Thanks for Mike and NeoSamurai223 for becoming as a Supporter!
===BREAK===
Working together was the easiest way to deepen bonds—especially when the invitation came personally from a highly respected senior. Cerakos naturally wanted to jump right in, but Gotthardt stopped him first and told him to change out of that outfit.
Who went on vacation dressed so formally anyway? At the seaside, the lighter and more casual, the better.
"He really doesn't put on airs… If he weren't sitting inside a sarcophagus, I honestly wouldn't be able to imagine him as a veteran from ten thousand years ago." Cerakos spoke while changing clothes, chatting with Ignis at the same time.
"He was among the very first Space Marines to depart Terra on the Great Crusade, and he had already planned his retirement before even setting out," Ignis replied. "Everything you're seeing now is just part of what he envisioned back then. I told you—Gotthardt is easy to get along with."
"Retirement, huh… To be honest, we never really considered that." The Lamenter sighed. "Once you join the Adeptus Astartes, you just assume you'll fight until death. It's like we never thought about anything beyond battle."
"But here, you can start thinking about it," Ignis said. "Cecilia will grow up, have her own family someday. You'd better be prepared for that."
"Yeah. I need to live well. Tyrannus entrusted his precious granddaughter to me, after all." Cerakos shook his head. "I need to be more attentive. Though lately, the kid's attitude toward me has been pretty bad. This should be her rebellious phase?"
"I don't think it's that simple." The Salamander glanced aside.
"Then what do you think is going on?" Cerakos finished buttoning his shirt. Even a vacation-style floral shirt looked effortlessly roguish on this handsome son of an Angel.
"You've got a mouth. Go ask her yourself," Ignis said, rare mischief slipping into his tone. "Girls that age are hard to read—unless the right person asks. Then it's simple."
"Are you really a Salamander?" Cerakos laughed despite himself. "I've never seen a smooth-talking Salamander before. Fine, I get it. I'll ask her in private."
Then I wish you happiness.
The Salamander watched him leave the room after changing, silently muttering to himself.
Even though they were back in vacation mode, someone was missing. Ignis had been single for many years, but once someone tasted sweetness, it was hard to forget. Jane Doe was complicated, but when they were together, things felt simple.
He took out his phone. Jane Doe had sent him a message— the smuggling organization she had infiltrated was about to make a major move, and she needed to remain deeply undercover for a while.
That meant no meetings, no contact. Even though he had long known this was coming, facing separation still hurt. Worse, there was nothing he could do for her now—only pray in silence that she would stay safe.
She had walked in the shadows of New Eridu for many years. A clever rat always finds a way.
Ignis sighed and slipped the phone into his pocket. He didn't want the others to notice his worry.
His ears caught a faint sound. The Salamander turned and saw a Bangboo enter the room. The round little robot, barely a meter tall, wore a bow tie and a tiny suit, complete with a carefully groomed handlebar mustache.
"You are… a Victoria Housekeeping Bangboo?"
Before he could think further, he caught the aroma of excellent tea.
The butler Bangboo somehow produced a steaming cup of black tea and offered it to Ignis.
The Salamander accepted without hesitation, though the cup was far too small for his massive hand. With a tilt of his head, the tea was gone—barely enough to taste.
Excellent leaves, expertly brewed. The fragrance had been fully coaxed out.
"Thank you, little one." Ignis returned the empty cup.
"Eh-ne."
Unlike Amillion's lively voice, this Bangboo sounded calm and composed. It nodded slightly, then gestured and chattered "eh-ne eh-ne" at Ignis. He couldn't understand Bangboo language, but the little one felt dependable.
So, this was a Victoria Housekeeping Bangboo… It really did feel like a downsized Von Lycaon.
"Ah—there you are!" Corin hurried over. "I–Ignis, good afternoon. Butler, Miss Rina is looking for y—"
"Eh-ne."
The butler Bangboo nodded to Corin, then turned to Ignis, gesturing and speaking at length before bowing politely and departing.
"Corin, what's going on? You look rushed," Ignis asked.
"It's time to prepare dinner, but Mr. Lycaon is busy taking photos, so Miss Rina decided to cook herself. But Mr. Lycaon said Miss Rina must not cook, and I couldn't stop her, so I had to come find the Butler…" Corin looked close to tears. "I'm sorry. I can't even handle something like this."
What? Rina is cooking dinner?
The moment he heard that, terrifying, indescribable memories surged up. In the sunken plaza before the Ballet Twins Hollow, the perfect head maid had once handed him a bag of homemade cookies. The taste—that cursed taste—had ignited a full-scale Black Crusade inside his mouth.
She wanted to cook dinner? The Salamander already foresaw a battlefield of fallen bodies at the dining table. This could not be allowed. She might be flawless in every other regard, but she absolutely must not enter the kitchen.
"B–But you're guests, how can we let guests—"
Before Corin could finish, Ignis placed a massive hand on her shoulder.
"Corin, this isn't about guests," he said firmly, like a veteran facing the forces of Chaos. "This is about our survival."
