Setting the Date
“When would be a good time to set the date?”
It was a little earlier than the time I had planned to wake up. Someone had broken into the house. The door and windows were still closed, yet someone was standing right beside my bed.
“Ehehe……”
The sinister laugh made me flinch. I opened my eyes to see who the intruder was when—poke. Something soft jabbed my cheek.
“Ehehehe……!”
Honestly, there was no need to check the intruder’s identity. I had known who it was from the very beginning. If they had come to take my life, they would have chosen a darker hour. Besides, I had never told anyone that my remote hometown was where I came from, so no one should have been able to find me. Most of all, I could feel the familiar mana.
“Ilena. What are you doing?”
“Kyaa!”
Ilena jerked back in surprise, then turned on me with a scowl.
“You were already awake? Don’t scare me like that. Mother almost woke up because of you.”
“You’re the one who screamed……”
Looking at the bed, I saw Mother still fast asleep, her mouth slightly open, completely unaware of the world.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen her sleeping with such a peaceful face. It’s all thanks to you coming back.”
“Yeah. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve regretted not returning sooner. By the way, why were you poking my cheek with your finger?”
“Because it’s fun.”
“You find poking other people’s cheeks fun?”
Even after I woke up, Ilena kept poking my cheek without a care.
“It’s so soft. I can’t help wanting to touch it again and again.”
“I guess I need to slim down my face.”
“Eeh? Can’t you leave a little cheek fat?”
“Who was it that said I had put on un-warrior-like weight?”
“Ahaha…… Did I say that? I don’t remember.”
Come to think of it, the reason I hadn’t noticed Ilena approaching was probably because she had used teleportation magic again.
“You used teleportation to get inside, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to wake you from your sweet sleep.”
“Using high-level magic just because you didn’t want to wake me up? Mages all over the world would be horrified.”
“So what? It’s me we’re talking about.”
She wasn’t wrong. As the Demon King Ilenater, she was stronger than any mage I knew.
……Or was she? My mysterious sword instructor had also claimed to be a mage. Thanks to that teacher, I had been able to defeat the Demon King Ilenater. Maybe my teacher was stronger after all?
Well, it didn’t matter anymore. It had been so long since I last saw them that their face was already fading from memory.
“What are you thinking about?”
“That you’re amazing.”
“Where did that compliment come from all of a sudden? Ahem, but I am pretty amazing!”
Anyone listening might have accused her of having an inflated ego, but Ilena’s strength was real. Only by knowing her own power and knowing how to wield it could she reign as the king of the fierce demon race.
“So, why did you come earlier than the time we agreed to wake up? It doesn’t seem like it was just to poke my cheek with your finger.”
“I wanted to admire you.”
“Admire me?”
“Yeah. I wanted to watch your face while you were sleeping defenselessly. Too bad you woke up and ruined it.”
It was a good thing I had sensed her and woken up first. The thought of her admiring a warrior’s unguarded expression was a little embarrassing.
“Why did you want to see my defenseless face?”
“I was curious what you’d look like if you showed an opening. I thought it might come in handy the next time we fight.”
“……Don’t say creepy things like that.”
For a moment, memories of my past battles with Ilena sent a real chill down my spine. She grinned at the way my body trembled.
“Anyway, since you’re already up, why don’t you admire me instead?”
“Admire what?”
“Me making breakfast!”
Ilena scurried into the kitchen, then scurried right back. She proudly held something out in front of me.
“You were too out of it yesterday to notice, right? Ta-da! The apron I made myself!”
It was an apron with a large rabbit face embroidered in the center. There were a few clumsy stitches here and there, proving it was handmade, but those imperfections only made it look more charming and cute.
“Not bad at all. So you’re good at more than just cooking.”
“I practiced until my hands bled. You have no idea how many ugly rabbits were born in the process.”
“Until your hands bled……?”
I gently took her hand and examined it.
“Ah……”
The moment I touched her, Ilena’s body trembled. Her hands were white and soft. Thankfully, there were no scars left now.
“Why didn’t you use magic to make it?”
“Of course I had to make it by hand. It’s all part of studying how humans live. A-Anyway, can you let go of my hand now?”
“Sorry. Did you hate it?”
“No. You don’t have to apologize. I need my hands to prepare the meal, so I asked you to let go.”
When I released her hand, Ilena tied the apron around her waist with practiced movements and finished the knot perfectly.
“Want me to help with anything?”
