Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 237

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 237 – Toward a New Life

“That is all. Following the will of our first king, Marc, our Ishtalika will continue to flourish.”

…Whoaahh!

Ain’s speech on the main street.

Perhaps because he was a crown prince with many stories about him, his speech was very exciting, even though it was night.

The citizens of the royal capital raised their arms and continued to shout Ain’s name like fanatics.

Ain resisted the urge to collapse and stepped down from the podium.

“Ain-sama. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes… Wow, that was some heat…”

As Ain walked to a nearby carriage, Marco and two knights were waiting there.

They were all dressed in deep black armor, an unusual sight in Ishitalika, where white was the dominant color.

They bowed to greet Ain.

“Cyrus. Clive. Thank you for your protection.”

“My Lord of the World Tree. It is our duty.”

“Ha! Your Highness!”

These two men had a slight connection to Ain.

Clive was Dill’s childhood friend, and their duel was still a legend in the academy district.

As for Cyrus, he was an elf warrior leader that Ain had met in the elf village, and he had taught him about the echoes of the forest during their night walks.

As for Cyrus, he was probably sent as an emissary to the elf chief in connection with Chris, but Clive was recommended by Dill for his position. This matter should be discussed with Dill when he returned.

“Ain-sama. That concludes your official duties for today. Chris-sama and Olivia-sama are expected to return early tomorrow morning.”

“…I see. Then I suppose I’ll return to the castle for now.”

“What about your inspection of the castle town?”

“The festival isn’t over yet, so I’ll go later.”

After finishing his conversation with Marco, Ain got into the carriage.

Then he exhaled deeply and loosened the buttons around his neck.

Meanwhile, Marco and the others mounted their horses and rode around the carriage.

“I haven’t seen Krone… or rather Chris and my mother today.”

The reason was simply that he was busy. Ain wasn’t the only one with a heavy workload.

Olivia also had official duties, and Chris accompanied her on her trip to the capital.

As for Krone, she was mostly busy with paperwork and running between her office and various other places.

“I think it’s time they were free.”

He looked up at the castle through the carriage window.

He’d check on them as soon as he arrived at the castle. He covered his tired face with his hands and took a deep breath.

◇ ◇ ◇

Ain returned to the castle and was greeted by several people as he got out of the carriage.

He left Marco and the others and walked down the wide hallway alone.

(It’s cool at night…)

The night breeze blew in through the window, cooling Ain’s flushed cheeks.

The soft smile that naturally appeared on his face was not only due to the pleasant night breeze but also to the joy of seeing her again.

Without realizing it, he felt his steps lighten.

“Come to think of it, where is Krone?”

The first places that came to mind were her office and her private room.

Which one could she be in?

Considering that he had just finished his speech, he couldn’t believe that she had already finished her work.

“Krone. Are you in there?”

He knocked on the door of her office, which hadn’t changed in years.

He was already used to it, and it had become even more obvious over the past year.

…Then, without a moment’s pause, he heard an answer from inside the room… or rather, the door opened.

“Yes. Welcome back, Ain.”

It was Krone who appeared from inside.

Ain was pleased that his guess had been correct and responded to her gesture to come in.

“I’m back. I just finished my speech.”

“I know. I could feel the heat all the way over here.”

Haha, remembering the excitement of a moment ago, Ain smiled slightly.

“Since Ain is back, I’ll take a break as well.”

“Is there much left?”

“Um… I think so.”

Krone looked over.

Behind her was a desk with piles of papers stacked on top of it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“…I’ll help you.”

“No way. Ain worked too, so I can’t be the only one getting a break.”

“Well, I spent time with Batz and the others, too.”

“…Then maybe you can heal my tired body.”

“Heal you? …Krone…”

Krone looked up at Ain and suddenly embraced him.

She buried her face in Ain’s chest and suddenly fell silent.

The only sound he could hear was her quiet breathing.

“Um, you know. Don’t just stay silent like that… Besides, I’m sweating, so it’s embarrassing.”

“Yeah. You’re sweating, aren’t you?”

“No… There’s something I want you to stop doing if you know about it, you know?”

“I’m the one who wants to do this, yet you’re scolding me? After working so hard all day, you’re taking away my little bit of happiness?”

