Chapter 377: Journey of the Empire 1

「Just in time, (Teikoku-doori ni)

Calling now!

… only for the “Empire” (“Teikoku” dake ni)」(Mile)

(T.N: I can only find the word “Teikoku” which seems to be a pun)

Everyone completely ignored Mile’s words.

And the merchants left the inn…

For requests such as corp escorting, the employer usually supplies all the water, snacks during breaks, and meals.

Even if escorts bring food and cooking equipment and materials separately, they will become extra luggage. Also, it’s useless to cook separately for each meal, and above all, differences in meal contents cause discord.

In the army, lower soldiers and officers eat the same thing.

Otherwise, the army can’t keep their morale.

That’s what the contract is all about.

…Yes, contract.

「Yes, it’s done!」(Mile)

But for some reason, Mile cooks using cooking equipment and ingredients from the storage.

…As a matter of course.

Rena’s group didn’t care about merchants or services, they had a tantrum…

“Can we eat such awful mobile dried food?”

… at the time of the first camp.

Normally, fresh food is available for the first few days of the journey.

… After that, it ’s time for portable food.

Unless the escorts hunt small animals or pick edible wild plants.

And these merchants don’t deviate from the main highway, and in the town, they always stay in an inn and don’t continue camping without resupply for more than a few days.

They don’t mind spending money, so they should have fresh food,

They should have a relatively decent meal every time.

…If you think normally.

However, this trading company was unusual.

For a normal trading company, merchants who are accustomed to traveling in a group often can make simple dishes.

Some of them are quite elaborate in their own dishes.

The hired escorts usually have the merchants take care of the meals as well, many of them do not cook.

Anyway, you can eat decent food a few days after leaving the city.

This corp arrives in the next town every few days and stays several days.

In other words, the meal wouldn’t not so bad during the trip.

It’s not good to let Miles prepare meals for all of the merchants every time.

Mile’s burden aside, these men aren’t real merchants. Perhaps, they are the royal palace or military official, and such people usually don’t need to cook themselves, they shouldn’t.

The meals should be left to the employer, as contracted and, as would be expected of a normal trading company.

Red Oath” came to such conclusions at the preliminary meeting… (T.N: “came”, past tense)

However, from the first day of the trip, they got

“A piece of hard bread, a little dried meat, a piece of soup and a little piece of dried kudzu vegetables”

It was the emergence of three sacred treasures of poor portable food.

Moreover, the soup was warm and thin, without any dried fruit flakes.

And it was from the first day when they should have fresh food, which meant that kind of meal would be issued every time during the camp.

Until this journey is over…

Yes, what exactly did Rena’s group expect from lean men in the research field?

They should have expected this from the beginning.

However…….

「「「What in the world is this~~?!」」」(Maevis + Pauline + Rena)

「 Don’t toy with me」(Rena)

「Are they looking down on us」(Pauline)

…They snapped.

Not only Rena, but also Pauline, and even the usually tender Maevis, have a blue vein.

Only Mile seemed to be fine.

Mile can serve as many foods as she needs from the item box, or she can cook on her own using the magic of heating.

So, after eating what is served, she can freely eat whatever you like,

She didn’t care much about the food offered by the merchants.

And even more, Mile has been tolerant of food since her last life as Misato.

No, she likes tasty and delicious foods.

And even now, she still likes such foods.

However, Misato also likes to enjoy the exquisite harmony of the taste and texture of fine cuisine, as well as the goodness of instant noodles.

Yes, even if she gets something bad, she won’t “flip the table”,

Fine food, cheap food, delicious or not delicious food,

She could be able to “taste and enjoy at a reasonable level”

So, only Mile has a calm face…

「Mile, from the next time, you will make the meal!」(Rena)

「Eh? But at the meeting …」(Mile)

「Y-O-U W-I-L-L M-A-K-E T-H-E M-E-A-L!」(Rena)

「Eh, no, because everyone decided, hi~ii…」(Mile)

From left and right, Pauline and Maevis glared at the eyes that seemed to kill a person, and Mile was involuntarily startled.

Thus, Mile was in charge of preparing meals, snacks, drinks, etc. while traveling on this trip.

Of course, Pauline will help, Rena will boil the water with the fireball.

Maevis is also in charge of cutting and separating materials and processing internal organs.

… Yes, it was the same as usual …

Humans cannot let go of their luxury once tasted.

That’s it.

「Rena, about what you said before, “Training to be okay without Mile” …」(Maevis)

Maevis asked with a slightly disturbed face, but Rena answered calmly.

「 Didn’t Mile say that too?

“This is this and that is that”,…」(Rena)

「「「”Make a shelf in your heart”!!」」」(Rena+Maevis+Pauline)

It was useless.

…Totally useless ……

And while repeating the same thing as the first town, the trading company gradually approaches the imperial capital.

Along the way, “Red Oath” sold some of the goods purchased in the kingdom to the “merchants” whose sale goods were about to running out.

… Of course, at an extra price.

Not only did they sell cheap food.

They had a lot of expensive items to sell to rich people in the Imperial City and big cities, as well as a lot to sell to the merchants at high prices.

Yes, they anticipated that the merchant’s sales would be so low that it would be unnaturally small to continue peddling.

…Pauline and Rena.

「Gate of Babylon…(EN)」(Mile?)

Yes, it was “infinite merchandise storage works”.

＊ ＊ ＊

「That’s why we arrive at a fairly large city near the Imperial City!」(Mile)

「You don’t even need to explain it, everyone knows!」(Rena)

When she arrives in town, Mile can’t help but say something.

“I came back!”, that kind of thing.

This time is just an explanation line, a quiet class line.

「We have collected considerably rumors in the surrounding countryside and surveys of the residents’ awareness.

And we were able to hear quite a bit about the plans for recruitment that are currently instructed from the Lord…

Although it’s not the direction from the Imperial City, it’s not a problem for sample surveys.

In particular, it’s the result of a survey of the region from the imperial capital.

From now on, it will be a survey of major cities near the Imperial City.

Unlike rural towns, the aristocrats and governments are sharper. We might face the dangers of suspecting being a spy.

…Well, we just do normal peddling, so I think it’s okay, but it may be dangerous to give customers too much politics, economy, or military talk.

Don’t make any casual comments…」(Merchant)

The merchant leader warned “Red Oath”. But For them, it may be common sense…

「I understand」(Rena)

“Red Oath” nods with Rena.

Originally, “Red Oath” isn’t involved in gathering information through small talk,

But when the seller is some young girls, the customer often talks positively,

They were often unintentionally brought into small talk.

And, of course, when Red Oath happens to hear a good story, they will tell the merchants later.

It was the start of the second round of the interim intelligence operation.