Conquering His Cold Heart

Leo wiped away his drool, protecting the precious steaks. Colonel Hamon and two other majors took it upon themselves to slay the owner of these steaks a couple days ago.

It was the first B-rank monster to arrive at their doors and one they couldn't allow to run rampant. Stegadons had a well known nickname amongst the kingdoms. Wall breakers.

Their reinforced hides allowed them to weather all manner of attacks without losing the slightest bit of momentum as they charged forth. Armed with mighty horns that made steel look like scrap metal they would smash head first into any obstacle, turning walls into mere fragments of rock and plumes of dust.

Hamon really couldn't allow such a thing to get a running start so with his two majors who were adept in dealing with such foes they descended before it and used their full power to swiftly put an end to this dreaded foe before its powerful allies arrived.

Thankfully they were quick enough, culling the beast before it could reach the mighty northern wall and before the rindars and other B-rank monsters showed themselves.

Hamon himself lifted and carried the giant corpse over the northern wall, personally delivering it to the highly trained chefs such as Burusaa and generating a positive boost in moral as he did.

Now Leo and Frost were lucky enough to partake in such a delicacy, Leo didn't even care about the multiple gold coins he was deprived of.

"This'll probably be one of the best dishes I've ever had the chance to eat. Chef Burusaa is one of the greatest chefs in the territory equal to uncle Vaccos perhaps even slightly better." Leo wiped another dollop of drool from his lips as the tantalising smell assailed his nostrils.

Frost's eyes lit up as he looked at the generous helping of prime steak lying before him, anticipation thumping away in his heart. He had only tasted one other B-ranked dish, the azure spark quail prepared by Maya, so he held a lot of expectations for this dish.

Ryuu and Jessie looked on in silence, adding to grandeur of the dishes, smiling gently before focusing on their own meals that were also high ranked and delicious.

Frost cut into his steak and found that it parted easily, tender being an understatement. Succulent pink flesh and a strong aroma of meat flowed out from the cut causing Frost to drool in anticipation.

With grace he placed a small cube of steak in his mouth and began chewing. Bursts of flavour assaulted his tongue with every decent of his teeth, the thick steak almost melted after a few chews, saturating his tastebuds with umami before a powerful explosion of hidden mana burst forth granting a second kick of flavour and a resurgence in his stamina.

Gulp

Frost swallowed the former cube of steak, feeling it slowly pass down his throat and into his stomach, releasing bursts of flavour and mana as it did. Water accumulated at the edges of his eyes and wide smile stretching from ear to ear adorned his face, as he wore an expression of bliss.

This meal was certainly comparable to the azure spark quail he delighted in even surpassing it in some ways. Burusaa was definitely a very skilled chef.

"Now that's a very innocent expression, I'm guessing the steak's to your liking." Ryuu asked with a slight chuckle, feeling revitalised at seeing such an innocent expression on his young friend. Being able to truly enjoy the glory that was good food while a desperate war was ongoing was something few could do.

Ryuu wasn't the only one watching. Frost's expression was caught by many who on seeing it felt that their current situation wasn't quite so harsh, their own meals tasting a little bit better with their following bites.

Frost wasted no time, quickly cutting up cube after cube of the high quality steak, swiftly cleaning his plate. Leo was much the same, leaving not a single speck of food on the ceramic plate.

Leo leaned back with a blissful expression on his face, feeling all his troubles washing away and the stress brought on by his father's near fatal incident and the upcoming talk with his mother dwindle into puffs of smoke.

Alongside this weightlessness, power hummed within his muscles, making him feel as though he could hand wrestle a frost drake and come out victorious. The mana within the dish also flowed through him, subtly improving his body slightly, he'd likely be able to reach D-rank strength soon.

Frost silently enjoyed the last tendrils of flavour before pushing his plate away and clenching his fists causing them to loudly crack. He felt the desire to throw himself into the thick of battle, contending against the mighty B-rank monsters with his glaive in hand. This meal perfectly prepared him for the upcoming onslaught.

