(12) Setting Up Camp

Chapter 12: Setting Up Camp

Hunting was an easy task for Mira, given her magical abilities.

In less than half an hour, she returned to the campsite, carrying an unknown wild beast, guided by the light of the campfire.

While preparing the ingredients, Silver used his magic to materialize a complete set of cooking utensils from a drawing he had prepared beforehand.

Mira inspected each piece with a surprised expression and said, "Not bad, they feel just like the real thing."

"Of course," Silver replied casually, noticing her surprised look but keeping his pride in check.

"My magic doesn't have much combat ability right now. In dangerous situations, I can only materialize things like swords and armor for defense."

"If I can create weapons, it's only natural that I can also make other tools. However, to create objects that match reality, I need to pay attention to complex, precise details."

"If I get anything wrong, the materialized object can turn out very different from what I intended."

"Really? I didn't expect drawing-based magic to be so complicated," Mira remarked, clearly intrigued. She tapped the knife in her hand, feeling its texture, identical to a real chef's knife. "But it seems incredibly convenient in other ways."

Humming a tune, Mira began to prepare the meal.

Despite her rough personality, fiery temper, and lack of patience, Mira and her siblings were all surprisingly good cooks.

Mira's cooking skills, in particular, could rival those of top hotel chefs.

Not only was she skilled in cooking, but she also excelled at household chores.

Whenever she was cooking or doing housework, she liked to hum little tunes, as if these activities were her way of relaxing.

Watching Mira handle the food alone made Silver feel guilty.

He tried to help, but having never done such tasks before, he was clumsy and only ended up causing more problems.

Frustrated, Mira quickly ordered him to stop meddling.

Annoyed, she looked at Silver and said, "Instead of making a mess, why don't you materialize a tent? We can take turns keeping watch overnight. One of us can rest inside the tent while the other stands guard."

"A tent? Are you kidding?" Silver looked at her in disbelief.

"What's the problem?" Mira paused her work, glaring at him with a stubborn expression.

"Problem? Of course, there's a problem!" Silver raised his voice, ignoring her glare. "To maintain a materialized object, my magic power is constantly being drained. It's fine for short-term use, but if I create a tent and we sleep in it all night, by morning, my magic power would be completely depleted."

"Keep your voice down, I can hear you," Mira responded nonchalantly, continuing to prepare the ingredients. "You don't need to save your magic power. With me here, you won't need to fight anyway. Instead, use your magic to make our night more comfortable. You can recover your magic during the day."

"Then why didn't you bring a tent if you planned to camp in the forest?" Silver asked, exasperated.

Mira looked up at the sky, tapping her chin thoughtfully with a finger. After a long moment, she replied slowly, "Normally, Elfman carries all that stuff. Since he didn't come this time, I completely forgot about it. Also, why didn't you remind me?"

Silver instantly understood what had happened.

Feeling a bit awkward, he realized he hadn't thought of it either when Mira didn't mention the tent. With a resigned sigh, he said, "Alright, but I don't have any drawings of a tent in my space gallery, so I'll need a moment to create one."

With that, Silver took out his sketchpad and began drawing a tent in the firelight, preparing to materialize it for their night in the forest.

As time passed, Mira finished preparing all the ingredients and started cooking while humming a tune.

Before long, the rich aroma of the stew filled the air. The scent of simmering meat, wild vegetables, and mushrooms made its way to Silver, who was busy drawing.

The delightful smell triggered his taste buds, and soon he found himself drooling with his stomach growling in anticipation.

Hearing the sound of his stomach, Mira turned around in surprise. When she saw Silver swallowing hard, she burst out laughing without holding back, pointing at him.

Embarrassed that Mira had caught him in such a state, Silver defensively retorted, "What are you laughing at? It's normal to be like this when you're hungry!"

Despite his attempts to explain, Mira just waved her hand dismissively, trying to stifle her laughter. "Alright, alright. You don't need to explain yourself. The food is ready, so dig in."

Knowing it was useless to keep arguing, Silver set aside his sketchpad and accepted the bowl of wild vegetable and mushroom stew that Mira handed him.

He took a small sip, and the intense flavor, far richer than even the mouthwatering aroma suggested, immediately delighted his taste buds.

Unable to control himself, he began devouring the food without any concern for appearances.

"So, how is it? Not bad, right?" Mira asked, clearly pleased as she watched Silver gobble down her cooking.

"It's amazing, really incredible. To be honest, this is the best food I've ever had," Silver praised, quickly finishing his bowl.

Not satisfied, he grabbed the ladle and served himself another helping, continuing to eat with gusto.

Watching him eat one bowl after another put Mira in an even better mood.

After the meal, Silver picked up his sketchpad once more, adding a few finishing touches to his drawing.

Soon after, a small tent appeared next to the campfire.

"Hey, why is this tent so small?" Mira, who was feeling a bit bored by the campfire, walked over to inspect the tent. After circling it, she frowned in dissatisfaction.

Silver rolled his eyes at her complaint. "You should be grateful. The bigger the object I materialize, the more magic power it consumes. You don't want me to be completely drained before dawn, do you? Besides, as long as you don't roll around in your sleep, this tent is perfectly fine for one person. There's no issue with its size."