"But—"
Serathiel tried to explain to him but Kaine’s mind had already come up with something.
"Removing another scale would damage your body, that would slow your recovery. I can’t have that."
The Dragon turned silent.
Kaine looked at her and his expression became more serious.
"I already told you why I’m helping you. The more you heal, the stronger I become. Tearing a part of your body in exchange for food will be counterproductive.
I am doing this so you get better, not worse.
Don’t do anything that puts my strength in jeopardy, understand?"
He spoke clearly and Serathiel...
She kept staring at him for a while, then she nodded.
"Yes."
Kaine watched her for a few seconds.
"Good."
He nodded as well.
Kaine knew the Dragon needed it, all this while, she had been conditioned to believe that she must pay in order to get food and till now, she had used her scales as payment.
If he suddenly said he did not need anything, she would keep doubting him and never have peace of mind.
He couldn’t have that.
Keeping her mind at ease was an essential part of her recovery, so he must constantly tell her that he was doing what he was doing for selfish reasons, he must keep her mind at ease.
Kaine nodded to himself as he gently stirred the broth he kept in front of him.
On the other bed, Lysara had barely touched her food, she held the plate in her hand, making sure it didn’t spill, her eyes, however, remained on Kaine and Serathiel, or more precisely, on Kaine.
She heard everything he said.
The more you heal, the stronger I become.
Those were his words.
This was why he was doing what he was doing for them and it all made sense, the way he explained everything, it seemed simple, logical even.
And yet...
Lysara’s eyes moved towards the empty tray.
She remembered watching him inside the kitchen, she remembered him worrying about even the smallest of details, using tools for the simplest of measurements even as the entire room watched him with those ridiculous looks on their faces.
She saw him measure half a gram of salt because he refused to rely on something as uncertain as a ’pinch’, she saw him cutting every piece of meat until they were almost identical, she saw him spend... all that time making three different meals.
And that wasn’t the only time, he did the same when he made their medicines, or even when he was taking care of them in general.
She remembered him noticing the smallest details about them, she remembered him carrying Serathiel in his arms and taking her with him only after he made sure she knew they were coming with her, all because he noticed Serathiel wouldn’t want to stay away from them.
She remembered how even when she shouted at him, he only praised her for being brave, for being willing to stand up for them.
She remembered how he apologised to Nerys when her stomach growled, she remembered how he told his servants to let her hold her because he noticed Nerys wanted to...
Not everything he did was related to their recovery, if it was just about him gaining strength, he had no need to do half of the things he did for them.
And yet... he still did it.
Lysara continued staring at Kaine.
Strength might be one reason but...
Something told her it wasn’t the only one.
Clink
Just then, a sudden sound made everyone turn.
Nerys, who was trying to lift her spoon despite her body lacking the strength to do so, dropped the spoon back on the plate, making the sound.
And the instant the Shadow Demon realised what happened, she froze.
Her eyes stared at the small amount of broth that she spilled and her face went pale.
"I-I’m sorry."
She apologised that very instant. She tried to fix it, her weak, trembling fingers moved towards the spoon.
"I’m sorry, I’ll clea—"
"Nerys."
That was when Kaine called her.
The Shadow Demon froze.
Kaine walked toward her, Nerys lowered her head further. Kaine looked at the spoon, then at the small amount of broth on the blanket, then at Nerys’s body that was trembling in fear.
She was afraid of what he was going to do.
And he...
"It’s fine."
He spoke using the gentlest voice he could.
Nerys looked up.
"It was an accident, it happens."
He smiled at her, making sure she knew he wasn’t angry. The Shadow Demon stared at him for a few seconds, he kept smiling.
Then, she nodded very, very meekly.
Kaine nodded back, he glanced at Nerys’s trembling fingers and he remembered something.
Their strength stat.
Both Lysara and Nerys had less than one strength, he didn’t exactly know what that meant before, but now, he could see it.
He leaned close to Nerys, making sure he kept enough distance to not intimidate her, then, in the same gentle tone, he asked a question.
"Was the spoon too heavy?"
