As I was purchasing dinner our cart left the main road and proceed its travels into the wilderness until coming to a halt on the edge of the forest with the cart acting as a natural barrier from any who traveled this way from the road.
I gazed on as we came to a halt, Kurama who started by sitting in the front seat was now laying down with his head in Raisa's lap her free hand petting his head.
"Don't you two look comfortable"
I quipped towards the snuggled up pair driving the cart.
Immediately her cheeks reddened and her back straightened, due to this sudden tensing Kurama bolted upright as well scanning the area, his ears rapidly twitching.
"Sorry, sorry guess I gotta work on not scaring you so much"
"No, uh no that's not it; I just well suddenly realized I was being far too familiar with your Summon is all."
"Oh don't worry about that, I'm glad to see you were happy, but since we're here now we'll have to setup camp else we won't get to sleep or eat anything."
"Right let's do our best Kurama!"
She did a light fist bump into the air before jumping down from the cart.
As the two of them worked together to collect and build a place for a fire, I pulled out the box containing the tent, and a pair of bedrolls.
"Summon Rocky"
"Summon Creed"
A quick flash and then two 8ft tall Stone Golem stood before me, one a faint grey like paled marble, the other a faded black like dusty onyx, their less dexterous so I cannot get them to do anything to fine tuned, but I worked alongside them as they planted the tent poles into the ground effortlessly while I managed the tent pegs.
In almost no time at all our nightly shelter was constructed and once again a canvas sheet was used to divide the tent itself into halves, placing down both bedrolls, I also lay my spare mantle down since it'll serve as bedding for Kurama.
Walking outside the tent the looming darkness filled the surrounding, but the flickering light coming from the stoned pit Raisa and Kurama created was building.
"Looks good, and with your Golem's help setup took practically no time at all"
"I was just about to say the same to you and Kurama"
"He's such a good helper"
Raisa praised Kurama, while patting his head, he did not seem to react to her praise even a little instead just staring intently at me.
"Uh good job Kurama"
At my say so, Kurama raised his paw in a triumphant gesture.
*giggle*
A quick simple giggle escaped Raisa lips as she watched his action.
"Ok now I think it's time for the main event don't you think?"
"Wait you don't mean…"
Her words trailing off as he mind started to run into overdrive imagining what I might have planned for dinner tonight while her face flushed and her fingers started to figet.
"Yup exactly so, but first things first, Kurama, please setup in the cart and alert us or the golems should anything monster or human present itself either to your eyes or ears"
With a nod of his head the little kobold made off and took position in the cart.
"Rocky and Creed take sentinel duty on either side of the camp and blend in should Kurama alert any danger respond in kind"
'thump thump'
Both golems beat their chest once with their right "hand?" before marching off until reaching positions and then resting looking like nothing more than giant boulders in this field.
"Alright and now for us, well I've got the food already and it's cooked so I guess we just need to decide where to eat?"
'Huh!'
A quick gasp of exclaimation escaped her lips before she quickly collected herself for response.
"Well... well I think where we eat is conditional to what we're eating, since use of different utensils will require different settings don't you think?"
"Hmm I suppose that's true, but all I've got is soup, and bread for us this time."
Shrugging my shoulders as I stated so casually, Raisa's shoulders drooped.
[heh she thinks it's gonna be common food after all the treats I presented before]
"Well if it's only soup sitting on the grass here or even some padding is fine I think"
"Well can't very well eat Earth soup while sitting on the grass itself I daresay"
Pulling out my two remaining mantles from my item box and folding each up so they would work as seat pads, placed them close to the fire, offering either to Raisa as a chair.
Once we were both seated I once again opened my itembox and pulled a large bronze cauldron with a lid out placing it in between but also to the side of us, 4 small metal bowls hung from hooks on the cauldron, and an open satchel could be seen with cast iron spoons within.
Likewise pulling out the loaf of bread and unwrapping the leaf cloth that was around it.
[Thank goodness it was pre-sliced, heh only cutting tools I've got is a dagger, and a sword, neither of which is meant to cut bread plus they've both been used to attack monsters so there could be minute leftover blood on both]
"Oh my what white bread, what kind of soup do you have for me today?"
Lastly pulling out the two pitchers of fruit juice, one peach, and one apple along with a set of glasses.
Pulling the lid off the cauldron a great puff of steam rose into the air, and a cloud of culinary vapour poured out like mist filling all the surrounding air.
Raisa's eyes closed and I could see she was breathing deeply, so entranced was she that she failed to notice a bit of drool started to creep its way out of the corner of her mouth.
Thinking it safest not to point anything out, I worked my hands to select two of the bowls from the cauldron and proceeded to fill them up ¾ full before placing a spoon into each bowl and placing them before us.
"This is what's called Potato soup, and to accompany it we've got White Herb Bread. Both are highly good for you and it goes without saying taste delicious as well"
Taking up my spoon while staring down at the bowl before me, i made a common gesture of saying grace by verbalizing my 'thanks for the food' mostly in thanks to whatever divine presence gave me my MMO skill allowing me access to ready-made food like this.
