Magic Gems Gourmet Chapter 37

Chapter 37

hapter 37 : Sea Dragon [After]

Translated by Tods

Edited by Phantom

The Sea Dragons appeared a short boat ride away from the port town of Magna this time, and it was where Chris and the rest of the team were sent to defeat them.

There are many adventurers in Ishtalica. In terms of quality, they were far more fierce than those in Hyme.

However, they were reluctant to partic.i.p.ate in the subjugation of the Sea Dragons.

Sea battle was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for humanoids, and above all, the strength of the Sea Dragons was a deciding factor. Taking on an existence that could be called a supreme being of the sea on a battlefield where sea creatures have an advantage, was like asking to throw one’s life away.

Nevertheless, many adventurers had responded to the request sent out by Ishtalica to partic.i.p.ate in this subjugation. Thanks to them, the damage was somewhat less than expected.

The fact that several battles.h.i.+ps had already been sunk would be a serious loss in a war-like situation. However, because we were going up against this Sea Dragon, it seemed like we would still be in good shape as long as we hadn’t lost half of our s.h.i.+ps.

「Commander! The Sea Dragon has dived into the water again and is coming to us!」

「I don’t want to hear any damage reports! Come on, let’s go after it guys!」

「Keep spreading the oil! It might pollute the ocean, but it’s our only way! Burn it, burn it!」

The Sea Dragon strongly hated flames. We didn’t know whether that was its weakness or just an aversion.

We had learned that it was effective from our previous defense against the Sea Dragons. The ocean would be polluted, but this was not the time to worry about that. The best way to attack the Sea Dragons was to throw a lot of oil into the sea and set it on fire to lure them into a specific area and create a situation where it was easy for us to attack them. This was our greatest strategy against the Sea Dragons.

It was great to be able to limit its movements to some extent. Our attack range was limited from the s.h.i.+ps. Although we had brought many magicians with us, their attacks would not be able to hit the Sea Dragons if they were too far away from it.

Chris, as the fleet commander of this operation, was feeling a little relieved that things were going so well for the time being.

「….One of them was moderately wounded. But the other one has not been inflicted with any major damage.」

One of the two Sea Dragons was. .h.i.t in an eye and its fin was nearly torn off by some magic. The other one, however, had not taken much damage at all.

More than half of our total force was still functional. From that point of view, it was certain that we could kill one of them.

However, when she thought about the second one, Chris could not help but have a grim expression on her face.

「Commander! The Sea Dragon is surfacing!」

The Sea Dragons would sometimes rush from the sea and leap at our s.h.i.+p’s mast. Sometimes they would even bite.

However, it was not as if Ishtalica had not developed countermeasures against them.

We have prepared several countermeasures, such as artillery and magic tools that emit electric shocks.

The Sea Dragon disliked them from the start, so it attacked us by rus.h.i.+ng at or biting our mast.

But no matter how strong Ishtalica’s battles.h.i.+ps were, it couldn’t withstand repeated attacks from something with a body as huge as the Sea Dragon.

When Chris received a report that the Sea Dragon was going to resurface, she headed for its vicinity. Before the Sea Dragon attacked the s.h.i.+p, she had to attack its weak points, such as its eyes, throat, and forehead where the magic stone was, to reduce its strength.

Unless she was lucky enough to hit the same spot a few times, she would not be able to crush its eyes. That’s why it was important to keep cutting down its strength little by little.

「Artillery, aim at its throat! Those of you who can use magic, stay with me and aim for the magic stone on its forehead!」

The target was decided by Chris’s command. If it doesn’t back off, we’ll fire the artillery at it.

The one that surfaced was the one that had its eye blown out. It was about to unleash a desperate move and charged forward with the greatest vigor she had ever seen.

「He’s dying. Don’t stop attacking! Keep going!」

The Sea Dragon rus.h.i.+ng and risking its life against them was simply terrifying. This was true not only for the knights who partic.i.p.ated in this subjugation but also for the adventurers who always risked their lives to hunt the beast.

Gughaaaa. The Sea Dragon continued to rush forward, producing a screeching roar. We continued our attacks towards it, praying that the Sea Dragon would fall.

