Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Chapter 3 - Taming Sadness

The path home had never felt so long.

The cobblestone streets of the city center gradually gave way to dirt roads.

Elegant buildings transformed into increasingly humble houses until he reached the outskirts, where his small cabin stood, tilted and worn by time.

Correction, it wasn't even theirs anymore...

His poor parents now had to rent what had once been their property.

He stopped at the door.

The aroma escaping through the door's cracks made Ren's stomach growl traitorously. His parents were talented cooks; it was what had kept them afloat all these years.

Despite their low rank.

With their mature Iron-rank plants, the lowest possible, they'd been incredibly lucky to work in the city's most modest kitchens... Sure, the owner was a great person for not discriminating against them, but their skill was undeniable.

That was the real reason they were accepted there.

The smell of sweet root stew, Ren's favorite, mingled with freshly baked bread.

He stood there, hand on the doorknob, the spore floating pathetically beside him.

Through the window, he could see his mother moving through the kitchen with the grace of years of experience, while his father decorated the table with the only three candles they had left.

They had prepared a celebration feast with the little they had.

When he finally pushed the door open, the lump in his throat was so big he could barely breathe.

"Ren!" His mother turned slightly before his father.

They both looked at the small gray spore, and Ren could see the exact moment hope abandoned their eyes.

Still, his mother wiped her hands on her apron and opened her arms. "My little tamer..."

The tears Ren had held back for hours finally began to fall.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he entered, his voice breaking. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Oh, my child," his mother wrapped him in her arms. "It's not your fault. It will never be your fault."

"You spent everything... sold everything... and I..."

His father approached, his steps heavy from a long day's exhaustion in the kitchens. He knelt before Ren, placing his large hands on the boy's small shoulders.

"Son, look at me."

Ren looked up, his vision blurry with tears.

"Remember when I burned an entire batch of bread last year?"

Ren nodded, confused.

"And remember what we did?"

"We... we cut it into cubes and turned it into croutons."

"Exactly," his father smiled. "Sometimes life doesn't give you what you expect. But that doesn't mean you can't make something good with what you have."

"But I... the spore..."

"It's part of you now," his mother added. "And we love every part of you."

"Hey," his father joined the embrace, his voice hoarse. "You're our son. It doesn't matter if you have a spore or a dragon..."

But it did matter. Of course it mattered.

♢♢♢♢

The dining room was small but filled with love and the aroma of the outskirts' finest cooking...

But try as he might, he couldn't enjoy it.

His parents had prepared everything they could in their new situation: sweet root stew, freshly baked bread, they'd even managed to get some wild berries for dessert.