Chapter 192: Pre and Post-processing – Part 1 (2)
by fnovelpia
When people witness something completely unexpected, they often freeze on the spot, unable to move.
Mana was no exception. Having been hit by a completely unforeseen surprise attack, she couldn’t say a word and simply blinked in astonishment.
“Mm, nice. It simmered beautifully.”
Tasting the soup in the pot with a ladle, Sion smiled in satisfaction. After turning off the heat, she filled a bowl with soup, placed it on a tray, and brought it over to Mana.
Steam gently rose into the air, carrying a savory aroma.
“It’s a potage made by boiling potatoes, onions, and butter together. There’s nothing better for restoring energy when you’re completely drained. I seasoned it lightly to match your taste, so don’t be shy—go ahead and eat.”
“……….”
Mana stared blankly at the tray on her lap. The lingering confusion dulled her reaction.
Seeing this, Sion tilted her head.
“What’s wrong? You’re not feeling hungry right now? Should I take the bowl away?”
“! Ah, no. I’ll eat. I will eat.”
Mana quickly grabbed a spoon and took a mouthful of the soup.
The moment the broth touched her tongue, a deep, rich umami flavor spread across her mouth.
The nutty taste of the potato and the sweetness of the onion came together in perfect harmony.
The consistency was just right—neither too thin nor too thick—and any potential roughness was smoothed out by the butter. The seasoning, mild and subtle, was exactly to her liking.
It was a golden soup, infused with the essence of nature, full of the autumn fields’ charm.
Watching Mana’s surprised expression after taking a bite, Sion grinned proudly.
“Fufu, looks like it suits your palate. Well, of course it does—I made it myself. You know my cooking skills, don’t you? You’ve experienced it more than once during our travels.”
“………”
It really is delicious. Delicious, but…
Why is she suddenly treating me to something like this?
“Sion, did you… do something wrong to me?”
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
“Well, normally when you’re nice to someone, it’s because you want to be forgiven for something.
You can tell me—I won’t get mad. What did you mess up this time?”
“……….”
…Is that really the kind of image I have? Mana wondered to herself.
How had things gotten to the point where Sion’s trust level had dropped this far?
Sion crossed her arms and sighed.
“There’s no hidden agenda. It just seemed like you were completely exhausted after handling that wide-area drain spell all night, so I wanted to help you recover.”
“Really?”
“Really. Since when did every single act of kindness I offer start being met with suspicion? How tragic.”
Saying that, Sion sat down on the right side of Mana’s bed.
With a small smile, she looked at Mana.
“Truthfully, I owe you my gratitude. Thanks to you protecting everyone—including yourself—from the absorption, I was able to claim victory.
Had you collapsed and failed to hold on, Raizein would’ve become even stronger than when I fought him, and it would’ve been much harder to defeat him.”
Even with Mana interfering with the drain spell, the boost Raizein received had been that intense.
If she had been allowed to freely absorb life without any resistance, there’s no telling how much more powerful she would’ve become.
Of course, there was a limit to how strong she could grow—she was still a living being, after all.
But at the very least, she would’ve been faster and more deadly than she was.
In that case, Sion might have genuinely lost her life.
So, even if Mana wasn’t fully aware of it herself, she had indirectly saved Sion’s life.
There was nothing strange about Sion expressing her gratitude.
“To praise those who contributed, and to reward them accordingly—
It’s an easily overlooked virtue, but one that every ruler must uphold at the very least.
Even if this is all I can offer you, I still hope my sincerity gets through.”
With that, Sion reached out her hand.
Then, slowly, gently, as if comforting a child, she softly patted Mana’s head.
“Well done, Mana. In the name of Sion Astaroth, I commend you.
You truly performed admirably.”
“…!!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected, surprise move, Mana’s face instantly turned bright red.
“Wait, Sion… M-My head is a bit…”
“What? Don’t like it? Then I’ll stop.”
“……….”
Don’t like it?
Not exactly.
If she had to choose between disliking it or liking it, the answer was obvious—she liked it.
Even factoring in the embarrassment of being treated like a child, the joy she felt far outweighed it.
Having never experienced romance even once in her life, Mana was still quite innocent when it came to these things.
What would normally be considered unbearably cheesy by most people, she accepted as something romantic.
Avoiding eye contact in embarrassment, she mumbled softly:
“…I don’t hate it.”
“……..”
Pfft.
Sion let out a quiet chuckle.
The first part had been too faint to hear clearly, but there was no need to press her for a repeat—it would be nothing more than teasing at that point.
