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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 66 – An Arrogant Noble?
“It was satisfying-nya.”
The night station of Ist was impressive as ever, with its frosty temperatures and clear night sky. It had only been a few hours since Oz had told her about the Red Fox, but Katima decided to return to the royal capital.
As planned, she would borrow Dill as an escort and leave a day before Ain.
Katima only stayed for a few days, but after saying goodbye to Oz yesterday, she and Dill spent a long time in the city, buying and seeing various things. Katima was very pleased with her trip, even if it was only for a short time.
And Katima and Dill had the sisters Varra and Mei at their side.
“Come on, let’s go-nya. Follow me-nya!”
Katima slapped Varra’s waist with her paw. Yesterday, after returning to the inn, Ain and the others revealed their true identities. When Varra heard this, she got really flustered, and it took her about half an hour to regain her composure. Her sister Mei didn’t seem to understand what was going on and just sat on Ain’s lap, smiling…
“Ka-Katima-sama, I know! I understand, so don’t hit me so hard!”
Maybe it got funnier halfway through, but the speed at which she hit Varra was getting faster. It may not have been painful, but the visual annoyance was growing in proportion to the speed.
“T…Then, Ain-sama. Please allow me to return to the royal capital first.”
“No, I’m rather sorry to leave you in charge of Katima-san, but please be careful.”
Dill, smiling bitterly, would normally give priority to Ain, but it was only natural that Katima also needed an escort.
And it made sense that Chris, who was more capable than him, would stay behind to escort Crown Prince Ain.
“Oni-chan, Oni-chan! We’ll see each other soon!”
“I will see you soon. So just wait a little bit, and you will get lots of delicious sweets.”
“Really?”
It was as if he had a new sister, and Ain was so happy to see Mei that he couldn’t help but spoil her.
Since he was the one who brought her here, it would have been best for her to stay with him, but it couldn’t be helped.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness… Hey, Mei! You can’t do that!”
“B-because Oni-chan is Oni-chan…”
“Well, you can teach her about etiquette little by little. I’m the one behind this sudden change in the environment, so I have nothing to complain about.”
The way Varra apologized, with her head raised and lowered vigorously, although there was nothing polite about it. But it was easy to understand why she was apologizing.
——The group said their goodbyes outside the station, but the time for departure was slowly approaching.
“Well then, Ain. I’m going to leave now. And I’ll make various preparations accordingly, so you can be sure of that-nya.”
“I’m counting on you, Katima-san. Take care, everyone!”
This morning, Katima and the others’ luggage was loaded onto the royal train, so they went to the train empty-handed. However, it was not really the luggage they had brought but all the things Katima had bought that took up space.
“…..”
He waved his hand silently and bid Katima, Dill, Varra, and Mei farewell. As soon as they were out of sight, Ain exhaled deeply, his breath instantly turning white.
“It’s getting cold. Shall we head back to the inn?”
Chris, who had also seen them off, suggested that they return to the inn. Even if they just stood there, their bodies would get cold.
“Let’s go then. But do you think Varra and Mei will be okay?”
“She has a strong heart. Having survived the harsh environment of the slums, I’m sure they’ll be fine even if Warren-sama and the others are hard on them.”
“Indeed…”
Ain has never had such a hard life. When he was in Heim, he was treated with a certain amount of disfavor, but he still had a better life compared to the commoners.
So, he doesn’t know what life was like in the slum, where Varra and her family lived. However, considering the environment he saw the other day, he understood that it was natural for them to grow up strong.
As soon as they arrived in the capital, the girls would first meet with Warren and the higher-ups of the palace. He was also told that she would have to show them some of her abilities. The extent of their healing magic… they were to find out the extent of it.
“You didn’t get a chance to relax yesterday when we got back to the inn, did you? The material Professor Oz gave you… would you like to read it today?”
Chris was dressed more like a civilian. Her long, beautiful blonde hair was left untied today and flowing in the wind.
Ain slowly began to understand this new side of her. What he soon found out was that she tended to change her attitude depending on what she was wearing.
