Regardless, Stelle still followed Lumine to Albedo's Camp Two.
She had already agreed and had no excuse to leave.
Just as Albedo had said, his Camp Two was not far from Camp One. In fact, upon arriving here, one could still faintly see Albedo and Timaeus's camp in the distance by looking up.
The layout here was no different from his previous camp, just that there weren't as many things.
But what was better about this place was that it was located at the base of a cliff, barely providing shelter from wind and rain, and presumably, they wouldn't have to worry about avalanches or similar issues.
...
In places like the snow mountain, night falls earlier than elsewhere. By the time Stelle and the others reached Camp Two, it was already almost pitch black.
Lumine took out the hot dishes she had brought, found a table from the camp, lit a kerosene lamp, and the three of them began to enjoy their dinner.
"Speaking of which, are you really not feeling any discomfort?" Stelle asked again, looking at Lumine's cheeks, which were red from the lamplight.
Even Albedo himself felt a slight discomfort after drinking it, but Lumine said she felt nothing at all.
This was a bit strange.
"Yeah, check again carefully. Maybe there's something you haven't noticed," Paimon, who was feasting, also managed to squeeze in a comment.
"Hmm, I really don't feel anything special," Lumine thought seriously for a moment, then shook her head.
If she had to say something seemed different...
Lumine looked at Stelle, who was sitting across from her, and the blush on her face deepened.
She inexplicably felt that Stelle was becoming more and more alluring, making it difficult for her to control the desire in her heart to swallow the other person whole.
"Alright." Hearing Lumine say that, Stelle could only nod. As long as nothing major happened by tomorrow morning, it would be fine.
She lowered her head and slowly ate her dinner, beginning to ponder her strategy for tonight.
Logically, she should maintain a distance from Lumine, but tonight there was only one tent, and she also needed to observe Lumine's condition, so she couldn't stay outside.
Leaving the observation of Lumine's condition to Paimon wouldn't work either; she probably wouldn't... Wait, no.
Stelle looked up at Paimon, who was happily eating.
Paimon was with them too.
How could she have forgotten such an important detail?
With Paimon there, Lumine shouldn't lose control like the others.
After all, thinking about it carefully, the incidents had always happened when she was alone with other girls.
Although Paimon wasn't a... full-sized person, her presence should at least still have some effect.
No accidents might happen tonight.
Besides, as long as she could stay awake and maintain her distance from Lumine... there shouldn't be a problem.
"I'll go check on the tent," Stelle said to Lumine, putting down her utensils.
"Mhm." Lumine nodded, saying nothing. Her words had become much fewer since just now, something neither Lumine herself nor Stelle had noticed.
Stelle followed Albedo's instructions and successfully found the tent.
Upon a rough estimation, the tent's style seemed different from the one she and Rosaria had stayed in before. This one was larger and thicker, appearing to be a high-quality item.
Stelle roughly estimated that this tent could easily fit not just the two Damselettes, but even four or five muscular men without a problem.
This made Stelle feel even more at ease.
She won.
Ah, no, she was safe.
In this tent, she and Lumine could maintain a very good distance, and there would definitely be no accidents like before.
"Lumine, I'll set up the tent first. You just sit there and rest. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you must tell me, okay~" Stelle turned her head and said to Lumine, who was still sitting at the dining table.
"Mhm." Lumine nodded, her back to Stelle, a flash of pink light in her eyes.
Under the not-so-bright light, Stelle and Lumine chatted idly.
If one ignored the purpose of their trip and Albedo's instructions, it actually felt quite like a camping trip.
Although they were chatting happily, Paimon, in Stelle's arms, was already drowsy.
"Let's go to sleep too," Stelle suggested to Lumine, looking down at Paimon, who had already started talking in her sleep.
"Alright," Lumine smiled and nodded, her expression seeming a little off.
Stelle didn't notice Lumine's change and simply walked towards the tent first.
She had personally set up this tent, so she naturally knew its interior very well.
In the vast space, she specifically cleared a large area for Lumine and Paimon, while she herself went to a corner.
This way, there would still be a considerable gap between her, Lumine, and Paimon; the two wouldn't be close to each other.
Lumine walked in and obediently lay down in the spot Stelle had designated.
Stelle also placed the sleeping Paimon beside Lumine.
"Well, good night, Lumine." Although Stelle said this herself, she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.
After all, Albedo had told her earlier to stay up a bit longer and confirm Lumine's condition.
"Good night, Stelle." Lumine nodded obediently, then closed her eyes.
Stelle went to the other side and placed the kerosene lamp between herself and the other two.
This should be foolproof, right...?
Stelle thought this, lying on her side and looking at Lumine's sweet face.
Lumine was truly obedient. Although she seemed to have intentionally tried to get closer to her before, today in the tent, she hadn't done anything Stelle had imagined.
She didn't even ask why Stelle had kept the two of them so far apart.
It made Stelle unable to use the excuses she had prepared.
"Haaah~" Stelle slowly yawned. Unconsciously, she was also feeling a bit sleepy.
Although with her physique, staying up late was no problem, the current environment was a bit different after all.
It had to be said that this tent, designed for camping in the snow mountains, was incredibly warm. Stelle even took off her outer coat.
And the small light from the kerosene lamp dyed the entire tent in warm colors. Looking at Lumine's serene sleeping face, Stelle unconsciously felt drowsy too.
Sleeping for just a little while should be fine. Lumine wasn't showing any abnormal signs right now...
Stelle's eyelids slowly closed, gradually unable to stay open, and her entire body slowly relaxed.
And in that instant, Lumine, who should have been sound asleep, suddenly opened her eyes.
There was no sleepiness in her gaze. For some reason, her eyes had turned pink, revealing complex emotions that others couldn't understand.
"Stelle..."
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!