Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 128

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 128 – A Reunion with the Spy Girl

Meanwhile, at the inn where Elena was staying.

And the time goes back to the morning of the day when Ain was planting a tree.

The woman named Elena was not very fussy about her bed when it came to sleeping.

Perhaps it was correct to say that she was used to it, as she often took naps even in the castle of Heim.

However, the ship she took from Birdland… in such a bed on a ship is a different story.

“Hmm?”

The morning sun streamed into the room through the curtains.

Was it morning already? Elena slowly came to.

Thinking back to last night, she realized that she had been very lucky.

After all, she hadn’t managed to meet her companion, but she had found a place to sleep.

The room was of a much higher standard than she had imagined, and she was able to sleep more deeply than in her own bed at August’s mansion in Heim.

When she thought about the bed, she could only laugh.

Still, Elena had no recollection of what happened after she got into bed, probably due to the fatigue she felt. She must have slept so well.

“…..”

She didn’t want to get up yet. She couldn’t overcome the desire to stay in bed, so she couldn’t move her body out of bed.

However, as she remained silent in bed, she could hear the sound of pottery rubbing together from nearby. At the same time, the pleasant aroma of tea reached her nose, and she began to wake up to an unpleasant awakening.

“…Tea?”

Elena sat up in bed and walked out of the bedroom.

As one would expect from an inn for nobles, there were many rooms, all of high quality.

Slipping her feet into her indoor shoes, Elena quietly opened the door.

“Ah, good morning! Did you sleep well?”

——Huh?

Elena slammed the door loudly and leaned back against it.

“Huh? Wait, was that…”

It was a face she hadn’t seen lately, but she had seen it every day for several years.

According to Elena’s schedule, she shouldn’t have had the chance to see this face, but somehow it appeared.

“Hey, Elena-sama? Isn’t it rude to close the door like that?”

——It was definitely her.

Her voice was real, and there was no doubt that it was “her.”

Aside from the fact that she was wearing a maid’s outfit, she was definitely the same as she had always been.

“Oh, by the way, what do you think of my outfit? Don’t I look nice? I’m aware of that, but when people tell me I look good, it makes me happy, you know, it’s like a maiden’s heart…”

Her voice when she talked about silly things made her feel silly for being so insecure.

Elena let out a long sigh and then opened the door with her decision made.

“Why are you here?”

“Even if you ask me why, it’s Ishtalika, so it’s not strange for me to be here.”

“No, I mean… you know what I mean.”

She put her hand to her forehead and called out to Lili, who was doing as she pleased.

“You know, it’s like this! It came with a ‘pew pew’ sound, so that means I’ve come to see Elena-sama, yes, yes.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about…”

Even though she was in an enemy country, she was having this kind of conversation.

Even Elena, who had been nervous about what would happen, started to feel confused.

“I asked you first, you know. It’s about time you told me if it’s okay with you.”

Lili said, “Hmph!” as if she was deliberately trying to.

“….Yes, yes. I admit it looks good on you.”

“Fufufu… I knew it! Well, I was aware of it.”

Lili turned around and let her skirt float up.

What she’s doing was cute, but it would have been better if she hadn’t shown the knife under her skirt.

“You have a lot of weapons.”

“Do you need one?”

She giggled and pulled out a knife, and Elena responded immediately.

“I don’t want it! What would I do with something like that?”

“Oh… Elena-sama is not good at physical activities, is she?”

“…..!”

When she realized Lili’s true identity, she remembered how free-spirited she had been.

Until then, she had been under the impression that she was a very capable civil servant and a polite woman.

“The tea is getting cold, but don’t you want some?”

“I’ll have some! Geez.”

Now, she seeed like a completely different person, almost like a different creature.

“Oh, you drink well!”

Lili said and clapped her hands, but being applauded like that didn’t make Elena happy.

The tea was a bit hot, but she drank it all in one go without a care.

“…So? Why are you here, Lili?”

“Well, this is Ishtalika.”

“I mean, how do you know where I am?”

After a few seconds of thought, Lili clapped her hands in a deliberately exaggerated manner and smiled broadly.

“I can’t tell you the details, but I can tell you one thing!”

Of course. There was no point in giving information to someone who wasn’t even an ally.

“Didn’t you bring one of the civil servants with you, Elena-sama?”

“Yes, we got separated, but he’s definitely here. Don’t tell me you’ve already caught him and are torturing him?”

“No, no… Your ideas are frightening. I haven’t done anything like that.”

Elena was relieved to see Lili’s wry smile.

“But he won’t return to Heim anymore.”

“——!? W-what does that mean?”

Has he been killed already? That’s what Elena thought, but Lili’s answer was different.

“He defected. By the way, it wasn’t you, Elena-sama, who got separated. He went on his own and contacted our knights.”

“…You’re joking, right?”

“It’s true. By the way, we didn’t get the information about you from him. I know I raised your expectations, but it’s a separate piece of information.”

It was a light-hearted phrase, but the content was serious.

“I told you I’d tell you one thing, but this isn’t one thing. Oh well, it doesn’t matter.”

With a relaxed expression and a light step, Lili went to the window and opened the curtains with a flourish.

The morning sun flooded the room, causing Elena to look away for a moment.

“And the adventurers are all dead, so you’re all alone, right?”

“…..”

“That’s why I was chosen to guide you, Elena-sama!”

Suddenly, words that made no sense at all reached the stunned Elena’s ears.

“A-a guide?”

“Yes, I am your guide. You came here to investigate Ishitalika, right?”

There was no more excuse, so she nodded obediently.

“…Well, yes.”

“So it would be easier if I gave you a tour, right? When you arrived at the port, didn’t you see a large ship?”

