Family dinner - 24
She gave in.
"…Alright."
She sat down beside Juro while her daughter sat on the other side of her.
Meanwhile, the three boys sat across from them together, with Marc positioned right in the middle.
Marc looked around at everyone gathered at the table before smiling brightly.
"Now this is a family dinner!"
--------------
As soon as Marc said those words, more dishes started arriving one after another.
Large plates of chopped goatdeer meat.
Pork chops glazed with sauce.
Bowls of vegetable soup.
Fried mushrooms.
Fresh orange juice.
Even an entire roasted goat leg was carefully placed at the center of the table.
The moment the wooden plates began filling the table, Alex's eyes unconsciously locked onto the food.
So did Marc's.
Juro noticed the two of them immediately and quietly smiled to himself.
After all the dishes were finally arranged neatly across the table, everyone slowly began eating.
But just as Marc was about to immediately dig into the food, he noticed something.
Alex and his family still looked hesitant.
Their hands barely moved.
Marc blinked before turning toward Alex.
"Alex, go on! Try this one! It's really tasty!"
Alex looked nervous.
"Ah… but it's meat…" His voice lowered slightly. "Meat is expensive… I shouldn't…"
Marc stared at him with sparkling, excited eyes while holding the plate closer.
Eventually.
Alex gave in.
He carefully took a bite.
The instant the flavor hit him, his eyes widened slightly.
Before he even realized it himself, he had already taken another bite.
Then another.
Marc immediately started laughing.
"Haha! See? It's good, right? Oh! here, try this too!"
Meanwhile, Alex's mother quietly watched her son's expression.
A faint smile slowly appeared on her face.
Her gaze lowered toward the table before she silently picked up a piece of fried mushroom and handed it to her daughter.
The little girl happily took a bite.
Almost instantly, a smile spread across her small face.
Alex's mother softly smiled at the sight.
Juro quietly observed the scene before speaking up.
"What a bright kid you have."
He casually grabbed a plate before placing several pieces of meat onto the little girl's plate.
"Here. Let her eat more than just mushrooms so she can grow up healthy and strong."
Then he gently added,
"And you should eat properly too. You still need strength to keep looking after them."
Alex's mother looked slightly startled by his words.
"N-No… it's alright…" She lowered her gaze toward her plate. "The children should eat more instead…"
Juro smiled softly.
"I don't think your kids would agree with that."
As she slowly lifted her head.
Alex suddenly held food toward her.
"Here, Mom. You should try this too. It's really good."
Alex's mother froze slightly.
"H-Huh…?"
Then she suddenly felt a small tug on the side of her clothes.
"Mama, try this! Yummy!"
She looked down.
Her daughter was holding out another piece of food toward her with a bright smile.
At that moment.
She finally gave in.
Slowly, she accepted the food from her daughter's tiny hands before taking a bite.
The warmth of the food spread through her mouth.
Her daughter immediately looked at her expectantly.
"Is it good, Mama?.."
A trembling smile appeared on her face as tears slowly streamed down her cheeks.
"…Mhm."
Her voice shook softly.
"Really good."
The little girl happily smiled before immediately grabbing more food from the table to continue feeding her.
Bell quietly watched the scene unfold before him.
A small smile secretly appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Marc's eyes had already turned watery from emotion.
"Ma'am, please eat to your heart's content!"
Juro laughed softly before saying,
"Yeah. We're really happy you, Alex, and this bright little girl joined us for our last dinner here, so please just relax and enjoy yourselves comfortably."
Alex's mother smiled gently after hearing those words.
Slowly, she placed one of her hands onto the table.
Then Alex quietly placed his own hand over hers.
"Mom… let's enjoy tonight together with our new friends."
The little girl looked at them before trying to place her own hand on top too.
But she was too small to reach properly.
Juro chuckled.
"Here, let me help with that."
He pointed one finger toward the little girl's outstretched hand.
A soft flow of mana immediately appeared.
Blue mana gently wrapped around her tiny hand before stretching outward and taking the shape of a larger translucent mana hand.
The little girl's eyes sparkled in complete awe at the glowing blue mana surrounding her.
With the mana's help, she was finally able to place the manifested hand on top of her mother's hand together with Alex's.
Alex looked both shocked and amazed by what he was seeing.
Meanwhile, Alex's mother remained speechless for a moment.
Her expression was filled with shock.
But slowly.
That stunned look softened into a warm smile.
"Yayyy! I reached Mama's hand!"
Both Alex and his mother couldn't help but laugh softly after hearing her excitement.
The atmosphere around the table gradually became warmer and more comfortable as conversations naturally continued.
Food disappeared plate after plate while laughter occasionally filled the inn.
For the first time in a while.
Everything simply felt peaceful.
Yet in the middle of eating, Bell's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Juro.
"As I am right now… I still can't fully grasp this man's limits…"
Bell quietly observed him.
"Even earlier, while we were high above the ground, he maintained that mana output effortlessly without showing even the slightest strain…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And what makes it even more terrifying…"
"Is that he was using mana magic instead of proper flight magic."
Bell looked down at the table.
"Mana magic consumes significantly more mana than simply using a levitation or flying magic…"
His thoughts slowly deepened again.
"So far, I've made significant progress… or at least that's what I'd like to believe…"
His gaze lowered toward his plate.
"But compared to others… my growth is still slow."
"Bell… Bell… hey, Bell."
Bell snapped out of his thoughts before turning toward Marc.
"Hm?"
Marc smiled while holding up a cup.
"Would you like some orange juice, Bell? Hehe."
Bell nodded slightly.
"Yeah."
Marc happily handed him the drink before continuing,
"I was just telling Alex how amazing The Greatest Mage is, hehe."
