51.1 A Lively Dinner
“Meat~”
I was tense for a moment, wondering what had happened, but Priscilla-chan’s lively voice makes me fall flat on my face. She runs up to me holding a large chunk of meat in her hands.
“Nnmtto, Mistral is taking care of dinner!”
I stroke Priscilla-chan’s head while looking at the meat she’s boasting of.
“Welcome back.”
“Nnmtto, I’m back!”
Priscilla-chan closes her eyes in pleasure.
I see, they’re late because they are preparing the dinner. Mistral did once say that using fire in the moss-covered plaza has long been prohibited.
I receive the meat from Priscilla-chan and then wait for Mistral and Ruiseine to return from the forest. Once they appear, I make a wry smile at their appearances.
Mistral is dressed lightly. She has given her jacket to Ruiseine. Furthermore, in her hands are sacks of meat just like the kind Priscilla-chan had. As for Ruiseine, she holds the fluffy Nymia tightly, trembling as she makes her body as small as possible.
“Eetto, welcome back.”
“We’re back.”
“We have returned.”
Mistral gives a wry smile while Ruiseine shivers with blue lips.
“Mistral, make sure Ruiseine doesn’t catch a cold.”
“Yes.”
Mistral hangs her head in shame.
It seems like what I was worrying about really happened. Ruiseine was frozen in the ice cold swamp.
“She was able to warm up some while we were grilling the meat.”
“I’m alright. Nymia-chan is also very warm.”
“Nyaa~”
So that’s why she is holding the fluffy Nymia.
“Nmmto, Nymia is even warmer when she is big!”
“Yes, that’s right. Nymia, I’m sorry to ask this, but can you return to your original appearance?”
“I got it, nyan~”
“Eetto, what are you guys talking about?”
Ruiseine tilts her head in confusion, but she releases Nymia. Afterwards, Nymia flies a short distance from us and cries, Nyaaan!
Nymia expands in an instant, leaving Ruiseine to stare at her in surprise. Her cute rounded horns sharpen and her long tail slams down on the moss carpet.
Then, before we realized it, she had changed into a giant dragon.
“Biiiiggg!”
Priscilla-chan jumps onto Nymia first.
“My, my, well, well. Isn’t this is amazing?”
“You could say that this is Nymia’s true form.”
“So she isn’t a cute baby dragon.”
“Nymia is not cute when she gets big, nyan?”
“Fufufu, even when you’re big, your perfectly round eyes are very cute.”
Ruiseine approaches the massive Nymia without any hesitation and buries herself in her fluffy belly.
“How warm.”
Nymia’s long, fine, hair looks even warmer than animal fur.
“Ruiseine, you should keep warming your body up just like that. I’ll leave this to you too, Nymia. Now then, help me out with the dinner, Ernea.”
“Yees.”
“Nyan~”
Nymia and I reply to Mistral energetically.
Ruiseine’s face looks like it’s melting as she hugs Nymia.
Mistral spreads the cloth over a suitable place and arranges various types of big and small leaves on it. On them she lines up the meat and vegetables she had already cooked. What surprises me is that there even some fish has been prepared. Did she catch them at the swamp?
Not long after the preparations are finished, Ruiseine gives her thanks to Nymia and comes to join us. It seems like body and soul have been sufficiently warmed. Nymia immediately returns to her kitten appearance and slowly makes her way over by riding on Priscilla-chan’s head.
“Now, let’s have our dinner.”
“Great, itadakimasu!”
“Nyaa~”
The instant Priscilla-chan and Nymia sit on the cloth, they bite into the meat.
“Itadakimasu.”
“I’ll eat the meal gratefully.”
“Please do.”
We also reach for the meat without hesitation.
Arere, by the way, I wonder if Old Sleigstar doesn’t eat anything. Eating here by ourselves like this feels wrong.
“Once you become like me, you don’t need to eat frequently anymore. Enjoy your meal without taking me into consideration.”
I wonder if Old Sleigstar fills his belly by absorbing the dragon vein similar to how those immortal mountain hermits sustain themselves off the mountain’s mist.
“It’s similar to that.”
I see. Being an existence that surpasses human knowledge sure is incredible in various ways.
“Ernea, don’t have a private conversation through your thoughts.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Mistral scolds me, and I wince by raising my shoulders. Since Old Sleigstar was reading my thoughts, I accidently forgot to voice out my replies and continue my conversation with him like that. Just like always, I’m getting told off by Mistral.
“That’s no good! Ojii-chan has to eat properly too!”
Priscilla-chan takes a big chunk of meat and carries it over to Old Sleigstar. Her kind consideration makes us smile.
“Okay, aaaahn~”
Priscilla-chan holds the large chunk of meat up to Old Sleigstar’s mouth.
“Well, then I shall eat it without reservation.”
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