READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 16
“Huu…”
“You’re still sulking, aren’t you?”
“But… it was really shocking…”
It seems yesterday’s incident was quite a shock for Priscilla.
It wasn’t intentional, nor was there any ill will, but leaving Priscilla out of dinner while treating her as a guest was definitely my fault, a hundred times over.
However, since I made it up to her afterward, I thought it was just a minor hiccup. Who would’ve thought she’d still be upset even a day later?
Honestly, it got buried under the chaos when that other guy suddenly showed up. Priscilla did trespass into the church, so it’s not like I had to go out of my way to take care of her.
“Why are you looking at me like that…?”
“Huh?”
“No, it’s just… you were glaring at me with such a suspicious look…”
“Oh, was I?”
“I thought I was about to get murdered…”
Priscilla is the only one who knows my true identity right now. That’s why I’m so concerned about her, but she’s been keeping her mouth shut so far, so she’s not much of a threat.
“That’s not possible. You must’ve imagined it.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
But whether it’s her being naive or just not thinking things through, it’s a mystery why Priscilla is still here when she should’ve left the church that day.
Her personality is so timid that it doesn’t seem like she’s plotting anything—unless she’s too relaxed because I explained the vampire as just a mosquito that day?
“But your eyes still look suspicious…”
“Ah, my bad.”
But that doesn’t seem to be the case either.
If she’s staying here because she thinks I’m a weak monster, she wouldn’t have reacted like that just now. She should’ve been openly dismissive or ignored me.
“Hehe, the night air is so nice!”
“It is. Taking a walk together at night is really nice too.”
“What’s best is that I get to come out with Sister!”
“I’m really happy to walk with Ellie too.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, really.”
As soon as she heard the answer, Ellie tightened her grip on my hand. Even though it was such a small gesture, the warmth from her little palm made me feel oddly happy.
“You’re so different when you talk to me… even your tone of voice is different…”
“That’s only natural.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Priscilla nodded in agreement at my blunt, short reply.
“I want to hold Sister’s hand too.”
“Sorry, Iris. I’m using both hands right now, so I can’t do that.”
“…I’m jealous of Ellie.”
“We’ll be there soon, so don’t feel too disappointed.”
“Okay.”
Late evening, with darkness thickly settled. We’re currently making our way through a dense forest toward the picnic spot.
It’s a place I discovered by chance while hunting beasts before. The wide-open scenery centered around a large lake was incredibly beautiful, and since I remembered there weren’t many monsters around, I decided to make that lake today’s picnic spot.
The kids will probably be speechless and start exclaiming in awe as soon as they see the lake’s view.
“But Levi, why are you carrying that whole thing?”
Aizen, walking beside Iris, asked with a puzzled expression.
“It’s nice to prepare things, but I thought it’d be fun to have a rough camping feel with just us.”
“Camping?”
“Yeah. Just lighting a fire and roasting some meat.”
My right hand is holding Ellie’s hand normally, but my left hand is gripping an enormous wild boar. This guy was caught before we left, and since the blood’s already drained, it’s still very fresh.
A regular picnic would’ve been nice too, but since it’s the first picnic with the kids, I wanted to make it a bit special.
“Even so, isn’t that a bit over the top?”
“Once we get there and start roasting this boar, you won’t think it’s over the top at all.”
“Is it really that amazing?”
“Of course. I was shocked when I saw it too.”
“Ooh…”
Maybe I’m the one who’s been looking forward to this picnic the most, not Ellie. I’ve been humming all day, filled with excitement since I woke up.
“Hey! I see something over there!”
While we were chatting and walking, Priscilla, who was walking a bit ahead, suddenly got excited and raised her voice. Where she pointed, faint specks of light were visible through the dark bushes, and the gentle sound of water flowed like classical music.
“It’s the lake…!”
Finally, we arrived at the lake. As expected, the kids were stunned and started exclaiming in awe as soon as they saw it, and I couldn’t help but smile warmly at their reactions.
“How is it? Isn’t it as amazing as I said?”
“I didn’t know there was a place like this in this forest…”
“It feels so mystical…”
“It’s beautiful.”
The round moon shining softly over the large lake made the scenery even more mystical.
Even during the day, the lake would’ve been beautiful enough, but the tranquility and mystery felt under the moonlight could only be experienced at night, making it even more special.
“This place is the best!! There’s no one else here but us─!!”
Aizen, who had been the most indifferent about the picnic until we arrived, was now the most excited of the three, even though he brought his sword, saying he’d just train.
