Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

"That--"

Holding up a roasted pheasant, Lunicia scratched the back of her head embarrassedly.

"Let's eat together."

Chapter 4: Over the Mountains and Sea of ​​Trees (Part 4)

"……How about it?"

Should I say I am being cautious or anxious?

Lunicia could not contain her excitement and could only circle around Ashtherin, watching how she disassembled the pheasant in an overly ladylike manner, turning her fingers into blades to break it down into bones and flesh, turning her fingers into sharp needles to string together the edible parts and then putting them into her mouth.

Even chewing and swallowing, the actions that best reflect primitive appetite, are so light and graceful on Ashleelin that they are almost like an art.

——This is really a blow to people.

If you put the two of them together for a meal, you can see at a glance how "appetizing" Lunicia's eating style is. Perhaps this is the margin that only a paladin who has expended huge physical energy can have!

"Um……"

"Um--?"

"No, the taste."

"Ah!" Lunicia looked very shocked. "No, that's impossible. I actually forgot to add salt?!"

"no."

Ashlee's voice was still flat, not like she was commenting on the food she had eaten. It was as if she was talking about something that had nothing to do with her at all.

"Food contains salt, but...Ashe doesn't have the ability to sense 'taste' or 'mouthfeel'..."

Yes, just like what was said in Nosavi not long ago, Ashleelin did not have a "sense of taste". Her delicate lips and rosy tongue were just imitations of the appearance of a "human", just superficial decorations without any function.

The perfect puppet has eliminated many inconveniences that fragile humans have. For example, it does not need to sleep, eat, or drink water. It will not be tired, sleepy, in pain, or hungry. It will not waste any more time on unnecessary things, will not die due to lack of water and food, and disease and pain do not exist. This is something that is more advanced than humans and can look down on humans from atop the steps.

Birth, aging, sickness and death, all things are impermanent. If you give up everything,

——Will it become a perfect existence?

"So, how does it feel?"

"Feel……"

"Hmm, feeling! Even if there is no taste or texture, what does it feel like?"

"I don't feel...anything. This is how the existence called Ashetherin judges."

"Hmm, hmm, there's no difference between 'Lunesia's Homemade Grilled Meat', 'Godberries', and 'Food Sold in Taverns'. I see."

"Mrs. Luna?"

"That's it, Ella, let's eat."

"Luna...?"

"Okay, why are you looking at me like that?"

Sighing, Lunicia scratched her cheek in distress.

"Although I definitely feel a bit frustrated, I'm not unhappy about it. I just feel that my level still needs to be improved, that's all."

"but--"

"'But, without a sense of taste, no matter how good the cooking is, the evaluation will be the same.' Is that right?"

She reached out and took out the remaining two skewers of charcoal-grilled pheasants from the fire pit, handed the larger one to Ella Hepper, and Lunisia took the remaining one in her own hand. In terms of her expression, she did not look "bored" or "distressed", at most she was just a little helpless.

"I heard that the best chefs can make dead branches sprout and grow when they smell the aroma of their cooking, and can make the undead and constructs, which cannot eat, taste delicious food. So, this is not Ashe's problem, but my own lack of skills. I don't care what method I use, one day I will make Ashe say that the food I cook is delicious."

"……hehe."

"What are you laughing at this time?!"

"Um, no, nothing."

Ella Hepper stared at the roasted pheasant in her hand with a smile on her lips.

"It's just because it's so delicious... I couldn't help but laugh."

"Really? Why don't I believe it..."

Instead of using a knife and fork to cut it, you bite the skin and flesh under the ribs of the mountain pheasant directly, tear it off in a rather wild way, chew it, taste it, and finally swallow it. The fishy smell in the blood evaporates due to the high temperature, and the aroma of the meat is stimulated by the charcoal fire. The fat that originally existed to survive the winter is mixed between the muscle fibers. Even the ribs with less meat and mostly bones, the aroma mixed with pepper and unique to barbecue is still addictive.