"Eh?" Corin froze. Miss Rina's food always made Miss Ellen Joe happy—though she did fall asleep afterward. How was this life-threatening? And come to think of it, Mr. Lycaon never let her eat Miss Rina's cooking either…
Maybe I'm just not good enough yet, Corin thought sadly. When will I be as reliable as Miss Ellen?
"We're cooking for over a dozen people. I'll be busy alone," Ignis said. "Corin, can you help? And do you know where Nekomata is? Ask her to help too."
"Yes!" Corin bowed deeply and hurried off.
Ignis exhaled and rushed to the kitchen, just in time to see Rina pulling out an enormous assortment of spices. With the help of two Bangboo, she was grinding them all into powder.
"Miss Rina, let me handle this," he said quickly.
"Don't get in the way, big guy!"
"Don't get in the way! Don't get in the way!"
The two hovering Bangboo spun around, cinnamon sticks still clutched in their hands.
"Ignis," Rina turned and lifted her skirt in a formal bow. "I'm preparing spices for dinner."
Before her lay an astonishing array of finely ground spices—diverse, high-quality, and overwhelming. But mixing that many together didn't equal delicious. When such flavors clashed, the result was no different from a Black Crusade erupting in one's mouth and sinuses.
"Well, um—" Ignis improvised immediately. "Lycaon is photographing the sandcastle. He said he needs your help."
"But dinner…" Rina hesitated, looking longingly at her spice blend.
"I've got it covered," Ignis said, already inspecting the ingredients.
"But you're a guest—"
"Hey, you're all on vacation together too. We'll take turns. the Cunning Hares haven't contributed much—let me pull my weight today." Ignis glanced out the window. "Lycaon's waving. Looks urgent. You should go."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Rina washed her hands, bowed once more, and hurried out.
Watching the kitchen witch—no, spice sorceress—leave, Ignis finally breathed easy. Please understand what I did, Lycaon, and keep her occupied. Otherwise, this might become the final dinner of the holiday.
Victoria Housekeeping had prepared abundant ingredients—freshly purchased daily, clearly accounting for both numbers and appetites. Premium meats and vegetables, nothing like the discounted goods the Cunning Hares usually bought. It would be hard to make them taste bad unless one tried.
Every preference had been considered. No wonder Victoria Housekeeping enjoyed such a stellar reputation among the upper class.
"Ignis, I brought everyone," Corin returned, followed by a crowd.
Nekomata, Anby Demara, Belle, Cecilia, and even the fluffy Bear Thiren, Ben Bigger.
"I heard you're cooking personally! We rushed right over!" Belle beamed.
"Lycaon's cooking is great, but I like yours better." Nekomata pulled out her W-Engine, claws flicking out. "What do you need me to do?"
"I'll help too." Anby offered her uninjured hand.
"Sit down," Ignis said flatly, refusing help from the injured Anby.
"I didn't know you could cook," Cecilia said, surprised that this dark, towering giant had such a skill.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Ben asked, looking exhausted.
The kitchen immediately became lively. Nekomata handled seafood, Corin peeled vegetables, and Ben was ordered to rest—he looked moments from passing out.
Bringing three intelligent engineering machines over to build a sand fortress had clearly been a headache for him. Those machines couldn't move themselves; transportation alone was a nightmare. Belobog Heavy Industries relied heavily on heavy-lift transport helicopters.
Applying for flight routes during a holiday was a nightmare—and they had done it three times. The favors and expenses involved were enormous. Even for testing machinery, the cost was staggering.
Hopefully, their antics would yield results and make writing the financial report less painful for Ben.
Cecilia and Belle chatted about being Proxies. Phaethon disguised herself as an experienced Proxy, offering generous advice to the newcomer. Cecilia had no idea the short-haired girl before her was actually her idol—the legendary Proxy Phaethon. She enthusiastically recounted Phaethon's exploits, making Belle increasingly embarrassed.
Nekomata struggled to hold back laughter, shoulders shaking. Corin, however, was fully focused on food prep, completely unaware.
Anby played the role of attentive listener and occasional hype-woman, adding details and praise.
When the topic shifted to the Cunning Hares, Belle grew shy. Even with her poker face, hearing her stories exaggerated into absurd legends made her blush.
With a fangirl right beside her, Phaethon heard tales she had never actually done—especially when Cecilia mentioned spending a fortune on Carrot data Phaethon had made. Belle nearly jumped on the spot.
Luckily, Anby grabbed her in time, preventing a full identity reveal.
Ignis listened to the chaos with a smile, steadily preparing dinner. He aimed for broadly appealing flavors, bringing out each ingredient's natural taste.
Soon, the Victoria Housekeeping Bangboo Butler returned with Amillion and Eous to help—apparently, during Ignis's absence, they had brought the Bangboo along.
No wonder he hadn't seen Amillion when he returned to the workshop with Cerakos.
Honestly, this kind of life was wonderful.
As he listened to the chatter, his hands moved faster. Dinner for over a dozen people—some with legendary appetites—was no small task.
If only Jane Doe were here.
He thought it quietly.
Still, life was long. There would be other chances.
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa