Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 206

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 206 – Battle of Heim’s Capital Part 5

Lloyd was clad in heavy armor, but he was actually wearing equipment underneath his armor without any gaps.

The only exposed parts of his skin were his neck and face.

“You seem to have no pride.”

Looking at Lloyd, who had some difficulty moving, Ed predicted the strategy from now on.

“Or, even though we’re on a battlefield, I wonder if you’re not embarrassed to be relying on women?”

“I’m more sorry to have to rely on my subordinates. That’s because the women of Ishtalika are strong and beautiful.”

“…Hah. Is that so?”

Ed let out a sigh of annoyance.

“If it’s too much trouble, you can just kill yourself.”

“If I did that, my mother would hate me even more. She’s already upset about that annoying fiancé, so this is just adding to her stress.”

“Hmph. What, so you’re in a bad mood because your mother was taken away from you?”

“Yeah, it’s the worst. I want to skewer that Grint guy, tear him apart, and let my love soak into my mother’s whole body. Lately I’ve had a hard time controlling those feelings.”

When Chris heard about Ed’s love for Anon, she involuntarily took a step back.

Then Lili pinched her nose and fanned her hand to avoid the stench.

From their point of view, the love of a man so twisted was disgusting.

“First of all, I don’t understand it at all. What is it about him that she likes? He’s not bad looking, but that’s it, isn’t it?”

“Is it okay? If your mother, Anon, were to hear you say that, she would surely scold you.”

“Don’t worry about that. Because as long as my mother doesn’t hear it, it’s okay.”

Then Ed changed his attitude.

He put more fight into it than he had in his fight with Lloyd the other day, and he looked at Lloyd―and then at Chris and Lili.

“And it’s easy to avoid being asked, too. All you have to do is die.”

“Hmm. I see. It’s simple and easy to understand.”

“Don’t you think? I think it’s a good explanation even for you, who is a bad fighter.”

There was no trigger.

However, when the four people gathered there began to move at the same time, they began to look for openings in each other.

Ed, who had shown overwhelming fighting ability the other day, showed a different, more cautious side today.

“Are you feeling unwell…?

Lloyd couldn’t help but mutter.

When Ed heard his words, he showed a frustrated expression as if mocking himself.

“I don’t know. It’s just that ever since that despicable Crown Prince came, I haven’t been able to muster any strength in my body for the past few days.”

――!

After hearing what Ed had to say, the three people from Ishtalika all thanked Ain at once.

If they had asked him about the symptoms he had been suffering from since his fight with Ain, the three of them would have had no idea.

“That was a disaster, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, really? You got beat up by Ain-sama, huh?”

Chris tried to comfort him, but then Lili provoked Ed directly.

Ed stopped moving and then suddenly attacked Chris.

The earth on the ground flew up, and the next moment, Ed swung his spear in front of Chris.

“That was so fast…!”

“…Did you see it coming and get out of the way?”

The spear was thrust at Chris, but she dodged it by bending her body to the side.

It was a close call, but the fact that Chris had been able to follow the movement of the spear with her eyes surprised Ed, who had absolute confidence in his own abilities.

The next moment, Ed turned and swung his spear.

The dagger thrown at him was deflected before it could pierce Ed’s body.

“Wow, that was a great reaction!”

“But you… I don’t like your rudeness.”

Ed’s momentum carried him forward.

He quickly changed targets and saw Lili looking at him with a mocking expression.

“Sorry, Ed. I’m the one who’s going to be the wall today.”

At that moment, Ed was about to take a big step forward.

Despite his muscular build, Lloyd lunged at him with astonishing speed.

Caught off guard, Ed shifted his stance and pointed his spear at Lloyd.

“Hmph―Nuah!”

As the large sword came down in a sweeping motion, Ed held his spear ready and took a defensive stance.

“Tch… this is so annoying… so annoying…”

What was different from the other day was Ed’s composure itself.

The last time, he’d easily defended against Lloyd’s attack and then kicked Lloyd with a movement that didn’t seem to give him a second thought.

Today, however, Ed caught Lloyd’s attack with his hips.

“What’s the matter with you, Ed! You don’t seem as strong as you were the other day!”

“I’m an actor. This is just another stage.”

“You’re still a stubborn man…”

“…it’s a little hot. Let’s step away for a moment.”

As soon as Ed said this, he moved smoothly and deftly away from Lloyd.

“……Haven’t your skills diminished?”

Lloyd muttered.

It was clear that Ed’s rank had dropped due to Ain’s absorption.

However, this did not mean that Ed’s previous experience had been taken away.

Lloyd saw a fluidity in the series of movements he had just shown, almost like a love affair.

“Hah… I have no idea what he’s doing. What method is he using to affect my body like this?”

Ed grasped his hand several times, checking the power transmitted through each finger.

The strength that usually filled him was even more lacking than usual.

Then Lloyd stepped back a little, keeping his distance, and stood right next to Chris.

“Lloyd-sama.”

“…Yes.”

Without turning her head, Chris spoke in a low voice to Lloyd, who had come right up to her.

With feelings of gratitude towards Ain, Lloyd replied to Chris.

“It seems that Ain-sama and Olivia-sama’s powers are with us.”

“It seems so. His powers will not return to the state they were in the other day. Losing the contents of the magic stone means that.”

Thanks to Ain’s own power and the power of absorption he inherited from Olivia.

The path to victory has been cleared.

