As the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward, Samael cleared his throat and broke the silence.
"Uh, you should get some sleep. I'll stay outside and keep watch."
"No!"
Morgan frowned and rejected the idea with a cold snort.
Huh? Was she really being that bold?
Samael froze, staring strangely at Queen Sister beside him.
"I... I meant that I'll sleep with Mari, while you take the other tent by yourself..."
Morgan came back to her senses and realized how her words had sounded. An unnatural blush spread across her face as she cleared her throat and explained.
"Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate?"
"Huh?!"
This time, Morgan was the one left stunned. Samael hurriedly explained, though his gaze wandered.
"Ahem. I mean, the two of you don't seem to get along. Forcing yourselves to share a tent would only make things uncomfortable."
"You needn't concern yourself with that. You are a subject I recruited, so naturally, I am responsible for your rewards and accommodations!"
Morgan gave a soft snort, looking proud and confident as she walked toward Mari's tent.
Samael watched her dispel the defensive spell around it and bend down to enter. He opened his mouth helplessly, his expression showing both gratitude at being valued and...
A trace of disappointment.
Forget it. They had been traveling for days, so he might as well turn in early. They would have to continue their journey tomorrow, and there would be plenty to keep them busy.
The Ancient Serpent stretched, rose from beside the dying campfire, and turned toward his own tent, ready to enjoy a good night's sleep.
"Ah!"
A sudden scream erupted from Mari's tent. A slender figure in a blue-black formal dress shot out at astonishing speed and collided directly with Samael.
"What happened?!"
Startled, Samael's expression instantly turned grave. He gripped the witch by the shoulders as though preparing to face a powerful enemy.
"Bugs... There are bugs..."
Morgan's face was deathly pale as she muttered, still badly shaken.
"Yes, how strange. Why would there be bugs in a place like this?"
While the Ancient Serpent stood there bewildered, the tent flap was casually lifted. A certain considerate white-haired older sister emerged, examining a branch crawling with several green caterpillars in one hand while lightly tapping her cheek with the fingers of the other, as though pondering a profound mystery.
"Don't come any closer!"
As Mari approached step by step, the rhythmic contractions of the caterpillars' muscles and the plump folds of their writhing bodies made the peerless witch feel as though she were staring into the most terrifying nightmare in existence.
"They don't seem native to this region. Would you like a closer look?"
With a solemn expression befitting a Sage consumed by curiosity, the white-haired older sister "kindly" shared her discovery with the close friend who had been about to share her bed.
"Get them away! Hurry!"
Morgan's face went white. She squeezed her eyes shut and, in her panic, buried her head against Samael's chest with a terrified cry.
The Ancient Serpent could faintly hear her teeth chattering in his arms, and his cheek twitched.
"Never mind, then. I'll preserve them for now and study them tomorrow."
Mari looked disappointed, but she did not force the issue. Smiling, she slipped the caterpillars into an emptied potion bottle and turned back toward the tent in satisfaction.
When she reached the entrance, the white-haired older sister gracefully turned around again. She lifted the flap with a bright smile and warmly invited Morgan inside.
"Oh, right. Weren't you going to sleep with me? It's already late. Come on, hurry up."
"You want company that badly? Why don't I sleep with you instead?"
A pair of narrowed vertical pupils settled on her, and the cheerful atmosphere instantly froze.
"No, thank you. Big Sister is more accustomed to sleeping alone. Good night, you two!"
The eagerness on Mari's face and the teasing glint in her eyes vanished at once. Tossing out a perfunctory farewell, she decisively fled into the tent with practiced ease.
Samael ground his teeth, seized by the urge to storm inside and give Mari, who caused trouble on a daily basis, a thorough beating.
That wretched woman was practically begging to be taught a lesson!
Fortunately, Samael's intervention had given Morgan a way out of her predicament.
A moment later, the witch regained her elegance and air of Mystery. She straightened as though nothing had happened, then cleared her throat in an attempt to salvage what remained of her shattered dignity.
"I thought the Insects of the Abyss might have infiltrated this area. I was merely being overly cautious."
Samael paused, then nodded.
"To be safe, I'll still keep watch outside..."
Despite delivering a perfectly dignified justification with an air of confidence and elegance, the employer never once dared meet her subject's eyes.
"Even if you don't need to rest, Barghest still needs someone to put her to sleep. Listen to me. You go inside, and I'll stand guard out here."
Samael interrupted Morgan's excuses and arrangements, placing a hand on his employer's shoulder as he spoke earnestly.
"That won't do! You've handled every minor matter throughout our journey. You've worked harder than either of us. I cannot take your place to rest."
There was no reason for her to lose a dispute with that woman Mari, then turn around and monopolize her subject's belongings.
Were she to do that, the white-haired woman would undoubtedly mock her again first thing in the morning.
Morgan's pride and dignity as an employer would not allow her to accept such special treatment.
After thinking for a moment, the witch gritted her teeth and spoke.
"Then we'll do this. The tent is spacious enough, so we can share it and look after little Barghest together."
"Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate? I should still..."
Samael looked toward the campfire and coughed softly.
"It's settled! It's already late. If we keep arguing, dawn will arrive before we reach a decision. Come inside and help me prepare the bedding!"
The more Samael hesitated and tried to yield, the more firmly Morgan insisted. Without giving him another chance to object, she seized his arm and dragged him into the tent.
After a burst of rustling and hurried preparation, Samael was forced to lie down under his employer's orders.
Naturally, the two maintained a certain distance between them, with their respective areas clearly divided.
As the night deepened, faint rustling sounds came from inside the tent.
A tiny figure wriggled free of its swaddling clothes. Her mismatched eyes, one red and one blue, shone brightly as she surveyed her surroundings. She then began climbing toward her mother, seeking a more comfortable nest and searching for food to fill her stomach.
Just as the restless cub was about to complete her journey, the dark figure behind her abruptly turned. Two large hands closed around her like iron pincers, lifting the culprit who had disturbed his sleep and returning her to her original position. He then promptly plugged her slightly parted mouth before she could unleash a piercing cry.
A trace of satisfaction crossed his shadowed face beneath the moonlight.
The next moment, the tent flap was quietly pulled aside. Moonlight stretched the silhouettes of one large figure and one small one across the ground in mottled shadows.
Samael stepped out of the tent in high spirits. Feeling something squirm against his chest, he looked helplessly down at the infant in his arms.
Tsk. Feeding a child really was a troublesome job.
Little Barghest, wrapped once more in her swaddling clothes, sucked and gnawed at her pacifier like a puppy. Her bright mismatched eyes glared indignantly at the demon who had suppressed her restless nature. A canine growl rumbled in her throat, as though she deeply resented having her nighttime hunt for food forcibly interrupted.
But a frail infant was naturally powerless before the wielder of the Holy Sword of the Planet. She could only obediently remain a cub trapped within his clutches.
Inside the tent, Britannia lay on her side facing the entrance. The faint light in her eyes faded as her tense muscles and spine gradually relaxed, and her tightly clenched fists quietly loosened.