Ch.110Apple, Reconciliation, and Encouragement

The next morning.

Waking up to the appetizing aroma, I left my room to find Ellem in the kitchen, holding a large frying pan and stir-frying vegetables and meat.

“Oh? You’re up already? It’s not even 7 o’clock yet.”

“Yes. Something smelled incredibly delicious…”

“As luck would have it, some good meat just came in. I decided to make a stir-fry using the vegetables you brought. If you don’t mind, could you move those wooden plates over there to the dining table in the living room?”

“Sure… WHOA!?”

As I shifted my gaze to pick up the plates Ellem had pointed to, I noticed Rona and Lu kneeling beside the staircase leading to the second floor, each wearing a sign around their neck.

[I am a shameless woman who tried to seduce my niece’s lover]

[I am a wicked mother who asked my sister to seduce my daughter’s lover]

“It seems those two caused quite a disturbance last night.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a disturbance…”

“Next time something like that happens, tell them—even if it’s a lie—that they smell exactly like a chicken coop. That should keep them from showing their faces to any man for at least a week.”

“Haha, hahaha…”

At Ellem’s merciless words, both women turned pale and slightly shook their heads.

Come to think of it, being told you smell bad by your daughter’s lover would crack anyone’s mental fortitude, even knowing it was a lie.

And for cat-folk women who deal with pheromones that directly affect the sense of smell, it would be the ultimate insult.

“Since both of them were just worried about Seti’s future, perhaps you could forgive them…”

“I have forgiven them.”

“Pardon?”

“But will that child forgive them?”

I looked in the direction Ellem was pointing and saw Seti coming down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

“I can’t believe it. Aunt Rona, I really hate you.”

“I’m sorry, Seti! I promise I won’t do it again, so please forgive me~”

“No. I’m never letting Will stay at our house again. I’m disappointed in you too, Mom.”

“Awww~ I was just worried about you…”

“Hmph.”

Having assessed the situation after seeing the signs hanging from Lu and Rona’s necks, Seti sat on my lap with an expression of fury and ate the stir-fry Ellem had prepared.

She was subtly rubbing against me, just enough not to interfere with my meal—likely trying to erase any lingering scent of Rona that might remain.

“Wow~ While we were sleeping upstairs, such interesting things—”

“Mina?”

“Such terrible schemes were taking place~ Right, Phyllis?”

“This stir-fry is truly delicious. It’s several levels above the food we ate at restaurants in the Western City.”

Mina was about to make a sly joke when she caught Jessica’s glare and tried to seek help from Phyllis, but the wise Phyllis wisely pretended not to hear and focused on the food in front of her.

Lu and Rona were still kneeling beside the stairs, sending pitiful glances our way, begging for salvation. It seemed unlikely they would be permitted to eat until Seti’s mood improved.

“Do you plan to depart right after breakfast?”

“Yes. We need to move with some leeway in our schedule to safely reach the Fifth Western City.”

“I see. I’d like to ask you to stay a few more days, but other races can’t purify black mana here, so it can’t be helped.”

“Next time, I’ll plan to stay longer. We can resolve the black mana issue in Riverside.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Though I don’t know when that will be.”

Ellem’s expression, showing anticipation for our next visit, was markedly different from yesterday.

Perhaps she had acknowledged that I wasn’t just a man captivated by cat-folk scent, given that I had resisted Rona’s seduction.

Looking at it that way, last night’s incident had ultimately helped in gaining acceptance for my relationship with Seti.

“Seti, isn’t it about time you forgave your mother and aunt? We don’t know when we’ll visit next, and it seems too cruel to leave them kneeling by the stairs without even sharing a meal.”

“…Alright. If Will says so, I’ll forgive them.”

When Seti accepted my suggestion and forgave the two, Rona buried her face in Seti’s clothes and apologized once more.

“Uwuu~ Seti~~ I’m really, really sorry~”

“If you try to seduce Will again, I’ll really never see you again.”

“I absolutely won’t. Ellem is the only one for me, in life or death!”

“Oh? That’s different from what I heard. Father, perhaps you’d like to know what my sister-in-law said to me last night—”

“Kyaaah! No! Please!”

“Hehe, don’t worry, Rona. You probably had to say things you didn’t mean to test this young man. I understand that much.”

“Y-Yes…”

“But it’s true that I haven’t been able to handle you as roughly as before since Seti was born. Perhaps it’s time I properly tame my naughty concubine who drools at the sight of strong men.”

“Urgh…”

“Lu, you’ll join us too, of course?”

“Oh my, oh my~”

Rona was writhing and making strange moans, while Lu blushed and smiled shyly.

It seemed the polite thing to do was to finish our meal quickly and depart, giving the three of them time to enjoy themselves.

With that in mind, I decided to follow Phyllis’s example, clear my mind, and focus on savoring Ellem’s stir-fry.

“Well, we’ll be going now. Stay healthy, everyone.”

“Seti, be careful not to get hurt~”

“Bring newspapers again next time! Those photos with the spear looked cool.”

