Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 16: I Finally Understood

“I’m back, Father.”

After a short break, Ain accompanied Olivia to meet her father, the King of Ishtalika.

The place was a meeting room, about 20 tatamis1 in size, and as its name suggested, a meeting was currently taking place.

The moment Olivia entered, the meeting room became quiet and everyone’s attention turned towards her.

At the far end of the room was a gorgeous-looking chair…… and a large man sat on it, Olivia’s father and Ishtalika’s King, Silvird.

Two men were sitting by his side. One was a strong-looking fellow, the other one was a well-dressed elderly person.

“……Excuse me, can someone pinch my cheek?”

“(I guess that would be the expected reaction, Your Majesty. After all, the daughter that had married into a foreign country suddenly shows up in a meeting unannounced.)”

Ain felt a little sympathy for the King of Ishtalika.

Not even the King would have imagined something like this happening.

So it was only natural that he would want to check if this was really happening, in this case by way of having his cheek pulled.

“Or maybe a punch?”

“Understood…… fuun-nuaaa! “

The strong man sitting next to Silvird proceeded to hit him in the cheek.

He really put his heart into it, punching the King after taking a big swing.

“(E-Ehhh……Isn’t the common practice to pinch the cheek? There’s no need to go for a hit, right? Also, the person who hit him…… wasn’t he overly enthusiastic about doing it?)”

“Umu, it seems like I’m not seeing things. This appears to be real.”

“(It took a punch to come to that conclusion? Or rather, is His Majesty alright? It doesn’t look like it even hurt him.)”

Ain was surprised by the King, who, despite having received such a strong hit, apparently hadn’t sustained any damage at all.

“Ara, father? What’s gotten into you, suddenly asking people to punch you? Well, I guess you’re still young.”

Ain wanted to retort, ‘Isn’t this your fault?’ However, he only thought about it and didn’t say a word.

Or rather, he wouldn’t even think of voicing these thoughts in an atmosphere such as this.

“Princess, like I said, if you were to appear so suddenly, it’s obvious His Majesty would be confused.”

“Even if I had tried to give prior notice, all of this happened all too sudden, so it’s all the same.”

“As the King, I don’t want to lose myself in front of my subjects. I apologize, but how about we end this meeting here. “

With a completely different atmosphere surrounding him, Silvird faced the people participating in the conference and dismissing them.

He couldn’t think about anything other than the situation in front of him.

＊

After the participants of the meeting decided to not comment on the return of the Second Princess Olivia for the time being the meeting ended.

Now only seven people remained in the room.

Ain and Olivia, also Chris and Martha……as well as Silvird, alongside the elderly man and the strong-looking man who were by his sides before.

They changed the location and moved to an audience room, because the story was simply that serious.

The sparkling marble floor so spacious together with the incredibly fluffy carpet made Ain feel a bit uncomfortable.

Silvird then sat on a gorgeous throne, looking dignified, signaling Olivia to to begin her story.

“Frankly speaking I’m confused…… my daughter, the daughter who went to marry on another continent suddenly barged into my meeting.”

’Ahh, I completely understand you, Your Majesty.’, Ain thought in sympathy.

“I suppose you’re right, I do admit that I rushed my return a little after making the decision last night. .”

“Last night? ……I haven’t received any reports. Lloyd, Warren…… how about you?”

Silvird asked the two men sitting by his side.

The name of the strong-looking man was apparently Lloyd, and the elderly person was called Warren.

“Neither have I, Your Majesty.”

“I’m the same as you, Your Majesty. The Knight Order was not contacted……But I’m curious if Chris-dono had the same problem.”

After Warren answered, Lloyd continued.

Lloyd was quite perceptive and he directed his gaze towards Chris.

“Yes, I’ve been working as the escort of the Princess ever since last night. That’s why I have a rough understanding of the situation.”

“Please don’t pry any further, Father. I instructed both the steward’s office and Chris to keep quiet about coming to pick me up.”

As she had promised, Olivia further explained the situation, so that Silvird would be somewhat understanding about the absence of information on Olivia’s return.

“……Then, I won’t be doing that. If they were only following my daughter’s orders, then no one involved will be questioned any further. That’s going to be all on this matter.”

“Thank you very much, Father.”

“Haa…… just when I thought trouble had been adding up lately and now my daughter came back, Warren.”

