Mu's Morning
Mu’s day always began the moment she opened her eyes.
After all the events on the Sky Island had concluded three days ago, Mu lay in her bed beneath the piercing morning sunlight streaming through the window.
“Good morning.”
She flung the blanket aside and sat up.
With the casual flick of her shoulders, she checked her fists, moving them several times to confirm everything was in perfect order.
Hmm… there were no issues.
Even though calling an artificial lifeform like Mu wasteful for a self-check that took less than ten seconds might be frowned upon by some, Mu herself was her mother’s homunculus.
Since a quick inspection could prevent any unforeseen accidents, there was no reason to skip it even once.
After completing the brief self-check, Mu neatly folded the messy blanket behind her, slipped into her mother Meiel’s clothes, and opened the door to leave the room.
“Mother… seems to have already left.”
Thanks to the Pope’s consideration, Mu’s room was placed right next to her mother’s.
She had only taken a few steps to verify it, but the room was already empty.
She must have headed to the academy after breakfast.
Even though it was still only seven in the morning, her mother was always this diligent, Mu thought as she transformed her appearance.
“Today’s schedule has morning assembly followed by my first lesson, which is magic.”
She could not appear as her mother Meiel today.
So… she would use her mother Kama’s form.
The body swelled with bubbling sounds as Mu reshaped it into the clay of her true essence, changing into the remembered form of another mother—Kama.
Morning assembly and the first class afterward were magic lessons.
Since her mother Aria and Meiel would use their avatars, Mu had to remain in the form of yet another mother.
That was why she had chosen her mother Kama’s body.
Once fully transformed into Kama’s appearance, Mu’s much taller frame—still unaccustomed to it—jiggled slightly as she moved her body.
“It’s not that I dislike the other mothers’ bodies… but…”
She herself didn’t know why, but among all her mothers, Meiel’s body felt the most comfortable.
If it was simply because Meiel’s body was easy to move in, then Aria’s or Yujia’s should have been even better.
Yet this was strange even to her.
Still, since she loved all her mothers equally, Mu supposed such feelings would eventually even out.
She tucked the oddity away and turned her steps toward the dining hall.
“I wonder what kind of food will be served today.”
Mu didn’t need to eat like normal people, but the temple’s morning meal was always prepared by her mother before she left.
Thanks to that, the temple dining hall had been bustling since her mother entered, and Mu had never skipped a single meal.
Since any food entering her body could be converted into extra energy, she told herself there was no real loss in eating.
Walking toward the dining hall, Mu suddenly noticed the back of a girl with messy hair and a sleepy expression heading in the same direction.
“Oh? Pina. Are you going to eat?”
“E-Eh?! Ah, yes! Mu-nim!”
Startled by Mu’s imitation of her mother Kama’s voice, Pina replied.
As the Pope’s daughter, she had a composed, cold demeanor outside the temple.
But inside, she was just like any other lively young girl her age.
Noticing that Pina realized she was still in her messy, sleep-worn state, Mu quickly fixed her hair and priestess robes.
Seeing this, Mu reached out and helped her.
“Thank you.”
“No need. The faster someone helps with something like this, the quicker it’s done. That’s just common courtesy.”
“A-Ahaha…”
Pina smiled awkwardly at Mu’s words.
With Mu’s help, they finished the tidying in no time.
Once Pina had straightened her hair and clothes, she smiled brightly and started walking to the dining hall with Mu.
“Have the travelers already left, Lady Mu?”
“Yes, they seemed to have gone to the academy.
I was planning to eat breakfast here and then head to the academy myself.”
Since her mother was working, Mu couldn’t just sit idly.
After finishing breakfast at the temple, she would complete all her tasks before going to the academy.
After a minute of rather formal yet pleasant conversation, they reached the dining hall.
They pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Whispers filled the air.
Because it was the temple dedicated to the goddess Iriel, the dining hall was nearly as large as Lua Academy’s.
Inside, numerous priests and priestesses carried plates of food to their tables.
As Pina arrived, she scanned the room for the Pope.
Spotting him in the distance, she bowed slightly to Mu.
“Then I’ll go eat. Please enjoy your meal, Mu-nim.
I wish the goddess Iriel’s blessing to be with you both.”
“Yes, I wish the goddess Iriel’s blessing to be with you both.”
Pina finished her greeting and walked toward the Pope’s table with her plate.
Mu, wanting to complete the new orders given to her since three days ago, also looked around like Pina.
Since three days ago, the new command from her mother was to act together with Isolde starting from today’s dining hall.
Morgan was being managed by her mother, while Isolde had been entrusted to Mu.
To find Isolde, Mu looked around, but the noise from nearby tables revealed her location.
