Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 222

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 222 – For Them

For most of the Ishtalikans, the Demon King’s Arche was a symbol of the worst of history.

No one would have imagined that she would have risen in the castle of the royal capital, but the castle was now on high alert as never before. Certain areas of the castle had been declared off-limits, and only a select few were allowed to enter.

And not only because of the future, but maybe because of the little things that had accumulated, or because of the Oz incident, everyone moved to the main conference room.

There was a little argument, with Arche apologizing again and again, but after Sylvia calmed her down and Cain came into the main conference room, things were settled for the time being.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“My name is Krone. Um… is there something wrong?”

“No, nothing. I just thought you two looked alike.”

Arche suddenly spoke to Krone. She spoke in her own way and immediately reached for the tea.

“I’m sorry, Arche-dono. Chris is really safe… right?”

Chris had just returned, but she lost consciousness as a result of the cost of resurrecting Arche.

She must be brought to Varra right now.

“Yes, she’s fine.”

Without much of a pause, Lloyd spoke to Arche, and she answered with a simple attitude.

Then she sipped her tea with a slurping sound. In addition to the warmth she had not felt in a long time, the fine tea prepared by the castle’s servants made her cheeks melt.

In normal times, this would have been a story that would have ended with them simply relaxing, but this was not the case.

“Why is that? According to Oz… I mean, according to that red fox, it was said that it would definitely lead to death.”

“It’s because of the bloodline. If it weren’t for that, she would definitely die if she did it without any preparation.”

“What do you mean, thanks to the bloodline?”

Sylvird, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly looked startled. Queen Laralua, who was sitting next to him, reacted sharply and looked at Sylvird’s face. …But Sylvird deliberately did not look at Laralua’s face.

Whether she knew what was going on between them or not, Arche calmly replied to Lloyd.

“Thanks to the blood of Wernstein’s―Raviolla and Maru… Mark. Her magic stone is of a higher quality than other people’s, so she’s alive.”

It was a rather abstract explanation of how the magic stone was of a higher quality. But then Arche said something that piqued Lloyd’s interest even more.

“I am sorry. What Arche-dono means is that…”

Finally, Lloyd looked at Sylvird. What he saw was Sylvird, his head in his hands, wondering what to do.

“Lloyd. It looks like this person knew what the situation was, but from the looks of it, he doesn’t want to tell us.”

“…There’s no way I can tell you.”

Sylvird answered with a frown to Laralua, who smiled carelessly.

Even though Laralua knew in her heart that this was the case, she couldn’t help but point it out if the secret was going to continue like this.

“Thank you for the delicious tea.”

Arche finished her tea. Ignoring the increasingly tense atmosphere, she mumbled with a smile on her face, looking satisfied.

“Hey, Cain-oniichan. Did you really go swimming?”

“Hmm? Yeah. I stuck a pipe into a big fish on the way and made it listen to me.”

“You are so cruel.”

“You really did a terrible thing, you know.”

“…It’s so unreasonable.”

The atmosphere among the three members of the Demon King’s camp was very calm. They may be celebrating their long-awaited reunion, but there was no sign of tension in their expressions.

Even Sylvird and the others who were watching this scene gradually began to calm down. They suspected that it might have been due to the influence of Elder Lich’s Sylvia, but they didn’t think about it any further.

“By the way, Arche-dono…”

Sylvird asked in the middle of all this.

“Hmm. What?”

“I couldn’t figure it out. Are you really the raging succubus of jealousy you were before?”

“Hmm. Yes. What does that have to do with anything?”

“You were out of control once. So I want to know why you’re normal now. I want to know.”

“…That’s easy.”

With a loud “heave-ho,” Arche stood up from her chair. Then she turned her back to Sylvird and the others and lifted the new clothes she had just put on.

“See, it’s because of this.”

“Wh-what are those scars?”

On Arche’s back were the marks of deep gouges that had formed large cuts.

Sylvia and Cain were also surprised by this and stared at it with serious eyes.

“This is… Mark… well, we used to call him Maru, so I’ll call him Maru.”

Arche cleared her throat and straightened up, declaring that she would call the first Ishtalika king by his nickname.

“This is the cut I received when Maru killed me. I died once. That’s why my rage stopped… I think.”

“Arche? Even if you say ‘I think,’ we don’t know.”

“Because even I don’t really know. But the kind of muddy emotions I had then have disappeared.”

“…Then that’s good.”

With Sylvia satisfied, Arche mended her clothes and returned to her chair.

“The boy was kind to me until the end. He only cut between the core and the magic stone so as not to destroy my magic stone.”

