Chapter 24
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Way to an Aunt's Heart
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Merian didn't answer.
But her face said it all. She was too stunned to speak.
Without a doubt, he had passed.
‘Yes.’
Back in his room, Chris rejoiced inwardly.
Not only had he won Melin's heart, but he had also unexpectedly made a solid impression on Merian, a true powerhouse in the main house.
This was especially significant because word of this would surely reach the Old Lord, leaving a favorable impression.
‘But I can't be satisfied with just this.’
Right, an impression?
He couldn't be satisfied with just that.
‘I have to use this chance to make Merian my ally.’
Merian was one of the most influential figures in the main house.
After all, she was the commander of the Black Shadow Knights, one of the most renowned knight orders of the Dark Magic Houses.
Most importantly, she was the Old Lord's favored daughter.
Making her his ally would bring enormous benefits.
‘It’s entirely possible.’
A sly grin spread across Chris's face.
He immediately went to find Count Cazar and asked him a question.
"Why are you asking such things about my older sister?"
"I have my reasons."
"Is that so?"
Count Cazar tilted his head but answered Chris's question.
"If you're asking about my sister's tastes..."
With the answer in hand, Chris began to prepare busily.
"Snort. Y-Young Master, why the kitchen? Snort."
"Ah, there's something I wanted to try. Is it alright if I use the kitchen for a bit?"
"Snort. O-Of course! As long as you don't burn the manor down, snort!"
The chef hastily made way for him.
Chris stared silently at the chef's face for a moment.
‘…So the chef was an orc. And a High Orc, known for their ferocity, at that. To think the strawberry shortcake I've been eating was made by an orc.’
In a place where a banshee worked as a maid, it wasn't out of the question for an orc to be a chef, but a big-nosed orc making desserts?
He just couldn't picture it.
This was especially true since Chris had been marveling at the manor chef's exquisite dessert skills.
‘…He wasn’t really mixing blood into the strawberry juice, was he? No, is it prejudice to think an orc must be barbaric?’
"Snort. What can I help you with?"
"I'm planning to bake some cookies. Could you get me the ingredients?"
"Snort. Cookies?"
"…I need them for something. Just bring me the ingredients."
"Snort, snort. Here you are. But when it comes to cookies, this one’s are truly superb, snort, snort."
"..."
Watching the chef snorting away, Chris felt his appetite for future desserts already waning.
*Don't imagine it,* he told himself, shaking his head.
"No, for this, the effort of making them myself is what's important."
"Snort?"
"And besides."
Chris grinned and rolled up his sleeves.
"I'm pretty good at baking cookies myself."
It was time to show off his cooking skills for the first time in a while.
* * *
Chris was once a member of the Hero's party.
But he was a non-combatant.
Though he'd picked up enough to reach the 4-Star realm, he had zero combat ability when he first joined.
So what role did he play while traveling with them?
‘Everything except fighting.’
The Hero's party, like all heroes before them, consisted of the finest combat experts.
On the other hand, also like all other heroes before them, they were fools in every aspect outside of combat.
Chris used his versatile ability to do everything perfectly to support the foolish Hero's party.
He healed the injured with his medical skills, found the right path with his navigation abilities, used his eloquence to keep them from being swindled, opened safes with a thief's touch, kept them out of traps, deciphered codes, and even devised strategies as their tactician.
The Hero's party owed many of their accomplishments in the fight against the Magitech Empire to Chris's hidden contributions.
If it hadn't been for Chris, the Hero's party would have stumbled over countless obstacles.
‘And I had one other important role.’
Cooking.
‘As if by some unspoken pact, everyone in the Hero's party was an atrocious cook.’
It was only natural that Chris was a good cook. Why? Because Chris was good at everything.
The Hero's party was always moved to tears whenever they ate Chris's cooking.
- Chris, you are the indispensable light of our party.
- Thanks to you, Sir Chris, I can continue this dirty business of being a hero.
…Perhaps the reason the Hero's party liked Chris so much was because of his cooking.
His culinary skills were exceptional, enough to elicit such dramatic reactions from them.
That was why.
That was why Chris was confident his plan to win over Merian had a high chance of success.
‘This should be enough.’
Chris looked at the cookies he had made with a confident expression.
Beside him, the High Orc chef was staring at Chris as if mesmerized.
"Snort, snort. Young Master. H-How did you make such cookies...? Snort. This is... the taste of my mother's soul...?"
"...Hey, who said you could sneak a bite!"
"Snort. I became a chef for the pleasure of sneaking food, snort?"
"..."
Did that mean he'd been sneaking bites of all the desserts he'd eaten until now?
Chris was bewildered, but arguing with an orc seemed pointless, so he packed the cookies and left the kitchen.
He vowed that when he reached a higher position, he would replace everyone from the maids to the chef with humans.
"Brother?"
He ran into TERN in the hallway.
"The title."
"...My respected King Emperor Majesty Older Brother."
"Where is Lady Merian?"
"She is leaving the manor. I heard something came up at the main house, so she has to return in a hurry."
Already?
He hadn't expected that.
