Heart-warming Meals with Mother Fenrir - Chapter 27

The ruler and the ruled.

How is it that people can feel at ease?

What must exist for people to have hope for tomorrow?

People exist, communities form, villages develop, towns arise, and nations are established.

Happiness exists there as if it were a matter of course.

It should not be built on the misfortune of others.

What Rude thinks is not something ordinary people consider.

Even if someone is unhappy right now, Rude doesn’t need to feel troubled by it.

But Rude is not the kind of child who thinks only of their own happiness.

In this selfish world, there exists, albeit faintly, a sense of rules.

It encompasses family, race, and country.

Rude feels a sense of sorrow about one thing.

Humans do not recognize beings with intelligence just because they don’t speak the same language.

They think it's okay to treat those who are weaker than themselves however they please.

Such rotten humans were there.

Rude found it utterly unacceptable.

Perhaps that is Rude’s self-centeredness or arrogance.

Rude has a strong and gentle foster mother.

Rude’s biological mother is gentle and deserves happiness.

With the support of those two mothers, Rude possessed slightly greater strength than the people around him.

By using it, he might be able to make people a little happier than they are now.

Perhaps that was the reason why the fourteen-year-old boy Rude started searching for it on his own.

The Elise Trading Company, started by Rude's biological mother Elise Rese, was finally getting underway.

The first trading location was scheduled to be Henruda's village.

They loaded dried seafood collected in Sea Wales onto the wagon and headed to the location.

The remaining Elise Rese began searching for the location of Cleana’s hometown with her mother, Ellan Rose.

They seemed to plan to make the next trading place Cleana’s hometown.

Cleana, having been kidnapped and brought to Elanzrild, was unaware of the relationship between her hometown and this country.

They decided to start identifying the location by asking the dogfolk living in Sea Wales. It seemed that dogfolk’s villages were scattered around, just as the catfolk like Croquette and Mikariel, had different settlements.

The only reliable features were their large, floppy ears and their fur colors.

There appeared to be no one from Cleana’s homeland in Sea Wales, so they agreed to take their time in searching.

As usual, they sent off Elise Rese and Cleana.

"Mama, Cleana. Have a safe trip."

"Safe travels-nya!"

Since that incident, Rude had grown a little closer to Croquette, deciding to escort her to the Mikariel's Inn every morning.

Croquette held Rude's hand and walked happily behind him.

Her face looked incredibly happy, warming the hearts of passersby even in the morning.

"Young Master Rude, have a good day-nya!"

"Yes. You too, Croquette-oneechan, do your best."

"Yes-nya!"

After that, Rude headed outside the town to train.

In Sea Wales, since there are specialists in fishing and hunting in the forests, Rude decided to train in a slightly deeper area so as not to disturb their hunting grounds.

This place was so deep that even the people of Sea Wales didn't venture there.

Beasts that would attack humans stayed away, sensing Rude's presence.

Animals that weren’t too wary would occasionally walk right before Rude’s eyes.

He used his power on the beasts that appeared before him, gradually shortening the activation time needed to make them stop.

Rude somewhat understood how to use the black power, but the application of white power was surprisingly difficult.

To achieve his goals, Rude needed to be able to control his powers to a certain degree.

However, since he couldn't train with humans, he had no choice but to resort to this frustrating method for now.

After dropping off Croquette as usual, Rude set out of town for training.

He planned to head to his usual forest, but today the sunlight was stronger and hotter than usual.

To change his mood, he decided to head in a different direction than usual.

He found himself in the forest that he had encountered on his way to Walgard.

Running in the form of Fenrir, it didn’t take long at all.

Once he entered the forest, he transformed back into his human form from his Fenrir form.

This forest was different from the ones he usually went to; he could feel powerful animal presences everywhere.

The scents here were different as well.

The rich scent of the forest's plants cleared his mind.

Walgard was located about two days ahead if he ran at full speed.

It was situated in a place where humans rarely ventured.

As Rudia mentioned, beasts stayed away from Rude.

He could sense their presence, but they didn’t seem to come any closer.

As he walked casually, he found himself in a somewhat open area.

Sitting there, Rude opened his canteen to enjoy some tea and relaxed for a moment.

He was pondering how to help the beastfolk captured in Erandsrild.

His greatest concern was an item known as the enslavement magical tool.

It seemed to take the form of a collar, making it a significant hindrance to Rude's objectives.

Such things are generally designed to be difficult for others to remove.

Rude was still just a child.

Even as Fenrir, there were limits to what he could do.

If he asked Rudia or Ferris, they would likely lend him a hand.

However, they might refuse to help if they believe it didn't benefit Rude.

This was something Rude had decided for himself.

