Magic Gems Gourmet Chapter 203

Chapter 203

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 203 – Battle of Heim’s Capital Part 2

The area around the capital city of Heim was not a wasteland.

The ground was lush and green, trees grew thickly in places, and the beauty of nature coexisted with ancient traditions.

However, even the royal castle, once beautiful against the blue sky, was now covered in mud from the soldiers’ march and seemed shrouded in a dark, rainy atmosphere.

As Ain and Dill advanced on horseback, the sound of their hooves echoed around them.

“Dill, it’s okay here.”

“But…”

Looking at Heim’s army right in front of them, Dill was worried about Ain.

To Dill and the people of Ishtalika, Heim’s soldiers still seemed to have lost their minds, but their hostility towards Ishtalika had not changed.

If something happened to Ain, they would hesitate to leave his side.

“Don’t worry. If it gets dangerous, we’ll retreat immediately, and because of the distance, the attack – well, it’s not like it can’t reach us, but we can avoid it.”

“I wanted you to say that it can’t reach us, even if it’s a lie.”

“Don’t look at me with a dumbfounded expression. It was just a little joke. Okay?”

“Hah… I don’t think this is the place to tell jokes.”

Despite his stunned expression, Ain’s usual self calmed him down.

The tension that had been hovering around his body also dissipated, and he felt more comfortable in his grip on the reins.

“Hahaha… Oh, come to think of it, a battle of words is like a so-called quarrel, right?”

“Eh, yeah. I guess it would be like that.”

“Hmm. I don’t think I’ve ever had a quarrel.”

He looks as if to say, “What should I do?” and asks Dill for his opinion.

“But I think you’ve argued with Warren-sama and His Majesty in the past, right?”

“I think this is different. It felt more like an exchange of opinions than a quarrel.”

Ain remembered the discussion about the punishment for the sea dragon incident and making Chris his personal bodyguard.

But neither of those had felt like a quarrel.

“Either way, it doesn’t change what I have to do. I’ll do my best in the preliminaries. I’ll be back when it’s over, so wait for me.”

“Good luck.”

This time, it’s for real.

Ain left Dill’s side and moved forward on his horse.

Though he tried not to look, their general, Logas, was already in front of Heim’s army.

A magnificent horse, showing off its huge body without restraint―he waits for Ain to arrive on this horse, whose physique is not inferior to that of the horse.

“I never thought we’d have a conversation like this.”

As Ain approached, the horses ridden by the Heim soldiers let out a neigh.

Perhaps it was because they were animals with instincts close to those of humans, but they may have sensed the strength of Ain’s presence.

Viscount Sage’s wyvern was terrified, so it’s no wonder a mere warhorse couldn’t hold its own.

“Let’s do it!”

＊＊＊

After parting with Dill, Ain rode his horse alone for more than ten seconds.

As he approached a point that could be called a neutral zone, where the forces of both sides were out of reach, Ain turned his attention to the opponent, who was advancing leisurely.

This was the man who was praised as the best in Heim and the man who taught Ain how to use a sword when he was young.

He suffered a painful defeat against Lloyd the other day, but the strength still resided in his eyes.

“…..”

Logas, who had just arrived, stopped his horse and turned it sideways to face Ain.

He seemed to be struggling with many emotions as if he was both determined to fight and somewhat confused.

He almost opened his mouth but only exchanged glances with Ain and remained silent.

After a few tens of seconds of silent communication, it was Logas who spoke first.

“The royal family of Ishtalika, who have forgotten the words of your great ancestors and have become fools, no, savages… What business have you here?”

That was quite a thing to say.

Inside, he wanted to laugh in despair, but Ain stopped himself just in time.

Behind Logas, Heim’s army shouted in a good mood.

“Those of you who wors.h.i.+p our sworn enemy and have also fallen to the beast―we will not forgive a single drop of your barbaric courage!”

As if to echo Logas’ words, Ain says the word “barbaric.”

Meanwhile, the army of Ishtalika also heard Ain’s words and made a noise with their spears to threaten Heim.

“After taking the treasures of our kingdom of Heim, you dare to call our faith foolis.h.!.+”

Ain wondered what the treasures were, and the answer came to him immediately.

He realized that they were referring to Tigre and Elena and wondered how to explain this.

But even if he were to mention their names now, Logas would never believe him.

As proof, the look on Logas’ face when he realized that the Red Fox had been disgraced was one that could be recognized at a glance, and it was tinged with excitement.

“A crown prince who doesn’t even know the subtleties of human nature can’t possibly know the true nature of a country. It seems you’ve become nothing more than a pathetic invader!”

“It seems that whatever this historically unified nation is, it’s already dead! The one standing in front of our Heim is already a ghost, a dead man!”

Before Ain could open his mouth, Logas spoke in rapid succession.

The morale of Heim’s army rose to a fever pitch, and even though they had lost their minds, they shouted Heim’s name at the top of their voices.

They continued to shout like fanatics for a long time, pressuring Ishtalika.

“A ghost, huh?”

