Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 238

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 238 – Listen to Exciting Stories

The next morning, perhaps because the festival was still in full swing, the castle was already buzzing with activity even though the sun had just risen.

The morning sun tinted the castle a pale red, and the boundary between night and morning beautifully colored the royal capital.

On such a refreshing morning, he walked alone in the courtyard.

“Oh, what a beautiful plant. I don’t think it was here yesterday.”

“Isn’t that Marco-sama? Yes, it’s something that was just delivered from Baltic…”

“I see. A gift for the royal family, I suppose?”

Marco walked across the courtyard.

His body was covered in armor, and he had no face.

But watching him walk, one could somehow mistake him for wearing a butler’s uniform.

Marco called to the middle-aged gardener.

“As you say, these are gifts. They are gifts for the royal family—or rather, for the crown prince—from Count Raizer Baltic of Baltic.”

Hmm, Marco tilted his head—or rather, moved his body.

He wondered what kind of noble Raizer Baltic was.

After a moment of silence, he got an answer.

“Oh! I remember him. He was the brother of the teacher at Ain-sama’s academy, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I see. The nobleman named Raizer seems to be a decent man; Marco nodded—or rather, he moved his body as if to nod.

He couldn’t tilt his head or nod because he couldn’t move his neck.

He found it difficult to react in such situations, but he was used to it and no longer felt frustrated.

“According to Count Baltic, the powerful monsters have fled deep into the mountains.”

“…That must be due to the influence of Arche-sama and the others.”

Marco nodded at the gardener’s words.

“I think you are right, Marco-sama.”

“I’m sure the three of them are enjoying their days in the former capital. If that results in fewer casualties, that’s a wonderful thing.”

“Yes. After all, thanks to His Majesty’s proclamation, the truth about the past Demon King incident has been revealed. There was a lot of confusion last year, but now that Marco-sama can walk around the capital with ease, it’s proof that things have calmed down.”

“No, it’s all thanks to Ain-sama’s virtue…”

Marco replied, then parted ways with the gardener and enjoyed the morning sun shining into the courtyard.

Bathed in the fresh morning air, he bowed towards Ain’s room, determined to devote himself to his duty once again today.

The morning light streamed in through the window. Though the light entered every room equally, to Marco, Ain’s room seemed to shine even brighter than the others.

◇ ◇ ◇

It was a few minutes after Marco enjoyed his morning walk.

As the morning sun grew stronger, Ain awoke, blinded by the brightness.

Last night, after talking with Krone, he had relieved his fatigue in the bathroom attached to his room before going to bed.

He sat up and stretched his body to check how tired he was.

“…Yeah. I feel great.”

He said this, but lately, Ain had been in perfect condition.

After overcoming the state of a rampaging demon king—the World Tree of Gluttony—he felt like he had more than enough physical strength.

“Cain-san said he would fight me hand-to-hand if I wanted to… wasn’t that right?”

That was because if they fought at a distance where anything could happen, Ain would win.

Ain was inferior to Cain in every aspect of experience and skill. But the ability to win by sheer force—that was the essence of the World Tree of Gluttony.

“To put it another way, he said I couldn’t lose in close combat… but come on, it’s no surprise. A human who’s just shown up is no match for a swordsman who’s been alive for hundreds of years… no, a demon king. And it’s the World Tree, after all.”

He wanted to be human. He felt like he had always had that hope, but now that wish was far away.

Instead of that hope, he had a nation and a family that accepted him. That was enough for Ain.

“But it’s still frustrating. One day, I will defeat him…”

He remembered the training he had received in the spiritual world.

He wondered how much stronger he had become since then.

For starters, his strength had increased, and his reaction speed… in other words, his raw power, excluding technique, had improved significantly.

However, if Cain were to seriously engage in hand-to-hand combat—if he were to be asked if he could win in hand-to-hand combat alone—he would be overcome by a feeling that made him want to ignore the question.

“It is strange that the World Tree fights with a sword. It means that there are things it is suited for and things it isn’t.

