Magic Gems Gourmet Chapter 195

Chapter 195

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 195 – Finally, Some Rest

“…You’re just like that boy.”

Ed opened his mouth and laughed frivolously.

“…That boy?”

Was he stalling for time?

Ain was suspicious of Ed, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he asked.

“Yes, that boy―Mark. But, Mark and Marco… their names are similar, which is annoying.”

“Mark… The first king of Ishtalika was like me?”

Ain was intrigued, and Ed began to speak with exaggerated hand gestures.

“You are a leader, but you go to the front. Yet you have a strong presence. …Combined with your looks, it seems like you’re exactly the same.”

“…So what if we are?”

“No, nothing in particular. I just don’t like it.”

He seemed to have finished breathing, and Ed straightened his back while holding his chest.

Bright red blood flows from his thigh, but Ed looked at Ain without seeming to mind.

“Ah, now I remember. Speaking of which, my former daughter seems to be in your care. I’m sorry for the trouble. “

“Former daughter…?”

“It’s Varra. By any chance, is my second daughter, May, also in your care? Well, I couldn’t remember her name after not hearing it for so long.”

Then Ain opened his eyes and looked at Ed.

Feeling his heart racing, he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

“Are they your daughters? You’re not lying, are you?”

“What would be the point of lying about something like that? …Oh, are you afraid they might be spies or something? Don’t worry about that. They’re just daughters I made due to a role, so they don’t mean much to me. Would you believe me if I said you could use them however you want?”

“…You’re a lowlife.”

“There are as many roles as there are people. Even if you deny it… Hmm? By the way, you seem very calm. Why is that? Normally, the thought of a race that you thought was your mortal enemy being a relative would drive you crazy.”

Why was that?

Ed still looked exhausted, but he was curious about Ain’s state of mind.

Ain didn’t seem to panic at all, and instead, he tried to curse at Ed first.

“Warren. Does that name ring a bell?”

“Hmm? Warren, Warren… yes, that’s right, he came to Euro with you. What happened to him?”

Do these guys have no sense of camaraderie?

Or was there some kind of situation that prevented them from revealing their true ident.i.ties?

Ain continued to ask Ed, who didn’t seem to be bothered by the situation.

“Then what about a woman named Beria?”

“I know nothing about her. And what about the two men and women… Ah, I see. That’s why you were so calm when you heard about Varra.”

I see.

Ed replied with a smile that seemed to say as much.

“So it was those two. Even now, he’s still acting as Prime Minister of Ishtalika, so it seems he was really captivated by that pixie. His appearance changed so much that I didn’t recognize him at all.”

Ed applauded with his weak hands.

“They were quite the actors… By the way, a play that has been performed for several hundred years is worth its weight in gold. I’d like to ask them how they felt, but… did you kill them both already?”

…Oh, that’s no good.

Unable to put up with Ed’s att.i.tude any longer, Ain half-consciously moved his legs forward.

When he was ready to thrust Marco’s sword, he stepped right into Ed’s chest.

“Gghh!”

“A s.h.i.+eld…?!”

“I went too far off script. I’m sorry, but I’m retreating as is.”

The creature that came between Ain and Ed, the rabbit with the magic stone implanted in it, took the attack aimed at Ed instead.

The rabbit that had taken the other rabbit’s place stopped moving and made a sound that sounded like it was in pain.

“For some reason, I can’t seem to muster any strength. It’s annoying to admit it, but I’m no match for you.”

It was the effect of having the contents of the magic stone sucked out of him, but Ed was unable to comprehend the current situation.

Ed looked away from Ain and looked around as if searching for something.

“Hah. At this rate, the carriage… no, I wonder if the pig inside was crushed as well.”

Ain showed a serious expression at Ed’s words.

What happened before Ain arrived? Only the Ishtalika reinforcements, including Ain, Dill, and Majolica, knew the answer to this question.

“I’m curious how they crushed it, but never mind.”

“It looks like you want to run away, but I won’t let you.”

Ain approaches with long strides, determined not to let him escape.

