Magic Gems Gourmet Chapter 85

Chapter 85

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 85 – Road to the Former Demon King’s Territory

The meeting with Count Baltic took longer than expected.

Needless to say, the matter of the former demon king’s territory had an effect.

It was evening now, and the red evening sun began to s.h.i.+ne into Ain’s room.

Count Baltic finally left the place.

“(Well, what shall we do now…)”

Only one thought remained unshaken.

Krone could not be brought to the territory of the former Demon King.

However, she herself was very eager to go, so the question was how to convince her not to go.

Ain glanced at Lloyd’s face.

He was a smart man, and maybe that was why he was able to understand what Ain was struggling with by making eye contact with him.

Lloyd put his hand over his mouth and began to think.

“You will stand by,” it would have been easier if he had ordered her to do so, but he was afraid to use force from the beginning.

“If we leave after sunrise, we should arrive before noon…”

Dill meant the time of the expedition.

But how long would it take the Royal Guards to complete the move? That was not clear.

“After all, we are not used to walking in the snowy mountains. I apologize for that.”

In winter, it also snowed in the royal capital.

Even so, they were still not very well trained in such areas, so they would probably have a hard time dealing with it. This was to be expected.

“This is something that the knights and adventurers defending the fortress are more used to. They’re more used to it.”

And then there was Krone, sitting next to Ain.

As she said, they were probably more familiar with the terrain than the royal guards.

But there was no point in complaining about it. They had to think about how to make the best of the current situation.

…Well, for Ain, there was another concern.

While he was thinking about it, Lloyd seemed to have thought of something and opened his mouth.

“By the way, Ain-sama. How about using the letter of introduction you received from Kaizer-dono… and having the guild investigate the matter?”

“Well, that means…?”

“It means that we will be divided into two groups to investigate. One team will investigate the former Demon King’s territory, and the other team will contact the guild to investigate. What do you think?”

When he heard those words, he thought about it.

In other words, a unit that would stay in Baltic to approach the guild and conduct the investigation. Then, appoint Krone as the leader and give her a letter of introduction and everything. Was that what it meant?

And they themselves would go to the former Demon King’s territory… Hmm, that made sense.

“(That ability to be a marshal for many years, that is brilliant.)”

Yes, it’s possible.

If anything, there was no other way, was there? Ain considered it in his mind.

It was actually a better idea.

Considering the efficiency and suitability of the process, it might bring the best results. There was hope for this.

“Let’s consider Lloyd-san’s idea and discuss what to do.”

The process was set. All that remained was to inform and convince Krone.

——In fact, truthfully. If he honestly told her that Ain was worried about her, she could at least tolerate it.

This was one of Ain’s mistakes, as he still didn’t fully understand the female mind.

＊＊＊

Several meetings were held with some of the royal guards and servants.

Lloyd’s idea was to divide the group into two groups and conduct an investigation.

The groups were decided as follows.

The former Demon King’s Territory group consisted of members with superior combat skills and researchers.

The second group, led by Krone, would be based in Baltic and conduct research.

Incidentally, the latter group was given the letter of introduction that Ain had received from Kaizer and was asked to conduct the investigation on their behalf.

Krone was dissatisfied with the arrangement but agreed with Ain’s words to act as his deputy.

She agreed to conduct investigative activities in the city of Baltic.

After that, an organization was formed under her leaders.h.i.+p, and within a day, the division of the team was completed.

The necessary materials were selected and confirmed, and the materials were packed into the luggage of those heading to the former Demon King’s territory.

Since they would be traveling on snow-covered roads they were not accustomed to, the preparations were made with great care, and even if they got lost, they were prepared to last at least a month.

The painstaking preparation was evident in the numerous times Krone looked like she was biting into a bitter bug.

Four days after the discussion with Count Baltic, the decision was made to leave for the territory of the former demon king.

——And finally. The morning, four days later, came.

“It’s cold again today…”

“But it’s not snowing. Instead, it’s freezing cold.”

That morning turned out to be the coldest day since they arrived in the Baltic.

The water droplets on the windows were frozen, and the icicles on the roof continued to reach the ground.

Ain and Krone awoke a few minutes earlier than usual.

They had no special appointment or signal, but they met in the living room as if they had been waiting for each other.

“The cooler it gets, the slipperier the ground gets. So be careful, okay? Don’t fall down the hill and come back to the city… Okay?”

She said this with a giggle, but it was a serious problem.

Ain was not as used to snow as Krone, who was among the members of this event.

So he was worried that it might slow them down, but when even Krone said that, it was unsure.

“…If I’m not really careful, it will become a reality, I’m afraid.”

