The Last Evening Before Departure
The evening before Arina was set to leave for the Mendelssohn Grand Territory. The house, usually quiet because Kain would either disappear into his study or stare at his smartphone on the sofa, suddenly grew lively for the first time in a while.
"This container has curry, and this one has braised beef. I'll put them in the freezer, so just microwave them whenever you want to eat."
"Yeah."
"And here’s the soybean paste stew, and this is seaweed soup. I'll stack these on top of the curry containers too."
"Sure."
"I also prepared a few seasoned vegetables. These will probably spoil quickly, so make sure to eat them first when you can, okay?"
"Got it."
As soon as they got home, she had dashed straight into the kitchen and started clattering around. Kain had wondered if she was spacing out again like last time, blankly chopping vegetables, but when their eyes met she dragged him into the kitchen by force. Without any preamble, she launched straight into her explanations.
He nodded indifferently as he listened to her, but to be honest, most of it went in one ear and out the other.
"I'll portion out the rice into single servings and freeze them too. You can't just order delivery every day and never eat proper food. When I get back, I'm going to check exactly how much weight you've lost."
"I said I got it already."
Get back… Come to think of it, the little brat was leaving for the Mendelssohn Grand Territory tomorrow, wasn't she? Hearing that finally made him realize why she was bombarding him with all these warnings.
I remember her mentioning when she was going, but I completely forgot.
To be precise, he had known the departure date, but because he spent all his time cooped up inside the house, he hadn't really registered how much time had already passed.
Does she seriously think I'm not going with her?
It certainly looked that way. Everything Arina was doing clearly assumed that Kain would be staying home alone for several days.
The realization nearly made him burst out laughing in disbelief.
What exactly does this little brat think I am?
In a way, she was seeing him with perfect accuracy. Given Kain's personality, it was indeed hard to imagine him tagging along all the way to the Mendelssohn Grand Territory just to watch over her. Perhaps the two-plus years she'd spent with him hadn't been wasted after all.
But this time, for once, Kain actually intended to go to the Mendelssohn Grand Territory. Her trusting distrust irritated him, so he clicked his tongue lightly.
"And this is some rolled omelette I made. This one is sausage and vegetables stir-fried in ketchup. I'll put this in the fridge too."
"……."
"And just in case, I bought some pork. You're probably too lazy to cook it, right? Should I freeze this as well?"
"……."
Apparently unaware of his changing mood, Arina kept talking. Her words reminded him of a nonexistent mother or his now-deceased older sister nagging him. Were all women like this, whether adults or children?
She really prepared a lot.
She had only spent a short while clattering around in the kitchen after school, yet the fridge was now packed with a feast. It was enough provisions to survive for days even if some plague swept across the capital. Her worry was exactly like an overprotective parent fretting over their child.
"Uncle?"
Only then did Arina turn to look at him, tilting her head when she realized he had stopped responding. Kain stared at her for a long moment before suddenly turning his head to the side.
"I'm going too."
"Huh?"
"I said I'm going too. To that Mendelssohn place or whatever it's called."
There wasn't any grand reason behind Kain's decision to go. It just felt too annoying and uncomfortable to stay behind. His sister's face kept floating through his mind, along with the image of the little brat looking depressed in the spectator seats. Ignoring that for days on end and forcing himself not to follow her would be more irritating than just sucking it up and going.
Might as well go and get it over with so I can relax.
If this had been last year, he wouldn't have cared this much. But after spending two and a half years together, it seemed he'd somehow grown attached to the little brat. Even without using his sister as an excuse.
"Really?"
She must not have imagined in her wildest dreams that those words would come from his mouth. Arina jumped in surprise and scooted right up next to him.
"You're really coming with me?"
She asked again, as if to double-check what she'd just heard.
"Yeah."
At her reaction, Kain frowned in annoyance and lightly pushed her forehead with his index finger.
"What? You don't want me to? Should I not go?"
If the little brat didn't want him there, he had no intention of bothering to go. Jealousy would handle her protection just fine anyway. Unless the Empress herself launched an invasion, there was no chance of any real danger reaching her.
From my perspective, that would actually be better.
The only reason he'd decided to go was because he didn't want her to feel secretly disappointed. If she preferred he stay behind, then Kain wouldn't have any reason to feel uneasy. So he looked down at her with a faint trace of expectation, but…
"No! I want you to come! Please come with me!"
Arina shook her head vigorously, completely shattering his expectations. Had she been holding back her desire for him to come all this time? Tears welled up in her eyes the moment he said he would go. She must have already given up on her own, deciding it would be too much trouble for him to accompany her to the Mendelssohn Grand Territory. Without even asking his opinion.
What a kid who doesn't act like a kid at all.
If she wanted something, she should just act like a child and pester him for it. Judging adult circumstances on her own and acting accordingly—what an insolent little brat.
"Like I told you before, if you want something, say it right away. I'll do my best to give you whatever you want."
Because she was his sister's precious daughter. If she desired it, he was willing to gift her an entire country. Kain had more than enough power to do so.
