Chapter 130
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 130 – Professor.O
It had been several days since the Rippling Giant Tree incident.
He had begun to become active, but Ain spent most of his time waiting at the inn.
Today, however, was unusual as Ain was touring several facilities.
He was accompanied by Dill and several of the Royal Knights.
“So, we produce small parts here.”
“I see. It’s a work of craftsmanship…”
“That’s right. That’s why the parts made here are used in the research equipment used in the Ist.”
As he listened to the guide’s explanation, Ain watched the work in progress intently.
He held a magnifying gla.s.s to his eyes and watched the small parts being made by hand.
Ain observed the scene quietly, trying not to disturb the craftsmen.
“Dill, this is amazing.”
“Yes, I think their skill is quite impressive. They show off their technical skills in a different way than Mouton-dono.”
Ain shared his thoughts on the craftsmen with Dill, who was walking beside him.
“As my father said, Magna is respected not only for its port aspect but also for its parts processing.”
“I see. But when I actually saw it, I really thought Lloyd-san was right.”
The sight of so many craftsmen working with such precision on the parts was a sight to behold, even from Ain’s perspective.
“I wonder if merchants also come here to buy things?”
“Yes, as Your Highness the Crown Prince said, merchants from all over the continent come here to buy.”
The guide answered Ain’s question immediately. When Ain heard this, he was deeply satisfied and thought, “I knew it.”
“And besides, it’s such a high-quality item that researchers from Ist come all the way to check it out.”
“I see. But still, it’s not that surprising.”
Ain didn’t know much about the subject, but he could still understand why such parts were necessary.
Research must require more precise movements than usual… he thought.
“Actually, several researchers from Ist have been here for a few days now.”
“I see… They must be very talented people to come all the way to check it out with their own eyes.”
He nodded in agreement.
“Well, of course. Among them is a particularly famous… well, rumor has it that they’re here.”
As the guide said this, he indicated the direction by saying, “It’s over there.”
Ain followed suit and looked in the direction he indicated.
“T-That…? Huh…?”
“According to what I heard, the researchers over there are supposed to return to Ist tonight.”
Looking closer, he recognized a familiar face, and Ain rubbed his eyes to check again.
“I-I’m sorry. Could it be that person over there…”
“As expected from the Crown Prince. So you knew. That person over there is the head professor of the Great Magic Academy of Ist University… Oz-sama.”
——As suspected, it was Professor Oz…
Ain quickly moved his legs and started walking towards Oz.
He was surprised by the sudden reunion, but his happiness overcame his surprise.
“Ain-sama? Are you going to see Professor Oz?”
“Yes. I have to go and greet him since he was so kind to me.”
Ain answered Dill’s question and continued walking. Dill agreed and walked next to Ain.
＊＊＊
It was a quiet time in the late afternoon. Ain had finished his inspection and returned to the inn.
In truth, he had planned to continue his inspection a little longer, but he had added another appointment to his schedule, so he returned to his inn in a hurry.
“Then I’ll show you the way.”
“Yes, please.”
A room rented for guests.
A guest arrived to wait for Ain.
This time, the guest was Ain’s guest.
Therefore, Olivia was not present and was resting in her own room with Martha.
“Excuse me.”
As soon as he entered, a man in a white lab coat bowed deeply.
It had been a while since he had seen him, but he looked exactly the same as when he first met him at the Ist.
“Your Highness, thank you for inviting me…!”
Researcher Oz approached with a broad smile.
From Ain’s point of view, it had been a while since they had met, since he had been taken care of in Ist.
“My pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to visit me.”
“Yes, yes! I came to Magna on urgent business, but I had no idea that Your Highness the Crown Prince was here. I am truly thrilled to see you again!”
An excited Oz showed his happiness to see Ain again.
“Me too. I never thought I’d see Professor Oz again. Right, Dill?”
“Yes. Professor Oz was very kind to Ain-sama. Ain-sama always said so.”
In Ist, Oz taught him many things.
Given their past, even though Oz’s visit is sudden, Ain and the others are ready to welcome him.
“It makes me feel better to hear you say that. By the way, you really have grown a lot… your face seems to have become much more dignified.”
