Magic Gems Gourmet Chapter 171

Chapter 171

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Chapter 171 – Ain’s Confusion

“…Your Highness, I am sure you are feeling a lot of confusion and doubt inside after hearing this story.”

“Hahaha… Of course. I thought we were close relatives, but I never imagined we were so close.”

Even though they were several generations apart, they were still descended from the same ancestor.

Ain unconsciously put his head in his hands and thought about Chris waiting outside the door.

“But, Your Highness, this is a story I originally intended to take to my grave without telling anyone. It was a promise I made to Queen Raviola, and I had no intention of going back on it. So please, keep this story deep in your heart and keep it safe.”

“…I understand your wish. In truth, I should probably tell my grandfather… His Majesty, but I’m also at a loss for words.”

“Yes, I understand Your Highness’ feelings. Therefore, I have one more request. Please take good care of Christina-san. According to the rumors, Christina-san thinks very highly of Your Highness. If you do that, I am sure Queen Raviola will be very happy.”

There was no way for Ain or the Chief to know how Raviola felt about giving up her child.

But it was a fact that Raviola loved her second child.

That was why the Chief told Ain to take good care of Chris.

“Christina-san is a woman who reminds me of Wilfried-sama. She’s a hard worker but also shy and a lovely woman with a reserved personality.”

“Haha, that sounds like a lot of things that ring a bell.”

“Yes, it does. Maybe that’s why when Celestina-san wasn’t around, she was always alone, or Sierra was by her side.”

“…I heard they were childhood friends.”

“Yes, that’s right. I guess it’s because I treated Wilfried-sama in a special way. The Wernstein family, like me as the head of the family, has become a family that naturally earns the respect of the elves. Perhaps that is why Christina-san was a little different from the other elves.”

No doubt, the Chief tried her best.

But it must have been difficult to take care of the royal child and treat him the same as everyone else.

Even if the Chief had been a long-lived elf, it wouldn’t have been easy.

Ain looked at the Chief with a wry expression as if to sympathize with her.

“After Celestina-san left, she went back to the village much less. Even when she did go back, it was only to rest at the Wernstein house or to meet with Sierra. I think being looked at with respect must have made Christina-san feel lonely.”

The Chief’s face looked sadder than before.

She let out a voice as if resenting her own powerlessness and continued to speak as if apologizing to Chris.

Then Ain understood the reason for Chris’ firm att.i.tude. He thought that it was because of these circ.u.mstances that Chris had taken such a firm stance.

However, even in the elf village, one’s family home is probably something special. Thinking back to Chris’ appearance that evening, he felt that that house must be something like a sanctuary for Chris.

“I think the Chief has truly inherited Raviola-sama’s feelings. As a member of the royal family, I would like to express my grat.i.tude as well.”

Ain said this and bowed as a member of the royal family.

It wasn’t a particularly praiseworthy action, but he felt it was something that needed to be done now.

The Chief scolded Ain for his hasty action, but Ain didn’t mind and continued to bow for almost ten seconds.

“It’s okay. If I hadn’t bowed, His Majesty the First and the others might have been angry.”

He replied as if making a joke and then coughed once.

“By the way, what were those two servants like?”

“The two servants… ah, you mean those two.”

“If you don’t mind, I was wondering if you could tell me about them.”

This was just out of curiosity.

It’s not related to the main question, but he was just wondering about the two people Raviola trusted.

As a digression, Ain asks the Chief this way.

“Those two played a very important role in the founding of the United Kingdom of Ishtalika. The man was a friend of His Majesty Mark, who helped develop the laws and made many suggestions. And the other person was a woman. …She served as Queen Raviola’s maid, and Queen Raviola said that she was able to exercise her power because of her.”

“Excuse me, but I’ve never heard of such a person. There really aren’t many records from the time of the founding, are there?”

“Yes, that’s right. It was a long time ago.”

“By the way, what were their names?”

If she remembers them, he might be able to look them up later.

He asks with a faint sense of hope, but the Chief shakes her head in confusion.

“I’m sorry, but they didn’t have names, so I don’t know…”

“They didn’t have names…?”

“…Yes, there were many people of different races at that time. So it seems that they were the same.”

The culture of having a name is something that is taken for granted today.

But if you ask if it was the same in the past in Ishtalika, it seems to be a different story.

Especially in the case of different races, this would have been especially noticeable.

“By the way, what kind of race were they?”

That was just idle curiosity.

However, when the Chief heard Ain’s words, her expression changed completely, and she opened her mouth with a nervous look on her face.

She spoke as if she wanted to comfort Ain, who was sitting right in front of her, but she also seemed worried.

“…It’s the race Your Highness is chasing.”

“The race I’m chasing… Could it be?”

Hearing the Chief’s voice, Ain called himself ‘Ore.’ [T/n: informal/rougher way of saying I in j.a.panese].

He felt a slight mental wavering and waited for the Chief’s next words.

“It’s Red Fox. Those two betrayed Red Fox.”

“…That’s impossible.”

“No, it’s not impossible.”

There was no way that such Red Foxes could exist.