"Yes, I understand."
She thought she had fixed that bad habit after Marily pointed it out last time, but it had popped up again. Arina wiped away the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes and stared intently at Kain's face. He pressed down firmly on the crown of her head and roughly tousled her hair, then suddenly glanced at the refrigerator and thought,
So what should I do about all that?
The stuff in the freezer like the curry and braised beef was fine. He could just eat it after the tournament. The problem was the seasoned vegetables in the fridge.
Will they really not spoil?
Considering the timeframe, they probably wouldn't, but it still made him uneasy. He himself would never get sick from eating spoiled food, but there was no way the little brat would quietly let him eat anything that had gone bad.
I don't want to throw it away, though.
Well, nothing to be done about it. Thinking that, Kain pulled out his smartphone.
"I'll take care of whatever's in the fridge. It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste if it spoils."
"Yes, that's fine, but…"
What exactly was he planning to do with it? The question arose in her mind, but Kain showed no intention of clearing up her doubts.
"We're leaving tomorrow morning, right? If you don't want to oversleep, go to bed soon."
Given Arina's personality, she had probably finished preparing all her daily necessities and travel items long ago. It was the complete opposite of Kain, who would go anywhere carrying nothing but his smartphone.
"Yes. Then good night, Uncle."
Setting aside her questions at his words, Arina left the kitchen with cautious steps, glancing back at it several times.
The relationship between the Death King and the Seven Deadly Sins was generally one-sided. The Seven Deadly Sins swore absolute loyalty to the Death King, and the Death King accepted their loyalty with indifference. That dynamic remained exactly the same even when they contacted each other.
Click.
Staring at the call screen on his smartphone, Pride shed tears like a waterfall that he could no longer hold back. The Master had called him first. Overcome with emotion at that fact, an unending spring burst from his eyes.
"Yes! Master! What can I do for you!"
Yet with nothing but pure devotion to avoid showing his ugly face to the Master, Pride steadied his voice. His tears poured out like an open faucet, but his booming, energetic voice didn't tremble in the slightest. The bizarre harmony created an odd imbalance.
Ah, I could die without regrets right now.
Even if the Master was about to punish him for some mistake he hadn't noticed, he would accept it with joy. Pride picked up the kitchen knife he always carried in preparation for any eventuality and got ready to commit seppuku as he waited for the Master's next words.
It wasn't even a video call, yet Kain spoke in a low voice as if he could clearly see Pride's actions. And those words brought Pride even greater emotion.
Ah, the Master is watching over me.
Is this a dream? Did I work too hard and fall asleep at my desk? If so, I need to wake up immediately. To wake from a dream, one must deliver a strong shock. Just as he was about to plunge the knife into his solar plexus without hesitation, a sinister dark mana suddenly struck the back of his hand from beyond the smartphone.
"Aah."
What disloyalty. That mana was definitely the Master's. There was no way his own imagination could perfectly replicate the Master's mana. Therefore, the fact that the Master's mana had appeared before him meant this was reality, not a dream.
"Master! Please do not forgive this disloyal one who dared to doubt you and mistook this for a dream! I shall atone for this sin with seppuku!"
Kain let out a long sigh at Pride's same old insane behavior.
"Yes! Understood!"
Pride didn't even wonder why he was being told to do such a thing. The Death King had given an order, so he would carry it out. That was the only thought driving his body.
Vrrrr.
The moment Pride placed his smartphone on the desk piled high with documents, it began vibrating intensely. The Inner World that had seized control of the digital domain. After hearing what the dark mage Intel had done in the past, Kain had personally modified his Inner World. It connected the digital space between his smartphone and Pride's, converting physical objects into data and transferring them just like sending a text message. In a way, it was spatial magic transformed into the form of dark magic—a technique only possible for Kain, who stood at the pinnacle of dark magic. Ordinary dark mages, trapped in their own worlds with less academic freedom than regular mages, could never achieve it.
Thud.
The vibration stopped, and the objects that pushed aside the documents stacked on the desk to take their place were the various dishes Arina had made.
The call ended after delivering only that message. Pride lowered his head, his entire body trembling violently. Was it because of the documents scattered messily across the floor? No, it wasn't. In his eyes, which poured tears even more furiously than before, there was nothing but overwhelming emotion directed at the food before him.
"I'm glad I stayed alive until now."
To think the day would come when he could taste the Young Lady's cooking. And so much of it, too. This was the divine food that his god ate every single day. And his god had personally bestowed that food upon him as well.
Even if my stomach bursts and I die, I will devour every last bite.
How could he possibly share such a blessing, such grace, such glory with anyone else? The Master's attention—even down to a single drop of sauce—belonged entirely to him. Thinking that, Pride lifted the container of seasoned vegetables, determined to finish everything before anyone else could enter.
"Well, I guess that takes care of it."
Having dumped all the side dishes onto Pride, Kain slipped his smartphone back into his pocket and nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the now-clean kitchen.