Magic Gems Gourmet - Chapter 28 2

It was a little while after the disturbance of the magic stone.

Ainz was going on a long trip for the first time in a while.

The destination was the largest port town in Ishtalica, which he had visited on his first day in Ishtalica.

Since it was Ainz, the royal water train would normally bring him there, but since it wasn’t something that should be made too big a deal of, he took the water train, which has cars for nobles.

Ainz and Chris were the one heading there.

In the car in front of him were Warren and a few other civil servants, as well as the knights who were guarding him.

We were on our way to a ship arriving at the port town.

The port town would take about three hours to reach. The ship that would be arriving there was loaded with many sea crystals that had been brought back from Euro.

Warren is going out to inspect the condition of the sea crystals.

The reason why Ainz is coming with him is because Sylvird thought it would be a good experience and asked Olivia for him to come along.

The reason why Olivia is not with him is because she is helping Queen Lalarua with her work.

She would have liked to come with Ainz, but she had decided to leave that role to Chris.

「We’re almost there, Ainz-sama」

「It’s been a while huh. I’ve never been this far away from home」

「That’s right. Come to think of it, isn’t this the first time Ainz-sama has separated away from Olivia-sama?」

When Chris told him that, Ainz was certainly convinced.

When he thought about it, he had only ever gone on long trips with his mother, Olivia.

He had been to the academy to take an entrance exam, but it was within the royal capital, so it could not be called a long trip.

「When I think about it. I became worried about my mother huh…..」

「I’m sure Olivia-sama thinks the opposite though」

「I can’t deny it」

「Ainz-sama will be doing many tours and official duties in the near future. This inspection will be a good experience for you」

As Chris said, Ainz was also grateful for it.

Currently, Ainz was just like being fed by them, so when he thought about the future and what he could do now, he wanted to do as much as he could.

「I’m grateful to my Grandfather too. But, it’s just that every time I see him, he’s been giving me a hard time lately」

It’s about what he did on the entrance exam.

Olivia even said to him, “you can’t go back on your word, you know?” Although she had mentioned it, it was too lenient from Sylvird’s point of view.

He knew that Olivia would not be able to speak harshly to Ainz, so she was usually lenient, but at that moment, she harshly scolded him for what he was doing.

One, he had used a skill that he had been told not to use.

Two, he had to learn what the consequences would be before using the skill.

Ever since then, Sylvird had been telling him about it every now and then.

「It’s not something that can be used in public right」

But there’s a benefit for Ainz too.

That was when he started training with the illusory hand.

Since it was impossible for a normal knight to be his opponent, Lloyd was the only one who could manage it.

「I’m grateful for Lloyd-san to be my partner, but he was too harsh you know, Chris」

「A-ahahaha…..」

When he had dealt with the examiner, Ainz had attacked him and break the examiner’s bones. Even though It didn’t do much damage to Lloyd.

He tried to use it with the same amount of magic power as in the exam, but it was blocked by one arm clad in armor. He can’t even blow him up or break his stance.

「Certainly, the training was supposed to makes me be able to use it safely. He even said that I need to understand the danger of it. But it’s different when I use it against Lloyd-san, it doesn’t look dangerous at all…..」

The training was supposed to be to learn the strength of the illusionary hand and to understand how to use it and how much force to apply.

However, using it on Lloyd didn’t seem to be dangerous at all. In fact, even when he gets hit, he then will say “Next!”. He doesn’t seem to be in any danger at all as he rushes me to give my next blow.

「….I’ll tell about that matter to Lloyd-sama next time」

「I’m counting on you」

Chris sighed with her hand on her head.

As far as how to use it, Ainz has probably improved a lot. He’s getting used to moving it around in finely.

But he hasn’t been able to deepen his understanding of its dangers, which should have been the problem.

「Recently, I’ve noticed that Lloyd-sama is trying to bring out more fire power」

「Isn’t that bad」

With Lloyd already about to start his training, it seems, Ainz had to consider other training options.

As he was able to imagine the strength of Lloyd, the grand marshal of the great nation of Ishtalica.

As we were talking, we seemed to have arrived at the port, and Chris suggested to Ainz to get off. Ainz nodded and we went to the port town.

＊＊＊

「It was such a big place huh」

What Ainz saw when he got off the water train was a vast expanse of port city scenery.

The station where Ainz got off was located on a small hill near the place where the large ships stop.

The last time Ainz came here, he moved together with Princess Olivia to the royal train in a door-to-door manner, so he never got to see the scenery of the town.

「I didn’t get to see it last time. So, this is Magna huh, the largest port city in Ishtalica」

It also doubles a military port, Chris continued to explain.

