Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 243

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 243 – Strohm’s Policy

“Why don’t you just leave them alone?”

After finishing his morning training, Ain washed off the sweat and went to see Krone.

She was in her office, busy with paperwork as usual.

“No, but… It’s Katima-san, you know?”

“Ain? Are you referring to the first princess, Katima-sama? Or do you mean that Katima-sama…?”

Krone asked, wondering why Ain seemed so concerned.

Ain replied.

“Both, I guess.”

“…I see. Is that so?”

Finishing the documents she was writing, Krone looked up at Ain.

There was a physical distance between them. Ain was sitting on the sofa, and Krone was at her desk.

“What kind of answer do you want from me? Do you want to know what you should do now? Or do you want my opinion about the future?”

“Is it greedy of me to want both?”

“No. I’ve known you’ve been greedy for a long time.”

Krone sighed.

She crossed her legs under the desk and looked troubled. Ain’s gaze turned to her.

Krone noticed his gaze as if it were natural. Pleased by it, she began to speak cheerfully.

“I think it’s best to leave it up to the two of them, both now and in the future.”

“Until Dill or Katima-san says something?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s not good to meddle in other people’s love lives, is it?”

From the perspective of nobility and royalty, it was difficult to agree with her.

However, perhaps because Ain and Krone had come this far with their free love, Ain nodded after some hesitation.

“That’s why I said, ‘Let’s just leave them alone.’ Besides, it won’t cause any problems if we do, right?”

“But Katima-san is the first princess…”

“If you’re going to bring that up, Commander Dill’s family is a ducal family, and he’s a talented man who serves as the commander of the crown prince’s personal knight corps. Is there a problem with his status?”

“…Maybe not.”

“Rather, the problem is the difference in status between me and Ain, isn’t it? So it’s not a big obstacle.”

That was true. Ain agreed.

Although Krone was originally from a grand duke’s family, that didn’t mean much in Ishtalika.

In her case, she had convinced those around her by demonstrating her own qualities.

“Needless to say, there’s nothing to complain about regarding Commander Dill’s character. So, is there any problem?”

Ain gave up. He decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being as Krone had advised.

“Even so, I can’t not report this to His Majesty. Will you leave it to me?”

“I’m sorry. I’d like to ask you to do that.”

“Fufu… I understand. Your Highness.”

With that, Krone wrote a note in her notebook.

Ain didn’t know what it said, but he knew he could trust Krone with anything.

“Is that all you wanted to talk to me about, Ain?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why, but I feel a little better now.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Maybe you can help me with something.”

Krone motioned for Ain to come over.

Ain immediately stood up and approached her desk.

“You want to discuss something with me?”

“Yes, could you take a look at this?”

“A proposal for the use of tax revenue and a plan for petitions?”

The subject matter seemed difficult, and the document was filled with detailed writing.

As usual, the document appeared to have been carefully prepared by Krone and was easy to read.

“The tax revenue is higher than I expected.”

Compared to other large cities, such as Ist and Magna, however, it was relatively minute.

However, considering that Strohm was a newly emerging city, the amount was impressive.

Ain was amazed, his eyes wide with wonder.

“Taxes paid by adventurers and merchants make up the majority of tax revenue in any city. Strohm is bustling with activity from both groups.”

“I see. Wait, who was in charge of distributing the taxes before we arrived?”

“The previous person in charge was Duke Fors.”

Leonard’s father? No wonder, Ain nodded.

“So, when you said you wanted to consult with me, you meant you wanted me to decide how to use the tax revenue?”

“Ain, you are the lord of Strohm, aren’t you?”

She said she wanted to consult with him, but the nature of her request was more like a problem for Ain to solve.

After all, Ain would decide Strohm’s future.

“That’s a lot of responsibility to take on all at once.”

Ain had heard that Duke Fors was an honest man. He was strict with himself and with others, setting an example for the nobility.

Succeeding him would be a heavy burden, but Ain couldn’t give up now if he wanted to become king.

(That said, Ishtalika already had an advanced civilization and culture.)

Deep down, he had such worries.

For example, what if this were Heim? Ain would have even more to do.

It’s hard to improve upon something that’s already high quality.

“Hey, what do you think Strohm’s strong point is?”

He whispered to Krone.

“I’m sure it’s its potential.”

“You mean, like babies in human terms?”

