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n“What? When and how?” Sylvester asked in one breath.

nOf course, Sylvester was close to the old man. However short the time was. He genuinely liked Grandpa Monk without any hope of ever receiving any favours. He just liked to meet him and talk or learn some new things.

nSaint Wazir answered honestly. “He passed away peacefully while returning from his last assignment of stopping the mad war in the Sorrow Kingdom. He was able to hold the Grand Duke of the Patch back, but in doing so, expanded the last of his life’s energy. While on the way back, in his sleep, he took his last breath. I must go now, many things to prepare. Please be present at the ceremony, as the old man has left behind a few things in your name.”

n“In my name?” Sylvester mumbled in surprise, unable to imagine what it could be.

n“Again, I hope you don’t mind what occurred inside there. Once this funeral is over, I will speak with the Holy Father and see what we can do. I genuinely believe you deserve to be promoted, Archpriest.” Saint Wazir patted Sylvester’s shoulder and walked away in a hurry.

nSylvester silently appreciated that some on the Sanctum Council were in favour of him, but he also knew the reality of the situation. Personal supreme power does not mean supreme political power too. As personal strength is earned, so is political support.

n‘Do what you may, but I’ve made up my mind. Even if I become a Bishop now, then what next? Those old sycophants will never leave an opportunity to pull me down. So it’s better if I bury them ten feet underground.’

nHowever, for now, it was a moment of grief. “Let’s return to the sick bay. I’m sure mother is waiting for us.”

nAurora nodded and followed behind while remembering the old man. “So he finally closed his eyes for the last time. I didn’t have the luck to get close to him, but he was one of the only few Guardians who I truly felt positive about. He was so kind and always laughing. I’m sure the Holy Father is heartbroken right now.”

n“If he really considered the old man his father, then I guess he lost his only family. I’d be devastated if I was him.” Sylvester replied.

nIn a silence filled with chaotic thoughts about the dead, they arrived back in the Sick Bay. Sylvester didn’t tell anyone about the death of Grandpa Monk, though, as nobody there other than him shared a bond with the old man. Not to mention, he didn’t want Xavia to feel any sadness.

nHe forced a smile on his face, being a master of making it seem natural, and entered the room with a big bouquet. “I’m back! Mum, here you go.”

nFelix immediately jumped in front of him, though. “Where? Where is that sweet Bishop’s mitre? Show it to me!”

nSylvester shook his head with a sigh. “They said I’m too young for the rank of Bishop.”

n“…” 𝒃𝒆𝙣𝒐𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝒎

n“Bull… Excretion! Did they not look at the list of things you’ve done? They should be kissing your feet at this point.” Felix barked, enraged, of course.

n“Well, they were also afraid that me becoming a Bishop would discourage the other God’s Favoured candidates from giving their best. It’s dumb logic, I know, but I have no option but to accept this.” Sylvester added in a sad tone.

nGabriel sighed in frustration. “You should be the example child of the church right now. I don’t know what they are thinking.”

n“Politics.” Sir Dolorem blurted from behind as the man stood like a statue by the wall.

nBut Sylvester didn’t want to get into all that talk. “Forget about it. Let’s move on. Mum, I’m taking you home. I have planned a better treatment to train your muscles, and I will oversee it myself.”

nXavia didn’t agree with him. “No, I can’t, dear. I can’t be a burden on your already heavy shoulders.”

nSylvester got close to her and put a hand on her shoulder while staring into her eyes. “You are my mother, not a burden. Never consider yourself a burden to me. If anything, I want to spend more time with you and, perhaps, relax a little after nearly two years of constantly running around and working. I will even call Baron Lee Da Loveland to have another portrait made.”

nAurora chimed in. “Go for it, Xavia. You won’t get another chance to spend quality time with your son. The bigger he grows, the higher he will rise, and the matters he’ll need to worry about will take most of his mind. So you should cherish this time.”

n“Nonsense.” Sylvester barked in a fake fit of anger. “Mum is mum, and she comes above all. If the world starts burning tomorrow, sorry in advance, I’ll save her first.”

n“Meow too!”

n“Woah! Where is this cat hiding?” Felix started looking around quickly as the voice came.

nSylvester glared at Miraj sitting near the window. The boy tried to ignore Sylvester’s gaze, but now and then, he’d look. Of course, it was a slip of tongue in the heat of the moment. After all, to Miraj, the big mom was a real mom too.

n“Anyway, let’s move.” Sylvester busied himself and brought a wheelchair from outside. It was very crude, slow and uncomfortable. So a good wheelchair was already on the list of things he wanted to create in the next few days.

nWoosh!

n“Ah! What are you doing, Max!” Xavia exclaimed embarrassingly.

nBut Sylvester didn’t react and kept her in a princess carry and gently put her on the chair. “What? There is nothing to be ashamed of, mum. And Felix, why are you standing? Start packing the bags, and Isabella, hold the wheelchair.”

nSylvester didn’t care about the warnings of the Sick Bay healers. They were doing nothing with Xavia’s healing, and he had better ways. So, he brought her to the Bright Mother’s housing building.