The town is large and bustling, and many of the houses have red roofs and white walls.

There were waterways in some places, and we could see small boats being used to carry something.

Numerous ships were parked by the sea, and countless people were working there as well.

There were also many stalls where we could get a quick bite to eat, it looked like an interesting town to look around.

「It’s a beautiful and lively town huh」

「The taste of the seafood available here is excellent. I’ll buy some on the way back so I can give some to Olivia-sama. Olivia-sama loves the fish they sell in Magna」

「We can’t do that. I’ll have to buy in bulk instead」

Chris chuckled when she heard Ainz’s reply and started to point out the place where the ship was docked.

「I see you arrived a short while ago. Let’s wait for them to go through the formalities」

At the end of the train, a man in a uniform who appeared to be an employee of the port, a civil servant and a knight who had gotten off the ship were talking.

Warren, who also got off the train, and comes closer.

「Ainz-sama, thank you for your long trip. Then, what do you think about this Magna」

「It’s a beautiful and lively town. It’s so charming that I want to spend some time here」

「Ha ha ha. I’m glad to hear that. Let’s get started then. I’ll explain about the sea crystals and some of the equipment」

Then Ainz followed Warren as he walked up to the cargo that had been unloaded.

Apparently, they had unloaded one box earlier because Warren was coming to inspect it.

「You there. Have you completed the designated tasks yet?」

「Yes sir. We have finished the sterilization and other tasks based on the priority list for Warren-sama to check!」

「Thank you. We’ll take over here. Move on to the next task」

「Ha!」

Warren had something to check about the cargo and asked the knight who was near him about it. There seemed to be no problem, so he moved the knight. It was a measure taken with Ainz’s well-being in mind.

「Chris-dono, may I ask you to open it?」

「Understood」

Chris did so and opened the welded lid.

She seemed to have used some kind of magic, and when he thought the wind was blowing, the package started to showing crack on it.

「Thank you very much. Please have a look at it Ainz-sama, these are the mined, unprocessed sea crystals」

What was taken out in front of Ainz’s eyes, was a lump of what looked like rock salt. It was white and translucent.

To the touch, it felt like an ordinary stone, with a slightly rough surface.

「So this is a Sea Crystal huh. Its surface is rough」

「It’s rough because of the many scratches it has sustained in the ocean. This will store the magic and control the magic stone」

「That way, there would be no effect on the human body huh?」

「That’s right. This sea crystal, need to be cut and processed to increase its conductivity to be used in magic tool」

The sea crystal that Ainz held in his hand was about 20 cm in size.

Still, it didn’t feel heavy at all, it felt like dry bones.

「Please bring one with you and try it on the train to see what it is like」

Warren told him that, and Chris took the sea crystal from Ainz.

「Now let’s move on. Here are some of the magical tools used for mining」

Ainz’s inspection continued.

It was followed by an explanation of the magic tools used for mining, the sea crystal processing machines in the port town, and the activities of the sea crystal research team.

＊＊＊

「That’s all for now. Thank you for taking your time here」

Ainz’s inspection, which had begun with Warren’s guidance, was now complete.

He explained a lot of things to him, but Ainz listened to all of them seriously.

The one that interested him the most was the sea crystal processing machine.

He was told that the surface would be scraped, he thought it would be cut with a series of cutters, but they were applying chemicals to dissolve the surface instead and then scraping it off with some kind of waterjet cutter.

「It was very interesting. Thankyou Warren-san」

「I’m glad to hear that. That’s all for now then」

「I thought I’d go see if I could get something for mother」

「That’s fine. Then Chris, please accompany…..oops. Oh, right, there were some documents that Chris needed to check too」

He heard that the inspection was over, so Ainz wanted to go see the port town for a while.

But it seemed that Chris still had some work to do, so he decided to wait for a while for that.

「Then I’ll wait until Chris is finished」

「I’m afraid it will take some time for you to wait. So, I’ll have a couple of knights to watch over you」

Warren offered an alternative plan, but it was not one that Ainz welcomed.

He can’t say it, but he was afraid that he would get nervous in the port town with a knight he hadn’t talked to much.

「No, I’ll just wait for her at the pier. I’d like to look out at the ocean, are you okay with it?」

While he was waiting for Chris, Ainz decided to look at the sea from one of the piers.

Magna’s sea was clear and clean, as he could see the fish swimming in it.