How many stories were there?

Only the people involved, Arche and Mark, knew the answer to that question. Everyone gathered in the large meeting room watched Arche’s smile as they listened to the story of that time, a story even Sylvia and Cain did not know.

“That’s why I’m going to stop him this time.”

…But the look on Arche’s face as she spoke at the end was one of fearless determination. Her eyes glowed purple, and the power surging through her body overwhelmed those around her.

Even Cain, who calls himself the world’s mightiest warrior, was said to have swallowed his saliva at the sight of Arche.

◇ ◇ ◇

As they had discussed the day before, the three of them―Sylvia, Cain, and, although it wasn’t planned, Arche―prepared to leave to stop Ain. They didn’t take much with them, but they had prepared a number of fairly high-quality magic stones.

For the three of them who were pure monsters, even taking magic stones as supplies would give them a considerable advantage.

Not only Sylvird, but also Katima, used her connections to gather the magic stones. Krone also worked frantically for Ain’s sake, and it took several hours to prepare everything.

And when the preparations were almost complete, Krone had gone to Ain’s room.

“I never thought that what we talked about back then would actually come true.”

As she sat down on the sofa where she and Ain had often talked, Krone thought back to their date.

It was when Ain had said, with a worried look on his face, that he didn’t know what would happen to him in the future, even as he played with the twins at the capital’s harbor.

“…Fufu. But if Ain is at the Augusto residence, I guess we can just get a new Star Crystal there, right?”

At that time, Krone said: “If you give me a Star Crystal even after I’m reborn, I have no problem with it…”

And the true meaning of these words can be understood immediately if you consider the meaning of the words “give me a Star Crystal.”

“I have to work hard…”

Krone thought about many things. Suddenly, a large tear rolled down her cheek. She gently wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and quietly rose from the sofa.

Almost as soon as she got up, an unexpected visitor arrived.

“Hello, Krone-san.”

“S-Sylvia-sama?”

The door was knocked lightly and then opened without waiting for Krone’s answer.

Krone was alarmed and wondered what was going on, but then she realized it was Sylvia and relaxed her guard.

“I’m sorry about this morning. I was so mean.”

“…No, I don’t mind.”

Speaking of the morning, it’s about when Krone asked Sylvia.

As a result of asking for a clear answer about what they were going to do to Ain, Sylvia was forced to leave the room, and in the end, she didn’t get to hear the answer.

“You’re lying. You don’t really think that, do you?”

“…If that’s the case, will you tell me if I ask?”

“If that’s the case, I think I need to talk to someone first.”

Sylvia still didn’t answer. Krone could only sigh deeply at this attitude, but perhaps because Ain was involved, she calmed down, however reluctantly.

“If it’s me, use me as you wish.”

Although her attitude was clearly prickly, Sylvia smiled and brushed it aside. Then she sat down on the opposite side from where Krone was sitting and motioned for Krone to sit down.

“No, not there. Can you come over here?”

“…Next to Sylvia-sama?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Krone suspected what her intentions might be, but Sylvia continued to smile as usual.

“Excuse me.”

“…Fufu. Thank you.”

She finally gave in and sat down next to her, captivated by Sylvia’s satisfied smile.

“Why do you want me to sit beside you?”

“…That way, I can see you better.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

“S-so, what do you mean by ‘someone to talk to’?”

The atmosphere was such that it seemed they would only be able to chat about trivial matters, and Krone was growing impatient. While she smiled pleasantly, a feeling of foreboding grew in her mouth.

“Do you like Ain-kun, Krone-san?”

“…..? No, I don’t.”

Krone was taken aback by this conversation.

“Oh, I wonder if I’m wrong… I imagined it to be the case…”

This time, Sylvia looked confused, and in contrast, Krone felt more at ease. Krone smiled slightly as she looked at Sylvia and then continued with a relaxed expression.

“I love Ain. It’s more than a feeling of liking.”

She said it to her face, the feelings she had nurtured herself, to the mother of the first king.

Then, perhaps because Krone’s attitude was more than she had imagined… Sylvia’s mouth hung open, and she blinked repeatedly. On the other hand, Krone thought that this was the time… and so she made up her mind and opened her mouth.

“Since we’re at this point, if you can’t answer me, would you be able to understand my feelings?”

“…U-um… what do you mean by ‘understand your feelings’?”

Sylvia’s answer made Krone look down.

She lovingly stroked the Star Crystal on her left arm, and in the end, she clasped it tightly and thought of Ain.