And then the time comes. It was exhausted and badly wounded, the Sea Dragon couldn’t protect its forehead well, anymore.

The Sea Dragon, who hated the bombardment from the fleet tried to protect its throat, but he didn’t realize that his forehead was being targeted by magic, so it took the magic attack from Chris and the others head-on.

The cooperation between the artillery and magic troops bore fruit, and we finally managed to break the magic stone.

In that state, the magic stone would simply be destroyed. Every second, its life force would flow out from it.

「We did it… We really did it! We destroyed its magic stone!」

「Yosha! Do you like it b.a.s.t.a.r.d!」

「There’s one more to go. At this rate, we’re gonna make it!」

Chris was also relieved and felt that they might be able to manage it at this pace. Many of them were running out of magic, and their sh.e.l.ls were depleting. Nevertheless, with this morale and remaining strength, she found hope that they might be able to manage.

「…O, Oi oi what the h.e.l.l are you trying to do?」

「T-the Sea Dragon is flying….?」

Its magic stone had already lost most of its s.h.i.+ne. The Sea Dragon seemed to sink a little into the sea… but then it flew out to sea like a dolphin jumping. For a moment, Chris wondered why it was flying, but then she looked underneath it and immediately understood.

「W-wait, that place is…!」

The fleet had formed a formation to deal with the Sea Dragon. Then the Sea Dragon jumped up a little behind the battles.h.i.+p Chris was on, and all that was left was for it to fall into the sea. If there hadn’t been anything underneath it, Chris wouldn’t have thought any of this as a problem.

But beneath its fall was a fleet of three s.h.i.+ps in formation, a fleet that could do nothing but wait for the falling Sea Dragons.

The shouts of knights and adventurers echoed despite the distance as they would now simply be crushed by the Sea Dragon. Many of them were able to escape into the sea, but their chances of survival were not high.

As the screams got louder and louder, the Sea Dragon finally fell on top of the fleet. The dragon’s huge body was as heavy as it looked, and if such a thing fell from a high place with great momentum, even Ishtalica’s s.h.i.+ps would not be able to withstand it.

「For such a thing to happen…」

There had never been an instance in the past where a Sea Dragon had jumped out of the sea. She doesn’t know if this was a coincidence or if the Sea Dragon just happened to take that action on a whim.

But she wondered if the Sea Dragons had evolved over some time, just as Ishtalica had evolved.

「Commander! The other one is surfacing too」

The Sea Dragon came to attack the moment the subjugation team was confused and greatly reduced in strength.

Chris felt that it really had evolved once she saw this.

「….Launch an attack just like before! Get ready!」

As a fleet commander, she had to do something.

Although she couldn’t erase the shock from before, if she took the same actions, she could at least buy some time and reduce its strength.

「It’s changed its course and is heading for another s.h.i.+p!」

Because of the Sea Dragons that flew out of the sea, the fires that had been ignited for the Sea Dragons were extinguished, and that caused their guiding trap to shatter. The Sea Dragon was not stupid, and the s.h.i.+p Chris was on was the most powerful. It knew that, and that’s why it went to get rid of the obstacles around it first.

After confirming it, Chris launched a fierce attack to get it back in the trap.

But its momentum didn’t stop, and it attacked the other battles.h.i.+ps with that momentum.

On the battles.h.i.+p, a wizard who could use fire magic desperately sent out flames towards the Sea Dragon.

However, unlike the large amount of oil that had been sprayed on the sea and the wide area of flames that had been ignited by it, the magic flames, with its narrow range, would not be able to stop its momentum. It was just a matter of dodging it and aiming for the s.h.i.+p now for the Sea Dragon.

「You’ve got to be kidding me!」

「How could something like this happen….」

「Run! Run away! Please!」

Around Chris, the knights let out cries of grief, but their voices did not reach anyone.

The other Sea Dragon, which was still at full strength, easily turned one of the s.h.i.+ps into sea garbage.

As this happened, their balance would be lost. We have been guiding it at the very limit and dealing with their rushes at the very limit. In such a situation, if our strength was reduced to this level, there is no way we could defeat it.

「….Get ready!」

But even so, Chris was still determined. She knew she was not allowed to give up, so she had to keep her spirits up.