In other words, her facial expressions and gestures seemed softer when she was in civilian clothing. However, he wondered if it was just her personality that made her “misbehave” on many occasions, even when she wore knight’s attire.
The words she had just spoken were accompanied by unthinkable gestures from her normal self.
“…Huh? What’s wrong, Ain-sama?”
She turned around as she walked with a light rhythm. Her back… her hands folded around her waist, and she turned her body so that her body was bent in the shape of a bow. Her face, lowered as if looking down at Ain, stared straight at him with an upward glance.
“N-no, it’s nothing… Let’s just go back to the inn and eat! Yeah! That would be great!”
Her look, her style, and the gesture she just made to make him pause. It was a sight that would make even the most beautiful women run away with their tails between their legs.
But even Ain couldn’t admit to admiring her. He decided to use his momentum to cover it up.
“Eh? W-wait a minute, Ain-sama!”
Ain suddenly started to run quickly. And Chris, who was a few steps behind, hurriedly lined up next to Ain.
“There’s no need to be in such a hurry…”
Ain glanced sideways at Chris, who looked slightly dissatisfied. He smiled like he was playing a prank to cover it up, and Chris looked like she was having fun.
“The other day, I was looking for the Red Foxes and got these documents, so what else should I do?”
“How about that wyvern flight you’ve been looking forward to? Also, how about visiting the Monster Arena…”
“Monster Arena? What’s that?”
“The place where the experimental monsters are bred to fight. Researchers and nobles who own the property compete with each other by showing off their prized monsters. Would you like to visit?”
“I’ll go! That sounds like fun!”
If we add the age of his previous life, wouldn’t it be appropriate to say that he was old enough? …But it seemed pointless to think about memories that have long since faded away. After he was born into this world, he always tried to act like an adult, but somehow it didn’t work out.
There were times when he cried openly, and there were times when he indulged himself with Olivia… a little while ago, Ain thought about it and decided that he had completely turned into “Ain” now.
“Fufu… Then let’s go visit tomorrow if you have some time.”
…But it’s also true that Ain was a good, mature, unruly child. Come to think of it, it was not often that we saw him as happy as he was now. Olivia would have liked to see Ain like this… Chris thought about it and somehow felt a bit superior.
＊＊＊
His lab was humming with good cheer. He had been in a good mood for the past few days because of all the fun he had been having.
“Well, I have lived a long life. I only find so much fun and interest in things.”
He usually had nothing to do but spin pens with his fingers. It was a habit he has always had when he had a good time or when he felt a sense of accomplishment.
“Am I a traitor? Or… no. This is also quite difficult, but I think the same is true for human society. People fight with each other. They always have and always will, which is quite natural. This means that people betray each other. There is no doubt about that.”
Take crime, for example. Even if it was a small crime, there was no doubt that from the other party’s point of view, it was clear that the victim had been harmed. And there was no doubt that what he was doing these days was clearly hurting his own people.
“There is no great difference between those who know. Only whether they are enemies or allies… or neutral. Those will be the three points. But… for those who are attacked, even those who are neutral are like enemies. In any case, they will not help you. The more I think about it, the more I like it. But standing on this ambiguous border is surely the most interesting of all… No doubt about it.”
The ambiguous line he described in his words is his perception of neutrality.
But is neutrality really pacifism? The answer is no, it is not. It’s not pacifism, he thought.
“It’s just not taking sides, that’s neutrality… So, what is a third party? That is not neutrality. An observer… like an observer, should be called a third party, for example. Something like God should be called a third party!”
He always began his thoughts abruptly. The content of his thoughts often changed two or three times, and he has many self-contained and problematic ideas in his soliloquies.
Frankly, what went on in his head when he was alone with his thoughts was probably full of things that other people couldn’t understand.
“That’s right. This is the time to turn to something spiritual….and insubstantial. Love… It’s love! We must rely on love!”
Boom.
He slammed his desk with a loud thud.
With an exaggerated gait, he walked over to the case on the wall. As he approached the case, his face became flushed, and his heart rate gradually increased.
“I’m going to let you out now! Now… Come on in!”