Elena had no idea what Lili was thinking about.

“I saw it, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well then, today… shall we go and see that ship?”

Elena froze for a few seconds but then asked Lili what she really meant.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

She didn’t understand why she would deliberately show it to her enemy.

Nevertheless, Lili continued to speak quietly.

“So… I was saying that we should go and see the ship that has piqued your interest, our pride and joy, right?”

“You know? Even if you say so, there’s no way I can understand it, right? Why are you showing it to me on purpose?”

To say it again, you shouldn’t do that to your enemy.

No matter what, wasn’t this attitude a little too lenient?

“Well, you don’t need to worry about such small details. My superior has given permission, so you should just enjoy yourself without thinking about anything else.”

Meanwhile, Lili just shook her hands in annoyance and showed no signs of tightening up.

“…Mmm!”

Elena, carried along by the momentum, silently pushed the teacup towards Lili.

“Mufufu… I’ll have another. Please wait a moment.”

And so Lili took the cup from Elena.

“I just answered honestly. I wonder if you’re all crazy.”

Yes, she had just said that she had come to investigate Ishtalika. And yet, the fact that they hadn’t arranged anything was a mystery.

“Who is your superior anyway…?”

“Ah! Your way of speaking really does resemble Krone-sama’s. You’re practically a spitting image!”

“I told you before, it’s obvious since we’re mother and daughter…”

Instead of being thrown out of rhythm, she felt like she was being played with.

“By the way, my superior is a man named Warren.”

Lili, who had just prepared another round of drinks, said something that surprised Elena again.

“You mean to say that the person who asked you to show me around was…”

“As you can probably guess, it was Warren-sama who instructed me to treat you as a ‘guest’ and look after you for the duration of your stay.”

“…I don’t understand.”

The tea Lili made was delicious.

It’s surprising that Lili, who had such a casual attitude, would make such fine tea.

“I can’t treat you as a state guest, but I will treat you as a guest of Warren-sama. Well, it’s probably something like that.”

Then she sat down on the sofa, still wearing her maid’s uniform.

“Oh, and by the way, you don’t have to take the livestock ship when you leave.”

“What, a livestock ship?”

“I’m talking about that dirty, ragged ship Elena-sama came in when you came to Ishtalika. It’s so unbearable to look at, so I’ll let you return from another place.”

“What do you mean…? What then? Are you saying you’ll send me back to the Isthalikan ship?”

When Elena was told about the cattle ship, she couldn’t deny it, so she asked for details from another part of the conversation.

“You notice things quickly. Actually, that’s exactly what I mean. The destination is Euro, but I’ll arrange a carriage from there, so don’t worry.”

“Hahh… I wonder what kind of excuse I should make when I get back home.”

“I think it’s okay to blame it on the defector. After all, he won’t have anything to do with Heim anymore.”

Elena thought.

She didn’t want to lie too much, so she felt conflicted.

“You can either go back to the Ishtalika ship or you can live in Ishtalika. You should be prepared for both.”

Lili said this with a happy expression on her face and a tone of voice that was full of confidence.

“I see. Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll look forward to going back to your ship.”

But Elena, with a similar happy expression on her face, gave the opposite answer to what Lili wanted to hear.

Then Lili’s expression gradually changed, and she stared at Elena.

“You really are stubborn. Why don’t you just live here quietly?”

Lili, who had suddenly looked bored, let out such a complaint.

“I’m sorry, Lili. I like talking to you. But home is my home.”

This was Elena’s true feeling. If talking to Lili was not a burden, there was also the feeling that she could not give up on Heim.

Sometimes, she was envious of Krone and Graff, who could think flexibly.

“But are you sure you don’t want to arrest me? Even if it’s the Prime Minister, I don’t think he can decide everything on his own.”

“I don’t know. Your Excellency is a great person, so I don’t have any problems with it.”

Seeing the sulking Lili, Elena was finally able to smile honestly.

She had been completely overwhelmed by Lili since she woke up, but now she had finally managed to get back at her.

Watching Lili on the sofa, hugging her knees and muttering to herself, Elena felt a small protective urge stir inside her.

“Lili? What about breakfast?”

“I’ve only had my emergency rations since last night. Is that supposed to be charity? Elena-sama ate at the inn, didn’t she?”

It’s strange that seeing this side of Lili made her feel a different emotion, even though she never thought she would feel this way when she worked at Heim Castle.

Not the Lili from when she was a civil servant, not the Lili who held a knife to her throat. Was this the true nature of the woman called Lili?

“Since we are here, let’s have breakfast together. Then I’ll ask you some more detailed questions.”

The food she ate last night was also delicious. Then she wanted to give some food to Lili, who had only had unsatisfactory meals.

“…Even the leading figures of Heim have fallen by using food to lure people. That is why you are noticed by us.”

“Yes, yes, say what you will. I’ll use whatever means I can. That’s why I came to Ishtalika, you know?”

She’s nothing like Krone, but it was still fun to have a second daughter.

Elena took the words in stride, even though they hit a sore spot.

“I’m going to ring the bell and call the innkeeper, so please wait a little.”

She was in enemy territory, and the enemy was right in front of her.

Considering her situation, Elena was surprisingly calm.

There was nothing she could do. She felt that way, but more than that, it was probably because Lili was pushing her to be that way.

She thought about what Lili had said and about her own situation.

No matter how much she thought about it, she still couldn’t see the right answer.

So first she had to eat something.

To make the most of the time she had, Elena decided to start there.

“Um, seafood. Lots of it.”

“Yes, yes. It’s a port city, after all, so I’ll order that.”

Maybe it wasn’t only Elena who hadn’t measured the distance, but Lili as well.

Elena thought about that and smiled again.

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