We had spent hours scouring the village without finding any trace of the criminal organization in black robes. Nevertheless, the time wasn't entirely wasted, as we stumbled upon items that would prove invaluable for our journey.
"Why is this map useful? Didn't we already have one?" Jessica inquired.
I shook my head.
"While we do possess a map purchased in the capital, it merely provides a general overview of the area's geography. The map we discovered in the village chief's residence contains more detailed and up-to-date information."
Jessica nodded, acknowledging the value of the new map.
"Moreover, we've acquired additional food supplies for our journey. Given the unsuitable weather for hunting, this will save us a lot of trouble."
Though we had brought some provisions for the mission, our original plan involving teleportation meant we hadn't prepared for an extended week of travel for five people. Thus, it became imperative to make all necessary arrangements beforehand.
"Speaking of food, isn't it time to start preparing lunch?" Eva suggested.
Having breakfast early in the morning and exploring the village for hours had left us hungry, particularly Eva, whose stomach audibly protested.
"Alright, let's use the inn's kitchen to prepare lunch!" Angelica exclaimed enthusiastically, ready to take charge.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The others, excluding Natasha, exchanged uneasy glances.
"Uh, Angelica... Actually, I was going to ask for your help gathering groceries. Why don't we leave the kitchen to Jessica and Eva? They've been cooking together forever, so I'm sure they can handle everything," I suggested, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
"Are you sure about that, Franz? If you want, I can help you look for those food supplies after lunch. I don't think a little more help would be any trouble," Angelica offered, her disappointment evident in her tone.
"N-no need, Angelica! I appreciate it, but if too many people work on the same thing, everything will become more complicated instead of easier. So, I suggest you help Franz with what he asked of you," Jessica interjected, attempting to decline in the gentlest manner possible.
"I understand... In that case, I will help Franz."
Despite the disappointment in Angelica's voice, she acquiesced.
It was a necessary sacrifice.
Corresponding to her rank as Lieutenant Colonel in the army, Angelica excelled at commanding, behaving closest to the ideal army commander among the group. However, everyone has their strengths, and Angelica's culinary skills were not among them.
The last time we ate Angelica's food, we resorted to using Elixirs to endure it. This incredibly rare and expensive potion, capable of saving a person on the brink of death from nearly any situation, was utilized to protect us from Angelica's cooking. It might sound like an exaggeration, but it was genuinely a life-or-death decision.
"Why don't we explain to Angelica that her food is actually the deadliest poison in the world?" you might ask. There were several reasons. Chief among them was Angelica's pride and self-confidence. If she knew her cooking was perilous, it would be a situation we wanted to avoid at all costs.
For this reason, we formed a secret alliance called 'Clumsy Queen' to protect ourselves from her cooking without her noticing.
"We'll probably have to integrate Natasha into the alliance later," I thought as I glanced sideways at Natasha.
"Okay, let's split up for now. I'm going with Angelica to get more food supplies. Natasha, please help set the table," I directed.
We dispersed to carry out our respective tasks. Natasha, being the first to finish, sought out Angelica and me to assist with anything else.
Upon encountering us, she discovered Angelica struggling with a task.
"What is this?"
About five boxes were floating in the air, moving toward Natasha in a row. Underneath them was Angelica.
"Natasha? It's good that I found you. This place is very big, and I can't find my way back. Could you give me some directions?"
"Isn't the inn just a block away?" Natasha was surprised by Angelica's disorientation but didn't take it too seriously since it was a new place for her.
"If you keep walking in that direction, you should come face-to-face with the inn," Natasha gestured behind her.
"Great! Thank you, Natasha."
"Hahaha, there's no need. By the way, you can call me Nat. That's what my father used to call me."
Angelica, sensing a touch of melancholy when Natasha mentioned her father, accepted her request and suggested, "In that case, please call me Angie."
They exchanged smiles and bid each other farewell.
"Well, I better get going. You can go help Franz carry some boxes. Unlike me, he doesn't have something as convenient as telekinesis," Natasha advised Angelica.
"I understand. In that case, I will help Franz."
