Chapter 180: Both Reliable and Unreliable

That night, just as Erza had predicted, they couldn't reach a town, so they had to camp in the wilderness.

In storytelling terms, this would be called "focusing too much on traveling and missing a lodging spot," and it usually indicated that something eventful might happen.

The two drivers were reluctant to camp in the wild, fearing encounters with wild beasts at night.

Plus, the weather was very cold.

However, after Erza sincerely requested their cooperation, they agreed.

Rhodes was thankful that Erza hadn't used her sword while negotiating with the drivers; she had seriously pleaded with them.

Though her earnest request carried a lot of pressure.

To avoid the drivers feeling coerced, Rhodes assured them that he would ensure their safety and also offered to pay them extra.

So, everyone ended up happy.

Erza found a pot from her luggage and began setting up a campfire stove.

Rhodes set up the tent—the skills he learned from Gray last time came in handy now.

Once they were done setting everything up, Rhodes was prepared to try Erza's cooking again, but she then told him—they had no ingredients.

The pot she set up over the fire was only for heating water.

Rhodes was confused, "Wait a minute, Sis, you have all these suitcases, brought all the cookware and spices, but no ingredients?"

Erza seemed a bit embarrassed, "Well… due to limited space, I had to leave some things behind."

Rhodes looked at that huge cart full of suitcases. "Limited space?" What exactly did she pack in there?

Erza seemed to understand his curiosity and explained, "Mostly souvenirs from missions, some important gifts, and then the usual tools like the tent.

"Oh, and that armor you gave me last time is in there too. I like it so much that I wanted to keep it with me. Want me to put it on and show you?"

If it had been any other girl saying this, Rhodes would have wondered if she liked him.

But Erza, like Cana, treated him purely as a brother.

She clearly didn't mean it romantically—she just genuinely liked the gift and the sentiment it represented.

Rhodes politely declined, "I'm glad you treasure my gift, but we're off-topic now. The current issue is, what are we going to eat tonight?"

He had already eaten the food he brought at lunch. It was something Mira had rushed to prepare for him at the guild cafeteria before they left, and he even shared half of it with Erza. Now, they had nothing for dinner, which was frustrating.

"Sorry, that was careless of me, neglecting such a thing." Erza clenched her fist, seriously reflecting on her mistake. "After the mission, I'm willing to accept any punishment, and I'll also take a smaller share of the reward."

Rhodes facepalmed. Great, now she was getting weirdly serious over something trivial.

"Never mind. Summon: Shadow Wolves!"

Six shadow wolves appeared, their sixteen glowing green eyes startling the drivers.

"Go and catch some prey, rabbits, pheasants, anything will do."

Rhodes remembered seeing rabbit tracks in the snow when using the river crab to scout earlier.

Winter was a tough time to find prey, but the shadow wolves were efficient. Before long, they returned with a small deer-like animal.

"A deer this small, could it be… oh, it's a roe deer."

Rhodes was relieved; a roe deer of this size was definitely already an adult.

Next, it was Erza's time to shine—different knives danced in the air, draining blood, skinning, deboning, and dismembering the prey in one smooth sequence.

Then, parts went into the pot for soup, and others onto skewers for roasting.

The two ate their fill and even shared some with the drivers. Though they had brought their own dry rations, they were happy to have some meat.

"Requip!" Erza exclaimed, and in a flash of light, she changed into a set of purple pajamas.

Changing into that kind of sleepwear in winter… well, whatever, mages aren't bound by common logic, and she had a sleeping bag anyway.

Rhodes noticed the pattern on Erza's pajamas, "Is that the Heart Kreuz logo?"

"Ah, yes. The quality of this brand's clothes is excellent." Erza replied, "Even the armor I usually wear is from this company."

"Really?" Rhodes only now realized that Erza's regular armor also had a yellow cross, ending in a heart shape.

The Black Wing Armor he saw last time had a white logo as well.

He hadn't noticed it before… maybe it was because Mira had just accepted the modeling deal now that it caught his eye.

"Wait, wait, isn't Heart Kreuz a clothing brand? They make armor too?"

Erza explained, "Originally, they didn't, but after I sincerely asked them, they were quite accommodating."

"Uh… mind if I ask how you 'asked' them?"

"Could you please make armor for me? (extremely intimidating version)." After the demonstration, Erza resumed her usual expression, "Something like that."

"Haha… hah…" Rhodes laughed nervously, "They're really accommodating, alright."

"Alright, since there may be wild beasts around, let's divide up the night watch shifts."

"No need, I'll have Vorm keep watch." Rhodes summoned Vorm.

Vorm wasn't much for fighting, but it could definitely keep an eye on the fire and act as a sentry.

Mainly because it used so little magic power it was almost negligible.

"Snore?" Vorm looked confused.

Erza asked, "Are you sure your magic power will last all night?"

"No problem. If there weren't a time limit, I could leave Vorm out for twenty-four hours straight."

Rhodes went into his tent, stopping Vorm, who tried to follow him. "The watch is up to you, and I'll treat you to some Poro delicacies when we get back."

"Roar!" Vorm sat down at the entrance to Rhodes' tent, resembling a snow lion, albeit a bit chubby.

Erza crouched down to pat Vorm's head, "We're counting on you. If anything happens, come wake me."

"Roar!" Vorm nodded seriously.

Actually, it was always hard to tell where its head ended and neck began.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, everyone got up and freshened up. Rhodes used his word magic to provide clean water.

"Word magic is really convenient." Erza said, once again changing outfits, this time from pajamas back into armor.

"Requip magic is what's really convenient." Rhodes said, "Could you teach me?"

"Of course, it's not a difficult spell." Erza, ever efficient, started explaining the basics of requip magic while packing up her tent.

As long as it wasn't being used in battle, requip magic was easy to learn.

But to have a requip space as large as Erza's, with the ability to switch armors instantly, would require a lot of talent and training.

Rhodes didn't need to reach that level. He just wanted to learn the basics for convenience during travel.

The carriage set off again. Erza saw Rhodes flipping through mission details once more and asked, "Aren't you going to practice?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, I'll wait until we get back. During the mission, it's better to keep some magic power in reserve, just in case."

Actually, he was afraid of ending up like Gray if he failed—half-dressed would be pretty embarrassing.

It was better to practice in private.