Maseki Gurume – Vol 5 Chapter 6 Part 1

It’s Ko-Fi’s Supporters’ chapter (86/110), enjoy~

ED: Lonely-matter

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Chapter 6 – Spy Girl’s Hospitality

Part 1

 

At the same time that the memorial planting had been hit by an unexpected disturbance, Elena was trying to wake up in her bedroom in the inn.

The morning sun was shining through the curtains.

Is it morning already? Elena wakes up slowly.

Thinking back on last night, she realized that she was very lucky. The rooms at the inn are of a much higher standard than she had imagined and are of a higher quality than the beds of the Augusto’s mansion in Heim.

She could only laugh when she realized that not only was the country losing in size but also in terms of beds.

“…..”

She didn’t want to wake up yet. She didn’t want to get out of this sleep. She hadn’t been able to get out of bed yet because she couldn’t overcome that desire.

But as she lay in bed, she could hear the sound of pottery rubbing together nearby.

At the same time, the delicious aroma of tea tickled her nose.

“…Tea?”

She lifted herself up from the bed with a sigh and walked out of the bedroom into the living room. As she opened the door, she came face to face with someone she was not supposed to see.

“Oh, good morning! It looks like you slept well!”

──…Huh?

Elena closed the door again without a second thought. She leaned her back against the door and muttered to herself with a slight lack of composure.

“E-eh? Wait a minute, that was…!”

Even though she hadn’t seen her face recently, there was no way she could forget it. She hadn’t planned to meet her during this trip, but she was definitely in the living room.

She was wearing a perfect disguise. Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder how she had been found out. She had been asleep, but she still wore her earrings just in case…

“Wait, Elena-sama? Isn’t it awful to close the door suddenly? It makes this Lily sad, you know?”

Her voice was also that of Lily.

It was definitely the real one.

“Ah, by the way, what do you think of this dress? It looks good on me, doesn’t it? I’m aware of it, but when someone says it looks good on me, it makes me happy.”

It was such a silly conversation that it made her feel foolish that she was in doubt.

When Elena heard that, she became annoyed and replied to Lily through the door.

“Why are you here, Lily?”

“Yes, because we are in Ishtalika. It is natural for me to be here, you know.”

“It’s not that… You know what I mean. How did you know about my disguise?”

“On the contrary, did you think that you wouldn’t be discovered with such a cheap magic tool? The history of Ishtalika’s magic tools is long, and, naturally, there are magic tools that can be used to detect your magic tool ── Look.”

Look, said Lily, extending a finger to her right eye.

At the same time, Elena looked through the keyhole and saw what Lily was doing. She saw Lily there, dressed in her servant’s uniform as she had been in Heim, but what she was curious about was what she was going to do. Elena was appalled when she next saw Lily remove something out of her eyes.

“I didn’t know you had that in your eyes.”

“Yes. This is a thinly processed lens from a pair of glasses made by a magician. It’s a kind of eyeglass-type magic tool that you put directly on your eyes… I and all my subordinates use it.”

It’s not surprising that there are such magic tools when considering it.

But Elena’s earrings were a magic tool that she had purchased at great expense from a trusted adventurer. It’s not as cheap as Lily claims, as Heim has put together a special budget for it.

There is a fundamental difference in technology, a difference that is greater than can be described.

“I mean, I asked you first! Please tell me if it looks good on me.”

“…Yes, yes. It looks good on you.”

Elena replied roughly and took the earrings and threw them away.

The color of her eyes and hair has returned to normal in a matter of seconds.

“Fufufu. Well, I was aware of it!”

After a powerless exchange, Elena gave up and opened the door.

Here, Elena prepared herself that she might never be able to return to Heim again. But Lily did not show any attempt to capture her; on the contrary, she was as casual as a kitten pawing at her.

“Look, look, isn’t it cute!”

Lily spun around and let her skirt flutter around. It was a cute thing to do, but frankly, Elena would rather not see the knife under that skirt.

“You have quite a collection of weapons, don’t you?”

“Would you like one?”

She smiled and took out a knife, but of course, Elena didn’t want it.

“No, I don’t need it.”

“Oh… you’re not very good at physical activities, are you, Elena-sama?”

“──”

“Well, well, please don’t be angry. The tea is getting cold. Don’t you want some?”

“Sure I will! Good grief!”

Elena sat down on the sofa and brought a cup of tea to her mouth.

The tea is hot but not so hot that it burns. It is easy to drink and tastes good.

