When the clouds start to fade, the sun is already setting. Gradually the darkness falls on the fields and the cold winds begin to blow.
Sunset in Tornela is somewhat early, as there is a mountain on the west side of the village, and apparently, it also contributes to the low temperatures at night. So, even though it’s spring, you can still feel the winter cold.
Belgriff quickly prepares a simple stew using dried meat, beans, preserved potatoes, and other vegetables. During winter, he was alone, restricted and with few ingredients, but today is different. There are mountains of ingredients and plenty of salt. In addition, he also wants to try the new spices his daughter has given him.
Angeline offers to help him cook, but Belgriff asks her to bring all the luggage and souvenirs into the house before the frost starts to fall. And Angeline reluctantly starts working together with Miriam and Anessa. Seeing the huge mountain of souvenirs, Angeline complains about the number of objects. Somewhat ironic since she is primarily responsible for that.
Belgriff puts the stew pot in the corner of the fireplace, kneads the dough, places it near the fireplace, takes another large pot out of the pantry and starts boiling some water.
“Sorry, but we don’t have a bathtub. So you’ll have to clean yourselves with a cloth and hot water.” After saying this, Belgriff adjusts the temperature of the hot water by adding a little more water, takes a clean cloth, dips it in the water and squeezes it out. After placing the pot back in the fireplace, Belgriff lights a candle.
“This won’t warm you up too much, but at least you’ll be able to clean the dirt out of your bodies. I’ll leave the house for a moment.”
Angeline hugs Belgriff as he puts on his cape and sword and prepares to leave.
“Daddy, I’ll wash your back, so you wash mine.”
“No, girls your age shouldn’t say things like that.”
“But I’m your daughter, so no problem. Or have you become a perverted father who lusts after his own daughter?”
“Well, well, your mouth has loosened quite a bit, hasn’t it? But it’s not good that you’re saying things like that.” Says Belgriff smiling as he lightly pokes Angeline’s forehead, then he leaves the house and shuts the door.
“He used to wash my back when I was little…” says Angeline puffing up her cheeks.
“But you’re not a child anymore, so he can’t do it any longer. You shouldn’t bother your dad so much.” Anessa laughs nervously and takes off her coat. The fire burns intensely and the inside of the house is warmer than she thought.
“Should I… take everything off?” murmurs Anessa with some hesitation, as she takes off her clothes.
“Huh? Did you say something?” Miriam has already taken off her hat, thick tunic and underwear, revealing her soft white skin. Her voluptuous body shines thanks to the reflection of the flames. As she cleans her body with the recently squeezed cloth, her tail sways from left to right, and her cat ears twitch a little.
“Uhhh~. It feels good. Oh, look, look, it really removes the dirt!” The towel quickly got dirty as it removed all the dust and dirt from the girl’s body.
“Unbelievable, for a lady to undress so easily…” says Anessa in astonishment.
“Just take off your clothes, Ane.”
“Kya!”
Angeline sneaks up to Anessa’s back and takes off her underwear. Angeline and Miriam can’t help but smile when they hear their partner’s cute scream.
“So you also make sounds like that… Fufufu.”
“How cute~, Ane.”
“S-Shut up! You dummies!” Anessa shouts with flushed cheeks and covering her body with her hands.
Miriam and Angeline laugh cheerfully. After that, the three girls start washing each other. After a while, the situation turns into a game and they soon start tickling each other.
Don’t push! It would be dangerous if I fell!”
“Oh… Your skin is so smooth, Ane~.”
“And you’re so springy, Miri. You’re lucky.”
“You've said before, many times. It's starting to worry me…”
“Well, the truth is, I think you’ve been eating a lot of sweets. You’ve eaten way too many lately.”
“Shut up! You’ve put on weight too, Ane! The three of us~! Our hips are bigger~!”
“Guh! T-This is the result of my training! A strong lower half is important!”
“What are you talking about? My body looks the same.”
“Hmm… Maybe it’s because you always run back and forth, Angie~”
“Yeah. You’re always moving around, Angie. That’s why your body is firm and slender.”
“Yes! Being slender is the best~!”
“Really? But I still think my body looks like a little girl’s…”
Right then, a sudden gust of wind begins to blow. Apparently, the outside air is making its way into the interior of the house, causing the temperature to drop rapidly. The three girls, who have been having fun until then, hurry to put on some beautiful garments that they take out of their luggage as they tremble in cold. Meanwhile, outside, the sun has already completely set.
Anessa puts on a thick coat, and Miriam wears a fluffy hat. Both were born and raised in the city of Orphen, so they are not accustomed to the overwhelming cold of the small village of Tornela.
