“Sig!”

During the barbecue party, Kiana had oil all over her mouth, but suddenly she approached Sigurd, looking up at him with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.

Sigurd had just finished responding to Tesla’s refusal message, and out of habit, he took out a tissue to wipe Kiana’s mouth, then asked impatiently, “What do you want?”

“Um? Can you give me my dad’s sword?”

Kiana pointed to the uncooked green pepper skewer she was holding, making it clear that she wanted to try barbecuing with the Judgement of Shamash.

Indeed, the Judgement of Shamash was a convenient weapon.

It could shoot immensely powerful Heavenly Fire bullets, had a very high upper limit of power, and came with burning and piercing effects.

With good control, it could also be specifically enhanced for impact, creating a repelling effect.

In short, it was highly versatile, and with enough control from the user, it could provide various tactical effects.

Another advantage was that it could be used as an infinite energy flamethrower, and its upper limit of power was equally immeasurable.

Kiana’s favorite aspect was using it as a flamethrower because it made cooking very convenient – even Sigurd had used it in the kitchen before.

Sigurd glanced at the guns holstered at his waist and then lightly tapped Kiana’s forehead.

“Denied! This is not a barbecue tool, and your control isn’t enough.”

“Then, can you help me barbecue?”

Kiana handed the skewer to him with a persistent look on her face.

Sigurd’s expression turned serious.

Kiana then gave him a charming blink.

Sigurd took out one of his guns, aimed at the target, and calculated the force needed precisely.

Bang!

“Oh, that’s it!”

The hot wind created by the flames blew Kiana’s hair, and under her sparkling and expectant gaze, the flames flickered and disappeared.

The skewer in her hand was now emitting a scorching aroma.

“Thank you, Sig!”

Kiana grinned broadly and instantly devoured the skewer.

“Mmm~ Delicious~ Sig, again!”

Kiana had several more skewers in her hands.

Sigurd’s face turned dark.

“Don’t you know how to grill them on the charcoal stove?”

“That’s too slow! Besides, when I grill them, they’re either undercooked or burnt, and they don’t taste good!”

Kiana pouted, looking pitifully at Sigurd.

Sigurd sighed helplessly, reaching out to summon a few work bees from the air.

He opened a virtual screen and gave them instructions.

After a while, the work bees took the skewers from Kiana’s hands and automatically started grilling them on the charcoal stove.

“That’s it! Thanks, Sig! Mwah!”

Kiana hugged Sigurd unexpectedly, giving him a peck on the cheek, leaving an oily mark.

Then she went to wait by the charcoal stove.

Sigurd wiped his face with a tissue, removing the oil stain.

He couldn’t help but think that her hands that hugged him were oily and dirty, making him feel disgusted, and he wanted to go back and take a bath and change clothes.

…

“Haha, you two have such a good relationship.”

Cocolia held a high-stemmed wine glass and swayed gracefully, her mesmerizing eyes captivating, and her lips like dripping cherries, exuding a faint sweet fragrance as she approached Sigurd.

“Are you blind? Also, don’t act coquettish and seductive in front of me; I’m not buying it.”

“…I’m not acting! I’m naturally this beautiful!”

Changing from her elegant and charming demeanor, Cocolia gritted her teeth, revealing her fierce and domineering nature.

Sigurd nodded indifferently.

“That’s slightly better. What else do you want in terms of technology?”

“It’s not that; do I seem so materialistic to you? Can’t you think better of me?”

Cocolia sighed and held her forehead in frustration.

Sigurd straightened his expression, returning to his usual cold and indifferent demeanor, and said, “Just as we made progress on the path of power, I can’t come back to see the children for several months… It might be slightly better than subjecting them to experiments, but it’s still not ideal.”

“I did stop those experiments, didn’t I? Besides, it was for finding a cure for their deteriorating corruption that could erode them! If we don’t find a way to treat it, should we just watch them succumb to death?”

Cocolia argued her case.

Since Sigurd provided a treatment method, Cocolia stopped those experiments.

It sounds like she’s a relieved good mother who finally got out of the dilemma, but don’t overlook her extreme side.

However, as long as she maintains the status of having someone above her and providing opportunities for development, Cocolia will probably continue to be well-behaved and won’t easily seek attention—originally, she dared to show off in front of Otto.

Just imagine the treatment that Sigurd receives; it’s probably because she doesn’t have anything valuable to be worried about; otherwise, who knows what Otto might do?

