Chapter 225: If I Work Harder
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 225: If I Work Harder
“Did you understand? If you throw your food on the floor just because you don't like it, is that being a good Horus?”
—Shake, shake.
“Then does our Horus want to be a bad Horus?”
—Shake, shake.
“You won't do it again, right?”
—Shake, shake.
“What the...”
Horus had just unceremoniously huffed and chucked the baby food Auntie Marta had prepared with such care. I wondered what exactly about the porridge had displeased Little Horus so much.
“Should I try feeding her meat?”
“Well, Horus is a carnivore, technically... right?”
Sola had already sent her Ents to clean up the spilled bowl and porridge from the floor, and Auntie seemed to have regained her composure after the initial shock.
“Iris. What should we do?”
“Try meat.”
“Meat it is, then. I wonder if she’ll eat fish too?”
I still had some Bear Fish meat left over. If I recalled correctly, birds of prey like hawks and eagles often hunted fish from rivers.
Besides, Bear Fish was delicious, so it should be fine. It felt a bit strange to think about it so clinically, but for now, Horus was in the form of a human child.
Wait, wasn't the baby food also based on human standards?
Thus, the next candidate for Horus’s meal was Bear Fish. Since Auntie had just finished her turn, it was up to me now.
“I’ll go grill some meat. Just keep an eye on Horus for me.”
“Ah, yes. Understood, Yoo Eon.”
It must be nice being a kid—you can flip your dinner table and not even get scolded. I noticed Sera had sat down next to Horus at some point and was shaking something that looked like a rattle.
It was a hollowed-out cylinder of wood with a small metal sphere inside.
“Teh.”
Apparently, she didn't like the rattle either, or perhaps the noise was just annoying. She snatched it from Sera’s hand and threw it away.
“Umm... I guess she doesn't like it...”
“The kid’s got a temper.”
“Haha, just leave her be for now.”
She was technically a newborn, but she definitely looked like she’d already outgrown the rattle phase. I headed to the kitchen and started preparing the Bear Fish.
“Oh? Horus. Why did you follow me in here?”
“....”
“Ah, there you are. Horus? It’s dangerous in here. It’s hot, so you might get a boo-boo.”
Sera followed her in and tried to coax her out with gentle words, but Horus didn't respond. I wasn't sure what she wanted, but a kitchen with an open flame was no place for a toddler. Still, since she refused to leave...
“Sera, just keep a firm hold on her.”
“Okay, I will.”
And so, under Sera’s supervision, she was allowed to stay. Using a skill, I carved out a small portion of Bear Fish fillet and began to sear it slowly in a frying pan.
Since she was still young, should I skip the salt? No. Actually, the younger they are, the more sensitive they are to flavor. If I tried to feed her something too 'healthy,' she’d probably flip the table again.
“I don't think she needs... pepper.”
As the meat cooked and the aroma began to waft through the air, Horus, who was sitting on a chair nearby, started to squirm restlessly.
“Look at that. She’s excited.”
She was sitting on Sera’s lap, and Sera was holding her tight so she couldn't escape, so there was no risk of her touching the fire.
“Alright, it’s all done. Let’s head to the dining room.”
* * *
“Candidate number two! Will Yoo Eon’s Bear Fish satisfy Horus’s palate?!”
“Who are you talking to, Ravi?”
“I-I was just doing a play-by-play commentary...”
I was curious myself. Judging by how she’d reacted to the smell, I figured she’d probably eat it. I’d cooked it through, but since it might be too hot for a child, I’d used my Frost Core to cool it down slightly before serving.
—Clink...
Sera used the edge of a wooden spoon to break off a small piece of the Bear Fish and brought it to Horus’s lips.
“Nom.”
“There we go.”
“It’s too early to call it, Aven. She took one bite of the last thing, too.”
“True.”
Getting it into her mouth was the first step. She’d managed to swallow the last thing as well. It was after that—whether it was the taste or something else—that she’d flipped the bowl.
“She’s chewing for a long time.”
“Well, there’s more to chew than there was in the porridge.”
Father answered Tresha’s observation. Since her teeth were already fully grown, she was probably at an age where she could handle meat. Auntie Marta was also watching intently from the side.
She seemed quite bothered by what had happened earlier; though her face was expressionless as usual, she looked a bit downcast.
—Gulp.
“She swallowed. Success?”
“Let’s see.”
Sera quickly prepared the next spoonful and brought it to her mouth. This was the moment of truth.
“What’s going to happen...!”
“Please eat it. That’s expensive food.”