「I thought it might be dangerous for you to be alone」

「Chris-dono. It would be good for you to relax a little. Also Ainz, please do not move to any place other than the nearby pier, okay? Please stay where we can see you. Chris-dono will be able to hear you even if you should fall into the sea」

「It’s true that this area is only occupied by knights and inspector but…..still, it doesn’t mean his safety is guaranteed」

Chris was a bit reluctant. It was not acceptable for her to leave the crown prince alone, even if he was nearby.

「Then, Ainz-sama. Please take this with you」

Warren handed him a small red jewel.

Ainz also takes the thin chain along with it.

「This is a valuable magic tool. It is small, but it will protect the one who has it. It keeps out malicious being away and glows strongly in case of danger. The Queen gave it to Ainz-sama today for me to give it to him when we left for the port city」

「Red Ball of the Earths huh….If that’s the case, then I’ll allow you to stay on the pier」

「What is it? This red ball of the earth is」

「It is a very valuable magic tool. It’s a condensed core of a powerful dragon and embedded in a sea crystal」

Chris continued her explanation.

If a malicious person came near it, the red ball would glow, enveloping the malicious person and making them unable to move.

It was also a valuable magic tool that could be used to cancel a few shots magic from a distance.

「It sounds really expensive」

「This is natural, since Ainz-sama is the crown prince. This product takes a long time to make, so it cannot be mass-produced. The one that was made the other day can finally be handed over to Ainz-sama today」

「I understand. I’ll take it then」

「Please wear it on your arms. If you don’t wear it, it won’t work」

Chris told me so, and I put it on my arm using the chain.

It seems he had planned to put it on his arm from the beginning, and it had a clasp, so it was easy to put on.

「Very well then, Ainz-sama. Please don’t go any farther than the pier nearby」

「I understand. Then please pick me up when you’re done」

And so Ainz headed to the pier. Ainz was glad to see the clear sea water up close.

＊＊＊

「It’s so clear. I can see all the way to the bottom」

Ainz immediately went to the pier and looked at the sea for a while.

Unlike the port city on Roundheart territory, Magna’s sea water was so clear that he could see what was going on under the water, and he even enjoyed being able to see the fish swimming by.

「I think I can grab a fish by with my hand. It’s nice and warm and I’m getting a little sleepy」

The first thing that came to Ainz’s mind was taking a nap.

As a member of the royal family, there was no way he would be allowed to take a nap in a place like this. However, Ainz’s face was not yet known to the people.

Thinking about that, Ainz thought that now would be his only chance to do it. He thought so, and laid down on it.

The pier was warm in the sun, and the sea breeze was pleasant.

There were some crates on the pier, and he decided to take a nap there, thinking that if he stayed in the shade of them, he wouldn’t be too visible to others.

「Haah….It feels so nice here」

Although it was getting colder, the weather in the port town of Magna was still reasonably sunny.

Therefore, it was not cold enough to catch a cold at all, and the temperature was comfortable.

When he looked at Chris, their eyes met, and she seemed to be sighing with her hand on her forehead. But she seemed to forgive him and not coming to stop him.

With that, he decided to close his eyes and enjoy this sunny day

＊＊＊

It had been a little while since Ainz had started napping.

Chris hadn’t come to pick Ainz up yet, as she still had some document to check and a few other things to do.

He had no problem with this, as he was comfortably napping in the sunshine and had not woken up yet.

While he slept “alone” no one walking nearby would notice him.

Ainz was not a grown up yet, so he did not stand out.

Also, those who worked on the large ships in the port city of Magna rarely looked at other places other than their destination.

It was only when he was sleeping alone, though.

「Nng….uuhm」

Then Ainz gradually woke up after enjoying his nap.

He was feeling quite satisfied after the pleasant and sunny nap, but he felt something different in his head.

He was lying close to the crate, so his head should have felt hard against it.

But what he felt was something soft and had a nice flowery scent from it.

Ainz wonders what it is and decides to get up to see what’s going on.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to see what was going on. The sunlight was blinding, but he could still understand what was happening.

「Hey, Ainz? What’s the first thing you’re going to say to me? Has it been a while? Or thank you for lending me your lap?」

The girl who had been lending her knees to him said. She asks Ainz in a small, mischievous way.

She has grown up a little, she is more beautiful than before. Her beautiful, nostalgic voice captivated Ainz’s ears.

Smiling a little mischievously, she looked at Ainz and asked him what he would say first.

A flower-shaped jewel shone in her arms as she brushed her long, beautiful light blue hair.

「….I really missed you. Is that not good enough?」

Ainz is still a child, but he answers her with his utmost effort.

She blushed just a little and stroked Ainz’s cheek.

That was Ainz words to her, who had grown into a beautiful woman. It was Ainz’s small little payback for her mischief she had played on him.