Chapter 131
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 131 – Things That Were Overlooked
The room Ain had rented for guests was on a different floor from the room where Olivia was resting.
So, after going up several flights of stairs, Ain went to Olivia’s room, where she was waiting for him.
“Speaking of which, Martha-san…”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Have you heard anything from the people investigating?”
Let’s not forget the Red Fox.
The hint he heard from Marco in the past. Thinking about it, Magna was a strong possibility…
“I hate to say this, but we haven’t received any useful information yet.”
Martha said with a bitter expression.
“As I thought, it won’t be that easy… Some things have gone too smoothly so far.”
If someone were to ask if the investigation would be successful, the answer would be ‘no.’
It was undeniable that things had gone too smoothly so far.
“Even if we find out something, there’s the problem of how we’re going to investigate them if they’re just doing whatever they want on that continent.”
Unlike crossing the continent of Ishtar, things would be different if they went to another continent.
It may not be as easy as it has been to go out and do research.
“I guess I’ll just have to brace myself.”
With that, Ain put his hand on the door to his room.
“Martha-san, I don’t have any more appointments today, do I?”
“Yes, so please rest as you wish.”
As he entered the room, he listened to Martha’s answer.
Since the inspection was cut short, he wasn’t as tired as he had expected.
“I’m not that tired, but I think I’ll work in my room for a while.”
“Please don’t overdo it. Be careful not to get so sick.”
“Haha… you’re right. I’ll be careful not to get sick.”
Neither Chris nor Krone have been negligent in taking care of their health.
But still, he had to be careful in the areas where he could be careful.
“Oh, Ain, welcome back. Did you have fun?”
As he entered the living room, he saw Olivia.
As Martha had said, Olivia looked like she had a lot of free time on her hands.
“Yes, but it’s a little sad to meet again and then have to say goodbye after only a few hours…”
It was a sudden reunion, but he would have liked a little more time to talk.
“Well then, would you like to be my conversation partner this time?”
Of course, he had no intention of refusing.
He wanted to nod his head up and down vigorously to show his enthusiasm.
“Of course, I’d be delighted!”
＊＊＊
That evening.
Ain had finished some paperwork and was thinking in his bedroom.
“…Ah, I forgot so many things.”
It was a small thing that started it all.
The trigger was when he remembered Marco on the way back to his room with Martha.
And then he remembered some things.
“Ah… I’ve forgotten too much. Let’s go to my mother’s room for a while.”
And so Ain slipped out of the bedroom and went to Olivia’s bedroom.
He thought it might be rude to visit at this time of the night, but Olivia was usually awake at this time.
He left the room quickly and made his way through the living room to his destination.
“B-but you know? There was also the matter of His Majesty the First, and then there was Marco-san… and then there was the whole Demon King thing. So it’s not like I forgot… yeah. I just put it off for a bit… yeah, yeah.”
Ain walked forward, apologizing to the air.
Actually, there were so many things to think about that his head was a bit confused.
Perhaps because of this, he forgot to question the aforementioned clumsy bodyguard after returning to the Royal Capital.
“Mother, are you still awake?”
He knocked on the door and called to Olivia, who was probably inside.
“Yes? I’m awake. Please come in.”
After hearing Olivia’s answer, Ain opened the door and went inside.
As usual, Olivia was wearing a negligee that showed a lot of skin. Ain tried not to look at her.
“What’s wrong? If you can’t sleep, you can always come to bed with me, you know?”
“Well, I think positive when I can’t sleep.”
On the contrary, he wanted to think positively.
“Fufu… So, what are you up to at this hour?”
He had come to Olivia’s room with great energy, but then he realized that he hadn’t thought things through.
He hadn’t even told Sylvird that he had seen the name ‘Wernstein’ in the Demon King’s castle.
Actually, he just forgot to tell him.
“Well, let’s see…”
Ain blurted out the first words that popped into his head.
“Is Chris’ family name an old one?”
Normally, being asked something like that out of the blue would just be confusing.
Olivia in front of him also had a confused expression on her face, as he had expected.
“Oh, no… I was just wondering.”
Seeing Ain’s panicked expression, Olivia changed her expression and let out a giggle.
“Fufu, it’s okay. I only know a little, but I’ll tell you what I know.”
“Ah… thank you!”
Maybe he should have just waited for Chris to arrive without asking Olivia.
But he was so curious that he couldn’t wait for Chris to arrive.
“But, you know, I only know a little. It’s something Chris told me, but, um, let’s see…”
Olivia put her hand to her mouth and began to think.