Therefore, even if Rude borrowed someone’s power, he had to resolve it himself.

At that moment, a smell unlike anything he had ever encountered approached him.

"Hey, you there, kid. What are you doing in a place like this?"

When he looked toward the source of the voice, he saw a man who appeared to be a dogfolk standing there.

The man wore clothing that blended easily with the trees, suited for hunting.

He had a large knife resembling a machete at his waist.

Beside him lay a large herbivore that appeared to be a deer he had hunted.

He was probably returning from a hunt.

Rude remained calm and replied to the man with a smile.

"I'm just taking a break. There's nothing suspicious about it."

"Well, I think just sitting here in this forest is suspicious enough..."

Indeed, in such a dangerous forest, a boy sitting alone against the base of a tree would normally be unsettling and would keep people away.

"Is that so? I live in Sea Wales and came here for a bit of training."

Rude seemed to have a natural innocence, much like his two mothers.

No boy would come all the way here from Sea Wales for "a bit of training."

The man looked at Rude with a suspicious expression.

Compared to other dogfolk, his ear and tail fur was quite thick and a bit unruly.

His physique was muscular, with arms more than twice the thickness of Rude's.

"Anyway, don’t rest in such a dangerous place. You can come to my village. If you’re willing, just follow me."

"I’m sorry. But won’t I be a bother?"

"There’s no need for a child to worry or hesitate."

"Understood, I will accept your invitation."

Even if he found it suspicious, the man was concerned for Rude.

Rude followed the man, wanting to respond to his kindness.

The man effortlessly dragged along a beast nearly the same height as himself.

The man was tall enough that Rude had to look up slightly.

Rude was nowhere near the man's height.

The man's back was strong and sturdy, making the small, delicate Rude feel envious.

Rude has never seen the back of his father.

If he goes to Walgard, his grandfather Failz will be there.

He is also large, muscular, and has an impressive physique.

Still, when they last encountered each other, he was being scolded, which made Rude feel he wasn’t very reliable.

Thinking of his fathers as a pathetic man and a man who resembled a pig sometimes made Rude want to cry.

Of course, he could never say such things to Rudia and Elise Rese, even if he accidentally let it slip.

He had been following the man for a while now.

He could see a settlement that appeared to be a bigger village than Henruda's.

From the scent, it was undoubtedly a settlement of non-human beings.

According to Rudia, there are incredibly strong beasts in this forest.

A tiny human village would probably be attacked first.

It had more of a scent similar to that of the man before him.

Without a doubt, it appeared to be a village of dogfolk.

At the entrance of the village, there wasn’t anyone standing there.

In the center, there was a square surrounded by houses.

It wasn’t fenced in; instead, it resembled fields where something was planted.

Perhaps they reacted to the scent just like Rude did.

People were emerging from various buildings.

There was a variety of colors like silver, black, and brown, but compared to Cleana, their ears were smaller and fur thicker and shorter.

In contrast, their tails seem to be bushy and sizable.

They felt somewhat different from the dogfolk in Sea Wales.

Strangely, no one tried to flee upon seeing Rude in his human form.

Instead, they seemed to welcome him with smiles.

He thought it might be because he was following this man, but he would later find out otherwise.

"Come on in. This is my home."

"I appreciate your hospitality."

However, the man did not enter the house and instead headed to a shed next door.

From inside the house, a woman with the same ears appeared, bringing a little boy with her.

"I apologize; my husband is a bit gruff. I'm Calphe, and this is my son, Will. Please say hello."

"Big brother, hello!"

"Y-yes, hello. My name is Femrude."

"Thank you for your politeness. Please come this way."

The little boy suddenly hugged Rude’s legs.

Rude couldn’t understand why he was being welcomed so warmly.

"Um...."

"Yes? What is it?"

"You’re not going to comment on my appearance?"

"Oh, is that what it is? We can tell by the scent. You smell similar to us. Right, Will?"

"Yeah, you smell just like Dad!"

What does it mean to smell like "Dad"?

It didn’t seem like the scent of the people he was friendly with in Sea Wales.

"Moreover, there are many dangerous beasts in this area, so normally one shouldn't be able to approach."

Certainly, this village is adjacent to the forest.

It's located just beyond the edge of the forest.

The absence of beasts attacking suggests there must be a good reason for it.

Calphe served tea along with something resembling stewed vegetables as a snack.

"There’s nothing special, but please enjoy. These beans are sourced from this village."

"They're sweet and delicious!"

Will was also munching happily with a smile.

"Thank you, I will have some."

Rude tried a spoonful.

To his surprise.

They were sweetly boiled, soft, and delicious.

At that moment, something suddenly surfaced from Rude’s memories.

