~CHAPTER 30~
He finished cleaning his room and the first thing he did was fill the empty kitchen with ingredients.
Since it’s food Jerenna has to eat, I should make it myself.
With that said, Illay headed to the shopping district and returned with his arms full of groceries.
And that very evening…
“Wow!”
“Th, that looks so good.”
Illay showed cooking skills I never knew he had and prepared a whole table full of appetizing food.
It couldn’t even be compared to the days when we bought only enough for one day’s meals and barely got by.
I lived through twelve regressions and spent several years with him.
I never knew Illay could cook.
Ratia and Zahar happily grabbed their utensils at the sight of the delicious food.
Meanwhile, Sian looked rather unimpressed.
“Why? Are you worried I put poison in it?”
“Given who you are, it’s not impossible.”
“If it were only for you all to eat, maybe… but don’t worry.”
“Would I dare play around with the food meant for this person?”
“……”
“You’ve been eating garbage-like food until now.”
“As long as I’m watching, I won’t let that happen again.”
It looked like a brief war of nerves, but it wasn’t that important.
From that night on, Illay took full responsibility for dinner, and he adapted surprisingly well among us.
Even Zahar, who was terrified at first, now tried to talk to him several times as if he wanted to get close.
Ratia didn’t seem interested in Illay from the start.
The biggest problem is Sian…
Sian maintained an expression that made it impossible to know what he was thinking.
He seemed wary of Illay, yet he didn’t interfere with anything he did.
The fact that Sian even allowed him to be here is already a big deal.
It felt like Sian knew about Illay’s identity from the beginning.
In fact, the others probably noticed it too, but simply chose not to bring it up.
Even so, accepting him without complaint was quite strange.
So in this house right now, we have two demons, one spirit, one holy knight, and one mage…
What a terrifying lineup…
It felt like we should be holding some kind of inter-race summit.
A few days passed like that, and one evening we were sitting at the table eating a meal made by Illay as usual.
Illay, who normally didn’t speak while eating, suddenly opened his mouth.
“Prepare your own meal tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
Zahar lifted his head in shock, his mouth full of meat.
Illay glanced at him with disgust, then looked toward me.
“I’ll be going to the Demon Realm for a bit.”
“The Demon Realm?”
Sian, who had been reading as if he didn’t care, turned his eyes toward us.
I tried not to react to Sian and listened closely to Illay.
“I wasn’t planning to stay away for long.”
“There are a few matters I need to delegate.”
“Ah… I see.”
I answered vaguely, too distracted by Sian in my peripheral vision.
Illay seemed to take my answer as reluctant.
“Are you worried about meals?”
“Well yes, thinking of going back to that garbage human food…”
“No, it’s not that.”
“I should leave Jerenna’s portion prepared bef—”
*Tap*
Before he could finish, a light sound cut him off.
Sian had closed his book loudly.
“Stop worrying.”
“I will take responsibility for Jerenna’s dinner tomorrow.”
It felt like it had been a long time since I heard his voice.
Awkwardly, I fiddled with the spoon in my hand.
“You?”
Illay frowned in doubt, and Sian also looked displeased.
“Can you prepare something that suits Jerenna’s taste?”
“Do you even know her taste?”
“I’m sorry, but recently Jerenna has been eating ‘very well’ the meals ‘I’ prepared.”
“Until you came, she ate mine continuously.”
The atmosphere looked like fists could fly if insults continued.
“Ratia, don’t be picky. Eat this too.”
“Zahar, do you eat beans?”
“I do… I’m an adult.”
“Then I’ll give you all of mine. A gift.”
With that childish exchange, Zahar and Ratia lost interest in the argument and focused on their plates.
I wanted to do the same, but…
They were arguing about who would handle *my* meals.
My face burned with embarrassment.
I’m not a three-year-old child…
I can feed myself.
Just as I raised my hand to stop them—
Warmth touched my hand.
“Jerenna, do you trust me?”
It was Sian.
He held my hand and asked seriously.
“Uh… yes.”
“Then tomorrow, I will prepare your dinner.”
There was no point saying I’d handle it myself.
They wouldn’t listen anyway.
I quietly nodded.
It sounded so serious, almost like a proposal.
Sian has a habit of being overly serious about trivial matters.
Maybe because he’s so strict.
“What about us?”
“Not me. I’m going to sleep all day tomorrow. I won’t be eating.”
The first question was Zahar’s, and the answer belonged to Ratia.
She explained she needed rest and would return to bird form because staying human was tiring.
Zahar, losing his potential partner in begging for food, looked to Sian again.
“Sian, what about me?”
“Handle it yourself.”
Zahar pouted at the cold response.
“Zahar, where are you going?”
“I… have something to do.”
He looked at me several times while hesitating.
He’s going to Ifrit.
He probably needed to form another contract for his magic.
Hearing that reminded me I needed to move as well.
I had made a deal with Ifrit.
He would take me to the World Tree,
and in return, I would fulfill his condition.
‘I’m looking for a child. Find that child.’
From what I heard, Ifrit became an information broker to find that child.
I don’t know why he made that condition, but it’s not my concern.
He was the Spirit King.
There was no way he’d harm an innocent child.
All I needed was to keep my promise and meet the World Tree.
Maybe I shouldn’t be wasting time thinking about dinner.
I looked down at my plate.
Thanks to Illay, there was almost nothing left.
I had been eating well ever since he arrived.
Skipping one meal wouldn’t hurt.
But the problem was how Sian would react.
He seemed determined to prepare dinner.
Carefully, I spoke.
“Then… I’ll go out tomorrow too. Is that alright?”
“Ah, will you?”
Huh?
He agreed so readily, without even a hint of objection.
I was the one who got confused.
Did he not want to cook after all?
Then why was he so determined?
I nodded and let it go.
And the next day…
“…Sir Sian?”
“Yes.”
When I came downstairs dressed for an outing, Sian was standing at the entrance, fully prepared and waiting.