“Your Majesty. If you really want to complain, you should show a stricter attitude.”

“It’s as he says, we can see that you’re happy, Your Majesty. Aren’t you actually delighted with the Princess’ return? “

“(It’s just my first impression, but it looks like these two are His Majesty’s most trusted subjects.)”

Silvird complained to Warren while both Warren and Lloyd where saying that Silvird was pleased, but to outsiders it might look slightly different.

To be honest, he wasn’t angry, but one could only think of his expression as grumpy.

“Seriously, you’re just a bad subject who can’t understand my heart.”

“Then I’ll do my best from now on.”

Warren replied like he didn’t really mind those words.

They had served him for a long time and they could easily discern the small changes in his mood.

“……Now then, I would like you to answer one thing before explaining the reason for your return. Who’s that child over there? “

Returning to the conversation, Silvird glanced at Ain and then asked Olivia who he was.

“Ain, it’s alright, so can you introduce yourself? “

“Yes…… this is our first chance to get acquainted. I’m…… my name is Ain…… my previous name was Ain Roundhart. Olivia here is my mother.”

As one would expect, Ain hesitated to use a casual tone in front of the King.

Thinking about it, he usually spoke politely, but he was a bit embarrassed to speak in such a way at his age. Note: Using ‘boku’ instead of ‘ore’.

“Child……A child, huh? ……Olivia’s child……”

After Ain’s introduction ended, Silvird was visibly puzzled.

“Ara, father? Are you really going to do nothing after your grandchild introduced himself? He’s your first grandchild, you don’t have to look at him with such an expression, he won’t bite.”

Being told as such Silvird noticed he was glaring at Ain with a frightening expression.

Then, with a softer expression, he spoke:

“I am Silvird von Ishtalika, King of Ishtalika. Nice to meet you Ain, I am your grandfather.”

“Yes. I heard about this last night……”

“T-The Princess’ child…… you say?”

“This was surprising. So, this child…… he’s the one Olivia-sama’s letters have been all about. His Majesty had been eagerly waiting for the moment to finally get to see him, Olivia-sama’s—“

“Lloyd. I wonder what you’re talking about?”

Silvird was being teased by Lloyd again.

The atmosphere was much more easy going than he had expected.

“I’m shouldn’t be wrong…… right, Warren-dono? “

“Indeed, was it a few months ago? I remember we got a letter from Olivia-sama saying her son had received the gift of training. You were so happy at that time but I don’t think anyone but us noticed.”

“Ahh, that’s it, that’s it, His Majesty was also saying he was proud his grandson was growing up splendidly. But I was surprised that he got the Gift of Training even though he was so young.”

“Please, stop, I admit my defeat.”

“(it doesn’t really show in his attitude, but I guess he’s the type to have a sweet spot for his family.)”

“Hahaha! You defeated His Majesty. We’ll have to make sure you receive some punishment, Warren-dono.”

“Same goes for you, Lloyd-dono…… well then, first of all, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Ain-sama, my name is Warren Lark. I’ve sworn loyalty to Ishtalika serving as Prime Minister. It might only be a short time before you go back to your home country but…… you can rely on me for anything.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Lloyd Glacier. I’ve sworn to protect Ishtalika as Grand Marshal using my own life. If you don’t mind, and if you have the time before you return to your home country, I’d love to spar with you.”

Both of them were heavyweights in Ishtalika.

Ain noticed that everyone in this room was some kind of grand person, the King of the country, the Prime Minister, and the Grand Marshal. And next to Ain was the Second Princess, the Vice-captain of the Royal Guards, and Martha, the head maid.

“Now that our greetings have concluded, shall we continue? Father, I shall explain the reasons for returning home.”

“Yeah. I wanted to take my time and talk to Ain in peace, but this much should be enough for now.”

“Ara ara, typical of you Father. Well, I’m sorry, since I forced this situation on you so suddenly, I wasn’t able to tell you about it in advance.”

“……Let’s hear the reason then.”

Not only Silvird, Warren and Lloyd, but also Chris and Martha became tense.

Although Chris had been with Olivia and Ain since yesterday, she had yet to hear the reason for the separation.

“I separated from Logas Roundhart. I won’t be returning to Heim anymore, and of course, I’m not going to hand over Ain to them.”

