12
“What happened to Papa’s face?” Eris tilted her head and asked innocently when Papa hugged Uncle Faker and entered the private dining room after she and Mommy had been waiting for quite a while.
However, what caught her attention was both their faces swollen and bruised.
“Papa was bitten by a mosquito,” Gavin lied straightforwardly to his daughter.
Eris looked naive and trusting.
She herself had been bitten by mosquitoes before.
It was painful and stinging, sometimes feeling numb as if being injected with a needle, a result of her peculiar allergic reactions.
Even mosquitoes made the little girl suffer, so she empathized with Papa being bitten to the point of swelling.
Eris’s face saddened noticeably, making Gavin’s heart sink.
Seeing his daughter nearly in tears because he got ‘bitten by mosquitoes’ made him anxious.
“Ahem, what’s wrong, Eris?
Do you want to go back and build the castle?”
“Papa got bitten by mosquitoes so much that your face swelled like a pig.
Papa must be in a lot of pain.”
‘Does my daughter almost cry because she feels sorry for me getting bitten by mosquitoes?’ Gavin was stunned before a wave of happiness followed.
He hadn’t expected his daughter to care so much about him, especially when they had only been together for two days!
“Spurt!
Papa’s face swelled like a pig, ha!!”
“…” Gavin’s face darkened.
He was savoring the moment of empathy, but it seemed like some ill-mannered guy disrupted the feeling.
His bright garnet eyes quickly placed the blame before turning to console his daughter.
“It’s okay.
Papa isn’t hurt.
Papa is actually quite strong.
See, even though Papa’s face is swollen like a pig, he’s still a handsome pig.”
“Spurt!” This time, it wasn’t the mean friend who burst into laughter but the child’s mother.
She turned her face away before turning back without changing her expression, but if you looked closely, there was a tiny smile at the corner of her mouth.
“Are there handsome pigs too?”
“Yes, there are.
But Eris hasn’t seen one yet.”
“Eris wants to see a handsome pig.”
“One day, Papa will take you to see one.”
“Really?
You promise, right?
Eris wants to see the handsome pig.”
“Yes, yes,” Gavin nodded and smiled.
It seemed he had successfully diverted the topic.
Meanwhile, Faker was observing his friend with disbelief.
‘Is this really the War Sorcerer Ashura we know?
Once he has a child, he seems like a completely different person.
Or is it because he was there longer than us, and his personality changed?’ Faker hypothesized.
Time in the magical world and the human world isn’t the same; a year in the human world might be a decade in the magical world.
The sorcerers sent to the magical world without prior notice vanished for three years, equating to thirty years there.
But Gavin was different; he returned almost four years later, which wouldn’t make him a century-old inside, would it?
Faker shook off the nonsensical thoughts.
Regardless…
“I’m glad you’re back, friend.”
“It took me a long time to get back here.
I’m so glad to see you again and that you’ve been taking care of Kariette and her daughter.
I owe you a lot.”
“What debt are we talking about!
It’s me who owes you a lot.
To me, you’re not just anybody; you’re closer than a stranger my father seems to be,” Faker said, shaking his head and taking a drink.
“Let’s save reminiscing for later.
Faker, I want to thank you again.
I don’t know how many times I’ve troubled you.”
“No need, no need for formalities.
As I said earlier, I’m closer to you two than my own relatives.
What does it matter if I look after Eris, your daughter?
A hundred million is nothing; we’ll make it back soon.”
“But your company has been facing non-stop problems.
You might have shareholder issues if you use the company’s funds for personal matters, even if you return them immediately.”
“Ice Witch, you sound just like my secretary.
I’ve had enough of hearing this since morning.
How about you, Eris?
Is the food good?” Faker changed the subject.
The little girl finished her food and looked up at Uncle Faker before shaking her head.
“Pig food.”
“…” Faker was shocked.
“…” Gavin scowled.
“…” Kariette’s already statue-like face stiffened even more.
She nearly dropped her spoon.
Why would her little goddess use such unlovable words?
“Eris, you shouldn’t use that term.”
“But they are pig food,” Eris continued, seemingly not understanding her fault.
The chef would be heartbroken to hear this.
“Eris, why do you call it pig food?” Faker asked.
The restaurant was his regular spot for business dinners.
It might not be Michelin-starred, but it was well-known in local travel magazines.
If this was considered pig food, what about other places?
“I heard Aunt say pig food.
Anything other than what Papa cooks is pig food.”
“Eh…” Gavin reached for a napkin to wipe his sweat.
“…” Kariette remained stoic, blaming her brother internally.
She would have to lecture him later about watching his words in front of his niece.
“Eris, listen to Mommy.
‘Pig food’ is not a nice term.
Don’t say it again.”
“Is ‘pig food’ a bad term?” Eris wondered but nodded in agreement with Mommy.