After sinking one s.h.i.+p, the Sea Dragon dived into the sea again. Looking in the direction it had dived, it started heading for the battles.h.i.+p Chris was on again.

The Sea Dragon understood. Once it had reduced their strength to this level, it would not be a problem to aim for their fleet commander.

It would take the chance created by the other Sea Dragon and defeat the enemy who was trying to kill it.

The Sea Dragon then resurfaced, using its huge body to destroy the battles.h.i.+p Chris was on.

「(Haah…I wish I could have seen the forest back home in the end. Also, I will make Olivia-sama cry with this huh. I’m sorry, Olivia-sama)」

A feeling that she couldn’t help thinking about. Although she didn’t show her resignation to the knights, Chris thought of something regrettable in her mind.

「(Ainz-sama… I also wanted to hear your voice in the end, just one word was fine. Olivia-sama, and Claune-sama too, please continue to get along with each other)」

This happened to her after she dropped Ainz off at the academy as usual this morning. She couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in her eyes as she thought about how bright her daily life with Olivia and Ainz had been for her.

She tried her best to hide her face and give instructions so that the people around her wouldn’t see her like this.

「Everyone. Let’s give it a blow with all our might! To protect the unified nation of Ishtalica, our homeland created by His Majesty the First King!」

Hearing her proclamation, the subjugation team shouted strongly. Their minds were filled with fear, excitement, and thoughts of their families. And they were forcing themselves to be brave.

We will not die in vain. If we can’t kill it, we’ll gouge out its eyes like we did the other one! That’s what she thought as she was about to face the Sea Dragon.

The surfaced Sea Dragon took aim. Ahead of it was the battles.h.i.+p Chris was riding.

The Sea Dragon was fired up and attacked the fleet commander. And just when the Sea Dragon started to move, something strange appeared on the sea.

「….Fog?」

There was a thick fog. It seemed that the fog was only appearing around the Sea Dragon, and it was startled by it. It also roared, confused.

It created a unique atmosphere. The fog was white and thick, with a somewhat sweet scent.

Chris and the adventurers seem to remember it. From a dangerous forest area inhabited by the beast.

There was a plant-based beast that deceives and preys on living creatures.

But there was no way for a beast that lived in the forest to appear in the sea. This unusual situation caused the subjugation team to stop moving.

The subjugation team and the Sea Dragon were so bewildered that the battlefield became a stalemate for more than ten seconds. Then a sound of a loud explosion echoed, and soon after that, the fog cleared as Sea Dragon’s cry was heard.

What they saw now was a bewildered Sea Dragon, who had been attacked and was still not quite sure what had happened, and there was also a large s.h.i.+p.

From the s.h.i.+p, they could hear people’s voices. Chris and some of the adventurers recognized the voices, although the sound was not very clear at sea.

「Ainz-sama what was that fog now! I’ll be a bit troubled if you didn’t tell me first!」

「A, aah sorry. But you see? It stopped the Sea Dragon, right?」

It was a relaxed conversation, unsuitable for such an occasion.

Chris had wished for one thing. It was the moment when it came true.

＊＊＊

「Or rather, Ainz-sama. Why didn’t you just keep attacking in the fog?」

「No, I don’t think it’s possible. If that guy dives into the ocean, we won’t be able to deal any more damage to it」

Ainz arrived at the sea area where the battle would take place. The situation was as desperate as it seemed at first glance.

The thought of not being able to stop it with that blow made Ainz feel a hair-raising sense of dread.

「I see….so that was the case huh. As you’ve said… it ran into the sea」

「Well then, let’s go a little further」

「Is it to the front of the battles.h.i.+p that Chris-sama is riding?」

「That’s what I’m talking about. I’ll take care of it. Dill, you keep this s.h.i.+p safe」

「It’s funny how your escort is just going to protect the s.h.i.+p, though」

「This is not the time to worry about that. Now let’s go full speed ahead」

Then Dill instructed the sailors to move closer to the battles.h.i.+p that Chris was on.

The Sea Dragon was just watching the situation, so it thought it could afford to do that, huh? This Glacier family’s s.h.i.+ps boasted high attack power. Of course, it also had several protections lined up from the bottom of the s.h.i.+p, and the Sea Dragon was wary of it so it didn’t try to attack the bottom of this s.h.i.+p.