The way she crossed her legs showed her charm without trying to hide it.
“I don’t think they were a n.o.ble family among the elves. But they’ve been called the Wernstein family for a long time… That’s why I heard that they use the family name Wernstein.”
“I-is that so?”
——I see. Has it been a long time?
He wondered how old that “long time” was.
“Well, that’s all I heard about it. The person herself said it wasn’t a name with any particular significance.”
——I think that’s just because she doesn’t understand, right? Ain thought
“Well, all we know now is that it’s an old name.”
“That’s right… I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything else about Wernstein.”
Although he didn’t get much detailed information, the fact that it was an old name was helpful.
Ain hypothesized that they might be descended from a branch family.
“Oh, but if it’s about Chris herself, I’ve got everything from embarra.s.sing stories to dark history.”
Ain was very interested.
But then Ain thought: Olivia knew a lot about Ain’s childhood. If that was the case, she probably also knew about Ain’s embarra.s.sing stories…
“To be honest, I’m quite curious, but I won’t ask because I feel sorry for her… It seems like I’m digging a hole for myself”.
What exactly was Chris’ dark story?
He was really curious but had to hold back with a heavy heart.
“Well… the only thing I know is that Chris has some other blood in her than an elf’s.”
“…..Eh?
Hearing these words, Ain’s body stiffened like ice.
“There are only a few of them left. I heard that even among the fairy tribe, there is a mixture of pixie blood. She was so happy and said, ‘Just like His Majesty the First’s queen!"”
It was easy to imagine how happy she would be, but right now, Ain was in a different frame of mind.
On the contrary, it felt like things were going badly because of all the connections.
——No, it’s still okay. It’s probably the queen’s siblings or family. Yes, that’s it.
“Hehehe… I didn’t know that was the case.”
“Fufu. Chris will be here soon, so why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“That’s right. It’s a bit bad to hear things when the person isn’t there.”
Even though it was a little late, he felt ashamed that he was defeated by his curiosity.
Chris herself would be coming to Magna soon. We’ll ask her then.
“It looks like we’re done talking, but is Ain going to sleep now?”
“Yes. I’m really sorry for coming so suddenly.”
“No, it’s okay. Like I said, you can come over whenever you want.”
If you can’t sleep, you can come anytime. This was the first thing Olivia said.
Ain couldn’t help but flinch at the aura that made him want to be pampered without question.
“It seems like it doesn’t stop when you start spoiling me. I’ll hold back for now.”
“Well… when you say things like that, I can’t help but think that you want me to push you even more.”
…Since he seemed to give in rather easily, please wait until he has strengthened his mental resolve.
Ain smiled wryly as Olivia chuckled.
“You needn’t be embarra.s.sed… Then I’ll comb your hair for you before you go to sleep. Come here now.”
After finishing his questions, Ain approached Olivia as she had said and let her comb his hair.
As expected, managing long hair was tiring. It was a lot of work, and Ain tended to neglect the finer details of his hair care.
Therefore, Ain was very happy to hear Olivia’s words, which killed two birds with one stone.
Afterwards, he combed Olivia’s hair as usual, and then Ain went back to his room and got into bed.
＊＊＊
Two days after the reunion with Oz.
The two of them, Chris and Krone, were supposed to board a train that night and arrive in the middle of the night.
However, the two of them skipped some of their appointments and boarded the train early.
And it was almost 9 o’clock at night.
They arrived at Magna and hurried to the inn where Ain was waiting for them.
The two of them looked exactly the same as they did before they were taken to the clinic.
Ain was very happy to see them in such good health.
“I am so sorry. I was given the task of protecting you two, but I ended up getting sick like this. Even though I received your letter, I couldn’t even thank you properly and ended up making a fool of myself… I have no words.”
As soon as she opened her mouth, Chris bent down and apologized profusely.
“I’m sorry. I told Ain to take care of himself, but I got sick first… I heard that Ain was doing work he didn’t have to do. I’m really sorry that I made you do things that I should have done myself…”
On the other hand, Krone bowed her head like a young lady.
However, she expressed her feelings of apology with a gesture that clearly conveyed her feelings of apology.
“There’s no need to apologize, and I’m happy that you’re both healthy again. Isn’t that right, Mother?”
With that, Ain turned his eyes to Olivia, who was standing next to him.
“Chris and Krone-san, please don’t bow your heads too much because what Ain says is true.”