At the third table in the farthest corner, only one woman sat.
Surrounding her, the priests whispered quietly.
“Found you.”
Mu immediately picked up her plate and began to fill it.
Clink… clatter…
The food Mu chose was called spinach curry.
For some reason, when using her mother Kama’s body, she didn’t feel like eating meat.
So she removed the meat, added rice and spinach curry to her plate.
She walked toward Isolde’s table.
Her footsteps rang out clearly with each step.
Without hesitation, she sat directly across from Isolde.
“Ah, you.”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’ve never seen you use anything but a magician’s form.”
“You should get used to it quickly.”
Only after Mu sat did Isolde notice her.
She swallowed the food in her mouth and looked up.
Responding bluntly to this Isolde, Mu stirred her curry with her spoon and glanced at her sideways.
Isolde’s demonic pale skin had returned a healthy human flush.
All other demonic features—teeth, eyes—had completely transformed into human ones.
Even if anyone looked at her, they would never think she was a demon.
Of course, the people here at the temple knew she was demonic, which was why they whispered.
Anyone outside would never guess it.
Three days ago, her mother had personally applied a permanent sealing spell to Isolde as well as Morgan.
Ordinary people could never notice.
Mu nodded in agreement and suddenly felt a bit queasy at the stack of plates beside Isolde.
“That much and you’re still not full…?”
Counting roughly, there were already over thirty plates.
Even the edges of the plates were smeared with sauce.
She had clearly brought a mountain of food, yet still wasn’t full.
Truly, that amount was enough to make anyone nauseous.
Mu asked about it, and Isolde weakly shook her head.
“Mmm… I’m full, but I still eat.
When I was with the demon army, there were never any delicious foods.
I always ate lightly.
Especially that spicy stir-fried dish—tteokbokki—it was incredibly addictive. I couldn’t stop eating it.”
Even though she was full, she kept eating because it was delicious.
Was that normal or not?
Seeing that, Mu realized the priests were whispering not because she was demonic, but because of this insane appetite.
Yet even while thinking that, Mu could understand Isolde a little.
Her mother’s cooking was simply too delicious to resist.
“Mother’s cooking is delicious, so of course it isn’t tasteless.
After all, Mother is always perfect.
She wouldn’t waste time making food that isn’t enjoyable.
Of course, it’s natural to keep eating even when full.”
“…You’re just as addicted.”
“Eh?”
“No, never mind.”
While admiring her in awe, Mu had thought Isolde said something, but Isolde simply began eating again, muttering “it’s nothing”.
Feeling rather uneasy, Mu moved her spoon.
Just as she was about to bring the spoonful of rice to her mouth, a high-ranking priestess walked over and handed her a small letter.
“Mu-nim, a letter arrived at the temple by post.
The traveler has already gone to the academy, so I judged it should be delivered to you.”
“Ah, thank you.
I’ll read it and pass it to Mother.”
Mu set down her spoon and took the letter.
Seeing the sender’s name, it was Principal Mira.
Recognizing the familiar name, Mu opened the letter immediately after the priestess left.
Crinkle—
Since her mother had already been receiving such letters, Mu had been told to read and summarize the contents for herself.
So there was no hesitation.
“A letter?”
Startled, Isolde set down her fork and fixed her gaze on Mu.
After Mu finished reading and folded the letter back into its envelope, she asked.
“Is it okay if I ask what it says?”
“Yes, there’s nothing special.
Just that Principal Mira blocked the king’s audience order for three days, but with other powerful figures joining, the limit is almost reached.
Tomorrow, the audience order will be issued.”
That had been three days ago, the Sky Island incident.
Only a few people knew what had happened on the Sky Island.
Since there was no risk of exposure, it was fine.
But the fact that they had publicly stopped the falling Sky Island could not be hidden.
So the king’s audience order was inevitable.
Still, for her mother who wanted to slip past it quietly, Principal Mira had blocked it as much as possible.
Yet when the nobles and other nobles joined, her strength had clearly run out.
Tomorrow, the king would issue the order, and she would need to prepare her heart.
After saying this calmly, Isolde tilted her head curiously.
“Hmm… the king called you, yet you don’t seem very tense?”
“Is there any reason to be tense?
Probably only Aria’s mother and Meiel’s mother will be called.
As for me, my mother and I will go.
Even if it’s the king himself, there’s no problem if it’s Mother.”
No matter how large the Fhara Kingdom’s king was, could he oppose Mother?
To Mu, her mother was the only god, surpassing even the goddess Iriel.
An infinite wall of faith stood before her.
Isolde let out a small sigh at this sight.
“You’re addicted to Mother to a worrying degree.”
While Mu was murmuring about her mother like a fanatic, she didn’t hear the quiet words.