In the dark and gloomy forest, a fire flickered to life.
By the campfire, which occasionally shot out a few sparks, a group of four sat together.
"Unbelievable... That was enough food for the four of us for two weeks, and it's gone in just three days?"
"...It's my fault. I never should have let you be in charge of the rations, Artoria. I knew it, I should have just given them to Merlin."
Kay held his head in his hands, staring at the now-empty pack that should have been full of rations, utterly defeated.
He couldn't believe it. The journey had only just begun, and it was already over.
And now, the four of them were sitting around the campfire on empty stomachs.
"S-Sorry... I thought that was a separate portion just for me, so I couldn't help myself..."
Artoria apologized apprehensively. She had wondered why her brother Kay had suddenly become so generous, giving her extra food for the trip. It turned out to be everyone's share.
But it wasn't entirely her fault for misunderstanding. Kay himself had also been carrying a portion of the rations, and for the first three days, they had consumed the food he was carrying first.
One could only say that it was all fated to be.
"There's no use talking about this now. Seriously, you've had a huge appetite since you were little. Are you going to bankrupt Britain with your eating after you inherit the throne, even before you deal with Vortigern?"
Kay grumbled as he tidied the pack, unable to stop himself from worrying about the future of Britain.
"That's going too far, Sir Kay! No matter what, I wouldn't go that far!"
As if her weak spot had been hit, Artoria retorted anxiously. But faced with Kay's skeptical gaze, she ended up muttering uncertainly herself.
"P-Probably..."
Just then, Aozaki Rin, who had been sitting to the side, offered some earnest comfort.
"It's okay. If that time really comes, I'll be responsible for filling your stomach, Sister."
"En..."
The girl grasped the boy's hand, deeply moved. But after a moment, Aozaki Rin hesitated before speaking again.
"However, you do eat a bit too much sometimes, Sister. That's not good for your health."
"Urk... Even you, En... Alright, I get it. This is all my fault. I'm sorry."
Having been gently lectured by her adoptive brother, Artoria lowered her head in dejection, admitting her own immaturity.
"Alright, what's done is done, there's no need to dwell on it. What's important is what we're going to do next, and what we're going to do for dinner tonight."
Merlin interjected with a laugh, seemingly unconcerned about the food situation.
"What can we do? The nearest town is at least a two-day journey away. I can go two days without eating, but..."
Glancing at the boy sitting next to Artoria, Kay sighed helplessly. In the end, they never should have brought the boy on this journey. If they hadn't, he wouldn't be in a situation where he had to go hungry.
Kay figured that if his father found out about tonight's situation, he would definitely be in for a good beating.
But it was no use regretting it now. After all, he couldn't beat his own younger adoptive brother in a fight.
"Hmm... Missing one meal isn't a huge problem, but two days would be pretty tough. Looks like our only option is to rely on hunting to get by for now."
Merlin stroked his chin thoughtfully. As a half-incubus, his need for food wasn't as critical, but considering there was a super-sized appetite and a child in the group, the matter needed to be handled with care.
"If we need to hunt, I can go."
Artoria timidly raised her hand. Since the current situation was her fault, she wanted to make amends.
However, before anyone could decide, Aozaki Rin spoke up first, his tone puzzled.
"Speaking of which, isn't it strange? Why is it so quiet around here? And it seems like we haven't seen a single animal since we entered this forest."
[Your words put Merlin and Kay on high alert.]
[Although you feel that something is wrong, you can't find anything for the moment. To solve the problem of tonight's dinner, you have no choice but to split up to search for prey.]
[You and your sister, Artoria, form one team.]
[After searching the vicinity and finding no prey, the two of you can only expand your search radius and venture deeper into the forest.]
[Just then, an enticing aroma, as if of meat being roasted to perfection, suddenly drifts from an unknown direction, catching your sister Artoria's attention.]
[Although you feel there might be something strange about this, with no other leads, you can only agree to Artoria's suggestion to go and check it out.]
[And so, the two of you proceed in the direction of the aroma.]
[However, upon reaching a certain distance, you suddenly sense the presence of something immense ahead, and the smell of roasted meat has become almost overwhelmingly strong.]
[But before you can ask what lies ahead...]
[Your sister suddenly covers your mouth and pulls you tightly into her arms.]
"...It's a giant."
Looking at the ten-meter-tall humanoid creature in a natural, open-air shelter formed by a few rocks, Artoria held her breath. She hugged Aozaki Rin tightly and hid behind a large rock, whispering in the boy's ear.
Although giants were a rare sight these days, it didn't mean the species was extinct.
This was the first time Artoria had ever encountered such a creature, and her heart began to beat faster.
However, the alluring aroma of several large animals being roasted by the giant a short distance away still made her subconsciously swallow her saliva.
But this explained why the forest was so quiet and devoid of prey.
It was most likely because of the giant before her eyes.
Just as the girl's attention was almost entirely focused on the giant, a figure quietly snuck up on them from the darkness.
Artoria was startled and nearly cried out, her hand flying to the Sword in the Stone at her waist.
Fortunately, a soft, small hand covered her mouth in time.
"Sister, don't be afraid. It's Sir Kay."
Aozaki Rin leaned in close to the girl and whispered, making a hushing gesture. After making sure the girl had calmed down, he released his hand. By now, Artoria could clearly see the figure who had snuck up on them was indeed her adoptive brother, Kay.
"What are you two doing here?"
Kay carefully lowered his voice, his brow furrowed. He kept glancing toward the giant roasting its meat, worried that they would be discovered.
"We followed the smell. But isn't Merlin with you, Sir Kay?"
Not catching the familiar floral scent from his brother's side, Aozaki Rin asked in confusion.
"Who knows. That guy's skill at running away is first-class. He probably sensed something was wrong and took off on his own."
Kay couldn't help but complain. After all, the fragrant magus had indeed been with him until just a moment ago.
But in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Soon, however, Aozaki Rin and the others found the answer to their question.
It was unclear whether the giant's hearing was so keen that it heard their voices, or if it had smelled them because they were upwind.
With a tremor like a small earthquake, the massive giant, which had been sitting by the fire roasting meat, stood up. It walked toward Aozaki Rin's group, directly uprooted the rock they were hiding behind, and exposed them to its sight.
Yet, what surprised them was not the giant's actions, but what it was currently holding in its hand.
Impaled on a simple, crudely made wooden stick, clearly meant for roasting meat, was a white-haired man in a white robe, tied up securely.
Merlin looked at the other three from an upside-down perspective, an embarrassed smile on his face.
"Sorry, I got caught."
"—Please save me (,,＃?Д?)!!!"