Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 301

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 301 – Looking For a Cat That Just Ran Away (Temporary)

The sun set earlier now. Looking up, one could see the sky enveloped in a jet-black dome.

Ain returned to the mansion slightly earlier than planned, allowing him to rest briefly before attending to the remaining duties of the night. However, Krone, who had also finished her work early, would be accompanying him. He secretly felt pleased and relaxed his jaw.

Just before leaving the mansion, he felt a sense of relief.

They saw Martha walking with an irritation she couldn’t quite hide.

“Martha-san, is something wrong?”

“W-Well, Ain-sama… Actually, I can’t find Katima-sama. It seems she slipped out the window and went into town while you were handling official business.”

“…I’m terribly sorry.”

Ain covered his face in shame over his family’s embarrassment.

“Without any guards?”

“No, Krone-sama’s concern is valid, but it seems she headed toward Chris-sama’s quarters, picking up Royal Knights along the way…”

“Then she should have just gone to Chris’s guard post, right?”

“…The note only said, ‘Going with the Royal Knights to where Chris is-nya! The festival is calling me-nya!’ It seems Chris-sama is also being dragged along by Katima-sama.”

“So she’s missing. Got it.”

The maid slipped her hand into her pocket and handed Ain a bundle of papers resembling flyers.

“Despite your packed schedule, she’s acting like this today. Even I, who usually has patience, am nearing my limit. I ended up preparing these by hand. What do you think? I’m quite confident in my sketches, too.”

“We are searching for a girl who has run away. If you see her, please inform the nearest knight.”

The title alone made it clear that she was being dismissive. However, Martha’s anger had clearly reached its limit. Just seeing the bulging veins in her forehead and her dark smile made that obvious.

Below was a large sketch of Katima, accompanied by text explaining that she had vanished during her duties. Ain felt motivated to distribute these sketches throughout the town.

Looking at his fiancée standing beside him, Ain understood the feeling—while unable to fully agree, Ain understood the sentiment.

The way she tilted her head with a troubled smile showed the respect she still held for the First Princess.

“Martha-san, you’re quite skilled at drawing, aren’t you?”

“Thank you, Ain-sama. I’ve drawn Katima-sama many times, so I’m quite used to it.”

(Why did she draw Katima-san so many times, I wonder?)

Though curious about the hidden dark history, Ain tucked several sheets of paper into his coat.

“I’ll distribute these to the Royal Knights on guard duty. Since they’re Royal Knights, Katima-san won’t be embarrassed. Or rather, she needs a lecture for sneaking off to play during her duties.”

“…Yes, please do that.”

Soon after leaving the mansion, Krone, who was walking beside him, peered up at Ain’s face.

“Are you sure this is okay? Won’t Katima-sama get angry?”

“If she does, I’ll get twice as angry, and I’ll have Man Eater watch her and make her do her duties.”

“…I suppose there’s no escaping that.”

“Right?”

Walking briskly beside him, Krone nodded, accepting that today was unavoidable. She naturally linked arms with Ain.

Wasn’t it a bit much to look like they were on a date while heading to their official duties? But she understood such things, so once they reached the main street, she would surely keep a proper distance.

Marco was their escort.

He was discreet enough to remain unseen, but if Ain said the word “Marco,” he’d appear at his side in the blink of an eye and kneel.

Glancing at the brightly shining Strohm stars against the moonlight, Ain spoke of their next official engagement.

“Hey, you saved the easiest official duty for last, didn’t you?”

“I arranged it. It’s near the mansion and ends early. I wanted you to have an easy time, at least for the last one.”

“…Thanks a lot.”

“Fufu. I am the Crown Prince’s aide, after all.”

They walked towards an orchard.

Contrary to its name, it was a small experimental orchard with only a few trees. Each tree responded to Ain’s words by bearing fruit that was far larger and tastier than anything sold commercially.

The management of these fruits, which were intended to become a Strohm specialty, involved the August Trading Company and influential figures within Strohm.

The street where the mansion stood had no other notable buildings; it was primarily a single road connecting to an area lined with noble residences.

