Magic Gems Gourmet Chapter 196

Chapter 196

TN: Please read my translations only on my website since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!

Sponsored chapter by our Patreon. Enjoy~

ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 196 – The Reason Why Ain Came Part 1

Ain began to tell Lloyd what had happened in the last few days.

In other words, he wanted to tell Lloyd why he had come here.

Going back a few days.

The messenger Lloyd sent.

When he arrived at Rockdam, he returned to the battles.h.i.+p and hurriedly sent a message back to the capital.

The message stated that there was more than they had imagined, that something created the miasma, and that the knights had lost their lives because of it.

The miasma was a particularly big problem, and the information was pa.s.sed on to the royal family, of course, as well as many n.o.bles and relevant parties.

“This is not right! Don’t say such a ridiculous thing again!”

In the capital of Ishtalika, a certain meeting was held in the White Knight’s Castle in the center of the city.

The people gathered there were all high-ranking n.o.bles of Ishtalika, such as the Fors family that Leonard was born into, and the commotion was on par with that of the time of the sea dragon disturbance.

“But Your Majesty, the experts say that it’s impossible to withstand it completely… Isn’t that right, Katima-san?”

“Nya, nya… If even the equipment of the knights who went to the battlefield can’t withstand it-nya, then we can’t come up with a basic solution right now-nya…”

Katima, dressed in a white robe and cowering in fear of Sylvird’s power, replied.

“If we used rare materials, we could make equipment that would last a long time-mya, but if you ask me if it would protect the people of Ishtalika, I can’t nod my head in agreement-nya.”

“You see, Your Majesty… That’s why I should go.”

“…That’s another matter.”

“No, no, no… there’s no need to worry about anything else because it’s fine with my toxin decomposition, right, Katima-san?”

“…You’re going to make me the scapegoat again, aren’t you-nya?”

Even as Katima replied, Sylvird looked at her with a glare that seemed to be trying to kill her.

Even she, who was usually so calm, hoped with all her heart that she wouldn’t have to talk too much this time.

“If Ain can shrug off the poison of the Blue Fire Roses, then the problem is-nya… Nyaaaaaaaa~!”

“Yo-Your Majesty… please don’t glare at her like that.”

“――!?”

When Ain couldn’t take it anymore, he pointed at it, and Sylvird tapped the desk in a way that looked like he was punis.h.i.+ng him.

“Even so… there’s no way we can send the Crown Prince! Isn’t that right, Krone?”

“…Your Majesty.”

Krone, who was sitting next to Ain, looked at Sylvird in panic.

“Don’t you think that Ain shouldn’t go either?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

…What should he do?

Ain crosses his arms, but he can’t come up with any good ideas.

“Chris…is there anything you can do?”

“I have a good idea.”

“Can you tell me?”

Ain spoke to Chris, who was sitting in the seat opposite Krone, in a low voice.

Then, the clumsy girl, who usually didn’t have any ideas, answered confidently that she had a good idea.

“Go back to your room and go to bed.”

“Eh?”

“I’m sure you’re confused right now, Ain-sama. So I think you should take a break first.”

“…Oh, something like that.”

Ain replied with a wry smile.

It was a rather obvious answer, and there was no way Chris would agree to send Ain away.

“Let’s trust Lloyd-sama and the others and wait. I think that’s the best thing to do.”

“Hmm. It’s not like that…”

“…What’s wrong?”

“Well, you know, we’re dealing with a red fox… and with this miasma incident, it’s not going to be easy.”

“You’re right, but that doesn’t mean that I agree with you going across the sea, Ain-sama, you know?

Looking at Chris, who was as stubborn as ever, Ain rested his chin on his hand and thought about it.

Suddenly, he had an idea. Thinking about the problem he had avoided mentioning, he asked Katima, ignoring Sylvird’s harsh tone.

“Katima-san.”

Ain’s voice calling to Katima echoed through the meeting room.

Amidst the gathering of many n.o.bles, everyone was equally overwhelmed by Sylvird’s power.

At a time like this, everyone was probably thinking the same thing: “If only Warren were here…”

“What is it-nya?”

He apologized to Katima in his heart for her tired-looking answer, and then everyone was stunned by what Ain said next.

“We don’t know what it is. But if that thing that appeared in Birdland and emitted miasma landed on Ishtar… how much damage do you think it could do?”

“…You’re asking that, huh-nya?!”

“A-Ain. You…!”

“You know, Katima-san. Katima-san should be able to estimate the extent of the damage, right?”

Ain asked as if to question her.

