Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 245

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 245 – Smells Fishy?

“Don’t misunderstand.

I’m serving Ain—I mean, His Majesty and the country of Ishitalika.

What would happen if His Majesty were to disappear?

That was obvious.

If he were to become ruler of another country, I would serve that country.

Contradictory? It doesn’t matter. There’s no need for a master-servant relationship between friends.”

—―Words spoken to new knights on the night of the War’s End Festival. Second Commander of the Black Knights and Slayer of the Red Dragon, Batz Crim.

◇ ◇ ◇

Although it was considered a specialty product, it was just a passing fad. However, there was a lot of hype surrounding the Baltic strawberries.

August Trading Company distributed samples to numerous trading companies, and many merchants who believed in the product’s potential flocked to the area.

Inns and restaurants in Strohm also boomed. Land sales also boomed, and things got off to a promising start.

Several Baltic strawberry plants were planted on land under the royal family’s care, and shipping preparations were quickly made.

They were expected to eventually be processed into food products, but for the first month or so, they would be sold as fresh fruit.

When that happened, merchants who specialized in processing would start arriving, and, for a few weeks, the people at the mansion would have no time to rest.

Ain, in particular, worked tirelessly—even sacrificing sleep—to earn money for Strohm.

About a month after the Baltic strawberries were harvested at the mansion…

Winter was just around the corner. Around that time, while Ain was enjoying his first break in a long time, he received some disturbing news.

“Huh… What’s that?”

Ain was resting in his room.

Chris came to him with a concerned look on her face while he was reading a book in bed.

She was also supposed to have the day off. She also appeared before him dressed simply in pants and a white shirt.

Her tall, slender figure looked stunning, even to Ain.

As always, her lustrous blonde hair accentuated her beauty.

“T-that’s why I thought it was a criminal organization…”

“A criminal organization… huh?”

Ain closed the book and sat on the bed.

He beckoned Chris to sit down in the chair in front of him.

“Did you hear about it from the guild?”

“The source of the information is the guild. However, Krone-san investigated it afterwards.”

“I see. So, what kind of criminal organization is it?”

Ain asked for the rest of the story, looking exasperated.

“Forced land grabs, brokering jobs outside the guild, interfering with fishing in nearby waters, and so on…”

“It sounds like small-time stuff.”

“I thought it was small-time, too, but there’s more.”

Apparently, they also have customers among the major trading companies and a few nobles.

“The pig… I mean, do you remember Viscount Sage?”

“Oh, yeah. I remember him. Wait, did you just say ‘pig’?”

“No, I didn’t. But it seems they’re involved in some of the same illegal activities that Viscount Sage was.”

“You mean to say that they’re involved in some pretty serious crimes?”

Chris nodded.

Let’s put aside the fact that she used the word “pig.”

Ain isn’t happy about it, but there are probably some men who would be pleased to be called “pigs” by a woman like Chris.

“You mean murder, human trafficking, and using orphans for evil schemes?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think the possibility is zero.”

“It still seems like small-time stuff, but we can’t just ignore it.”

In any era and in any country, there would always be people who wanted to flaunt their power once they had it.

Such people would never disappear. Ain understood this, so he decided to take action early on.

“I’m sure the fishing interference and requests that bypass the guild are just small-time money-making schemes.”

“Probably. They seem to have a decent number of members. How come they weren’t found until now?”

“Strohm is a large area. Above all, if they move between cities, it’s difficult to find them.”

“The continent of Ishtar is vast. There’s nothing we can do about that.”

After all, even during the incident involving Viscount Sage, Ain only discovered the long-standing corruption by chance.

No matter how hard the royal family and the knights try, it’s impossible to cleanse everything.

Still, Ain is determined to eradicate crime.

“How about asking Marco to search for clues?”

“I think that would be difficult. With a population as large as this one, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

“I see. That’s not very realistic.”

What should he do now?

With work on the specialty products finally underway, he didn’t have much time to spare.

But he couldn’t just ignore it.

“First of all, I think Strohm has a lot of powerful forces. I haven’t announced that I’m the Demon King yet, but even so, we have the Black Knights, led by Marco and the twins.”

Would anyone commit crimes in a city like that? He found that strange.

“W-what about me?”

“Of course, it’s helpful to have Chris by my side.”

“…!”

Chris nodded vigorously.

Her joy was clear.

This cute reaction is a departure from her usual beautiful appearance.

“I don’t understand their intentions. It’s a city with the second-strictest security after the royal capital, so why would they bother challenging us?”

“…Huh? Are you saying they’re underestimating us?”

Chris asked, looking puzzled.

Ain smiled wryly and replied.

“Underestimated… I don’t know about that, but I can’t deny that their thinking is a bit naive.”

For now, they didn’t have much leeway, but they should take action.

Ain thought for a moment and decided.

“But I’m not going to underestimate our opponents. I won’t forgive them for any of their evil deeds in the Demon King’s territory.”

“Ahaha… Now that you mention it, that makes us the Demon King’s army, doesn’t it?”

“It’s reassuring to have you with me, Chris.”

Ain stood up. He picked up his cloak and patted Chris on the head as he passed by.

“!?”

“Thanks for the valuable information. I’ll have to check my schedule.”

Chris looked around, gradually understanding what had just happened.

Then, ignoring Chris, Ain walked toward the living room and picked up a piece of paper on the desk.

“For now, there are security duties to attend to, but we’re shorthanded.”

He had brought the royal knights with him.

Their main job was to guard the mansion.

There weren’t enough people to investigate the entire city, and making plans was difficult.

(But Grandfather is coming to Strohm next month, so I should know some of the details by then.)

If Sylvird was coming, then Laralua would be too.

Lloyd would be coming too. Warren would come too.

When all the bigwigs gather, the last thing he wanted was for them to be in the dark.

Honestly, he would like to wipe out the criminal organization by then, but…

“I guess it can’t be helped. I think this is the best way after all.”

He sighed.

It’s a job way beyond his capabilities, but he’d have to rely on someone else this time.

“Ain-sama, Ain-sama. What’s wrong?”

Chris came over, put her hands on her head, and looked unnecessarily cheerful.

“Security, that is… I’ve decided who will investigate the city.”

“That was quick. So, who will investigate…?”

“Marco.”

“…Huh?”

Chris asked. Her face clearly showed her bewilderment.

“I said Marco.”

“…Are you planning to wipe out the criminal organization?”

Sending him alone would be enough to sink an Ishtalika warship.

Chris asked, her mouth hanging open.

“Well, that’s the plan…”

Stunned, Chris gave a half-hearted answer.

Ain answered as if it were obvious, then explained why he had chosen him.

“He’s better than any of us at sensing people’s presence, and he’s amazing at stealth.”

When Ain first met Marco, Marco had kidnapped him without anyone noticing.

Ain experienced firsthand just how skilled Marco was at stealth.

“I think he’ll find a clue soon. But I’ll have to order him not to attack if he encounters any members.”

“Why?”

“I want to wipe them out. I will never forgive those who prey on the weak. I will find their hideout and punish them.”

This was both his sense of justice and Ain’s creed.

Perhaps influenced by his father, Ain was a man who showed particular mercy to the weak. [T/N: He said “chichioya” here, so I’m a little confused.]

Speaking in a strong tone, he picked up the coat hanging on the wall.

“So, Chris. Can you come with me for a bit?”

“Yes! Where are we going? Baltic? Ist?”

Still excited, Chris gave an overly active response.

“It’s not that far. Let’s go see the Black Knights training.”

He didn’t want to simply order Marco to investigate.

He wanted to ask Marco for his opinion and discuss it with him. That was Ain’s answer.

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