Which one of them was the ghost?

Ain muttered to himself as he looked at his father, who looked pitiful.

“Ah… we of Ishtalika will gladly become ghosts.”

With a fearless smile, Ain looked out over Heim’s army.

The knights of Ishtalika waited with bated breath to hear what Ain would say next.

“But we are not mere spirits. We will defeat those who have wronged Ishtalika and become heroes. We will create a future for Ishtalika and become a light that reaches the ends of the world!”

The morale of the knights was overwhelmingly in their favor.

The knights listened to Ain’s words and felt a sense of euphoria that reached its peak after crossing the sea.

The name of Ain naturally leaked out, and they became a single huge ma.s.s that threatened Heim.

“Hmph… those who betray their homeland become heroes? Don’t make me laugh!”

“Huh?”

“You Ishtalikan have even appointed a traitor of Heim among your advisors… You are all like that! I doubt not only you and your a.s.sistant but even the vessel of your country itself!”

Logas spoke disparagingly of Krone and called Ain a traitor.

Ain was confused by his sudden words, but when Ain realized that Logas was referring to him and Krone, he gritted his teeth.

Logas spoke of information he had learned the day of the meeting.

He called it treason because Krone had gone to Ishtalika on her own.

“Is that what you have to say?”

Was that what he said on this battlefield?

He looked at Logas with a little irritation, feeling a sense of pity and a sense of sadness.

“A man who can’t even keep his country’s oath has no right to call someone a traitor!”

It was no longer a verbal battle between Crown Prince Ain and General Logas.

In the course of a single conversation, something unstoppable flowed into Ain’s heart.

Even without the Red Fox’s influence, would he have disgraced Ain and Krone as he had now?

A small interest was born, but the important thing was to think about the present.

He held back his wavering heart and answered Logas, trying not to get emotional.

But Logas did not back down and opened his mouth to press Ain.

“You’re good with words, but that’s not enough…”

…to betray one’s homeland?

Ain thought about it for a while.

Was his homeland really Heim…?

But the answer was already decided in Ain’s heart.

“…It’s obvious. There’s no need to think about it.”

He wanted to live happily in Ishtalika from now on.

Filling his heart with these thoughts, he felt a strange sensation of his heart suddenly becoming clear.

Then he felt ashamed that he had been influenced by the words of the man who was his father, Logas, and his expression cleared.

Ah, that’s right.

My homeland is already Ishtalika, Ain said.

He clearly remembered that feeling and a single core ran through his heart.

“But even a child can do that! You, Ishtalika…”

Just as Logas was about to provoke Ain,

Ain looked up to the sky and raised his hand to stop him, and after a carefree smile, he opened his mouth with such force that Logas took a step back.

“No, that’s enough. Don’t be so forceful.”

Although it wasn’t a very loud voice, Ain’s voice reached Lloyd, who was far away.

Maybe it was carried by the wind, or maybe it was some other element.

The mystery of that time remained, but without exception, the people around them heard Ain’s voice.

“When a beast is faced with a strong enemy… it can’t stop threatening. So I won’t tell them to stop.”

Ain spoke the most incendiary words of the day.

Then, seeing Logas’ eyes that seemed to shoot him down, Ain continued.

“You were talking about our vessels earlier, so I’ll tell you.”

Ain responded to Logas’ words with the haughtiness of a king.

“Our vessels are the very embodiment of the heroism of the Continent of Ishtar.”

Logas tried to argue back, but he decided to remain silent in the face of Ain’s mysterious pressure.

The Ishtalika knights, who had regained their composure, were once again stirred by Ain’s words.

Not only in Ishtalika but also in Heim―a domineering room where it seemed that only Ain was allowed to speak.

“Therefore, I have no intention of understanding you. I don’t even want to know your values.”

Ain turns his horse and slowly moves away from Logas.

“The blood that flows, the sweat, the marrow in the bones―all of it is proof that we are Ishtalika ourselves.”

“Look at the faces of your comrades. Look at the armor they wear. Everything you see in their eyes is our pride.”

Ain said that the other day.

But today, his whole body was a metaphor for Ishtalika.

When Ain drew his sword and said this, the knights of Ishtalika cheered.

“Then show us what you barbarian brutes are made of.”

Logas put all his strength into his voice as he shouted at Ain from behind.

Without stopping his horse, Ain answered Logas.

“Yes, I’ll show you everything I’ve got. And also…”

Then it happened.

The air split open, and Ain felt as if he was being sucked in.

He threw a last word at Logas, who tried to steady his unsteady feet.

“About what happened before, it’s only natural that you don’t understand her. Your s.h.i.+p is something beasts can’t understand. So I’ll tell you.”

Logas could only think of one thing.

It all came down to calling Ain and Krone traitors.

…For Logas, who had realized this, Ain showed his first smile.

“The s.h.i.+p of Krone is comparable to the beauty of Krone herself.”

Ain told Logas in a voice only he could hear.

Having described his beloved in this way, he rode off in satisfaction.

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