Heart-warming Meals with Mother Fenrir - Chapter 35

After dinner, he took a moment to enjoy the tea prepared by Cleana and the onsen manju made by Croquette.

Rude was always amazed by the women's separate stomach for dessert.

Rude turned to Cleana with a serious expression.

"Cleana."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry. I asked Mother Yetta, but it seems the village where you grew up no longer exists..."

Rude bowed his head.

Cleana gently embraced Rude's head.

"Young master, please don't look so sad. I was prepared for this. Besides, with such kind people like you and Lady Elise Rese, I have my family. So, I'm alright...."

"Cleana, I'm sorry."

"You’re not to blame, young master."

Rude decided to leave Cleana in Elise Rese's care.

In a reversal of usual roles, Cleana buried her face in Elise Rese's lap.

"I want to prevent more people from experiencing sadness like Cleana. Talking to Mother Yetta has shown me a glimpse of what I need to do."

Yetta added to Rude's statement.

The fact that Yetta and Rude possessed souls known as being demon-possessed.

Due to this uniqueness, Rude needed to become stronger.

"I can only 'see.' Therefore, I have decided to raise Rude-chan."

"You see, I will strengthen the power my brother gave me. I still don’t fully understand the power of my right eye, but I believe that if I work hard, I can reduce the number of sad people. I think I have to do that."

"Rude ......"

"Mom, I think I’ll go to Walgard for a while once I’m ready. There, I should recover quickly even if I push myself a bit."

"Well, I suppose that's true."

"Yeah. Is it okay if I use your mansion, Mom?"

"Sure. You can do whatever you like, Rude. I’m just here to support you."

"Croquette-oneechan."

"I understand. Leave the house to me-nya. This is also part of my duty as young master Rude's fiancée and future wife-nya..."

"Huh? Isn’t it too soon...?"

"Four years will pass in no time-nya."

"Anyway. I’m going to get stronger. I will become strong and free the people of Elanzrild."

　▼

Rude had come to Tabatha's workshop to prepare for his departure.

"Rude, that’s outrageous."

"Really?"

"Casting two or more spells simultaneously, and with shortened incantations..."

"I've been doing this since I was little, so I thought this was normal."

Rude intended to have Tabatha make Fenrir Pudding and Fenrir Ice.

He believed Tabatha was the best choice because she had the most knowledge of magic among them.

Nevertheless, Tabatha, who grumbled while working, was quite proficient.

After half a day, she managed to create two types of sweets, though not quite at Rude's level.

They were the Fenrir Pudding and Fenrir Ice that all the confectioners of Sea Wales had given up on.

Yet, Tabatha, an alchemist rather than a confectioner, managed to create them.

It seems that, in some respects, making sweets relies more on technical skills than on cooking knowledge.

In the absence of modern cooking tools, Rude was quite extraordinary for creating such things.

"How is it?"

"It’s delicious. The slight graininess gives it a new texture."

"That’s not exactly a compliment..."

"But I think it’s still a passing score."

"Rude, you’re too generous with compliments..."

Tabatha sighed, feeling disappointed in herself.

"Even so, I can’t be outdone by Croquette, who made Onsen Manju without using magic."

"Exactly. Let’s do our best together."

"Yep. We also have to work on 'that.' We can’t just stand still."

"That’s true. I want to become beautiful!"

After that, they went to Mikariel's Inn to see how the Onsen Manju that Croquette was teaching turned out.

The plan was to publish the recipe for Onsen Manju so that anyone could make it.

They decided to teach Mikariel first.

Mikariel’s cooking skills were acknowledged even by Rude.

Because of this, Croquette was able to teach without worry.

"Yes, yes. It’s delicious-nya! It’s not much different from what I made-nya."

"Is that so? These kids are looking forward to it, so I want to do my best."

"Yeah. I love manju!"

"Yeah, it’s delicious!"

Mikaela and Mikel were happily munching on the sweet treats made by their mother.

