Episode 435.

“After….”

Glenn sighed heavily as he watched the Rectar and the toddler pick up Raon.

“A party.

From the sounds of it, they were having a party to celebrate his promotion to jester today. It wouldn’t be a big one, just a small gathering of the Annex family, but he felt sick to his stomach that Rectar would be there instead of his grandfather.

‘Just….’

It’s not like I’m going to say I want to join them.

He’d been able to muster up the courage to teach Raon himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to say that he wanted to join the celebration in the annex where Sylvia was.

He would never speak.

‘Pathetic. Glenn.’

He may have been called the North Star, the Thunder God, but he was really just a coward who couldn’t lift a finger for fear of the awkward stares of his daughter and grandchildren.

He chuckled in embarrassment and frustration, wanting to go to the annex and drink with Raon.

Glenn watched Rectar speak to Raon and tightened his grip.

“You’re going to the party, but you’re not going to lose to raising Raon.

As he looked at Rectar and steeled his resolve, he heard small footsteps. It was a child, a toddler with a special gift that Raon had brought with him from the Lower Planes.

“…….”

The toddler stepped to the side and raised his head in confusion.

It was awkward dealing with a child, so he turned to leave, but the toddler reached out a tiny hand and grabbed his fingers.

“Hmm?”

As he tried to pull away, wondering what the hell he was doing, the child continued.

“Do you want to come with me?”

The toddler tugged on the grasping finger and smiled brightly, saying that it would be even better if the patriarch came to the party today.

“We’re having a party today!”

“Mmmm….”

Glenn couldn’t pull his hand away from the child’s, the warmth radiating from her little finger. He hadn’t felt this way since he’d sneaked a hug from little Raon.

“Yuya!”

Raon rushed over and grabbed the toddler.

“I’m sorry. I’m still young and don’t know my manners.”

He said it was a child’s mistake and begged her to forgive him for once.

“This is….”

Glenn started to shake his head that it was no big deal, but then stopped. The look in Raon’s eyes reminded him of the words Rimmer had spoken as he lay dying.

<I hope you die an old man, stuck in a cave for the rest of your life, never getting to have a drink with Raon!

“Yeah.

At least I’ll share a drink with my grandchildren before I die, even if I have to wear an iron skin.

I lifted my gaze to look at Rectar, who wore an easy smile, as if he had won.

‘That inspirational….

The resignation and acceptance I’d felt a moment ago melted away, and new embers burned hot.

“Come here.”

Glenn gestured to the wide-eyed infant behind Raon.

“If you’ve been invited by a lady, it would be polite not to refuse.”

Raon flushed with embarrassment and felt as if her chest was being tightened with wire, but she took the child’s hand and smiled weakly.

“The party. I’ll go.”

* * *

Raon swallowed dryly, looking at the dishes on the table.

“How the hell did this happen?

Surely this was supposed to be a casual promotion party for the Annex family, and now there was an uninvited guest at the table.

“This can’t be a dream, can it?

His lips quivered and he cocked his head to the right.

Glenn was sitting at the head table, looking a little wistful, and next to him, Sylvia was barely breathing and her shoulders were shaking.

“Ugh….”

“Hmph….”

Helen and the maids at the back of the table were also groaning like they were about to die. Only Glenn and the toddler he’d brought with him were relaxed now.

“Hmph….”

Rectar had seated himself at the end of the table, claiming to be a guest, and was looking at Glenn with a mixture of jealousy and interest.

Tsk.

Raon tapped his fingers lightly on the table, glancing over at Glenn.

“I didn’t think you’d actually come….

It was certainly unexpected for a toddler to invite Glenn, but he’d assumed it was her mistake and expected her to decline.

But he thought about it for a moment, and realized that he wasn’t turning down a lady’s offer, so he brought a drink and attended the party.

Sylvia and Helen’s faces were more pensive than a mouse before a cat when they saw Glenn at the door of the annex.

“Stir….”

Sylvia rolled her eyes and rose from her chair.

“Oh, today is a celebration of the promotion of the troupe of which Raon, the infant, and Julius are a part, to the ranks of minstrels, so enjoy!”

She raised her voice to Glenn and Rectar and extended her hand. Her fingers pulsed with energy.

“Let’s get started, then.”

“Ah, yes!”

“Shi, the meal is served.”