Come to think of it, Cain once told Ain that he had no talent for swordsmanship.

Still, the regret in his heart would not fade. Ain had proven himself to be a sore loser.

Alone in bed, Ain had been immersed in a mysterious feeling of defeat since the morning.

However, he couldn’t deny that there were things he was suited for and things he wasn’t.

“…Come to think of it, Mother and Chris should be back soon.”

Suddenly, Ain remembered them.

When he thought about the two people he hadn’t seen all day yesterday, the feeling of defeat he had just felt disappeared somewhere.

Then he stood up and went to the window.

“Ah, what a nice breeze.”

As he opened the window, the fresh morning breeze enveloped Ain.

The wind blew through the gap in his unbuttoned pajamas, cooling him at a temperature different from the bed.

Ain took a few deep breaths and walked over to the sofa. He picked up the shirt he had prepared for the morning, took off his pajamas, and began to change.

He changed his pants, tied a belt around his waist, and sheathed his sword.

Come to think of it, he had to ask Marco to name his sword, and he suddenly remembered.

He wondered what name he would come up with.

Ain smiled naturally and checked that he was fully clothed.

He touched his head and was relieved that his hair wasn’t messy.

He hurried across the room to the bathroom, washed his face at the sink, and straightened his hair.

At this age—Ain was turning fifteen this year—one of the daily routines he had followed all his life was coming to an end.

Sometimes, he would go straight to morning training, but now it was the middle of the festival.

For the past few days, he had refrained from training in the morning.

“Alright! I think I’ll go pick up my mother and Chris.”

◇ ◇ ◇

In high spirits, Ain left the room and walked down the familiar hallway.

“Ara, good morning, Your Highness.”

“Good morning, Your Highness!”

“Ah, good morning.”

After greeting the servants and knights who were already busy with their work, Ain headed for the stairs.

A few steps down, he would soon be at the main entrance.

He wondered what he should have for breakfast. No, it would be best to eat with the other two. Ignoring his rumbling stomach, Ain smiled wryly and continued walking.

Meanwhile,

“Hmm… I heard that they would be back in the morning, but are they at the station? Or are they already on the carriage?”

He was supposed to pick them up, but if they passed each other, it would be a disaster.

What should he do? Ain crossed his arms and began to think.

Just then, a knight approached Ain at the perfect moment.

“Ain-sama. Good morning. By the way, I apologize for not being able to serve as your escort yesterday.”

“Ah, Dill. You’re just in time! And thank you for taking care of Katima-san.”

The two exchanged glances and smiled.

Perhaps because they both felt sorry for each other, they couldn’t help but get caught up in the atmosphere.

After a few seconds, Ain asked Dill.

“I was thinking about picking up my mother and Chris. Do you know what’s going on?”

“You mean, have they returned to the capital?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…Please wait a moment.”

Dill apologized and reached into his armor.

It was a familiar sight now, but Ain thought to himself, “He really is a Cait Sith…”

His golden fur looked like a lion, and now…

(The royal lion… was that right?)

In addition to his heroic appearance, he was highly regarded for his swordsmanship, earning him a formidable nickname.

He was two or three times Katima’s size but probably less than 160 cm tall. Unlike Katima, however, he had a muscular build and was clad in jet-black armor made especially for him.

Seeing this, Ain could only agree with the phrase “royal lion.”

Having survived last year’s war, he had become even stronger and now stood by Ain’s side.

“Yes, I found them. The two of them are…”

Dill took out a leather-bound notebook, flipped through the pages, and opened the page he was looking for.

Then he told Ain about Olivia and Chris.

“They have already arrived in the royal capital. They should be returning to the castle by carriage soon…”

“That’s good. I was afraid we would have missed each other.”

“That’s a relief. Oh, I have a message from Krone-dono. She says she will be at the August Trading Company until late this afternoon.”

“The August Trading Company?”

Krone seemed to have a busy morning.

But why did she go to the August Trading Company?

“I heard that Elena-sama is here from Heim and that she is going to check on the situation there.”