She deliberately changes her tone. Ain knows it’s partly an act, but from the way her arms are wrapped around his back, he can feel how serious she is.

The two of them, with their height difference, pressed their bodies together, her soft body pressed against Ain’s muscular abs.

“Anyway, I think it’s weird to say it’s not good just because you’re sweating.”

“Um, what do you mean?”

“Even the herbs we use in cooking are hated by many insects, right?”

Ain nodded. He understood what she meant, as herbs were sometimes used as insect repellents.

“Well… that’s true.”

“In the end, I think it’s a matter of preference. On the other hand, there are scents that attract living things.”

“So what are you saying, Krone?”

“This scent can be an aphrodisiac for some people…”

Her words were vague, but Ain’s sweat must have stimulated something in her.

Ain didn’t even want to answer, scratching her cheek with her index finger.

Krone smiled happily, amused by Ain’s confusion.

“Is it the flower that’s bad for confusing the butterfly, or is it the butterfly that’s bad for being confused? Which is it?”

“What happens if you don’t want to confuse them?”

“Oh. If there are such cruel flowers, then their nectar must be sucked dry.”

She stood on tiptoe, and their lips met.

“Hmm… You see? Your nectar will be sucked out too.”

She exuded a seductiveness unbecoming of her age and licked her lips with her tongue.

She looked at Ain with slightly moist eyes and smiled happily.

“Fufu. But if I suck too much, my head might melt… Let’s sit down.”

After exchanging a long, long greeting, the two finally made their way to the sofa.

Krone took Ain’s hand and led the way, and Ain followed without resistance.

Then only Ain was made to sit on the sofa, and…

“Would you like some cold tea?”

“Ah, I’ll make it.”

“No, you mustn’t. Come, sit down.”

Krone used a nearby magic tool to make tea.

Cold water flowed out, and Ain, thirsty, swallowed hard.

“But, Krone. As far as I know, you didn’t have that much to do at the festival…”

“That’s true. What I’ve been doing lately isn’t festival work.”

“…Eh?”

Ain was surprised by the words he hadn’t heard at all.

“I didn’t hear that. Huh? Krone, aren’t you supposed to be my assistant?”

“It was just the preparation phase. So don’t make that sulky face.”

“Huh? The preparation stage… What do you mean?”

After finishing the tea, Krone brought two cups to the sofa.

She put the cups on the table, took a stack of papers from her desk, and sat down next to Ain.

“About six months ago, I selected a place for your new assignment with Warren-sama.”

“A-an assignment… for whom?”

“For you, Ain.

“Me, assigned? Assigned… as in, assigned to go somewhere?”

Krone nods. But Ain has no idea what she’s talking about.

Even if she says “assigned,” he has no idea what he’s supposed to do or how he’s supposed to do it.

“Ain? You are the future king of Ishtalika, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I intend to be.”

“Can you imagine that the future king will not gain any experience in ruling?”

“I see… So that’s what it means…”

“Yes. Ain will be entrusted to rule somewhere for a while.”

In the case of an heir to a noble family, they could gain experience in the territory they were given.

But Ain’s case was different.

It’s impossible for him to gain experience ruling in Sylvird’s place, so the only option was to assign him to a city and let him gain experience there.

“By the way, where will I be assigned?”

“Well… Ain has a lot of restrictions, doesn’t it?”

“Ah, yes. Because I’m the crown prince?”

Come to think of it, there used to be even more restrictions than there were now.

There were many rules about going to school, and when he went out into the city, Lili and her subordinates would be on guard.

“No, it’s more about the twins.”

“The twins?”

Was that really Ain’s problem?

He looked at Krone and asked her.

“These children think of Ain as their father, don’t they? Even during the war last year, they were very worried when Ain wasn’t around.”

“Well, I’m really sorry about that…”

“They get along well with the fishermen, but Ain is still their favorite. So, if we think of places where the twins could go, it would be along the coast.”

It’s already difficult for twins to cross the river. It’s not impossible, but when asked if they have freedom there, the answer was no.

“Besides, if the twins are by the sea, it’s easier to deal with any strange attacks.”

