The Hero Party’s Moms Are Obsessed With Me

A journey with the hero’s mother!

But in reality, it was a journey to hide Olivia’s true identity, so there were no magnificent carriages, sufficient supplies, or strong guards.

The travel group consists of Olivia, Me, and Elie from the Shadow Knights. It’s just the three of us.

“Lady.”

“It’s really alright. Before giving birth to Dreil, I was just a common peasant, you know?”

“But…”

“There’s a much younger child carrying their own luggage. As a mother, I need to set an example, right?”

“Haah… I understand.”

They were walking along the dirt road, each carrying their own burdens on their shoulders.

“By the way, that story was true.”

It was a neighborhood near the slums, and I had my fair share of cheap wine. Besides, in the early days, I roamed around, picking up scraps that were perilously hanging from the noble folks’ waists, so I heard all sorts of rumors, this way and that.

Among them, I also heard the story, “The hero’s mother is a lowly peasant!”

Back then, I didn’t pay it much mind. It was a story that had nothing to do with me.

But everything changed after Olivia started donating to our shelter.

And I thought, whoever they are, they should at least talk sensibly.

How could any peasant have such flawless skin?

How could any rural peasant be so beautiful?

How could any village peasant be so cultured?

I thought she was a hidden daughter of a high-ranking noble, given birth to by a hero. I thought she carried special blood in her veins.

But it was the truth.

She was from a nameless, humble village, the wife of a small-scale farmer. In her life that the word “ordinary” suited too well, the gods decided to add a pinch… no, a whole box, and unexpectedly bestowed a hero upon her.

They shouted that a hero had appeared in the world, turning it upside down in the land where they worshiped the gods, and they dug up Dreai. And here we are now.

As I turned my head, I saw Olivia’s face.

She laughed heartily, covering her mouth with her hand.

How could she be so cheerful?

It would be much harder to endure than I thought if my child were born, bearing the heavy responsibility of the world on their shoulders from the moment of their birth.

I might end up blaming the gods.

Why our child?

Why our family?

Why?

However, Olivia accepted that responsibility, that destiny.

What an amazing woman.

As I looked at her, various thoughts crossed my mind, and Olivia’s eyes turned to me.

Our gazes met in the air.

“Do you have something to say, my dear?”

“…”

When I shook my head calmly, she smiled as usual and stroked my head.

Just as we were about to resume our journey, Elly looked up with a curious expression and spoke.

“My Lady.”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever spoken with Diem?”

In response to her question, Olivia gently scratched her cheek with delicate fingers.

For a moment, there was a silence, and then Olivia’s eyes widened.

“Oh? No, I haven’t.”

“I’ve been with him for quite some time, but I’ve never heard Diem’s voice,” she said.

“I see.”

Two pairs of eyes turned towards me as if making a promise.

“According to what the children say, Diem also lost his village and parents in the attack from the monsters.”

“Well…then maybe he lost his voice from the shock.”

Sympathy filled the eyes of the two.

“…”

It turns even the sternest person into being speechless.

He may have lost his village and parents, but he hasn’t lost his voice.

If I were a real five-year-old, I would have screamed, “No way!” in protest.

“But it’s annoying…”

I let out a shallow sigh and shook my head slightly, and it felt like the emotions directed at me intensified.

I want to believe it’s just my mood.

To avoid attracting attention, we set off on our journey with the least possible preparation.

However, Olivia, who is carefully being watched by the kingdom as a valiant warrior mother, is wearing clothes that not only maintain body temperature but also have various magic properties to relieve physical fatigue, despite appearing ordinary.

I, standing next to her, also had a bunch of jealous thoughts.

Whether it be a shield with reinforced durability or a sword enchanted with increased cutting power.

Commoners received many weapons that they would never even have the chance to see in their lifetime.

The more I saw these magical items, the sadder I became.

“I wish I could use magic too.”

Even if I don’t aim to shoot missile-level magic like the famous Archmage Munchkin, I can still create clean water in midair or light a fire without matches, right?

Of course, that’s true too.

Huark!

“Magical items are nice~”

“The efficiency is better than my magic.”

“Oh? Do you know how to use elemental magic too?”

“I can use simple magic necessary for survival. But I don’t have the talent to learn anything beyond that.”

“But still, you can use magic! That’s amazing!”

“Thank you.”

I have a one-touch ignition magical item, so there’s no inconvenience at the moment.

Well, what’s regrettable is regrettable.

Right now, I have work to do.

When I pulled out the dagger hanging from my waist while rolling up my sleeves, Olivia and Ellie looked at me with worried expressions.

“Deam? I’ll do it instead.”

“Oh, child? I’ll make it.”

I firmly shook my head at their words.

From now on, what I want to do is cook.

During the two years we lived in the relief center, I assessed Ellie and Olivia’s cooking skills.

They were truly the worst.

Ellie, being a knight, didn’t have time to invest in cooking, and even if Olivia was a mother of one child, she was from a rural farming background.

I thought she would at least be decent, but I was mistaken.

The cookies she made for the children turned out to be charcoal, and the stew she cooked for them was brine.

Should I entrust cooking to those two?

“I’d rather starve.”