Seeing Krone nod, Ain closed his eyes.

It was only a small clue, but he felt like he had found something.

“If we specialize in the port, it will take away Magna’s value. But if we focus on research and development, its value will…”

Of course, it would be impossible to surpass a historic city in just a few years.

However, when thinking about the future, he couldn’t simply accept the idea of imitation.

Ain continued to ponder, groaning.

On the contrary, what large city didn’t have what Ishtalika already had?

A city where adventurers were the main inhabitants would be difficult. After all, there was already a city called Baltic.

Baltic grew to its current size because of its proximity to the Demon King’s Castle.

In Strohm, only a few hours away from the royal capital, a town of adventurers would never flourish.

“Oh, that’s right.”

However, Ain suddenly remembered last year’s war.

He landed at Rockdam and headed for Heim, which was on the opposite side of the continent.

What happened at that time crossed his mind, as did a certain region.

“If I ask Graff-san for his opinion, maybe we can make it―—”

“A-Ain? Why are you talking about my grandfather?”

“Sorry, Krone! Could you ask Graff-san to come to Strohm? If not, I’ll go back to the royal capital and ask him myself!”

Ain pressed closer to Krone.

With her face just a few inches away, Krone blinked repeatedly and froze.

After a moment, she regained her composure and said,

“Wait a second. I’ll check.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she cleared her throat and opened her notebook.

Her hands were shaking as she turned the pages frantically.

“Um, Krone? You don’t have to rush.”

“I-it’s your fault, Ain! Why are you so calm? That’s not fair!”

She pouted at Ain’s puzzled expression, then looked back at her notebook to hide her embarrassment.

No matter how many years passed, she still felt embarrassed when Ain took the initiative.

“Here! My grandfather seems to have some free time this month!”

“Oh, thank you.”

She handed the notebook to Ain and rested her elbows on the desk.

She covered her flushed cheeks with her palms.

“This should be fine. Could you ask Graff-san to come to the mansion?”

“I can do that.”

“Then I’ll ask you to do it for about two weeks. It wouldn’t be good to have someone tied up for two weeks in my name, so please do it under the name Ishtalika.”

That was quite a long time.

Wondering what he was asking, Krone hid her face and asked Ain.

“Why my grandfather? Or rather, what did you come up with?”

“I just wanted to borrow some wisdom. The wisdom of the trade master.”

The Trade Master was the nickname of Graff August, who had once controlled all land transportation in Heim.

Hearing a name she hadn’t heard in a long time, Krone finally turned toward Ain.

“Also, do you have any documents about that continent over there?”

“Well, there are some.”

Ain didn’t respond. Still, Krone answered as Ain had instructed.

When he took action, he exuded a powerful masculinity that made Krone happy to obey him.

He stood up and took several books from a corner of the bookshelf.

“Here you are. But what are you going to use them for?”

“Research. I thought I’d learn a little about history.”

“Hmm… What did you want to learn about?”

“I’ll tell you once I’ve figured things out a bit more. I’d appreciate it if you could wait a little longer.”

Krone nodded with a sigh.

Then, Ain thanked her and started to leave the office.

“Ara, Ain? Where are you going?”

“I have some work to do, so I thought I’d go to my office.”

“No, you can’t.”

“…Eh?”

“No, you can’t.”

He didn’t understand what she meant.

Ain turned around and looked at Krone, who was smiling happily.

“Those documents are books I bought with my own money.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Even though I’m your assistant, I’m under no obligation to lend them to you.”

That made sense. But he wondered why she would say such a thing.

“But you want to read those books, don’t you, Ain?”

“I really want to read them. How can I borrow them?”

That was exactly what Krone wanted to hear.

She didn’t say anything, but simply pointed to something.

“Um…”

Ain was confused. All Krone had done was point to a chair by the desk.

Not understanding, he stood there confused.

“If you want to read that book, come back here.”

Ain returned. She pushed him back into his seat and said,

“I’m off this afternoon.”

“Really?” But what does that have to do with this book? Krone?”

Krone ran her fingers through her hair and sat down.

She sat on Ain’s lap. The soft feeling spread across his thighs.

The same gorgeous scent tickled his nostrils.

“If you really want to read that book, you can read it here. There’s no need for it to be in your office, right?”

“Haha. I see.”

It was her way of getting back at Ain for not answering her question.

It was also the result of her desire to be spoiled by Ain again.