“Oppa, you sound like a deadbeat dad who has nothing to offer but money.”
“Hey now...”
The wooden spoon in Sera’s hand trembled slightly. Horus stared blankly at Sera’s face for a moment, then turned her head toward the bowl.
“Whoa.”
She reached out her small hands, grabbed the bowl, and proceeded to dump the contents straight into her mouth.
“She—she ate it! That whole big piece!”
“Wow. She’s got an appetite.”
“The baby has expensive taste...”
Without a word, she opened her mouth wide—much wider than before—and stuffed the fairly large chunk of Bear Fish inside, chewing away.
With her cheeks stuffed full of meat, she looked a bit like a hamster. Seeing her eat so well brought a strange sense of relief.
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
“Hmph.”
Auntie Marta, a woman of few words, pouted slightly as if feeling a bit slighted. It wasn't that her cooking was bad; she had just been too cautious.
After munching through the large chunk of meat and swallowing it in one go, Horus even politely accepted the last bits from Sera’s wooden spoon.
“Burp.”
“She even burps.”
“Look at those manners.”
“How can you say that to a child?”
“I’m just joking...”
I ended up getting scolded by Dora for my joke. But seriously, shouldn't she be scolded at least a little for flipping the bowl earlier? And who burps at the dinner table? This kid needs some early discipline.
“Phew, that’s Horus fed. Let’s eat, too.”
“I want Bear Fish too! It’s been a while!”
“That’ll be 25 silver coins.”
“...Can I put it on my tab?”
* * *
“So, what exactly do we need Little Horus for? Is she essential?”
After the adults finished their meal, I pulled Iris aside to ask. I hadn't brought the egg back just because I felt sorry for an orphaned Horus; Iris had mentioned she would be useful.
“She’s good to have, but not strictly necessary.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
It seemed she wasn't a requirement. That was likely why Iris hadn't brought it up specifically before.
“You should eat her.”
“...What did you just say? Eat Horus?”
“Why do you look so shocked?”
“I mean, of course I’m shocked!”
To be honest, seeing everyone at the inn gathered around Horus was a nice sight. Having a little kid around usually brings a certain liveliness to a place.
“Suddenly telling me to eat her... She looks like a human, so that’s a bit much.”
“She’s still the offspring of a Horus.”
“She’s just a little kid.”
“She has a lot of mana. It would be helpful.”
The original Horus, the 50th-floor boss, was a necessary part of Iris’s plan. Horus’s egg contained a vast amount of mana, so consuming it was more of a 'bonus' to boost my strength.
So she was just meant to be a mana supplement? That wasn't why I’d brought her here.
“If she’s not essential, I won't do it.”
“Why are you overcomplicating things?”
“It’s not overcomplicating. Even thinking about it simply, I don't want to use my ability to supplement my mana by consuming a child like that.”
“You can just do what I do.”
“Like you?”
“Yes.”
We were in the narrow alley between the inn and the adjacent building. After glancing around to make sure no one was passing by, I questioned Iris again.
“I don't understand what you mean by 'doing what you do.'”
“That Horus is useless for anything other than mana.”
“Don't say it like that...”
“She has no combat experience and lacks physical power. You only need the mana core.”
“Then... are you telling me to just take the mana core? Is that even possible?”
“You can just replace it with a normal heart. You get the mana, and Horus gets to live a normal life. We’d have to do something about the wings, though.”
“Tsk...”
Right. Iris was a Vampire Lord. I hadn't expected a sentimental human response from her, but hearing it like this really drove the point home.
“If you don't like it, I’m not particularly fond of the idea either.”
“...What’s with the sudden change? You were acting like a cold-blooded machine just a second ago.”
“Not really.”
Iris turned her head away for a moment, then looked back at me with her usual expressionless face.
“Children are beings meant to be loved.”
“Well, yes. Weren't you like that when you were young, Iris?”
“Not particularly. It was a long time ago, so I don't remember well. And I doubt I was.”
“Why?”
“I was the successor to the Lordship.”
“...That must have been hard.”
“Now is better.”
“I see.”
I decided to scrap the plan of consuming Little Horus for mana. She did have a significant amount of mana, but since she was still young, it wasn't an overwhelming amount.
Even if it were a massive amount, I wouldn't want to go that far. I’ll just have to work harder myself.
* * *
“Alright. Then, let’s hear your suggestions one by one.”
And so, the current situation was...
“Ho-horong?”
“Rejected.”
“Holly?”
“Rejected.”
We were picking a name for Little Horus.