IHIMML Chapter 76

 

With just one word from Kaien, they immediately understood.

Kaien’s suitable match, Philome, had alleviated the pain by coming into contact with Liazell.

Liazell had attempted to make contact with Natasha, Theodore’s suitable match, as she manifested as a transcendent being, but it had failed. With nothing they could do and being so far away, Liazell had become a painful reminder for Theodore and Natasha.

They hadn’t intentionally asked for news, but they were satisfied with just hearing about Liazell occasionally through Kaien. Then, suddenly, Liazell had appeared without any prior notice.

“Thank you so, so much, Lady Philome.”

“Thank you, Lady Philome. I truly mean it.”

“I was just lucky. And please, call me Philome.”

“That’s right. After all, Philome will marry me anyway.”

Kaien smiled and intertwined his fingers with Philome’s.

After that, Kaien explained in detail what condition Liazell had been in and how she had improved.

Philome was surprised that Kaien knew the process in more detail than she expected. Although Kaien was not an indifferent person, he had never shown much concern for Liazell’s health while they were at the duke’s residence, so she didn’t think he would know this much.

Once Kaien finished speaking, Philome explained what had happened with Liazell.

Hearing that the three of them had spent time together in the square brought warm smiles to Theodore’s and Natasha’s faces.

“So, how is the situation in the North?”

‘Oh, right. There was a monster, wasn’t there?’

At Kaien’s question, Philome belatedly recalled the monster.

She had completely forgotten that a monster had appeared, as the North and the castle were surprisingly calm and peaceful.

Moreover, Theodore and Natasha didn’t seem to be in a hurry or serious either.

“Two days ago, we encountered a monster about two hours away from the castle.”

Theodore continued, recalling that moment.

The monster was attacking the local residents at that time. After a duel lasting about ten minutes, Theodore and Kei managed to defeat the monster.

The monster had thick and powerful fur, making it very difficult to kill. Furthermore, its low intelligence meant that even when it suffered a critical hit, it would not flee; instead, it became more agitated and charged at them, necessitating a fight to the end.

Theodore, who fought until the last moment, killed the monster by severing its neck.

“There were a total of two local residents attacked. One died, but fortunately, the other wasn’t seriously injured. When I asked, they said they encountered the monster near the snowfield while returning from a field outside the castle.”

“Then what was the blood in that letter?”

“That was from when I was writing the letter while treating the injured.”

Due to the harsh and poorly accessible conditions in the North, there was only one physician available.

With such a situation persisting for several years, Natasha had gained the ability to treat most injuries.

“For now, we have stationed knights in the snowfield to keep watch. Only one monster has appeared, and no traces of other monsters have been found nearby, but we still need to remain cautious.”

As soon as Theodore finished speaking, Kaien immediately asked, “Could the monsters be starting to awaken?”

“It’s difficult to confirm that right now, so we can only hope that’s not the case.”

Theodore sighed.

He had not slept properly since two days ago and had been taking turns keeping watch in the snowfield with the knights, accumulating fatigue.

However, even if he tried to sleep now, his body was tense, making it impossible to get proper rest, so he was just enduring it.

“By the way, didn’t you come down too hastily? I was surprised to see you here just a few hours after Ken arrived.”

“Well, you only sent a single line, so of course I had to come down in a hurry. I’m glad it wasn’t a big deal.”

Kaien let out a light sigh, as if he was finally relieved.

Philome noticed that his posture had relaxed in a strange way. It was the kind of posture that came when tension eased.

“For now, let’s save the rest of the conversation for later, and you two should stretch a bit.”

“Right, I’ll prepare the meal, so eat up.”

Following their words, Kaien and Philome, who were tired from their hasty descent, willingly got up from their seats and headed to their rooms.

When Philome went down to the dining hall with Kaien, their companions who had come with them were already seated.

“So, what’s your favorite food?”

“I, I like pudding.”

“Pudding? I’ll have the chef make some pudding right away.”

As Natasha asked, Liazell answered, and Theodore immediately took action. Liazell fidgeted but didn’t seem too uncomfortable.

“Ph, Philome! Uncle!”

Liazell, who had been flustered, spotted the two and smiled brightly.

A flush of color returned to Harnen’s previously awkward expression.

“Boss! You made it?”

As the two took their seats, the food began to be served in earnest.

The dishes were all warm and satisfying. Although they were made with overlapping ingredients, they were not similar dishes.

Theodore explained each one.

“This is a stew made with potatoes and Northern rabbit meat. Northern rabbits have very tough lean meat, which is mostly made into jerky, but the inner thigh meat, which is the smallest amount, is tender, so we use that for the stew. This is potato butter, which comes from the milk of dairy cows that grow in the harsh North and is particularly nutritious, making it a staple food.”

Aside from the meat, most of the food was what the Northern people ate. Even though Theodore and Natasha were the lord and lady of the castle, they were eating the same food as the local residents.

It felt familiar seeing these people, who were once a duke and duchess, having a simple meal.

Once the brief explanation of the food was over and they started eating, they began to express their admiration one by one.

Philome felt the same way.

“This is the most delicious stew I’ve ever had.”

“Oh my, really? As expected, Theo’s stew is the best in the territory.”

“Is it really made by Lord Theodore?”

Philome asked in surprise.

She had suspected they were down-to-earth to some extent, but she didn’t know they could cook.

“When we first came down here five years ago, there was no chef. We didn’t come down to be served; as we started to lend a hand, Theo’s cooking skills improved.”

Natasha added that one of their subordinates was now also acting as the chef.

Theodore, seeing Liazell’s eyes widen as she ate the stew, served her more from the pot.

“Eat plenty. You’re too thin.”

“I’ve gained a lot of weight…!”

“…Were you thinner than you are now?”

Theodore narrowed his eyes as he stared at Liazell’s slender wrist. Liazell hurriedly rolled up her sleeves.

Her still thin arms looked quite frail.

Before Theodore could say anything, Philome quickly interjected.

“Wow, Liazell. You look like you’ve gained some weight since a few days ago!”

“You’ve really put on some weight, Liazell.”

When Kaien added his comment, Theodore finally understood and continued.

“…Yeah. You’re overflowing with weight.”

“Right? I’ve gained a lot, haven’t I?”

Liazell smiled brightly and finished her stew.

Philome lowered her voice and spoke to Theodore and Natasha.

“Liazell loves compliments about gaining weight the most.”

The two looked at Liazell’s arms with a vague gaze.

She was still slightly underweight. If she liked being complimented about gaining weight, it meant she had been much thinner until recently, and they could hardly imagine how much she had suffered during that time.

The more they thought about it, the more their gratitude toward Philome grew.

Liazell’s gaze and expression toward Philome contained not just affection for someone who had alleviated her pain. There was an emotion that went beyond that.

Knowing how well Philome treated Liazell made Theodore and Natasha feel warm inside.

When Kaien lost his brother ten years ago, he didn’t lash out in anger or lose his reason. But the two who had raised Kaizen understood.

They knew how furious Kaien had been.

Kaien had lived a busy life without any leisure, always seeking revenge.

However, after about a year, Kaien had changed quite a bit. The sensitivity that had surrounded him had completely disappeared, and he even occasionally wore a gentle smile.

Theodore and Natasha could tell that this change had come about because of Philome.