Heart-warming Meals with Mother Fenrir - Chapter 24

They tied up the unconscious man on the floor and decided to leave him there.

Rude and Miles made their way back to the carriage that was stationed near the woods after leaving the town.

"Miles, that injury—"

"I’m fine. Rude-sama healed me with magic. It seems the royal family anticipated that we might flee from our mission. Is anyone here?"

"Even healing magic was used, huh… Ah, the people of Elanzrild wouldn’t dare approach this forest. So we’re safe here."

"I see. That’s good to hear."

Rude and Miles took their seats on the driver's bench.

Though they were in a situation akin to a hasty escape, neither Ricardo’s wife nor Simmons’ wife and daughter looked troubled.

In fact, they seemed almost happy.

That was likely because both Ricardo and Simmons were smiling at their families.

Rude reflected on this.

It wasn’t just the catfolk and dogfolk who suffered in that country.

Rude had yet to become a king or a god.

For now, this was all he could do.

He realized he needed to become more confident in his own abilities.

"Well then, let’s hurry. We’re supposed to meet at a certain village."

"Alright. Let’s head out."

Miles took his seat on the driver’s bench and urged the horse forward, moving the carriage.

　▼

The forest was bustling with sounds, yet everyone was surprised that no magical beasts or animals appeared.

"Everyone, please relax. As long as I’m here, no beasts will appear."

"Is that so? I can sense the presence, but I never thought we could traverse the forest so safely in the night."

Before long, they arrived at their destination.

They had arrived at the catfolk village.

Despite being in the woods, the place was illuminated by flickering bonfires.

It was late at night, so the children were not outside.

Perhaps smelling Rude’s scent, Rudia ran over to them.

"Rude, were you hurt?"

"No. Miles took the injury for me…"

"I’m fine; I was healed, so here’s nothing to worry about."

Rudia bowed sincerely, lowering her head.

"You protected my child, didn’t you? Thank you very much."

"No, it’s my duty to protect my lord…"

Miles was quite embarrassed.

They were being treated to a late supper at Henruda’s house.

Once dinner was finished, it looked like Henruda, Alfel, and Ellan Rose were talking together.

It seemed they had already discussed Elise Rese with Henruda beforehand.

As a result, Alfel looked like he was hearing Henruda’s account in a professional manner.

This was likely due to his background as a former merchant.

"There’s a scent from you, Ellan Rose, that feels quite familiar."

"Indeed. I am half foxkin."

"Oh, really? So Elise Rese is also…"

"Yes, she’s half of me, but she inherits the bloodline."

"Your husband is human, right?"

"Yes, you can tell by my appearance, right? Having a wife who remains young and beautiful helps me work harder."

Alfel responded with a shy smile.

Despite their differing appearances as they aged, they seemed like a splendid couple.

Even without having met Elise Rese, they didn’t say anything about feeling sad or distressed.

Henruda thought, 'They are strong people.'

　▼

They set off into the darkness of the night, bidding farewell to Henruda.

Although there was talk of waiting until morning, Rude suggested they would be safer traveling at night, which led to their departure.

The two carriages progressed at a leisurely pace.

While it served to help them remember the way, they could generally reach Sea Wales by following the main road.

They could continue without worry since there were no checkpoints at the border, just needing to be careful as they went.

In a location that seemed deserted, they detected the presence of human smells.

"Mom."

"What?"

"I smell humans coming from that direction."

"It’s probably just some bandits."

"That’s quite a nonchalant attitude…"

"It’s fine. Even if they come out, I’m not afraid."

"Well, that might be true for you, Mom."

"Before we left Henruda’s place, you see, I had the Walgard crest carved into the carriage’s canopy. Unless they’re really foolish, they won’t attack us."

Indeed, there is an emblem-like design carved in a noticeable place.

They decided to stay at the nearest town along the way.

It was a given that the guards would be startled when they saw it upon entering the town.

After the evening meal, they told Miles and Alfer about the locations where they sensed human scents.

"It’s in this vicinity. Plus, I smell something from this direction too."

"Got it, Rude-sama. So that’s the situation."

"Yes, I can’t really pinpoint the location, since it's weaker than when in that form. However, even in this form, my sense of smell is sharper than that of ordinary people."

Thus, they decided to stay at nearby towns without pushing themselves at night, and they reached Sea Wales in about three days.

As always, Weldart welcomed them upon their arrival.

"Welcome back. Rude, Lady Ferruida. …Could that woman be your mother again?"

"No, no, no. They are my grandparents. And these are some new family members."

"What? But she looks so young!"

This time, Weldart was confused for a different reason.

Rude chose to leave Weldart behind, as usual and first visited Bonnie Ella.

"Hello! Is Bonnie Ella here?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Rude, what kind of excitement do you have this time?"

"You see… I’d like to rent three family rooms. Also, a house with a store on the ground floor."

"Do you need it urgently?"

"Yes."

"Then, I’ll bring the keys shortly, so please wait a moment. More excitement awaits…"

"I’d appreciate it."

Bonnie Ella looked like she was ready to skip away.

Taking his time, Rude steered the carriage back to the house.

After parking the carriage in the spacious yard, Rude called out loudly.

"Mama, I’m back!"

"Welcome back, Rude!"

Leaning against Cleana, Elise Rese slowly appeared from inside the house.

"I can walk on my own now!"

"No, your steps are still unsteady."

Alfel and Ellan Rose, who had dismounted from the carriage, were waiting in front of Elise Rese.

Upon seeing them, Elise Rese paused and smiled brightly.