“Ah… I see. Elena-san, or rather the August family, is working on the reconstruction of Heim, so it must be about that.”

“I believe so. This matter is mainly being handled by Krone-dono and Warren-sama…”

It was a shame he wouldn’t be able to see her this morning. However, when he said “her,” he now meant two different people.

But it’s work, so it can’t be helped… Deciding to put it out of his mind, Ain thanked Dill.

“Thank you. I’ll leave the castle and go to the garden. Are you going to work?”

“No, I’m going to the morning training.”

“I see. Training with Marco?”

“Haha… Marco-dono said he’ll keep it to a minimum so we can move around at noon. As captain, I can’t be beaten up forever.”

Dill laughed shyly, but Marco’s training seemed to be very strict.

That was because Ain had never experienced it himself. He mostly heard about it from Dill and only sees the results.

“Besides, thanks to Marco-dono, we Black Knights have grown a lot.”

“Black Knights—Dill, Marco, Clive and Cyrus. It’s only a group of four Knights, but they’re very reliable.”

“In terms of quality, even the Royal Knights can’t compete with them. The only problem is that the people they protect are stronger than them…”

“W-well, I don’t plan on losing easily…”

He remembered what he thought of Cain when he woke up.

Again, his competitive spirit emerged, and Dill smiled happily.

But when he heard that even the Royal Knights were no match for them, he couldn’t help but feel that with Marco around, it’s inevitable.

“Well, I’ll go greet them.”

“Alright. Then I’ll go and seek guidance from Marco-dono.”

(…Good luck.)

Ain watched Dill’s retreat while he prayed silently.

Then Ain also headed to the stairs to greet Olivia and Chris.

◇ ◇ ◇

Ain appeared in the garden after leaving the castle.

“The garden looks nice today. The gardener must be doing a good job,” he said, looking around.

Just then, Olivia and Chris returned.

Chris, who had gotten out of the carriage first, was helping Olivia.

“Oh, Ain! Have you come to greet us?”

Although he should only be at the edge of her vision, Olivia immediately noticed Ain.

Chris seemed to notice almost at the same time, but Olivia was one step ahead.

Olivia exited the carriage and ran toward Ain.

“…W-welcome back… Mother.”

It was quite an intense encounter, but Olivia hugged Ain.

In the past, little Ain would have been completely hugged by Olivia, but now Ain was taller than her.

Olivia was taller than Krone, but with Ain standing in front of her, she was treated as if she could fit into Ain’s chest.

It was quite a provocative action, but Ain accepted Olivia’s behavior.

“M-mm…”

Behind them, Chris approached with dissatisfied steps.

She closed her mouth tightly and furrowed her brow slightly.

Secretly, she was tormented by complex emotions, like a pet dog whose master had been taken away.

“Chris, welcome back.”

“…I’m back, Ain-sama.”

Ain did not approve of such frivolous behavior.

But he told himself that he couldn’t blame them too much.

Olivia was his mother, and Chris had been his personal bodyguard since childhood.

“No, it’s not like that! Please listen, Ain-sama! Olivia-sama has been teasing me all the way here from Baltic…”

“Huh? Mother teased Chris?”

What’s wrong all of a sudden? When he looked at Chris in confusion, she acted even more dissatisfied.

Meanwhile, Olivia covered her mouth and let out a delightful laugh.

Then, having enjoyed Ain’s touch, Olivia left him and reached out to stroke Chris’s head.

“Yes, yes. Good girl, good girl.”

“D-don’t treat me like a child!”

“Um… If you don’t mind, I’d like to know what happened.”

Ain, who had been left out, asked the two who were getting along so well.

“Olivia-sama kept teasing me, asking me what I would do if I had to stay behind in the capital!”

“Stay behind in the capital…?”

“Fufu. Have you heard? Ain will be put in charge of a nearby city next time.”

I see. That’s what she meant.

Ain understood and remembered what Krone had told her last night about the coastal city of Strohm.

In other words, Chris must have thought that she would be left behind, just like when Ain had gone on an investigation to the Baltic before.

