Chapter 814 Chapter 813: Breakfast
"I... You... Did you make all of this? H-How?! W-Where did the meat come from? These bones..?"
I smiled at the flabbergasted Mary, the older woman looking around at the various pots and pans with wide eyes as she took in the meat lovers breakfast that I had made for everyone; steaks, stews, strips, fillets, and so much more.
Of course, I knew how to balance a breakfast as well, so there were loaves of bread, a cauldron of oatmeal, and then the large collection of fruits that the humans had stockpiles of from a nearby village.
They had been lucky, honestly, with what had been left untouched by the attacks; fields of wheat and barley, orchards of apples and oranges, verdant forest filled with various herbs and animals... Custodia was located in an extremely bountiful area, rich in natural mana that allowed all of those things to flourish and prosper without much difficulty, creating an abundance of foods for the people to eat.
The amount of grain they had stored away was more than enough for this hundred strong group of humans, but grain wasn't the only thing these people needed to sustain themselves; it was their other stores that were taking the largest hit, hence my desire to replenish those stores first now that we would be imposing on them for the foreseeable future.
"Yes, I made everything here, with the help of Luci and Leraie. The meat comes from a Kindred Sword Stag; big black furred deer like monster with bladed antlers. Jahi and I hunted it last night."
"Last night?! And you're still awake now? Why didn't you get some rest and let someone else do the cooking?"
Smiling at the worry the mature woman was showing, I waved her off and gestured instead towards the plates and bowls, saying "There's more than enough. Help yourself."
Mary just stared blankly at the various platters that were being used to display the mountains of meat I had prepared, whilst the large vats of stews and oatmeal were placed low to the ground, allowing everyone to take the ladle and scoop out what they wanted.
There was enough variety to make this a breakfast that had something anyone could eat from; the Demons were quick to partake in a meat heavy diet, though most of them did so by using the bread to contain more of that meat to help fill their stomachs quicker, whilst also going to grab a bowl of stew to wash everything down.
They had no issue grabbing themselves some food, though I couldn't say the same for the humans.
Even as I revised my Wind Dome to no longer conceal the heavenly scent of cooked food and instead pushed the smell outwards, they stubbornly remained away from the kitchen, staring at it with wary eyes as they hesitated, waiting for someone to act first.
The herd mentality put on display would've been enough to awe some scientists with how they remained rooted in place even as their stomachs grumbled, making me sigh and roll my eyes at how they seemed reluctant to do anything first.
When I looked towards the cluster of kids that were alternating their hungry gazes between their protectors and the food that was slowly diminishing, that sigh deepened as I began to create a platter up, ensuring it had a variety of things before lifting it and making my way out of the kitchen and towards the children.
Smiling gently at them, I crouched and showed them the tray, ignoring the adults nearby and saying "You're all hungry, right? Then eat. It's only getting colder."
Watching as their noses twitched due to the proximity of the meat, and seeing how their eyes now no longer left the food as they all tried - and failed - to hold themselves back like their protectors were was rather amusing, and I nodded as they reached forwards to eat, only to frown as one of the elders slapped their cane down atop the platter, sending the food sliding across the ground.
"I know what you're up to, you Dogkin bitch! You're going to poison us! Do you think we're that dumb?!"
I took a deep breath and tore my gazes from the surprised faces of the children, looking instead towards the older woman above me who raised her cane again, trying to threaten me, only to have her eyes go wide as I stood back up.
Very rarely could I say I was a tall woman, but that was only when I was surrounded by all the various races of the Empire; six foot was the new average, give or take a few inches above and below, but few races were shorter than that, and if they were, they gained something in exchange for that height.
Humans though remained just as varied as they were in my old world, meaning this elderly woman - who was hunched over and clutching her cane in fear - was much shorter than myself.
So, I leaned down and brought my face closer to hers, staring at her silently for a few moments and enjoying the way her eyes - yellow with age, whilst the brown lens had begun shifting to a slight blue hue - shook and watered as I stood in front of her.
"If I wished to poison you... any of you... I would have done so as you slept soundly in your beds. But I didn't. Because I have no need to poison you. None of you are even a modicum of a threat to me. Not a single damn one of you. If I wanted you killed..."
Raising my arm, I activated the tattoos on my wrist and displayed the serrated ice blade to the woman before resting it against her throat, relishing the way the woman shivered and tried to move away, only to have her body fail her.
"I would slit your throat before you even realized I was there. You. Are. All. Weak. Do we have an understanding? You are no longer a member of the Three Human Kingdoms; you are a member of the Empire, and as such, you are beneath the Empress of Ash as one of her many citizens. I will treat you as such, so long as you act civil. Now, get on your hands and knees and pick up the mess you made. I cooked for nearly three hours to make that, and I don't appreciate seeing it be wasted. So you can eat it. The meat, the apple slices, the oatmeal. Hell, I'll even say the stew as well! Am I understood?"
My voice remained steady as I stared straight into the woman's eyes, before allowing the ice blade to disappear as I took a step back, staring at her still as I waited for her to do as I said.
The hall was silent, only for that silence to be broken as a woman took a shaky breath behind me as she said "Beckandra... Do as she says. You... You should know better than to waste food. Even if it was poisoned, you of all people can't go hungry... But..."
Hearing Mary beside me, I didn't let her try and plead as I shook my head, my eyes never leaving Beckandra as I calmly said "Clean it up. You've had decades on this planet to my own few measly years, and yet I have a firm grasp on manners and an understanding of my place. What have you been doing with your time? Have you always been taking food away from children?"
Her body shook with anger and shame, but the old woman couldn't say anything as I stared at her, alongside everyone else in the hall; no one moved, not even the Demons as they watched from afar.
Though considering the amusement I could feel from my bond to Jahi, I could only imagine that everyone from the Clans were just as amused at this as she was...
So, we all got to watch as the elderly woman gingerly lowered herself to the ground and began to clean up the mess she made, her bluish brown eyes watery with tears as she was subjected to humiliation in front of everyone.
"Now, I do apologize for that, but I believe the punishment fits the crime. My hard work sent sliding over the floorboards, my desire to ensure YOUR children didn't starve because you thought that we were no better than monsters wanting to poison you? Pitiful. Even as you've been brought down to such a low point in your existence, you cling to some undeserved pride, believing that we would need to employ underhanded tactics to take you lower?"
Snorting, I shook my head and made my way back to the kitchen, swiftly fixing up an identical platter and taking it back to the children, who were even more scared than before, their eyes wide as they watched me closely.
I couldn't help but click my tongue as I saw that, shaking my head again before gently saying "Eat. You'll need to fill your bellies to grow big and strong."
Not pushing them anymore, I stood up and walked away, mild irritation filling my heart as I looked around the hall once more, wondering if I should bother with manners at all...
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