I had thought that way, but I couldn’t truly starve, so I drew my sword.

Even though I was just a fifteen-year-old kid with three years of experience living on my own and cooking as a hobby, I was confident in my cooking.

Didn’t Amy, who was called the mother of the shelter, teach me how to cook?

Should I teach the two of them how to cook this time? I thought, but I gave up when I saw Ellie, who sliced the cutting board, and Olivia, who couldn’t tell apart a pinch of salt from a fistful.

“Should we just have steak as something simple?”

The words steak and simple didn’t really go together, but in the end, isn’t roasted meat still steak?

I take out a large piece of meat from the storage drawer and unsheath my knife.

I season it with salt and pepper and let it sit for a while.

Ignoring the still uneasy gazes, I casually slice the potatoes and carrots that we’ll cook together.

After wiping the dagger with water, I hang it on my belt.

It’s safe to just put it in since it’s under a cleanliness spell, but for some reason, it feels uncomfortable.

After checking if the frying pan is hot enough, I put the meat on it.

Sizzle~

A splendid sound, like an automatic door opening, echoes through the air.

The meat I cooked is beef.

If I had specialized knowledge, I could have controlled the doneness like rare or well done, but as someone who cooks as a hobby, just cooking it well is enough.

After cooking it to my liking, I cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Some might say that this way the juices will drain out, but by my standards, it needs to be cooked thoroughly.

If the kids at the shelter eat undercooked meat and get sick, it would be a big problem.

***

Since I received the top-secret mission, I had been worried about one thing.

Mealtime.

That time for a meal has arrived.

I am a knight.

Even though I am a woman, I can’t cook.

Olivia is a married woman.

I apologize for saying this, but she’s even worse than me.

The remaining person is Diarm.

A seemingly mature appearance, but a fifteen-year-old child.

Among the three of us, not a single person knows how to cook.

So we bought a bunch of jerky, pre-made bread, and such to fill our pantry, but that’s not enough to sustain us.

As we ponder this, one seemingly insignificant yet crucial concern.

I’m contemplating holding dried meat and bread in my hands when Diarm taps me on the back.

“Hmm? Master Diarm?”

He’s a common boy.

There’s no need for formality, but I’m playing the role of the Lady’s son, looking after both of them.

To get used to the act, I decided to use some form of politeness from now on when there’s no one around.

“I will prepare dinner. Something simple for tonight.”

He nods, indicating the meat with my words.

“Are you saying you dislike dried meat? But…”

As if saying no, he shakes his head again, then points to the pantry bag hanging from my waist.

“Are you asking for this? It may be lightweight, but it’s quite heavy because of the contents. So, if you…”

I hadn’t planned on it, but when he clasped his hands together and pleaded, my resolve wavered.

Diarm.

Although his face is youthful at fifteen, he’s very handsome.

In addition to being handsome, he has a youthful charm that makes him adorable.

But his body is robust, and his usual behavior is dignified, like an adult.

The talk within the Huyoung Knights about Diarm getting married when he grows up is not baseless.

“Could it be that I’m giving it to Diarm because he’s cute…?”

With a suppressed smirk, I released the pouch from my belt and handed it to his small hand.

Taking the pouch, Diarm bows slightly, expressing his gratitude with great courtesy, then hurries to a chair and opens the bag as if to see what’s inside.

His appearance is so lovely that I almost couldn’t contain the smile I had to suppress.

“Isn’t the baby so kind and cute? Dray wasn’t as cute as that.”

“Ahem… I’m sure Sir Yongsadim would be saddened if he heard that.”

“Hoho~ It’s true.”

Olivia, who had been laughing with her hand over her mouth, slowly walked over and sat down in front of Diarm.

“Baby? As Elly mentioned, tonight’s dinner is… Hmm?”

Olivia converses with Diarm and Muara.

“Should I start a fire?” Olivia approached with an uncertain expression as she brought some discarded branches nearby.

“What’s the matter, madam?”

“Well… the child is cooking, it seems.”

“Did Madame Diane mention it?”

“Yes…”

No matter how mature he may be, a fifteen-year-old boy cooking suddenly… It’s difficult to trust and rely on him.

“What do you think, madam?”

“Perhaps he’s trying to find his role?”

“His role, you say…”

I am the guardian.

Olivia, being the one guarded, probably feels useless and wants to do this and that, thinking that she has no role.

His efforts to do it alone were impressive once again.

However, being impressive and entrusting cooking are two different matters.

“Madam, in my opinion…”

“Should we entrust it to the child?”

“… Excuse me?”

“The child has shown courage for us. So, I think it is the duty of adults to give him a chance to do what he can.”

There is enough reason in that.

To know what talent one possesses, it is best to try various things.

After making the decision, I lit the fire, but my heart wavered again when I saw Diane coming with a large piece of meat and a knife in her hand.

“Diane, I will handle it after all.”

“Child? I said I would make it.”

Although she seemed to be saying that Olivia and I had been waiting, I had no choice but to step back due to Diane’s firm expression.

And the knife in Diane’s hand…

“Goodness…”

“… Oh my?”

As if enchanted, the meat and vegetables began to dance on top.