"By the way, are you getting along with your father?"

"Yeah. Dad is kind."

"Yes. He’s strong and handsome."

"Oh dear, these kids..."

"I’m jealous-nya."

"Croquette, you’ll surely end up like that too, won’t you?"

"There's still four years to go-nya."

"Croquette-oneechan, didn’t you say it’s only four years?"

"Oh? Did I say that-nya?"

"Really, you two get along well."

"Well, haha."

"Yes, indeed-nya."

　▼

It has been proven that the sweets Rude was making, currently on sale in Sea Wales, can be made even without him.

Finally, he could go to Walgard with peace of mind.

Having wrapped up his preparations in just two days, Rude was at home indulging Croquette's whims.

"Young master Rude, if you run away, I’ll be angry, you know-nya?"

"Alright, alright. I’ll do as you say today, Croquette-oneechan."

"Yay! I'm so happy-nya. Please let me touch your ears and tail-nya."

"Sure, go ahead. Just be gentle, alright?"

"I’ll be gentle, don’t worry-nya."

Rude had his fox ears and tail currently on display.

Croquette stretched her hand to stroke Rude's fluffy tails.

Just then, Rude’s face was squished against Croquette's ample bosom while he was using her lap as a pillow.

"Oh no! They're going to run away! Even though there are so many tails, I can't move to catch them!"

"Ugh. I-it’s hard to breathe."

"Un-nya, Un-nya."

Croquette was so focused on chasing Rude's tails that she didn’t notice.

Enveloped in her soft chest, Rude didn’t actually dislike it.

Rather, he was embarrassed that his happiness would be revealed.

This is a common challenge for a boy of his age.

In the end, he was stuck to Croquette except when he was cooking or during bath time.

　▼

The next morning, the time for departure was approaching.

This time, Rude would be accompanied by Rudia and Yetta.

This was the first time other races were entering Walgard.

Since Yetta was the Grand Duke of Volks, there was a belief that no one would complain about her being the first of another race.

If this goes smoothly, it would be safe to bring the rest of the family along.

The fact that Yetta was entering the country was significant this time.

Despite the opposition, Rudia thought Yetta wouldn’t do anything unnecessary given her position.

They decided to visit under the pretext of a meeting with Ferris.

They decided to pack some onsen manju into a few takeaway boxes made by Elise Rese as souvenirs.

Rude and Rudia were splitting the luggage and shouldering the bags.

Rudia, Rude, and Yetta departed their home, waved off by their family.

"It’s quite moving to be seen off by family like this."

"Indeed, it’s wonderful. I never imagined this would happen without Rude-chan..."

"Right. Having family makes me feel like I can return here."

Yetta had only been in Sea Wales for a few days.

Nevertheless, she interacted with the townspeople and visited Mikariel's Inn, she came to realize what family truly meant.

"It seems Alfel and the others are moving around healthily. Rose was worried, so I checked on them, but that girl has always been a worrywart..."

"I think the bandits around there are fine because I scared them a bit. So they’re not secretly following us anymore."

"Mom, nobody died, right?"

"Yes, something of the sort was about to happen, so I made sure to handle it gently without causing death."

A truly terrifying kind of affection.

Rudia probably viewed bandits as no more serious than a dog playing with a bug.

Rude decided to consider it an unfortunate accident.

After all, it’s wrong to be a thief in the first place.

Rudia took charge of the bags, and Rude was to carry Yetta.

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

The spell chanted by Rude and Rudia.

This was something taught to them by Rude's great grandmother, Ferris.

"This can transform clothes into a collar without damaging them, as I’ve shown before."

"That's a clever idea. I understand that the body can grow without changing mass, the body can grow, which would cause clothing to tear. It's a magic that doesn’t waste materials; quite impressive."

"This belongs to Grandma Ferris; Ah, I should start referring to her as Mother Ferris from now on."

"Grandma will surely be happy about that."

"That’s right; Mother Yetta will also be surprised when she meets Mother Ferris."