“Oh, by the way, this is a piece of advice. Varra should be doing her job by now, right?”

“I don’t need that kind of distraction. You couldn’t remember it until now, could you?”

“That was acting, too. That is one of the stages.”

“Even if that were the case, there’s no need to let you go. It would be easier if I could just kill you here.”

Ain rejected the cheap theatrics.

Ed sighed at these questions and answers and then ran off, catching his opponent off guard.

“It’s really boring that you’re not even a little bit shaken up.”

“Hey, like I said, I’m not going to let you go!”

What kind of principle was that! Ain showed his irritation.

Suddenly, some rats appeared and jumped on Ain’s face to bite him.

“Ah, geez! What the heck with these things. Hah… d.a.m.n it.”

By the time he dealt with the rats, Ed was already gone.

Even if he turned his eyes in the distance, he can’t see his figure.

“Your Highness! Are you all right?!”

“Y-yeah, Majolica-san, you came!”

“That’s obvious! Wait, where did the old man go?!”

Majolica twisted his body and looked around.

His appearance was also full of monster-like qualities, but Ain would never mention it because he would catch fire if he touched it.

“I brought my favorite knuckle, but I wonder where he went?”

“He ran away. He retreated so easily just because the situation was unfavorable.”

“I’m surprised. Even the Marshal-sama couldn’t win against him, but Your Highness beat him back.”

Majolica looked at Ain with a surprised expression, and Ain smiled bashfully.

Putting the back of his hand to his cheek, he finally said, “Ara…”

“…How is Lloyd-san?”

“He’s fine, but he’s going to lose an eye.”

Lloyd was brought in under Varra’s care, but it seems that he will have to give up the eye that was pierced by Ed’s spear.

“If that’s all it takes, it’s still a relief, right?”

“Of course. Losing only one eye in battle is like giving a pa.s.sionate kiss to the G.o.ds.”

Hearing this pa.s.sionate speech (?), Ain remembers the Lolita G.o.ddess.

From the bottom of his heart, he wished that she would stop.

“The remaining Heim soldiers have also retreated. I think we can say that the situation has calmed down now that those creepy little animals have been neutralized.”

“That’s good. It was worth coming to help.”

“Besides, the Marshal is in a state of confusion. He was making a fuss about ‘Why is Ain-sama here!’ Maybe it would be better if Your Highness explained it to him directly.”

“Yes, I know. I’m going to see Lloyd-san now. I thought I’d check the defense system first, though.”

Ain raised his head.

His eyes widened, and he stopped thinking for a moment.

“Wow, this is amazing…” he just let out a voice of surprise.

“I think it’s going to be okay.”

“You act like it’s someone else’s problem… Well, it’s covered with thick tree roots, so it’s going to be hard to get in, isn’t it?”

Looking at the huge wall of tree roots he made himself, Ain somehow feels disappointed, as if it were someone else’s problem.

“Well… it would be a disaster if it caught fire, but it looks like it’s still fresh wood, so I think it’s hard to burn.”

“Hmm, so does that mean we don’t have to worry about it for now?”

“I think it would be a good idea to pour some water on it later. Or rather, I can’t think of anything else to do.”

This was a situation Majolica had never thought of before.

A wall of huge, thick tree roots several stories high.

It was so sudden that Majolica couldn’t think of the best idea.

“…Then I think I’ll visit Lloyd-san first.”

“…Yeah, let’s do that.”

In the end, the two of them hurried down to Lloyd’s.

＊＊＊

Following Majolica’s lead, Ain heads to the place where Lloyd was taken.

And on the way…

“Your Highness!”

“Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!”

The knights who defended the Birdland.

When they found Ain, they shouted loudly in praise.

“Haha…”

“Well, of course. Even though the Crown Prince was supposed to be back in the capital, he came to the rescue in this critical situation and contributed greatly to the defeat of the enemy forces. Perhaps, with the morale they have now, they could have defeated the enemy even without us coming.”

“…I guess so.”