“Huuuh… When the sun goes down, the cold increases…”
“Yes, Tornela nights are very cold. If you’re not careful, you might catch a cold.” Angeline takes an oil lamp, lights it and places it on a rope hanging from a beam.
The room is hardly illuminated since they only have the light of oil lamp and the chimney. However, when the girls see the chimney, they realize that the fire is going out.
“We have to put more firewood.” After saying this, Angeline takes some firewood and places it inside the fireplace. And after fanning the fire, the flames rise again.
“That’s better. “
“Ahh~. It’s a good thing there’s a chimney.” The three girls approach and snuggle by the fire.
Angeline takes a blanket and uses it to cover herself and her friends. The girls laugh shyly as if they were little children.
“I remember once we covered ourselves with a blanket and told horror stories at the orphanage.”
“That’s right~! The story of the ghost in the cemetery. But the sister discovered us and got angry~.”
“It was because one of the little ones started crying! I tried to reassure him, but the sister listened to him and ran into our room… “
“Those are some nice memories~… Haaaah~.” Miriam leans on Angeline, who is in the middle.
“Angie, did you ever do something like that with your dad?”
“My Daddy would sit me on his knee and then put a blanket over his shoulder and cover us both…”
As the girls remember those beautiful moments, they hear someone knocking on the door. “Are you done?”
Without answering, Angeline runs to the door and opens it. She jumps towards Belgriff who is waiting on the other side of the door, puts her arms around his neck and hugs him tightly.
“Welcome back, Daddy! Do you want to wash your body?”
“Later. For now, let’s have dinner.”
Belgriff walks into the house shaking and carrying Angeline. He also holds the motionless body of a shiragi bird* in his hand. Its meat still looks soft, so it is certain that he caught it recently. Belgriff places the bird in the cupboard and lowers Angeline.
“Angie, would you make the bread?”
“Yes! In the iron frying pan?”
“Yes.”
Angeline, who loves to help Belgriff, kneads and shapes the dough and puts it in a frying pan. Anessa and Miriam stand up, and curiously approach Angeline.
“So you can also make it like this…”
“Interesting~. Bread can not only be baked but also prepared with a frying pan**.”
“It’s not so fluffy, but it looks good… Do you think I could try?”
“Y-Yes. If you really want to.”
“All right~. I’ll show you my skills~.”
The three young women begin to knead the dough while chatting happily. Belgriff smiles with satisfaction, plucks the feathers from the bird, separates the viscera and burns the remaining feathers with the fire of the chimney.
“I’m glad I caught you just in time.”
On his last patrol, Belgriff shot down the bird with a sling as he walked through one of the village fields. He was fortunate to find it during the sunset, as this bird usually has fast movements. But it couldn’t react properly because of the dim light.
The bird does not have much meat due to the harsh winter, but the fat is very abundant. Enough to give more seasoning to the food. Belgriff puts all the meat on skewers and grills it to cook the fat. Of the internal organs, the liver and heart are edible, so he also puts them on skewers and places them over the fire. Each time the melted fat falls into the fire, a small column of smoke rises and some sparks shoot out of the fireplace. A fragrant aroma begins to cover the house.
Soon enough the bread is ready, the bird is grilled and the plates are filled with stew. They also serve glasses with the mulled wine the girls brought as a souvenir.
“It may not be as good as the food in Orphen, but please eat as much as you want.”
“My first family dinner in five years! What a treat! I’m so happy!”
Angeline smells the stew with an innocent expression. She actually prefers the comfortable taste of her village to the refined and elegant taste of Orphen restaurants.
“Fufufu, this is the aroma of the Kirio fruit… I knew you liked this, Daddy! I like this too!”
“Like I said. It’s not as good as Orphen's. But I hope it’s to your liking.” Belgriff places the stew plates in front of the girls. A peculiar but pleasant aroma rises from the broth
“Okay. Let’s eat!” says Angeline as she puts her hands together, thus thanking for the food. (itadakimasu)
Belgriff is not a religious person, but neither is he a non-believer. He does not usually address his prayers to God Vienna, but he knows the difficulties of daily hunting and meal preparation, so he does have a habit of thanking the people who are involved in these processes. Especially nature, he always thanks nature. Angeline, seeing this daily habit in her father for years, did not take long to imitate him.
Anessa and Miriam, on the other hand, give a small prayer in a low voice and then take their wooden cutlery. Apparently, prayers before meals are a regular practice that all children learn in the church orphanage.
The stew, which was simmered in the fireplace, has vegetables so soft that they seem to melt in the mouth, the broth of dried meat seasoned with spices has a mild but rich flavor. Angeline can’t help but smile broadly. Anessa and Miriam start eating with enthusiasm.