“Ara, really? If you come back, I’ll welcome you. If you come back rolling around, I’ll stop you, don’t worry.”

“That’s tempting. I would roll over on purpose.”

While joking, Krone helped Ain prepare for his journey.

His luggage was already packed, but now he was in the middle of changing into his winter clothes. He was carefully preparing for the cold weather.

“The rest is this. It’s a magic tool that can keep you warm, so take good care of it, okay? …Even if you’re hungry, don’t ingest anything unintentionally, okay?”

“This is a matter of life and death. I think even the old me could have held out.”

Krone spoke about the time when Ain was very young.

She remembered that he had unconsciously absorbed the magic stone before his training.

It was Chris who was nearby. To the extent that Ain unconsciously absorbed her magic stone, it was indicative of his predatory nature.

Recently, Ain had not absorbed any magic stones, perhaps because he was afraid of becoming a monster.

However, Katima’s research proved that there was no problem with moderate amounts. If a monster did not absorb as much energy as it needs to evolve, it would not be affected in terms of monsterization.

So Ain could enjoy absorbing magic stones again, just like before.

“The replacement stones are in the bag over there. You know, but you can’t eat the replacement ones either, okay? Can you handle that?”

“You see. Don’t look at me like a little child. I can take that much, okay?”

This was a gentle expression at best.

But the way she talked to him like a child made him feel a little sad.

“Generally speaking. Those magic stones are like worms or big bees, right? Then it’s nothing new…”

“…Hey, Ain? If it was new, would you have eaten it?”

“Ah…”

Maybe because he couldn’t deny it 100%, he let out an “ah” as if he was trying to squeeze it out of his throat.

This, of course, reaches the girl next to him, and she stares into Ain’s eyes.

“…Your Highness? What do you mean, ‘Ah…’?”

“Oh no. Would you please pretend you didn’t hear that? Such a smile and so much pressure.”

Did he ever think of that?

The gaze of a beautiful woman was somehow powerful or a certain kind of pressure.

“”Just in case. I’ll tell Lloyd-sama to be careful.”

What was it? Do you think I’m not trustworthy?”

Although he can’t talk about it in public, Ain had a story to tell.

It was the story Chris told about the time Ain defeated the Sea Dragon.

Although he was on the verge of death, Ain enjoyed the taste of the Sea Dragon’s magic stone despite its toughness. That was the story.

It was the story of when Ain was on Chris’s lap, and it was not hidden but heard by the royal family and those close to them.

“After what happened at Sea Dragon, did you think they would still trust you with this?”

“Hmm… I honestly thought it would be 50-50.”

“Fufu. Maybe even 0.5?”

The preparations went smoothly and carefully as they talked.

The first-cla.s.s way they took care of these things also made Ain groan.

The atmosphere was pleasant as if they were joking with each other without hesitation.

“It’s done. All that’s left is… walking around with the bag.”

“Thank you. It’s quite heavy.”

Now that he had finished putting on his warm clothes, he moved his legs.

Even though he moved his feet as usual, his gait was so sluggish that it felt a few dozen times slower.

In fact, he almost fell to the ground.

Even though he had already been processed, he was almost completely wrapped in fur-covered equipment, and he wore several layers of clothing inside as well.

There was no way he would feel light. If he had only focused on protecting himself from the cold, he would not have been as heavy as he was now.

However, the destination is the territory of the former demon king.

It would be suicidal to ignore defenses on the way there.

The reason is that they chose a material with excellent defense and brought it all the way from the royal capital.

“You seem unsteady on your feet… are you okay? Can you walk properly?”

“Well… wait a minute.”

Then he tested it in the room.

The road to the former Demon King’s territory was hard, but at least here, he could check if he could move his legs.

As he stepped carefully on the floor, he checked his senses as if he were checking each step.

The sensation of skin that was not his own was layered over the surface of his skin.

He struggled with his center of gravity, but compared to the first step, this was no problem at all.

“I think I’ll be fine as long as I’m aware of it. It was the first step, so I guess I just didn’t get the feeling.”

“I-I see. Then I can rest easy, too.”

Krone seemed relieved and sighed. It had been a lot of hard work for her.

To repay her for her hard work, Ain wanted to make sure that he would return home with some kind of result.

“…But if this is the way it’s going to be. I wish I had tried it at the castle.”

The words had no special meaning for Ain.

But for Krone, who heard them, the result was that they were taken more seriously than Ain thought.

“R-right… I’m sorry.”

“Eh? Why are you apologizing?”

Seeing the apologetic look on her face at her own words, Ain asked a little impatiently.