The two of them walk down the main street of Birdland, and Ain heads for Lloyd’s place, responding to the knight’s voice.

Perhaps because of the battle he just fought, Ain feels a lot of fatigue in his body.

“But I think I’m a bit tired.”

“We came to Birdland by s.h.i.+p, and then we rode our horses here in a hurry… so of course we’re tired. Especially you, Your Highness, with that fight with that old man… I don’t know what happened, but you showed amazing determination, so you really need to get some rest.”

“Yes, you’re probably right. I’ll make sure I get some rest and think about tomorrow.”

“Please do. Well, we’re here.”

The place where Majolica stopped was a first-cla.s.s inn that was sometimes used by n.o.bles.

It was built with chic wood, and although it was simple, the carvings of the craftsmen gave it a unique sense of luxury.

It was too luxurious to be used on the battlefield, but in order to react immediately if Heim’s army approached, they probably needed to rent an inn near the entrance to the city.

“This is a nice inn.”

“This is just my experience, but the more famous the adventurer, the better the inn they rent. It’s not just because they have more money, but also because the facilities are better, so it’s perfect for resting. So, considering the location, I think this is the best inn for a knight in the middle of a war.”

“Oh, is that how you see it? I see…”

Seeing Ain nod in agreement, Majolica smiled at his characteristic honesty and placed his hand on the door of the inn.

“A-A-Ain-sama… you’re safe… no, how did you get here? Why would you risk your life like this?”

As soon as the door was opened, Lloyd sat up vigorously from the bed that had been brought into the lobby.

This inn seems to be an old-established one, and the antique-style furnis.h.i.+ngs are beautiful.

Even in this room, Ain saw that Lloyd looked nervous and approached him with a look that made the people around them feel sorry for him.

“I’ll explain that too. Lie down properly.”

“…Father, please, for now, lie down properly.”

Then Dill, who was at Lloyd’s side, admonished Lloyd in the same way as Ain.

“Mm, but…!”

“Varra, how is Lloyd-san?”

“Yes, I told His Excellency the Marshal as well, but… as I thought, the left eye is already…”

Asked by Ain, who was treating Lloyd, Varra replied with a heavy expression.

When Ain heard the languid voice and looked at Lloyd’s eye, the area around the left eye was covered with a conspicuous bandage.

“Oh, it’s all right, Varra-chan. I’m sure His Excellency the Marshal thinks it’s more of a blessing than a curse, don’t you?”

“Hahaha! Majolica-dono is right. If I think of it as saving my life by giving up one eye, it’s not such a bad deal. It’s the fact that I made a fool of myself by making a mistake in battle that hurts me more.”

“I-I’m sorry…!”

Seeing his strong appearance, Varra covered her mouth and stifled her sobs.

Ain remembered Ed’s words and looked at Varra, but he was still a little hesitant.

“I shouldn’t ask now. There’s no need to lower morale.”

“Ain-sama? Did you say something?”

“No, it’s nothing. Dill.”

After hearing Beria’s story, his doubts about Warren and Beria began to dissipate.

Maybe it was because of that. It would be difficult to trust them completely and leave everything to them, but he couldn’t bring himself to apprehend Varra.

“I just thought I would try to believe in what I was doing.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I see you’ve made up your mind.”

“Yes. That’s what I mean.”

A chance meeting at the Ist.

After that, Ain picked her up and let her continue to serve in the castle, and Ain wanted to believe her.

It was probably true that Ed had abandoned them, Varra and May. He could tell by Ed’s att.i.tude.

He would ask Varra about it at night.

After he had decided about Varra, he sat down in the chair next to the bed where Lloyd lay.

“Well, where do I start?”

“…There’s a set price for this sort of thing. Everything, I suppose.”

“I see. All right, then. I’ll tell you why I’m here.”

The fight with Ed seemed to have drained Ain of more energy than he had thought.

When he sat down in the chair, fatigue seemed to come over him several times, but Ain began speaking without paying attention.

“The messenger sent by Lloyd-san. We received the message immediately, but…”

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