“……Lloyd. Sorry but can you punch me again?”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, I’m the one who’d like to receive a hit.”

Raising their voices, the two people hit each other in a manner looking like a cross-counter.

Silvird too, delivered the punch with incredible power.

“P-Princess……? Speaking of separation, you are speaking of divorce, right? “

The only person who remained calm, even if only in appearance, Warren, tried confirming with Olivia.

“Yes, I’m talking about divorce.”

“WHAT’S THE REASON!? Was there a reason for something so drastic, Olivia? ……Did something happen? “

Silvird seemed to be severely agitated.

With this, Ain confirmed that he was a person with a real soft spot for his family.

It was most likely that he was worried about the reason for the separation to an extent that seemed almost out of character.

“I simply thought Ain wouldn’t be able to become happy if he continued living there. And with Logas only doing what his mother told him, I couldn’t bring myself to continue sharing my life with him.”

Olivia began explaining her reasons.

The preferential treatment Logas gave to Grint, and the cold attitude of his grandmother, Isis, towards Ain.

She explained to everyone present that she just couldn’t stand everything that had happened so far to her and especially to Ain.

“(Haa……And half my blood is of the people who were doing that. Even if they don’t accept me, I hope they’ll at least let me live.)”

Ain, on the other hand, was thinking about his lineage.

With how the Roundhart family had treated their precious daughter, he thought they might come to hate him.

“……You, did well in coming back, Olivia.”

“……Yes.”

Silvird, most likely trying to suppress various emotions, called out to Olivia with a pained expression.

“Lloyd-dono, is a budgetary meeting needed? “

“Not at all. As a matter of fact, with Heim as the opponent, there’s nothing particularly questionable even if we make a preemptive strike. It’s true that Logas-dono is quite skilled, but with only that there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“(Are, I think I heard some sort of dangerous conversation just now.)”

“But, as a member of the Knight Order, I don’t think I would like ‘Heim’ to be destroyed. Isn’t it enough to attack the Roundhart house? “

“……Hey, what exactly are you discussing in front of me? “

As one would expect, it was a dangerous conversation and Silvird had to step in to stop it.

“I won’t let the Roundharts or Heim be destroyed. Just catch that man and behead him in the town square.”

’Aren’t you the most dangerous, Your Majesty’, Ain was about to retort.

“It’s a bother to go to such lengths……no, I just didn’t like it there so that’s why I returned home without telling you, Father. Let’s stop there, shall we? I don’t want to have to keep thinking about this.”

Part of Olivia probably didn’t want to be involved with them anymore, so she calmed down the trio, plotting the demise of the Roundhart family.

“If the Princess says so, let’s stop with dispatching some troops……”

“The Princess has always been kind, hahaha! “

“Let’s shelf this matter for now. Olivia went there to marry for the sake of Ishtalika……”

“Ahhh, enough with that. Can I explain Ain my reasons for marrying into Heim? “

“(Ahh, that’s right, the reason why mother came to Heim.

That’s one of the things I wanted to know about.)”

“Ahh, it should be fine. The deal has been voided now, so I don’t mind you talking about it to anyone present.”

When Silvird gave his permission, one of the questions gnawing at Ain would finally be solved.

“Well, Warren. Would you please explain it?”

“As you wish. The reason for this is quite simple…… it was for the rights on resources.”

“Our country is large and vast and we continue to prosper, thanks to our high technological capabilities and culture. But exactly because of this prosperity, there is one problem.”

“A problem…… could it be, the population?”

Martha, whom until now had remained silent, formulated her thoughts.

“Just as Martha-dono says, it’s the population. The train is a given…… but now, all sorts of magic tools are used in daily life, their use ranges from boiling water to powering a small ship. Magic tools have become commonplace in our lives, however, there aren’t enough crystals to make them.”

“Sea Crystals? Certainly, it’s an urgent issue…… Ain-sama, do you know about Sea Crystals? “

Obviously, not being able to understand the contents of the talk at all, Ain was grateful for Chris’ comment.

“No, this is the first time I’ve heard of them. What kind of crystals are they?”

“Allow me to explain. Sea Crystals are basically the bones of the seamonsters, they come to be many years after their death. We insert the molten Sea Crystals in the magic tools.”

“(A material like that exists?)”

Just by listening to its description, the Sea Crystal seemed to be a valuable resource.

