Early one morning, several days later.
They were still camping outdoors.
Hilde got up and prepared a simple breakfast.
The Locator still pointed steadily toward the Sword Sanctum. By this point, Hilde was eighty percent certain that what she sought was there. If she could, she would have liked to fly straight there herself. That would have been faster.
But with Nina and Isolte along, she would slow down a little.
They would continue their journey after breakfast.
That was what Hilde had in mind.
Just then, however, Nina, who had been busily tucking into her meal, suddenly raised her head and took a deep breath.
Then, looking as though she had finally made up her mind, she said solemnly:
"I've decided."
"I'm going to marry Gino."
"..."
"..."
Hilde and Isolte exchanged glances.
"Why bring this up all of a sudden?" Hilde asked.
"I thought it over carefully and suddenly realized that every woman I know seems to have entered the adult world already. I'm the only one still stuck in place. It's honestly embarrassing, so how should I put this... anyway, I'm planning to take things a step further too," Nina said, her expression serious.
"Could it be that you're just sexually frustrated?" Hilde helpfully suggested.
That sort of thing was hardly uncommon.
Adolescent boys and girls always mistook normal physical urges for a longing for romance. Their so-called affection and love were actually rather unreliable. Sometimes, when you thought you were madly in love with someone, you were merely using them as the subject of your fantasies.
Of course, Hilde had those needs herself.
She was no saint, after all. It was only human, perfectly natural.
But she would never mistake those urges for love. Besides, she had always had her own way of dealing with them.