Heart-warming Meals with Mother Fenrir - Chapter 31

As he entered the station, there was a fireplace, and the temperature inside was warm.

The man removed his fluffy jacket, revealing a muscular build along with a large tail and big ears.

It was clear he was a foxfolk, but there was something distinctly subtle about it.

As he brought warm tea, he seemed to read Rude’s ambiguous expression.

"Hey, kid. Don’t people tell you you're honest?"

"Yeah, I hear that sometimes."

"Do you think I’m ‘not cute’?"

"Oh, you caught me!"

"I can tell just by looking at your expression… You feel like my build and these ears and tail don’t suit me…"

"I’m sorry about that…"

Despite everything, he kindly offered Rude a warm drink.

"Well, it’s fine. Here, drink this. It’ll warm you up."

"Thank you."

The tea had a fragrant scent that made it very appealing.

When he took a sip, it was slightly sweet.

"Oh, this is delicious!"

"I’m glad you like it. This tea and the honey inside are local specialties. Now then…"

The man sat down comfortably in front of Rude.

"This is the quarantine station, also known as the outer gate. I’m the captain of the guards, Hammons. And you are?"

"My name is Femrude."

"I see. You’re not a human, right?"

"You can tell?"

"Ah, it’s the smell that’s different. Many merchants come to this country, but you smell different from them."

"Is that so? Then I’ll just say it. I share the same blood as uncle. My great-grandmother is a foxfolk, and my grandmother was half-human. My mother is a quarter. Is that the right term?"

"Oh, so we’re related, even if it’s distant… Wait, don’t call me ‘uncle’! I’m only thirty!"

"Ah, I apologize."

"That’s fine. Now, you mentioned a name, ‘Lady Yetta.’ What does it mean?"

"Yes. I was told to show this if I found myself in trouble."

Rude showed the ring he borrowed from Ellan Rose.

Instantly, Hammons’ expression changed dramatically.

"W-wait. Where did you get that ring?"

"I got it from my grandmother. Um, I borrowed it from my mom’s mother."

Hammons stood up and called out loudly for someone.

"Hey, is anyone around? Get a messenger here quickly. Something serious has happened!"

"Excuse me?"

Rude was left stunned by the sudden commotion.

Next to Hammons, a young man with a similar appearance walked up.

After bowing to Hammons, he stood still, awaiting orders.

"Yes, how can I assist you, Captain Hammons?"

When Hammons leaned in to speak quietly, the man’s complexion went ashen.

"Yes! I’ll go right away!"

He saluted and then ran off immediately.

"I-I will return this. Please wait a moment, Lord Femrude. As the relative of Lady Yetta… someone will come to escort you."

"...Huh?"

Rude, having received the ring, looked bewildered once more.

"Um, Hammons?"

"Yes, what can I do for you, Lord Femrude?"

"Um, why do you call me Lord Femrude?"

"Well, for someone like me, that’s a bit…"

With a strained smile, Hammons attempted to deflect the conversation.

At that moment, a sound of something stopping outside was heard.

Along with the sound of someone descending, an oddly dressed older man entered the station.

The man was dressed like a butler.

His outfit appeared quite cold and impractical.

"Lord Femrude, I’ve come to escort you."

"I’ve been waiting for you. This is the person."

"Yes?"

Rude felt he might be caught up in something troublesome.

However, that’s typical of Rude.

As Rudia’s son, he shouldn’t be surprised by something like this.

"Indeed, you look very much alike. I serve as Lady Yetta’s butler. My name is Edward, but you can call me Ed."

"I see, my name is Femrude."

He ended up mirroring the way Ed spoke.

"Lord Femrude, please allow me to guide you."

"Y-yes."

He mentioned that he would guide him.

Thinking it would be better than searching, Rude decided to get into the carriage as suggested by Ed.

While being rocked by the carriage, Rude glanced outside.

Although the sun was setting, the town was lively with many people coming and going.

Although Ellan Rose described it as a small country, it seemed just as lively as Sea Wales.

There must be a lot of trading going on.

Among the passing crowd, some people have ears while others do not.

This country probably started as a home for foxfolk, but there could be newcomers living here.

Despite being trodden upon, the snow on the ground lit by the moonlight hadn’t melted away.

Indeed, as he got closer to this country, the cold intensified.

Though it should be midsummer, his breath came out in white puffs.

Deep in Rude’s memory lay the words 'eternal summer,' the opposite of which was 'eternal winter.'

This country likely doesn't have the four seasons at all.

The carriage came to a halt in front of a large mansion.

The door of the carriage was opened.

"This way, please."

It seemed that Ed had opened the door for him.

Rude stepped down the ramp and firmly planted his feet on the packed snow

"Where is this?"

"Yes, this is the residence of Lady Yetta. Allow me to show you the way, please follow me."

To his surprise, the mansion was made of wood.

The complex structure was made with thick pillars, resembling a style not found in this world.

It was a solid, hefty building that could withstand the weight of the snow.

Although it was the first time Rude had entered this place, it felt oddly familiar to him.

There were features that Rude recognized from his knowledge.

It had sliding partitions instead of regular doors.

It seemed to be a house with a purely Japanese architectural style.

Rude didn’t understand what exactly defined 'Japanese style.'

Why did Rude know about things he had never seen before?

He had questioned this many times, but he just thought, 'It can’t be helped since I know.'

Rude believed it was a rare gift bestowed upon him from the heavens.

He believed that this knowledge could make people happy.

Rude intended to apply this knowledge to bring happiness to others.