If Mommy said it was bad, she wouldn’t say it again.
“Papa, I’m hungry,” Eris turned to Gavin.
“There’s still food on the table.
Why don’t you try it?” Faker suggested.
“No, it’s not tasty, not interesting.
It can’t compare to Papa’s cooking,” Eris protested, flailing her little arms.
“Huh,” Faker smiled, turning to his close friend.
Anyone close to Gavin would know his culinary skills were nearly masterful.
Even without magical cuisine, it was hard to match his quality.
Faker was curious to see how this new father would handle his daughter’s whimsical demands.
Moments later, he got his answer.
Gavin produced a box the size of a typical convenience store lunch box and placed it on the dining table, dimming the room’s opulence.
But once opened, the aroma that awakened one’s inner demon spread, filling the room and causing a stir throughout the restaurant!
Finally, it revealed what inside the box was…
Egg-wrapped rice!
A beloved dish even for a three-year-old.
“Papa, Eris wants to eat.”
“Of course, Papa made it, especially for you,” Gavin smiled and carefully spoon-fed the delighted little girl.
Eris munched happily, her smile brightening at the taste of eggs and carrots.
It was rare to see her enjoying her meal this much, leaving Faker dumbfounded.
“This is magical cuisine.”
“It’s the lowest grade of magical cuisine, made from leftover carrots from this morning’s clear soup and an egg from a single black hen queen.
It’s a simple egg-wrapped rice, low quality, but for Eris, who seems to have never tasted food in her life, it might as well be divine cuisine.”
“It’s clear you’re a master of magical cuisine, turning these simple ingredients into magical cuisine.
Uh…
can I have some?” Faker licked his lips, realizing how rare and profound the taste of magical cuisine was, having not experienced it for almost two years.
Perhaps Eris was right.
Comparing the rest of the table’s food with Gavin’s egg-wrapped rice, everything else just seemed like pig food.
“No.”
“Such a blunt refusal, how cruel!
After all, I’ve looked after your wife and child for three years.
Why so heartless?”
“The ingredients are limited, and Eris can only eat magical cuisine,” Gavin replied through gritted teeth.
Faker muttered under his breath but understood the situation.
“Boss, there’s a commotion outside,” Faker’s secretary informed him.
“What?”
“The delicious aroma has spread outside.
People are asking the restaurant to serve the same dish, claiming favoritism that we got the good food while they received ordinary fare.
The restaurant insists the aroma isn’t from their dishes.
Soon, someone will come asking.”
After hearing the full story, the three looked at each other.
“You all decide,” Kariette said to the other two.
She was indifferent, her goal accomplished by just bringing Eris to thank Faker.
Whether they didn’t finish their meal and left right after wasn’t her concern.
“I don’t like chaos, and egg-wrapped rice is not a complex menu.
I don’t want to be held back by the chefs,” Gavin stated.
“Sigh, this complicates things for me,” Faker lamented, shaking his head.
While Kariette and Gavin weren’t regulars here, he was.
He couldn’t avoid the head chef’s inquiries unless he decided to switch his usual dining spot.
“Nelson, tell the waitstaff to pack these dishes for us to take home.”
“Understood,” Nelson, Faker’s secretary, agreed before heading out.
The three adults and one child promptly gathered their belongings to leave before the disturbance reached them.
Gavin hadn’t anticipated his simple egg-wrapped rice would cause such a stir.
‘Really, the taste standards of the human world are abysmally low.
Kurt was right.
Except for my cooking, everything else is just pig food.’
“Old buddy, fancy a drink?”
“Let’s go.”
“Papa?” Eris called out to her father, and Gavin responded.
“What’s up, beautiful?”
“Eris wants a bedtime story.”
“Of course.”
“Eris wants Papa to sleep next to her.”
“But you have Mommy already.”
“Eris wants both Mommy and Papa.”
“Hmm…” Gavin hesitated, unable to find words due to Kariette’s icy gaze — neither rejecting nor consenting.
“Papa will sleep and cuddle with Eris.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely,” Gavin assured, then whispered to Faker, so only the two of them could hear.
“Once I tuck Eris in, I’ll come out.
Just send me the location of where you’ll be.”
“Hold on, I don’t have your FF ID.”
“Here’s my FF ID.”
After exchanging FF accounts, they parted ways.
Returning to the Coford family mansion, Gavin stayed with Eris, playing until 9 PM and then tucking her into bed.
Once assured his daughter was asleep, he stepped out, keeping his promise to Eris by staying beside her until she fell asleep.
By morning, his little goddess might be cross, but he planned to make it up to her with some delightful treats.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————Read ‘The Return of Asura Who Suddenly Becomes a Father’ before anyone else with more chapters at http://www.jinovel.com/en