Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 158

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 158 – Evacuation Site

As long as the air remained dry, fires could break out in several places at the same time. This was common knowledge for Elena, who lived in Heim.

…If that was the case, there was no need to panic. After all, the smoke was pretty distant from where Elena was standing.

But once again, she remembered why she came to Euro.

“Your Highness… Your Highness!”

She shook Tigre’s body and, growing impatient when he didn’t wake up, called out to him in a harsh tone.

“Elena? What’s wrong? You’re making a lot of noise…”

“We’ve arrived at Euro. But something’s wrong.”

Elena said and pointed to the entrance of the carriage.

Then Tigre got up in a hurry, put on his cloak, and went outside.

“Where did you feel something strange…!”

Tigre, who had just woken up, was still not used to the darkness of the night, and so he was not able to notice the smoke that Elena had discovered.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t have a good sense of smell.

“A burning smell…?

Tigre noticed a burnt smell mixed with the scent of the sea carried by the wind.

Noticing this, he turned his attention to Elena, who had just gotten out of the carriage.

“Even in the castle town of Euro, smoke is rising in several places!”

“What in the world is going on? Could this mean that something big has happened in Euro?”

“There is too little information for me to form a clear idea. But one thing I do know is that it is dangerous to stay here.”

Hearing this, Tigre looked at the carriage with a startled expression.

Despite being in a state of extreme tension, Tigre desperately tried to think of the best thing to do in this situation.

“…We can’t go into the castle city.”

“I think that’s a wise decision. Then let’s go back somewhere and send out scouts…”

“…No, that’s not good either.”

Tigre showed Elena his disapproval while she tried to take a safe approach.

“…I still don’t see any smoke. But I found something else.”

“Something else?”

What on earth did you find?

Elena mumbled curiously and waited for Tigre’s answer.

“Ah, the other day, I felt fear, but I never thought I’d feel the opposite emotion… Everyone, let’s take the minimum amount of luggage and head for that thing!”

Tigre called out to the private soldiers and servants.

Then he pointed to the castle, and Elena noticed Tigre’s destination there as well.

“Your Highness? Are you saying that you are aiming at that…?”

Elena was the first to be surprised, but the private soldiers and servants also had a look of surprise on their faces.

“At least there is no being I know of that can defeat that thing.”

Tigre took a deep breath as the smell of burning filled the air.

After a few moments of silent conversation with Elena, he finally spoke.

“You can say it’s unplanned, but there is no one else I can rely on now. Everyone, proceed to the Ishtalika battleship!”

＊＊＊

Tigre’s greatest strength was his ability to act.

That’s something Elena had often thought about, but she had never imagined that he would take such a bold action.

“Well, as I thought, the road is hard…”

Tigre’s private army advanced at the front, but it was Tigre himself who walked right behind them.

They descended the cape, which was almost a sheer cliff, and followed the slightly wider flat road, avoiding the castle town and heading for Ishtalika’s ship.

As they crossed the rocky outcroppings that seemed to give way under their feet, even the gentle sea breeze that blew from time to time seemed to push them back and make them fall into the sea. …That’s the illusion they had.

“Your Highness, we should turn back now and see what’s going on in the city…!”

The private soldier at the front of the group, sensing the gravity of the situation, spoke up to prioritize the safety of Tigre and the others.

“…No, that’s not right! The situation is strange!”

“…W-what’s strange about it?!”

“It’s obvious! This is a city where the Ishtalika fleet is gathered, and yet it’s in such a state of chaos!”

Isthalika would not launch a pre-emptive attack.

This was something that Tigre fanatically believed, and he believed it to a similar degree.

This meant that Ishtalika was not involved in this turmoil.

Even if they had resources or an invasion target, it was inconceivable that they would take such a detour.

Given Ishtalika’s military strength, it would be a simple matter to invade.

Looking at Prime Minister Warren, it was clear that Isthalika did not like to go into trouble with devising complicated strategies or spending money.

“Nngh…!”

“Your Highness!”

…I-it’s okay! Elena, you have to be careful!”