“That’s true. Attacks from the sea are out of the question.”

“That’s why being by the sea is one of the selection criteria. I guess it’s also important to have water trains.”

“You mean for official business and such?”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

After all, Ain wouldn’t stay in the same place forever.

He’d have official duties in the capital or elsewhere, and considering the convenience of the water train, it’s inconceivable that there wouldn’t be any.

“I can only think of Magna.”

“Yes. But Magna wouldn’t make sense. It’s already a prosperous city, so it wouldn’t be a good experience for Ain.”

“Where then?”

That’s what she was waiting for. Krone took a document out of a pile of papers.

It was a simplified map of the surrounding area. Ain’s eyes fell on the city written on it.

“Um… The port city below is the preferred port for the sea dragon ship Leviathan.”

Ain looked at the paper in Krone’s hand and read aloud.

“However, in recent years, it has also flourished as a new port city connecting Magna and the royal capital. In addition, there are plans to establish a direct route to Ist via a new waterway. It is clear that it will become a new important city for Ishitalika in the near future――”

“I think it’s less than three hours by water train from the royal capital. It’s literally halfway between Magna and the royal capital.”

Her voice whispered in his ear, tickling him.

However, Ain endured it and continued reading the information.

“Based on the above, I recommend the coastal city of Strohm to Prime Minister Warren.”

“I’ve never been there because I always ride the royal train. Compared to the three major cities of Magna, Ist, and Baltic, it’s a small city, but it’s been growing steadily in recent years.”

“…That’s right, I’ve never been there.”

In fact, he didn’t even know that the Leviathan was docked in the city of Strohm.

Leviathan was too big to fit into the port of the royal capital. Therefore, it had no choice but to dock at another port…

“But is it safe?”

“Safety… Do you mean your own safety, Ain?”

“Yes. I thought it was pretty strict in that regard.”

“Of course, it was carefully chosen. But the level of difficulty is much lower than before.”

Krone said this without seeming too worried.

“If the World Tree of Gluttony was that weak, then Arche-sama and the others wouldn’t have had such a hard time, right?”

“…You’re right.”

In other words, this was the situation.

The royal family and the people around them have carefully considered the matters concerning Ain.

However, to defeat Ain in his current state, they would need Arche’s and the others’ cooperation, which was not a realistic option.

“Does this mean that the Black Knight will also leave?”

“Yes. After all, the Black Knight is a knightly order that was founded for Ain’s sake.”

Ain thought of the black-armored knights who had been with him a moment ago.

When Krone explained that they were a knightly order for Ain, Ain nodded in understanding.

“I know it’s for me. But the commander of the Black Knights is the companion of the first princess. What do you think of that, Krone?”

“His Majesty and Martha-san are grateful to Commander Dill for his help. Isn’t that the same for you, Ain?”

The reason Sylvird and the others were helped was because he was an excellent servant.

Most of the recent damage in Katima was done to Dill. In other words, the people in the castle had gained some breathing space.

“I’m looking forward to going to Strohm.”

For the time being, Ain refrained from answering Krone’s words and changed the subject.

Krone noticed this and smiled, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Fufu… Yes, me too. The mansion is currently under construction, so look forward to it.”

“As usual, things are progressing without my knowledge…”

“Did you think you’d be able to relax now that the Red Fox matter has been resolved?”

Until last year, Ain had been investigating the entire continent.

With that matter settled, it was undeniable that he hadn’t left the royal capital recently.

“No. Ishtalika is a lively country, so I thought there would be something going on.”

“That’s good. I’m sure you’ll do well in Strohm.”

“Huh? There’s something implied in the way you say that.”

Krone showed the mischievous expression she was good at.

She got up in a good mood and walked briskly to the window. A cool night breeze caressed her hair.

Her beautiful hair, as pale as the moonlight, carried her unique scent on the wind.

“In the ever-growing coastal city of Strohm, there are many different races, many adventurers, and many merchants.

It sounded like a very lively city.

Ain smiles wryly but was comforted by her scent carried on the wind.

Life here wouldn’t be boring, he thought, finishing the tea Krone had poured for him.

What would the next adventure bring? Ain’s heart swelled with anticipation.

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