At Sylvia’s command, the maids entered the dining room with the dishes they had painstakingly prepared as if they had been waiting.

Their natural movements creaked like wooden puppets. The large table shook.

Even the stoic Judiel trembled and dropped a fork to the floor.

“…….”

Glenn didn’t react to his maids’ mistake, but looked at Rectar across from him.

Rectar turned to face Glenn, his eyes narrowed. Sparks seemed to fly between their gazes.

-Pathetic.

Rath looked at Glenn and Rectar and shook his head.

-Even men of age and strength cannot help but be childish.

“I see.

I chuckled to myself as I watched the Inspirations engage in a second round of snowball fights at the annex dining room table.

While Glenn and Rectar were engaged in their futile eyeball wrestling, the table was soon filled with delicious food prepared by Helen and her maids, hot steam rising from the just-completed dishes.

-What are you doing!

Rath jerked to his feet and waved his hands in the air.

-Pay no attention to those old men, and pick up your forks! You’ve been feeding King Bone rubber bread for two days in a row, so he should be ready.

He said he would eat all of it today, even if his stomach burst.

Raon pushed past the red-eyed Rath and looked at Glenn.

“Wait.

Normally, the etiquette of a meal in the Annex was to enjoy the food in private, but that was not possible in the presence of Glenn, the head of the household.

The handmaidens had finished their meals and instead of sitting at the table as usual, they stood in formation at the back, watching Glenn’s every move.

Sylvia remained silent, as if she thought she might be harming the maids as well as herself, and Rectar watched, saying nothing, knowing who was now in charge.

“Hmm.”

Glenn lifted his gaze lazily from the food.

“Why are you all standing, I thought the annexes all dine together?”

In a calm voice, he instructed the maids to take their chairs.

“Go, my lord.”

Sylvia jerked her head at Glenn.

“How did you know they were sitting here?”

She rolled her eyes at Glenn’s knowledge of the annex.

“Hmmm!”

Glenn didn’t answer right away, snapping his fingers, his lips slightly set.

“…Remer told me.”

“Ah, I see.”

Sylvia nodded. Remer had often come to the annex to eat when he ran out of money, so he seemed to think he could afford it.

“My lord has given me permission, so please be seated.”

She gestured to the awkwardly standing maids to take their seats.

“…Yes.”

“Go, thank you.”

The maids bowed to Glenn and took their respective seats. They shook their shoulders, their complexions even more pale than when they stood.

“…….”

When everyone from Glenn to Sylvia to Rectar was silent, small footsteps came from the kitchen.

“It’s done!”

Yua set the large pizza she and Julius had brought down in the center of the table. It was the pineapple pizza her grandfather had improved upon.

-Yum!

Lars looked at the toddler and clenched his fists.

-You’re a pineapple girl after all, and you’ve managed to finish that masterpiece in the meantime! Hurry up and try it!

“Wait.

He urged her to eat the pizza quickly, but she couldn’t move her hand as Glenn stood still.

“…….”

The second silence began. Everyone looked awkwardly at Glenn and Rectar.

A purr.

Thunder rumbled in Julius’s stomach.

“Sin, I’m sorry!”

He jerked his head up at his rudeness, but no one batted an eye.

In fact, many breathed a sigh of relief that the tension was broken.

“Hmm.”

Glenn lifted his spoon first.

“I’ll have some before it gets cold.”

He went first, and Sylvia, Helen, and the maids scooped up their soup with the stiffness of machines.

Hrumph.

The slightest noise as the soup entered each of their mouths proved that the people here were not puppets.

-Yaaaaaah!

As Raon was awkwardly eating, Rath began to roll around on top of his head.

-Forget the soup, eat something else, there’s grilled beef, lamb chops, and pizza!

‘If I eat now, I’ll get sick….’

He called out for something to eat, but Glenn’s stare kept him from reaching for it.

“…….”

A third silence. The table was filled with the clinking of utensils as if there was a spy war going on, but no one spoke.

“Whoa.”

Glenn set his spoon down expressionlessly, and the toddler jumped to his feet.

“My lord, you should try this, it’s Master Laon’s favorite!”

Yu took a slice of the pineapple pizza he had brought earlier and placed it on Glenn’s plate in front of him.

“Ack!”

“Yu, Yu!”