Perhaps the pheasant was not of the best quality, being a little more woody than the barbecued meat served in the temple or even in the roadside taverns. Perhaps the seasoning was monotonous and a little bland, with only the taste of salt and pepper, and no variety of spices and side dishes...

But, this is what the food you cook tastes like.

"……must……"

"Huh? What?"

One eats slowly and methodically, with a ladylike style different from Ashlee's. If Ashlee looks like she's "dissecting" when she eats, then Ella Hepper is closer to "elegance" in the ordinary sense, almost like an art like dancing. The other one... the familiar Lunicia... looks like she's almost wolfing down the food.

Under the not-so-beautiful night sky, in the small light of the campfire, three people ate together, eating the food they made. This feeling should not be called "nostalgic", but...

"This is the first time I've eaten the food cooked by Lady Luna... I will definitely never forget it."

Not "nostalgic", but "unforgettable".

……

“I’m really tired.”

"Then take a good rest, Lady Luna."

"uh-huh."

She couldn't help but stretch out in her sleeping bag. Even though this would expose half of her body to the cold air, Lunicia did it without hesitation.

The process of cleaning up the mess was not more tiring than the preparations, but rather a lot easier. Even so, the fatigue was completely accumulated from the previous ones, and unfortunately, a meal could not reduce the fatigue much. Using snow to clean the oil stains, throwing the waste into the garbage pit prepared in advance, and reinforcing the campfire to prevent it from extinguishing in the middle of the night were all things that should not be underestimated.

Of course, we must not forget the most important thing, which is to prepare an "alarm" around the camp before going to bed.

Although Ashetherin didn't need to sleep and couldn't fall asleep at all, the warning work and campfire guarding could be left to her - but everyone knew that Lunicia would be embarrassed to do so.

As for situations where one has to abandon conscience and only consider practicality, the fire pit is okay, and it is always a good idea to watch it. As for night duty, having someone to sound the alarm is definitely not as efficient as the "alarm technique" that can be triggered at any time.

"Then, Ashlee who is unable to sleep will be in semi-sleep mode. If an emergency occurs that causes the surroundings to be in darkness, please allow Ashlee to take emergency measures."

"Emergency measures...?"

"Like lighting a fire or something."

"Can you please not burn people's tents so casually? It's really hurtful."

This doesn't sound like a serious discussion, just a joke.

"Even if the fire outside goes out, there won't be any problem with the oil lamp in the tent."

Reaching my hand upward, it seemed as if I was trying to grab the bright lamp hanging above my head, and watching it sway with the slight shaking of the tent, I felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction for some reason.

The fire pit going out will inevitably cause the temperature to drop, but this is not a big deal - if it really doesn't work, you can let Ashlee automatically monitor the temperature in sleep mode, and go out to rekindle the campfire if it is below the threshold. In contrast, the "complete darkness" caused by the disappearance of all light sources at the same time is a truly fatal situation, which should be avoided at all costs.

——What on earth is going to happen? ...Hmm...

Shivering, even when curled up in the quilt, Lunicia still couldn't help shaking.

Before tucking in the corners of her sleeping bag, Lunicia couldn't help but glance at Ella again.

The heavy armor was taken off to one side, and the heavy sword was placed on the bedside. Like Lunicia, Ella also completely took off her leather armor, and the two long swords were also placed on the tent, leaving only the light and thin lining. At this moment, she had just put the pen and book aside. Before that, she was completely wearing only a shirt, exposing half of her body to the cold air, but she didn't seem to notice it at all.

Isn't it cold? That's nonsense. No matter how cold-resistant it is, that scarred, thin and frail body shouldn't be able to endure the cold like this.

What's more, he is a half-elf who is more adapted to warm and humid environments.

First comes thinking, then contemplation, and after contemplation, fist clap is used to express "I understand".

"Ashe, if you want to lie down for a while, you can use my sleeping bag."

"Ashe can enter semi-sleep mode without lying down. Even if she needs to lie down, she can create a container by herself."