The two of them nodded at the same time, and Lili, who stood across from them, smiled as well.

“In other words, it seems that Ain-sama has also become stronger.”

“It seems that he has awakened to a strength that we were not aware of.”

“That must be it. When we get back home, I’d like to hear all about it.”

Then Lloyd ran.

Lloyd, who called himself the wall, exposed his life to Ed, who was of a higher rank, to become the opening for an attack.

“Ah, it’s strange… it’s strange, Ed!”

How did it happen?

He knew the reason―with a superior attitude, Lloyd launched another attack.

“If you know, please tell me… hey!”

With a furrowed brow, Ed replied with his spear.

More than Lloyd and the others realize, Ed was fed up with his body.

“No, no, no. I can’t. I have to help my mother, I have to!”

This was the love that Ed had for his mother, Anon.

At the same time, he feared that she would abandon him now that he was no longer useful.

Ed thought of absolute existence for himself, and the flash of the spear was thrown off by a few millimeters compared to usual.

“Is it because I’m mentally fragile? Or is it because it’s normal to be unstable?”

Lloyd, who had launched his attack, and Ed, who was waiting for him, faced each other.

As she watched them, Lili quietly readied her dagger.

Like a stealthy assassin, she slowly approached the blind spot, hiding her presence.

She didn’t like to fight in places like this.

Even as she said this, the skill she displayed was enough to captivate even Chris.

Then, sensing a gap in Ed’s defense as he competed with Lloyd, Lili threw her dagger.

“Not again… you!”

“Oh no… How can you respond to that attack?”

She thought she had found the perfect blind spot.

Normally, this would be enough to complete the attack with the throw of the dagger.

Even in the middle of a struggle with Lloyd, Ed turned his head and avoided the dagger.

“It looks painful. But don’t forget I’m here too.”

Chris approached as if riding the wind.

While Ed dealt with Lloyd, she thrust her rapier.

Chris’ mind, honed to the limit, aimed for Ed’s core without a single mistake.

“I won’t let you…”

But Ed was a skilled fighter as well.

He used the power of the competing Lloyd to his advantage and stepped back, using Lloyd as a shield.

Meanwhile, Chris’ rapier almost pierced Lloyd, and Chris panicked and jumped to the side.

“Haa… fuhh…”

Ed was out of breath for the first time.

If you looked closely, you can see that he was sweating lightly on his forehead and that he was clearly losing strength.

“Even against the three of us… he’s still like this?”

Despite being weakened, Ed was still able to hold his own against the three of them with his natural skill.

He was a bit tired, but so were the other three.

Perhaps because of the extreme state of tension, they felt even more tired than Ed.

“I told you. No matter how many of you there are, you can’t be an obstacle…”

Even Chris had to admit that he has a commendable actor’s spirit.

However, Chris found hope.

Although she was surprised to hear that Lloyd had been completely defeated, they were currently able to compete with Ed in a three-on-one battle.

As Ed began to show signs of fatigue, they held out hope that if they kept at it, they might be able to win.

“You know, I hate working hard.”

Suddenly, Ed began to speak with a half-smile.

“That’s why even when I was in the Black Knights, I picked the third best person. The work was easy, and my position wasn’t so bad. My superiors were annoying men, but if I was patient, it wasn’t a big problem.”

“…What’s wrong, Ed? You’ve suddenly started talking about your life story.”

“I’m just saying I don’t like to work hard.”

Ed was talking to himself, but the next thing he said was a contradiction.

He said he didn’t want to work hard, even though he said he couldn’t be a burden… so he was implicitly talking about the situation as if it were a burden.

“Hee, so you’re a lazy person, uncle!”

…And again, it was the woman named Lili who did not change her attitude.

As she spoke to him in a mocking tone, she naturally belittled Ed.

Lili made exaggerated gestures of surprise and stuck out her tongue as if to say “bleh”.

“Everyone has this side. Don’t you want to give in to the soft bed and wrap yourself in the freshly laundered futon?”

Just imagining it was pleasant.

Chris and Lloyd both imagined it as they listened to Ed’s words.

Thinking back to the house in their beloved hometown, they feel a slight nostalgia.

But Lili’s answer was resolutely rational.

“Well, I think so, but just sleeping like this is enough for me.”

“Yes, I agree. It’s the same thing. I just don’t want to go to the trouble of doing it sometimes―that’s all I hope for.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

In response to Lili’s innocence, Ed replied in a tone that seemed to be that of an old gentleman.

At first glance, the atmosphere seemed peaceful, but the words exchanged were not friendly.

Then Lili opened her mouth as if she understood.

“Oh, I’ve noticed something!”

Lili’s expression and gestures changed restlessly.

When Lloyd and Chris saw her acting freely, even on a battlefield, they relaxed the tension that had spread through their bodies.

They watched her with relaxed bodies, curious to hear what Lili would say next.

“You noticed something?”

“Yes, yes. I’ve noticed something interesting.”

Lili, still smiling, deftly plays with a dagger in her hand.

Her gestures, which contrast with her expression, somehow captivate Ed in a seductive way.

“I know it’s really rude to say this at the first meeting, but… well, I’m also really not sure if I should tell you this… well, this is a lie. This Lili-chan will tell you right away.”

―But when he heard the words Lili spoke, Ed’s expression changed immediately.

“Hey, Uncle―you didn’t pick the third one yourself, did you? I don’t really understand what this Black Knight is, but it feels like that’s what it is.”

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