After finishing breakfast, it was finally time to depart for the Fifth Western City.

Seti’s family followed us to the village entrance and saw us off with smiling faces, despite their sadness at the brief parting from their daughter.

“Seti, I’m sorry we couldn’t hold a feast to celebrate your return with the guide feather.”

“It’s okay. Next time I come, I’ll bring lots of delicious things, and we can all eat together.”

“Hehe, I remember you saying something similar when you were little, after visiting other tribe villages.”

Ellem stroked Seti’s head, momentarily lost in old memories, then embraced her daughter who had left the protection of her parents and started walking her own path.

“Stay healthy, and come back whenever you miss us. Next time you visit, we’ll hold a proper feast to make up for this time.”

“Yes. I’ll look forward to it.”

Seti’s voice was slightly wet with emotion as she smiled in Ellem’s embrace.

What must it feel like to accomplish what seemed like a reckless dream and return home to receive encouragement from your parents before setting off on a new journey?

Having never received parental support for anything I liked or wanted to do, I felt a pang of emptiness at the thought that I might never know the joy Seti was experiencing now.

Jessica gently took my hand, comforting me, and her kindness seeped into my heart.

“Take care~”

“Will~ If you make Seti cry, I won’t let you off easy~!”

“I’ll try to get pioneer newspapers to read sometimes~ Work hard~”

With these three distinct farewells, we left the cat-folk village behind.

A large bundle containing smoked meat and dried fruit was loaded onto Ancestor’s back.

Since they were preserved using traditional cat-folk seasoning methods, we would enjoy a rich diet until we reached the Fifth Western City.

“But I feel like I’m forgetting something…”

“They say that’s how it feels when you leave home for a journey. You must have felt at home in Seti’s village.”

“After everything that happened in just one night, my mind is in a whirl.”

“Hehe… But Seti’s parents have essentially accepted you, so that’s one worry off your mind, right?”

“True. I just hope meeting Jessica’s parents will be more peaceful and gentle.”

The already difficult mission of “please give me your daughter” had turned into a messy drama of infidelity, leaving me mentally exhausted.

I could only hope that Jessica’s parents, being human like me, wouldn’t introduce unpredictable customs or values.

“Come to think of it, I’m curious about something.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Will, you said you didn’t find Aunt Rona’s scent unpleasant. That means you found her attractive as a woman. So why weren’t you swayed by her scent?”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Forget about resisting until the end—you didn’t even touch her with a finger, right?”

“Hmm, well…”

Thinking about it after hearing their questions, my self-restraint last night was indeed impressive, even to myself.

Rona’s pheromones were as potent as when I first spent the night with Seti, yet I didn’t feel the same urge to embrace her as I had with Seti.

It wasn’t just guilt about betraying Jessica and Seti, or moral repulsion at the idea of an affair with my girlfriend’s aunt.

“…This is purely my speculation, but I think it’s because Rona’s scent wasn’t meant for me.”

“You mean you couldn’t touch her because she’s your father-in-law’s concubine?”

“It’s a bit different. Remember what Seti said before? Cat-folk women emit a scent when they truly like someone.”

Rona had said that story was made up by adults to control cat-folk girls going through puberty.

It was to prevent girls who had become aware of their sexual appeal from indiscriminately charming men around them.

But was that really all there was to it?

If the sole purpose was to control teenage girls’ sexual behavior, the fact that “men with negative feelings perceive a woman’s scent as foul” would be sufficient.

There could be no more miserable outcome than being labeled a promiscuous woman for indiscriminately seducing men, only to be told “you stink” by the man you truly like.

“Seti’s scent flows for me, right? But Rona, while outwardly trying to seduce me, was probably thinking of your father inside. I think that might have been the difference.”

“Eh~ So if Seti’s aunt had sincerely wanted to have an affair with Will, you would have fallen for her…?”

“Mina…you! Just! When someone! Is having a heartwarming conversation!”

“Ow ow ow ow it’s breaking! My head’s breaking! Help me, Phyllis~!”

“This time, Mina is entirely at fault. You should accept your punishment obediently.”

Me, delivering an iron claw to Mina’s head for her unnecessary comment; Mina, writhing in pain and pleading with Phyllis for help; Phyllis, coldly ignoring Mina’s request for rescue.

At this comedic scene, Jessica and Seti looked at each other and laughed, then came to either side of me and linked their arms with mine.

“Whatever. Neither Seti nor I particularly object to Will getting more lovers, but we’ll hold onto him tightly to keep half-hearted women away. Right, Seti?”

“Yes. I won’t oppose it if she truly loves Will. But I’ll mark him thoroughly with my scent so most women won’t even think of approaching.”

“Hahaha… Take it easy, both of you.”

What had almost ended on a heartwarming note turned into a third-rate romantic comedy, but who cares?

With a flower on each arm, I began walking toward the Fifth Western City with a lighter heart, leading Ancestor.

Completely forgetting what had happened to the horse that Crow had been leading.