Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Forced Conscription Lacks Romance (2)
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Under the dark night sky, those advancing through the shadowy forest soon came to a halt and began unpacking their gear. They pulled the carriage off to the side of the road and headed deeper into the woods.
Bandits who prowled these forest paths were far trickier than any wild beasts or monsters.
They cleared away the sharp underbrush jutting out and knocked down the low-hanging branches. They didn't forget to level out the uneven dirt ground either.
This spot would soon become our beds for the night.
We hadn't made it to the next village before nightfall.
"Sword Saint! How do you set up this tent?"
Seren pulled out the camping tent and spread it wide open before asking. It was all new to her, so she examined it curiously from every angle.
"Ah, I'll handle the tents, Saintess. You sort out the unpacked gear over there. You too, Mage Tower Lord. Kids, just rest up. Oh, Hero. Do you know how to pitch a tent?"
Sio, acting like the elder and the seasoned adventurer, assigned roles to everyone. And the role handed to me was tent duty.
"Whoa, this is an A-frame tent. Shit..."
I'd pitched these before coming here. Seeing it again just hit different.
"Looks like it. Hurry up then, you punk. I'm starving and too lazy to do it all, so let's finish quick and eat."
Sio scowled as he yanked at the spread-out fabric irritably and drove stakes into the ground to set up the poles. For different reasons, I found myself scowling too as I helped him.
"No way I'm seeing one of these again here...? Feels like I've been drafted back into service."
"What's your deal anyway? You talking about where you're from?"
As I kept muttering, Sio snapped at me gruffly. Maybe because I'd never talked about Earth before, there was a hint of curiosity in his tone.
"Yeah... I was in the military before coming here. Got dragged to this place right after discharge, so I'd set these up plenty during field training."
Damn, seeing it again really hits.
"What? You were military? Then why were your moves so shitty when you first got here? You said you'd never used a sword before either."
"This place is the weird one... Where I'm from, there's no magic, sword auras, holy power, none of that crap—just modern science and tech everywhere. No matter how much you swing a sword, you don't get any aura or whatever, so why bother? We had ranged weapons like bows but automated for killing, so I trained with those."
"Whoa... shit. I'd be the top dog in your world then, huh? Sounds sweet."
Send me back first, then talk.
With some idle chit-chat mixed in, we finished the six-person tents before we knew it. Meanwhile, the others had finished sorting gear and called us from the center of the campsite where they'd lit a fire.
"Arsius! Come on already! It's late—let's make dinner quick!"
Drawn by Seren's wave and that warmth, I plopped down into a chair among them. It was impressive they'd even chopped wood to make chairs in the meantime.
"Wait, but there's elves here— is it okay to cut trees? You guys cool with that?"
Aren't elves and trees like besties?
"Big brother, we cut those trees ourselves."
Uh... didn't even think of that.
"Ah, sorry. Guess I had some elf-hating thoughts there."
Do they eat beef too then?
"We're elves, but we're not that different. Just so you know, we love beef the most."
Did my face give away that I was thinking that? Feeling guilty for no reason, I changed the subject.
"Alright, let's make dinner then...? Wait, why's everyone just sitting there? Weren't we gonna eat? No one's prepping?"
Why were they all just sitting with ingredients and pots out but doing nothing?
"Sword Saint told us kids to rest."
Hmm, yeah, the kids should rest.
"Um, Hero. I don't know how to cook. They always brought meals to me at the Mage Tower. Ahaha..."
Yeah, makes sense for the Mage Tower Lord. Stuck in there researching all day.
"Uh... Arsius. I'm great at cleaning and organizing... but I've never cooked before..."
Right. Seren's still young, so that's fair.
"Yeah, sure, Hero. I can burn rice, no problem."
This guy's the real issue.
"Wait, didn't you go on adventures? How've you survived without cooking till now?"
"Someone else always made it back then too. Hey, I'm the Sword Saint—got better things to do than cook."
"But I'm the Hero..."
"You're still a kid. Hurry up and cook, punk."
Crazy bastard.
"Sio, just shut up..."