He had to catch Merian before she left.
But TERN furrowed his brow and spoke with a resolute voice.
"Brother."
"The title."
"...My respected King Emperor Majesty Older Brother, I actually have something to tell you. All this time, I have been... to you..."
"Sorry, I'm busy."
"B-Brother?"
It sounded like TERN had mustered up a great deal of courage to say something, but there was no time to listen.
Chris breezed past TERN and headed for the manor's main entrance.
"Lady Merian!"
Merian was just mounting her horse.
Her black hair, fluttering in the wind, made a striking picture with the large black steed. Only Count Cazar was beside her.
"Chris?"
Merian's eyes widened slightly.
"What is it?"
"I heard you were leaving, so I came to see you off."
"It's late, so I was trying to leave quietly."
Merian smiled.
"Still, thank you for coming out. You must be tired after the duel earlier."
Her tone was much more amicable than before.
It was only natural.
She had witnessed something astounding.
And Merian had asked the manor staff and confirmed that Chris had indeed changed.
‘Good, the mood is right.’
Chris thought to himself and then spoke.
"I have prepared something for you, Lady Merian."
"Prepared something?"
"Yes."
Chris handed her something carefully wrapped from his pocket.
It was the cookies he had baked in the kitchen earlier.
"What is this?"
"I heard from my father that you like cookies, Lady Merian, so I tried baking some, though my skills are lacking."
Merian looked flustered.
It was true that she liked cookies.
In fact, she was crazy about them.
It was a taste she'd had since childhood. How else would even her stoic younger brother, Count Cazar, know about it?
But she had never expected a gift like this.
"This is... you don't have to."
"Not at all. I was just happy to see my aunt after so long, so please, accept it gladly."
At those words, Merian's heart wavered slightly.
Come to think of it, that was right.
They were blood relatives.
Aunt and nephew.
The thought made her feel a little guilty.
‘I was so cold to him at first.’
She had judged Chris strictly from the perspective of a superior from the main house.
She had seen him only as a scoundrel who did nothing but bring shame to the main house and had looked down on him.
But now, that boy was giving her a heartfelt gift as his nephew.
"...Alright, thank you."
It was a short reply, but it carried a great deal of meaning.
Chris sensed Merian's resolve wavering and smiled faintly to himself.
It was just as he had intended.
"But did you really make these yourself?"
"Yes. They may not be much, but I put my skills to use thinking of you, Aunt. Please, try one."
Merian popped a cookie into her mouth without much thought and then flinched.
It was delicious.
No, it was beyond that.
‘Such cookies exist in this world?’
As a cookie connoisseur, Merian had tasted all sorts of cookies. She had tried all the famous ones, especially from the southern Magitech Empire.
Thus, she had a discerning palate when it came to cookies, but this one was nothing short of fantastic.
Without realizing it, Merian ate not just one, but two, then three, before she caught herself and stopped, feeling it was undignified.
"You can have more."
"A-Ahem. No. You've given me a wonderful gift, so I must repay you. Is there anything you wish for?"
Merian asked in a softened voice.
"I shall give you a gift as well."
Chris clenched his fist at her words.
She was almost won over.
‘What kind of gift should I ask for?’
There were many things he could wish for.
He could ask her to teach him the main house's unique sword arts or spells. He could ask for a rare treasure or weapon.
Or, since she was the commander of the Black Shadow Knights and the Old Lord's most favored daughter, he could ask her to "overstep her authority" in the succession struggle.
But Chris made an unexpected request.
"From now on, please be my aunt."
"Hmm?"
Merian furrowed her brow, not understanding.
"You are already my nephew. And I, your aunt."
"No, what I mean is for you to become my *true* aunt, Lady Merian."
Chris spoke slowly.
"Like a real family."
Merian's expression hardened slightly.
She understood what Chris meant.
She and Chris were blood relatives.
But were they blood relatives like a real family?
Not a chance.
They were bound by the shackles of a Dark Magic House, their relationship strictly official, perhaps even more distant than strangers.
This was a given for any "prestigious family," a faction built on blood ties.
But now, Chris was asking her to become his real family.
‘No, it's not such a naive sentiment.’
Merian shook her head.
To be precise, he was asking her to be on his side.
That was what family meant in a prestigious magic house. In a family where everyone was an enemy, they were the only ones you could rely on, the only ones who would be on your side.
"Do you know what you are asking? It's impossible. I cannot grant that."
Merian continued.
"The 'elders' of the main house must be impartial to the young heirs. That is the rule."
*A rule no one follows,* she swallowed the words.
Here, "elders" referred to the senior members of the main house's bloodline who could influence the decision of the next heir.
The "Young Lords" had to prove their suitability as heirs solely through their own abilities and gain the recognition of the "elders."
But that was just a formality. Each "Young Lord" had "elders" in the family who "favored" them.
It was a well-known fact that Marquis Langham, the acting head and de facto master of the family, openly favored Eshid.
But according to the rules, that was not right.
"I'm sorry, but if you could make another request..."
"You've misunderstood something."
"Pardon?"
Chris broke into a grin.