He opened the door and took out the box containing the “love” he needed to rely on. He carefully carried it to the sofa in the middle of the room. He placed it on the table there.
“The box still smells a little fragrant. And when I open it, I can’t contain my excitement… Now, please show yourself to me.”
We have to rely on love. He said that, but it was just an excuse. He was only thinking about it because he wanted to meet “love.”
But this farcical pretext was more important to him than anything else. It was one of the most important factors of his personality.
“Oh… how… It’s beautiful today, too. Such beautiful light.”
He begins to caress the object he took out gently and slowly. It was beautiful and more important to him than anything else. He caressed it as if it were a lover.
He could feel the blood pooling in his lower body, and the heat was only pleasant for him.
He also puts his nose close to the “it” and breathes heavily, smelling the scent.
“It is exciting. This is, yes, it is. It’s like when I killed the fox that was standing next to you, and then I was covered in your blood! That’s how happy I am!”
His recent encounters had been exciting for him. It was on par with some of the things he had experienced in the past.
“Hah… hah… phew, I’ve calmed down.”
After a moment, he was finally satisfied.
His flushed face, his heartbeat, and the large amount of blood that had accumulated in his lower body seemed to have calmed down, and the tension that had been agitating him was gradually diminishing.
“Is this the happiness you gave me? My dear father.”
“Oz” murmured quietly.
He kissed the “father’s” magic stone a few times before he put it back in its case.
It seemed to be a pity to leave it behind, but there’s nothing he could do about it. He had to take good care of it… he tried to convince himself.
“That dirty vixen’s magic stone will eventually be presented to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It’s a good opportunity for me to let go of such a filthy thing as that vixen’s magic stone. He will be pleased, I am sure!”
He hated women. Not only his own kind but other races as well.
He had kept them separate because he felt a little obligated to do so, but now was a good time to let it go… He decided to do so.
“But to give His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Ain, who is so beautiful, the magic stone of a filthy vixen…? I would rather give him my magic stone! And yet… Why? Why do you still torture me, vixen?”
No matter how jealous he was, his feelings were drowned out by the night of Ist without anyone being able to tell.
＊＊＊
The weather was sunny and clear. And in this crowded place with many people, Ain attracted a lot of attention.
“…Then give me this woman. I’ll put up with it.”
The man said. The place was the Monster Arena… a place Ain was looking forward to, but there was a bit of trouble.
“Is that woman next to me?”
“That’s what I mean. Goodness… You don’t even know the extent of it.”
In other words, he wants Ain to give him Chris. Of course, he had no intention of agreeing or offering a compromise.
“Why in the world would I do that? I don’t understand.”
“I’ve told you many times! Because you approached… my Wyvern got stuck. I don’t know what you did, but I deserve to be compensated, you fool!”
Ah. How did this happen…?
That was some time ago. It was shortly after Ain appeared in this Monster Arena and approached the people who were showing off their monsters outside.
A Wyvern that a nobleman had with him suddenly shrank and stopped moving. It would not listen to its owner and was no longer useful. It got so scared, that it was useless.
(“Hey Chris-san? What happened…?”)
(“Maybe… Ain-sama might be especially frightening from the perspective of the dragon species. Especially since wyverns are a lower dragon species.”)
(“…W-why?”)
How was it his doing? He couldn’t help but wonder, so he asked Chris in a whisper next to him.
(“…It’s the Sea Dragon. Monsters are sensitive to presence, so it is possible that after you absorbed that thing, it sensed the presence of the Sea Dragon in Ain-sama.”)
(“I’m the one responsible for this, right?”)
It must have been the fear of the little bit of the sea dragon that was left. Chris… thought so, but she was not wrong.
The Sea Dragon twins in the royal capital could also sense the presence of the dragon, considered Ain to be their parent, and were fond of him. No wonder the Wyvern was frightened by him when it senses a powerful presence like the Sea Dragon.
“…Well, what are we going to do about it?”
“What are you whispering about? You… you have been being disrespectful to me since a moment ago!”
The fat nobleman uttered a few words, but Ain just went “Hmm.”
However, Ain could not hide his surprise at the fact that there were nobles who would easily ask for a woman.