An Elegant Breakfast

Morning—

I woke atop the spacious bed as morning sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains.

Sensing someone’s gaze, I rolled over and found Yuri’s softly smiling face right beside mine.

I pulled her into my arms, kissed her forehead, then gazed into her beautiful blue-purple eyes and asked,

“Yuri, will you stay with me forever?”

“…………Yes.”

Yuri answered with her forehead pressed against my chest.

Was a girl this adorable really going to become my wife?

Even though she was right here in my arms, part of me still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Roy, am I scrubbing too hard?”

“No, that’s just right.”

“Tell me if it hurts, okay?”

An hour later—

I had decided to take a bath to wash off the sweat, and Yuri was washing my back for me.

It was helpful since she could wash the places that were difficult for me to reach myself.

Something about this really made us feel like a married couple.

Suddenly, Yuri stopped washing my back and asked curiously,

“Roy, is this pattern on your shoulder a birthmark?”

“Come to think of it, I never told you about this. This is a control mark.”

“A control mark?”

Yuri’s eyes widened in surprise.

My memories were still vague, so I couldn’t tell her everything, but if she was going to become my wife, I ought to tell her about my previous life.

“Yuri, do you believe in things like previous lives?”

“Y-Yeah. A priest who came to our village to teach us once told me about them. He said the Hero is the reincarnation of the God of Creation’s child. He also said everyone is the reincarnation of someone.”

…Don’t teach kids lies, you damn priest.

There was no way that Vanrost was the reincarnation of the God of Creation’s child.

That story had probably been tacked on later to deify the Hero.

Still, if she already believed in previous lives, that made this easier.

“I have memories of my previous life.”

“What kind of previous life did you have?”

When I looked back, her blue-purple eyes had gone round with curiosity.

It wasn’t exactly a previous life I could boast about, so I gave a wry smile.

“My previous life was pretty awful. I thought strength was everything, and fighting was everything. I thought that was the very reason I existed.”

“……”

“I don’t remember what crime I committed. If anything, there are so many possibilities that I don’t even know which crime was the final straw. Well, I spent my entire life fighting in one spectacular rampage after another. There’s no doubt I was hated in all sorts of places. Eventually, I was brought before the Hall of Judgment in the heavenly realm to be condemned.”

“By the heavenly realm, do you mean the world where the gods live?”

“Yeah… The one who reincarnated me into this world was Xenoric, the God of Creation. My punishment was to be reborn as a weak human.”

“…So you weren’t human in your previous life, right?”

“Right. But the power I possessed was far too great for me to live as a human. So Xenoric engraved a mark onto the human body I was reincarnated into to restrain that power.”

“By the hand of a god? Come to think of it, the Hero’s Stone that Van had when he was born had similar writing on it. Roy, could your previous life possibly have been…?”

Yuri started to say something, but perhaps she hesitated, because she closed her mouth without finishing.

I touched the mark on my shoulder.

As long as I was living as a human, I hoped nothing would ever happen that caused the restraint to stop working.

I never wanted to become that again.

At that moment, I felt something warm and soft against my back.

Yuri had wrapped her arms around me from behind.

“I don’t care what you are, Roy… No matter what kind of being you might be, my feelings won’t change.”

“…Thank you, Yuri.”

Her unwavering feelings made me happy.

I had thought I was the one who needed to protect her… but apparently I was the one being protected.

After getting out of the bath and changing clothes, I stepped onto the terrace for a while.

Yuri was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

The bitterly frozen snowfield had transformed into a scorching desert.

This really was a bizarre place.

The climate was the complete opposite during the day and at night.

Patches of snow still remained here and there across the desert, but they would probably disappear without a trace before the sun climbed much higher.

The castle grounds were covered by a powerful dome of defensive magic, so the climate inside felt like spring.

A small bird was perched on the railing.

This little bird, a type of monster, was characterized by its round black eyes, orange body, and white belly.

It looked adorable, but it would ram into anyone it regarded as an enemy like a bullet.

Its body was orange during the day, but apparently turned completely white at night.

Many of the monsters here had different appearances between day and night.

Some monsters were unaffected by illusion magic. This little bird in particular relied more on its highly developed sense of smell than its eyesight.

It seemed monsters like that sometimes came to the gardens around the castle seeking warmth or coolness.

The little bird happily hopped onto my finger.

“I’d like you to scout the desert for me.”

“Peep-peep-peep!”

As if chirping, Leave it to me, the little bird took flight into the sky.

If possible, I wanted us to make the return trip smoothly without any monsters getting in our way.

“Roy, breakfast is ready.”

