Knock! Knock!
In the early morning, as the air felt slightly cold, Julius picked up Cecil, who was half-asleep, from the bed, carried her to the dining table, and sat her down.
Just then, a sound broke the silence of the quiet mansion, drawing his gaze to the front door.
He turned it slightly.
“Excuse me. Is Julius there?”
The voice belonged to Priestess Emily, a silver-haired, dark-eyed woman who was like a mother to Julius.
Hearing her familiar and comforting voice, Julius gently steadied Cecil, who was dozing with her head resting on the table, before quickly heading to open the door.
“Is something the matter this early in the morning, Priestess Emily?” he asked.
“What kind of priestess am I? Just call me Emily like before.” She lightly tapped Julius on the chest, smiling wryly, and glanced around the mansion’s interior as she scratched her head.
“Mila…after he passed away, I took over cleaning and repairs myself. Have you encountered any inconveniences here?”
“On the contrary, it’s almost too comfortable,” Julius replied, chuckling. “When I sit quietly in the living room, it reminds me of the days when I used to sneak in to play with Thalia and Krail.”
Now, of course, it wasn’t mischievous children sneaking in, but devils.
He cut off his thought, smiling as he gestured toward the dining table.
“Since you came all this way, let’s have breakfast together. I’m sure Cecil will be pleased as well.”
“No woman likes her mother-in-law barging in this early in the morning… but please excuse me!” Emily laughed as she waved a dismissive hand, entering the mansion.
“Oh, good morning, Mother.”
Cecil, who had been half-asleep just moments ago, was now bustling around the kitchen, apron-clad, stirring something on the stove. The pleasant aroma of food began to fill the house.
Julius, surprised, approached and peered into the kitchen.
“What’s this sudden smell?”
“It’s morning, so I’m making a simple potato stew,” she whispered softly in his ear as she stood on tiptoe.
Julius looked down at her with a confused expression.
“Is there any way the dish you made could smell this good? Confess the truth.”
“… Well, maybe it’s a little magic,” she admitted sheepishly. “If I did it alone, it wouldn’t turn out right, so I had to get a little help. I don’t want to be called a wife who can’t cook.”
Cecil turned back to the stove.
At the table, Emily watched this exchange, resting her chin on her hand and smiling softly.
“You seem to be getting along well. I heard you have a daughter too?”
“… Yes, that’s right,” Julius replied, nodding.
“… Did you have a daughter after she became a devil?” Emily asked, her tone thoughtful.
“When my daughter was born, she was human,” Julius explained quietly. “But after she passed five years ago… well, it wasn’t long before the devil claimed her body.”
“I see. And where is your daughter now?” Emily inquired gently.
“Krail is bringing her here. They’re probably enjoying the journey,” Julius said with a self-mocking smile, bowing his head as a soft sigh escaped him.
Sensing his sorrow, Emily reached out, holding his hand in silence, offering him comfort until Cecil brought the food.
“Enjoy the meal, everyone. I tried my best this morning,” Cecil declared, hands on her hips and looking proud.
Emily, who had known of her limited cooking skills, and Julius, who had endured them for ten years, exchanged a glance, both clicking their tongues in amusement.
“… Please just try it quickly,” Cecil said, her confidence waning as she sank slightly, shoulders slumping as she picked at the stew.
Surprisingly, the magic-enhanced stew was delicious, and the unexpected breakfast with Emily passed peacefully—until she addressed Cecil.
“By the way, didn’t you say Cecil is also a high-ranking devil?”
“Yes, but now I am just Cecil, Julius’s wife,” she replied, placing a hand on Julius’s shoulder and leaning against him.
Emily nodded, taking a casual bite of her stew before remarking, “But the high-ranking devil is mentioned in the first Scripture. How old would that make you? Hmm… perhaps I should show more respect.”
Emily’s words, calm yet sharp, struck Cecil like an arrow. She froze, her mouth slightly open as she stammered, “Uh, uh… no! Darling, I’m not that old! I’m younger than you, you know? I’m still young!”
Julius, seeing her tremble like a broken wind-up doll, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently patted her.
“… Cecil is definitely younger than I am. I understand.”
Cecil’s eyes darted to him, distressed, as he gave her a sympathetic look that he’d rarely shown before.
“But she’s also a devil, correct? If you count the age of a devil and a human together, it wouldn’t be hard to reach a thousand years, would it?”
Emily chuckled, delivering a final teasing blow, as Cecil slumped, her nose nearly touching the table, her spirit thoroughly deflated.
After Emily left, Cecil finally roused herself and acted as though she’d forgotten the entire conversation.
Julius sighed, scratching his head as he reassured her not to worry about her age. For that, he received a jab to the solar plexus and ended up spending the day comforting Cecil, who stayed curled up in the bedroom, refusing to come out.
***
“Have you found out the location of the high-ranking devil?” Julius asked Cecil, who was now sitting at a small, decorated table in front of Finn’s bakery, nibbling on a piece of bread.
“… I’m not sure what you mean,” she feigned, trying to act oblivious.
Julius, unfazed, remained silent, prompting Cecil to finally put down her bread, crossing her arms and legs with a sigh.
“Fine, fine. It was just a joke. Could you stop giving me that intense look?”
“So you found the location?” he repeated, his expression unchanged.
With a shudder, she replied, “I think it’s in a city called Aran, a bit west of here. Though, personally, I’d recommend not going.”
Cecil turned her head, clearly displeased, but Julius’s mind was already occupied with the thought of Aran.
Get More Chapters on Patreon: From now on, FSM Level 2 will become the CN WN Bundle. The price will remain the same which is $10. Also, the price for the KR WN Bundle will also be decreased to $10 to match this bundle.
With this I have gotten rid of the level system. The reason I am doing this, is because I plan to add more chapters to the $5 Patron tiers. Currently the readers get 2 advance chapters when they become a $5 Patron, but I want to increase the chapters they get to at least 5 chapters and more. So the current updated tier system will work like this:
The Individual Tiers ($5) will give you access to 5 chapters or more.
The Bundle Tiers ($10) will give you access to all the chapters of CN or KR webnovels.
The Supreme Patron ($30) will give you access to all the webnovel chapters on Goblinslate.