I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 72

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 72

Winter had passed, and spring flowers were beginning to bloom in the Royal Academy’s gardens.
The Easter Holiday came just before the Spring Semester began.
Though it was only about two weeks long, Ber had been counting the days for months.
‘Finally, I’m going home!’
Ber’s delight broke into a grin, and Enya glanced back with a quiet laugh.
“You look incredibly excited.”
Ever since the wild boar incident, Ber had pestered Enya to drop the formal speech whenever they talked, and now Enya found it natural to speak casually with her. Ber nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Of course. This is my first time inviting a friend home!”
Enya murmured the word ‘friend’ with a touched expression, though excited Ber didn’t notice.
“Once we get there, I’ll introduce you to the Sled Knight Order first. Wait, no—I should introduce Anna first. She’s my personal maid and used to serve in the Sled Knight Order, and honestly, I wish she were my older sister because she’s so kind! And the food at Grizzly Castle—the Head Chef’s cooking is just absolutely amazing!”
“Miss Ber!”
Just then, a sharp voice rang out from the front of the procession.
“Please keep quiet in the corridor.”
“My apologies, ma’am.”
Ber apologized immediately at the escort teacher’s admonition and closed her mouth. But the excitement hadn’t faded, and her smile soon returned.
The students were moving in a single line toward the Great Hall.
Today, all students of the Royal Academy were gathered in the Great Hall to commemorate Easter before dispersing to their respective homes.
The Albero Empire had no official state religion, but there were a few days celebrated nationwide. Easter was one of them.
The Goddess Eostre, who appeared in the founding mythology. Her powerful healing power was said to seem like raising the dead to the people. For this reason, Easter often became a time of gratitude toward the goddess who had protected the empire long ago.
At the Royal Academy, the ceremony consisted of reciting the founding mythology and offering silent respect toward the image of the goddess carved into the Great Hall’s stained glass.
“Understood, I’ll head to the garden!”
Ber answered Louie, who had called from a distance, and turned back to Enya.
“Enya, let’s go.”
She spoke, but Enya stood motionless, her hands clasped and her head bowed.
For some reason, Enya seemed to offer a prayer to the goddess’s image every time she came to the Great Hall.
‘Perhaps she’s wishing for health or long life. Her adoptive parents must be quite elderly by now.’
“…Thank you.”
Enya finally lifted her head, her prayer complete.
In truth, Enya thought of Ber every time she saw the goddess’s image in the Great Hall. Before long, it had become a habit to offer her thanks to the goddess.
‘Thank you for letting me meet Ber, Goddess.’
‘Though the living goddess is right beside me, so I’m not entirely sure who I should be thanking.’
“Come on, Enya!”
Ber took her hand and pulled her forward. Enya glanced back at the stained glass one last time before turning without hesitation to follow.

***

It was Alexei who had come to meet them at the Royal Academy.
As Perdi, Louie, Enya, and Ber climbed aboard in that order, the carriage departed at once.
The carriage rolled slowly down the blooming spring roads. Louie called out to Alexei, who was riding alongside as their escort, through the window shutter.
“What’s this? You seem bigger than when we last saw you?”
“Oh, does it seem that way?”
“Yeah, your voice has gotten deeper too! Come on, spill it. What kind of training have you been doing to get those shoulders so broad?”
As the two bantered across the thin carriage wall, Ber’s attention soon drifted from her conversation with Enya toward the window.
“You’re right. The armor suits you much better than before. Has your physique improved?”
“…….”
Honest praise had reached him. Ber was looking over Alexei with a smile. Each time he felt that gaze, his face grew redder in real time.
“……Thank you.”
Alexei barely managed to squeeze out those words in a voice barely audible inside the carriage, then urged his horse forward with sudden urgency.
“Anyway, it might be cold when we reach the north. You might even see snow……”
Ber’s gaze quickly left the departing Alexei, and she resumed her conversation with Enya.
Meanwhile, Enya continued to watch Alexei riding ahead of the carriage.
Her gaze carried a hint of vigilance.