“Because I’m an a.s.sistant, I should have known before…”

She looked unusually depressed. No, she looked like she regretted it.

Despite her strong sense of responsibility, Ain sometimes wished she could be a little more open-minded.

“I don’t think it’s anything to worry about…”

“It’s my job as an a.s.sistant to make sure there are no ‘what ifs’… I don’t want to make that ambiguous.”

“Y-yeah…”

When he got that kind of look on his face while saying goodbye, Ain also felt worried.

That’s when Sylvird’s favorite phrase, “Faith is rewarded and punished,” popped into his head.

“Hey, Krone. I’ll be back in three days. Is that okay?”

Since this was the first time, the schedule for this trip was three days, including today.

He would probably go back a second time, a third time, and several more times.

“Yes, that’s right. But what does it matter?”

On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to say something different at a time like this.

“When I get home, I’m going to be very tired. So I’m going to tell my a.s.sistant, Krone, to help me relax when I get back. That will make up for this mistake.”

He would flirt whenever the opportunity arose.

No matter what happens, Ain’s body will probably acc.u.mulate a lot of fatigue.

The hard paths were not usually walked, and there was a lot of snow on the ground.

It was impossible for the body not to get tired after walking around for several hours and thinking about the investigation in the former Demon King’s territory.

So if he really wanted to say it, he couldn’t deny that there was a part of him that wanted to say, “Please ma.s.sage me.”

–After hearing these words and seeing her pout as expected, Ain let out a smile.

“K-Krone… what’s with that face. When I went to attack the Sea Dragon, you had the same look.”

“M-mm…! What’s that… Huh?”

He finally won against her.

She puffed out her cheeks a bit and exuded frustration like a normal girl.

Was it due to embarra.s.sment that her cheeks were slightly red?

By the way, this was the first time he had ever seen her say “mmm.”

But even this kind of behavior was acceptable.

“You look unhappy, but I said this is what I want, so it’s settled.”

Anyway, he a.s.sured her before she could argue with him about it. Sometimes, she was more honest when he forced her to do something like that.

“…I don’t need to be told. I wanted to do that much for Ain when you came back.”

“I-I see. So I’ll ask you to be very careful. That’s all right, isn’t it?”

Her service-mindedness was surprising, but Ain still erred on the side of forcefulness.

She would have been careful even if he hadn’t told her, but, well, things are what they are.

She bites her lip in frustration for a moment.

Then, she must have sorted it out in her mind. Finally, she came to an understanding, blus.h.i.+ng with embarra.s.sment.

“I understand… If Your Highness says so, then I will be lenient with this kindness this time.”

“Hmm. It is good that you are so honest.”

Perhaps that would be a good start.

It’s such a small thing, but he could see Krone’s embarra.s.sed and pouty face.

The investigation would surely go well. It was not strange to think so.

“Well, let’s go. It’s a little early for the meeting, but I think everything will be fine.”

In fact, his body somehow got used to it.

It must have helped that he moved his body in gestures to follow Krone.

It seemed that his body had gotten used to the unique weight, and his body felt lighter than it did at first.

“Hey Ain. Be really careful, okay? Don’t overdo it, okay?”

“I know, I know. On the first day, if the situation gets dangerous, I’ll think about going home.”

He did not want to get lost.

However, it was said that the path was easy to follow, so it was unlikely that someone would get lost more than once every few years.

Besides, there would be some guides from the guild this time. They were well equipped and fully prepared.

“I was wondering if Lloyd-san and the others were already down there.”

It was still a little early for the appointed time.

But Lloyd and Dill were probably already at work in the lobby of the inn.

“I think they’re there. They are probably confirming the preparations for departure.”

Ain nodded at Krone’s words.

She said she would come to see him off, so they walked down to the lobby together.

When they got to the lobby, they found Lloyd and the others in the middle of getting ready, as expected.

After a brief greeting, they continued their work and finished their preparations about 10 minutes later.

Unlike usual, the Royal Guards were dressed in full winter gear.

It might seem inappropriate, but a feeling of leisure grew in Ain’s heart.

——Afterwards, he told Krone, “I’m off,” and Ain finally left the inn and headed for the former demon king’s territory.

He was accompanied not only by the royal guards but also by some explorers.

When they left the inn, even though it was not snowing, they felt such a cold on their faces that even their sweat almost froze.

But when they shook their arms and legs, they did not feel the cold there.

It seemed that the equipment provided was excellent, and it was unlikely that they would feel the cold all over their bodies.

…First, three days. Three days, including today.

Once they return to the inn, they will probably go back for a second and third time.

“May we make discoveries from the very beginning”, Ain prayed to the nostalgic loli G.o.ddess.