The s.h.i.+p, with its furnaces running at full speed, approached the fleet at breakneck speed. We moved close enough that if we shouted loud enough, we could hear each other voices.

「A, Ainz-sama….!?」

「Chris-san! I haven’t seen you since this morning. I heard you were in trouble, so I came to help. I’ll take it down, and we’ll go back to the royal capital together!」

Not only Chris, but the knights and adventurers also wondered what he was talking about.

That’s how ridiculous what Ainz is doing was. Even if he had gone into this dangerous sea with only one s.h.i.+p and said that he would defeat it, they could only wonder what does he mean.

「Why…why did you come here! Why didn’t His Majesty or Olivia-sama or even Lloyd-sama try to stop you, Ainz-sama?」

「Of course they tried to stop me! But I came here by force!」

When she thought about the fact that Ainz had escaped the siege created by Lloyd and the others and had come here using the royal train, she wondered why and how he had done it.

But she didn’t care about the means at this point. The most important thing was that the Crown Prince, whom she cared about, had traveled to such a place.

「Then, even now…!」

「There’s no way I’m going to leave you here! I won’t let something like that happen!」

Ainz was right, it would be impossible to return to the port now. Still, she wanted Ainz to bet on the possibility for him to go back safely.

「Why would you throw away your life like this! No matter how good Ainz-sama is with his skills! You are no match for a Sea Dragon!」

When the pure strength of Dullahan and the Sea Dragon were compared, the Dullahan was the stronger one. That’s how strong and dangerous a Dullahan was.

However, when it comes to fighting at sea, it wouldn’t be that easy. After all, the sea is the home of the Sea Dragons.

And one more thing, Ainz was not the Dullahan. Even though he has the powerful skills of a dark knight, that doesn’t change that fact.

「Ainz-sama. It’s about time」

「Yeah, understood… Chris-san!」

「Yes, I can hear you! Please, please go back to the port! I beg of you…!」

After receiving the report from Dill, Ainz tried to tell Chris what he thought.

But when Chris refused to listen to Ainz, Ainz decided to tell her forcefully.

「….Christina, Vice Commander of the Knight Order! This will be the first time I’m giving my order to you as the Crown Prince! Use the s.h.i.+p you’re on to support the Glacier family’s s.h.i.+p from behind so that it doesn’t get washed away!」

「Ainz-sama! What are you trying to do…..!」

Chris couldn’t hide her surprise at Ainz’s sudden order. Ainz had never used his authority as the Crown Prince before.

Yet, this was the first time he was exercising it in a place like this. She was upset by it.

The adventurers and the knights were upset as well.

The Crown Prince had not only appeared in such a dangerous place but had suddenly given them orders.

「Dill. I’ll leave you to take care of the s.h.i.+ps!」

「As you wish, Ainz-sama… No. Your Highness」

Then Ainz stood at the boat’s bow and took a deep breath. When Chris saw him, she called out to Ainz.

「Ainz-sama, what are you…? Please stop!」

「Chris! Disobeying the Crown Prince’s orders is unacceptable as the Vice Commander of the Knight Order. You will carry out my orders, and I will…」

Suddenly, the Sea Dragon emerged from the water, when it saw Ainz on the Glacier family’s s.h.i.+p from a distance, it began to rush towards him.

Chris didn’t know what was going on. But she understood that she had been given an order, an absolute order from the one she served, even on a battlefield like this. Chris managed to calm down just a little and gave the command to carry out the order.

「…..This is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s orders! Support the Glacier family’s s.h.i.+p!」

The large battles.h.i.+p Chris was on moved to support the Glacier family’s s.h.i.+p from behind. She also used the forward thrust to keep it from being washed away as she had been told.

「I will be the one to fight this guy」

After absorbing the mysterious magic stone, Ainz had grown a lot again. Although he hadn’t been able to confirm its contents, he was sure that the much stronger magical power would allow him to use his Illusory Hand far better than before.

Six Illusory Hands emerged from his back and smashed between Sea Dragon’s nose and forehead.

The six hands, which were vaguely muscular and exuded a bit of grotesqueness had countered the Sea Dragon’s lunge.