Be it Ain or Olivia, they didn’t want these two people to apologize to them like this.
They knew from the beginning that they’d been taking care of their health.
“Come in, both of you. Let’s talk slowly for a change.”
Ain greeted them as they approached the door of the room.
He motioned for them to enter.
“Well, it’s late, so just for a little while…”
Chris nodded apologetically at Ain’s words.
“That’s right. Actually, I wanted to ask you something as well, so this is perfect.”
Then, although Krone also looked like she had mixed feelings, she accepted Ain’s suggestion and took a step forward.
“What? You have something to ask me?”
“Yes. You did something wonderful in Magna, didn’t you? The fruit was delicious, but I need to hear the story, you know?”
It was obviously about the giant ripple tree.
He knew she would ask, but as expected, Krone was very quick.
“Oh, I tried some too! It was really delicious, and it made me feel so much better!”
Chris responded to Krone’s words, happily expressing her thoughts.
“That’s great. I’m glad Krone liked it, too.”
“That’s for sure. That alone was a dessert of the highest quality.”
Ain didn’t feel bad when they praised him.
“It seems that Laralua-sama was the happiest of all. I heard that she enjoyed seconds as well.”
“Oh, my mother?”
Olivia let out a surprised voice, and Krone asked what was wrong.
“Olivia-sama? Is that really something to be surprised about?”
“Well, yes. There are only a few things that would make my mother want a second helping, so…”
“It looks like we can grow that tree in the castle as well.”
Even if it was not in the castle, it was certain that it could be grown on the Royal Family’s land.
If Laralua liked it, Sylvird would probably give his permission right away.
“Everyone? There are still some fruits left that Ain-sama grew… Shall I cut them for you?”
Martha, who was standing nearby, said, and everyone nodded with a big smile.
＊＊＊
It had been a while… but still, they hadn’t been apart for two weeks.
Even so, everyone in this room saw each other almost every day.
Maybe that was why the conversation went on until late at night.
Chris and Krone asked what had happened while they had been away, and Ain and Olivia told them.
They talked about the time Ain went incognito and how crowded it was.
And then they talked about the day Ain met up with Oz again a few days ago… they talked about a lot of things.
“So, a lot of things happened.”
Of course, they didn’t talk about the fact that they had bathed together.
Olivia didn’t mention it either, so Ain could relax.
“It’s true. So many things happened that it’s frustrating that I wasn’t there.”
Krone replied with a frustrated look on her face.
“Ugh…!”
On the other hand, Chris’ expression was very clear.
She bit her lip in frustration.
“But, Krone-sama? I heard there was a lively event at the castle as well, right?”
“Ara, Martha, how do you know that?” Olivia asked her.
“I received a daily report on the latest news, just in case.”
Something to remember.
It was said that Martha was no ordinary maid.
“Martha-san, by any chance, is that lively thing…”
“Yes, I think it probably had something to do with what Krone-sama was thinking.”
The two then smiled at each other.
In contrast, Chris’ face froze like ice.
“Ma-Martha-dono… shouldn’t we stop talking about this?”
With this expression on her face, she opened her mouth and spoke, trying to change the flow of the conversation.
However, Olivia, who was sitting on the sofa, smiled and spoke to Martha.
“Hey, Martha. Can you tell us what kind of a lively scene it was?”
Chris, who sounded like she was begging, heard Olivia’s words, and her expression fell into despair as if she had given up.
“That’s weird. Hey, Chris? Why are you making that face?”
“…Well, since this is a good opportunity, I wanted to hear what you had to say, Ain-sama and Olivia-sama.”
This was definitely a lie.
Even though she said it with sweat on her brow, it was completely unconvincing.
“That’s right, but Ain just explained the current situation. Let’s hear what happened in the castle, shall we? It’s like taking turns.”
Olivia, who had definitely noticed that Chris was talking, would not allow this to be interrupted.
“So, Martha, are you going to tell us?”
“Don’t worry, Chris-sama. I’m sure Ain-sama will be happy to hear it…”
With that, Martha began to talk about the hustle and bustle at the castle.
Right next to her, Chris, with her mouth tightly closed in the shape of the character “一”, gradually began to blush.
“I won’t say who did it, but I heard that she first tried to escape by saying, ‘It’s all right now! I’m going to Magna now…"”
——I see. So that’s the story, Ain said.
Ain, who couldn’t help but wonder what’s going to happen next, listened.
But even without mentioning any proper nouns, it was easy to guess who the culprit was.