That was Rude's wish, after all.

"Lady Yetta, I have brought him to you."

"...Please come in."

The voice of a woman echoed from deep within the room.

According to Elise Rese, she said, "I stopped counting after reaching a thousand."

This meant she was at least as old as Ferris or even older.

Yet, the voice that came through sounded youthful.

"You may enter, Lord Femrude."

'Yes, then I’ll take my leave."

Ed gently opened the sliding door.

What lay beyond could be described in Rude's memories as a 'nine-tailed fox.'

She had soft, golden hair that seemed to float.

Large ears were perched atop her head.

Her tails, nine in total, were long, thick, and looked incredibly soft.

She appeared to be around the same age as Elise Rese and Ellan Rose.

Visually, she was a beautiful woman who made the other two seem plain.

She wore something resembling a white kimono with a bright red hakama.

It could very well be described as a 'shrine maiden’s outfit.'

Yetta sat in seiza, her back straight, looking directly at Rude.

The intensity of her presence nearly overwhelmed Rude.

"You must be little Femrude. Please, sit over there."

"Indeed, I am Femrude. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Rude also sat in seiza, looking straight at Yetta.

He felt compelled to do so, as if it were necessary.

"Oh? You’re the same as well. This is surprising!"

"...The same, you say?"

"Yes, I suppose so. You might say it's ‘Demonic possession’ in the language of this world."

Rude felt a shock run through him as if struck by lightning.

Those were words spoken by that pig.

This was one of the reasons Rude was discarded.

"Um, Yetta… um, miss?"

"It’s fine. You are Elise Rese’s son, aren’t you?"

"How do you know that?"

"When I see you like this, I just somehow know."

With her eyes gently narrowed, Yetta watched Rude as if she were perpetually smiling.

"I knew Elise Rese married into the royal family of that country. However, it seems she was not fortunate in her partner. She lost your twin brother and ended up abandoning you as well."

"...That’s correct."

"Even so, you took action right away. That’s admirable. I regret what happened to Elcid. I too hate that 'pig'."

"You know about the ‘pig’ as well…"

"Yes, I can only ‘see’ things. However, I cannot leave this place. This is likely a consequence of the power I’ve employed for the citizens of this land over the years. In truth, it’s quite difficult to move from here"

Yetta displayed a slight wry smile.

"Is that so?"

"Oh, you don’t need to be so formal with me, you know?"

"Yes. This is just how I am."

At last, Rude managed to smile.

"That’s a lovely smile. You resemble Rose and Elise."

"Is that so? I get told that often. Um..."

"Is it about 'Demonic possession'?"

"Yes. That?"

"You see, I can somewhat tell what others are thinking by looking into their eyes. Isn’t that creepy?"

With that, Yetta burst into laughter.

"No, if there’s nothing to hide, I feel happy that you can understand without me saying anything."

"That’s right. You’ve really grown up to be a good child. Ferruida must be a great mother."

"You can understand it to that extent?"

"Right. You have some foxfolk blood and mostly Fenrir blood flowing in you… No, that’s incorrect. It was inherited from Ferruida’s breast milk; you could say it’s like an infection in a negative sense. And then there’s the soul of her deceased child, your brother. You’ve had quite a unique upbringing..."

Everything was completely transparent to her.

Rude must have relaxed his shoulders a little.

Yetta, who had been sitting in seiza, shifted her legs slightly and looked pained.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I may have overexerted myself. But this was necessary to explain the demon possession concept."

Rude moved closer to Yetta and took her hand.

"Oh?"

"Forgive me for a moment; Heal."

A gentle light enveloped Rude’s entire body as it flowed through Yetta’s hand.

Her previously pained expression began to soften.

"Oh, that’s amazing. I feel so much better now... Is this the power of healing?"

"Yes. I learned it from the mother of Ferruida. It’s pure magic."

"I see. This is the principle of this world that I could not grasp."

"Yes, I’m quite good at it."

Saying this, Rude smiled at Yetta.

Yetta returned his smile with a gentle one.

"Regarding the demon possession situation..."

"Yes."

Rude continued to cast the healing magic.

A light sheen of sweat appeared on Rude’s forehead.

There was no way Yetta wouldn’t notice such kindness.

"Can I call you Rude-chan? Thank you. You don’t need to strain yourself, okay?"

"That’s fine. My mom calls me that too. Plus, this doesn’t take much energy."

"You’ve grown up to be such a kind child. The blood from that ‘pig’ must have been consumed by the Fenrir blood. It’s both terrifying and grateful... By the way, about the continuation of our conversation..."

"Yes."

"Souls don’t just spring forth from nothing. There’s a concept of reincarnation, you see. It’s said that when a person dies and their soul returns to the afterlife, they are reborn in the world many times."

"I’ve heard of that concept."

"Yes, you ‘know.’ Is it the same as my ‘seeing’?"

"...What do you mean by that?"

"You see, demon possession refers to a person whose soul is detached from the cycle of reincarnation from another world and has taken residence in a child born in this world. It’s said that once, it referred to those possessing ‘otherworldly powers’ in this world. My soul is not one from this world’s cycle of reincarnation."

"Um, I don’t quite understand."

While flowing healing energy from his hand to Yetta’s, Rude tilted his head and smiled awkwardly.

Yetta couldn’t help but smile at such an adorable gesture.

"Hehe... It’s only natural not to understand. This is a concept even alchemists in this world struggle to comprehend."

Chapter length 5403 characters.

Note: Oh, we back to the regular 5.5k length chapters now, nice.

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