「….I can do it, I’m still fine! I’m still good to go…!」

No one expected that Ainz would be able to take its charge head-on.

However, the impact didn’t stop and was transmitted to the Glacier family’s s.h.i.+p, causing it to falter a little.

The battles.h.i.+p that Chris was on suppressed it, killing most of the impact.

「My first move was a success, Sea Dragon!」

No one thought that a single person could hold back the rush that such a huge body could make.

Chris finally understood why she had been told to prop up the s.h.i.+p. Even so, she still couldn’t catch up with the fact that Ainz had done so much.

「A, Ainz-sama! You didn’t tell me you’d be going head-on against it!」

「I didn’t say that huh. Sorry, Dill, I’m going to go swimming now. I’d appreciate it if you’d wait for me when I get back」

「Swimming in the sea…..? What are you going to do!」

Although the subjugation team didn’t seem to understand what had happened, they were delighted and found hope when the boy stopped its frontal a.s.sault.

「It will be good if we can continue to attack like that. But it won’t work that way, because it’s still alive」

At the end of the long, Illusory Hand, the figure of the Sea Dragon was groaning but ready to attack. Ainz pointed at it and said that things were not going to work.

Then, just as Ainz had said, the situation changed. The Sea Dragon lowered its body and began to move as if it were about to dive under the sea.

「Ainz-sama, please stand back! You can’t do that!!」

Dill’s voice echoed, but Ainz didn’t stop. Ainz brought out his seventh illusionary hand and thrust it into the Sea Dragon. It was equipped with Kadyma’s special claws at the tip of it, and the claws scratched the Sea Dragon and managed to pierce it.

「I’m sure there are smarter ways to do this. But for now, this is the best I can do! …Maybe its joke-like name of a dark straw is a little less cool for this, huh?」

He wrapped his six arms around the forehead part of the Sea Dragon and stabbed his seventh arm, which Ainz had pinned to the forehead of the Sea Dragon.

Then, the Sea Dragon dived directly into the sea.

「Ainz-sama… Ainz-sama!」

Chris let out a scream of sorrow. But it never reached Ainz.

＊＊＊

「(If this was the case, I should have had made more nails like this)」

The Sea Dragon dived into the water and kept going down and down.

Although he was worried about the water pressure, he somehow understood how to protect himself after absorbing the mysterious magic stone.

Perhaps it was because of this, that the water pressure didn’t take a toll on his body.

「(Sea Dragon! It’s an endurance contest now, huh? I’ll stick with you till the end….!」

What Ainz thought of was a foolishly straightforward and simple approach.

If he can endure, he’ll win. If he runs out of energy before he can endure, he’ll lose.

He had a bag of Heal Bird magic stones on his hip. With that, it was a contest between him and the Sea Dragon now.

He could tell that its power was being sucked out of the magic stone. The Sea Dragon let out a cry of pain and continued to move roughly, trying to pull Ainz away from its head.

「(Don’t move around like that. I’m having a hard time here, you know? We’re the same, right? Sea Dragon)」

It was getting darker and darker, and he felt a little scared, but it was too late to back down now.

No matter how frightened he felt, he wouldn’t be able to see the sky in the future unless he defeated the Sea Dragon.

「(s.h.i.+t, I have to use the Heal Bird’s magic stone)」

His physical strength was exhausted. The moving Sea Dragon, the magic power and mental power to control the many illusory moves. The only way to recover was to use the Heal Bird magic stone.

It was not hard to see why. A few seconds later, he consumed another magic stone again. His supply of magic stones kept disappearing steadily.

A few dozen seconds after being pulled into the water had pa.s.sed. There was a limit to how long he could endure without breathing.

As for the oxygen needed, it was not something that could be recovered from the Heal Bird’s magic stone.

The Sea Dragon also continued to wear down. It must be painful to have its power sucked out of its magic stone while it was still alive, and its screaming roar became even more powerful, and it was now desperately moving around.

「(….Aah. Sea Dragon. You’re the best. I’ve never had such good taste in my mouth before, I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t for this moment)」

It has a rich taste and aroma as if only the flavor and extract of seafood were condensed. Was it fish, crustaceans such as crab, or sh.e.l.lfish such as scallops? I couldn’t tell which flavor it was.