Silence fell over the group around the campfire in an instant. It was a bit absurd—we'd worked hard sorting gear and setting up beds, only to realize food was the problem.
"Guess I'm doing it then. Ah, I'm not great either. Should we stock up on jerky for future camps...?"
I grabbed a kitchen knife and started prepping ingredients roughly. Wait, what should I even make? How much for six people...?
Arms crossed, lost in thought trying to figure it out, a small voice came from beside me.
"Um, big brother, we know how to cook. We used to live just the two of us, so we've done a lot. We'll help."
A saving grace at that moment. Those kind words directed at me left me deeply touched, offering nothing but a prayer of thanks for the unexpected help.
"Fuer... Fuella...! You two are... you're the best! Don't need anything else! You're the best!!"
I hugged the twins tightly, overflowing with joy.
- Uh...?! Arsius! I'll help too! I can do it...! Hug me too!!
Someone shouted from the side, but it didn't mean much to me right then.
With the twins' assistance, we whipped up a simple meat stew and sat down. Their skills were better than expected, and a savory aroma wafted from the pot.
"The twins are the best, as expected."
"Big brother, we're grateful and all, but the Saintess looks sad, so maybe tone it down?"
Ah.
"Arsius... I hate you..."
Seren just stared at me with teary eyes, so I placed a bowl of stew on her hand.
"Uh... hate me after you eat...?"
I stroked Seren's head. I knew I'd get nagged in the carriage later if I didn't groom her now, so I petted diligently.
Seren savored the touch as she took a bite of the stew.
"You always ignore me... only dote on the twins... Ah, but it's tasty."
Uh... at this rate, she might deserve some doting too...?
I could only burst out laughing at Seren's quiet mutter.
Afternoon on a day when a noob got wrecked. After finishing up at the PC bang, Yuna and I stepped out onto the street again.
"Siwoo, you're trash at games..."
"..."
Thrilled at finding my weakness, Yuna repeated it every time my character died, now whispering in my ear with a grin.
"Siwoo's a scrub..."
"Ugh, whatever! Real life matters more. You get wrecked in reality anyway."
"Doesn't matter. Being protected feels better than protecting..."
Ah, can't win against that.
I walked along in silence. Against someone who says so little yet spills everything without hesitation, I had no idea how to counter someone who talks a lot less.
After walking the street for a bit with Yuna teasing me beside me, I finally remembered to mention it.
"Oh, right. I'm out tomorrow. Can't meet even if you call."
"Why...?"
"Gotta enter a Gate tomorrow. Got forcibly conscripted by the Hunter Association. Heard they prioritize A-rank or higher unaffiliated with guilds."
And that fits me perfectly.
"Then I'll go too. Let me in."
"Why tell me? I'm the one getting dragged."
"Ah... hold on."
Yuna immediately made a call.
"Hey, I'm hitting a Gate tomorrow. You know which one Siwoo's conscripted to, right?"
- Wait, Hunter...? Why go there instead of your guild's assigned Gate...?
"Siwoo's not there. So tell the Association."
- Nooo... Dating's fine, but after all the love advice we gave, this is how you repay us—turning grace into grudge...
"Yeah, thanks. Bye."
Yuna hung up abruptly and looked at me. Her face lit up with a grin, thrilled we'd meet tomorrow too.
"I can go now. Let's go together..."
"You're living the easy life."
A life where one call gets you what you want smelled suspiciously like freeloading.
Ignoring my words, she just beamed with satisfaction at solving the issue, hanging off my neck with her lips curled up happily at the prospect of going together.
"Get off already, you're gross. What's with this clingy routine every time?"
"You said you wouldn't push me away. If you like it, I can stick a bit..."
"Not what I meant. Anyway, I gotta go now—get off! You head home too. Don't be late tomorrow."
"Don't wanna... Can't we stay together a bit longer?"
"No. I'm going to eat dinner with Sihyun now."
I unwrapped her arms from my neck and shooed her away with waves. She pouted and glanced back till the end, leaving me sighing.
For some reason, it didn't feel like dating a girl so much as taking care of a pet...
It was a thought that crossed my mind every time we met.