To the point Ain wanted to get a more thorough explanation.

“Uhmm, what effect does the molten Sea Crystal have?”

“The molten Sea Crystal can memorize various kinds of magic, and can control magic stones. Like magic tools to boil water, or to blow a cold breeze, it can remember and control all kinds of magic.”

Prime Minister Warren explained in detail.

“(I see, pretty much everything a home appliance can do is memorized in the Sea Crystal, or rather, for air conditioners to even exists in this country……)”

Ain was surprised by the magic tool that worked like air conditioners.

The level of culture in this country was several times higher than he expected.

“I more or less understand how it works.”

“That’s fine. Now, let’s go back to the story. As the population has grown, the demand for magic tools has also increased greatly. However, in the waters near Ishtalika, almost all the Sea Crystals discovered have been depleted. But a few years ago a huge amount of Sea Crystals was discovered in the waters near the Roundhart territory.”

”If the crystal’s are obtained from the seamonsters, why don’t they form a hunting expedition?”, Ain thought, but the answer was given to him immediately.

“Even with our knowledge and technology, the prerequisites for the formation of Sea Crystals are unknown. There’s only one thing that is currently known about them, which is that Sea Crystals don’t form on the ocean floor too far from land.”

“(Ahh, I see……)”

“Fortunately, Heim’s magic tools are different from ours. In our case, the molten Sea Crystal stores the magic, and it controls and operates the magic stones that serve as fuel. On the other hand Heim’s magic tools have no “controller”…… they don’t use Sea Crystals, like us. But e ven with no control function, when the magic tool is activated, it will just fulfill its’ function on demand. But there will be nothing to control the magic stone.”

“(I see, yeah, I don’t understand, what’s the difference between controlling and not? Will the efficiency of the magic stones be different? If that’s all there is to it, I don’t think this is a big enough reason to marry a princess to another country) ……I’m sorry. Can you tell me the difference between controlling the magic stone and not doing it?”

“Ah, please forgive me. An uncontrolled magic stone in a magic tool will leak a small amount of magical power of the monster it came from. The magical power of monster is ‘poisonous’ for humans, so as a result, the life span of the person operating it gradually shortens and their growth is hindered.”

In other words, every time you use a magic tool from Heim, it eats away at you little by little.

If one were to know that, they’ll think twice before using them.

“In this country, almost everyone owns magic tools. Therefore, it wasn’t possible to allow the use of this type of magic tool. Of course, we’re doing research on new models, but there hasn’t been anything promising so far.”

“……Then, the Princess married to Heim just for that? “

It was the first time Chris heard of this and she didn’t like it at all.

Ain was happy that she felt that way about Olivia.

“That’s right. And thanks to that, we demanded the Sea Crystal mining rights from Heim. What they asked from us in return was our backing, due to our difference in national power. With our backing, Heim could become a stronger force on their continent.”

With this, some of the questions Ain had were answered.

In other words, Olivia agreed to get married with a noble of Heim for the sake of Ishtalika.

“When Ain-sama was to be chosen as the next head of the family, we were supposed to publicly announce the relation between Olivia-sama and Ishtalika. Since this was a troublesome issue that would affect the relations with other countries, we were minding the moment to go public. At that time, the Earl of the Roundhart family would be promoted to Marquis, and when you, Ain-sama, had become an adult, you would’ve been bestowed the position of Duke.”

The fact that a princess from a country like Ishtalika had married into their nobility couldn’t be made public carelessly.

If this had been leaked to the extremists, it was a possibility that Heim would have to go to war against all of its neighbouring countries at once.

Given those circumstances, it seemed reasonable waiting for the right time.

“Uhmm……Was it really necessary to make a secret agreement like that? The situation in the continent is stable right now, so I don’t think they needed our backing that badly. Still, this sort of break-up is……”

What Martha said was true. It was safe to assume that Ishtalika wouldn’t cooperate with Heim anymore.

It was hard to think that Silvird would forgive an infraction like this.

“I don’t know what they’re thinking. What are your thoughts on this, Lloyd?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. It will certainly be a pain for us, but Heim will certainly lose a lot more if relations break down……”

“About the Sea Crystals, it’s alright.”

“……Olivia, what are you saying? “

……Mother? What exactly are you going to reveal next?