Ch.408Chapter 408 – Morning of the Bestia (1)

When I came to my senses, the cold morning air was flowing in.

Perhaps it was the result of the healing that had continued throughout the night.

Judging by the fact that I hadn’t overslept, my physical condition seemed fine.

Though my mind was still in a haze between sleep and wakefulness, I felt that my body would be alright as long as I didn’t overexert myself for a while.

Along with that, I could also feel a warm weight pressing down on my entire body.

Carefully raising my hand and lowering my head, I checked under the blanket to identify the source of this weight.

‘…So it was real.’

Inside the blanket, I could just barely see the hair of Eve, Sera, and Chris, making it easy to grasp the situation even in my drowsy state.

Since only their heads were visible from my position, I couldn’t see deeper inside, but I imagined quite a spectacular scene was unfolding there.

As I carefully moved my arm to extract myself, I could feel the body heat of all three people.

They must have been very tired to be sleeping so soundly.

I continued to carefully pull myself out, brushing against their bodies slightly, but none of them showed any signs of waking.

‘I suppose that’s not surprising.’

Even my body, especially my waist, felt a bit stiff, so it must be worse for the three of them.

Come to think of it, Chris and Eve, who usually wake up early, were still unconscious, which showed just how much energy they had expended.

The healing had been quite intense indeed.

‘Better not wake them.’

Our journey so far had been quite tiring.

There would likely be more difficult times ahead.

We needed to rest properly when we could.

By the time I’d resolved to be considerate and let the three of them sleep better, I finally managed to extract myself from the bed.

I closed the window for the sake of the three who were clinging together like ladybugs in the cold air, then found and changed into fresh clothes.

Just as I was about to leave the room, a voice came from the bed.

“…Mr. Lee.”

Was she talking in her sleep?

I could hear Sera mumbling.

“You’re finally healthy…”

I could hear Sera’s joyful voice as she dreamed about something.

And as if taking that as a signal, the other two also began sleep-talking.

“Kay, I’ll ask your father for permission…”

“The first child’s name is…”

Their sleep-talk was a bit cuter compared to Sera’s.

It seemed all three were dreaming about spending happy times with me.

And seeing their faces, I couldn’t help but smile.

‘They look happy.’

Perhaps because they were having good dreams, their faces were filled with happiness.

Even if these dreams might never come true.

Just the thought of it happening made the three of them happy.

I felt both embarrassed and pleased that I was the subject of their happiness.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do for them right now.

Giving them more time to dream was probably the best I could offer at the moment.

I quietly moved away from the bed and carefully opened the door to avoid making any sound.

“…See you later.”

Praying that they could continue their pleasant dreams without disturbance.

Hoping that I could continue to see those smiles.

I bid a quiet farewell to the three behind me as I left the room.

+

The next morning, close to dawn.

Jusha came to Kay’s lodging, her small body carrying supplies.

‘Did I bring too much?’

Jusha was walking with her arms full of groceries.

These were items she had carefully selected from her own home.

She would have preferred to pick them fresh from the market early in the morning, but fearing she might be late for the humans’ mealtime if she misjudged the timing, she decided to bring supplies from home.

It was too much for a child to carry, but she was a beastkin after all.

Even if she was weaker than the average beastkin, she still had considerable strength and stamina.

Still, there was no reason for her to come alone.

‘I need to make a good impression…!’

To avoid giving Kay’s group a bad impression, she had decided to come personally.

She had refused help from those who usually assisted with her grooming and other bear tribe members, sneaking out of the house without her father knowing.

‘Such good fortune won’t come again.’

Fortunately, the situation with Kay’s group had been resolved before it could worsen.

Relieved that they at least wouldn’t be hostile, Jusha had rested well that day and then thought:

What if she continued to make a good impression to maintain a good relationship with them?

According to their agreement, she couldn’t ask them to help with her tribe’s affairs, but what if the bear tribe faced danger?

What if she could earn enough goodwill now so they might consider helping when her tribe was in danger?

‘That would be a great help for the future…!’

With such thoughts, Jusha had decided to act personally.

Of course, it might all be for nothing, but there was no reason not to try.

Besides, there was no real loss involved.