Seeing that Sigurd ignored her, Cocolia felt angry and frustrated, and unhappily said, “Forget it, let’s not talk about this. I need to tell you something, someone wants to see you.”

“Who?”

“Brolon Albert. I’ll talk about it later. I’m going to chat with the children, you stay here and enjoy the breeze.”

Cocolia left with a graceful posture, not giving Sigurd a chance to ask further questions, as if doing so could save her some face.

…

“Children, I’m back. Do you miss mommy?”

“Yay! Mama’s back!”

Seele responded happily, obviously delighted to see Cocolia, who then indulged her with a pat on the head and a hug.

Bronya, holding a Honkai beast plushie, rolled her eyes and remained silent.

Kiana and Sin Mal seemed to have gotten into an argument at some point, and they were glaring at each other with their foreheads almost touching.

Since they didn’t dare to fight in front of Sigurd, they could only use their eyes to stare each other down, as if trying to intimidate one another with their gaze—anyway, Kiana had no time to bother with Cocolia.

Rozaliya and Liliya were busy fighting over some roasted meat, having a jolly good time, but similarly, they didn’t bother to respond to Cocolia.

Cocolia’s smile froze for a moment, and she helplessly said, “I have gifts for you!”

Rozaliya & Liliya: “Mama Cocolia, we missed you so much!”

However, only these two sisters were attracted by the gifts.

Bronya, who was relatively mature, and Kiana, who didn’t care about material things, were completely indifferent.

Cocolia first sighed with a touch of helplessness and then showed an indulgent and gentle smile, gazing at her children one by one as she handed out the gifts:

“For the well-behaved Seele, a beautiful necklace. I hope you become even cuter.”

“Thank you, Mama Cocolia!”

“For Liliya, the building blocks you liked last time, and for Rozaliya, some delicious premium cookies. Make sure to share, don’t hog them all to yourself!”

“Yes, Mama Cocolia.” ×2

“For Bronya, it’s… Ta-da! The latest remote-controlled airplane! Mommy secretly made some modifications so it can carry a machine gun. But don’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you, Matushka.”

Bronya took the large box.

Even though she had already started tinkering with unmanned combat drones, such things were of no use to her.

However, the usually aloof and indifferent girl revealed a gentle smile at this moment. Not for anything else, but because it was a gift from her mother.

“Next is Sin Mal, a beautiful little dress. When I saw it, I thought to myself that you would definitely be the cutest in the world when you put it on.”

“Thank you… Mom.”

Sin Mal no longer quarreled with Kiana, taking the little dress and holding it close, showing a lovely smile to Cocolia.

Although Kiana’s appearance wasn’t impressive through her unique eyes at first sight, Sin Mal had already grown accustomed to this kind of world.

She wouldn’t despise Kiana for it, and after spending some time together… for a child, genuine maternal love is impossible to resist.

Kiana looked at everyone happily, a hint of melancholy flashing in her eyes. But she quickly covered it up with a ravenous appetite, focusing on eating.

Then, Cocolia approached Kiana, leaned down, and smiled as she handed over a small box.

“Here, this is for Kiana.”

“Huh? Do I have one too?”

Kiana blinked her large eyes, looking surprised.

Cocolia rubbed her head and smiled, saying:

“Even though you don’t want to call me Mom, since you’ve been living in the orphanage, I consider you my child. Keep being this happy and get along well with everyone!”

Facing those gentle eyes, Kiana didn’t know why, but her heart seemed to skip a beat. Then, she flashed an incredibly radiant smile and replied:

“…Thank you, Cocolia.”

The word “Mom” still didn’t come out, but Cocolia didn’t mind. She just touched foreheads with Kiana to show her closeness.

Afterwards, she went to the grill and smiled as she started barbecuing for everyone.

“What would you like to eat?”

“I want meat!”

“Liliya wants vegetables.”

“Mom, let me help you.”

“Bronya is coming too…”

Originally, the atmosphere around the barbecue was already lively, but it was missing something.

When Cocolia arrived, the children surrounded her, as if they had suddenly found their backbone, and the beautiful scene became complete in an instant.

Sigurd observed this scene, seeing not only Sin Mal, who had recently joined, but even Kiana, who had never called anyone Mom before, seamlessly blending in.

He was speechless but moved.

He thought to himself that his initial decision had indeed been the right one.