“You’re not going to leave me behind, are you…? I-I mean, you’ll take me with you, right… ?”

Lately, she seemed to act even more like a loyal dog.

Her beauty made his eyes moist, and he felt compelled to respond to her feelings.

Besides, the fact that she couldn’t go with him to Heim during the war must have left her with deep regrets.

“I’m not leaving you behind. Actually, I only heard about it last night, so I don’t know much about it either. … Huh? Then how did you both know about it?”

“I-I heard it from Olivia-sama… Wait, really!? You’re not leaving me behind!?”

“It’s okay. I promise we won’t act separately.”

Concerned that Chris was slightly traumatized, Ain stroked her head gently.

Behaving as Olivia had just done, was this proof that Ain was becoming a master?

Seeing Chris so moved moved his heart, but he couldn’t say it out loud.

“Then who told you? Mother?”

“My father told me. I heard about it around three weeks ago.”

“So I’m the only one who hasn’t heard?”

Was it okay not to tell the person involved?

Even though he had gotten used to it since he came to Ishtalika, he couldn’t help but smile wryly at being kept out of the loop as usual.

However, he could understand why they had planned to tell him as soon as they had sorted things out.

He knew that everything would work out fine if he left it up to Warren and the others. Therefore, he didn’t feel the need to pursue the matter any further.

“By the way, has the date been set for my transfer?”

“Yes, it has. It will be in a few months, around the fall.”

“Fall…?”

That’s pretty early. Ain nodded and thought to himself.

However, when he thought about how he would be separated from Olivia and the others in the castle, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of loneliness.

He knew that it was necessary for him to gain experience in order to become king, and he had no objections to that.

But it’s impossible not to feel lonely.

“I understand that it’s close to the capital, but it’s still a bit lonely.”

Ain said with a sad, melancholic voice.

It wasn’t good to show such weakness, but in front of the two of them, the words slipped out naturally.

However, Ain’s attitude shook Olivia’s heart.

“…Mother?”

Olivia grabbed Ain’s shoulder and pulled his body towards her.

Ain’s face, left to its own devices, was pulled towards Olivia’s chest.

“It’s okay, Ain. I’ll go too… Besides, Chris and the others are coming with us.”

“What?”

“Ah, Olivia-sama… You finally accepted me…”

Chris, with a light-hearted attitude, shakes his shoulders as if to say, “Oh, come on.”

Olivia continued to smile happily, but Ain could not comprehend the fact that Olivia was coming.

“Ain’s going, so I’m going too. Oh, but when I said I was going, Martha said she was coming too.”

“In Martha-dono’s case, I think she’ll be more of a chaperone than anything else…”

“M-Mother!? You’re the second princess, yet you’ve made up your mind so easily…”

But Olivia’s first priority was always Ain, and that would never change.

“It’s okay. Or would you rather I didn’t come?”

(No. I’m very happy you’re coming with me.)

He whispered his love for Olivia in his heart, just as he had when he was a child.

Seeing that Ain was satisfied, Olivia nodded gently.

From Chris’s perspective, the only thing that mattered was that she wasn’t left behind, so she didn’t really hear their exchange.

“It sounds like a lively place, so I’m looking forward to it too, Ain-sama!”

Krone had mentioned it too, but it seemed that Strohm was quite a lively place.

For Ain, who loved festivals, becoming the lord of such a place was a welcome prospect.

He couldn’t wait for the next few months. Ain’s heart was full of excitement.

“Is it really that lively?”

“Yes! It’s like a port city with Magna’s atmosphere mixed with Ist’s technology. And yet it also has the excitement of adventurers like those in Baltic, making it a place that truly embodies Ishtalika.”

“Ain will be given a certain amount of discretion. So let’s try different things, like how to grow the city.

To put it bluntly, he was probably supposed to be a springboard for growth. If he couldn’t enrich even one city, he didn’t deserve to be king.

(It’s too condensed… But…)

Just when he thought the war was over, he had to start building a city—it’s an interesting theme.

But it didn’t end there… He was filled with a mysterious sense of unease and anticipation.

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