(Could this be... adzuki beans?)

Small purple beans.

There’s no doubt about it.

"Um...."

Yes, what’s the matter?"

"Can you find a lot of these beans around here?"

"Yes, since wheat doesn't grow here, beans have become the staple food."

"In addition, we also harvest larger beans here."

"Isn't it inconvenient not to have wheat?"

"That’s true. Having it would be beneficial. We could prepare some more varied meals..."

Rude quickly began to think.

If trade could be established with this settlement, he might obtain these beans.

However, getting here comes with its own dangers.

While Rude was thinking about various things, the man returned to the room.

"Whoa! Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"Ah, sorry. I was just butchering that beast from earlier."

"Dear! Go take a bath. It’s rude to your guests."

"Sorry, Calphe..."

Saying that, he went off to the bath.

While giving Will a piggyback ride and chatting with Calphe, her husband returned from the bath.

"I apologize. I’m the chief of this settlement, my name is Garm."

"I’m Femrude."

He ended up giving a silly greeting while still carrying Will.

In that instant, Garm smiled widely, his face softening with warmth.

"It's unusual for Will to get so attached."

"That's true."

"Did you say your name was Femrude?"

"Yes, you can call me Rude."

"Well then, Rude. I apologize for calling you 'kid' earlier."

"No problem. I’m still a child, after all."

"I see. By the way, Rude, you aren’t human, are you?"

"How can you tell?"

"Yes, the scent is different. How should I put it? You smell similar to us."

"That might be true; I have many beastfolk around me."

"You don’t have to hide it, do you? Which settlement are you from? You seem good at 'shapeshifting'."

"What does 'shapeshifting' mean?"

"It means becoming human, like you. Didn’t you know?"

"I wasn't familiar with the term 'shapeshifting'."

"I see. So which settlement are you from?"

"Excuse me, but it’s not polite to pry like that, is it?"

"But you carry such a strong scent. It's like, or even stronger than us wolffolk."

"Alright, but please don't be surprised."

"Ah, I’m the chief here. I won't be surprised by such trivial matters."

Rude easily lifted Will and handed him over to Garm

Standing up, he began to chant a familiar incantation.

"O ancestral garment, change your form to darkness."

Then, as usual, a black mist enveloped Rude.

As light seeped through the gaps, Rude opened his eyes

Rude was shocked.

Leaving the bewildered Will behind, Garm and Calphe were in a submissive pose.

"I said not to be surprised..."

"W-We apologize! We never expected someone from Walgard..."

"I'm sorry for not noticing."

"Um, Will seems surprised. I’ll return to my original form now."

When Rude returned from his Fenrir form, the two of them stood stiffly.

They were lying on their backs with their hands on their stomachs.

"Um, please stop. I'm not used to that."

"I see. I apologize for that, Calphe."

"Yes, I apologize."

At last, things returned to normal.

Rude placed Will on his lap

"Dad, Mom, what’s wrong?"

"Oh, it's fine. Isn’t that right, Calphe?"

"That's true; you'll come to understand it in time..."

"Actually, I wasn't trying to hide it. I’m called Femrude Walgard."

"Huh? Aren't you royalty?"

Calphe had a surprised expression.

"What do you mean by 'royalty'?

"You have the name of the country Walgard in your name, don’t you?"

"Ah, I see. That might be true. How rude of me..."

"No please stop. Yes, that's correct. I indeed am a lowest ranking member of the royal family. I’m sorry, there’s no point in hiding it anymore. But that’s not why I came here. I really came to the forest for training and just happened to meet Garm."

"I see, so that’s why the beasts stayed away."

Now he somewhat understood why Will said he had a smell like his father.

The still-young Will must have instinctively sensed that Rude was different.

Just when he thought things had finally returned to normal, Garm’s expression still seemed tense.

Calphe's smile had returned, cradling Will in her arms.

"I know this is a bit forward, but I’d like to ask for some beans."

"If you’re okay with that, feel free to take as much as you need."

Garm was relaxed enough to sit cross-legged, yet he still bowed his head.

"No, that’s not what I meant... I have two mothers. One runs a trading company, and I hope to trade with this village. It would help if we could exchange for wheat."

"Well, that would be convenient."

"However, the problem is that it’s difficult to pass through the forest without me... I can’t always come for trade."

"Yes, that could be true. I can’t leave here... So, Calphe, what do you think of that?"

"I see, but is that really alright?"

"Someone who just 'eats and sleeps' should be useful for once."

"You can’t say something so harsh."

Perhaps it was the couple's unspoken understanding, but Rude couldn't pick up on it.

Nonetheless, that phrase sounded so familiar.

Chapter length 7366 characters.

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