There was a deafening silence after the priest placed his glowing palm on Ren's head, letting holy magic flood through his body.
The energy crawled along his nerves like warm sunlight mixed with sparkling soda.
Stella sat back down slowly, her hands folded tightly in her lap as she watched him with the wary caution of a woman who genuinely believed her son had been replaced by a demon wearing a charming smile.
'This is not my son,' Stella thought while watching him intensely.
Her Ren was not nice.
Her Ren was not sociable.
Her Ren was not someone who voluntarily sat at a dinner table with his family unless tied to it.
And he definitely wasn't someone who willingly saw vegetables without calling them "rabbit garbage."
The real Ren spent most of his time training like a possessed man and rehearsing cringe lines to impress the Saintess.
Hardly the type to say, "we're a family, we should eat together."
If anything, he would rather duel a dragon than share bread with them.
She liked this new behavior… she really did but it was honestly too good to be true.
The priest cleared his throat as the holy aura fizzled out.
『Purification is finished』
『There was nothing to purify』
He slowly withdrew his hand, trembling.
Everyone knew how vengeful this boy could be.
Ren Crowhurst was infamous for holding grudges over the most microscopic inconveniences.
If someone sneezed too loudly near him, he might challenge them to a duel. If someone bumped into him, he'd make them run laps around the estate.
So when the priest finished purifying him without asking permission, everyone in the dining hall expected him to explode.
To their shock, Ren calmly adjusted his hair.
"Are you done doubting me?" Ren asked dryly. "I'd like to have dinner now."
"Y-yes…" Stella stuttered.
She was startled not just by his tone, but by the fact that he wasn't erupting like a volcano. "Thank you, Priest."
The priest nodded quickly, backing away like someone escaping a wild beast that had suddenly lost interest in eating him.
He left the Crowhurst estate with surprising speed with his robes flapping behind him.
"Big Brother… are you sure that you aren't angry?" Alina whispered, observing him carefully.
She had no idea what was going on.
Ren's fuse was usually so short it might as well not exist.
The only thing he tolerated without a tantrum was anything involving the Saintess. Even then, he reacted so dramatically she often wondered whether he needed therapy.
"I'm sure," Ren said, lifting his knife and cutting into the chicken.
He raised the piece to his lips with a fork, inhaling the aroma with reverence.
'Be angry at that little thing?' he scoffed inwardly. 'Please. Maybe Ren would be, but I'm more mature than that monkey bastard. Imagine missing your chance to eat this heavenly dish because you want to throw a tantrum.'
He took his first bite.
And nearly ascended to the heavens.
He didn't moan, but the urge was there.
Oh, it was there.
He swallowed and dipped the chicken in a sauce Alina had passed him earlier, savoring every second.
'It's so good…' he thought as warmth spread through his entire body like a divine blessing. T
his chicken was better than instant noodles! Better than drinking water to fall asleep! Better than the garlic biscuits he often ate!
He devoured the rest of the chicken with the efficiency of a starving god, finishing it clean.
Without hesitation, he plunged his fork into the sauce bowl and popped a bite of vegetables into his mouth.
And then something incredible happened.
'It's like the vegetables back on Earth… but different. I feel rejuvenated.' The flavors were rich but refreshing, seasoned with a depth he had never experienced.
Before anyone could process what was happening, he lifted the entire salad bowl… yes, the same bowl of vegetables Ren Crowhurst claimed he despised and started eating straight from it
Stella stared.
Alina stared.
The maids stared.
'Did he hit his head…?' Stella thought anxiously as she bit her lip. She felt guilty for calling the priest, but surely it wasn't her fault.
He was acting strange but he looked happier and… normal.
Just then, footsteps pounded through the hallway, and Mandy burst in holding a bottle with two hands as if presenting a sacred relic.
"Master… here is the special Volcanic Spring water that you usually take with your dinner." Mandy announced proudly.
Ren looked at the bottle.
He didn't know what it tasted like, but he could hazard a guess: probably like dirt mixed with pain.
Only the original Ren would enjoy something called Volcanic Spring water.
Still, he uncapped it and took a sip…
And blinked.
'Ren's first good decision…?' he thought, eyebrows rising. He drank more… greedily.
The water tasted… crisp. Maybe it was the minerals. Maybe it was fantasy logic. Either way, it was delicious.
He finished it and crushed the bottle out of habit, tossing it lightly back toward Mandy. "Here. Thank you."
Mandy caught it with the reflexes of a trained soldier and scampered out of the room like a delighted puppy.
Ren resumed eating, trying dish after dish like a man rediscovering life.
All of that changed the moment another presence entered the dining room.
The air shifted and one could literally feel it growing heavier.
Ren paused mid-bite of a chicken wing, turning instinctively toward the entrance.
A man walked in.
And calling him a man felt insufficient.
He had a towering physique… taller than Ren with broad shoulders and a chest that looked like it had bench-pressed dragons.
His muscles strained beneath his noble robes, and his long hair framed a stern face marked with a bold scar slashing across his cheek.
He radiated power.. authority and most of all… Testosterone!
'Ah Thor, is that you?' Ren thought, stunned. He wasn't sure whether to be impressed or worried.
The man… Rowan Crowhurst, Ren's father took a seat beside Stella. He didn't speak at first. He simply stared, exuding an aura so intense it made the maids step back fearfully.
Suddenly, he slapped his own cheeks lightly.
"Ah… good evening, my love, and you too, my sweet daughter." His voice was far calmer than Ren expected from someone who looked like they wrestled bears for training.
Rowan picked up his fork slowly… and then noticed an additional person at the table and his eyes widened.
"You didn't say you had someone ove— Eh????"
Father and son stared at each other.
Rowan was frozen with a dumbfounded expression with his fork suspended in midair. Ren paused with a chicken wing hanging from his mouth.
This was the first time they made direct eye contact in months.
Rowan slowly set his fork down with his eyes widening further.
"Why… how… Who bribed you to come here?" he demanded, leaning forward with suspicion. "I'm sure you're here to hurt your dear old man's feelings again… guess what? I don't care anymore."
"Papa… he called you Father."
Silence crashed over the table like a thunderbolt.
It was utter, complete silence.
Then Rowan Crowhurst shot to his feet with such speed the table rattled violently.
"He did what?!"