooking. Still, I do not have any recipes registered in my library. I would very much like to install them, I wish," Nana replies looking at me.

"I have never cooked for a group this size before, but I know the basics of cooking monster meat," I answer when it comes to my time.

Only Liza and Pearl have any cooking experience for a group this size. Liza said she used to cook for other slaves and for large numbers of people before her tribe was destroyed by the weasel tribe. Pearl herself used to cook for her tribe's warriors when they were on patrol. After talking about it, we decided to let Pearl and Liza take the lead while Nana, Lulu, and I aided them. I haven't had a chance to learn how to cook since coming to this world, so I am looking forward to it. Satou left us to it, going over to help Mia and Arisa as they struggled to spread out a blanket.

I was tasked with skinning and gutting the Horned Rabbit. I have never done it before, but somehow I find the right places. I put it down to my Dissection, but I still make the odd mistake here and there since it is still at a low level. There are a few cuts in the meat by the time I am done, but not enough to render it unusable. Nana had similar trouble peeling some vegetables, but like me, with the rabbit, her finished product wasn't too severely damaged. Lulu was the only one to excel. She peeled twice as much as Nana and didn't make a single mistake.

Still, it was Liza and Pearl that stole the show. They prepared herbs and cooked the rabbit and vegetables. It was nothing compared to a professional chief. Still, it was tasty when they asked for my opinion with a quick taste test. It will still be a while before it is ready, so I go over to help Satou, Mia and Arisa with what appears to be sewing. I used to sew in my old world, so I should be able to help them out in this world.

"Need a hand?" I offer as I approach.

"Sure," Arisa says. "This guy keeps forgetting to knot the thread, so find a needle and some thread, and help us sew these pillows."

Satou looks a bit embarrassed but hands me a needle and some thread.

"Here," Mia says, patting the spot behind her. As usual, she uses little words, but I get the message that she wants me to sit next to her.

I get started quickly as soon as we sit down. The task is to sew some leather pieces to the cloth wrapped stew pillows we have been using. I don't know why we bothered with the pillows since they were uncomfortable, but at least with the added leather, we shouldn't keep being scratched now.

"Strong," Mia mutters as I quickly piece the leather with the needle.

"How can both of you do this so fast?" Arisa stares at me as she struggles to push the needle through.

"I'm used to it," I lie. This is the first time I have ever worked with leather. "I had to maintain my own equipment."

"I guess it makes sense for a former Mon-Hunter," Arisa mutters, looking down at her own work. Satou already told them my fake background of being an ex Mon-Hunter. But suddenly, Arisa looks up at me. "Does that mean you can make us armour out of leather?"

"I only know how to maintain and repair it," I tell her. "I'm sure with enough practice, I will be able to, but that is beyond my ability right now."

"Too bad," Arisa sighs. "We have plenty of leather but little armour."

Between all of us, we manage to complete the improvements to the pillows by the time our lunch is ready. Satou even had enough time to make a petite palm-sized chick that Nana instantly fell in love with.

"Meat?"

"What a plump little bird, sir!"

Tama and Pochi stare at the tiny chick with their mouths watering and stomachs growling. Their eyes are narrowed at the bird as they lick their lips and look like they are ready to pounce at any moment.

"Mm, cute," Mia says, walking to Satou and stroking the toy.

"Hero Kura," Nana makes me jump when she suddenly appears right in front of me. "Is it okay for me to obtain Satou's permission to care for this larval?"

I look at Satou, and he nods his head.

"Sure, go right ahead," I tell her, and she rushes to him in a flash.

"You like it, do you?" Satou asks as he hands Nana the chick.

"Yes," Nana nodded emphatically as she rubbed her cheek against the toy. "So remarkably soft and round… indeed, it is adorable."

"I'll give the first one to you, Nana," Satou smiled as Tama and Pochi asked for their own toys.

"Mrrrr…" Mia tugs on my sleeve and looks up at me.

"Do you want me to make you one," She nods her head, so I get the supplies from Satou and attempt to make something.

I end up making a rabbit out of white cloth. It came out surprisingly well, but I guess my knowledge from my old world transferred to this one. I managed to give it a cute face, but I didn't have enough stuff to stuff it, so I made it into a hand puppet for Mia. At first, I was worried Mia would be unhappy to get something different from the dolls Satou was making, but my worry was for nothing. Mia smiled as she used her hand to wiggle the rabbit's fingers and open and close its mouth.

"It's a tiny Tama, sir!"

"Mine's a tiny Pochiii?"

Pochi and Tama started to run in circles holding their toys up. Satou did an excellent job as the toys share a solid resemblance to Tama and Pochi. They quickly run over to Mia and Nana to show off their toys.

"Bunny," Mia holds up her rabbit, making it wave at the girls.

"It's alive!"

"It's a real bunny, sir!"

"It's just a puppet," I tell them, and Mia takes her hand out, showing them where her hand goes.

"Hero Kura, please make me a puppet like Mia's," Nana says, rubbing her cheek against Mia's puppet. Mia doesn't seem to mind as she uses the puppet's hands to pat Nana's head.

