Chapter 04 | Camp

Her hand brushed against the platform, feeling the firm ground beneath her. It was slightly refreshing, a promising sign of a nearby water source. This seemed like a perfect place to set up camp. she stood up and glanced at her companions, “We will rest here today.”

She placed her belongings down and effortlessly began setting up the tent. She smoothly assembled the tent, securing the pegs in place. It took less than a minute. Everything was ready.

Aria turned her head towards Ella. “I’ll go scout.”

Ella nodded in agreement and replied, “Alright, Aria. Good luck with the scouting, and make sure to return before nightfall.”

Aria nodded back and then scanned the surroundings, especially focusing on the troublesome duo. They chattered all along the way. He asked so many questions about everything he saw. ‘What kind of tree is this?’ ‘Why does this rock look so strange?’ ‘Can this plant be eaten?’ His curiosity seemed endless, like a child.

However, the worst was the Red Witch. She spoke like Cerberus, no, more like a Medusa, with her hissing and irritable words. Did she really need to use such long-winded and nonsensical lines? That hurt my sanity. How did they maintain such stamina, even in this high terrain?

I have to rest my ear. Aria swiftly away from the group.

She sprinted through the forest with agility, while the birds and squirrels returned to their nests, gathering food and leaves for their homes. The sound of chirping birds filled the air. Finally, she was alone. She softly touched the tree, then closed her eyes. The gentle breeze brushed against her, relieving the weight from her body. The leaves rustled in the trees, creating a soothing melody that calmed her heart.

“This place should be safe for us to spend the night. There aren’t any immediate threats in the area, except for a few monsters near the north riverside. We just need to stay alert and use some magic to handle the situation.”

“As for food, our supplies are running low, enough for only three days at most. Making porridge will help stretch our resources. I’ll buy more when we reach the next village.”

Meanwhile, Aria was also concerned about their supplies. In a distant location, Rain the cursed child was also searching for something to eat.

He gazed at a group of plants and weeds in front of him. “Hey, are you edible, little green one?”

He grabbed some green plants and muttered to himself. “No, please don’t eat me. I’m just a thin blade of grass, not enough to fill your stomach.”

His expression turned sorrowful as he continued, “I’m sorry, but I need to survive. Please don’t be angry with me, okay?”

He pressed his hands together as a sign of respect towards the weed in front of him. He tore it, then rolled into a ball shape and placed it in his mouth.

“Yak! Such a grassy taste. Why it has green mana color, are you really eatable?” His face crumpled.

He placed the glass weed in his hand to the side and gazed at the little mountain that he had been experimenting with, the strange taste still lingering in his mouth.

“Rain, this is the freedom you’ve always wanted, right? Happily wandering through fields and forests, searching for plants and weeds to eat, just like a happy cow,” he babbled.

“Huh, so pathetic. Why do all these plants have weird tastes and weird names? Tabo Grass, Water Sassafras, Doddorika, Mellow Hyssop, ChupaChupa... Ha, I should try to think positively. At least they’re all edible and don’t make me sick. Thank goodness for my ‘Eyes Of Verity.’ If I can’t classify a plant by its mana color, then I shouldn’t have survived this long.”

“Green is definitely edible. Yellow is questionable. Maybe I can eat it if I process it somehow. As for red and purple, stay away from them, don’t even touch them. Even if they appear safe, they will kill you. Rain, do you remember that flower with the cute purple mana color? Just one bite and it transports you to a river with a black door. Death greeted me warmly last time. It was such a terrifying experience. I should never try it again.”

“Ok.. Next one.” He picked a plant that looks like grass with a white fluffy ball on top. “This time, I choose you, ChupaChupa. Please don’t disappoint me.” Beads of sweat covered his face as he remembered the poor taste of the other plants that still lingered in his mouth. His throat felt dry. He sucked in the air and then quickly took a bite.

His eyes lit up, and tears shimmered in his eyes. “... for all the blessings in the world, ChupaChupa, I love you!” he cried.

“This is life, this is sweet!” he exclaimed with joy. “Who is the luckiest person in the world? Yes, it’s me, Yes! It’s me.” He finished devouring the rest of the plant, Tear flowed down and it turn into particle.