Oz said happily, looking at Ain.
“I’ve grown a lot, but I’m still Ain.”
“Hahaha… You really never run out of things to talk about, do you?”
Dill, standing next to him, nodded vigorously.
“Please sit down first, Professor. It’s been a while since we last met, so let’s take our time and have a chat.”
“Oh my… what an honor.”
Then Oz sat down in front of Ain.
He put the bag he was holding next to him and said, “Thank you.”
“Professor Oz was here to check the parts, right?”
Ain asked him after he had sat down.
“Yes. Well, it’s not a big deal, but the materials for the equipment we use in our research. We have them processed by Magna, and I come here regularly to check on them.”
“Professor Oz came all this way?”
“Hahaha… I get that a lot, but it’s just one of my characteristics. I can’t help but feel uncomfortable if I don’t see things with my own eyes.”
As he said this, Oz looked embarra.s.sed.
But Ain realized that this was Oz’s characteristic as well.
“No, I think it’s because you check things yourself that Professor Oz’s research always yields results.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear you say that. If there are such coincidences, I’m glad I came to check it out myself.”
He smiles, pleased by Ain’s words.
“Speaking of which, Professor Oz. I’ve prepared a light meal. Would you like to join me?”
He opened his mouth as if he had just remembered and made this suggestion to Oz.
“That would be an honor. I would love to join you.”
Oz readily agreed, and Ain spoke to Dill with a happy expression on his face.
“Dill, could you ask the knight outside to bring us some food?”
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
A few minutes later, the food was brought into the room.
Ain enjoyed the conversation with Oz, whom he hadn’t seen for a while, while they ate.
＊＊＊
Ain enjoyed his meal with Oz for a while.
As the evening approached, he asked Oz about something that had been on his mind.
“Speaking of which, Professor Oz, do you have any hobbies?”
“Hobbies?”
The question didn’t mean much.
Ain was just curious, but when he saw that Oz started to think about it, he felt a little sorry.
“Actually, I have one.”
“Is it okay if I ask?”
“Yes, of course. ——My hobby is researching old stories, I guess.”
Hearing this, Ain became even more interested.
“I don’t really know many old stories. What kind of stories are there?”
“Hmm… since we’re here, can I tell you one?”
“Is that okay? Then I’d like to hear Professor Oz’s recommendation.”
Seeing Ain’s friendly smile, Oz is also in a good mood and opens his mouth.
“Haha. Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll tell you one.”
And so Oz began to tell Ain an old story.
“It’s an old story. There was a tribe in a certain place. The tribe had a woman called the Chief, and she was the first of the tribe.”
The story immediately captured Ain’s interest, and he listened to Oz’s tale.
“And the chief had three excellent subordinates. One was a man who was pa.s.sionate about research, another was a master spearman, and the last was a clever man who was good at devising strategies.”
Dill also seemed interested in the story and listened quietly.
“The man who was pa.s.sionate about research loved his father so much that he wanted to take him away from his mother. And the Spearman loved acting. He loved to become a character in a story, to blend into it.”
“Finally, the man who was good at making plans loved to read books. He often read books with a woman who was a childhood friend.”
All three were unique characters.
Even though it was an old story, Ain was surprised at how rich in character it was.
“And the chief took these three people with her and made her people very prosperous.”
“But after a while, they found a country nearby where the bad guys were gathering. Then the chief heroically went to the country of the bad guys and fought to defeat them.”
The characters were memorable, but the story was pretty standard. Oz, however, was a good storyteller.
He captivated Ain and Dill with his engaging storytelling.
“And the chief succeeded. Working with another tribe that lived nearby, she destroyed the land of the evil people.”
“But the chief did not stop there. There might be other evil beings on other continents. With this in mind, the chief decided to go to another land. And many of the chief’s companions agreed to go with her.”
“Her three followers would also go with her, the chief thought, but two of them refused to leave their homeland.”
To Ain and Dill, this was an old story they had never heard.
However, Oz’s intonation made Ain and Dill impatient to hear the rest of the story.
“The two men who separated from the chief were a man who was pa.s.sionate about research and a man who was good at devising strategies.”
