Chapter 19

This is the second update of the day.

By the time we finished eating, the sun had set, and two moons had begun to rise.

"Ah, I'm full. I didn't expect to be so full during work."

"Me too~"

"......Choco. ...Sweet snacks. ...I remember."

"This must be the will of the gods."

The emergency rations were all highly rated.

We promised to consult the four people who tried them later to determine which rations are best for adventurers.

Kiki pounded her chest and said, "Leave it to us!" but it was a bit worrying to see her drooling.

After the meal, all that was left was to sleep.

Since this wasn't a trip, there was nothing special to do, so we decided to go to bed.

"Liya, Rolf, and Kiki will take turns keeping watch. Shiro and Nesca can sleep."

Liya said this.

Apparently, keeping watch is an important role to guard against monsters.

While I'm a novice, it's also not a suitable role for Nesca, who is usually spacey.

"I'll go first. Next is Rolf, then Kiki."

"Understood."

"Okay, got it."

The four of them took out blankets from their bags and wrapped themselves in them.

Kiki and Nesca lay on the ground, while Liya and Rolf leaned against trees.

"Huh? You can sleep too, kid."

Even though he said that, it was only 8 PM.

No matter how tired I was, it's not easy to fall asleep when I usually go to bed after midnight.

"Hehe, I'm not used to sleeping at this hour..."

"That's right. Being able to stay up late every day, you must be rich, being a merchant and all."

"Huh? Why does staying up late mean you're rich?"

"Well, if you stay up late, you're using candles or lamps, right? Candles and lamp oil are precious. Only nobles or big merchants would use them without a care, not in a tavern or anything."

"Oh, I see."

I couldn't help but clap my hands at Liya's explanation.

Living in Japan with its well-developed infrastructure, it's easy to forget that lighting costs money in this world.

No wonder Aina gets up early.

Just gaining this insight makes the trip with the adventurers worthwhile.

"If you can't sleep, want to chat a bit more?"

"I'd be happy to learn more, but won't it disturb your watch?"

"An adventurer who gets so engrossed in conversation that they neglect their guard duty isn't much of an adventurer. I've been one for 11 years. Do you understand what that means?"

Liya grinned.

I grinned back.

"You're a veteran, huh?"

"That's right."

Liya said that keeping watch alone can be boring, so having someone to talk to is nice.

When I worried about disturbing the other three's sleep, he said that if someone is so sensitive that a conversation keeps them awake, they probably aren't cut out to be an adventurer.

Being an adventurer is tough.

So, I decided to chat with Liya until sleep came.

"Hmm, adventurers don't use sleeping bags?"

"No, they're warm, but you can't move quickly if you need to. Most adventurers sleep wrapped in cloaks or blankets. See, my companions do the same, right?"

"True. But aren't blankets cold? It's still warm today, but..."

"Yeah, it's fine now, but in winter, it gets so cold you need a fire to stay warm. On the other hand, if you bring more blankets, they add to your load."

Liya shook his head, as if it were a difficult problem.

Then he said,

"Ah, if only we had someone with the Spatial Storage skill, we wouldn't have to worry about the load."

Suddenly, Liya mentioned the "Spatial Storage" skill.

This was a chance to learn about my own skill.

I couldn't let it pass, so I casually asked about Spatial Storage.

"The Spatial Storage skill...?"

"Yeah. You should know as a merchant, right? It's said to be one in ten thousand or one in a hundred thousand. That skill."

"I've heard the rumors."

"Wouldn't it be great? With that skill, you'd never go hungry. They say that in the ancient magic empire's dungeons, there's a 'Book of the Spatial Storage Skill' sleeping."

"If it were discovered, how much would it be worth?"

"Hahaha! A merchant like you asking that? That Book of the Spatial Storage Skill? Depending on the storage capacity, even a cartload would be worth as much as a noble's mansion."

Really!?

I have such an amazing skill??

It seems I made the right decision to keep it a secret.

Good job, me.

Next, I'll test how much it can hold.

Talking with Liya, I gained a lot of knowledge about this world.

Before I knew it, the two moons had risen overhead, and the fatigue from the day brought a pleasant drowsiness.

"Thank you for all the information. I'm finally getting sleepy, so I'll go to bed now."

"Sure. I'll wake you up in the morning."

At that, Liya got up and reached for his sword.

"Liya?"

"Shh! Be quiet, kid."

Liya's behavior was strange.

It was as if he was on guard... Could it be!

"Damn. They're getting closer. Kiki, Rolf, wake up! Sorry, kid, but wake Nesca. She's a heavy sleeper."

"Understood."

I shook Nesca.

"......Choco... delicious..."

"Nesca! Wake up from your chocolate dream. It's an emergency."

"......Huh? Shiro?"

"Yes, it's me, Shirou. Wake up quickly!"

"You're right, Nesca. Wake up quickly and get ready to cast spells."

"......Okay."

Nesca sat up.

Kiki and Rolf were already awake and had their weapons ready.

"Kiki, can you sense anything?"

When Liya asked,

"......Sniff sniff. No, it doesn't smell. It seems to be coming from downwind."

Kiki sniffed and shook her head.

"It seems to be a monster with some intelligence."

Just as Rolf gripped his mace, a rustling sound came from the bushes behind us.

We turned reflexively.

In front of me, there was a very large bear.

"Damn. Of all things, a Murder Grizzly."

The four members of "Blue Lightning" who saw the bear had grim expressions.