Given the context, it was easy enough to guess.
So instead of ruining the moment by making her repeat herself, Sion just kept gently stroking Mana’s head, maintaining her smile. She’d keep going—until Mana finally said she’d had enough.

“Well then, I suppose it’s time I took my leave.”
Sion stood up as she spoke.
“Don’t try to busy yourself with anything else today—just focus on resting. I’ll leave the pot of soup here, so warm it up whenever you need to. Understood?”
Mana nodded, her face still flushed, unable to meet Sion’s eyes.
Watching her, Sion smiled fondly, as if finding her adorable, then turned and walked out the door.
And the moment she stepped out—
“Yesss! It worked!”
Her expression flipped in an instant into a wicked grin as she clenched her fist in triumph.
The heartwarming atmosphere that had existed just moments ago evaporated in a blink.
“Can’t believe the ol’ head-pat move from a shoujo manga actually worked! Guess there is some truth in fiction after all.”
She’d been skeptical, since what she knew of reality often contradicted what was shown in romantic stories.
But now, after this little experiment, she was convinced—this was a technique that definitely worked.
It had even melted someone like Mana, who rarely showed emotion.
If it had that much effect on her, it would probably work like a finishing move on more typical girls.
Thus, Sion had learned yet another new “technique” for her playbook.
“Nursing her, cooking for her, giving her a gentle head pat… I’ve ticked off every ‘romantic’ gesture from a manga.
Her affection level must have shot up by now, right? Even if I screw something up next time, she’ll probably forgive me once more! Mwahahaha!”
-“…So you did have something sneaky planned all along!”
A voice full of exasperation shouted from behind her. It was Exia, who had been trailing quietly behind her the whole time.
She’d suspected Sion was up to something and had watched in silence—but of course, it turned out to be yet another classic Sion move. Cunning to the core.
The calculated way she toyed with someone’s feelings enraged her. Truly, the enemy of all women.
-“What kind of conscience do you have, lying with a straight face that you had no ulterior motive? At least have the decency to wet your lips before you lie!”
“Oh, come now. Ulterior motive is a bit harsh. I was genuinely grateful to Mana, and I put a lot of effort into that soup with sincerity.
If there’s a return for a good deed, isn’t that just natural? I simply hoped this heightened intimacy might lead to other benefits later. Nothing wrong with that.”
-“Quit spewing nonsense!”
Exia growled, voice sharp.
-“You’re always like this. Can’t you ever treat someone with genuine sincerity?
Why do you always have to weigh things like affection points and forgiveness potential?!
She’s your companion, for goodness’ sake! Everything you do feels so shady!”
“Hmph. You’re still so naive.”
Sion smirked and replied calmly.
“Listen carefully. I’ll say this plainly—there’s no such thing as a free relationship.
Even if someone says, ‘It’s fine, I’ll forgive you no matter what,’ if the mistakes pile up, so will frustration and resentment. That’s just how people are.
So it’s necessary to do small things like this now and then—things that don’t cost anything—to make up for past faults.
That way, I can recover some of the ‘lost stacks,’ so to speak.”
-“That kind of transactional thinking is exactly what’s wrong!
Ever thought about not making mistakes in the first place? Maybe just… not cause trouble?!”
“Hah. Is that the self-reflective wisdom of someone who gave me constant grief throughout our travels, hmm?”
-“Ugh…!”
She had no comeback for that. It was true—she’d gotten into all kinds of trouble during their journey, including that whole strawberry incident.
Sion probably wanted to say, “No matter how careful you are, accidents happen.”
With a sly grin tugging at his lips, Sion added:
“Well, no need to get so worked up. It’s not like anyone lost anything here, right?
Mana got to feel the warmth of a companion after a long time, and I got to use one of the rare opportunities to raise her affection level. Win-win for everyone, wouldn’t you say?”
-“Grrr…”
Exia bit her lip and let out a low growl. She still looked thoroughly unconvinced.
Sion gazed at her for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands together, as if she’d just remembered something.
“Ah, that’s right. You played a big part in this battle too, didn’t you? With that telepathy support.
Could it be… you’re jealous? If that’s the case, I could pat your head too—just shift into human form—”
-“LIKE HELL YOU WILL!! Try that and I’ll bite your hand off!!”
Exia’s entire body practically recoiled in protest.
Maybe she was still too old-fashioned—she had been a sword for a long time, after all.
Perhaps she wasn’t quite ready to accept the social cues of the modern age.
Sion watched her with an understanding smile, full of misplaced compassion.
0 Comments