Then, in contrast to Katima’s surprised expression, Ain looked around the meeting room with eyes full of determination.

“We may have unconsciously avoided it. The possible damage and the consequences. …Avoiding to face it is the same as agreeing to abandon our Ishtalika.”

Ain stood up.

Everyone listened to his voice as if he were making a speech, and some hung their heads while others covered their heads with their hands.

“Now, Katima-san, please tell us about the possible damage.”

“…Hah. You really are a level-headed nephew, aren’t you?”

Following Ain’s example, Katima stood up.

As she rose from her special short chair, she made her way to the center of the meeting room.

“Your Majesty… no, Father. Are you listening-nya?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will explain the possible damage I have thought of-nya. But it’s just a guess, so there are parts that are hard to judge because there’s not enough information-nya.”

Unlike the usual Katima, she was completely serious, and there was no hint of humor in her tone.

“At the very least, if it’s small enough to fit in a carriage, it would be more than enough to destroy the functions of the royal capital-nya. To put it another way, it would be possible to return Ishtalika to the situation it was in before it was unified-nya… It’s small enough not to be a problem to carry around, and yet it’s huge in effect-nya. It’s the perfect weapon without any drawbacks-nya.”

Katima spoke in a roundabout way, with vague expressions.

But what she meant was that it was not surprising that Ishtalika had been destroyed.

“As I said before-nya, we can only make equipment that can withstand the miasma for a long time-nya… Even if we focus on the royal family’s survival, it would be impossible to make them last more than a few days if the miasma were to constantly fill the area-nya. In other words, if the miasma happened to land on us, Ishtalika would be finished-nya…”

The air in the room turned heavy.

Even Sylvird, usually the one to speak up, remained silent as he listened to Katima’s explanation, looking at her with unfocused eyes.

In the midst of this, a man spoke to everyone in a strong tone.

“As you have all heard, with so many uncertainties, we do not have the strength to leave this matter to those who have crossed the sea. On the contrary, we will fight against the miasma. If something were to happen, we would lose our lives without even realizing it.

As Ain began to speak with a force that rivaled Sylvird’s, everyone gathered in the meeting room focused on Ain’s every move.

“Your beloved family, your close friends, the beautiful cityscape―all will turn to dust. This is the reality if we do nothing. The only thing we should think about now is what we can do for Ishtalika.”

“So you’re saying you should go, Ain, is that it?”

“Yes, that’s right. If you say that the Crown Prince can’t go, then there will be problems with the survival of the country. I can’t just keep quiet now.”

“Then what will you do if something happens to you and the Crown Prince is absent?”

“If that happens, it will be the same situation as when I didn’t come to Ishtalika. Don’t worry, Grandfather and the others are still alive, and Katima-san is here as well.”

“I-is that where you’re going to talk to me?!”

When they hear a reasonable explanation, Krone and Chris gradually seem to have given up, and their faces sink.

Sylvird still didn’t change his stubborn att.i.tude, but he probably realized that he’s already throwing a tantrum.

Finally, he gets up from his seat, looking displeased.

“We’re going to break for now! Everyone should take a short break!”

Not yet.

Ain mumbled to himself and headed for the seats on either side of his own… Chris and Krone.

Seeing that the meeting room was getting noisy, the two stood up and urged Ain to leave through the door.

“Are you really leaving?”

When he returned, Krone grabbed Ain’s hand and stroked it with both hands.

Ain felt a little embarra.s.sed, but at the same time, he felt Krone’s affection for him.

“Krone… Yes, I think I should go.”

“You’re not going to take me with you, are you?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You’re such a horrible person. You really are…”

Just as the tears were about to fall, Krone let go of Ain’s hand.

Then, without saying anything, she quickly left Ain’s side.

“Ahh. K-Krone!”

“…I’ll get the s.h.i.+p ready. I’ll also check on the situation with Princess Olivia and the others, so you should be ready to go.”

Krone replied quietly. Finally, she left Ain with a few words of encouragement and walked away.

Then the two people left behind, Ain and Chris… After a short pause, Chris spoke.

“Krone-san, she cried.”

“…Yes.”

“If I’m honest, I wanted to cry too. In front of such a stubborn, headstrong and willful Ain-sama, I had a hard time holding back my tears.”

Looking closely, Chris’ eyes were also slightly tearful.

Her eyes turned slightly red, and she closed her lips tightly, holding her slightly trembling shoulders with her hands.

“…I’m sorry.”

Ain apologized from the bottom of her heart.

Chris, who had heard the apology, answered Ain with a weak smile.

