—Cole POV—
Returning to the Auditorium, I did a costume change back into my civilian clothing before entering the room. Quickly taking my seat again, Celestial told me that I made it back before the play portion of the performance. The children had just finished up their last musical number and were now getting into position behind the curtains. Topping off the camera battery, I made sure that the stage was in good focus while we waited.
Walking over to us and taking her seat, Fuyumi looked relieved yet exhausted from all her hard work. Congratulating her on a job well done, she thanked me with a warm smile.
"It's a stressful situation every year, but it's rewarding.", Fuyumi admitted.
"I am sure it is, keeping all those children in order must be rough.", Ryuko agreed.
Quieting down as the curtains opened, instead of starting the play once the kids were visible, all of them started waving out to their parents. Looking around for us, Eri and Kota saw me standing up and waving to them.
"You are here daddy!", Eri shouted with a relieved look.
Seeing a similar look of relief on Kota's face it pained me to think they thought I would miss this for any reason. When I got my hands on the God of Deceit, I'd wring his neck for causing them to worry. Watching the teachers scramble to get the children back into position, the parents laughed as they thought it was adorable.
Continuing on after that, the play went off without any further delays. A few children did forget a line or two, but it was part of the experience. Taking several photos of the children while they acted out their parts, I knew a few of these would be going into my wallet to brag about to other Heroes. Once the play was over, the children were released to their parents who immediately got in line for the buffet.
"How did we do daddy?", Eri asked with a nervous look.
"You both were the stars of the show.", I said giving her a hug, "You were the best sheep in the play, and Kota was an excellent wise man."
"...thank you…", Kota replied with an embarrassed smile.
Suggesting we head home so I could start cooking, one of Eri's friends came running over with a plate of food.
"Eri, aren't you going to eat with all of us?", her classmate asked trying not to spill her plate on the ground.
"No, my daddy is cooking a special dinner for us tonight!", Eri told her with a smile, "I will see you after New Years!"
"Have fun!", her friend replied before wandering off to eat with the others.
Glancing over at Fuyumi, I asked if she needed to stick around for anything. Shaking her head, she said her part was over and that she was free to head home. Teleporting us there instantly, I had everyone vacate the kitchen so I could cook in peace. Pulling out lots of exotic ingredients that I had gathered over the centuries, tonight's meal was going to be one we'd remember for a long time to come.
Taking the seasoned Dragon, Basilisk, Cockatrice, Phoenix, and Great Emperor Boar Meats out of my storage, I sensed several people poke their heads into the kitchen as soon as they touched the counter. Glancing over my shoulder, Alpha, Repune, and Silva were drooling as they looked at the piles of meat sitting there.
"You are not getting a bite till dinner.", I told them.
"Oh come on…just a nibble.", Repune pleaded.
"Not a chance, finding this stuff again is going to be very difficult.", I reminded them, "Some of us haven't had it before so you can wait. If you are that hungry, I can put out some appetizers."
"PLEASE!", Silva howled.
Letting out a sigh, I stepped out of the kitchen and put out a spread of veggies, meats, and cheese for everyone to nibble on while they waited. Returning to the kitchen a few moments later, I found Evelyn, Luna, and Isola looking for one particular ingredient that I knew they absolutely loved. Standing behind them for a few moments, they started whispering amongst each other.
"Where are the Golden Carrots?", Luna whispered.
"Has he not taken them out yet?", Isola remarked, "I only see the meats."
"Damn, we snuck in too early…we should go while he is in the living room.", Evelyn said turning around right into me, "Cole!?"
"Uh huh…I knew I made the right call.", I sighed picking the three of them up, "Just like I told Alpha, Repune, and Silva…you have to wait for dinner!"
Puffing their cheeks out in displeasure, I shook my head at them and went back in to cook. Pulling out the veggies next, we were going to be enjoying Orion Onions, Dwarven Garlic, Crystalline Peppers, Kobold Potatoes, Golden Carrots, and my personal favorite Honeyed Elven Squash. Turning on the stove to medium heat, I put a large cast iron skillet on top to evenly distribute the heat. Chopping the ingredients up into small pieces while the cast iron heated up, I started assembling skewers piece by piece once everything was cut.
Sprinkling pink salt and fresh cracked black pepper over the skewers, I made it evenly coated every one of them. Placing them over a hot fire, the next thing on my list was to slice up some fresh Elven Bread Loaves I had been saving for special occasions like this. Setting several pitchers of fine Dwarven and Elven Mead on the table with the bread, I started setting the table for us.
—An Hour Later—
"Alright, dinner is ready.", I started to say as I put the last tray of skewers on the table, "Come take your-"
Zipping past me, the table went from empty to fully seated in moments. Looking around in a daze, Kota and Eri weren't quite sure what happened as just a moment ago they were seated on the sofa. Reaching for the food almost immediately, Gearnia appeared to forget the whole reason for this feast.
"Wait for Kota and Eri to fill their plates first.", I said smacking her hand.
Jerking it back, she narrowed her eyes and looked at me. Pouring her a tankard of mead, I told her to suck it up and deal with it. Letting out a sigh she sipped on her drink while waiting for them to plate their food. Taking several skewers and a few pieces of bread, the two said they were finished allowing the frenzy to begin. Watching hands fly all over the table, my wives piled the food on their plates and poured themselves some mead.
"Wow…is this normal?", Mirko asked watching them go, "This is crazy."
"Yes it is, but you will understand when you taste it!", Isola replied jamming a Golden Carrot in Mirko's mouth.
Looking at Isola with an irritated look, Mirko took a bite of the carrot and her eyes opened up wider than I thought possible. Scarfing the carrot down like her life depended on it, she looked at her hands in shock.
"What the heck was that!?", she asked.