“Ahwww, how sweet you are. Where were you before? Why didn’t we meet earlier, ChupaChupa? Now, you are my best friend.” He looked around and noticed that the word ChupaChupa, written all around the area. His smile widened, his eyes sparkled, and he said, “I’m truly the luckiest.”

Time flew as the sun began to set, casting a warm orange glow over everything.

Aria gently brushed the dust off her hand and sighed. “Alright, I set up all the alarm magic. I should head back before anyone starts worrying about me. I also need to prepare some porridge.”

Blue Saint made her way back to the camp with ease, collected berries and herbs along the way.

The camp was already set up, with a small firepit send crackling softly sound in the center. Ella sat on a log, basking in the warmth of the bonfire. As she noticed Aria approaching, she greeted her, “Ah, welcome back. Did you encounter any problems?”

Aria walked closer to her and set up the fire pit for cooking. She replied, “Just some monsters by the riverside.”

Ella looked concerned and asked, “Is it safe? Did you set up an alarm?”

Aria nodded and placed a pot on the fire pit. She added oats, dried berries, wait a moment, then stirred, filling the air with a sweet aroma.

Ella moved closer to the pot, resting her chin on her arm as she watched Aria cook. “Berried oatmeal today?”

“Are you okay with that?”

Ella shook her head softly and said, “Umm, not at all. Your food is always delicious. It’s soft, fragrant, comforting, warm, and easy to eat." She smiled gently.

Once the fragrance became rich, Aria poured in water and milk, added sugar blocks, and let everything simmer in the pot. The mixture looked soft and sparkled as she continued to stir.

“Everyone loves your food, you know? However, Faye always comments on it, ‘Ah Aria, where’s the meat? I’m not a squirrel that only eats berries and seeds, you know?’ While Eeon would like the same ‘I’m not good with soft food.’” She imitated Eeon with an icy expression, then giggled.

A small smiled appeared. The Red Witch always needs more meat, she seems, to nourish her robust body. I’ll go hunt some monsters later. And for Eeon, maybe I should bake some bread? But it takes time to prepare. Yeast and dough need warmth too. Perhaps I can do it at Sun Rock. Now, as for Rain...

Suddenly, something sparked within her, and she stopped stirring. What is he eating? How can he survive without food?

“Ella, could you help me stir?” Aria asked.

“Ah, yes, of course. I’ll take care of the rest,” Ella replied.

“Thank you.”

Aria getting up and walking around the camp. noticed Eeon meditating as usual. She didn’t want to interrupt him, so she walked past him, saying nothing. The Red Witch was standing far over there. He must be nearby. As I thought, the black attire child sat a further away.

Aria walked up to Faye, but when she approached the Red Witch, something seemed off. Her face looked incredibly shocked.

“What happened, Faye?” she asked in a serious tone.

“Ahh! It’s you, Aria,” she said, her body slightly startled.

“Are you okay?”

“... Okay,” Faye weakly replied.

“You look pale. What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Ah, it just... Is he crazy? Why does he do that? Is it... a golem—” she mumbled to herself.

“Faye, what happened?” Aria raised her voice.

“Look at it yourself,” then pointed her finger fast to the side.

Aria looked following that direction. Shocked, She saw two people sat and talking, one child and one stone decorated with leaves, plants, and vines to resemble a person.

They were talking, well, only the child was talking, but using two different voices. Sometimes they laughed, sometimes they were serious, conversing as if they were old friends. And they were eating!

They even had bandages tied around their necks, resembling napkins, but their food consisted solely of plants, flowers, and grasses, lots of grasses. But the strangest thing was that the child looked incredibly happy every time he took a bite of grass, and he even fed some to his rock friend.

“Do you like it, Rocky, my friend?” he asked. “Is it good?”

“Yes, Rain, this is the best meal we’ve ever had,” the rock friend replied in a stronger tone.

“As I told you, this Chupachupa is a grand discovery. It will definitely be our next highly recommended dish.”

He changed the tone again. “I. Agree with you!”

Rain noticed the presence of Aria and Faye.

“Rocky, we have some acquaintances. I will greet them and introduce to you,” he said.