“No, help me next time. Today, just watch and see how well I do. Think of it as checking the results of my studies.”
“The skills you showed last night were already excellent. I don’t think any more checking is necessary.”
“Hehe, thanks for the compliment. But for now, just watch. I want to show you.”
Ilena smiled at me and opened one of the cupboards. A wave of cold air flowed out from inside.
“Cold air? Don’t tell me this is……”
Ilena pulled something frozen solid from the cupboard. It was a small chunk of meat, perfectly preserved in its original shape.
“Meat goes bad if you just leave it out. So I kept it next to the frost magic stone.”
She said it so casually. Frost magic stones were incredibly valuable in the human world. Using them to freeze perishable ingredients was a method employed even in Crownland. But the cost of charging the stone and maintaining the magic formula was enormous, making it an extravagant luxury. Only the royal family, the Church, or high-end restaurants where a single meal cost more than an ordinary person’s monthly food budget could afford such a thing.
And yet, something so precious was sitting in this remote countryside house of ours.
“Do you recharge the magic stone regularly?”
“No. I inscribed a permanent magic formula into it.”
That was insane. Not a rechargeable method, but a permanently sustained spell? That went far beyond mere luxury.
“Uh, wasn’t Mother surprised when she saw it?”
“She just thought it was interesting. She didn’t seem to understand what it was.”
Well, frost magic stones themselves were rare. They were closer to luxury items than magical tools, so plenty of people lived their whole lives without ever encountering one.
“Still, I wonder how she’ll react once she learns its true value.”
“So what? She’s not just anyone—she’s the mother of the hero who defeated the Demon King. She deserves at least this much luxury. If anything, it’s not enough.”
Next, Ilena bent down and struck something in front of the brazier with a sharp, cracking sound. Thanks to all my camping experience, I recognized it as the sound of flint striking.
“You could light the fire with a snap of your fingers. Is this part of your human studies too?”
“That’s right. And I’ve gotten pretty good at it now!”
After a few more strikes, the brazier caught fire. I was fairly skilled with flint myself from all my camping, but Ilena’s technique wasn’t bad either.
Breakfast preparation went smoothly. Ilena took out the dough she had left to ferment overnight and baked bread, then stir-fried grains and finely chopped meat before pouring in milk to make soup.
“You’ve done this more than once or twice.”
“It’s been over half a year. Of course I should be at least this good. Could you wake Mother now?”
Following Ilena’s instructions, I gently shook Mother awake.
“Mother, it’s time to get up. Breakfast is ready.”
“Mmm……”
To make it easier for her, I held her arm and helped her sit up. Mother squinted at me and asked,
“Roen, you really are my son Roen, right?”
“Yes, Mother. I came back yesterday.”
“Good. Let me hug you for a moment.”
Mother’s body was still warm from sleep. She pulled me into a tight embrace and patted my back.
“I was wondering if your return was just a dream. Feeling you like this, I know it’s real. Thank goodness. Thank goodness.”
The problem was that Mother wouldn’t let go. I couldn’t escape until Ilena came over to stop her.
“Hurry and eat. The bread and soup are just the right temperature now.”
“My pretty girl, you came again today. I’m sorry this old woman was still in dreamland and couldn’t help. And thank you.”
“It’s fine. Just hearing you say thank you is more than enough.”
Compared to last night’s meat dish, breakfast was soft and light. But that was exactly what made it nice. In Crownland, I had dreaded mornings so much that I would drink myself into a stupor and skip them entirely. Now, for the first time in a long while, I felt like I had reclaimed the peaceful daily life and warm mornings I had lost.
Thanks to waking up early, we had plenty of time and ate slowly. Ilena, who had been eating with us, suddenly stared at me.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“I’m just glad. It looks like the breakfast I made suits your taste.”
“Of course it does. This is something Mother taught you, after all. Right?”
“Oh my, how did you know?”
“If you take out the meat in the soup, it’s exactly the breakfast you always made for me when I was little. The ingredients, the seasoning—everything.”
Ilena smiled and nodded, and Mother chimed in.
“Ilena makes it much better than I do now. If anything, I end up ruining the food more often when I try to help.”
“What are you saying! When have you ever ruined anything……? When you help, the taste only gets better. It’s never gotten worse!”
It was a breakfast filled with laughter—until Mother spoke again.
“By the way, you two……”
After emptying her soup bowl, Mother set down her spoon and asked,
“When would be a good time to set the date?”