Chapter 13: Recognizing Mom on the Spot

Chapter 13: Recognizing Mom on the Spot

“I heard from Yake that the reason he could survive the ruins was that you were willing to share your life with him, allowing him to come back. I genuinely thank you for this. Thank you for being willing to share your life with Yake.”

Reina sat on the ground, bowing in a traditional fashion to express her gratitude to Aierjisi.

“No need to thank me. The reason I’m willing to share my life with Yake is because I truly admire him. Anyone who qualifies to share a life with me must be a true warrior, one who is willing to face any formidable enemy alongside me on the battlefield. Yake proved through his actions that he has that qualification.”

The main reason Aierjisi decided to share her life with Yake was her admiration for such a fearless warrior. Allowing such a hero to perish without reason would be a great loss for the world. Thus, Aierjisi decided to share her life with him and resurrect him as her servant.

“That’s right. From a young age, Yake’s been stubborn, coming back from missions covered in injuries. I’m always worried that one day, he might not return.”

Talking about her son, Reina’s face brimmed with pride. Yake had always been the type to intervene whenever he saw injustice, which made him a lot of enemies, but also earned him some loyal friends. As his mother, Reina worried that someday he would not come back for good.

“Don’t worry, Yake is now my servant. As his master, I will protect his life. He won’t just die so easily.”

Aierjisi understood what Reina’s previous words meant. This reckless fellow Yake really needed someone to hold him back from charging headlong into any situation.

“Since little Aier is saying that, I guess I can relax a bit. But since you’ve already shared a life with Yake, does that mean I can regard you as my child as well?”

“Uh… that’s…”

Aierjisi found it challenging because, according to the lifespan of blood clans, she still was technically a child who required adult care. However, thinking of treating a human woman who was much younger than her as a mother was something she struggled to accept.

“Do as you like.”

After mulling it over, Aierjisi ultimately decided to go along with it. Having lived in the palace her whole life, her self-sufficiency was zero. Meanwhile, Yake’s ability to take care of himself didn’t seem much better. Therefore, having someone to look after her was a pressing issue that needed resolution.

“That means you agree, right? Well then, let me hear you call me Mom.”

Seeing that Aierjisi agreed, Reina instantly wanted her to call her ‘Mom.’

“Eh? That… seems a bit odd. I’m not an orphan or anything…”

Even though, including her own mother, all of her blood clan had mysteriously disappeared, Aierjisi didn’t believe they were actually dead. At least until she saw their bodies with her own eyes, she didn’t consider herself an orphan.

“It’s alright! Just indulge me with this small wish. Just say it! I’ll consider you my own daughter, just like Xier.”

Reina insisted on having Aierjisi call her ‘Mom.’

“Mom… Mama…”

Aierjisi, left with no choice, complied and called her ‘Mama.’

“Ah, so nice! We’ve got another child in the family now! By the way, little Aier, are you hungry? Yake was just saying he hadn’t eaten anything and wanted me to make him something. If you’re hungry too, I can whip something up for you. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Having heard Aierjisi call her ‘Mom’, Reina was thoroughly satisfied.

“Something I want to eat… what options are there?”

Aierjisi blinked; she had no knowledge of human food and couldn’t figure out what to say even when asked directly. So she turned to Reina for suggestions on what to eat.

“Well… let me think. Girls your age usually like sweets, so how about I make you some baked honey cakes?”

“Baked honey cakes?! I want to eat that!”

Upon hearing the name of that dish, although Aierjisi had no idea what it really was, just the sound of it made it seem delicious, causing her to shed tears of anticipation. Without hesitation, she expressed her desire to eat it.

“How honest! Just wait a moment, I’ll go prepare the baked honey cakes for you.”

Seeing Aierjisi drool in excitement, Reina smiled and headed into the kitchen to prepare the treats for her new child.

Meanwhile, Yake successfully found Karito and the others at the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Karito!”

As soon as Yake walked into the guild’s main hall, he spotted Karito and the rest.

“Huh? Yake! You’re actually alive!”

Karito, who had been busy settling this round of rewards at the guild, thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when he saw Yake standing at the door. After rubbing his eyes several times to confirm that Yake was indeed alive and not a ghost, he was taken aback. How did Yake manage to survive that behemoth dragon encounter?

“Sort of… I was saved inside the ruins. That’s why I’m here alive! Here, Karito, this is the compensation you owe my family. Since I’m alive, I’m returning it to you.”

Yake placed the bag of coins he carried on the floor of the guild.

“Alright. Thank you! For coming all the way here just to return the compensation. When it’s time to divide the rewards, I’ll make sure to give you a little extra.”

With Yake’s addition, Karito had to go back to dividing the rewards from the exploration of the ruins all over again.

“By the way, Yake, who was it that saved you? What’s their strength like? Are they strong? If possible, I’d love to bring them along.”

Karito asked Yake about the strength of the person who had rescued him, hoping to recruit this individual.

“Strong! This person is incredibly powerful! Not only did they save me, they also took down that fire dragon.”

“What?! Able to solo a giant dragon?! That’s definitely a powerhouse! We must find a way to recruit them.”

Hearing that this person was capable of slaying a dragon, Karito realized they had to figure out how to get this individual on their team. With their strength, the elite squad would greatly improve, allowing them to take on many contracts that were currently beyond their reach, thus earning greater rewards.