“I know a lot about Ain. … So I can at least guess.”

“…..”

“Ain must have tried to take responsibility for his actions. He didn’t want to end up like the previous demon king, Arche, who got out of control. That’s why he summoned Sylvia-sama and the others and asked them to kill him…”

“…Sigh.”

Sylvia sighed once, defeated by Krone’s powerful eyes.

Before she knew it, her robe sleeve was caught in Krone’s arms, and she gently placed her own hand on top of it.

“So… so, if you’re going to kill Ain, then…”

“…Will you also send me to the afterlife with him? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Yes. There was no pretense in her eyes. She looked directly at the dreaded Elder Lich and poured out her feelings.

Krone’s resolve was so strong that Sylvia, who had received it, blinked first. …The two continued to stare at each other for a while, but it was Sylvia who took the initiative.

“It was lucky that the Arche came back. Thanks to that, we might be able to take a different approach.”

“…What do you mean?”

“So even if we take that other approach, I want you to hear my wish first, Krone-san.”

“If it’s something I can do, then by all means.”

Krone’s eyes lit up with hope, and immediately responded to Sylvia’s words. Then Sylvia stood up and…

“Fufu… Could you close your eyes for a moment?”

“C-close my eyes…? Is that all it takes?”

“Yes, that’s all it takes.”

“Is this okay?”

It was a strange request, but Krone obediently closed her eyes.

The tightly closed eyes were lined with deep wrinkles, and Sylvia replied with a satisfied look.

“Please stay like that. It should be in this room…”

Krone could hear Sylvia walking around looking for something.

Thinking that she wouldn’t tell her even if she asked, Krone waited quietly for Sylvia to return.

“Ah, it was in here… Fufu, it really is… a nice color.”

At the sound of a drawer opening, Sylvia let out a delighted squeal.

Then she finally returned to stand right next to Krone…

“Thanks for waiting, Krone-san. Now, could you please hold out your hands?”

“…Like this?”

“Like you would make a bowl… okay?”

When she did as she was told and held out her hands, Krone joined her palms together to make a bowl.

She was a little confused, wondering what on earth she was supposed to do.

“Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll be here to help you.”

“…I understand.”

Seeing that Krone had understood, Sylvia took the object she had come for out of the cloth bag.

Then, without hesitation, Sylvia placed the object in Krone’s palm.

“U-um… What did you put in there?”

“…It’s a secret. You can’t open your eyes, okay?”

“Y-yes… I won’t open them…”

Sylvia watched Krone’s face and palm carefully.

From time to time, she showed signs of deep thought with furrowed brows, but with her eyes tightly closed, Krone could not tell.

“Krone-san.”

The observation continued for several tens of seconds, but suddenly Sylvia called out to Krone.

“…Hey, Krone-san. How are you feeling now?”

“I-I don’t know what to say… I’m just wondering what you gave me.”

“Is that all? Do you feel sick or uncomfortable?”

“No… not at all.”

Although she didn’t understand the true meaning of the question, Krone answered seriously.

“Are you not feeling any pain or discomfort?”

“…No.”

“I see… I see. I’ll try.”

Although the words alone sound heavy, Sylvia ended up speaking with a big smile on her face and a voice that couldn’t be happier.

Then she put what was in Krone’s palm back into the cloth bag and put the cloth bag into her pocket.

“Thank you, Krone-san. You may open your eyes now.”

“Well, what was that all about…?

“It’s a secret. But I’m pleased with the result.”

A satisfied Sylvia stood up and walked to the door with light steps.

“Krone-san, I will grant your wish.”

“R-really?!”

“We will do our best. Well then, I’ll be going.”

Then Krone bowed deeply to Sylvia’s back and, while holding back her sobs, said a small thank you.

“Th-thank you… for… everything…”

Without turning around, Sylvia nodded and opened the door with a graceful gesture.

She smiled softly, despite her complex emotions, and spoke to the person at the door.

“Dear. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Ah. So how did it go?”

As the person outside―Cain―began to walk beside her, Sylvia nodded her head to indicate her approval. Then she took out the cloth bag she had just put in her pocket and handed it to Cain.

“Is this it?”

“Yes.”

After a brief exchange, Cain carefully removed the contents of the cloth bag.

What emerged was a single jewel. It was small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand, but its pale blue color was very, very beautiful.

Cain looked at it as if remembering, then carefully put it back into the cloth bag and handed it to Sylvia.

“Is this also the result of karma?”

“No… I think this is fate…”

Sylvia replied to the heavy-looking Cain as if to comfort him.

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