Heart-warming Meals with Mother Fenrir - Chapter 23

As Rude gradually gathered power, Rudia sensed the atmosphere began to stir.

They must have realized that the carriage Rude and the others was in had come to a stop.

As the carriage following from behind had also pulled over to the roadside.

It appeared that several men were aboard the carriage.

What made him realize they were male?

Because there was no pleasant smell at all.

The combination of sweat and iron rust resulted in an off-putting stench.

Rude stepped down from the carriage and approached the one behind theirs.

He could see the driver’s face of the rear carriage.

Those men were incredibly careless.

They should have overtaken Rude's carriage.

By stopping here, they were essentially declaring that they were following him.

"Hey, misters... Do you need something from us?"

The man at the driver's seat was not the typical slender figure.

He was a man carrying a sword at his waist.

Sounds of metal clanking and scraping could be heard from the carriage.

It must have been surprising for the driver.

An unarmed child was nearing something he deemed suspicious.

With his right eye covered by his hand, he was staring at them with his left eye.

"No, I was just taking a break."

The driver responded smoothly, without stumbling over his words.

Gradually, Rude’s left eye changed from red to white.

A white mist began to emanate from Rude’s body.

The mist wrapped around the carriage.

"Hey, mister. Can you say the same by looking into my eyes? 'Get off the carriage and sit on the ground in front of me.'"

The driver likely didn’t understand what he was doing.

Despite putting on a brave front, he found himself obeying Rude's words.

A total of three men were riding in the carriage, the driver included.

All of them sat down before Rude, their expressions filled with shock.

Perhaps he had exerted a bit too much power.

A dull pain shot through the area behind Rude’s left eye.

He decided to slightly reduce his power.

This kind of power is risky.

He could end up doing something bad.

Rude gave a slight, wry smile.

"Hey, misters. Let me ask again: Do you need something from us?"

The men were beginning to realize the gravity of their predicament.

While sitting down, their lower bodies were frozen in place.

Only their upper bodies were able to move.

The men, including the driver, began to fall into silence.

Rudia was giggling as she watched from behind the carriage.

"Say that line. You know which one."

"Oh, fine. I’ll do it just this once, okay?"

"Sure, sure."

"Kneel down!"

With a reddened face, Rude raised his voice with power.

It was embarrassing for him.

He never imagined that being forced to say such embarrassing lines would make Rudia happy.

With a change in his tone, the men found themselves kneeling.

The power Rude wielded was the 'domination of space.'

It only affected the space he could cover with mist, but for now, this was all Rude could manage.

"If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. But you might be stuck like this for a lifetime... If you’re okay with that, then I don’t mind."

During a past attempt to figure out how to wield his abilities, he had happened to channel his power into white space.

At that moment, a small animal resembling a rabbit had focused its attention on Rude.

When he casually thought, "Stop there," the creature didn’t flee as he approached.

Regardless of how much he cuddled it, the creature didn’t attempt to flee.

It seemed like it wanted to escape, but it remained in a state of immobility.

Once he stopped focusing his power, the small creature quickly dashed away.

That’s when he finally began to understand the implications of his power.

It seemed that a keyword he casually mentioned during training struck a chord with the Rudia.

That keyword was "kneel."

Although he experimented with it on a creature, the forceful command "die" was ineffective.

However, simple commands seemed to succeed.

This was the same method he was using at that moment.

For some reason, it had more of a persuasive effect, like a "request," rather than a commanding force on Rudia and others.

It seemed the influence might change depending on whether it’s directed at foes or loved ones.

In the current context, it might be possible to instill "fear" by incorporating specific phrases.

However, a forceful command like "you will remain like this for a lifetime" wouldn’t take effect.

However, the fact that they couldn’t move, along with those words, changed the men’s expressions to ones of shock.

"P-Please. No, I beg you. I’ll speak honestly, so could you please stop that?"

"Alright. But if you lie, don’t say I didn’t warn you."

"Understood..."

Rude further weakened his hold.

It seemed that the men’s bodies were regaining their freedom.

A look of relief could be seen on the men’s faces.

However, Rude had not yet released his power.

He was capable of amplifying his strength beyond the initial level at any time.

"We’ve been ordered by the Elanzrild Royal Family to follow those two."

"Hey, you shouldn’t be saying that!"

"Exactly. That’s a royal command, isn’t it?"

"…No. How are you not scared? Given this clear power difference, how can you say such things? I’ve not sworn loyalty to that person; I’m just working for the country... This is no joke. I’m out."

"No, you can say that because you’re single. I have a wife and daughter. I can’t just do whatever I want."

 

That’s right. I have a wife too. This is a mission. Right?"

Suddenly, they began to argue like they were turning against each other.

Rude glanced at the Rudia.

She shrugged, looking exasperated.

"Um..."

"Yes? What can I help you with?"

The man who first stopped showing hostility towards Rude replied.

Moreover, despite not being forced, he knelt and bowed his head.

"It might take a while for the salary to come, but I have work available."

Rude nonchalantly started his recruitment process.

Working for the country means he isn’t a drifter.

It seems he’s not motivated by rewards, but rather by a standard wage.

If things go well, he could easily acquire some guards.

That’s what he was thinking.

Rudia must have noticed what Rude was trying to do.

She placed a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Is that really true? I apologize for my delay in introducing myself. My name is Miles. I used to be a knight in the royal capital, but I never expected to be assigned to such espionage work. Although I had my doubts, I’ve worked diligently until now, but I feel as if I’ve awakened. I would be willing to pledge my loyalty to you."