“Ugh!”

“Ugh….”

Sylvia’s, Helen’s, and the maids’ eyes widened at the toddler’s sudden outburst.

All of them were too stunned to speak.

Glenn, however, didn’t even frown, and took the pizza from the toddler and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed the pizza with his mouth closed, then nodded in satisfaction.

“It’s delicious.”

“Yes, it’s my grandfather’s recipe!”

The toddler giggled as she bragged about her grandfather to Glenn.

“Your grandpa would be proud.”

Glenn responded to the toddler’s comment and took another bite of pizza.

“Of course he would be, he’s the best cook in the habunsung!”

The toddler threw his hands up in the air in a gesture of affirmation.

The tension that had filled the entire table was evident in their short, sharp conversation.

“Yua, can you give it to this grandfather as well?”

“Yes!”

Rectar gestured, and Yuah smiled brightly as he handed over the pizza.

“Heh! Better than the store manager!”

Once Glenn and Rectar were satisfied with their pizza, Sylvia and her maids, whose trembling had ceased, began to eat properly.

“Heh….”

Raon chuckled to himself as he watched the infant warm up the atmosphere at the table.

“It’s because he’s learned the rhythm.

The toddler seemed to have taken it upon himself to break the tense, heavy atmosphere that had settled over the table.

“No, maybe it’s just because it’s fun.

I wondered if it was in her nature to be so friendly to Glenn or Rectar, whose faces and expressions were terrifying.

‘Either way, I’m going to live thanks to you.

-You bastard….

As Raon smiled at the toddler, Rath squeaked.

-Won’t the food go away, please eat some, I still have a rubbery taste in my mouth!

‘I see. I get it.’

I nodded at Rath’s rant and took a bite of the toddler’s pizza.

‘Wow….’

Rectar’s words were true, and the pizza tasted more than just like his grandfather’s.

The combination of meats, vegetables, and grilled pineapple provided a harmonious blend of flavors in each bite. Glenn wasn’t wrong.

-That’s it! The rubber on my tongue is finally coming off!

Lars burst into tears as he realized that the taste of Nadine’s bread was finally gone.

-Next time, bring the grilled meat! Lamb chops are a must!

‘Yay….’

Rectar lifted his gaze as Raon granted Rath’s request, heaping the other food onto a platter in front of him.

“My lord.”

He glanced at the red flask in front of Glenn and slapped the table.

“Did you bring that liquor yourself?”

“Yes.”

Glenn nodded and pushed the bottle forward.

“I was invited to the party, and since I can’t come barehanded, I brought what I could catch.”

In truth, this was the finest liquor Raon had been preparing since he’d slashed the Wraith.

It was far more expensive than platinum of the same weight, but he had deliberately removed the cover to disguise it as something cheap.

“Well, that’s where all the liquor is.

Raon nodded in agreement and was about to continue eating when a foot tapped on the table.

He looked up to see it was only Sylvia in this direction, and she glared at Glenn.

“You want me to pour you a drink?

From the look in her eyes, I could tell she wanted Glenn to pour her a drink.

“I suppose it would be polite.

This was my first time sitting down to a meal with an uncomfortable adult, so I didn’t know, but Sylvia was right.

“My lord.”

Raon rose from his seat and moved to Glenn’s side.

“May I serve you?”

“…Well, be my guest.”

Glenn looked the other way and pushed the bottle over.

“Thanks.”

Raon took the bottle and unscrewed the cap. With a cool popping sound, a luxurious, sweet aroma gently wafted out.

There was nothing cheap about it, and he could tell at once that it was of the highest quality.

“Hmm?

I was about to pour Glenn’s glass when his expression changed in an indescribable way.

His eyes squinted, his cheeks rose, and the corners of his mouth wobbled like reeds in the wind. He looked like someone who was already very drunk.

“Is he a weak drinker, or does he like it?

I wasn’t sure if he was drunk from the scent of the liquor, or if he was acting in anticipation of the taste.

Raon shook his head slightly and poured Glenn a drink.

“That’s enough.”

Glenn raised his glass when it was halfway full.

“Let the others follow suit.”

With those words, he raised his glass to Rectar, who sat across from him.

His face looked like he was bragging, unlike the inexpressive expression on his face earlier.

“Mm-hmm….”

Funnily enough, Rectar was biting his lip in exasperation again.

