W1.A1-12: A Mother’s Sacrifice – An Extra Nutritious Meal

"Are you sure about this?" My mother asked as she examined the piece of meat she was holding in her hand.

"Of course," I replied while looking at the pink apron that I was wearing with a frown.

Shaking my head, I turned to her before saying, "Don't worry, Mom." I assured. "I know a trick."

"Fine." My mother let out a sigh as she placed the meat back in the heap. "We've already promised Yena and the others anyway."

Her distressed look amused me, but I didn't have the time to tease her for that.

Instead, I said, "Let's get started, Mom."

My mother could only nod in agreement. We checked all the items once more before we began to cook.

As I had already planned, I told my mother to deal with the other dishes while I worked on the bull meat that I had hunted.

Actually, as I thought about it again, I realized that maybe it was not the best idea to have let the maids cook the meat.

After all, it was not a common creature. It was not a Rank 0 beast, which equals a sword apprentice, either.

It was actually a peak-level, Rank 1 mana beast that could defeat almost all the master swordsmen!

Even some beginner sword grandmasters would have a hard time cutting open its tough hide.

Refined by mana, its muscles were resilient and tough. The meat was at least three times more dense than that of ordinary creatures. Weight aside, the most difficult thing to deal with was making it tender. Mild enough to be digested by the stomach of an ordinary person.

Using only the flame, it would have taken at least two or three days before it was ready to be chewed on.

It was not much of a problem for me, though.

Channeling some mana into my fingers, I gently massage the chunks of meat, making them suitable for cooking while also preserving the nutrients and keeping the fibers healthy.

"It doesn't look that hard." My mother's head suddenly popped out from behind as she commented while looking at me preparing the meat.

I chuckled in reply and looked at her with my eyebrow raised. "Is that so?" I asked.

Pushing a piece of meat towards her, I said, "Why don't you try it then?"

"Okay." My mother happily accepted my challenge, as she looked genuinely curious about the meat that had caused all of her maids to fall into exhaustion.

She copied my technique and, using her soft hands, began to massage the meat.

But only a minute had passed when beads of sweat began to shine on her forehead, and her breathing also got a bit rough.

"Alright, you can stop now." I hurriedly stopped her before she could tire herself out.

"Huff~ why is this so hard?" She complained with a pout. Then she looked at me with her dubious gaze. "Are you sure this is eatable?"

I simply pursed my lips before handing her one of the pieces I had already softened.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. But her expression quickly turned normal as she commented with a snort, "At least you have learned something useful after spending all these years outside."

We once again begin to work on our respective tasks. It was only an hour later that we were finished with all the dishes placed for cooking in either the oven or on top of the flames.

"It smells so nice..." My mother couldn't help but comment as she saw me making a fried dish out of the bull meat.

"I told you it did, didn't I?" I gave her a smug look while thinking.

Of course it'll smell good. I don't know how many top class restaurants in the capital would have fought each other to get this meat off my hands.

The food was done cooking in another hour.

"I should go call them now." My mother said this as she took off her apron and placed it back on its hanger. "Can you please place all this on the trolley, dear?" She asked as she looked at the spread of dishes on the kitchen counter.

"No problem, mom, I replied. You go and bring them directly to the dining room."

My mother left, and I began to arrange all the plates and dishes on the food cart before pushing it towards the dining room.

"Looks good." I commented with a contended smile on my face as I looked at the food that I had helped my mother prepare.

Soon enough, I heard footsteps in the hallway. Turning to the door, I said, "Come in quickly; I'm feeling quite hungry."

My mother entered the room along with Aunt Yena and the others.

They were still feeling a bit awkward because of the incident earlier. But on my mother's command, they all quickly took their seats.

"Let's eat."

I was the first to grab a dish, but it was not one made out of bull meat. Instead, it was the one my mother had made.

As I took a bite and savored the flavor, exclamations began to echo inside the dining room as the maids had looks of amazement painted on their faces.

My mother was no different, as she was also showing a surprised expression after trying the bull meat.

"It's really good!" She exclaimed as she took another bite while still maintaining her elegant posture.

But I had no such inhibitions, as I simply grabbed the roasted dish made out of bull meat and chewed it out in a few bites.

"Nice!" I was satisfied with my cooking, as all the ladies seemed satisfied with the meat dishes I prepared. Well, it was mostly because of the meat, but still, it made me happy when I saw my mother and them enjoying it.

We kept eating until almost all the dishes were empty. Everyone was lying on their backs on their respective chairs, with no one being an exception.

"I ate too much." Aunt Yena said.

The other maids also nodded before Jennie, the enthusiastic maid from earlier, suddenly commented, "Why do I feel energetic all of a sudden?" She had a confused look on her face as she continued, "My exhaustion from earlier had completely disappeared!"

The others also realized the same thing, so I had to say, "Oh, the bull meat is really nutritious, you know?"

"It's in high demand, even in the capital." I tried to downplay the effects, but I knew this was just the beginning.

The meat of a peak rank-1 beast contains enough energy to kill an ordinary person within a few bites. Their system just can't digest it.

But the same meat, when treated with mana, has the opposite effect.

My mana had completely neutralized the chains of mana that were imprinted by the bull's spirit. Hence, all that was left was pure and gentle energy.

The human body is innately hungry for this kind of easily digestible energy, and the cells in their bodies will store all the excess energy within them. There'll be nothing like having too much energy, as mana doesn't follow the conventional sense of compression. The greater your control, the further you can compress it.

Just like that, we all stood up, bursting with energy. The maids looked especially energetic as they cleaned the table and removed all the dishes before taking them for cleaning.

"I hope you enjoyed it." I said this as I looked at my mother.

"I should be the one asking that." She replied with a smile.

I shrugged. "I enjoy every day here."

Happy with my answer, my mother's smile broadened as she suddenly stood up and said, "Come with me; I have a present for you."

"Present?"

Curious, I stood up from my seat and followed my mother with some anticipation in my heart.