Chapter 62: Night Dinner
Lloyd suggested setting up camp for the night before splitting up tomorrow, cutting through the silence that had fallen after Vanna’s projection faded.
Joseph nodded as he brushed dirt from his uniform. "Makes sense. We’re all running on fumes."
Marie clapped her hands together, energy returning to her features despite the exhaustion lining everyone else’s faces. "An outdoor night sleepover! I haven’t had one of those~"
Suzy giggled with some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Well, you should get used to it. A lot of expeditions will have you camping through the night."
Marie grinned and nodded while Vanna’s voice returned through the Herald Marker. "It’s nine PM right now. You guys should be preparing to set up camp, but in the meantime, what would you like to eat? I’ll have it ready and transported to you."
Reinhard blinked in surprise. Transported? How would they get food from the academy all the way here unless they had a Beast Spirit that could traverse the distance in minutes? If such abilities existed, he needed to find a similar beast for his Beast Sigil collection.
Before he could voice the question, Marie wrapped her arms around both his and Joseph’s necks, pulling them close. Simultaneously, Suzy and Jessie grabbed Lloyd, Bruno, and Kyle, and then they all formed one massive huddle.
The girls grinned at each other before shouting in unison: "Steak! Bread! Macaroni! Mashed potatoes!"
The boys blinked in surprise, their lips twitching with suppressed amusement, but they all nodded.
The food choices were solid and pretty good, plus it’s not like any of them were in the mood to argue.
"Since the group has decided, I’ll have the kitchen prepare it," Vanna said. "I’ll transport the camping equipment now, unless you’d prefer-"
Jessie shook her head with a disgusted expression. "The sleeping bags will give us proper rest and help clear our minds, which we desperately need after today...And sleeping on the grass isn’t comfortable."
Kyle, Lloyd, Bruno, and Marie nodded with crossed arms, leading Joseph to laugh while Reinhard hummed. He didn’t mind either option as he had experience sleeping on floors, dirty ground, and metal surfaces. You learned to sleep anywhere when you were poor and running from unsavory people, just trying to survive.
"Point the Herald Marker toward an empty area," Vanna instructed.
Marie gently moved the necklace around Reinhard’s neck, toward a clear patch of grass, while the burning town continued crackling and roaring behind them.
"Okay, it’s pointed!"
The necklace began shining as Reinhard observed with interest. "I’m surprised they had camping equipment on hand."
Bruno explained, "Transporting things is frequent for the Information Institute. They keep lots of supplies ready for transfer."
The necklace’s light intensified, creating a small portal. A silver hawk materialized and flew through, carrying a bundle wrapped in beige cloth beneath its talons. It placed the package gently on the ground before dispersing into motes of light.
Bruno and Jessie approached the bundle, unwrapping it to reveal sleeping bags, sheets, pillows, and covers. Jessie gave a small nod of satisfaction. "This is good. Let’s set up camp quickly."
Everyone moved with efficiency despite the fatigue in their limbs. Their movements were slower than usual, but they carried the rhythm of people who’d done this too many times to count.
Bruno and Lloyd dragged branches from the edge of the clearing, while Reinhard broke them down into manageable pieces. The fire started up quickly when they pressed it on a stray ember from Mensis’s still-raging flames.
There was no need to waste magic or use a lighter when the inferno was right there, devouring what remained of the town.
The sleeping bags were spread in a rough circle around the fire pit, close enough for warmth but far enough to avoid sparks. Joseph and Kyle walked the perimeter, laying twigs and branches balanced carefully so they would snap or rustle if something stepped through the brush.
It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to quickly wake some of them and help them avoid any danger.
After the day they’d endured, even the smallest preparation felt like armor against the dark.
As they settled onto their sleeping bags, Vanna’s voice returned through the necklace. "The food is ready."
A silver hawk burst through a new portal, its wings shimmering in silver lights. It swooped low, depositing a cluster of cloth-wrapped bundles before vanishing again with a sharp cry. Marie, Suzy, and Jessie hurried forward to unwrap them.
Steam rose immediately into the night air, carrying scents so comforting that it was almost painful.
Inside were plates of perfectly cooked steak, thick slabs of fresh bread still warm from the oven, golden macaroni gleaming with melted cheese, and creamy mashed potatoes drizzled with butter.
The plates were passed out, and everyone found a place around the fire. They ate in silence at first, the only sounds the crackle of burning wood, the distant roar of Mensis still collapsing, and the soft clink of cutlery.
Exhaustion ran so deep that even conversation felt like work.
Reinhard ate mechanically, chewing and swallowing with little thought, his mind still going through the events of the day. But the food was too good to ignore. He glanced at the back of his hand to see that the color of the sword on his Beast Symbol was already filled.
Good thing it restores fast. But it really feels like I have no stamina when it is close to the end... It’s a good thing I had magic around the hilt, or I would need to be carried out of the town. Reinhard thought with an inward sigh.
Marie was the first to break the silence, grinning between bites. "This is amazing, as expected, the academy, no skimping on expedition support."
Lloyd gave a short laugh, his mouth still half-full of bread. "Wait until you see the long ones. Month-long expeditions where you don’t have to worry about hot meals and fresh clothes."
Jessie nodded firmly. "The academy knows we can’t do our jobs if we’re starving or sleeping in mud. Logistics saves more lives than anything else."
Suzy’s lips curled in the faintest of smiles. "Though I have slept in mud before. That was... Unpleasant."
"Swamp expedition?" Joseph guessed without looking up.
"Swamp expedition," Suzy confirmed with a grimace, the rest of the Cup Inquisition expression darkening.
A ripple of quiet laughter passed through the group.
For a while, the conversation wandered.
Bruno reminisced about the class field mission in the northern mountains, where the supply drop had included candied nuts. Reinhard nearly dropped his fork when he learned Joseph once spent a night huddled under a collapsed tent in a hailstorm when he went missing during the field mission.
Jessie teased Lloyd for always stealing the last slice of pie during academy feasts, and Suzy admitted she once nearly froze her own boots solid during training.
It was a simple talk that made it easy for them to ignore the thoughts of Anasha, Phineas, and the events of Mensis Town.
Reinhard found himself staring into the fire as the others spoke. He listened to their laughter, the small arguments, and the clinking of metal, and all of them made a faint smile appear on his face. It was not only his first sleepover with friends but the first time with a burning town.
The closest he could recall this was the gang members sleeping next to the burning buildings during the winter.
Marie leaned back on her hands while smiling up at the stars barely visible past the smoke. "You know, sitting like this... It feels pretty amazing."
Joseph let out a low hum. "I agree... I doubt others can say they had a camp near a burning town."
Jessie laughs before saying. "The Academy Feast is going to be crazy when the story fully spreads."
Bruno groaned as he said. "Don’t remind me, they’re going to constantly pester us."
As the others got into another banter, Reinhard glanced at them and his smile grew.
This isn’t so bad... It’s actually kind of fun.