Though disappointed, Angelica accepted Natasha's decision.
It was an inevitable sacrifice.
Natasha, observing Franz's progress, realized he was managing a towering stack of boxes with ease. Despite his superhuman physical abilities, the challenge lay in maintaining balance with such a obstructed view.
"Do you need help with that?" Natasha offered.
"Huh? Oh, Natasha, that's you!"
Franz had to rely on his ears to identify Natasha.
"Hmm. Actually, I could use some help, but I don't think you can assist me with this..."
Noticing Franz's somewhat dismissive tone, Natasha frowned.
The next moment, Franz felt a significant portion of the weight he was carrying vanish.
"Did you think I was so weak that I couldn't even carry a couple of boxes by myself?!" Natasha retorted, sticking her tongue out at Franz.
Perplexed, Franz watched as Natasha walked toward the inn alone. He followed her from behind.
"I didn't mean to insult you by any means, especially not because you're a woman. It's just that not everyone could lift this kind of weight with such ease."
"I know you didn't mean it that way, idiot! What bothered me is that you should know by now that I'm a mana user."
Franz understood Natasha's point. While a mana user might not naturally possess significant physical enhancement, diligent training could bridge the gap.
'Ahg-! I ruined it.'
Franz wore an apologetic expression, prompting Natasha to quickly forgive him.
"Don't worry too much, Franz. I'm not mad. I know you're clumsy, so this kind of thing is inevitable."
'Am I clumsy?' Franz looked at Natasha with a hint of annoyance, but she met his gaze without flinching.
Sparks flew in their silent, competitive stare.
After a brief, pointless exchange...
"By the way, I want to thank you for earlier," Franz said.
"You mean for protecting Jessica? I thought they'd thanked me enough for that already."
"No. I didn't mean that." Franz shook his head. "You defended me from the other girls because of what happened here. Without your intervention, a verbal fight could have broken out between us. It would have been really annoying, so I want to thank you for that."
"It's creepy when you go from acting awkward to being considerate," Natasha commented, raising an eyebrow.
"I think it would be nice if you also learned some good manners when speaking, don't you think?" Franz retorted
with a smirk and narrowed eyes.
Both continued to playfully pester each other until they returned to the inn.
Soon enough, Franz noticed that Angelica and Natasha had formed a close bond unexpectedly quickly.
"So, now you call her Nat?"
"And I call her Angie!"
The rest of the group looked on, puzzled.
"Now that I think about it, if you're friends, why don't you use nicknames or diminutives?" Natasha questioned.
"Well, since I met all of them when I joined the army, I got used to calling them by their respective names and ranks," Franz explained.
"But, in that case, what about you? As far as I know, you knew each other before you joined the army."
"We used to call each other something else in the old days, but things changed when we joined the army. If I had to give you a specific reason, it would be because of Colonel Samantha. She called everyone by their full name and rank, and everyone just followed her example," Angelica elaborated.
The other girls nodded in agreement.
"To be honest, don't you think it would be a good idea to call each other by nicknames again?" Jessica suggested, her excitement evident.
Suddenly, Jessica approached Franz and said, "You can call me Jess." Her breath was warm against his ear.
"In that case, we will be called Angie, Jess, and Nat!" Natasha exclaimed, visibly thrilled.
Franz and Eva, sensing the excitement, got into the spirit of it.
"And in the case of Franz and Eva..." The three girls exchanged glances and quickly reached a joint decision.
"Yeah, Franz and Eva will still be Franz and Eva." The three nodded together.
Franz and Eva's expressions betrayed disappointment and a sense of betrayal.
"That's not fair! Why can you three have one, and we can't!?" Eva expressed her clear outrage.
"Yeah! This is clear discrimination against Eva and me!" Franz protested.
"Guys, do you realize that our nicknames are shortened versions of our names? How do you think we could do the same with your names..."
Natasha's explanation doused the duo's excitement like a bucket of cold water.
"Hum! Our names are cool enough anyway, don't you think, Franz?"
"Hum! Of course, Eva, we don't need nicknames or anything childish like that."
The girls looked at the duo with a hint of pity.