Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 242

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 242 – Cat Owner?

Several days had passed since Ain visited the Adventurers’ Guild.

Still feeling restless, he crawled into bed late at night.

“…It’s noisy,”

He said, waking up suddenly.

Looking out the window, he saw that the sun had just begun to rise. It seemed like only a short time had passed since he had gone to bed.

Looking next to the bed, he saw that he was alone in the spacious bed.

The noise continued to come from outside the room.

What was going on? He sharpened his senses.

(…Footsteps and restless voices?)

Using his keen senses, he heard footsteps that sounded like those of servants and butlers.

Ain got up from the bed, took his coat from the sofa, and put it on.

He left the bedroom and went to the living room, where he took a sip of water from the cup on the table.

“Since Marco and the others didn’t come to wake me up, I don’t think it’s anything dangerous.”

But that didn’t mean he could just leave it at that.

After all, he was the master of this mansion.

He smoothed his bedhead and reached for the door handle.

“Is the room ready?”

“Yes! First-class maid!”

Just then, he saw Martha and called out to her.

“Martha-san. Can I have a word?”

“! T-this is Ain-sama. I’m sorry for the noise.”

“No, it’s just that my senses are too sharp. Don’t worry about it.”

As Martha bowed her head, the servant following her hurriedly bowed as well.

Then, Martha gave the servant instructions and had them leave the area.

“Thank you.”

“So, what happened?”

Ain asked.

Although the situation didn’t seem dangerous, he asked in a calm voice.

“…The princess arrived this morning, breaking through the castle on the first train.”

Ain’s body froze. The first train meant the first water train of the day.

When he heard the word “princess,” two women came to mind.

The first was, of course, Olivia.

The second was Katima, the good-for-nothing cat.

――Olivia was already in this mansion. That meant the only princess left was…

“Nya? Oh, Ain! It’s been a few days-nya!”

“…There you are, you good-for-nothing cat.”

Ain found Katima acting as lighthearted as ever, but with a grim expression on his face.

Why did she come here? Ain was puzzled, but Katima’s sudden actions were nothing new.

He was worried about the reason she came here for this time.

“Why did you come to Strohm?”

Ain asked.

“I was dissatisfied with my new caretaker. So I came here on my own.”

What was this good-for-nothing cat talking about? Ain held his head in his hands.

Meanwhile, Martha looked apologetic and whispered something to him.

“My son… I have to rush to wake him up and get him ready.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry about that.”

“Nya? What are you talking about-nya?”

Ain wanted to complain about a lot of things.

Why was the first princess running wild over a servant issue?

But she was Katima. There was no point in scolding her now.

“What did you tell Grandfather?”

“I asked him last night if I could go to Strohm-nya. He gave me permission-nya.”

Maybe he hadn’t had time to contact Ain because it was so late yesterday.

Or maybe Sylvird was too tired to contact him.

No, that’s impossible. He had excellent subordinates, like Warren and Lloyd.

“Even if Katima-san went overboard, there’s no way Grandfather would give his permission so easily…”

“Eventually, a research institute will be built in Strohm-nya. I came here to conduct the final investigation-nya.”

With that, Katima handed several documents to Ain.

After looking through them, Ain saw that they were indeed petitions prepared through official channels.

Moreover, it wasn’t recently prepared, but rather contained the results of months of investigation, making it clear to Ain that this was a planned action.

However, this was merely an after-the-fact justification.

With Dill, an excellent caretaker, at Strohm, he must have made arrangements for her to come here.

He had known for some time that Ain was going to Strohm.

“Hey, when did you show these documents to Grandfather?”

“Last night-nya. If I had shown them to him before things came to a head, he would have opposed them—no, he would have asked me to resubmit them-nya.”

It was a plan, after all.

By not revealing her name until the last minute, she managed to carry out her plan.

“I did a lot behind Warren’s back-nya. It was hard to fool that sly fox-nya.”

(…That’s amazing.)

Even Ain had to admit that she had outsmarted Warren.

Perhaps he should praise Dill, the caretaker who instilled such determination in her.

“So, I’ll be staying here for about a week-nya.”

◇ ◇ ◇

“And that’s what happened. Haaaah!”

A few hours after Katima arrived at the mansion, Ain was standing on a stone pavement in a corner of the large garden.

A little while after breakfast, Ain stood on a stone pavement in a corner of the large garden.

“Hmm… Outwitting Warren, Katima-sama is truly excellent!”

Marco replied, defending against Ain’s sword.

“What? You blocked that too!?”

“If I hadn’t blocked that, I would have lost!”

What happened that morning?

Ain and Marco talked about it while throwing themselves into their morning training.

They used training swords and competed against each other.

“Honestly, when I spar with Marco, I can’t help but think that the only reason I won in the Demon King’s castle was luck.”

“No, the power I mustered at that time was no match compared to yours, Ain-sama.”

“But still…! I can’t win at all!”

The swordsmanship that Ain spoke of was permitted only to the strong.

Ain fell silent and swung his sword relentlessly, aiming to corner Marco.

He tried to cause Marco to lose his balance, shift his center of gravity, and create slack in his arms.

However, these tactics were ineffective against the Marco standing before him.

Even when his feet seemed to falter, Marco skillfully adjusted his center of gravity and moved his body accordingly.

He used the weight of his massive sword for support, becoming a single iron block to withstand Cain.

Compared to when they fought in the Demon King’s Castle, Marco not only exuded overwhelming power but also displayed the refined skill of a seasoned warrior.

“I have dedicated my life to the sword for hundreds of years. I cannot be defeated so easily!”

“Ugh…!”

