Among the women who learned that today would be a rest day due to the rain, many wore expressions of relief.
After walking all day for days on end, many were indeed exhausted.
Naturally, however, a day of rest did not mean they could spend the entire day simply letting their bodies recover.
Just as Rei and his party had predicted the day before, a collective mood took hold—the desire to make as many clothes as possible while they had the chance.
Among the women, there were those who thought that since the people riding in carriages during travel were taking it easy, all the sewing should be left to them.
However, they themselves would be the ones wearing the finished clothes.
If that was the case, there was a need to complete the clothes as quickly as possible.
Additionally, some women planned to use the scraps left over from making clothes to add at least a touch of individuality to their own garments, hoping to express a sense of self.
All things considered, for those who actually had sewing skills, it likely served as a decent change of pace.
And even those without such skills—there were many who found joy in being taught the methods and sewing their own clothes.
But... naturally, not everyone could adapt to such activities.
"Why do we have to help the people who usually ride in carriages?"
"Exactly. We walk, and walk, and walk every day... and the people in the carriages just sew clothes while traveling. And even that sewing work, they get other people to help them with, like this... isn't that unfair?"
"Must be nice, having a weak body. I want to ride in a carriage and take it easy too."
In that manner, there were those who gathered and grumbled.
Naturally, such people were in the minority, but Sura—who had been walking around observing the situation inside the Sand Ship—could easily surmise that there were quite a few others who felt the same way without expressing it openly.
(At this rate, things will get a bit ugly. The dissatisfaction is still small for now, but if it spreads, the atmosphere will definitely turn sour. If that happens, all sorts of troubles are sure to arise... I should consult someone about this.)
At that moment, the person Sura thought of was not Rei... but Marina.
The one leading this party was Rei, but even so, Rei was a man.
When it came to the delicate dynamics between women, it seemed unlikely he would be well-versed in them.
Of course, he had Elena, Marina, and Vihera—unbelievably beautiful women—constantly at his side, so perhaps... it was a real stretch, but there was a decent chance he might actually be perceptive about such subtleties.
The reason Sura judged Rei this way was probably related to when she first met him in Mejougo.
The fact that she had been posing as a prostitute aside, his attitude toward women had been far from passable.
And the reason she chose Marina over Elena or Vihera.
That was because she determined Marina was the most knowledgeable about precisely this kind of matter.
They had been traveling together for less than a month.
Even so, that was enough time to grasp what kind of personalities Rei and his party had.
Given all that, Sura's conclusion was that Marina was the optimal choice for explaining this sort of thing.
(With Byune-chan... I can't even communicate with her in the first place.)
Within this party, Set and Ielo boasted tremendous popularity.
So much so that when the women grew tired from walking, just seeing Set or Ielo would summon a mysterious surge of willpower from somewhere—as if urging them to go just a little further... just a little more.
Much like those two, Byune was also fairly popular.
If it were simply a matter of having an adorable appearance, there were others who fit that description.
But in contrast to that cute exterior, she possessed considerable combat ability—relative only to the women, of course—and her expressionless demeanor made her seem almost doll-like.
Following Set and Ielo, she was on the verge of becoming the third mascot-like presence... no, depending on the person, some likely already viewed her that way.
At any rate, up until now, even if they held grievances, the women had to keep walking, and at night they needed to sleep as early as possible to recover from fatigue—which was why the dissatisfaction harbored among them had never surfaced.
The reason that dissatisfaction was now coming out was, undoubtedly, because today was a rest day.
(They probably wouldn't go so far as to stir up unnecessary trouble here... but it's not a certainty either.)
At the very beginning of this journey, Rei had mercilessly tried to expel women who voiced complaints.
Naturally, that incident had been made known to everyone participating in this journey. A minor quarrel might be one thing, but if it became an obstacle to their journey to Gilm, Rei would show no hesitation in cutting them off.
The one saving grace for Sura was that he would not "cut them down" in the literal sense of the word.
(Anyway, I need to do something before any unnecessary commotion breaks out. ...The Resistance members seem to be letting their guard down in various ways today too.)
Regarding that, while she had a sense of camaraderie with them, Sura thought it couldn't be helped.
Unlike those who merely walked, they had to remain constantly vigilant—against wild beasts, monsters, pursuers from Jaya or Rossi, bandits... all of it.
And that too, with a relatively small number of people, for the entire group as a whole.
"Sura, you were here? Rei-san and the others are asking for you—what do you say?"
Right as she had been pondering what to do about the women voicing complaints, a man from the Resistance called out to her.
She was slightly surprised by the incredibly good timing, but figuring he naturally wanted to know the situation inside the Sand Ship, she immediately nodded.
"Understood. Should I head to the Magic Tent?"
"Yeah. ...Man, a Magic Tent sure is something. I'd love to have one of those myself. I wonder how much they cost."
"For starters, it's definitely not something we could get our hands on so easily."
After exchanging a few brief words and sharing a smile, Sura headed toward Rei and the others.
A Magic Tent was extraordinarily convenient to have.
So much so that camping outdoors would become no hardship at all.
However, having previously heard from Marina just how expensive a Magic Tent was, Sura understood full well that it was far beyond their reach.
It was expensive enough that one could say if they had the money to buy a Magic Tent, there were plenty of other things they should purchase instead.
Unlike when they were sleeping, everyone was sitting on the floor, so she walked through a space with somewhat more room than at night and stepped out of the Sand Ship.
Outside, rain was falling that could only be described as a torrential downpour.
"Whoa... you can't tell from inside..."
The rain was heavier than she had expected.
Thinking that, Sura stepped out into the open all at once.
There was naturally no such thing as an umbrella or