Chapter 80
Clael and Reina were engrossed in eating the grilled skewers from the barbecue.
"Oh, this batch is getting done too."
"It smells juicy and looks so fragrant."
After enjoying the meat and vegetables, it was time for seafood.
A scallop was opened and placed on the shell with a pat of butter. To finish, they added soy sauce—or a condiment that tasted a lot like it.
The turban shell and oysters were also grilling nicely. The turban shell was eaten with soy sauce (probably), and the oysters with lemon juice.
Around the time they finished eating the shellfish, the foil-grilled dish that had been cooking slowly over low heat was also ready.
As soon as they opened the wrapped fish, the savory aroma of burning olive oil wafted up.
"This one turned out great too."
"Yes, it looks really delicious."
When Clael put a piece of the white fish Reina had cut into his mouth, the oil and flavor of the fish spread throughout.
"Delicious...!"
"Yes, it turned out very well."
"Amazing... I never thought barbecue outdoors could taste this good."
Maybe it was the mood, but it really did taste better than eating indoors.
Even though they'd been eating at the hotel restaurant for the past few days and had developed refined palates... there were no complaints at all.
Before they knew it, they had completely devoured the large amount of ingredients they had bought.
"Phew... I'm satisfied."
"Thanks for the meal. I'll go cut the fruits now."
"Fruits... oh yeah, we bought some."
They had forgotten due to being so full... but yes, they had also bought dessert.
(I was the one who suggested we buy it... The meat and seafood were so good, I'm already stuffed though...)
"Here you go, please enjoy."
Before long, Reina returned with the cut fruits arranged on a paper plate.
The tropical fruits were lined up like colorful jewels.
"Um... well, just a little then..."
Clael took small bites of pineapple, mango, and apples.
"...That's enough for me. You can finish the rest."
"Really? Then I'll dig in."
Reina cheerfully popped the remaining fruits into her mouth, and soon the plate was empty.
"Phew... I ate well. I'm about eighty percent full."
"As expected of Reina..."
It seemed she had eaten more meat and fish than Clael, yet she still wasn't full.
Clael and Reina sat on the leisure sheet and relaxed after their meal.
Since it was a nice opportunity, they used the leftover charcoal as kindling and built a campfire with fallen branches.
"Hoo..."
Letting out a long breath, they absentmindedly gazed at the campfire placed a short distance from the leisure sheet.
They say watching fire is soothing... and indeed, it felt that way.
(Surprisingly, maybe moments like this are what really matter in life... Not that I think I've had a particularly tiring life.)
"This is nice. Peaceful moments like this feel really good."
Reina seemed to be thinking the same, murmuring as she stared into the fire.
"Since we went to the royal capital, it's been all test prep and shrine duties... It's been a while since I felt this calm."
"Yeah, same here. It was just a barbecue today, but maybe someday we should try a proper camping trip."
"Ah, that sounds great. Sleeping together in a cramped tent would be fun."
Reina immediately agreed with Clael's suggestion.
"Cold seasons would be nice too. We could cuddle up and keep each other warm as we sleep."
"Winter camping, huh? That's pretty advanced... But it'd probably be less crowded since it's off-season."
Chatting idly like that, they passed the time until evening.
Unlike the previous day, the third day of Clael and Reina's trip ended slowly and peacefully.