Nerys shook her head.
"Answer honestly."
He ordered. Nerys hesitated for a moment, then she nodded slowly, afraid of what Kaine was going to say next.
Kaine made sure he didn’t raise his voice, he just looked at her, then at Lysara. She hadn’t touched her food either and seeing how she was having a little difficulty just holding the plate, Kaine realised she didn’t have enough strength either.
It was another one of his mistakes.
He spent all this time thinking about what they needed to eat and he never once considered whether they could actually feed themselves.
Kaine stood up, then, he looked at all his summons.
"Don’t try anything yourselves, I’ll feed you three."
"...all of us?"
Serathiel blinked.
"Yes."
Kaine nodded as he then moved towards the Dragon first since she was the least capable of moving.
He picked up her spoon and stirred the broth again, it was still warm. He took a small amount, blew on it and once he was sure it wasn’t too hot, he brought it towards her mouth.
Serathiel stared at him.
Kaine waited without showing any signs of impatience.
The Dragon kept staring at him, at the gentle look on his face. Her mind couldn’t help but recall every terrible thing those people did to her, that made her tremble. Then, those visions faded away, she looked back at Kaine, who was still waiting for her and she...
She slowly opened her mouth.
"Be careful, it’s a little warm."
Kaine spoke gently as he carefully placed the spoon between her lips.
She ate slowly.
And as she did, the look in her eyes changed.
The broth was warm and soft enough that she barely needed to chew. The warmth slowly spread down her throat and into her stomach.
For a moment, Serathiel simply sat there, the feeling of eating something that wasn’t rotten was different from what she was used to.
Kaine watched her in silence.
"Is something wrong?"
"...no."
Serathiel quickly shook her head.
"It..."
She hesitated for a moment, then she said it out loud.
"It tastes good."
A genuine smile appeared on Kaine’s face when he heard those words.
"That’s... good.
It was the first time I made something, I am glad you liked it."
The Dragon kept staring at him, not knowing what this strange feeling she felt in her chest was as she saw him smile.
Kaine failed to notice that little change in her expression, he was thinking of taking another spoonful and feeding her, but just then, he glanced towards the other two bowls.
Steam was still coming out of them, meaning they were still warm but...
If he fed Serathiel completely first, Lysara and Nerys’s meals might become cold.
That made him pause.
He couldn’t have that, the food needed to be warm for its nutrients to work best.
So he thought of something else, he placed Serathiel’s spoon down, the Dragon looked at him in confusion while he shifted towards Lysara and picked her spoon up.
The Fox watched him in silence, she saw what he did for Serathiel, so when she saw the spoon stopping in front of her, she opened her mouth without being asked.
Kaine fed her a small amount of porridge.
Lysara swallowed slowly, her remaining ear rose a little as she felt the warmth filling her mouth.
Kaine noticed that.
"Good?"
He asked.
Lysara looked at him for a few seconds.
"...yes."
Then she nodded and for Kaine, that little nod was more than enough for now. He nodded back and stood up.
Nerys watched him approach, her gaze momentarily dropped toward the spoon she had dropped earlier. Kaine didn’t mention it, he simply picked the spoon back up, took a little of her broth and held it in front of her.
The Shadow Demon stared at him for a second.
"You can eat."
Kaine spoke in a very gentle tone, knowing she wouldn’t move unless he told her to. She slowly opened her mouth, he fed her and the moment she tasted it, her eyes glinted in amazement.
It was delicious.
It actually wasn’t, the system recipe was as plain as it could be because their bodies weren’t strong enough to handle spices and flavour, but...
Compared to a rotten piece of hard bread that had mould all over it, the difference was night and day.
The meat practically fell apart in her mouth.
Nerys swallowed, and for the first time in a long while, food entered her stomach without her feeling any form of pain, if anything, it felt good.
The Shadow Demon lowered her eyes, her fingers holding the blanket slowly relaxed.
Kaine smiled gently, then, he moved back to Serathiel, then Lysara, then Nerys again. He repeated the cycle again and again and again.
Until every bowl was empty.