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Chapter 304: Canum House

Our journey back to Canum was peaceful, with the only incident being snow falling mid route — not counting the fact that I had to hand the owner of the rental stable some tip while cold sweat ran down my back. I rubbed Ruta’s smug face; he apparently managed to establish himself as the leader of the herd.

Zabuton followed us at a distance while we were within the fortress city, probably out of caution, but it joined us as soon as we left the city. Thanks to Zabuton staying under my butt, I had a comfortable time traveling.

The Canum house is just a temporary place for me to stay, but it’s been renovated and decorated so cozily that it felt as if I really came back to my home after the long trip.

「I’ll go to your house tomorrow, so enjoy your private time with them for today. 」
I called after Dinosso as I sent him out of my backdoor; he passed through my house to his.

Lively laughter and happy voices resounded as I closed the door. Yup, they really love their daddy.

The air felt damp, probably because the house had been left shut for a while. I opened the windows to air the house, then I went to the third floor’s gaming room. I checked the bed and above the shelves, and there he was! I went back to the house every morning so I’ve been with Riche, but it’s been a while since I saw Daifuku.

「I’m home. 」
Wish he’d let me pet him. He was curled up inside the box, looking like mochi in the mortar.

With a flash, Zabuton followed my outstretched hand and jumped into the box. Zabuton in the box, Daifuku in the box, now it’s Daifuku on Zabuton… So spirits could also sit on it? Ah, right, Halalfa did sit on it before.

Ah, but aren’t they a tad too crowded inside that box? Are you alright there, guys? Do you like it cramped?

Daifuku let me squeeze and pet him for a while, then I prepared his water. I wonder what Daifuku’s favorite things are? Maybe I’ll try offering him some red bean paste later.

Zabuton basked in the sun by the windowsill while Daifuku drank water. So light spirits do that, huh…?

Seems like both Daifuku and Zabuton aren’t inclined to come with me to my mountain home, it seems. Well, I guess some spirits prefer to stay with people, and besides, although it’s relatively calm inside the house, the spirits are raising ruckus outside.
I started unpacking the luggage that I had thrown onto the desk on the first floor. I crammed the laundry into the laundry bag then took the dirty dishes and the barbecue grill beside the well to wash them. The ingredients that hadn’t been touched were chucked back to 【Storage】, while those we didn’t finish were put into the soup jar to be eaten later.

I also checked if the souvenirs for Shiva, Tina and the twins weren’t broken, then left them on the table. I’ll bring them tomorrow.

I lit the fireplace then did a quick tidying up of the house. Oh, come to think of it, it’s about time for me to sweep the ashes. I lifted the trapdoor beside the firewood storage and hooked the metal ring handle onto the railing. With the light spell illuminating the place, I went down to the cellar. It’s actually a pantry, but there’s a chute connected to the hole on the edge of the fireplace in the rooms. The ashes would fall through that and would gather in a heap here.
Usually, it’s hard work since just sweeping the ashes into the jute bag was enough to send them all flying into a huge mess, but today I just chucked everything into 【Storage】without leaving a single speck of dust. I also checked if there’s anything that needs repairing, and my work here was done. I’ll scatter the ashes on the field later.

I also checked the beans and flour stored here to make sure they hadn’t gone bad yet. I put them here as props for when people come, but I guess maybe storing some alcohol would be enough of a cover for that. Kinda like something that Dean and Chris would do.

With that in mind, I also swept the beans and flour into 【Storage】. I bought these in Canum, so I’m not gonna use them — maybe just sell them later? Ah, but Chris’s brother might also come here, so perhaps it’s better to just set it aside for now.

After that haphazard cleaning, I started preparing tea, when somebody knocked on the back door.

「Jean, you’re back!! 」
Tina jumped in and hugged me when I opened the door.

「Jean, welcome home! 」
「Welcome home, Jean!! 」
Vak and En also chimed left and right beside me.

「Mama said we must bring these to everyone! 」
It’s just as Tina said; each of them were holding a basket covered with cloth.

「Kidney pie! And some apples too. 」
「Meat pie! And some cheese too. 」

Oh, it seems like she sent out food that can be eaten right away after warming it up. I’m pretty sure the others also made sure not to leave anything perishable before we set out.

「Thanks. 」
「We’ll go bring these to the others! We’ll pass by here again on our way home. 」

I took the basket from Tina and watched as the kids cheerfully went out of the door to do their errands.

Alrighty. I transferred the pie onto a bowl with a lid, placed the apples in my own basket, and put the cheese on a plate. I filled the kids’ empty baskets with souvenirs from the fortress city.

Two monster wild birds wrapped in paper, their innards already taken care of — Dinosso already bought the wild boar so I opted for fowl. The Dinosso family could enjoy meat for a while.

When the kids returned, they were happily carrying little trinkets as souvenirs from the other guys. Oh, right, the fortress city has more stylish stuff like hair ornaments and belts compared to Canum! I was totally taken in by the food.

「This one is for Tina, these are for En and Vak. I’ll put these in the basket so give it to Shiva, okay? 」
And so, I ended up getting them maple syrup, walnut syrup and nuts preserved in maple syrup.

「Thanks Jean. Ahh, but the best thing is that you came home safe!! 」
「Thanks, Jean! I missed you! 」
「Jean, thanks! I wanted to see you! 」
Another round of hugs.

Ahh, it’s so ticklish and warm, making my heart full.