“This is truly delicious~. I’ve never eaten anything like this before~.”
” Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s delectable, Mr. Belgriff.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that.” Belgriff smiles relieved and takes a sip of his mulled wine. It’s a nostalgic taste. He remembers all the times he drank that wine when he was still an adventurer. The fact that Angeline is drinking it now makes him realize how much time has passed since then.
The dish with the grilled shiragi bird is full of melted fat. And the best way to eat it is by soaking bread in it.
This way… Put your hand on the plate so as not to dirty the table and then bring the plate and your hand to the mouth.” Angeline shows her two companions the right way to do it.
“Mmm, like this~? …The mouth…Ah~…”
Miriam brings her face closer to the table, but her hat ends up soaking in the plate and filling with fat.
“Ms. Miri, isn’t it hard to eat with your hat on? You can take it off,” Belgriff says as he scratches his beard.
“…! Well… I…”
Miriam, contrary to her usual cheerful attitude, seems distressed and nervous. Anessa looks tenderly at her friend and then turns her gaze towards Angeline and Belgriff.
“Miri,” Says Angeline staring at Miriam with honest eyes “My Daddy is not that kind of person.”
“I know, but…” Miriam lowers her gaze.
Belgriff is a bit bewildered but somehow manages to understand that he has spoken too much, and tries to correct it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep. If you don’t want to take it off, then you don’t have to.”
Miriam has her gaze down for a while, but then she lifts her face and takes off her hat. The cat’s ears twitch a little. Belgriff looks at the girl with an expression of admiration and surprise***.
Miriam is a beastman.
The population of beastmen is not large and they are often treated as inferior beings. Many of today’s beastmen have ancestors who were once slaves.
Today, slavery is abolished, and although outright discrimination is prohibited, people are tempted to harass those they consider weaker and inferior to them. And the more vulnerable the victim, the stronger the abuse.
As an orphan, Miriam spent her first days in the poorest area of the city. And she continued to be discriminated against until she finally arrived at the orphanage.
Because of these experiences, even now, as an AAA Rank adventurer, she has become fearful of the thoughts her ears can generate. She doesn’t like people looking at her with pity, contempt, or hatred. She often feels that people always underestimate or mock her. And that always makes her angry.
I don’t want you to feel sorry for me! she screamed many times inside her head.
Angeline, a reliable companion, and Anessa, the person she considers her own sister, never see her that way, even when her ears are exposed. Regardless of what others say about her behind her back, her companions always treat her favorably.
However, she is always afraid to expose herself to people she has just met. Even if it’s Angeline’s father.
Belgriff remains silent for a while but finally scratches her head with a serious expression. “I see… so that’s how it is…”
Miriam sadly lowers her gaze. The fact that people always see her with expressions of pity makes her feel unwell. And it seems that Angeline’s father is the same as the others…
“…Your ears must be freezing. It is to be expected, Tornela is colder than Orphen…”
Belgriff’s words take Miriam by surprise. Then Belgriff stands up and walks to the fireplace, adds more firewood and fans the flames. The fire rises vigorously.
“Good. Wait just a minute, I’m sure I have a wool hat. Then the brim will no longer get in your way and your ears can warm up. I’m sure I left it here…” While he’s saying that, Belgriff pulls out a hat knitted with sheep’s wool from one of the corners of the room.
“Yes, my Daddy is not that kind of person,” Angeline says as she looks at Miriam with a warm smile.
“Your ears are freezing… Fufufu…” Anessa begins to tremble from laughter.
Miriam is also attacked by a strange sensation and starts laughing unintentionally. Her stomach starts to shake. Many times she has received pity words from other people, but no one has ever asked her if her ears are cold! For starters, her ears are covered in fur, so they are always warm.
“Ahahahahahaha! Ah~. You were right. Your dad is a special person, Angie~. Fufu… Ahahahahah! Ah, how amusing~!”
Belgriff, who has just found the wool hat, is fascinated to see Miriam laughing so hard that she has to hold on to her stomach.
“W-What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing, nothing~! Thank you very much, Mr. Bel~!”
“What? Ah! The hat…”
“It’s all right. Come on, Daddy, sit down. Fufu…”
“But Miri’s ears…”
“Mr. Bel, please tell us stories about Angie’s childhood.”
“S-Sure…”
The girls happily eat more of the stew, while Belgriff approaches the table, quite baffled. Then Belgriff grabs his wooden spoon as he tilts his head.
Footnotes:
I’m not quite sure, but I believe is something similar to** There are many recipes for making bread without an oven, .
*** Belgriff’s expression .