After approximately two days of travel, they arrived in Biern.
True to Ber’s word, snow was falling in Biern. Though it was only light flurries compared to the depths of winter, it was a wondrous sight to Enya, who wasn’t accustomed to snow.
“Here, it could get cold. Wear this.”
“Oh.”
Ber draped a shawl over Enya’s shoulders. Though Enya had brought her own clothes and tried to demur, Ber’s attention had already shifted elsewhere.
“Young lady!”
“Anna!”
A white-haired woman came running from inside the castle and easily pushed open the Iron Gate, which was more than twice the height of an adult. She spread both arms toward Ber. Without resistance, Ber wrapped herself in the woman’s embrace, calling out her name.
The two exchanged warm greetings while rubbing cheeks, then both turned to look at Enya.
“Enya, this is Anna, my personal maid, the one I’ve been telling you about.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Enya. I’ve heard so much through letters! The fact that young lady Ber has made a friend outside the castle—it makes me a little jealous, if I’m honest.”
“What are you talking about?”
Ber laughed, tapping Anna’s arm gently.
Watching that joyful face, Enya could reach only one conclusion.
This place was entirely different from what she’d heard of the Bel family.
With a household like this, Ber would surely be protected.
“It’s wonderful to meet you. I’m Enya Oakley.”
Enya offered a gentle greeting to Anna with a faint smile.
A peaceful atmosphere settled among the three of them, standing in a circle facing one another.

***

Enya was scheduled to stay at Grizzly Castle until just before the holiday ended.
Since the spring break was short, Ber had hoped they might spend a longer summer vacation together, but she arranged a rather tight schedule, knowing that Enya wouldn’t want to leave the Clinic unattended for too long.
On the first day of Enya’s arrival, a banquet was laid out in the Great Hall. On the second day, they toured the Garden and got caught up in a snowball fight thanks to Louie’s mischief. On the third day, she visited the Greenhouse with Ribe, and on the fourth, they ventured out from the castle toward the heart of Biern’s streets.
As the days passed joyfully like this, the holiday was drawing to a close.
Their last night at Grizzly Castle.
A meal was prepared in the Great Hall as always. Though it was an intimate gathering with only the castle’s household and Enya, the quality of the food was extraordinary.
‘I told them there was no need to go to this much trouble.’
Ber resolved to send a thank-you letter to Grizzly Castle’s kitchens later, and she observed Enya.
“So now he can understand all of Ber’s Animal Language.”
“Louie, I remember telling you to stop exaggerating. By that logic, I can understand every single bit of Ber’s Animal Language.”
“You’re competing over the strangest things!”
As Ber interjected, Louie and Perdi broke into laughter. Watching the three of them, Enya soon began to giggle as well.
‘That’s good. She looks so happy.’
Over these past few days, Enya had been treated as the most honored of guests at Grizzly Castle.
Without Ber even asking, everyone in the castle seemed to have made a promise to treat Enya with the utmost care. It was surely because she was the first true friend Ber had made.
Everyone’s consideration warmed Ber’s heart as well.
‘Well, if I’ve earned this much goodwill, that should be fine, shouldn’t it?’
Lost in warm thoughts for only a moment, Ber’s mind soon began calculating with utter practicality.
‘Enya won’t have reason to oppose our family.’
‘Look—she and Perdi and Louie even have similar hair color. At this rate, they could pass for siblings.’
Just as Ber was smiling contentedly, Theodore rose from his seat.
“I have matters to attend to. Please excuse me.”
With a brief farewell, Theodore stepped away. Watching him go, Enya hesitated for a moment before offering a respectful nod.
Meanwhile, Ber excused herself from the others and followed Theodore out of the hall.
“Father!”
Ber called out, hurrying after Theodore, who had already begun climbing the lobby stairs.
At the sound of his daughter’s voice, Theodore stopped at once.
Ber bowed first.
“Thank you for allowing me to spend the holiday with Enya.”
“……That’s only natural. She is someone our family sponsors, after all.”
Though he spoke in practical terms, Theodore seemed somewhat embarrassed.
“Actually, Father, there’s something I’ve been curious about for a while.”
Encouraged by Theodore’s gentle response, Ber broached the real question.
“Why did you agree to sponsor Enya?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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