Bell quietly looked at him.
"You really look up to him that much, huh?"
Marc nodded without hesitation.
"Mhm! Just like how I look up to both you and Teacher Juro."
Then Alex suddenly called out for Marc's attention, causing Marc to immediately turn back toward him.
For a very brief moment.
Bell froze.
Then slowly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
After hearing those words from Marc, something inside him quietly softened.
"Maybe…"
Bell took a small sip from the orange juice while listening to everyone's laughter around him.
"Maybe this time… I don't have to rush…"
As time slowly passed, the conversations around the table continued.
The laughter.
The smiles.
The warm chatter filling the inn.
For that one peaceful night, nobody thought about danger, training, or the outside world.
They simply enjoyed being together.
Eventually, dinner finally came to an end.
Alex's mother quietly began organizing the wooden plates and cleaning the table out of habit.
Juro noticed immediately.
"Ah, you don't have to do that. The inn staff can clean it up."
She softly smiled while continuing to gather the dishes.
"It's fine… I've gotten used to cleaning." Her voice remained gentle and quiet. "And it's the least I can do after everything."
Alex noticed his mother working and instinctively wanted to help, but she quickly stopped him.
"Alex, it's alright, dear. Go take your little sister outside for a bit." She smiled softly at him. "I'll be there in a second after I finish cleaning."
Juro then spoke up as well.
"Hey, kids. Why don't you go outside and talk for a bit before they head home?"
Marc immediately nodded.
"Okay, Teacher Juro! Cmon, Alex, let's go!"
The four children soon headed outside the inn together.
Meanwhile, inside the inn, Juro quietly helped clean the table alongside Alex's mother.
For a few moments.
Silence filled the room.
Then finally, she spoke.
"…Thank you."
Juro glanced toward her.
"Hm?"
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"Thank you so much… for looking after my children…"
Juro awkwardly scratched the side of his cheek.
"Ahaha… honestly, you should probably thank the kids instead."
A soft smile appeared on his face.
"They were the ones insisting on helping everyone. As the adult, I just made sure they stayed safe…"
But Alex's mother gently shook her head.
"Still… because of you three coming here…" Her voice trembled slightly. "I get to continue watching my children grow…"
A tear quietly fell onto the table.
She lowered her head further as more tears slowly followed.
"Because of you… and those two children…" Her shoulders trembled while trying to hold back her emotions. "I still get to continue being a mother…"
"…Thank you so much…"
Juro quietly looked at her for a moment before his expression softened even more.
Then he gently pulled her into a light hug.
"Make sure you raise those kids well," he said with a warm smile, "so the three of us can come back here again someday."
…
…..
Outside the inn, the cool night breeze gently passed through the village streets.
Marc was energetically explaining everything Juro told them earlier about the moons and the size of the world.
"And Teacher Juro said some continents only see one moon sometimes!"
Alex listened attentively while holding his little sister's hand.
Meanwhile, the little girl simply stared upward at the beautiful blue-purple night sky with wide sparkling eyes.
Not too far from them, Bell leaned quietly against the inn wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
Marc suddenly pointed toward him while talking to Alex.
"And Bell is super cool too! Look at him! He still looks so calm even after all that training!"
Alex looked toward Bell with admiration.
But inside Bell's head.
"Marc… you are VERY wrong…"
"I am NOT calm right now…"
Bell internally groaned.
"My body is literally fighting for its life against sleepiness and exhaustion…"
"Augh…"
'The only reason I'm even standing right now is because this wall is supporting me…"
"Otherwise I would've collapsed like an exhausted horse already…"
Bell quietly sighed to himself.
"How does Marc still have so much energy to keep talking this much…?"
At that moment, the inn doors opened.
Juro and Alex's mother finally stepped outside.
Bell slowly opened his eyes.
Alex and his little sister turned around after hearing the inn door open.
The little girl immediately lifted both her arms toward her mother.
"Mommy…"
Alex's mother smiled warmly before carrying her into her arms.
The moment the little girl rested against her shoulder, she let out a sleepy yawn before quietly snuggling closer.
Seeing that, Alex's mother softly spoke.
"Alex, say goodbye to them before we head home."
Alex nodded.
Then he looked toward the three of them and waved shyly with a smile.
"Bye, Marc bye, Bell"
Marc instantly waved back with full energy.
"Bye bye, Alex!!!"
Meanwhile, Bell and Juro simply gave casual waves of their own, small smiles resting on both of their faces.
…
…..
Not long after, the three of them headed back inside the inn and returned to their room.
The moment they entered, Juro stretched his arms slightly before speaking.
"Alright, kids. Get some sleep. After breakfast tomorrow, we'll be leaving the village."
The instant Marc heard that, he excitedly jumped onto the bed.
"I finally get to explore again!" He rolled around excitedly under the blanket. "I'm way too excited to sleep!"
As soon as those words left his mouth.
Not even ten seconds later.
Marc was already completely asleep with his mouth hanging open.
Meanwhile, Bell, barely even made it halfway into the room before immediately sitting down on the floor.
Completely slouched over.
Fast asleep.
Juro stared at the two of them for a moment.
Then he quietly chuckled to himself.
Honestly, they really were still just kids.
Juro slowly lifted one finger.
Soft mana gently wrapped around Bell's body before carefully lifting him off the floor.
Bell remained completely asleep the entire time.
The mana slowly carried him over beside Marc before gently lowering him onto the bed.
Juro then motioned his finger again.
Marc's open mouth gently closed.
A faint smile appeared on Juro's face.
"Goodnight, kids."
His voice softened slightly.
"You both worked hard today… now get some proper rest."
Then finally.
Juro turned off the lights.