Sieg was surprised at how unexpectedly light the girl he carried on his back was, but he was also surprised at her current state of dress. Having released her armor, she was now dressed in civilian clothes. As expected, it would be too suspicious for her to go into town wearing that battle outfit.
"...Ah, this is so embarrassing."
"Don't worry about it. It can't be helped considering your circumstances."
Sieg said that as he vigorously stepped on the ground. If what she had confessed about being [summoned by possessing a human] was true, then it was understandable that she would collapse.
"In other words, you have the physical abilities of a Servant, but since you're linked to physical human body through the realm of the unconscious, you have to carry on your life as a human as well."
"That's how it is. Moreover, I seem to use up an excessive amount of calories while I act as a Servant."
"That's really inconvenient..."
Even if she covered her normal human body with a shell, what she did was still no different from overusing and abusing it. She was able to endure this unimaginable situation by coating different parts such as her nerves and muscle tissue, but she couldn't avoid the fervent consumption of calories that accompanied that method.
Of course, she wouldn't die from it. She wouldn't but—
"I didn't think an empty stomach would be this painful. Umm, I even thought I'd be fine with munching on tree roots if it meant eating soon, but what should I do?"
Her tone conveyed that she was quite serious. Sieg replied while speeding up his feet somewhat
"...Please endure it just a little longer."
I'm not sure eating tree roots is such a good idea, Sieg thought, but Ruler merely feebly responded with "Yes..." to his words. At this rate, she would probably start munching on tree roots within less than thirty minutes if she had nothing else to eat.
Dawn had already come, and they started to see early rising villagers every here and there. Sieg rushed from the mountain to approach the nearest farmer and asked an old man whether there was a shop that supplied food in this village.
"Did your friend collapse?"
Seeming to take a break from his early morning manual labor, the man asked that in a worried tone while wiping the sweat from his neck with a towel.
"No, it seems she's unable to take even a single step due to an empty stomach."
"That's not good... I was thinking of eating breakfast right about now, but would you like to accompany me?"
"...Thank you. Then I'll accept your kindness without reserve."
Sieg had considered using suggestion magecraft if push came to shove, but since the conversation had gone unexpectedly well, he couldn't find the timing to do so at all. The old man immediately returned to his house, so Sieg also followed after him.
"Uu. What a nice smell..."
Having fainted earlier, Jeanne woke up. Sieg sat her down from his shoulder onto a chair in the dining room. The old man immediately placed a plate and spoon in front of her. It was a dish of thick reddish-brown porridge.
"This is..."
"This is real kasha made from buckwheat. Well, try eating it."
Seeming to gasp, Ruler scooped up some porridge with her spoon and brought it to her mouth. Immediately after, she seemed to quickly come back to life, and then ate up the porridge in the blink of an eye, requesting seconds with tears in her eyes.
