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We decided to travel with Haumea and Cole until the volcano where Fire Phosphorite could be obtained. But before that, we had to pass the checkpoint to enter the Tarkashire domain.

Normally I would be attracting a lot of attention due to my Maria-looking appearance, but maybe it was thanks to the eyepatch I was using to seal my charm, I managed to pass through without standing out.

“I wonder what would happen if I used charm and the Stealth Gift at the same time?”

I muttered while sitting at the assistant coachman’s seat. That was normally a risky thing to do, but there was no problem if Finia overheard me from the side.

“I am also interested in that a little. But we have guests riding along, so it would be best to be more careful…”
“Yeah, well, I’ll be careful. You sure are a worrywart, Finia.”
“That’s because you tend to get careless during the critical moments, Lord Re—Lady Nicole.”

Finia spoke with a smug face, which was cute on its own, but her words were not. It sounded like I was a clutz or something.

“Grr…”

I puffed my cheeks and folded my arms in demonstration of dissatisfaction.

Seeing how I moved my gaze away, Finia hurriedly made her excuses.

“Ah, I’m not saying you are clumsy or anything, Lady Nicole! You are dependable when it counts, and umm… You were very cool in your past life!”

She made excuses while waving her arms. I wasn’t really angry or anything. If this was enough to get me angry, Cortina and I would have broken off several times over by now.

Her toxic tongue from before we ended up in our current relationship was still going sharp.

I continued to pretend to be displeased to tease Finia for some time, but then the curtain of the carrier opened up and Haumea peeked her head out.

“Let’s have breakfast once we pass this bridge. Then I’ll hold a bit of a lecture using the free time we have.”
“T-Thank you very much. But what about Michelle…?”
“She’s still sleeping. Carriages sure are handy at times like these. You can move while sleeping.”
“But someone has to operate it in exchange.”

Due to the numbering on our number tag, we left the lodging house first thing in the morning. As such, we hadn’t eaten breakfast, and we lacked sleep too.

Michelle who was healthy and growing at an extreme rate needed more sleep than I. Or well, kids probably needed that much normally.

I think she was already past the age to be called a kid though…

Finia steered the carriage for a while, searching for a good watering hole once we passed the bridge. Water itself was not a problem as there was always the river, but the places where we could have a meal were all crowded.

Considering we were going to hold a combat practice too, it was ideal if there was no one nearby.

Not because I didn’t want someone to see what we were doing, but because it would be dangerous if an ordinary person approached us while weapons were being swung around.

When it came to Adventures, kids brimming with curiosity tended to flock over.

In these past twenty-five years, Adventurers were being viewed as objects of envy, with the Heroic stories and all.

We somehow managed to find a place with a few people and finally started preparing for breakfast. We had a carriage so we could carry quite a lot of food with us. That meant that we could both carry a lot of ingredients and that we could enjoy a far more satisfying menu compared to other adventurers.

“Not just bread and cheese, but also vegetables? And there’s meat too?”
“Finia can use the Freeze spell, so we can carry meat and fish for quite long without spoiling.”
“A first-class archer, a vanguard who was instructed by the Heroes, the Heroes’ daughter who had received gifted education, and a magician that can use several attributes. Your party is full of enviable talents.”
“If you go there, you’re quite skilled at the bow yourself, aren’t you Miss Haumea?”
“Oh, you can tell?”
“Of course.”

Her right hand had a callus where the arrows rubbed on when nocking them. She also had a wand so she could definitely use magic too. Cole also had calluses from the sword, and had his own wand too.

Both of them could use magic and also mastered sword and bow respectively. Moreover, they could remain safe traveling as a duo, so their skills should have been good too.

“That said, I can’t really make anything grandiose with limited time.”
“That’s more than enough. Normally it’s bread, cheese, and dried fruits.”

Finia filled a pot with water and lit the firewood up with the Tinder spell. Then she added vegetables once it came to a boil, and after adjusting the taste with seasonings, then she brought out fish, but suddenly stopped and looked up as if realizing something.

She then asked Haumea, who had been observing her with deep interest, in fluster.

“Um, I just started making it like normal, but do you have anything you can’t eat?”
“No, it’s alright. Cole and I are not picky eaters.”
“Thank god. People tend to be picky about fish.”

Relieved to hear that, she once again moved her gaze towards her hands, and started to process the fish she defrosted with the Defrost spell. The Freeze spell did not use magic power to keep it going, so it was suited for long-term preservation. As it did not melt naturally, it needed this spell to defrost.

Thus, these spells were generally taught together.

While Finia was busy making an impromptu fish soup, I headed to wake Michelle up. I could’ve left it to Cloud, but it’s him we are talking about here. He could go and touch her in some weird place.

Cole seemed busy inspecting his weapon, perhaps in preparation for the training.

As such, I got on the carriage and shook Michelle, who had wrapped herself in the blanket like a hornworm, by what I assumed to be the shoulders.

“Mgmm.”

But the response I felt in my hands didn’t feel like shoulders at all. It was her breasts. She seemed to have grown even bigger.

“Hey, Michelle, wake up.”
“Nngh, noo!”
“You’re not gonna say ‘give me a few minutes’ but straight up deny huh. Get up, it’s time to eat.”
“Set it aside for me.”
“Rejected.”
“Then come sleep with me, Nicole.”
“No.”

We had a long relationship, so I was an expert at waking her up… would be an overstatement, but I could at least wake her up without problems.

Like this, we finished the meal and it was time for Michelle’s first close-quarters training.