Magic Gems Gourmet Chapter 172

Chapter 172

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 172 – The End of the First Day in the Village

“…By the way, why did those two retainers act like people from Ishtalika and not like red foxes?”

The conversation went back and forth, but he asked the question that had occurred to him.

As he felt his thoughts becoming increasingly confused, he tried to clear his doubts one by one.

“I haven’t heard the exact reason. But I think the red fox was probably… in love with Queen Raviola.”

“…What?!”

Ain was surprised by the unexpected words.

“I’m sorry, Chief. By ‘in love,’ you mean the red fox was in love with Raviola-sama? As a member of the opposite s.e.x?”

“It seems that way. But that is just speculation. It’s just that the male fox received such feelings from the female’s gaze…”

“I see…”

Suddenly, Ain remembered Krone and Tigre.

Krone had left her home for Ain, and Tigre had fled from his homeland, although the circ.u.mstances were different.

Based on these examples, he felt he could understand the feelings of the male red fox.

“It’s getting late. Your Highness would probably be confused if you heard too much too soon. How about we talk again tomorrow?”

More than an hour had pa.s.sed since he had met the Chief.

It was late in the day, and if it had been young Ain, he would have been in bed by now.

“Yes, that’s right… It’s a bit embarra.s.sing to say this, but it seems that I haven’t been able to clear things up.”

Ain bowed his head in agreement with the Chief’s words.

He felt a cool sensation as if the blood had drained from his face, but in contrast, his palms were hot, and his clenched fists were covered in sweat.

Perhaps because he was sitting on the ground, he felt a loss of sensation in his b.u.t.tocks and the backs of his thighs.

When he put his hands on the ground, he had some difficulty standing up.

“Thank you for today. There are still so many things I don’t understand, but I’ll try to sort them out in my own way.”

“I am also very happy to have met someone of such n.o.ble blood. Then, tomorrow… well, just in case I can’t wake up, I’ll prepare some things in advance.”

“N-no way…! I’m sorry to bother you…”

“This old body of mine is full of things that don’t work as well as they should. So please don’t worry about it.”

It seemed that the Chief had not been able to wake up for days.

She must have made this suggestion out of concern for Ain.

“I just need to lie down and turn the pages. I’ll leave it to Sierra to bring the book, so there’s no problem.”

The Chief laughed heartily and stood up with a relaxed movement.

“We kept Christina-san waiting a long time, too.”

The Chief said this, and then, as she had done in the beginning, she used her staff to release the magic.

Then, like air being pushed into a vacuum bag, a gust of wind blew through the room for a moment.

“Please take good care of Christina-san.”

Saying the same thing as before, the Chief bowed her head while using her staff.

“Chief, please raise your head. It may sound rude, but even if you don’t say it, I consider Chris to be precious.”

Ain chose these words deliberately.

He felt that his feelings would be better conveyed if he said them like that rather than badly.

“I also performed the elf ritual that Chris suggested. That’s why I want to continue working with Chris from now on.”

When he said this so casually, Ain boeds as a sign of grat.i.tude.

However, the Chief’s expression changed completely, and she asked Ain with the most surprised expression of the day.

“W-what exactly is this elf ritual?”

Hmm? Was that not enough of an explanation?

Come to think of it, Chris did say it was an old ritual.

When Ain nodded in agreement, he told her what the ritual was.

“Well, it’s a ritual where you put your hands on each other’s right chests…”

The Chief remembered that such an old ritual did indeed exist. But when she thought about what it meant, she couldn’t help but feel more confused than Ain.

“I’m sorry, I digressed again… Thank you for today. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

The Chief was confused without showing it, so Ain just said his usual goodbye and left the Chief’s room.

Standing in front of the same door as when he entered the room, he turned once more and bowed to the Chief.

“…Did His Highness also agree to perform the ritual?”

After Ain had left.

The Chief still looked confused and mumbled to herself, then put her hand to her mouth and thought.

Although Ain had said it so simply when he came, the content was not an easy matter for the Chief of the elves.

“No, but that’s strange. If the ritual was performed, why didn’t I get a call…”

The Chief thought about it and came up with a hypothesis.

“I see… If the prince is the partner, then it’s a big deal to talk about it. So what he told me earlier was an unspoken agreement to pretend I didn’t hear it, right?”

Of course, Ain had not thought about that at all, and in fact, he and the Chief had not even shared the same awareness.

They had been at odds in many ways, but the Chief had no way of confirming that.

When the Chief was satisfied, she sat down as if praying and looked up at the sky, remembering Mark and Raviola.

＊＊＊

Did she wait long?

Ain left the room feeling sorry that he had kept Chris waiting.

But Chris came to Ain’s side with a happy expression on her face, as if she had not felt such a feeling at all.

“Sorry. We got carried away talking…”

“Welcome back, Ain-sama!”

He thought sometimes:

If Chris had a tail, how fast would she wag it?

You’d want to fluff it up more than a spoiled cat, but that’s part of the fun.

“How was it? Did you get any useful information?”

“Ah… yes. Thanks to the Chief, I learned a lot. If the chief is feeling better, we’ll continue tomorrow, so I guess we’ll talk about it again tomorrow.”

He refrained from going into details, but he answered Chris with a look that said he had a good harvest.

Chris saw that look on Ain’s face, and she showed a look of relief and happiness.

“This is good. It was worth the long trip.”

“Yes, yes. Thanks to Chris.”

