It was already getting dark when we went through the forest.
　So I decided to camp by the lake a short distance away.
　This area is relatively calm and the number of monsters is small. Even if they were to appear, the field of vision is wide open, so it's easy to deal with them.

　We parked the carriage by the lake.
　Unload the food on the back of the wagon.
　I offered to pay the fare when I got back to you.

No, no. I've got enough money already. He refused to let me ask him to open his wallet any more.

　If that's the case, you can go to .......
　I'll take you up on your offer.
　We built a fire by the lake and sat around the fire. We ate our emergency rations of hard bread and dried meat.

"Ew. Not very tasty.

　Meryl ate the dried meat and said bitterly.
　He stuck out his tongue.

The meat is tough and it tastes bad because it's just salted: ....... I'm a gourmet, so it's not for my taste buds.
Come on. Meryl. You shouldn't have been so rude to me after I got my cut.
Because...

　Meryl was right.
　I can't say I've ever tasted any of this dried meat.

　That's as it should be.
　It was mostly dried and salted, so there was nothing tasty about it.
　If it was preserved with pepper, the taste would be much better, but it was too expensive for ordinary people to get their hands on.

I wish I could eat better food too. After all, when it comes to emergency food, there are many things that don't taste as good as they used to.
If I was used to eating my dad's cooking, I'd never eat this stuff. d*mn it. What's wrong with my dad is that he can't cook good food.
'What?　It's my fault!
"Meryl. You can't afford to be extravagant. You have to put as much gratitude in your mouth as possible. You have to force it into your stomach.
It's a warrior's mentality.

　Anna countered Elsa's words.

Well, I know it's tasteless.
　I said.
　She seems to agree with Meryl.
　Actually, she hasn't eaten any hard bread.

"Well, I guess so: ......

　It's important to eat.
　It's good for the girls' morale tomorrow.

Okay. We'll just grab some food. We've got a lake and woods nearby. We'll gather some fish and berries and stuff like that to supplement our supplies.

　I decided to get moving.
　I broke a branch from a nearby tree.
　I sharpened the tips of it.

Dad. What's that?
This is a harpoon. You dive down into the lake and you stab the fish.
Huh. But wouldn't it be faster to use magic?　I can freeze the lake with my ice magic or use lightning magic for a great catch!
'That's going to wipe out all the fish in the lake. ....... We've got to catch as many as we can eat. I don't want to do anything that would destroy the ecosystem.
You're so sweet, aren't you, Dad?
You guys take a walk around, see if you can find something edible. About an hour and then I'll be back.

　I took off my jacket and stripped off my top.
　I jump into the lake.
　I open my eyes and look around in the water.
　There's supposed to be fish in there. .......
　O. There they are.
　I followed the fish as it crossed out of the corner of my eye. Then he fired the harpoon from his right hand. A flash of the harpoon strikes the fish's belly like a thread through a needle.
　I got one.
　I put the fish in a basket that I got from the back of the truck. I dive again.


　When we found a good size fish, we would chase it and poke it with the harpoon. Within an hour, the basket was overflowing with fish.

　--I thought it was time.

　I peeked into the water and went back to the shore.
　The girls were already gathered around the fire.

Oh. Daddy, you're back. Did you catch the fish?　--I mean, whoa!　There's a basket full of fish!

　Meryl hugged me around the waist.

'That's enough to fill us up. How'd it go with you?　Did you find anything that looked edible?
"Yes, sir. We've been gathering nuts and mushrooms.
Oh, man. That's a lot of stuff.

　The basket was made of woven straw and was piled high with nuts and mushrooms. I wonder how they managed to gather them all in such a short time.

Elsa and Anna did a great job.

　Meryl says.

'I had been holed up in the mountains with my father when I was very young. It wasn't hard to see where the berries and mushrooms were growing.
It's my job to decide if it's edible or not. Papa taught me that knowledge when I was in the village, and it helped me to keep it alive.

　My girls are all right.
　We cooked the food we gathered over the fire.
　We'll roast the mushrooms and the fish in the branches. They left the berries intact. It's so fresh and tasty you won't even notice it's made with emergency rations.
　The girls were satisfied with their fill.
　Now we'll be ready to fight tomorrow.
　After we finished eating, we went to the lake for a dip.
　The girls will head to the lake first, and then me and the man will stay with the carriage. I can hear them chattering all the way down here.

Ohhhhh. Elsa's tits are getting big again!　I like it.
These things are unnecessary for a swordsman. They get in the way of fighting. I envy you, Meryl, for being as light as you are.
That means they're flat-chested!　Mukkatsu-koo!
You know what? Meryl. You're too young to understand this. There's more to a woman than just the size of her breasts.
Boo. Anna, you know what? You don't have a girlfriend.
What?　What's that got to do with it?　Why does it matter if you have a girlfriend or not when you talk about how attractive a woman is!
It works, it works, it works!
d*mn it!　Wait for me!　I'll punish you for it!
I'm not waiting for you.

　I hear the splashing sound of water splashing together.
　I'm glad they're getting along so well.

Three beautiful girls all dressed to the nines and laughing and having a good time. Sir, I gotta be a man about this.
No way. It's my daughter.

　I said.

"And just so you know, if you do anything to warn me. "and I'm warning you, if you do anything crazy like that to get a peek at me, I'm not gonna let you go free, okay?
Yes, I know, sir. Sir, you're freaking out.