But it was true that it tasted better than any other food I had ever eaten.

If I could have, I would have liked to have tasted this in a peaceful, empty place. I can’t help but think of that.

「(I can even still think about the taste at a time like this huh. I’m a bit of a magic stone gourmet huh! But that’s enough! You and I both have reached our limits, so it’s time for you to give up!)」

A minute had already pa.s.sed since he entered the water. Not only is it hard to breathe, but the lack of oxygen has also slowed down his body movements. If the control of Illusory Hands was released, Ainz will be defeated at that point, because the Sea Dragon would be freed from him.

「(I can still squeeze it out. If I don’t have enough strength, I will force myself to make more! Because there’s so much good nutrition from it!)」

While absorbing from the Sea Dragon, Ainz uses the power he has absorbed to apply pressure.

The number of Illusory Hands had increased to a total of nine. Since a lot of magic power was put into each hand, the burden is proportionally large.

He also used the last Heal Bird’s magic stone. The only thing left was his guts. But even so, his firepower was not enough. As far as he could see, the Sea Dragon seemed to be dying, but more than that, Ainz was nearing his limit.

Is there anything I can do? Couldn’t I squeeze out more? He tried to think of many ways, but he had already reached the limit of what he could do. Tears of blood were flowing from his eyes, and the skin on his arms was peeling apart. He was nearing his limit, his vision was dark, and his consciousness was slowly fading away.

「(….Is this really impossible for me, huh? But it’s going to die sooner or later, right, Sea Dragon? Then it’s a draw, right?….)」

He really wanted to win. He wanted to win and go back to the castle and live with everyone as before.

At least Chris would be able to go home now. Even if Ainz died, the Sea Dragon would probably die soon.

「(He wears black armor and his sword fights are unmatched. I wanted to be as strong as Dullahan, but… Oh right, At least I could do this much」

It was for the last time. But he also felt a little bad that he hadn’t wounded it directly with his own hands. Thinking of this, Ainz pulled out the dagger he had on his hip.

A beautiful black dagger that Lalarua gave to Ainz as a gift.

It was a dagger that Ainz liked and now he could say it was his partner.

「(Well then, this is the last one, Sea Dragon! To be honest, I have nothing but regrets, but it was a little bit of fun to do this with you. Also, you taste so delicious….!)」

He then thrust his black dagger into Sea Dragon’s forehead.

「(I’m already at my limit. Goodbye… I’m sorry, mother, Claune, Chris-san」

There was a gut-wrenching sound of flesh ripping, and Ainz’s dark straw pulled out of the Sea Dragon’s forehead. The Illusory Hands lose their forms one after another, and Ainz lost consciousness.

…..But then something happened that Ainz hadn’t expected when he lost consciousness.

Immediately after Ainz lost consciousness, the black dagger manifested a misty black aura, even though it was underwater.

Its black aura begins to melt into the magic stone of the Sea Dragon.

The Sea Dragon cried out in pain and gradually stopped moving its body. Eventually, its eyes lost their light and it stopped moving completely.

As soon as the Sea Dragon stopped moving, a crunching sound echoed through the sea.

The magic stone broke into pieces, proving that the Sea Dragon was dead.

Then, after the sound echoed, the black dagger disappeared with its black aura like smoke…

＊＊＊

The commotion at sea was over. The port city of Magna was filled with great joy.

Even the absolute ruler of the sea, the Sea Dragons, and the powerful country of Ishtalica were not immune to damage.

In this generation, two of them had shown up.

The people living in the port city of Magna were without exception frightened and anxious. Numerous residents had evacuated and were saving their lives. Many fishermen remained in town, not wanting to run away when the subjugation team was risking their lives, but that did not mean that they were not afraid.

In the midst of all this, there was a reason for the great joy.

Despite the devastation, many members of the subjugation team survived. Many of those who had been thrown overboard were also rescued and had returned to the port city.

The partic.i.p.ants in the subjugation wept in unison. Most of them had gone into the field thinking that their lives would be lost.

Many of the families waiting for their return were also in tears, happy that they had returned.

The fleet brought the corpse of the Sea Dragons. They tied them up and forcibly dragged them to the port.