"Sure, I will make you one when we get more supplies," I promise her.

Judging from how Pearl, Liza, Lulu and Arisa are looking at us, I feel Satou and I will be on doll making duty again sometime soon. I don't really mind, and I enjoy sewing, so it shouldn't be a problem. Satou seems fine with the idea of making more dolls too. Meanwhile, I can smell that our lunch will be ready soon. The smell is blown towards us on the wind making everyone's stomachs rumble.

"Is it ready?"

"I'm sure it will be soon, sir!"

Tama and Pochi run circles around Liza and Pearl as they finish up cooking with Lulu's help. They stared at the stove, unable to keep still as they drooled and circled the food with wagging tails.

"Mm, smells good,"

"Ohhh, my stomach is about to start sticking to my back!"

Mia and Arisa comment as Lulu starts setting plates that Liza and Pearl quickly start to fill.

"The food is ready, everyone,"

"Need help?"

"I'll carry it, sir,"

At Lulu's call, Tama and Pochi quickly rushed toward her. They whip the drool from their faces before picking up some of the plates. Satou pulls out a table from his storage, and soon everyone is seated in front of a plate. Today's lunch was a quiche and pickled vegetables courtesy of the Gatefront Inn, along with stew made by Liza and company. The stew contained beans, potatoes, onions, and the meat from that Horned Rabbit.

"Thanks for the food!"

Everyone calls out, surprising me, but I soon follow suit. I used to do that all the time but stopped when I came to this world. Arisa said she spread this custom, and Mia that a former hero who taught this to the elves when he retired to her village.

We ate our lunch. The food was a bit salty for my taste but still tasted good. The sweetness of the onions helped counter the saltiness. At the same time, the strong flavour of the potatoes and Horned Rabbit meat was a pleasant surprise. The beans were soft despite looking hard when I first saw them. The food was too over seasoned, but I still enjoyed it.

"It's delicious, Liza. Lulu, Nana, Kura, Pearl, you did great, too," Satou praises look to each of us.

Liza, Pearl and Lulu deserve most of the credit. All I did was cut up the meat. They were the ones to cook it while I made pillows and puppets. Lulu blushes at the compliment while I deflect the praise to the others, and Nana and Liza give black expressions. Liza must be happy with the praise as her tail waggles, beating the blanket we are sitting on.

"Liza's cooking is always so good, sir!"

"Liza's the best!"

Pochi and Tama smile with their mouths full of food. They look just like chipmunks with their cheeks stuffed as they praise Liza.

"Mm, good,"

"Maybe a bit salty, but it's delicious,"

Mia and Arisa nod and smile as they give their praise.

"Hero, the wheat porridge is pleasing as well, I report,"

Nana was the only person with a different meal. We weren't leaving her out or bullying her in any way. Homunculi, like Nana, had weak stomachs for the first six months or so of their lives, so she had to either receive MP directly or stick to a liquid-only diet. I learned that information from Satou as he recovered the information from the Cradle before its destruction. Nana had already passed the six months, but given the circumstances, we thought it best to keep her on a liquid diet for a while to see how she would fare. The plan was to introduce solid food gradually to avoid any issues. I could restore her magic myself with my Magic Manipulation skill, but we thought it would be best to let her eat normally.

"Will that be enough for you, Nana?"

"Master, it is not a problem, I affirm,"

Nana seemed happy with her meal. The only one in our group that seemed to have a problem with the food was Mia. She pushes peaches of meat off her dish feeding them to Pochi and Tama when she thinks no one is looking.

"Do you not like meat, Mia?" I ask, looking over at her.

"Elf," Mia shakes her head.

"Oh, so elves don't eat meat? Yep, that's how fairy races ought to be!" Arisa commented happily.

So elves are vegetarian. I read books where that was the case and others where they did eat meat. I guess in this world, the elves don't eat meat. But then another question arises when I look at Mia and the bow she was gifted by the green-haired man Yuya. I was about to ask, but Satou beats me to the point.

"Mia, if elves don't eat meat, what do you have bows for?"

"Monsters,"

So they were for self-defence. I guess it made sense since the monsters wouldn't leave the elves alone.

<0>

After we all washed the dishes and cleaned up the meal, we took a break for about an hour. The main reason was to let the horses rest. Still, we also had the ultermotive of tiring Pochi and Tama out so they wouldn't try jumping out of the carriage when we get moving again.

"Private Tama! Private Pochi!"

"Aye!"

"Yes, sir!"

Pochi and Tama may be looking at Satou, but every rustling leaf makes their ears twitch. They keep glancing at the bushes like they are about to run off at a moment's notice.

"I have an important mission for you! Go and investigate that giant stone at once!"

"Aye!"

"Sir!"

The girls quickly runoff.

"I'll call for you when it's time to leave, so don't go too far!" Satou calls after them, but I am unsure if they heard him.

Meanwhile, I listen to Mia play on a reed pipe. I never thought you could make music from grass, but Mia can play a beautiful tune. I have been trying to play beside her. It was tricky, but I made some sounds come out of the grass. I am nothing compared to Mia, but I was able to play something resembling a tune with her limited instructions.