Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 125 New Year’s Day, Tomaria and Ed’s background

New Year’s Eve and New Year, these phrases sound so uniquely Japanese.

In another world, should we call it “New Year” instead?

There’s also the term “Holidays,” but somehow it doesn’t quite fit.

A few days before New Year’s Eve, today’s regular carriage arrived from the capital.

As the passengers entered the lobby of the Eldania Manor Hotel, someone familiar was there.

“Oh, Mom.”

“Tomaria-san.”

Minya, recognizing the face, pointed at Tomaria in surprise.

Though they had spoken before, it seemed like Minya hadn’t fully grasped the reality of meeting Tomaria again.

“Hey, Ed, and Minya-chan, have you grown up?”

“Nya.”

Tomaria embraced Minya tightly, tousling their fur.

Minya just went along with it, seemingly content to be treated that way.

If you plan to return to Trieste City during the New Year, passing through Lanierda would be a few days prior, as expected. Well, that’s how it goes. No problem with the timing.

Tomaria is an ordinary woman with semi-long chestnut hair. I thought about using appraisal magic, but it seems that some people can sense when they are being appraised, and using it on others is generally considered impolite, so even though she’s my mom, I’ll refrain from doing it.

“Hey, Mom.”

“What is it?”

“I’m Edmont Alister, right?”

“Who told you that?”

“I actually saw it through an appraisal.”

“Oh, so you’ve learned how to use appraisal magic. Hmmm…”

She looks at me with a face that’s hard to read, whether she’s interested or not.

“Maybe I should tell you after all.”

“Our true identities as your mother and son. I’ll tell you, but be prepared; it’s not a pleasant story.”

“Yeah.”

And so, my mother begins to speak.

First, about Tomaria’s husband, my father, and my grandfather is said to be the younger brother of His Majesty the King of Merlia Kingdom

Even though he’s referred to as “brother,” he was originally the third prince, the third son.

My father is the second son of my grandfather.

None of them were destined to inherit the royal family or the ducal family.

Tomaria, my mom, is the daughter of a baronial family, one of the hereditary nobility responsible for taking care of the royal family. She met and married my father at the royal palace.

However, things get complicated from here. In the royal family, no new male heirs have been born for many years. Although some children were born, several died at a young age. Moreover, some of the princes’ parents have already passed away, apparently victims of poisoning. Even my father fell victim to the sinister plots but managed to survive and now lives in hiding in another location.

Sensing the danger, Tomaria managed to take me and escape from the capital, finding refuge in the slums of Trieste City. It was there that we found the Minya family. With Gid and the others present, Tomaria felt somewhat relieved and continued her work in the capital.

Though she didn’t reveal the specifics of her job, it might involve caring for the royal family or perhaps even secretive matters within the kingdom.

“I understand most of it now.”

“I see, you’re not as surprised as I thought you’d be.”

“Well, I somehow had a feeling about it.”

“Hehe, Ed, you’ve grown into a mature and strong young boy.”

“But I’m still just six years old.”

“Even so, you’ve become much more resilient than before.”

“Thank you.”

Anyway, I have now reunited with Tomaria. It seems we’ll be spending the entire New Year together, at the very least.

It’s been rumored that Gid and the others have established and managed the Eldania Manor Hotel even within the royal palace, and the current situation seems to be one of tacit approval. The royal family apparently wishes to incorporate them into their faction if possible.

By the way, there is a blood connection between the Titania Holy Kingdom of the Elves and the Merlia royal family. Additionally, Count Zeckenbauer of Trieste City is also distantly related to the Merlia royal family. That means my family and the Minya family are distant relatives. Eleanor-sama as well. Well, whether distant relatives of distant relatives are truly considered relatives, I’m not quite sure.

In essence, what I’m trying to say is that if I were to marry Minya or Eleanor-sama, I was worried about the balance of our family backgrounds. However, it seems our families are of a sufficiently matched status. We are not merely commoners.

“In the royal family, they say there’s something called atavism, and occasionally a child with black hair and black eyes is born.”

“Oh, you mean that’s me?”

“Yes, indeed.”

So that’s how it is. In the common perception, having black hair and black eyes is considered undesirable, but within the royal family, it’s not the case. It’s kind of ironic and amusing at the same time. Perhaps those children who are not acknowledged by the royal family and are born outside are disliked for this reason. The world can be harsh and unfair.

During the year-end and New Year holidays, there are no visits to shrines or anything like that, so I spent the end of the year cleaning up the Eldania Manor Hotel. Somehow, the fact that my mother is here feels strangely unfamiliar. Although having a mother should be something natural, it feels like a long-lost sensation.

Ah, it seems there’s a tradition of eating pasta during the New Year.

Three meals of pasta.

The pasta noodles are locally produced dry noodles from the capital, quickly prepared as dishes like Peperoncino and eaten. In this world, it’s considered a simple and easy-to-make dish. Since people are busy with greetings and other activities, they opt for pasta as their meal during this period.

In the slums of Lanierda, we didn’t have such a custom, but it appears that both ordinary households and even the royal family in the capital celebrate the New Year with pasta.

It’s true what they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It’s interesting how customs change depending on the place you are in.