Yuri called out to me.

On the terrace table were fluffy pancakes, a plate of scrambled eggs and thick-cut bacon with brightly colored spinach sautéed in butter, freshly baked bread in a basket, a small dish of yogurt, and even vegetable soup.

Amazing… Even while traveling, we could eat just as well as we did at home.

Finally, she poured coffee into our cups, and we sat down to have breakfast on the terrace overlooking the desert.

…Ahh, what an elegant morning.

“Roy, what are we going to do after this?”

“Let’s see. First, we’ll head back to the Guild Hall and hand the Ice Deer over to Wolk. Once we collect the reward, maybe we’ll go traveling for a while.”

“Traveling?”

“Yeah. I’ve saved up quite a bit of money, so think of it as a reward for myself. Of course, you’re coming too.”

“I-Is that really okay? Going on a trip and everything?”

“Of course. You’re my wife. I’d be lonely if you didn’t come with me, wouldn’t I?”

“I’ve… never really thought about going on a trip before.”

Of course she hadn’t.

Traveling for pleasure was something only families with a relatively comfortable standard of living could afford.

And on top of that, she had been traveling for the sake of defeating the Demon King with the Hero.

It wasn’t like she had been going around for fun.

She had worked hard all this time, so Yuri deserved a reward too.

“I’m already happy just being able to sit down and eat slowly like this…”

As I watched Yuri savor her pancakes while saying that, my chest tightened.

She had probably never once been able to enjoy a peaceful meal while traveling with the Hero’s party.

Even after she started living with me, she had eaten every meal as though savoring the happiness of it.

It had been the same when we ate out in Encris the other day.

To Yuri, simply being able to sit down and enjoy a leisurely meal like this must have felt unbelievably blissful.

It would probably take a little more time before a relaxed life where she didn’t have to stay constantly on edge began to feel normal to her.

Just then, the little bird I had sent to scout the desert landed on the terrace railing.

Peep, peep, peep… Chirpchirpchirpchirp…

It was an alarm call. I listened carefully to the little bird’s report.

-Humans nearby.

-One male. Three females… Strong magic… I sense.

…What?

One man and three women, and a party powerful enough for monsters to fear them… Don’t tell me it was the Hero’s party!?

Those bastards had followed Yuri all the way out here?

Ha… They must really regret letting Yuri go.

Too bad. I had absolutely no intention of giving her back.

-Scared… Big bird chased me… Scared, scared, scared.

A big bird?

Had it encountered one of its natural predators?

Whatever it had been, apparently the poor thing had been chased around by a huge bird because I’d sent it scouting.

I stroked the trembling little bird’s back to calm it down.

“That’s amazing. You can talk to monsters.”

“Yeah. I’ve gotten along well with monsters ever since I was old enough to remember.”

“Wow… I’m jealous.”

…Hm?

Why was she staring at me with such sparkling eyes?

“Don’t tell me you want to try talking to monsters too, Yuri?”

“Yeah. I think talking things out with vicious monsters would probably be difficult, but I’d like to try talking with cute monsters.”

“In that case, you should go to the Kingdom of Arneed, an island nation across the eastern sea from here. You can study to become a Monster Tamer there.”

“The Kingdom of Arneed?”

“It’s an island nation between the Neldsis Continent and the Lumerio Continent. There are monster specialists there, so you can learn from them.”

The Kingdom of Arneed was famous for having some of the world’s greatest cities, including the port city of Pnery and the royal capital of Beelgyunt.

The king was said to be half elf and half human. It was one of the world’s rare multiethnic nations, home to elves, humans, dwarves, merfolk, beastfolk, and many others.

The port city of Pnery had delicious fruit and other great food, and every building had a red pointed roof and white walls, making the cityscape incredibly beautiful.

Someone who grew up in the same orphanage as me lived on the outskirts of Pnery. He was a monster specialist and a highly skilled Monster Tamer.

His house had plenty of specialized books about monsters too. Yuri would be able to study there.

“All right, let’s make the Kingdom of Arneed our first trip.”

“What!?”

“You can earn your Monster Tamer qualification while we’re there too. Two birds with one stone.”

“B-But… I’d feel bad making you do that for me.”

“Pnery is a wonderful port city. I’d love for you to see those beautiful streets too.”

“……”

At my words, Yuri’s eyes grew slightly teary.

I hadn’t even said anything particularly special.

But before she met me, she probably hadn’t even had anyone say something that simple to her.

Yuri deserved to be happier.

And I was going to make her happy with my own hands.

But first, I needed to deal with the pests getting in our way.