She remembered that this tea was always prepared when they worked together at Heim Castle. Now, she had been deceived, and it was a bitter memory.

“So, why are you here, Lily? Are you here to arrest me?”

“Hmm? Do you want to get arrested?”

“Who would be foolish enough to want to get arrested?”

“I don’t know. If I wanted to, you’d already be locked up in a prison cell in the royal capital.”

But even if that’s the case, it’s still a strange story.

“Then why did you come?”

In response, Lily said something even more surprising.

“I’m here to show you the town.”

“S-show me the town?”

“Yes, yes. You’ve come to find out about Ishtalika, haven’t you? If so, it will be easier if you have a guide. Did you see any big ships when you arrived at the port?”

“Yes, I saw it. What’s wrong with that?”

“Then let’s go and see the ship.”

Elena froze for a few seconds but then asked Lily what she meant.

“…Why would you do such a thing?”

She didn’t know why she would go to the trouble of showing it to an enemy. But Lily continued to talk nonchalantly.

“Hmm, are you not interested in that?”

“Just because I’m interested doesn’t mean you have to show it to your enemy.”

‘Well, don’t worry about such details. Since His Excellency has given his permission, Elena-sama can just enjoy it without thinking about it.”

“His Excellency…?”

“Yes, yes. Do you know a man named Warren Lark?”

Of course, she knew him; he’s the Prime Minister, the top civilian official of the great country of Ishtalika.

Although she had never met him in person, she had heard of his prowess. She has never forgotten the story about the prince of her country who was rolled over by his hand.

 

“…But, I’m glad to have taken the bait.”

 

Elena was surprised and then muttered with a sigh of relief.

“Heh? What did you say?”

“No, I was talking about this. I just want to make sure that I’m not about to get my head chopped off for being a key figure of a hostile country, right?”

“Wow… isn’t the idea too scary?”

“It’s a natural concern. So, what do you say?”

“Elena-sama is strangely bullish, isn’t she…? His Excellency said that we can’t treat you as a guest of honor, but we can show you around like one.”

“I see, then I’ll take your word for it.”

She did not seem to have recovered. Lily, who was in front of Elena, was scouring through her mind for a reason for the leeway.

She didn’t seem to feel comfortable because they knew each other, nor did she seem to think that Elena’s life was safe because of the relationship between Crown Prince Ain and Krone.

There was definitely something unpredictable about her.

“The one to watch out for during the meeting is Elena-dono.”

This is what Warren had said to her just yesterday when she had contacted him.

“Hey, hey, Elena-sama, are you hiding something from me?”

“If I’m going to do something on my own, then maybe I’m hiding something?”

Lily did not overestimate or underestimate Elena. No matter how she evaluated her, Elena was smart, and if there was anyone in Heim who was troublesome, Elena was definitely the first.

However, if she thinks she can do something on her own──.

“You can if you have someone to help you, right?”

“You can think what you want, but Lily’s idea is that I have the people of Ishtalika or adventurers on my side, right?”

“And then there’s Euro.”

“Are you an idiot? How can I get any of them on my side?”

“I don’t know… Maybe Elena-sama will offer them something amazing.”

Elena smiled wryly.

“You mean I’m going to offer them something so great that they’re willing to turn against you?”

That would be unrealistic, she said.

Lily furrowed her eyebrows in exaggeration and thought about it.

“That’s why you’re such a problem for me, Elena-sama. You talk too much!”

“I’m flattered by your compliment.”

“I’m not complimenting you! That’s why I told His Excellency that he should take Elena-sama to the royal capital and have you live in the castle…”

“And what did he say to you?”

“He said, only if Elena-sama wants it!”

After all, they have no intention of arresting her.

She couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Judging from Lily’s attitude, Warren is not careless. But the reason why they don’t want to catch her is because they have decided that it is in their best interest to do so.

This is the only thing that Elena did not understand the true meaning of.

“By the way, you have a choice, Elena-sama. You can either stay in Ishtalika, or you can go back with our ship instead of that cattle ship.”

“C-cattle ship…”

“I’d be crazy to cross the ocean on a ship like that.”

“It’s complicated, but it sounds like I would have a very nice trip home.”

“Sigh… You’re really stubborn, aren’t you? Why don’t you just stay here and live in peace?”

Lily’s lips twitched as she made a boring face, a complete change from the past.

But Elena.

“I’m sorry, but Heim is my homeland.”

She replied in the same manner as before.

 

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