"Oh, Mom, Dad. It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re doing well."

Elise Rese intended to sound cheerful, but her voice gradually became shaky.

She tried to appear calm, but the tears streaming from her eyes told a different story.

Letting go of Cleana's shoulder, she gradually approached Ellan Rose, one step at a time.

It was a reunion between mother and daughter after more than a decade.

"…Dad, you’ve gotten old."

"You haven’t changed at all."

Alfel stared upwards, fighting to hold back his tears.

Unable to endure, Ellan Rose cried quietly, her tears falling freely.

"Mom, you’ve become quite emotional too. You shouldn’t cry over something like this..."

It was no use anymore.

Elise Rese didn’t even realize she was crying.

"…Mom, Dad, I’ve missed you…"

"Elise."

"I’m sorry, Elise."

Rude, silently watching the three, felt Rudia rest her chin on his shoulder.

Rude felt truly grateful that he could bring them together safely.

　▼

Soon after, Bonnie Ella came to Rude's home carrying the keys.

She then guided them to the building that housed the shop.

It was situated two corners away from the street that runs alongside Mikariel Inn.

It was three times larger than the shop that they used in Elanzrild.

The rooms on the upper floor were more than adequate in size, with hot springs water in the baths as well.

The rooms for Miles and his companions were located on the second floor of a shop close by.

Although they weren’t in the same building, it seemed they could rent places relatively close together.

Naturally, both the bath and kitchen had water from hot springs installed.

They had Bonnie Ella handle the arrangements for any missing bedding or furniture.

After finishing moving their belongings into the rooms, everyone gathered on the second floor of Alfel's new shop.

Miles was seated in front of Rude.

Next to him were Ricardo and his wife, Karina.

Simmons and his wife, Lilietta, along with their daughter, Anrila.

To Rude's right sat Elise Rese.

Cleana was to Rude's left.

Alfel and Ellan Rose were next to Elise Rese.

Once everyone gathered, they decided to start discussing future plans.

It seemed that Karina, Lilietta, and Anrila were going to assist Ellan Rose.

Anrila was said to be twelve years old this year and was a lively girl who cared for her mother.

She was happily eating the Fenrir pudding that Rude had brought.

It seemed that Karina and Lilietta were in their early thirties and of similar age.

"──That’s how it will be. My father, mother, and I plan to grow this trading company."

"Mama, will you be okay?"

"Yes. It’s close enough to walk from home. I’m still being supported by Cleana, but I believe I’ll be able to come here alone soon."

"However, Elise Rese, when it comes to trading, do you have any plans?"

"This is it."

Elise Rese said placing something the table.

It was rice.

"This is a grain that is only grown in Henruda’s village. It’s as nutritious as wheat and can be cooked in various ways. Plus, it seems like there’s a huge harvest this year, so much that the storage is overflowing."

"But even if we want to buy it, there’s the issue of money."

"That’s not a problem. Right, Rude?"

Elise Rese had a smile on her face as she patted Rude’s head, suggesting he should speak up.

"Yes. I’ve been earning a decent amount in this country."

"That's right. Rude is a well-known pastry chef."

"Hahaha, it’s nothing special! I’ve told Henruda that we can exchange rice for living necessities and dried sea products."

"I see. So we buy here and exchange it for rice over there. That works, right?"

"Yes."

"Rude, I’ll take care of things with my parents and everyone else. I plan to visit Cleana's hometown too. So, you just focus on what you need to do."

"Okay. Thank you, Mama."

"I’m originally a merchant’s daughter. I’m quite good at brainstorming various plans."

Thus, they renamed the trading company to "Elise Trading Company," and preparations began for their first trade with Henruuda’s village soon.

Rude had expressed a desire to meet Elise Rese's grandmother, so they were considering a trade with the foxfolk's village as well.

Naturally, Miles and the others were to act as guards along the supply routes.

Until then, they were handling physical labor and other tasks.

After work, they took time for family activities that they hadn’t been able to do before.

Strangely, everyone was pretending not to notice that Miles was constantly hanging out at the Mikariel Inn.

　▼

Every morning, Miles took it upon himself to deliver Fenrir Pudding and Fenrir Ice to the Mikariel Inn until the trade began.

Naturally, everyone knew the reason without it being explicitly stated.

Since they could live comfortably just on the sales of Rude’s desserts, Rudia entrusted all her remaining jewels to Elise Rese.

"Rudia-neechan, is it truly okay to give me this much?"

"Of course. I’m sure you’ll put it to good use."

"Yes, I’ll take it. I’ll make sure to pay you back several times in the future."

"You don’t need to worry about that..."

Rudia smiled wryly.

The building for the Elise Trading Company had already been purchased using a few of these jewels.

While Miles and the others were still renting their living quarters, they were considering building or purchasing a lodge nearby eventually.

They were in the process of having Bonnie Ella search for a good location.

The remaining amount would likely be enough to casually purchase several houses for Rude and the others.

The jewels themselves were casually picked up by Rudia.

That’s why she didn’t care much about them.

She probably thought, "I can just pick up more later."

Rude felt happy to see Elise Rese’s smile.

It might be fair to say that his worries regarding that country had been lifted, at least for now.

Now, Rude would be the one to take the initiative.

He squeezed Rudia's hand from behind, thinking, "Next time, I will make surely make him squeal."

That feeling must have been conveyed to Rudia as well.

She hugged Rude a little more tightly and snuggled against him from behind.

Chapter length 5505 characters.

Note: This is the last chapter of volume 1.

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