“What the hell are you doing.

Raon poured another drink into Muston’s glass, thinking what a strange set of inspirations.

He poured some into the glasses of Sylvia, Helen, and the other maids and returned to his seat.

Sylvia smiled and rose from her seat. She held her glass out in front of her and looked at Raon.

“Raon, Yu, Julius, congratulations on your promotions, I look forward to seeing you in the future!”

At her shout, the handmaidens raised their glasses as well.

“Congratulations, Master!”

“Congratulations!”

“Yu, congratulations to Julius as well!”

“Please return safely!”

The maids, for once, did not look Glenn in the eye, but congratulated him.

“Congratulations.”

Glenn raised his goblet in a muffled voice. It wasn’t quite right, but it sounded good.

“Then boom!”

Sylvia clinked her glass first, then looked at Glenn.

“Mmm….”

Glenn understood the meaning of the gaze and downed his drink first. Everyone else followed suit.

-Bam! Not good!

Lars said he didn’t like the drink and insisted they get back to the pizza.

“Let’s try something else.

Raon pushed Rath away, scooped the stew into a personal bowl, and glanced at Glenn.

He drank very slowly and sparingly, gazing ecstatically at the golden liquor in his glass.

‘So you like to drink after all.’

I could see why Glenn’s face had been so bright earlier.

Glenn slowly savored the toddler’s pizza and his own drink. When he had drained the last drops from his glass, he stood up.

“Go, my lord?”

Sylvia and the maids rose at the same time, puzzled.

“I shall leave you now.”

Glenn shook his head, as if he’d had enough.

“Sylvia.”

“Oh, yes!”

Sylvia jumped to her feet, swallowing dryly.

“That was delicious.”

Glenn glanced at Sylvia and Raon, then nodded.

“And congratulations.”

With that, he headed out of the kitchen. On his way to the end of the table, he muttered softly to Rectar.

“I was first.”

“Ugh….”

Rectar scowled, and Glenn lifted his chin and smiled arrogantly.

* * *

“Ughhhhhh.”

Remer yawned loud enough to tear his mouth open as he flopped down on the bed in his quarters.

“I’m so bored.”

He was so beaten up by Glenn that he still couldn’t move. Soreness was one thing, but not being able to do anything was killing me.

“Oh, there’s a party.”

The toddler invited me to a party, but I declined because I couldn’t move. Now that I think about it, I should have forced myself to go.

“I’ll tell Raon to pick me up….”

As soon as I said Raon’s name, the door to my quarters burst open with such force that I thought it might shatter, and Glenn walked in.

“Go, my lord?”

Remer looked up, his mouth agape.

“What the hell is this guy, a Raon stalker?

He didn’t understand how he could just show up to talk about Raon.

“You.”

“What?”

“When you were drinking with Raon, did he pour you a drink?”

“Uh….”

Remer shook his head, remembering the drinks he’d had with Raon.

“Uh, no. He just threw the bottle at us and we drank from it.”

“And the hobgoblins?”

“I think we scooped our own then too….”

He shook his head again, remembering the tombstone pills.

“I see.”

Glenn stretched his back, jaw set, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

For some reason, he looked like he’d won.

“Uh….”

It was so condescending that Limerick frowned.

“What’s wrong with this inspiration today?

He swallowed dryly and lowered his gaze slightly.

“Did something good happen to you?”

“Curious?”

“…Uh, I’m curious.”

I wasn’t really curious, but I felt like I wasn’t going to get out of here if he didn’t listen, so I asked.

“I was invited to the annex party today.”

“Eh, you went to the annex?”

“Yes. I was invited by a kid named Yu.”

“Eek!”

Remer clenched his fist tightly as he remembered Yuu’s double-pronged hair.

“Yuah, you’ve accomplished something no one else has! It was worth raising you!’

She hadn’t actually raised him for a moment, but she’d decided to pretend.

“What did you do when you got there?”

“I ate a light meal. And then….”

“And?”

“Well, Raon was the first to pour a drink into my glass, before anyone else! Actually, it doesn’t matter who you drink with first, it’s who you pour it to that matters most….”

“Ah….”

Limerick squinted at Glenn, the bridge of his nose piercing the ceiling.

“That’s it?

‘You grandson fool, that’s what you call bragging!