"It's a Golden Carrot, they grew in the depths of Dungeons and Ancient Ruins!", Eveyln told her, "They are incredibly rare because only a few people could reach them safely. Cole was one of those few, and he always brought a lot back with him. Actually, all of these ingredients are quite rare and hard to harvest."
"It's so yummy!!", Eri proclaimed as she took a bite, "This is better than bacon!"
Laughing at her comment, I nodded my head and agreed with her assessment. Eating in silence for the rest of the meal, the food and drink had completely vanished by the time we were done. Sitting there with full stomachs, everyone started to get groggy and struggled to stay awake. Suggesting we go to bed early tonight, my family got up and started staggering upstairs.
Washing off the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, it was nice to see that my cooking skills were skill sharp. Sensing Eri approach me from behind, she pulled on my pant leg wanting to tell me something.
"Thank you for going to our play tonight and cooking us dinner.", she said as I turned and knelt down to look her in the eyes.
"Of course, I enjoyed the play and getting to watch you on stage.", I replied to her.
Giving me a big hug, she let out a sigh out of nowhere.
"Thank you for saving me and being my daddy.", she told me as she gave me a kiss on the cheek, "I love you super duper much."
Wandering off to bed after that, I stayed there for a few moments processing what she said. Those few words meant more to me than Eri would ever know. Saving this moment in my mind, I stood back up with a smile on my face. After finishing up the dishes and turning on the dishwasher, I headed upstairs to join my wives in bed.
—3rd Person POV—
Reviewing the recording that her agent made of the Wave Incident, the Queen was horrified by how the Three Heroes treated the civilians. They had abandoned them, ran out into battle with no plan, then came back with their tails between their legs when they couldn't win. It was an embarrassing display, but it had far more reaching effects than just that. Several nations would blame Melromarc for instilling this behavior in them, and a few, in particular, would say they abandoned the villagers because they were Demihuman.
"This will not go over well in the meeting tomorrow.", she sighed, "The only saving grace here is my husband's attempt to provide the Heroes with guidance and helping the Shield Hero. It won't help that much, but it gives me something to work with."
"My Queen, what of the Adventurer Kessler?", the agent who brought her the news asked, "He is far more powerful than we initially realized, and he appears to know more about the Waves than we do."
Having missed that part of the footage, as she was still dumbstruck by the actions of the Three Heroes, Queen Mirellia rewatched what occurred after that. Watching Kessler completely eradicate the Wave by himself, she started sweating heavily as her husband had upset a very powerful man. Had he pressed his luck, she'd be the former Queen of Melromarc right now.
"Fortunately my husband's run-in with Kessler was enough to scare the sense back into him. He is taking appropriate actions to ensure we don't incur his wrath to the best of his ability. Not only that, I am relieved to see that his strategic mind is coming back to him. Our country needs him at his best for what is to come.", Mirellia stated, "Have Melty prepare to return home after the meeting tomorrow. I need her to help persuade the Shield Hero and Kessler to stay in Melromarc. Since the other Heroes are still fighting with him, I am concerned he will leave for another nation."
While the Queen worked out some talking points for the meeting, the representatives from other nations were reviewing their own intelligence about the same incident. Unsurprisingly both of the ambassadors from Shieldfreeden and Siltvelt were displeased with what they saw. Watching how coldly the Three Heroes treated the Demihuman villagers, the Shieldfreeden ambassador was ready to break off negotiations completely to prepare for war.
"The only people that helped were the Shield Hero's party and this Kessler fellow. What do we have on him?", the ambassador asked his Intelligence Officer.
"He is a very bold man with many wives, most of them being Demihumans.", the officer replied, "Our spies have confirmed that he has already threatened to kill the Royal Family of Melromarc and beaten the Three Heroes with his bare hands. To clarify, he threatened the Royal Family while strangling the King."
Looking over at the Intelligence Officer with a questioning look, he wasn't sure if he heard him right. Asking him to repeat that intel, the officer read it back word for word. Taking a sip of his tea, the ambassador sat there thinking for a moment.
"What of our brethren in Siltvelt, what is their take on him?", he inquired.
"The Acting Prime Minister thinks very highly of him, and several Ancient Ones he resurrected also highly regard him and his family.", the officer answered, "They have already extended a warm welcome to his family and the Shield Hero's party."
"I see…", he remarked rewatching the footage of Kessler's fight.
The ambassador had fought on many battlefields and knew power when he saw it. Kessler's power was far beyond anything he had seen, and he knew this was only a fraction of what he was capable of. Based on how he was talking, it sounded like the Wave interrupted a family event and he was very irritated by that. Making a mental note not to involve his family in any plans of his, he wanted Shieldfreeden to continue existing for many centuries to come.
"Extend invitations to the Shield Hero and Kessler, I would like to meet them in Shieldfreeden after this is all over. Also, warned our nobles not to try harming the Shield Hero or Kessler…if they ask why, show them the footage.", the ambassador said.
"What of the negotiations here?", the officer questioned.
"We will continue for now, and see what Kessler does to the Three Heroes. Based on the information we have…I suspect he may well kill them.", the ambassador snickered, "I would honestly applaud it in private, leaving women and children to fend for themselves is inexcusable."
In Siltvelt's chambers, the ambassador was more focused on the growth that the Shield Hero had shown since the last report he received. Naofumi and his party were much stronger than he expected, and he understood Kessler was the one responsible for enabling that to happen. Upset by the fact the other Three Heroes abandoned the villagers, Kessler's involvement lessened his anger substantially. Based on Kessler's words, he knew the three would face a very harsh punishment from him when he returned.
"He is everything that old man said he was.", the ambassador chuckled recalling the Prime Minister's letter, "I am looking forward to how the other nations respond to this information. It will be interesting to see how Queen Mirellia tries to spin things."