The people were surprised to see the large, overwhelming aura of the Sea Dragons, but they were even more delighted when they saw that they had killed two of them.

Meanwhile, on the Glacier family’s s.h.i.+p, a beautiful woman was holding a boy in her lap, waiting for him to wake up.

「Huh, this is…?」

「You’re awake huh. Your Royal Highness, stupid Crown Prince?」

Opening his eyes, the boy looked in the direction of the gentle, clear voice.

「Hi. It’s been a while huh, Chris-san?」

Chris’s eyes were red and bloated, and the area around them was swollen. Seeing this, Ainz also understood that Chris had been crying.

「….Don’t Hi me. Stupid Ainz-sama…!」

Chris was not as cool as she usually was, and her true self was showing a little.

「That’s so mean calling me a Stupid. I’m still the Crown Prince, you know?」

「I can say whatever I want. Stupid! Stupid!」

Unlike her beautiful figure, Chris exuded a slight feminine quality, which made Ainz feel that she was cute.

「But, you know, it looks like I made it back. I thought I was doomed」

「….Look at your left arm」

「Umm, my left arm?」

On Ainz’s left arm was an accessory that Warren had given him a long time ago to protect his body. It was supposed to be a red ball of earth. It seems that the ball had been scattered to pieces, and now there is no trace of it.

「Huh. The red jewel of earth has been broken」

「That stone also had the property of activating when one’s life is in danger. That’s why Ainz-sama didn’t drown in the sea and managed to stay alive until resurfacing」

Ainz had heard of its ability to repel danger when he wore it. He thought it was great to hear that it had such a function, but the red ball was already broken due to it protecting Ainz.

「I see. So that’s why I survived after all that huh?」

「Really. You can’t do anything like that again. Never ever again!」

「Ah okay… Well, it won’t happen all the time right, and I think I’m okay now」

Chris was the most desperate she had ever been. She was more than happy that Ainz had come to her rescue.

Even though it was Ainz, Chris was happy enough to lend a knee to the opposite s.e.x, but he still couldn’t forgive Ainz for what he had done.

「I heard from Dill-dono. You even used the Royal Decree and came at us intending to destroy the Royal Train」

「….That guy. We need to have a long talk later」

「But I think that’s necessary for Ainz-sama」

She was right. It was the result of a lot of recklessness, and Ainz was prepared to get a lot of punishment later. However, it was going to be exhausting to have Chris do that to him now, so he wanted to avoid it somehow.

「W, well… By the way, I brought you that」

Ainz saw the two fallen Sea Dragons. He was surprised because he didn’t expect them to be pulled like this and brought to him.

「The body of a Sea Dragon can be used for anything, and it’s a precious commodity of high quality」

Hearing this, He was convinced. Since it was such a strong and powerful demon, even its bones could be used.

「Ah! That reminds me. I have something very important to tell you, Chris-san」

「S-something very important…? Don’t tell me, there are still problems?」

Chris was alarmed when Ainz told her it was something important.

「It was so delicious. I wonder if there would ever be another magic stone that would taste as good as the Sea Dragon‘s one」

「…..」

「Huh, Chris-san?」

It was an incredibly delicious meal. The taste of the magic stone of the Sea Dragon was that good.

He wanted to tell Chris about it, so Ainz did, but Chris didn’t reply, and her eyes seemed to have lost their color.

「….After everything that’s happened, the next thing you’ll be talking about is its taste, huh?!」

It was important to Ainz, but it was justified for Chris and the people around him.

But Chris seemed to have regained a little of her usual energy thanks to it, and her tone of voice was coming back.

「No no. It was important to me, you know! Good grief, Chris-san is…」

「Eh… Why do you make it sound like it’s my fault?…」

Ainz, who had reopened the door, countered as if Chris was at fault. Chris was a little sullen in response, but she had regained her energy.

「… Come on, let’s go home. Let’s go back to the castle. They’re waiting for us」

――The unified nation of Ishtalica and its Crown Prince Ainz von Ishtalica. Whenever he was mentioned in later generations, the first and foremost thing that was discussed about him was about this incident.

The King of the Magic Stones, Ainz, he was the hero who single-handedly took on a charging Sea Dragon and defeated it in the sea.