“Hi, Faye, Aria, please come. We have plenty of seats for everyone.” He beckoned hand welcome everyone.

However, no one dared to approach him. Red witch stood still. Aria tried to speak, but his weird behavior and his weird friend left her speechless.

Instead, Rain approached to both and said, “Look, look, I’ve found something really amazing this time. You will not be disappointed.” He showed white fluffy plants.

“Faye, if you’re interested, you can have all of this. It tastes even better than the herbs in the sachet that you took last time.”

Aria stare looked at him, wondering if he had cursed, drugged, or poisoned by the grass he was consuming.

“Ah, don’t look at me like that. I’ve already packed it for you. And if you want it all, I can give it all to you,” he said nervously.

Red Witch couldn’t resist her curiosity and asked him, “Rain, is it really edible? And does it taste good?”

“Yes, it is. You can try it. It calls Chupachupa, and it has a very sweet taste. It will make your mood happier,” He smiled.

Then the Red witch slowly turned her head to Aria, her face a little paler, and said “A-Aria, he’s telling the truth… right?… Can I try it?” She looked at the white fluffy grass in his hand, her hand trembling as she tried to reach for it.

Rain’s face slowly smiled like as a successful merchant, that succeeded in gray contact.

This is not good at all! I have to intervene. No, it’s a must. Otherwise, we will lose our wizard and create one more crazy person, maybe even more rocky men will appear. My sanity will break down into pieces if that happens.

So, Aria quickly grabbed Faye’s hand and said, “Faye, our food is ready. Let’s go.” Aria dragged her out fast.

Faye’s legs left a trail on the floor as her hand hung in the air, gazing at the white fluffy grass. “fluffyyy…”

Rain tilted his head. Had no clue what just happened. He looked back at his rocky friend, wanting to ask his opinion. The sound of Rocky’s voice told him, “Don’t worry, they were just shy. It will be okay. You still have me, your best friend Rocky.” Then he shrugged his shoulders, walked back, and resumed eating.

Aria tugged Faye along and, upon seeing Eeon, she said, “Eeon, the food is ready,” without waiting for his response. She then returned to Ella.

The porridge was ready. A sweet, warm scent permeated the air. Ella had done a great job. Aria divided it into four bowls, and as they ate, they engaged in their usual conversations, exchanging comments and expressing admiration. However, Aria couldn’t recall any of it. The image of Rain eating grass with his rock friend remained vivid in her mind.

Her confusion faded, but anger flared up.

Does he know that I’m the one who cooked? Why does he have to show me that his eating, to mock me, even that rock? What was it named again? Rocky! Yes, that Rocky. Why does it have long vine hair? Is it referring to me? Do you think I’m a rock? Argh, I hate it. Can I destroy it? Moreover, with that star-recommended plate? It’s just a piece of sloppy grass. Huh, huh, why do you do this to me...

“It’s already night,” Ella stated, glancing at Aria. “Aria, you should rest. You haven’t rested in two days. You look tired. So, leave the night guard duty to us, alright?”

Everyone directed their attention towards Aria and nodded, confirming and agreeing with Ella’s intuition.

“Um, thank you, Ella,” Aria said. I need to clear my head and get some proper sleep.

Aria stood up, waved at everyone and took a leave.

The silence of the night calmed her heart and soul. Tonight, I will rest well. However, the fire within her burned again when she saw a bundle of that white grass in front of her tent. Are you kidding me? Mana gathered, her hand shimmered with a blue hue.

But before she destroyed it. She noticed the letters drawn on the floor beside it.

“Swo-rry, Awia, don an-ry, it swoot gla-ss, cwook it, it tatety, nuam Chupachupa, trute, I swer, Awia.”

Aria’s mind became crystal clear, even though the words she saw were sloppy and uncorrected, she understand it. chicken scratch

She looked at the package again, the herb neatly sorted, with the short and tall pieces arranged in perfect manner, all the dirty roots cut off. It was like it was ready to be used.

A fairy-like smile appeared on her face, the wind gently caressed her, and the soft glow of the half moon shone down. In the pale night, a comforting warmth enveloped her.

This is... really... sweet.