"I’ve seen her appearance through Rude-chan, and she appears to be very youthful."

"Yes, she’s surprisingly young, to the point of being unbelievable..."

In any case, Yetta took a seat on Rude with her legs on the side.

Rudia hung both bags around her neck, signaling she was ready.

"Well then, shall we go, Rude?"

"Yes."

"It’ll take two days, so let me know if you get tired, okay?"

"I’m fine. I want to see how far I can go."

"I’m sorry, Rude. I can’t do anything to help."

"It’s okay, Yetta. It’s just that Walgard is far away."

Rudia chuckled and decided to put in a bit of effort to run, having been in a eat and sleep state lately.

Rude desperately tried to keep up, not wanting to be left behind.

"Mom, you’re too fast. I can’t keep up."

"Oh, I’m sorry."

Since Rudia was running nearly twice as fast as Rude, there was no chance he could keep

up

　▼

Ultimately, after running continuously for a day and night, Rude became too tired and fell asleep in Yetta's embrace on Rudia's back.

"Even though he’s still so adorable, he’s carrying burdens he shouldn’t have to bear on this back, isn’t he?"

"Yes, there were times I wished not to become queen. Not only that, but I can’t tell him to stop pursuing such a grand dream of making people live happily..."

"Indeed, that’s why it makes sense that everyone wants to lend a hand."

"That’s true. Even though he’s not my biological child, I believe Femrude has high expectations of Rude. That’s why he met Rude even after passing away and entrusted him with his power."

"Being kind is, in itself, a form of strength. He wants to grow stronger to be kind. If this child wishes for that, wanting to raise him that way is my selfish desire."

"Thank you. I was surprised to learn that you share the same circumstances as this child. It helps to have such a good understanding partner."

"That’s alright. This also fulfills my dream I had of wanting a son."

It was a conversation between two mothers.

Here lies the potential of Rude.

A still small child trying to do what seems impossible.

Including these two, the entire family would do anything for Rude.

Rude was so straightforward that it inspired those thoughts.

　▼

"…hmm."

"Good morning, Rude."

"Good morning, Rude-chan."

"Good morning, Mom and Mother Yetta."

Rude wakes up in the morning at Rudia's mansion.

He anticipated that rigorous training would start soon.

"I’ll go make breakfast."

"Sorry, Rude."

"I'm sorry, Rude-chan."

The two of them were bad at cooking, so they were surprisingly bowing their head to Rude early in the morning.

Rude took out the ingredients he brought from his bag and started preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

Since he was using magic for cooking, it didn’t take much time.

Breakfast was ready before he even had time to hum a tune.

It was a hearty risotto packed with simple seafood.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Rude-chan, I’ll eat now."

"Of course, please help yourself."

Perhaps because the magical energy was dense, Rudia was full of energy early in the morning.

She was eating diligently, skillfully using a knife and fork.

Rude had made chopsticks for Yetta, which she was using.

"Is this paella? Or is it risotto? It also looks like a hearty rice porridge."

"I just made it randomly, so it doesn't have a name. But it tastes good."

"…ah. This looks just like neko-manma."

Rude added a hint of miso to enhance the ingredients taste.

It probably reminded her of shiru kake meshi (rice drenched in soup), bukkake gohan (sauce-covered rice), or inuhan (rice meant for dogs), where miso soup is added to rice.

Yetta could possibly be from the western part of Japan.

In Eastern Japan, nekomanma often refers to rice topped with bonito flakes and soy sauce, or simply mixed in with the flakes.

Naturally, she was eating it with delight.

"The miso is truly the secret ingredient. It’s delicious…"

"I wonder if it’s okay to eat something so delicious this early in the morning…"

"Well, we’re going to see Mother Ferris after we eat, right?"

"That's right."

"Yes, that's right."

Rude was happy that his family accepted the taste of miso.

The morning in Walgard, filled with meetings and intense training, was just beginning.

Chapter length 6013 characters.

< TOC >