Chapter 276: Ice Cream and Misunderstandings

That could only mean that Qiong Xing had truly been worried about Sergei.

He must have thought that even if Sergei came to dislike him, as long as things did not return to how they were before, that would be enough.

"Even if he gave birth as a man, he is still himself. That does not erase everything that has been until now."

"As long as you understand that, it is fine. Still, you got lucky. If I had actually charged that boy, you would have been paraded through the streets and publicly shamed by those people by now."

"...That is not a funny joke."

"It is not a joke. If that had happened, I would have gladly joined in as well."

These damn old men.

Even as they aged, Sergei felt he had no chance of winning against the three of them.

"No wonder you were not invited to the hot pot and are disliked by that child, you old man."

He muttered the jab under his breath.

"W-what? Hot pot!? I did not hear about that!"

"It seems you will be invited in about a year. Something to look forward to. Good for you."

Telling him it was nice he now had a reason to live longer, Sergei watched as the old man hurriedly left the room, likely to gather more information.

"Perhaps I should ask him to make them again next time."

Knowing Qiong Xing, if he asked, he would surely make them happily, saying something like, "Did you like them?"

Even that child had not been afraid of him and had allowed him to hold him.

Like parent, like child.

If that was the case, then whether he had given birth as a man was nothing more than a trivial detail.

Sergei had no intention of letting go of a friendship he had finally found.

...

"Is it ready?"

"Hmm, I wonder? Is it okay to open it?"

When Qiong Xing and Albe peeked inside together...

"...Ah, it has properly hardened."

"Can we really eat this?"

Since Albe had never seen anything like it before, it probably just looked like some strange substance.

Qiong Xing did not remember the exact method in detail, but it seemed to have turned out well enough, so he took the first bite as a taste test.

"It turned out surprisingly well. Cari, Albe, open up."

"Mm, ah... cold!"

"Ahh, hmm? It is cold!"

He slipped a spoon into their open mouths, and though they were startled at first, they quickly smiled, saying it was delicious.

What they had made was ice cream.

It was a vague recreation from something Qiong Xing had once done at school, yet it turned out to be a success.

"For now, it seems like a success, so let us keep going and make enough for everyone."

"I will do my best!"

Cari raised his fist enthusiastically, and Qiong Xing had him make ice while helping as much as he could

.

"Fenrir, will you help as well?"

"...You are probably the only one who would ask me to do something like this."

Though sounding slightly exasperated, Fenrisúlfr helped as well.

Using his front paws skillfully, he rolled the bottle covered in salt and ice.

Qiong Xing secretly wondered if he might even be able to do tricks like balancing on a ball.

After a few hours, chatting along the way, they finished making the ice cream and went around distributing it to each household before finally returning to eat together as a family.

"There is one with raspberries, one with honey, one with lemon, and a plain one. Choose whichever you like."

"Cold!"

"Whoa! What is this!"

"It is so cold and tasty!"

"This is amazing."

Each of them shared their impressions as they enjoyed their favorite flavors.

"It is thanks to Cari and Fenrir working so hard. Thank you."

"It was quite delicious."

"I worked hard!"

Qiong Xing praised Cari, telling him he did well, and thanked Fenrisúlfr for his effort.

...

"So, since we could not have hot pot together before, I brought this instead."

"I suppose I will forgive you this time."

Though he said that, his face clearly showed how pleased he was.

"The three of you should try it as well. As you can see, Mr. Paulo has already tested it."

"Do not use me as a test subject!"

He grumbled angrily, yet his hand holding the spoon never stopped.

"This is... incredible. I have never eaten something this cold and delicious before."

"It is good."

Brat and even the princess, who rarely had free time, had come when invited, and both were happily eating.

Sergei also seemed to like it quite a bit, quietly enjoying the honey-flavored one.

"Since you all seem to like it, here is a little extra..."

As he spoke, Qiong Xing reached into his bag and began sticking cookies into each of their dishes of ice cream.

"It is also delicious if you eat it together—"

"This is good! Qiong Xing, one more! No, two!"

Was that not a bit fast?

He had made plenty for the children’s snacks, so he stuck a few more cookies into the dish.

There was no particular reason for sticking them in like that.

If anything, it was simply because it was fun.

He added some for Brat and the others as well, even though they hesitated at first, and everyone happily finished their portions.

"I wonder... is it really okay to use magic talent for something like this..."

"Albe, you know what they say. Do not think, just feel."

Rather than worrying about that, enjoying the delicious food in front of them was what mattered most.

"No one says that! Who even came up with that!"

...Who was it, indeed?

"Is that not fine? It was delicious, right?"

"It was good, but... I do not know, it feels kind of complicated for me."

As a demon, Albe seemed conflicted about using magic not for attacking or destruction, but for creating something instead.