Well, I kind of expected this.
“Miss Priscilla, while the kids play, let’s set up a resting spot.”
While the kids were playing near the lake, I planned to set up a resting spot nearby with a mat. Since Priscilla was here to help me today, we could finish it in no time.
“Hahaha─!!”
But when I came to my senses, there was no one left beside me.
I brought her here to help, but now she’s running around with the kids near the lake, enjoying her freedom to the fullest.
Seeing that, I started to regret apologizing for not giving her dinner last night.
“…Tsk.”
Small complaints were piling up, and my lips were starting to pout like a fish, but I’m the adult here, after all.
Thinking about it, it’s not something to be so upset about.
– Taptap
.
.
.
A few dozen minutes later.
While the kids were playing happily, I was busy preparing.
I laid out the mat, gathered wood from the forest to start a fire, and butchered the wild boar we brought. Since this process couldn’t take too long, I moved much faster than usual.
As a result, it took just over 30 minutes to finish preparing for the picnic.
“Phew…”
The process was quite exhausting, but once it was done, the atmosphere was so great that I couldn’t help but applaud myself. Now, if I called the kids over and leisurely grilled the barbecue, it would be the perfect romantic touch.
“Everyone…”
Just as I was about to call the kids playing near the lake, an unbelievable situation unfolded before my eyes.
“Aizen… Ellie… Iris… Priscilla…”
There should’ve been only four of them, but for some reason, there was a pitch-black can naturally blending into the group.
With a sturdy build and a massive greatsword on his back, he was completely armored from head to toe, making it impossible to tell who he was.
“Hahahaha.”
What is this can’s deal? Since when has he been playing with them?
“……”
Anyone could tell he’s suspicious… I should probably kick him out right now…
But the kids, and even Priscilla, are having so much fun with the black can that it’s hard to say anything.
For some reason, I feel left out. I don’t know why, but I feel a bit excluded.
“Sister─!!”
After what felt like dozens of minutes, the kids finally returned to where I was after playing with the suspicious can.
“Wow, it feels like I haven’t played like that in forever.”
“It’s so fun.”
“Hoo! It feels like I’ve gone back to my childhood.”
“Hmm, everyone’s stamina is great. Very impressive.”
Sitting around the crackling bonfire, the kids were chatting about things they hadn’t finished earlier. It seemed like a cozy time, but there was a spy sitting among them way too naturally.
“Oh, you brought the whole giant boar? Your preparation is very thorough.”
“……”
“You don’t cook a giant boar like that. Since I’m an expert at grilling meat, I’ll handle it for you.”
For some reason, the can spoke boldly. Not only that, but he also criticized my grilling method like a know-it-all and naturally took all the meat I was holding.
He quickly made skewers on the spot and started setting them up in front of the bonfire.
“This is how you grill it. This way, it’ll taste much better.”
“Ooh… this really feels like camping.”
Aizen’s eyes were already sparkling. He must’ve been completely captivated by the full suit of armor, the epitome of a man’s dream.
“Mister, when can we eat this?”
“Hmm, you’ll have to wait a bit. The taste is guaranteed, but this method takes a while.”
“I want to eat it now…”
Even Ellie, who’s usually wary of strangers, was treating the suspicious can like it was nothing. As if they’d known each other for a long time.
“Then let’s go play over there until it’s ready!”
“Where are you going? Just sit here.”
Priscilla, well, she’s always been a bit simple-minded. It doesn’t really matter what she does.
“Sister. This mister is really fun.”
Even Iris… She doesn’t seem charmed or anything, but still.
“That’s good. Using spare time to move your body is a great habit…”
“Wait a minute. Who are you, and why have you been talking so naturally with our kids since earlier?”
“Hmm?”
“You even took the meat I was grilling…”
“Ah, sorry about that. But if you grill a giant boar like that, you won’t get the full flavor.”
“What did you say?”
Even after I finally spoke up and gave him a piece of my mind, the can’s shamelessness was on a level I couldn’t handle.
“I’m not here to steal the meat you prepared. I’m just here to grill it properly for you.”
“No, that’s not the point…”
If I could at least see his face, it might’ve been better, but all I could hear was a deep voice coming from behind the hard helmet. My frustration only grew.
“This is also part of making memories.”
The can then spoke softly, gazing at the roaring bonfire. Watching him from up close, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of absurdity and let out a small, bitter laugh.
“Fine, just give me back the meat.”