Come to think of it, Ain couldn’t remember the last time he had spent time alone with Krone.

Since they came to Strohm, they had been busy with work.

“But there are so many books. I don’t think I can finish them all in one day.”

“Really? Then come back tomorrow.”

Krone replied casually.

“What if I don’t finish by nightfall?”

“Then you can stay in my room overnight.”

(…Hmm.)

It wasn’t a bad option. In fact, he was tempted to slow down the progress on purpose.

However, thinking about Strohm, he knew he couldn’t give in to that temptation, much to his regret.

Ain couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“You thought it was a good idea just now, didn’t you?”

“I was just thinking that work is important.”

“Fufu… I guess you don’t need an excuse to stay over anytime.”

“That’s right.” 

Ain nodded deeply from behind Krone.

Then, as if having forgotten her earlier dissatisfaction, Krone lowered her head and suppressed a laugh.

“Well, where do you want to start looking?”

“Um…that’s…”

◇ ◇ ◇

“Your Royal Highness, Graff August has arrived.”

A few days later, Graff arrived in Strohm from the royal capital.

As Ain had requested, Graff arranged for a two-week stay.

He arrived at Ain’s office, where Ain and Krone were waiting for him.

“Graff-san, it’s been a long time.”

“No, it’s been a long time for me as well. …By the way, you said you had something to ask me?”

“Actually, yes. I thought you would be the best person to ask about this.”

When Ain replied, Krone handed Graff a thick envelope.

“Here you are, Grandfather.”

“Hmm. These documents are for today’s meeting, aren’t they?”

“That’s right, Grandfather.”

Upon hearing his granddaughter’s answer, Graff opened the envelope.

He took out the contents and began to read the title page.

In the next moment, Graff’s expression became serious.

“May I take a look?”

Graff asked Ain. His gaze made her feel reassured.

“Of course. I would appreciate your opinion.”

Ain raised his hand to encourage Graff.

Graff began turning the pages, a serious expression on his face as he read the contents.

He turned one page, then another. This continued for more than ten minutes.

“…I see. That’s why you called me here.”

“Yes, it seems you understand the general situation, which is good.”

There wasn’t enough time to read everything.

However, after checking a few pages, Graff looked up at Ain.

“I understand the situation. Now, I would like to ask you about the purpose of this plan from the perspective of the Crown Prince.”

“I understand. The purpose of this plan is…”

Ain stood up slowly and spoke to Graff using gestures.

“The port city of Magna. This city had a small problem. The problem was the expanding port.”

The population of Ishtalika continued to grow. This meant that the demand for fishermen continued to increase as well.

As a result, the existing port had become too small, creating an urgent need to build a new one.

However, that is not easy to do. We have to reorganize the existing districts.”

“I see. It’s not easy to expand a town.”

“That’s right. Then there’s the Magic City of Ist. It also had a small problem that needed to be solved for research purposes.”

Ain continued.

The Magic City of Ist was too far from the port city of Magna.

There was no direct transportation between the two cities, and travel between them was inconvenient.

This made obtaining the necessary research materials difficult.

One researcher, Oz, had to travel all the way to Magna to purchase materials for his research.

Many other researchers were willing to go to such lengths.

“In that regard, there are plans to establish a direct route to Strohm. I thought about Strohm’s future direction.”

“That’s what this document is about…”

“Yes, it took several days to complete with Krone’s help.”

After answering, Ain cleared his throat again.

Then, he replied,

“Birdland. You know it, right?”

“Of course. We passed through Birdland on our way to Euro, and then we crossed over to Ishtalika. Even if that weren’t the case, I have had many dealings with Birdland.”

“…But a city like Birdland cannot exist in Ishtalika. A city where merchants have so much power is impossible in this country.”

Graff’s expression changed.

He seemed stunned, but then he smiled deeply, his wrinkles deepening.

“That’s why I’m aiming for a commercial city greater than Birdland. I want to create a large city that will become the center of many other cities and be indispensable for the future development of Ishtalika.”

This was the reason Graff, known as the trade master, had been summoned.

Hearing those words alone was enough to make one’s heart race with excitement. After hearing this, Graff burst into laughter, clapping his hands in praise of Ain.

Birdland also served as a resort on the continent.

Graff looked forward to seeing how that aspect would be expressed through the power of Ishtalika.

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