Having witnessed me do this for the last few days already Raisa quickly mimicked my action but did not say the words since to her it was the same as me hearing someone chant magic.
Reaching out I took a slice of the elven bread and took a quick bite.
It was glorious the bread was so light it made me wonder if I had even taken a bite at all, and when I swallowed it was like a radiating glow started to emanate from my stomach, the only drawback was that the bread itself tasted not much like anything.
Moving next to dip my slice of bread into the soup the thick creamy mixture thoroughly coating the slice.
This next bite was full of flavour the light I felt before intensifying tenfold, and my appetite that told me I was hungry was now telling me I was starving.
Looking across I saw Raisa had once again been mimicking me, but until me she was savouring her bite of dipped bread with closed eyes, and trembling hands.
Carrying on with eating of the soup and bread myself, eventually she snapped out of it.
And rejoined the feast.
"This soup is delectable, but it's so unlike any soup I've ever seen before not because of the vegetables that are in it, or this meat, but rather the broth it's almost like the entire thing is made of cheese"
"Well that's not too far off, the base is primarily made of milk, but the potato is worked in and further chunks added to it later on, along with the bacon, and herbs."
As I finished speaking she reached out to refill her bowl
"You're welcome to as much as you'd like just make sure to save room for dessert"
Her hands stopped and a fire lit in her eyes as she glared as me.
"You never said there was dessert!"
Her voice came out almost like a feral growl.
"Well yeah I mean if I did then you'd eat them all and this nice soup would've gone to waste, better to conserve the best things for the longest eh?"
"Not trying to cover up the fact that you were trying to hide this dessert from me to keep them all for yourself??"
"What! No if that was the case why would I warn you about leaving room for it?"
A few seconds passed as she contemplated this.
"Fine you're mostly innocent then"
[mostly innocent, I'd like to think purely innocent, after all I did nothing wrong… I think]
Accepting my statement at last she filled her bowl only ½ full this time and we continued to eat in relative peace at least until she finished her second bowl and placed it onto the grass.
Once she'd done this the predator gaze once again settled upon me.
"Ok ok, I get it sheesh"
Pulling out the package containing 6 assorted cupcakes all of which were different cake, frosting, and filling flavors.
Her face shone with a gleam, and a distinct twinkle could be seen in both eyes and she watched every motion as I open the package exposing these treat to the fresh air, and carnivorous gaze of Raisa.
Offering her first pick she began to perform some sort of chant, which to me looked reminiscent of eenie meenie minie moe, when at last she settled on a red velvet with amber crème cake, I meanwhile took a simpler lemon poppy seed, with plain frosting.
Reaching out and taking a second cake in my hand I'd selected an orange cake that had a red crème with a red spice sprinkled on top.
Ignoring Raisa's complaint at my taking of two I tossed the orange cake into the air.
"Kurama catch"
As the cake arc'd through the air the kobold sprang up and captured the soaring cake before once again landing in the cart before retaking his seat he bowed low.
"You make it look like you tamed him rather than summoned him, I mean do summoned monsters even need food?"
"Oh don't be gloomy he's going to be protecting us through the night I think that's more than worth the loss of a single cake, and besides I'm sure that one wouldn't agree with you, it's not really a sweet cake, it's a spicy one"
"Why would anyone want a spicy dessert?"
"Well on cold winter day's they help to warm one up from the inside, but besides that I've heard spicy foods can aid in digestion and speeding ones metabolism."
Continuing to eat her cake oblivious to the crème on her cheeks she cocked her head to the side a little.
"uh let's see, it helps to make one thinner?"
"Huh well that might explain why spices always cost so much and only nobles use them, then again most nobles I know of are fat, so perhaps this is only true of your earth spices"
Leaving it at that since I couldn't confirm or deny anything.
Post dinner we stayed up chatting for a little while longer before Raisa elected to turn in for the night.
I meanwhile entered into my usual routine of investigating my menu further, as expansive as Yggdrasil was not having the menu accessible on a second screen was a huge detriment I'd read something in one place and spend the next hour trying to find what it was talking about.
But since I'd managed to figure out my Monster summoning I figured I should get started on learning how my own magic system, and skills worked so that once we reached Bobel I would be able to find work, or something to do since as I was now I could act as a low level adventurer since I wouldn't stand out much for that or sell my Yggdrasill goods through the merchants guild which would be a sure fire way to put a huge target on my back.
After an hour of searching sleep began to creep into my eyes, so stood reclaiming my two mantles and dishes, before giving a final command to Kurama the leader of our night watch.
[We should be safe it's been over 4 hours since Kurama was summoned the others disappeared after only two so unless they are defeated or I call them back we should be fine, I just pray they don't disappear if I lose consciousness]
Ordered to carry on through the night, to deal with any simple opponents themselves, but to wake me if anything that would give them even a moment's pause.
Settling the matter I entered the tent and fell asleep as soon as I had lain onto my bed.