In fact, it was this subtle consideration that was likely to touch the hearts of the audience.
“Of course, she was put back in the room. … But this was only the beginning.”
Chris made a whistling sound and pretended not to know, whistling something she couldn’t do.
Of course, her face was red.
“She said she wanted to get some air, so she opened the window, but then she almost jumped out. She also hid under the bed and tried to get past the guards… By the way, all this was stopped thanks to Katima-sama’s advice.”
“I found it strange that they noticed it so quickly, but it was because of Katima-sama’s advice…”
Perhaps it was because she was a free-spirited cat that she was able to help prevent Chris from escaping?
Ain nodded deeply, thinking that sometimes she was useful.
“Chris? Martha-san didn’t say anything about Chris, though…”
“No, I had heard about the commotion as well. So I was just surprised that it was Katima-sama’s advice…”
Then don’t look out of the window and look at me when you speak, Ain said in his mind.
“Chris-sama, who was running out of excuses, is supposed to have said that in the end.”
Martha should have kept it a secret until the end, but she finally blurted out the name “Chris.”
“I left something at Magna! I’ll go get it right away, so don’t worry!”
After Martha said these words, the room fell silent.
“Well, Chris? I think that excuse is a bit pathetic, don’t you?”
Olivia opened her mouth with a disappointed look on her face.
She spoke to Chris as if trying to persuade her gently.
“No, that’s not true! I really forgot something… I mean, I’m not the one who escaped!”
“By the way, in the end, they used a numbing drug made by Katima-sama that had no harmful effects on the human body. They mixed it into the food so that the body wouldn’t move.”
“So that’s why my body felt so heavy afterwards! It was hard to walk!”
The escapee confessed.
“I went back to bed with a heavy heart, but I had no idea that this fact was hidden from me…”
“According to Katima-sama, the numbing drug is so strong that even a wyvern would be knocked out with one dose, but I’m surprised you were able to walk around so well…”
Ain thought they shouldn’t put that stuff in her food, but since it didn’t affect the human body, it was a compromise.
In fact, he thought it was amazing that Chris could walk in that situation.
“Well, I’m… I’m just naturally resistant to those kinds of drugs.”
Chris said, looking embarra.s.sed after hearing Martha’s words.
“Do elves have that kind of tolerance?”
“N-no, no, no. Maybe it’s just that my family is special…”
Chris answered Ain’s question.
Ain, who had heard this, thought it was a good time to ask about something she had asked Olivia the other day.
“Speaking of which, is the family name ‘Wernstein’ that Chris has been using for a long time?”
He was pleased that she had asked him this question so naturally.
As long as it wasn’t too obvious, the flow of the conversation wasn’t too bad.
“Well, I was wondering about that, too.”
Krone agreed with Ain’s words.
“Hmm… Are you asking about my family name?”
What’s the point of asking that?
Chris made this face, but it was Ain who asked the question. In other words, there was no way Chris could not answer.
“It’s not a big deal, but as you say, I have heard that it is an old family line.”
First, the same story Olivia told him.
“We weren’t n.o.ble, but…”
“But?”
Ain interrupted, curious about what would happen next.
Chris continued her explanation with a happy expression, perhaps because she was glad they were interested.
“My family’s lineage doesn’t come from elves.”
“What does that mean?”
Olivia told him that Chris had pixie blood.
But when she heard that her family did not originate from elves, a question mark appeared on Ain’s face.
“The family name ‘Wernstein’ was originally the family name of the old pixies.”
“Eh… so Chris-san wasn’t a pureblood elf but had pixie blood as well?”
Krone asks, looking surprised.
“Yes, that’s actually the case. I’m a little proud of that. Thanks to it, I have a higher tolerance for drugs than most people.”
After all, she was of the same race as the first queen of Ishtalika, so Ain could understand why Chris was so proud.
“So, if we look hard enough, we might be able to find a pixie with the same last name, right?”
When Ain said this with a smile, Chris quietly shook her head.
“That’s true, but it seems pretty difficult.”
“Why is it so difficult? I mean, there don’t seem to be many pixies around…”
Ain asked again as Chris smiled ironically.
“Well, I heard that pixies are a race that doesn’t really have family names.”
“H-heee…”
Hearing this, Ain gave a dry answer.
“Well, I think it’s very rare for someone to have a family name like my ancestors…”
——Hey, explain it to me. I beg you, I’m really begging you…
Ain asked this question to the magic stone couple in his mind.
However, there was no sign of an answer.
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