There would be some expenses according to their requests, but household groceries hardly counted as a loss.

‘My family can’t eat all of it anyway.’

The food in her house was far too much for just her father and herself.

Even though Jusha had allowed the slaves who helped with housework to eat the same quality of meals, they still often had to distribute food that was about to spoil.

This batch of groceries would likely meet the same fate.

So it was better to share it with them to make a good impression.

Additionally, given her position, the food from her household was among the best the bear tribe could obtain, making it suitable for entertaining guests.

And Jusha had a secret weapon too.

‘If I give them this, which Father treasures…’

Jusha glanced at a jar in a leather basket.

It contained honey that was presented to the bear tribe’s chief.

It was something her father would secretly taste at night.

Of course, it was a food that Jusha loved very much too.

While she had been decisive about selecting other groceries, she had agonized greatly over the honey pot.

Even though she had brought it, she still felt regretful since she hadn’t handed it over yet.

‘Maybe I should have brought something else?’

Since it was food she loved, her regret continued to grow.

But the tribe’s affairs came first.

It wasn’t as if she couldn’t get more honey, so she had to endure for now.

‘This might become the foundation that connects to our tribe’s future…!’

Having barely calmed herself, Jusha shook her head a couple of times to clear her thoughts.

And finally, upon reaching the lodging, she took a deep breath and quietly knocked on the door.

“Excuse me, it’s Jusha. May I come in?!”

She spoke with a slightly louder voice, fearing they might not hear her if she spoke too softly.

When there was no answer for a while, Jusha was about to knock again.

“Are you the—”

“Ah, the little miss?”

The door opened slightly, and Sia poked her head out.

Jusha was a bit surprised to see her fully dressed.

“Oh, are you already prepared to go out?”

“You see, we tend to rise early around here.”

Sia smiled, saying she was fortunate to be able to greet the young lady because of it.

Jusha was greatly relieved inside.

‘I’m glad I brought things from home…!’

If she had gone to the market first, they might have already finished their meal by the time she arrived.

She was truly thankful that her timing wasn’t off.

“By the way, what’s that?”

“I wanted to ensure you all are comfortable during your stay here.”

Jusha showed the groceries in her hands.

“That seems like quite a lot.”

“Since there are many in your group, I thought this much would be necessary… but it’s fine if you have leftovers.”

‘That’s not what I meant.’

Sia realized that Jusha had misunderstood her comment, which was meant to suggest it was too much for a child to carry alone.

But feeling that explaining would only embarrass the girl more, Sia didn’t clarify and instead reached out to take Jusha’s basket.

The rather heavy basket was filled with various ingredients including ham and fish.

“Ah, please don’t be surprised that they’re cold. Since we live in a cold place, it’s easy for us to keep food chilled.”

“I see.”

Local wisdom, perhaps.

Though not particularly knowledgeable about cooking, Sia could tell the freshness was good.

“Oh, are there any unfamiliar ingredients? I know a little about cooking from what my mother taught me.”

“That’s something we should ask our alchemist about.”

After saying this, Sia glanced at Jusha.

Though trying hard to appear nonchalant, her youth betrayed her, and her eagerness to help was evident on her face.

‘She wants to make a good impression, I suppose.’

It was probably related to the bear tribe’s future.

Sia guessed she wanted to make a favorable impression on their group.

‘At least her intentions aren’t malicious.’

Sia had seen many who would pretend to be helpful while secretly gaining all sorts of advantages, or who would subtly alter contracts in their favor, or who would pass on suspicious money with a smile to force difficult tasks on others.

Compared to that, wanting to earn genuine goodwill by helping or taking care of them was a naive idea only possible for a child.

And Sia didn’t dislike it.

‘Is this how it feels to have a child?’

The sight of someone confidently pushing forward with what might seem like a naive idea.

Even if it might not be a good deal or beneficial, that pure goodwill and smile were precious treasures.

‘I suppose I can’t help it.’

Though the others in her group might scold her a bit, Sia felt like helping Jusha.

“It must be cold out there. Why don’t you come in for a bit?”

