The Temperature of Consideration

“Besides, there was no guarantee we would buy his food and supplies at such a high price.”

“You bought those flowers from the children at the village entrance last night at a high price. He must have seen that. He likely calculated that if you’re willing to show kindness to slum children who are everywhere, you’d also show kindness to a pitiful merchant met in a deserted place.”

Moreover, even if things didn’t go as planned, the merchant had nothing to lose. Changing a carriage wheel is just a matter of putting in a bit of effort. If he could earn several times his usual income with almost no work, it was a gamble well worth taking.

“How did he know which path we were taking?”

“I told you I recognized his face from the inn. Don’t you remember talking excitedly about our destination and direction while having dinner last night?”

“Ah……”

It had been mindless chatter, intended only to shake off the slight awkwardness that had lingered since leaving the Academy. Since it was also a way to double-check their remaining itinerary, she hadn’t given it a second thought. As Ensi pointed this out, Lily let out an involuntary groan.

Since they had already left the merchant behind, she couldn’t verify his true intentions, but Ensi’s reasoning felt spot on.

“……So we got played by a total scammer?”

She thought he was gullible, but maybe he was just crafty. Even if it was a small amount of money, the thought of being deceived darkened Lily’s complexion.

“It wasn’t extortion, but it was definitely a scam.”

Ensi hadn’t seen exactly how much Agniele gave him, but it certainly wasn’t just a copper or two.

“Still, if you had ignored him, you would have felt bad about it anyway. Just think of it as a final equipment check before reaching Mount Lakes.”

Ensi added that shops in remote areas are always more expensive, which made Lily feel a bit better. She let out a small chuckle.

“Like how they sell ice water at a premium on a mountain top?”

“Yeah. Exactly like that.”

Agniele, who had been listening intently to Ensi’s explanation alongside Lily and reflecting on his actions, looked puzzled by the sudden, out-of-context example. As he blinked blankly, Lily realized his presence a moment late and wore a look of “oops.” Having no specific excuse, she hesitated for a moment before looking away, pretending not to notice.

Agniele didn’t press further and gave a slight bow to both of them.

“It seems I acted rashly. I apologize.”

It was Agniele, and no one else, who couldn’t pass by the slum children and bought their flowers. Ultimately, he was the starting point of this incident. As he apologized, Ensi’s lips twisted momentarily in a dissatisfied line.

“……Actionable goodness is better than goodness that exists only in words.”

After a short silence, Ensi spoke calmly, causing Agniele’s eyes to widen. As he watched Ensi’s back as he walked ahead as if nothing had happened, Agniele’s cheeks took on a faint but distinct reddish hue.

Nothing special happened after that. They arrived at Mount Lakes without encountering another soul.

“Doesn’t it feel like the journey here was too smooth?”

Lily grumbled quietly while taking a bite of an apple she had roughly wiped on her clothes. Since this was a world blending fantasy and romance, she had expected something special to happen, but meeting one timid scammer was a bit disappointing.

“That’s a good thing. More importantly, wash your apple before eating it, Lily.”

“He’s right. Doesn’t it also mean this area is a peaceful place to live? That’s a good thing.”

“If you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”

Lily was left speechless by the lack of anyone humoring her.

What a boring bunch.

Muttering internally, she followed Ensi’s advice and used the water from her canteen to give the rest of the apple a quick rinse.

“Should we start by looking for a campsite?”

“The map shows some recommended spots. Shall we go see them and decide?”

“That would be best.”

“How many candidate sites were there?”

“Three.”

“Wow, when are we going to check all of those?”

Lily’s expression darkened, already feeling exhausted. She hadn’t forgotten that once a campsite was chosen, they had to set up simple tents and build a fire before dark.

“What’s the distance between the sites?”

“Quite close. They’re all within an hour’s distance of each other.”

“How about we just settle at the one closest to the water? The Academy wouldn’t have picked the sites randomly, and the sun is going to set soon. Moving around an unfamiliar mountain after dark is dangerous, right?”

Lily packaged her own desires into a reasonable suggestion. Ensi read her intention but kept his mouth shut, judging it to be a valid point regardless. Instead, he passed the decision-making power to Agniele, the practical leader.

Naturally, the gazes of the two fell on Agniele. He looked back and forth between Lily and Ensi before eventually giving a slow nod.

