Ch.363363. Joint Insemination

#

Even though the world had calmed down and an era of unparalleled peace had arrived, the scenery of the Garda household remained unchanged.

In other words, even after Kasa Garda had ascended to the position of Grand Chief with absolute power, her relationship with her granddaughter remained virtually the same.

Dinner was always a simple affair. Following the customs of the Tribal Union, regardless of status, they ate without servants, sharing family-made food among family members.

Given Kasa’s age, most of the cooking and serving fell to Riru anyway.

The stew of vegetables and meat placed before them emitted a fragrant aroma, but the atmosphere in the house seemed remarkably stiff.

“Men are all simple creatures.”

“…”

“And you’re a complete fool for missing that, my granddaughter. Do you understand?”

“…Stop talking nonsense and just eat, Grandma.”

Despite the curt reply, Kasa paid no mind and continued to stare at Riru with her arms crossed.

Her expression clearly conveyed silent pressure, as if asking whether food could possibly go down in this state.

“So, you let that man slip away right before your eyes.”

“…”

“What do you think, Kariya?”

Kariya—this wasn’t a name but rather a title used in the Tribal Union.

It referred to a woman who was next in line after the elder in the clan. While it should normally be Riru’s title, at this moment, it was being used to address someone else.

“My, I’m honored to be called that.”

Riru’s face contorted at the feminine speech that was utterly foreign to the rough women of the Tribal Union.

The fact that the person speaking looked exactly like her probably intensified her reaction.

Always wearing a bright smile, this “Kariya”—the Blue Demon—covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled.

“…This thing is not my sister.”

“To this old woman, she looks exactly like you.”

“…”

“And if I say so, then it must be so, don’t you think?”

In truth, that was correct.

Within the clan, all authority was always controlled by the elder.

“Hmm, isn’t it too much for a man to leave behind a woman who’s good at housework, pretty, and does such adorable things?”

“Stop…!”

Riru convulsed in protest as the Blue Demon casually grabbed her cheeks and started stretching them.

Though each of her movements as a trained warrior contained destructive physical force, the way the Blue Demon dodged everything as if she knew the movements in advance and still managed to pull Riru’s cheeks was truly remarkable.

Well, she was Riru’s past self, so it made sense.

“But still, it’s a bit strange that you’re not properly utilizing this advantage that’s unique to Riru.”

“…What?”

“Surprisingly, there’s no one around that person who’s good at… ‘simple’ things like this. Everyone else can handle great feats without breaking a sweat, but I bet none of them knows how to clean or cook, right?”

“…”

That was true.

Except for perhaps Elia Krisanax, most of them were born into grand households and had never experienced hardship.

In fact, that was why Elia and Riru had quickly become friends—they easily formed a bond over such commonalities.

The question was probably why Riru didn’t strongly appeal to Darwood Campbell with these advantages, and Riru awkwardly averted her gaze as she confessed the reason.

“…It’s embarrassing.”

For someone born and raised as a warrior, appealing to her femininity and acting coy with men was an act that brought up instinctive resistance, almost to the point of convulsion.

Though that wasn’t the only reason.

“A-And.”

“And what?”

“If he were to complain…”

The emotion condensed in Riru’s unconscious swallowing was clear.

She was afraid.

She had never shown this side of herself to anyone outside her family, so she had no idea what reaction she would receive.

Seeing her like this, Kasa clicked her tongue in exasperation and took a spoonful of the food Riru had prepared.

“The taste is heavenly.”

“…”

“Yet my granddaughter is such a fool that she can’t even properly catch one man with this. Good grief.”

“That’s enough…!”

Riru blushed and tried to stand up abruptly.

“Tried” being the operative word.

“Ah, Grandma is scolding big sister again!”

“Big sister, what happened this time?”

“…”

Just then, children came bustling into the house, making a racket, preventing her from expressing her anger.

They had probably smelled the food she had prepared and rushed over in a group.

“…”

In the end, all Riru could do was sit back down with a huff and grumble complaints.

“…There’s no way he would like something like this.”

It had been just a day since she had finally managed to find out where Darwood was.

#

“…Oh.”

“Shut up. Don’t say anything.”

“…”

In that sense, her offering Darwood home-cooked food directly must have been quite a desperate act on her part.

It was an image that seemed a million light-years away from this woman’s usual demeanor.

Darwood blinked as he looked at the plate in front of him.

Serath Evatrice, who had come with her, had been deliberately left behind because Riru insisted on meeting alone, making him wonder what this was all about. And now, with hands trembling as if she had made a life-or-death decision, she was presenting him with this.

“…”

Not knowing how to react, Darwood stared blankly before finally beginning to observe Riru’s reaction closely.

She was clearly tense.

“Riru.”

“…What.”

“Did you make this yourself?”

“…”

Riru nodded, her face red as if about to explode, trembling slightly.

“…”

After watching her silently for a while, Darwood smiled bitterly and nodded.

“You’ve made a big decision.”

“…It’s nothing special.”

Though her response was curt, the way she flinched at his words indicated he had hit the mark.

“…You’ve never done anything like this before. Why now?”

“…”

Indeed, she had always shown an almost allergic reaction to anything that appeared “feminine.”

For her to prepare something like this on her own initiative suggested there must have been some catalyst.

Sure enough, after fidgeting for a while, Riru finally began to speak haltingly.

“I, I…”

With her eyes tightly shut, ears completely red, and body trembling, it was clear just how embarrassed she was.

“…I th-thought that c-compared to other women, I m-might be lacking in f-feminine charm…”

“…”

“When I s-saw you disappear with another woman like that this time…”

Though her sentences were broken as she swallowed dryly, the meaning between the lines was clear to anyone who wasn’t a fool.

She was worried that she didn’t appear womanly enough, which might be why he prioritized someone else.

This was her attempt to demonstrate that she too possessed conventional “femininity.”

I am a proper woman too.

So, please.

Love me, Darwood Campbell.

“…”

If that was the case, the appropriate response was clear.

“I’m happy.”

With those words, Darwood slowly emptied his plate, leaving Riru who had flinched as if struck by lightning.

It was a simple, warm meal.

He could feel how much care she had put into making it.

“I-It’s nothing special…”

“This is a meal I could never have without you.”

“…Don’t flatter me.”

“To me, nothing could be more special than this. It’s really delicious.”

“…”

“I’m so fortunate to have you by my side.”

“…”

With Riru making strange squeaking noises, eyes closed and trembling, unable to properly speak—

Darwood finished his meal with a slight smile.

“Thank you for the—”

It would have been perfect if he could have completed that greeting.

If only someone hadn’t grabbed his arm firmly before he could finish.

“…Riru?”

Huh?

Did I do something wrong?

That thought reflexively crossed his mind as she gripped his arm tightly.

But it wasn’t hostile.

It was more like…

[…She looks like she’s in heat?]

“…”

He wanted to object to Calivan Chrysanyx for saying something so crude about a woman, but it was hard to deny.

It was as if hearts were embedded in her pupils.

Somehow, her lower abdomen seemed to be twitching noticeably.

Even now, intense heat was rising from that area, as if she was desperately trying to suppress it.

“…Follow me.”

With noticeably rough breathing, Riru declared those words.

“Don’t just talk the talk. Prove it properly.”

“…”

For Darwood, this was an ominously foreboding statement.