As Ain watched his footing, Marco changed his movements accordingly.

When Ain watched his movements and prepared, Marco changed his stance again.

Marco’s ever-changing movements were truly those of a veteran knight.

Incidentally, as you might expect, this training was only a competition of sword skills.

Physical ability was irrelevant, and there were no rules allowing for Demon King-like powers or magic.

That was why Ain was struggling against Marco.

“Before Cain-san went to the former capital, I sparred with him once…”

“Oh… that’s news to me.”

“The last time I trained with him, I was completely defeated. But!”

As they crossed swords, the two continued their conversation.

Ain talked with Marco about the time he realized the truth about the first king and trained with Cain in the spirit world.

“What happened then?”

Ain pursed his lips.

He let his frustration show, channeling it into his sword.

“I was beaten even more! After he beat me, he said this to me: ‘I want to fight you without holding back someday!’”

“Fufu… Hahaha! That is something the captain—no, Cain-sama-is looking forward to!”

Marco cheerfully responded to Ain’s rare display of boyishness.

Despite everything, Ain was only fifteen.

Although he was an adult, he still had the innocence of his age.

“I was able to defend myself, but I couldn’t land a single effective blow. I don’t understand!”

“The connection with Ain-sama through the summoning of familiars. And the power that Cain-sama gains by chewing magic stones. That’s why Cain-sama seems to have retained his full power!”

“No, there’s something wrong with him! How can he split clouds with his physical strength? Well, he’s not human, but still!”

He continued to vent his frustration at Marco.

Marco accepted it and imagined the battle between the two.

“He really is a powerful man. Did Ain-sama fight without using your power as the Demon King?”

“I wanted to try using it once, just once. But…”

The strongest Dullahan replied.

“For example, if I ever find an uninhabited continent, I’ll give it a try.”

This conclusion took into account the potential damage that could occur in a battle between the two of them.

However, it was clear that Ain would be stronger if he used the power of the Demon King.

Recall the decisive battle in the capital of Heim; it took three people—the Demon King, Arche, Cain, and Sylvia—to stop Ain.

Furthermore, in a battle with no rules, Arche would be more extravagant than Cain.

Ain expressed his regret, and Marco accepted it.

This continued for a while, but the battle ended.

“…Well done,”

Marco’s sword flew backward.

However,

“No, it’s a draw.”

Ain replied.

Ain’s sword was completely shattered.

If Marco had been defeated for letting go of his sword, then Ain would have had a similar outcome.

“Even so, Ain-sama, the hilt of your sword is still intact. With that, you could cut my neck. No, I don’t have a neck, but cutting your opponent’s neck would mean victory.”

Marco helped Ain to his feet. Ain lowered his chin and coughed.

It ended with a broken sword, but it was a good morning workout.

Ain sighed, shook his shoulders, and placed the broken sword on the floor before removing his armor.

He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, unbuttoned them, and let the fresh morning air cool his body.

“In any case, don’t cause any trouble for Dill.”

“Are you talking about Katima-sama?”

“Yes, he should be with Katima-san in town right now.”

The princess’s caretaker suddenly appeared.

Ain could only bow his head in respect, knowing he had been doing so since early morning.

“Hmm… But I don’t think he minds it too much.”

Marco, who rarely voiced his opinion, spoke up.

His attitude was unusual, and Ain looked at Marco in surprise.

“Eh… Why do you think so?”

“I’m not sure if I should say this, but… No, I should tell you, Ain-sama.”

Marco thought for a moment. However, he quickly changed his attitude, approached Ain, and said,

“It’s because he doesn’t hate Katima-sama.”

“…Huh?”

Ain was taken aback.

He remembered what he had heard about Dill’s taste in women when they were students.

He was sure that Dill liked women who were muscular and strong, like Lloyd.

But what about Katima-san? She wasn’t muscular, but she had a strong will.

However, she also had the power to shatter that steel-like willpower.

“Ain-sama. Katima-sama saved Dill. Besides, they’ve known each other for a long time. Now they’re both Cait Sith.”

“…I see. I think I understand a little now.”

Then, the Glacier family crossed Ain’s mind.

They were the duke’s family. Yes, the duke’s family.

He wouldn’t say what that meant, but when he heard “the duke’s family,” it sounded convenient in many ways. He wouldn’t say exactly how, though.

He had a flash of insight, as if he had solved a difficult puzzle.

Before much time had passed, Sylvird arrived.

Warren and Lloyd should be coming, too. If all goes well, Queen Laralua might come as well.

It was convenient. No matter how you looked at it, it was too convenient.

“Marco, you swear you’re not lying?”

“Of course. He said himself that Katima-sama is a very beautiful woman.”

At that moment, Ain collapsed to the ground.

He opened his mouth and looked at Marco with weak eyes.

“Does that mean he has adopted the values of the Cait Sith?”

“Yes. Come to think of it, I have seen the Cait Sith many times in the past, but…”

“B-but…?”

Marco said that he had seen the Cait Sith many times before.

Based on that experience, he said Katima had a charm comparable to Olivia’s, Chris’s, or even Krone’s.

Ain, who was human, couldn’t understand it. He grimaced, thinking it was an unbelievable story.

Come to think of it, Katima was Olivia’s real sister. It wasn’t that strange, he thought.

“It was so shocking that I lost my balance.”

“Fufu… Values and feelings exist in as many forms as there are living beings.”

After a dozen seconds or so, Ain stood up.

He thanked Marco for telling him about it and wondered what to do next.

Come to think of it, he had a meeting with Krone that afternoon. The topic was Strohm’s policy.

In that case, he’d better consult with Krone first. Ain made up his mind.

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