“Oh, that’s…”

“I mentioned earlier that we rise early, didn’t I? Our alchemist is almost ready to prepare breakfast with sleepy eyes. Why not wait a bit and help with the cooking?”

Jusha’s eyes widened at Sia’s words.

It seemed she had been looking for an excuse to stay a while, as she nodded enthusiastically.

“If that’s alright, please!”

“Come on in.”

Jusha quickly entered, perhaps thinking Sia might change her mind if she hesitated.

Smiling at her, Sia led her toward the dining area.

And there, they encountered an unexpected figure.

“Eh.”

“You’re up early, Beatrice.”

Beatrice looked at Sia with slightly surprised eyes.

Then, after briefly glancing at Jusha, she turned back to Sia and said:

“I thought I was the first one up, but you were already awake, Sia.”

“That’s right. We must have missed each other while I was greeting our guest.”

Sia figured that Beatrice had come down while she was dealing with Jusha.

And she tilted her head slightly, noticing Beatrice’s attire.

“Are you planning to cook?”

Beatrice was holding an apron that looked freshly taken out.

She seemed quite prepared, having tied her usually loose hair into a neat ponytail.

After shifting her gaze around a bit, Beatrice finally answered quietly:

“Well, no. I just thought, occasionally, I could prepare breakfast too.”

“Hmm.”

Sera is better at cooking than Beatrice.

Sia was making a cool assessment, recalling when she had tasted both their cooking on the ship.

But seeing Beatrice’s fidgeting made her hesitant to voice such a cold evaluation.

‘Well, she’s not bad at it. It should be fine.’

Excluding herself who could only grill, and Eve, Chris, and Kay whom she’d never seen cook, Beatrice was probably the second-best cook in their group.

Of course, the ranking didn’t mean much when there were only two people who could cook, but her willingness was evident.

‘It’s also unfair to always ask Sera to do it.’

Though the diligent Sera probably wouldn’t consider it a burden, it would be better to let her rest and allow others to do what they wanted sometimes.

Having reached that conclusion, Sia smiled and said:

“Then Beatrice is on duty today.”

“I hate to say this, but are you sure? I’m not as good as Sera.”

“You’re not bad either. It’s fine occasionally.”

And Sia grinned as she added:

“If you want to do it, I’ll support you all the way. Besides, I’ve brought an expert who can teach you what you don’t know.”

Sia looked at Jusha as she said this.

Noticing Sia’s gaze, Jusha smiled and said:

“I’ve brought fresh ingredients, and I know how to cook them deliciously. I’ll help you!”

“No, it’s fine… Oh, I see.”

Having made a similar deduction as Sia, Beatrice stopped mid-sentence and smiled.

Then, gently patting Jusha’s head, she said:

“Then I’ll be in your care, Princess of the Bear Tribe.”

“Yes! …But please be careful with the ears, they’re sensitive…”

‘Come to think of it, did she like furry animals?’

Watching Beatrice subtly touch Jusha’s ears, Sia recalled how Beatrice would sometimes hug Muu, saying his fur was soft.

“Then I’ll be counting on your guidance, Princess!”

“Yes!”

Jusha energetically entered the kitchen.

Watching her, Beatrice glanced at Sia and said:

“Is this what it’s like to have a child?”

“It might be.”

Sia answered with a smile, and Beatrice smiled back.

With a brighter face than before, Beatrice murmured softly:

“What would Kay think?”

“He seemed concerned about children being childlike, so I don’t think he’d mind.”

Indeed, during their conversation with the bear tribe, Kay had been attentive to Jusha’s reactions.

If he were here, he would probably try to ensure Jusha felt comfortable.

“…He’d make a good father, wouldn’t he?”

“He’s devoted to his people. I think he’d try incredibly hard to be a good father and a good husband.”

“You think so too.”

Beatrice agreed with Sia’s opinion, smiling.

Then, she murmured softly:

“A good father, a good husband… huh.”

“Hmm.”

‘So this one too, huh.’

Just as Sia narrowed her eyes slightly, Beatrice spoke:

“Kay would be a good husba—”

“Did someone call me?”

“AAAAHHHH?!!!”

Beatrice screamed, turning her neck like a broken puppet.

Kay was coming down the stairs.