"I see. Then, Ella."

"Ok?"

"Excuse me."

"Hey, hey?"

Before Ella could react, Lunicia had already nimbly gotten out of her sleeping bag, and then slid into Ella's sleeping bag like a loach. Then, she pulled Ella in as if she was in her own sleeping bag, and tucked in the corners.

"Oh, it's really warm. It's almost as comfortable as a hotel."

"Wow..."

"Looks like you're having fun, Luna."

"you do not say……"

At the beginning, the voice was full of energy, cheerful and enthusiastic, but the more he spoke, the voice became increasingly faint, until in the end, he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

People who always wear armor will forget a lot of things. For example, people are fragile and easily hurt, for example, the warmth from the palm of your hand, for example, the real feeling of hugging someone. After taking off the armor, the distance between hearts is shortened. For those who always wear armor, being able to experience the feeling of contact with others is a precious experience.

Moreover, they will all be more sensitive to this rare feeling.

The girl's body was not soft. In fact, it was not comfortable to hug her.

The body that was pressed tightly against him was filled with discomfort due to its bony appearance. The skin was smooth, but underneath the skin were sharp bones. There was no evenly distributed fat to serve as a buffer. The end result was that the inner shape was completely exposed to others.

The contours of the waist, abdomen and ilium are tightly pressed together, the shape of the ribs can be clearly felt through the arms, and the not-so-spacious space in the sleeping bag not only brings the hearts closer together, but also makes everything more obvious, so obvious that it cannot be ignored.

——What on earth did she go through?

The touch of the skin on the scar is completely different from other parts. As a result, Lunicea is often overwhelmed by the sense of disobedience slipping through her fingers, and she can't even concentrate. Her face is so close, her body is so tightly pressed together, and the other person is the emotional thief who stole her first kiss...

——Why did my mood become so low?

"……what."

When she came to her senses, Lunicia realized that Ella had pressed her head against her chest without her knowing when. Her ears could hear her clear and rapid heartbeat, and the blood surging with unknown emotions.

"Don't make such a face, Lady Luna."

"Oh, ah, sorry..."

"You don't need to apologize. Lady Luna did nothing wrong."

"So, it's not Luna-sama."

"I just don't want to address Lady Luna the same way as the construct over there, that's all."

"Don't be upset... But it's okay."

This interruption made Lunicia realize once again how close they were.

Heartbeat, breathing, the faint scent of herbs; skin, fingertips, and the occasional touch of bones.

All of these were mixed together, entangled with Lunicia's facial features, including that face that was so beautiful that she couldn't help but blush. Her hands and feet, which used to be able to move freely and unrestrainedly, now didn't know where to put them. It seemed that no matter where they were put, there would be big problems. She didn't even know what to do with her eyes. Should she look at that face, or at the skin on her chest in front of her?

Being too clever? Regardless of whether it is accurate or not, Lunisia has always overestimated her sense of shame.

"Feeling better?"

"Ah, yes, yes, no problem."

As her body temperature rose, her face turned red and she couldn't even speak clearly.

——This shouldn't be the case? Why, why am I so shy...why?

It seemed as if the brain couldn't stand the contrast between hot and cold, and it had even begun to become unconscious and mentally confused.

"…Since the day we set out, Lady Luna has been forcing herself to smile and pretend that nothing is wrong."

"Hey?"

"Your fingers are shaking, but you still want to pay attention to me and Ashlee's affairs."

"……what……"

My brain was poured with a bucket of cold water again, the cold water called "other people's perspective", and it cooled down all of a sudden.

Without shyness or irritation, she eliminated all the things that disturbed her and only thought about herself. Then, Lunicia finally realized that her hands had been shaking uncontrollably.

He stared blankly at the half-elf in front of him, then stared blankly at his own hands stretched out in front of him and trembling slightly. Then he saw a pair of white and slender fingertips climbing up, and the hands belonging to Ella Heper wrapped his own hands and gently held them.