As Tigre almost lost his footing, a pebble fell far below.

When it hit the reef, it broke into pieces and sank into the sea.

Because it was dark, he couldn’t see it, but the sight of the pebble sinking into the distance only increased Tigre’s fear.

“――”

His unsteady breathing became even more erratic.

If he lost his footing, he would most likely lose his life.

Thinking about this, Tigre’s legs gradually lost their feeling, and he realized that even his sense of balance was going haywire.

――Hah, hah.

However, he was still able to make an “effort” to regulate his breathing.

“Your Highness, the road will only get worse from here! We should change course and head for the castle city!”

“Let’s do that! It’ll be a little less dangerous than continuing on this way!”

Elena nodded in agreement as she heard the private soldier’s words.

Although she didn’t say it, Elena and the other servants were also approaching their mental limits.

They were still tired from last night’s commotion, and they were making this journey under these conditions.

In fact, they felt lucky that there had been no breakdowns so far.

“Your Highness! We’ve already passed more than half of the castle city! And we’re not going through the center of the castle town, so I’m sure we’ll make it!”

Even Elena felt pity for her choice of words.

‘I’m sure we’ll be fine,’ oh, what a powerless phrase.

Elena felt self-loathing at the words, which contained nothing reassuring, only wishful thinking.

“…I understand. I don’t want to take any more risks, so we’ll change course!”

After hearing the words of the private soldier and Elena, Tigre agreed.

If they continued along the cape, they could avoid the more conspicuous parts of the city. Thinking about it that way, the march through the city, which had seemed dangerous, felt a little more relaxed.

Then, the private soldiers who had been walking at the front changed direction and started climbing up.

Fortunately, the area along the chosen path was wide enough to walk in, so for the first time in a while, there was a gap between their legs.

With this little bit of extra space, not only Tigre’s breathing but also that of Elena and the others gradually calmed down.

For the first time, they were able to feel this way, and they realized how happy it was to be able to walk normally.

When they realized it, they had big beads of sweat on their foreheads, and Tigre wiped them away with the sleeve of his clothes.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Thinking that he might be able to change their mood, Tigre called out to the private soldiers walking in front of him.

“What do you mean ‘okay’? “

“I mean that you’re walking down this road. Compared to us, you seem pretty calm.”

“That’s only natural. After all, we’re training for just such unforeseen situations.”

The private soldier’s expression, though tired, broke into a small smile.

It made him feel very reassured.

“――I see. You’re very reassuring.”

The words sounded blunt and somewhat twisted, but the private soldier seemed pleased by them.

Then, with a slightly lighter step, they led Tigre and the others on.

“But Elena, even though we’re getting closer to the castle city, what is this silence?”

“Yes, it’s definitely too quiet… It’s like no one lives here.”

“Don’t say anything scary. Even though Euro is inferior to Heim, the castle city should still be bustling.”

If it was only the middle of the night, there wouldn’t be anything to think about, but Elena noticed several figures of smoke.

If this meant that there had been a fire or some kind of accident, then this silence was definitely abnormal.

In fact, the silence was so great that the sound of insects seemed louder.

“But it looks like we’re going to be able to get out onto a wide road sooner than expected.”

The slope was steep, but it’s a world of difference compared to before.

The ground seemed to be getting closer, and the steepness was beginning to ease.

“Everyone, we’re almost there! We’ll be on the wide road soon, so hang in there!”

Tigre encouraged everyone, and they continued on their way with high spirits.

＊＊＊

Meanwhile, near the castle where the Ishtalika fleet stood, Lili led the knights in the “evacuation.”

Among them was Duke Amour, the head of the Euro.

“I am sorry. I didn’t understand the situation and just ended up taking advantage of you…”

Even Duke Amour was unable to understand the situation in the midst of the sudden commotion.

Therefore, he was deeply grateful to be protected by Ishtalika.

“Oh, don’t worry. To be honest, we don’t understand what’s happening either. For now, please make sure that evacuation is your top priority.”

Even the head of the country, Duke Amour, bowed to Lili in the end.

Lili replied casually and ordered the knights to escort Duke Amour into the battleship.