'Shame Kiba's not here to partake in this feast.' Frost felt it was a shame Kiba couldn't enjoy a round of stegadon steak alongside them.

Hamon had kept the young, winged tiger in the command centre to lay out his future role in the war. Kiba was not the strongest here on the battlefield, but few could match his speed nor had his ability to fly swiftly through the air. Hamon planned to use Kiba as a fast acting response unit, swiftly flying in to retrieve wounded and or lend aid to weakening groups of warriors.

A role he occasionally filled but could no longer do given his title of commander and his focus needing to be solely directed on the movements of the rindars and other B-rank monsters that were sure to follow.

Once the blissful feeling had passed Leo stood up from his chair stretched out his back until he heard popping sounds.

"Let's go and see my mother." He then looked at Frost with a gentle smile and determination in his eyes. He was now ready to deal with his mother's reactions.

Frost let out a breath before standing.

"Sounds good, I'd like to see Cassandra again." Frost enjoyed seeing the faces of his friends, it warmed his heart.

Ryuu's eyes opened wide when he heard their destination.

"Are you going to tell her about Douglas?" He asked nervously worried about their answer.

"Yes, best she hears about it from me before catching wind of it from whispers among the populace." Douglas's situation wasn't exactly well hidden, many soldiers witnessed him being attacked by the three rindars and the state of his body as he was carried to safety by Kiba. Wagging tongues were hard to stop especially when people were on edge and desperate for any sort of news.

If Leo didn't tell his mother she'd likely hear from the whispers that her husband who had recently recovered from serious illness was struck down and placed in critical condition with no news of how he was faring. Though his mother didn't show it she was a very emotional person who cared deeply about her loved ones.

She'd gone through enough pain over the past two years, he couldn't allow her to suffer another blow to her heart regardless of how difficult a conversation it may be.

"Haaaaaa true Cass would likely not react well if she heard such news on the wind. Go and tell her everything, don't let her worry more than she already is." Ryuu sighed before replying, he then looked towards Frost.

'Having him there should make it easier on Cass.' Frost had a natural calming atmosphere and could easily distract her by talking about the two kids under his care.

"Once you're done talking to Cass quickly return to the command centre, you're the only B-rank here in peak condition, Hamon will surely use that in earnest. You're going to have to fight for longer, harder and in more sectors than any of us, that's why Burusaa gave you the stegadon steak. You're going to need the energy it provides." Ryuu smiled mischievously glad that he was actually old for once.

The hard labour would be left to the young who could bounce back into shape after a couple hours rest.

"Understood corps leader." Frost performed a military salute to Ryuu and showed a maddened smile, fully eager to be put to work.

He and Leo then left the food court and made their way to the government buildings in the central zone. Cassandra had set up shop here since it was closer to all sectors including the battlefront, precious time would be lost if everyone had to travel to the manor after all.

This place seemed even more boisterous and busy than the northern wall. Civilians in all manner of trades as well as soldiers could be seen bustling to and fro working at 110% to manage the background facilities happening out with the battlefield.

Managing the grand populace of Furano, handling the material transitions between the differing trades i.e. smiths, weavers, leatherworkers, chefs etc, taking stock of their rapidly dwindling supplies and of course serving as a contact point for heads of each sectors and their lifeline to the capital city of Arkheart.

Cassandra sat at the head of a large table covered in thick stacks of documents that threatened to completely obscure her from view. Rapidly developing wrinkles could be seen forming on her fair brow and around her exhausted eyes as she listened to oral reports from those in the room.

She was under no less workload than her husband and Colonel Hamon, perhaps even more so given the complexity and wide spanning of her duties.

Thankfully she had able aides at her side, Calder the heir to the merchant guild and Luna were there assisting her in her endeavours.

Frost and Leo quickly found themselves ushered into the room that was filled with a deep sense of foreboding pressure. Leo felt a headache starting the moment he saw all the paperwork.

Cassandra moved a couple stacks of documents so she could get a good look at her only son, a bright glint revealed in her eyes as she took in his visage.

"Haaaaa you're practically skin and bones Leo dear, are you remembering to eat?"

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