“The man who was pa.s.sionate about research stayed behind because his father stayed behind. But the man who was good at strategizing fell in love.”
“Love…?”
Ain couldn’t help but open his mouth. But in his heart, he regretted interrupting.
“Yes, it’s love. He fell in love with the queen of the tribe that helped him in battle.”
What a tragic love story.
Such a thing would never come true.
“Of course, this love was never fulfilled. But he decided to stay close and watch over the queen.”
“But there was another person who was also in a tragic love. It was a woman who had known him since childhood. Although she knew that her own love would never be fulfilled, she never left him.”
“After that, the chief crossed the sea, and the man who was pa.s.sionate about his research continued his research. And the man who fell in love was ready to devote his life to supporting the queen, and… it is said that he watched over her until the end.”
It wasn’t a very long story, but for some reason, Ain felt a strong emotion well up inside him.
Oz, who had finished his story, took a sip from the water in his gla.s.s.
“It was a very interesting story. I mean, it was a tragic love story, but…”
“You know, not all old stories have a happy ending… some of them have a little twist.”
Ain agreed with Oz, who smiled ironically.
“But thanks for listening.”
With that, Oz looked at the clock on the wall.
“Oops… I’m sorry. It seems like the good times are flying by, and I have to get ready to go home.”
Oz looked at the clock and said in a nervous voice:
“I see. Well then, it seems we’re done for today.”
Hearing this, Ain replied with a disappointed tone.
“Yes, but it was a precious time to meet Your Highness the Crown Prince after such a long time.”
“That’s my line, Professor Oz. Well, I’ll wait to see you again.”
Ain then motioned to Dill with his eyes.
“Dill will accompany you downstairs. Please be careful on your way home.”
“Well, well. I apologize for everything. Thank you for meeting with me today, Your Highness.”
Oz stood up and picked up the bag he had brought.
“Ain-sama, I will see Professor Oz off now.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Ain said goodbye to Dill and Oz and then sat back down on the sofa.
He was half happy and half surprised because he never thought he would see Oz again.
“But it was a pleasant surprise to see him again.”
As always, Oz was a good speaker. He reaffirmed that he was a person who was good at talking in a way that keeps people interested.
While he was thinking about the time that had just pa.s.sed, there was a knock at the door of his room.
“Dill? You’re back already?”
When he answered the knock, it was not Dill who came in, but Dill’s mother, Martha.
“Excuse me, I heard that Professor Oz had left the room, so I came to see if you were here.”
“Martha-san, what’s wrong?”
“I just got a message from the royal capital. I thought I’d tell you right away because it’s something that Ain-sama was worried about…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
Martha approached the sofa where Ain was sitting so that she could talk to him more easily.
“It’s about Krone-sama and Chris-sama. I heard that their health has improved, and they will be coming to Magna the day after tomorrow.”
“Wha… is that true? They’re already feeling better?”
“Yes. It has only been about a week, but as Varra-sama predicted, they are almost fully recovered.”
Hearing this report, Ain was greatly relieved.
He was worried about how they were doing while he was in Magna, so he was also grateful to Martha for contacting him like this.
“They both said that they were sorry that they couldn’t take care of their health and asked me to tell Ain-sama.
“Haha… There’s nothing to worry about.”
Ain can’t help but smile when he hears the message that is so typical for them.
“It will be lively, I’m sure.”
Ain nods deeply at Martha’s friendly smile.
“Or rather, I think it’ll be noisy…”
Well, for starters,
Maybe they could have a small gathering to celebrate.
But they’ll only be able to enjoy a meal or two.
“Hmm, I guess so. Well, shall we go back to your room now?”
“I will. What is my mother doing?”
“Since Ain-sama wasn’t around, it looked like she had a lot of free time.”
It’s not hard for Ain to imagine how Olivia was doing.
“This is not good. Then I’d better get back.”
“It’s fine to leave the room as it is. Then let’s go, Ain-sama.”
He felt bad about leaving the cleaning to Martha, but it was too late to worry about that now. He had been indebted to her many times before, so he felt genuine grat.i.tude.
“Oh, I see. I let her spend her free time alone, so next time, I’ll spend time with my mother.”
And with that, Ain walked lightly back to his room.
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