“Then let’s go to Point B. It should take about two more hours to get there.”

“To think we spent four days just traveling. I feel like this practical has no substance.”

Lily let out a heavy sigh at the fact that they had to move again even though they had reached their destination.

“We haven’t even seen the ‘substance’ yet. Just hang in there a bit longer.”

Ensi habitually soothed the impatient Lily and followed Agniele, who was leading the way as their guide.

Actually, Agniele hadn’t been holding the map from the start. When they first left the Academy, Ensi was the one in charge of it. The problem was that Ensi wasn’t used to reading a map that lacked basic scale and contour lines.

The same went for Lily, who was used to the kind maps of her past life that even provided GPS navigation. After being passed around, the map eventually ended up in Agniele’s hands. Agniele was puzzled seeing Ensi and Lily struggle with the unfriendly Academy map, but he readily accepted the role of guide.

“Agniele, once we set up base camp, there might be time left. Are you planning to scout the nearby habitat candidates?”

“No. We only have minimal information about Mount Lakes, so I think it’s better to be cautious and just focus on setting up camp.”

Safety was the top priority. Of course, if a life-threatening danger approached the students, the hidden supervisor would step in—but conversely, it meant the supervisor wouldn’t move unless there was a risk of death.

“We’re still looking around the perimeter, right?”

“I’m planning to. I think we should split up the personnel.”

Since there were only three of them, Lily nodded without a second thought at Agniele’s suggestion to move efficiently.

“Then I’ll go scout and secure some drinking water—”

“The valley water is still cold.”

Ensi stepped forward, planning to use the portable water purifier Luke gave him, but Agniele objected before he could even finish his sentence. However, Agniele showed a hint of slight fluster when his eyes met Ensi’s. Avoiding his gaze slightly to hide his flickering eyes, Agniele spoke.

“Touching cold water might not be good for your health…… and since it’s before the subjugation and you, Ensius, have an important role, looking after your condition is paramount, isn’t it?”

“Still—”

“Agniele is absolutely right! Then I’ll handle the water and the perimeter scouting! You two can set up camp and gather firewood for the fire. Alright, roles assigned! I’m not taking any objections!”

It felt a bit like rambling, which made it less persuasive than usual for Agniele, but in Lily’s judgment, he was speaking the truth. Therefore, she quickly stepped in to cut off Ensi’s counterargument. He would have surely said that such consideration wasn’t necessary or that he could handle that level of task.

“Agniele, shouldn’t we be arriving soon?”

“Ah—yes. It seems to be that place over there.”

The clearing was large enough for the three of them, and while the undergrowth was thick, the height was appropriate enough not to hinder their view. Considering the water source was nearby, it was a decent campsite.

“Then I’ll drop my bags and head out immediately. The faster I move, the sooner we can eat dinner and rest, right?”

Speaking in rapid-fire, Lily entered the clearing faster than Agniele and dropped the luggage from her horse in a suitable spot. She intended to immediately take only her sword and canteen and escape from Agniele and Ensi’s side. However, Ensi caught her wrist and stopped her.

“Why, why?”

A startled Lily stammered as if she had a guilty conscience despite having done nothing wrong. Even though she received a suspicious look from Ensi, she quickly regained her brazenness and met his eyes with her own wide open.

“Take the artifacts Luke gave you. And taking only one canteen isn’t enough.”

“Right, true. I was in too much of a hurry.”

Letting out an awkward laugh, Lily followed Ensi back to the horses to get the supplies. It seemed he hadn’t been able to take out the artifacts because he had been busy catching her.

“Don’t overdo the scouting and come back quickly. I haven’t heard of any dangerous monsters living on Mount Lakes other than Harpies, but wild animals can be just as dangerous in an unfamiliar place.”

“Hey, you think I lack that much common sense?”

“I’m saying this because I know it’s hard for you to keep your head when you’re excited, even if you’re usually fine.”

Having received a lecture after a single retort, Lily pouted and took the artifacts Ensi handed her, tucking them into her clothes.

“Be careful, Lily.”

“Yes, sir. I will be mindful.”

This time she answered sharply without any complaints. Letting out a small chuckle, Ensi turned around first to help Agniele, who had already started organizing the gear.