"Thank you for that. By the way, Miles, what do you think of catfolk and dogfolk?"

"Yes, I believe that the current treatment is wrong."

"That’s right; it’s certainly unacceptable. It’s wrong not to treat someone as a person just because their language is different."

"Ah, my daughter happened to see them in the noble district and almost cried. I cannot condone that terrible practice."

"In that case, I have a suggestion. When night falls, the foot traffic will decrease. You might end up with just the clothes on your back, but how about bringing your family under the cover of night? We can take care of you for a while."

"That is..."

"Abandoning my homeland, is that it?"

"Yes. I believe there is no future in a country ruled by that pig."

"A pig...? Are you referring to His Highness, Erald?"

"I won’t say who, but I have no intention of forgiving that man. One day, I’ll make him squeal."

Miles seemed to be struggling to suppress a laugh.

The other two were also trying to hold back laughter.

"Alright, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll take my wife and escape. My name is Ricardo."

"Ah, I’ll bring my wife and daughter too. I was the leader of this squad. My name is Simmons."

"Alright, I’ll accompany one family at a time. Mom, please take the carriage to Henruda."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. If anything happens, I won’t hold back. I have a goal."

"Got it. That 'Kneel!' from earlier was cool. I’ll be waiting over there."

"Oh, come on, Mom..."

Rudia placed a soft kiss on Rude’s forehead and drove the carriage in the opposite direction.

"Okay. Now, let’s go, everyone. I’m Femrude. Femrude Walgard. Feel free to call me Rude."

The three were quite perceptive.

Being in the service of the royal family, they probably knew the name Walgard.

Miles and the others’ eyes sparkled with excitement.

If he is a member of that astonishingly powerful country, then what just happened wouldn’t be strange.

After all, his name includes the country’s name.

It’s inevitable that they believe Rude belongs to the royal family.

"Oh, just to let you know beforehand, if you plan to do anything to me, I won’t hold back."

It might have been a joke, but his smiling words sent a cold shiver down the spines of the three.

"No, not at all. You’re from the Walgard Kingdom, aren’t you?"

"Yes, I think that’s a reasonable assumption."

"…they say they annihilated a nation in an instant."

"Is that the story...?"

"Haha, it seems grandmother is famous. That story has reached even here."

"Yes, it’s passed down as a legend, a symbol of power."

While chatting like that, the three of them started to wear slightly more relaxed expressions.

Gradually, the sun began to set.

They stopped the carriage near the town, and Rude began to discuss their plans.

"Please limit your belongings to what can be carried by hand. Do you all live in the noble district?"

"No, we all live outside. We can’t afford to live in a place like that."

"I see. In that case, it should be relatively easy."

　▼

They decided to head to their families after leaving their armor in the carriage.

The families of the two seemed to obediently follow their husbands and fathers.

Rude successfully managed to bring both families out safely.

Finally, he followed to retrieve Miles' valuables.

His place was located in a building in a relatively busy commercial district.

"I’m sorry for making you accompany someone like me."

"It’s alright. Since you won’t be coming back, take your important things with you."

"Yes. Thank you very much."

Just as he finished packing his belongings into the bag and was about to leave the room.

Miles spread his arms wide and stood in front of Rude to block him.

"Rude-sama, watch out!"

Rude, thinking he would be safe once this was over, had let his guard down slightly.

He might have been insensitive to the ugliness of humanity.

Miles had a cut on his left shoulder, and blood was dripping from the wound.

"Rude-sama, are you injured?"

"U-uh, I’m fine."

"That’s good to hear. ...Hey, this is pretty bad, isn’t it?"

"You traitor. Didn’t you receive orders from Prince Erald?"

"I’m tired of that pig. My current master is this—"

"Kneel..."

Rude instinctively channeled his energy to the back of his left eye.

It was as fast as a gymnast collapsing to the floor.

The man who slashed Miles found himself unable to move, lying on the floor against his will.

Miles stood there, stunned.

He was shocked by what was happening around him rather than the pain from his injury.

"Huh? I can move..."

"Heal."

Rude placed his hand over Miles’ wound and finished the incantation.

While the blood that had oozed from the wound would not come back, the cut was probably closed.

"I’m sorry. Is this magic...? I don’t feel any pain at all. It’s amazing..."

"I’m fine. It’s nothing... No, thank you very much."

"It’s my duty to protect my master. But why am I able to move?"

"My power doesn't work well on my family; it weakens to the level of a request. That's why I think it doesn't affect Miles' who has a strong will to protect me."

The man lying on the floor still hasn't moved an inch.

Rude looked down at the man and continued speaking.

"You will no longer feel pain. Your sight and touch are gone; only your hearing remains.'"

The man likely realized the implications.

His body trembled more violently.

"Look, now blood is flowing from your left leg. I made that cut. Do you feel pain? You can't, because I've made you feel nothing. Now, your right arm will bleed as you slip into the deep darkness."

The man was likely terrified.

Foaming at the mouth, he pissed himself and stopped moving.

"Rude-sama, you’re not doing anything at all, right?"

Rude withdrew his power from behind his left eye.

"...Phew. Yeah, I haven’t done anything. I just temporarily took away sight and touch, instilling fear with my words."

Miles could only be astonished by his new master, who explained with a smile.

Chapter length 5604 characters.

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