After that, the escort party traveled without incident. No more reckless monsters came to attack them.
Following the route they had planned in advance, the group continued onward day after day, completing the day's journey.
When dusk fell and night was about to replace the daylight, everyone stopped with practiced ease and began setting up camp, lighting fires, cooking dinner, and pitching tents one after another.
Nothing went wrong in the meantime, and after dinner, everyone went about their usual duties—those assigned to patrol patrolled, and those assigned to keep watch kept watch. It even felt rather peacefully mundane.
That night, it was Shien and Merika's turn to keep watch together.
As mentioned before, Merika had not refused Shien's company, so the two of them stayed together by the campfire that night.
However...
"..."
"..."
Shien and Merika sat facing each other, yet neither spoke. Both had fallen silent.
This scene had already lasted for nearly half an hour.
This is so awkward.
Shien felt deeply uncomfortable. He wanted to break the awkward atmosphere, but he had no idea how to begin.
Earlier, Shien had said that he would keep his distance from Merika and the others. With that prior agreement in place, it was naturally difficult for him to strike up a conversation now.
Merika especially looked somewhat restless. She clutched her staff tightly and kept her head lowered, her pretty face flushed red in a way that made one's heart skip a beat.
Yet it was precisely because Merika was acting like this that Shien found it even harder to speak.
This feels like a blind date. What am I supposed to say?
Shien was filled with helplessness.
On the other side, Merika grew increasingly nervous. Her grip around her staff kept tightening, and she even pressed her