nThere, many Bright Mothers came out of their rooms to see Xavia. The attack on her was big news, after all.

nBut eventually, they arrived at the little two-room house. Sylvester quickly set everything up for Xavia. First, he placed many bells in the house tied to a rope in Xavia’s room, which, if she pulled, would ring everywhere in the house.

nAs for the bathroom, it already had a good, nearly modern seat. The buildings in the Holy land were fairly advanced due to the abundance of magical means. Otherwise, only big lords could afford to have a personal privy.

n“What’s your plan for healing Mother Xavia?” Felix asked him when everyone settled down.

n“Water therapy.” Sylvester started. “What mum needs is physical exercise, but doing it normally won’t help as she can’t put weight on her legs. So, I will use a water pool and exercise with her there. That way, her body weight won’t affect her legs as much.”

n“Are you sure that will work?” Gabriel asked.

nSylvester was absolutely confident in this one thing. “I am. Anyway, let’s get to cooking now. Felix and Gab, come and help me. Aurora and Isabella, keep mum entertained. Sir Dolorem, don’t let them talk bad about me behind my back.”

n“Haha, I will try, Lord Bard.” Sir Dolorem chuckled and remained seated.

nWith that, soon, a lot of noise started to come from the kitchen. A lot of utensils falling, a lot of shouting at each other, shaming each other, calling names and such. Of course, the three of them were not professionals, but while Sylvester knew very well how to cook, his two helpers were as dumb as they came.

n“Good lord, Felix. What is wrong with you? Why did you add honey to the Marinara Sauce?” Sylvester quickly took the bowl away from Felix.

n“Marine what? And don’t you like honey?” Felix asked cluelessly. “And what are we even making?”

nSylvester rubbed his face in exhaustion. “We’re making something called Pizza.”

n“What’s that?” Gabriel inquired.

nSylvester had to explain them again. “It’s a bread-based dish topped with tomatoes, cheese, and various other ingredients. It’s baked at a high temperature and tastes really good. We’re adding chicken for today. It’s a great cheat food for when you’re bored with regular food, but overeating can be bad for your health.”

nFelix scratched his head. “Umm… So it’s like how I make my breakfast? I take a loaf of bread, put in some nice vegetables, boiled meat and sauces, and eat it.”

n“…”

n“That’s… Now a very good breakfast, Felix. And no, this is different. Just do as I tell you to, and you will know soon. No need to add honey either.” Sylvester again started instructing them.

nHe kept a strict eye on everyone this time and ensured they made the base nicely. As for cheese, that was readily available in the Holy Land. Vegetables and meat were also not a problem. In fact, Holy Land was the only place that never suffered from food inflation no matter what went on in the world because the methods used to grow food and maintain livestock in the Holy Land were highly efficient with the help of magic.

n“Alright, I will keep the fire going. You two prepare the hot coco-milk. Today, I’m going to spoil you all and show you the wonders of my cooking.” Sylvester instructed them further.

nBut Felix and Gabriel were very dubious about his ideas as they had not yet tasted whatever he was making. But, at least the aroma was absolutely mouth-watering, so they silently worked.

nThen, by evening, everything was ready, and Sylvester stopped using magic for baking the pizza. He didn’t have any modern tools to check the temperature, so he had to go slow with his instincts.

nSoon, a big table was prepared inside Xavia’s room, where laughs and giggles were resounding as even Sir Dolorem would chime into conversations. Xavia was truly happy to have such company.

n“Mum, you should try it first.” Sylvester sat beside Xavia as she couldn’t use her hands that well and he had to feed her.

nXavia didn’t fight and took a bite as she was also interested in it. As did the others at the same time from their plates.

nAnd then, an explosion happened. Food that had never been seen or tasted before, food that was never meant to occur in the world before—Now widened the eyes of the many.

n“Holy f…!” Felix nearly had a slip of the tongue as he took a bite of the cheesy pizza. “This is so good! So tasty and… Max, is there anything you can’t do?”

nSylvester chuckled with pride. ‘I guess my memories are not only useful in winning battles, but also hearts.’

n“Please give me the recipe!” Isabella asked as her eyes appeared full of shine.

nLady Aurora was just silent and gobbling on it. In comparison, Sir Dolorem was silently savouring the taste. It was akin to nothing they had ever tasted before.

n“What do you think, mum?” Sylvester asked her finally.

nXavia stared at Sylvester’s face constantly with no expression. “I… What have I done!”

nSylvester didn’t panic as he still smelled the scent of happiness and excitement. “What happened?”

nXavia caressed his face with her shaking hand. “You… I’m afraid if you keep showing these wonders to the world, the women across the realm will rise against the church for keeping you away from them.”

n“…”

nSylvester dumbly stared at her and looked at others as they laughed. But eventually, he also took a bite while thinking about something. “You know what… I should let the world taste my cuisine.”

nFelix got excited. “Am I thinking what you’re thinking? Are you going to…”

n“Yes! I’m going to buy myself a slave!”

n“…”

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