“It’s okay if you don’t apologize. If you just say, ‘I’ve changed my mind,’ I… no, we just want you to say that.”

Chris conveyed her wish, which was based on a glimmer of hope―but Chris’ wish was not granted.

“I can’t do that. I can act without being affected by the miasma, so it’s a job only I can do. If I kill the Red Fox, it will also lead to the salvation of Ishtalika.”

“…That’s not fair. How can you say that?”

A large tear finally rolled down her sapphire eyes.

For a woman like Chris, even that would seem like a jewel… It was such a mesmerizing sight.

“Promise. There was a promise, wasn’t there, that you would listen to what I say?”

“Uh, is that… on the way to the elf village?”

“Yes, that’s it. I’m going to use it, so please stop going.”

“Haha… I see how it is. But I’m sorry, Chris. I can’t accept that.”

When Ain refused again, Chris pushed him against the wall.

Then she grabbed the front of Ain’s s.h.i.+rt and leaned against him, putting her weight on him.

“If that’s not enough, I can give myself to you. You can use me as a s.e.x slave. Is that still not enough?”

She looked up at him with eyes that seemed to beg him, and Chris waited for Ain’s answer.

“Ah… C-Chris. You can’t just say things like that.”

“It’s not that easy! Because I really don’t want you to go…”

It’s true that Ain had a strong will.

However, the figure that Chris had shown had hidden a kind of magic that seemed to make Ain waver.

After a woman who had been described as the moon G.o.ddess in the past had pressed her body against him, she had said that he could do whatever he wanted with her body.

There was no way that wouldn’t affect a man’s feelings.

“I know. Hey, come to think of it, I’ve seen this scene before…”

Ain suddenly remembered.

It must have been when she went to rescue Chris.

“Hey, Chris. Actually… when I went to save Chris, Krone said the same thing. I just remembered that.”

“Heh… Could it be the time with the sea dragon?”

“Y-yeah, I think so.”

It was a more reserved expression than Chris’ words, but it was certainly true that she had said she could do whatever she wanted with him.

When Ain spoke the words he remembered, Chris looked confused at first, then smiled and gently wiped away the tears in her eyes with her fingers.

“Ah…ahaha…I see, that’s right.”

“Chris? What’s wrong?”

“Yes…it seems I’m the same as Krone-san.”

It’s not quite the same as being able to let go, but when Chris smiled as if she had fully realized something, she slowly moved away from Ain’s chest.

“Uh, what’s the same?”

“I won’t tell you, stubborn Ain-sama. Maybe I’ll tell you if I ever get the courage.”

“Eh, really? I’m curious…”

As the atmosphere changed from a moment ago, Chris’ face became determined, and she took a deep breath.

“I think if we’re the same, I shouldn’t just be the one holding you back.”

“S-so what do you mean by the same…”

Chris looked at the confused Ain with a friendly expression.

“It’s a secret. Ain-sama, you’re taking me with you, right?”

“Uh… Chris is coming, too? But won’t that make it difficult to protect the royal capital…”

“I don’t know. If I said that, you’d be angry, but my job is to protect you, Ain-sama. So I don’t think there will be a problem.”

Chris, who had answered proudly, put her hand on the chest of her knight’s uniform.

Then, like Krone, she started to walk away from Ain.

“I have a job to do as well. I’ll hurry and check things out, so I’ll come to your room later, Ain-sama!”

Unlike Krone, Chris left at a fast pace, but she also seemed to hide her determination.

As she watched Chris leave, Ain began to think about what was to come.

“Hmm… So it looks like it’s just me and Grandpa left.”

“Yes, that’s right, Ain-kun.”

“G-grandmother! How long have you been here…?”

It was Laralua who answered Ain’s monologue.

She smiled at Ain from a short distance and then approached him gracefully.

“I’ve been here for a while. It looked like you were talking about something important, so I waited until you were finished.”

“Ah… well, I’m sorry…”

Ain apologizes, looking embarra.s.sed, and Laralua laughs as if to say not to worry about it.

“In the meantime, shall we go to the s.h.i.+pyard?”

“Eh? Why the s.h.i.+pyard?”

“Why? It’s obvious. The goal is to surpa.s.s the White King… For us, the strongest naval force lies dormant in the s.h.i.+pyard.”

Laralua said this and went to stand next to Ain.

When she stood next to Ain, who looked confused, she urged Ain to go outside.

“Perhaps it can be used already.”

“N-no way, Grandmother―is that…”

“The sea dragon battles.h.i.+p Leviathan. Maybe the battles.h.i.+p you should be on, Ain-kun, has been waiting for this moment.”

If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!