“Hah… Really, it’s all so confusing, with all the excitement immediately after being sent.”

Lili also breathed a sigh of relief that she had been able to ensure Duke Amour’s safety.

However, the commotion occurred shortly after her arrival in Euro from Ishtalika.

She had not yet caught up with the situation and could not help but complain.

“Lili-sama, I have come to report.”

“Yes, yes. So, what is the situation?”

There were currently three Ishtalika battleships in Euro.

They are sheltering many refugees, including Duke Amour, who was just shown around.

As many people have already boarded the battleships, Lili and the Ishtalika knights were busy assessing the situation.

“The evacuation is going well. But the number of casualties… well, it’s hard to count.”

“…I knew that, so I don’t think we need to worry about it. If we worry about it too much, it will affect our work from now on.”

This may seem like a cold attitude.

But the people who were alive were more important now.

The knight understood this, so he repeated Lili’s words in his heart.

“Ha. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. Now, is there anything else?”

When Lili asked for the next report, the knight showed her the carcass of a large rat.

It was about the size of a boy of about ten years old.

“…Is this a joke?”

“Of course not. Please examine it carefully.”

The knight said, turning the rat over to show its belly.

Just as Lili was about to say, “That’s disgusting,” she realized how abnormal it was.

“――I’ve never seen anything like it.”

In the middle of the rat, a huge magical stone that didn’t match its body was asserting its existence, and a tube extending from it was growing toward its entire body.

“Just to be sure, we’ve already shattered this magic stone. At the same time, we destroyed its brain, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yes, that’s probably best.”

“…One of our knights lost his life to this rat.”

Her body twitched, and for the first time, Lili showed signs of surprise.

“Continue.”

She wrapped herself in the cool air and urged the knight to continue.

The knights she had brought with her were by no means weak. They were no match for the Royal Knights, but she had brought knights who were more than capable of holding their own.

Therefore, Lili’s surprise was all the greater.

“His entire body withered away after he was bitten by this rat. If I had to compare it to something, it would be as if all the fluids in his body had been absorbed.”

Even after hearing this, she still can’t imagine what it would be like.

One thing she did know was that this disturbance was caused by a creature other than a human being.

“…So he was sacrificed?”

“That is correct. However, we have also confirmed the existence of several other abnormal creatures besides this rat.”

He then took out another corpse.

“What is it, a rabbit this time?”

“That’s right. By the way, the inside is the same as the rat.”

On the chest of the big rabbit, there was a large magic stone, just like on the rat.

The same was true for the tubes that have grown, many of which extend all over the body.

“In this case, there is no proof that it caused the death of our knight, but it showed the same biting behavior.”

“――Tch.”

Lili clicked her tongue in a sulky manner and began to bite her nails.

Lili, who knew a lot about monsters, had no idea what could have caused rats and rabbits to appear like that.

Besides, it happened suddenly, so she didn’t know what could have affected them.

“Huh… Even if it’s just me, I can’t go to Heim, or else I’ll be going against Warren-sama’s words…”

She had even come to Euro at the behest of her superior.

Even though she was worried about Elena, she could not go to Heim alone.

And just when Lili was struggling with so many things, another knight came rushing over.

“Lili-sama!”

“…What is it? I’m just thinking about something…”

The knight continued to speak without paying attention to her mood.

“The Knights of Heim are fighting in the castle city of Euro! It looks like they’re under attack!”

——What?

Lili stopped herself from letting out a pitiful voice.

Why were Heim knights here?

And what are they doing at this hour? There were many things that were strange, but she found a glimmer of hope.

“Who is being attacked?!”

“We haven’t confirmed that yet! But it seems to be a group that includes women! We’ve already sent knights to the area…”

Of all the Heim officials who would go on such an expedition, there was only one woman.

Hoping that her former boss might be there, Lili decided to go and meet her.

“I’m coming too! Show me the way!”

Then Lili picked up the armor and weapons she had left on the ground and put them on.

She gave herself a hard slap on the cheek and hurried to the location with the knight who had come to report.

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