Filling his mind with such prejudices, he rejected the Chief’s words.

The Chief immediately replied to Ain’s words with a tone of denial.

“Your Highness seems to know a lot about Marco-sama. …If that’s the case, don’t you find it strange that there are two Red Foxes where Marco-sama is?”

“――!?”

Now that she mentioned it, it’s true.

Would a knight who had shown such loyalty show mercy to the red foxes in front of him?

According to the Chief, Marco protected the two of them and made it through the cursed room, so at least they weren’t considered enemies.

However, Ain had a question.

This question was whether they were tricked by the red fox or not?

“It seems that Your Highness knows a lot about Marco-sama.”

“Yes, I know a lot. But for example, if Marco-san…”

“If he had been deceived or influenced by Red Fox, like Arche-sama, then they would have been let off. That is not the case.”

Ain was surprised by the second denial.

“The two of them had already talked to Marco-sama before the war. So I’m sure that Your Highness’ concerns are unnecessary.”

“So they betrayed them even before…?”

When Ain showed a surprised and shocked expression, the Chief smiled happily.

She put her hand to her mouth and smiled at him in a very elegant gesture.

“However, there was no betrayal or anything like that because the two of them were always with His Majesty and Queen Raviola from the very beginning. By the way, how was Marco-sama?”

Ain, who had been surprised by the question, suddenly stiffened when Marco’s well-being was asked.

Of course. When he thought back to his tragic end, he was overcome with resentment, sadness, and heartless emotions.

“I see. You don’t have to say anything. However, it seems that Your Highness was with Marco-sama at the end. I’m sure that was enough for him to pa.s.s away happily.”

Ain nodded deeply once, grateful that his feelings had been understood.

“I am sure that Marco-sama was able to remain loyal until the end.”

The Chief’s eyes filled with tears, and she clenched her teeth as hard as she could to hold back the tears.

Her hands, which were resting on her lap, were clenched tightly, and she trembled softly with all her strength.

The two of them continued their conversation in silence for several tens of seconds, and then the Chief wiped her eyes with a cloth.

“I’m sorry to make you see such an unsightly sight.”

“N-no, it’s okay… I was the same.”

“Oh, I’m so glad. I’m sure Marco-sama was able to leave in peace.”

Was Marco satisfied?

He must have had regrets, but Ain wanted to believe that he felt at least a little satisfaction.

Ain’s thoughts drifted back to Marco’s last words.

“Now, let’s go back a bit. Since Marco-sama allowed them to be at his side, you understand that they were not enemies, right?”

“…Yes, I think I understand.”

It was the loyalty of Marco of all people.

If there was no possibility that he had been deceived, then it was definitely a story worth believing for Ain.

“Now then, let me explain why I did not report this to the royal capital.”

The Chief began to speak slowly as she sipped from the tea that had been placed nearby.

“To put it bluntly, I don’t have much knowledge about the Red Fox. That’s because I was young at the time, and I never went into battle, spending my time hiding with the elves. So I don’t know anything more than what is written in the old book that Your Highness and the others have.

“…How do you know about the Book of the Elves?”

It was the book that Katima had bought.

Ain wondered how the Chief knew so much about it.

He was curious, but the Chief answered right away.

“The person who wrote this book was someone I took care of. But there seems to be a lot of false information about the author.”

The Chief said with a wry smile.

“…N-no way, the author is…”

“Yes, the one who wrote that book is Wilfried-sama. He didn’t know that he was a member of the Ishtalika royal family until the last day he was guided by the World Tree. But for some reason, he continued to be interested in the old royal capital. Perhaps he knew instinctively…”

A famous elf who was said to be a diligent researcher and who might have lived for hundreds or even thousands of years. It was said that he was now retired.

This was the perception of Ain and the others, but as you can see, the subtle inaccuracies of the information hint at deliberate manipulation.

“I gave the information I knew, and that’s how the book was made. But now I’m the only one who knows this story.

“That’s why it feels so real; I thought he knew too much about that time.”

The Chief laughs and answers Ain’s words.

“Several copies were made, but I think they’re all gone now. By the way, the one in the new royal capital was written by Wilfried-sama himself… it’s the original, so to speak.”

How did it get to the capital?

He decides to ask Katima about this later and listens to the Chief’s words.

“…As for my not telling you about my conversation with Queen Raviola, I hope you will understand that it was because of my promise to her…”

The story about the burial in another place.

And also the connection between the former Demon Lord’s territory and Ishtalika.

Not telling them this information is, frankly, a crime.

But if it was Queen Raviola who made the promise, then there is no crime.

The Chief simply kept her promise.

“It was a promise you made to Raviola-sama, so there is nothing wrong at all.”

On the contrary, Ain was sorry.

The fact that they could talk like this meant that the Chief had broken her promise to Raviola.

But his head began to spin.

Chris had royal blood in her veins, and Queen Raviola had two red foxes as subordinates.

In addition, the author of the Old Elf book was the second child of the first king of Ishtalika.

He had never imagined that he would be able to get so much information.

The story of the creature that appeared in Euro was also important, but Ain was more confused by the shocking truth.

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