Walking along the cobblestones, which were different from the neatly arranged streets elsewhere, the two spent the time quietly, as if on a nighttime stroll. Eventually, they emerged onto the street of the noble district, drawing closer to their destination, which was slightly off the main path.

Today, the first snow fell in the capital. The biting cold provided the perfect excuse for them to draw closer together.

He’d recently become more open about closing the distance between them, but having a reason like this still felt reassuring.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The official duties at the orchard include serving the fruit harvested here to nobles who had traveled from other cities.

No one could pick the fruit without Ain’s permission. Usually, Krone acted as Ain’s proxy to grant permission, but since today was a festival and Ain had the time, he came in person.

The crown prince himself—well, that was beside the point. His title as lord mattered more than his position.

Once the work was finished, everyone left, leaving just the two of them.

Ain reached out an illusory hand toward the Balt strawberry tree and flicked a single fruit into the air.

“Here, you’re welcome.”

He took it and offered it to Krone beside him.

“…Is it okay to just take it?”

“It’s basically mine anyway, so why not? Since we’re here, let’s have one before we go.”

The temptation was sweet and alluring to Krone.

She happily wrapped her hands around it, gently bringing it to her lips and pressing her glossy mouth against it. She took a bite, and her eyes widened for a moment. With the second bite, her cheeks flushed faintly. By the third bite, she let out a sigh that melted her.

“Glad it looks delicious.”

“…Oh, geez!”

“You really don’t need to be embarrassed… Wait, what?”

Suddenly, Ain looked up at the fruit tree and noticed something.

The leaves rustled irregularly, hinting at the presence of a living thing.

“Looks like something’s up there.”

“Huh? You mean… on the tree?”

“Yeah, I wonder what it is.”

Rustle, rustle—the sound of dry leaves rubbing together—followed by—

“Fufu, ahaha!”

Two voices, seemingly belonging to young girls, reached them. From up in the tree? As Ain frowned in puzzlement, the answer came down to her.

“It’s the Lying World Tree!”

“And there’s the Lying Pixie, too!”

A sudden impact on his shoulder, and two small girls instantly occupied his shoulders.

The tree spirits. They had become attached to him in the elf village. According to Krone, they were nearby when Ain went berserk.

“Whoa… It’s been a while. What are you doing here?”

“Don’t know! Ask big sister!”

“Big Sis doesn’t know either. But World Tree-sama was here, so we’re playing in this town!”

“…I see.”

It had been over a year since Ain last saw them.

Krone, who had been stuffing her cheeks with Balt strawberries, also stopped mid-bite at the sight of the two spirits beside him.

“Sniff, sniff!”

“Sniff, sniff!”

“Wh-what? What are you suddenly sniffing—”

“A dryad!”

“Amazing! The pixie who pretended to be human turned into a dryad!”

Upon hearing this, Ain’s expression changed completely.

“I don’t really understand the first part, but do you know about dryads?”

“Big Sis knows, too!”

“I know! Dryads are part of the World Tree family! Isn’t that amazing?”

Right, it was still unclear.

As always, their explanations were difficult to follow—or rather, they were as vague as ever.

Ain exchanged glances with Krone, smiling wryly at the word “family” and looking pleased.

“Come to think of it, maybe we should have asked Sylvia-san about the tree spirits, too.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, yes… She might have told us something.”

The tree spirit sisters took flight into the sky, watching the affectionate pair from the sidelines.

Their boundless freedom and elusive nature would surely never change.

“Hey, big sis! I’ve heard the name Sylvia before!”

“Me too! Who was it again?”

“Hmmm… I don’t remember!”

Perched on a fruit tree, the tree spirit crossed their arms and sat on a small branch, dangling their feet.

They remained restless for a while.

Smack! The older sister clapped her hands and looked at her younger sister.

“I remember now! That weird girl Mama used to bring around!”

“Me too! The little girl Mama taught magic to. She was about as small as Mama!”

“…But Mama hasn’t been around for a long time, has she?”

“Yeah… She went somewhere, didn’t she?”

Amidst their melancholy exchange, the two stuffed their cheeks with the fruit Ain had brought, their cheeks melting.

Endlessly carefree, they looked at each other and cheerfully exclaimed, “So yummy!”

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