When Ain thanked her, Chris blushed slightly and scratched her cheek shyly.

“Ara, ara…”

Sierra, who had been waiting with Chris, murmured softly and smiled at Chris’ reaction.

When the time was right, Sierra opened her mouth gently.

“Your Highness, then I will come tomorrow to tell you how the chief is doing. So please wait for me with Chris.”

“…I’ll rely on you. Thank you. Then I’ll take advantage of your kindness.”

Sierra was able to have a conversation without too much tension, having come into contact with Ain’s personality, which was free of sarcasm and friendly.

“I will show you outside. Please follow me.”

They left the nearby city of Holtra in the morning and arrived at the elf village in the evening.

The world of the Elven Village showed a different view than usual. The first day was also coming to an end.

Ain had heard many stories, and he felt that it had been a worthwhile visit. Even though he hadn’t been able to fully organize his thoughts, he felt a sense of satisfaction as he left the chief’s mansion and headed for Chris’ house.

＊＊＊

Sierra said goodbye, and the two of them made their way to Chris’ house.

It was darker than when they left Chris’ house, and the moonlight continued to s.h.i.+ne blue over the elf village.

Even in the village’s cool air, the heat of the torches carried by the wind was pleasant.

…And that’s all Ain remembered.

He probably changed his clothes after arriving at Chris’ house, but for some reason, his memory of that part of the story was hazy.

Maybe because he was tired, he had apparently fallen asleep, and when Ain woke up, he was in complete darkness and had no idea where he was.

“――Where am I?”

The moonlight streaming in through the window entered his eyes, making it seem as if it was still night.

He noticed that a soft blanket was draped over his body, and when he realized this, he put his hand on the spot where he was lying.

“…Is this a bed?”

Even though he said it was a bed, he still didn’t know why he was in a bed.

He stretched his back and arms as if searching for some vague memory.

Then, his eyes finally seem to adjust to the darkness, and he could see the room.

“…Yeah. It definitely looks like Chris’ house…”

The smell of the wood and the atmosphere were definitely reminiscent of Chris’ house.

The reason he said ‘looks like’ was because he wasn’t sure, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

When he heard a snore from the edge of the bed, Ain listened and turned his head.

“Suu…”

Her long blonde hair sprawled to the floor, and she used her arms as pillows, resting them on the edge of the bed.

Her back was to the floor, and only her face and arms were on the bed, and the woman who had fallen asleep so deftly was the owner of the house, Chris herself.

“Why are you sleeping there? Oh, is it Chris?”

――Did she hold back?

Maybe there was only one bed.

The bed that Ain slept on had plenty of room on either side, but if they were to sleep together, it might be a difficult distance where their shoulders would barely touch.

In this situation, it seemed that Chris gave up the bed to her master, Ain, and rested nearby.

Chris was resting in such a difficult place without using the sofa in the living room.

When Ain saw this, he mumbled a small “I’m sorry” and quietly got off the bed.

“Well, it’s my fault. Normally, one would give up one’s bed to one’s master.”

He would have preferred that she at least rested on the sofa, but she must have decided to sleep at Ain’s side.

It was true that it was more comforting to have Chris there than to be alone in a room he had never seen before. Looking at it that way, Ain regretted that he had fallen asleep after all.

“Hey, Chris, are you awake?”

Let’s switch beds. And he’ll just sleep on the sofa.

First, he had to wake Chris, so he shook her shoulder.

He felt bad waking her while she was sleeping, but he decided to ask her to be patient for a while.

“Mmm… Onee-chan. I’m still sleeping…”

“――No. I’m the Crown Prince.”

Maybe because it’s her family home, Chris seems to remember something about Celestina.

Even when he shook her shoulder, there was no sign of her waking up, and her drowsiness only seemed to get worse.

He was the Crown Prince. But then he remembered that Chris was also a member of the royal family.

“Hah…”

It’s his own fault for falling asleep, but he lets out a sigh and rolls up his sleeves.

“Sorry, Christina-sama.”

He mutters, mixing a bit of mischief with his true feelings, and then puts his hands under Christina’s knees and waist to lift her up.

“She’s so light.”

He had grown stronger, but he lifted Chris up easily.

As he carried her onto the bed, he gently lowered her body from her feet.

He gently brushed her long hair aside with his hand so it wouldn’t get messed up.

“…..”

Chris’ figure in her light clothes was a sight to behold, and it easily stole Ain’s gaze.

Her chest swayed gently, and he had to realize that she was in her nightclothes.

“――That’s right.”

He muttered this unconsciously and then tilted his head, wondering what he was saying. Even though he had never thought of wanting to absorb Chris’ magic stone, Ain found himself wanting to do so for a moment.

It didn’t seem like he had any ulterior motives, and it seemed like he considered it a completely natural desire.

“I wonder if I’m tired. What am I saying?”

Then Chris, who was lying on the bed, happily pressed her face into the pillow.

After seeing Chris looking satisfied, Ain covered her back with the futon.

“Mmm… I’m awake.”

He wanted to go to the sofa and get some more sleep, but his eyes were surprisingly wide awake.

What should he do now… As he thought about it, he opened the bedroom door so as not to make any noise.

“Ah, it was connected to the living room.”

Opening the door, he found that it led straight into the living room.

He picked up the water on the huge table and drank it all, then put on his cloak and sword.

“…I’m going outside for a bit.”

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