Chapter 132
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 132 – Towards the Meeting
The two people Ain had been waiting for finally arrived. Using this opportunity, Ain began an extensive investigation.
He visited the homes of long-time fishermen and toured the facilities where the doc.u.ments were kept.
Sometimes, he even talked to people who were researching Magna’s history and listened to their stories.
With Krone and Chris around, Ain’s actions became more efficient, and he was careful to manage his schedule.
In other words, you could say that things were finally back to normal.
However, the investigation into Magna was, to put it bluntly, inconclusive.
The previous investigations were conducted in the two cities of Ist and Baltic. These investigations were conducted over a short period of about a month, and they yielded some results.
However, the results of the investigation were only particularly good, and it did not mean that Magna was particularly bad this time.
Although those around them were disappointed, they could understand.
Magna’s stay lasted for about half a month.
The breakdown was that most of the work was official business. As for the fact that he was able to do so much official business, maybe it wasn’t so bad.
“First of all, the investigation itself couldn’t possibly be completed in such a short time, could it?”
About ten days pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye after Krone and Chris arrived.
When Ain boarded the royal train, he was given the same send-off he had received upon his arrival, and he began his journey back to the royal capital.
The royal family’s private train was scheduled to arrive in the capital in the evening.
Ain muttered to himself as he made his way there.
“Yes. It’s been too good. I think investigations are usually conducted over a period of several years… Oh, I mean, in one place?”
In Ist, it was a degree. Baltic was also a little more than half of that.
Even though they’d accomplished a lot in such a short time, it was not like everything was going to be smooth sailing.
As Krone said, it was not easy to expect results.
“But all the official business related to Magna that had been piling up until now has been completed at once. I think that alone was worth coming to Magna this time.
“Well, that’s important too.”
There were only two people in this car, Ain and Krone.
This was because they had been working together to clear up some acc.u.mulated work.
Now that they finally had a chance to catch their breath, they were enjoying a leisurely conversation.
“But I don’t think we have any big plans for a while.”
“No, there’s a really, really big schedule coming up in the summer, you know?”
As far as Ain knew, there shouldn’t be any special events after Magna.
If there was one, it would be the inter-school compet.i.tion, but Ain’s partic.i.p.ation was still uncertain. Besides, this was not an event that takes place in the summer.
Ain listened to Krone’s words in this situation.
“Summer? Sorry, I don’t remember anything about summer… I think I forgot.”
“Don’t worry, Ain. I just heard about it this morning, too.”
Krone said and took out a letter.
When he looked at it, the sender’s name was written as ‘Warren’.
“From Warren-san?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s a bit long, so shall I summarize it and tell you about it?”
“Well… yes. If Krone has already reviewed it, I guess I’ll just let you tell me about it.”
Just to be sure, he opened it and took it in his hand, but he decided to let Krone tell him the gist of it.
Holding a few sheets of paper in his hand, he listened to Krone’s voice.
“Well, let’s start with the first one. The story about the defector from Heim.”
“Huh?”
“A person who served in Heim’s castle came to Ishtalika on a ship from Birdland and defected.”
These words, which he had not expected to hear, reached Ain’s ears.
“Did you mean this kind of defection?”
“I think it’s correct to use the word defection here, don’t you?”
Krone took Ain’s hand and traced his fingers across the palm to write the word.
It felt a little ticklish, but the meaning was conveyed.
“Unfortunately, you weren’t wrong. Or rather, when did you receive this letter?”
“That’s right, this morning. It was delivered to me as an urgent letter from the royal capital before we left the inn.”
May I continue? Ain looked into Krone’s eyes, which pleaded to her to continue, and she nodded.
“Then let’s continue. He’s under strict control in Magna because it’s suspected that he’s come to do some kind of sabotage.”
The thought of someone from Heim in the city he just visited makes him even more surprised.
“Why would he want to defect?”
“According to what I heard, he said he was afraid of the war… but I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
The suspicion hadn’t disappeared yet, so it was impossible to believe those words. That was Krone’s real intention.
“Wait, but this doesn’t have anything to do with the summer, does it? So there’s a second one?”
“Yes, the second one is the real one.”
Krone clears his throat and straightens up.
“We’ve arranged a meeting with Heim for the summer.”
I see; that’s a big appointment, Ain said.
Was it finally, or was it definitely? Hearing Krone’s words, Ain remembered the incident that led to this.
“So that’s how it started with that letter, and we’ve finally reached this point.”
It had been a long time since he had said that in front of Sylvird.
Even though it took time for countries to communicate with each other, it really took this long.
“Ain, are you looking forward to this?”
“——Actually, a little.”
The two people smiling at each other were originally citizens of the Heim Kingdom.
Now, these two erre about to turn their fangs toward Heim.
“You know, I’m actually looking forward to it as well, just like Ain.”
Krone says, smiling.
“Wait, didn’t Krone hate conflict?”
“I don’t like it, but this time is different… Well, I have mixed feelings about it.”
She smiled wryly, but her voice still sounded happy.
“But are you sure you’re okay? I think the third prince is coming, too.”
“Yes, that’s right. That person is also coming, right? I should at least remember his face…”
That was quite a harsh thing to say.
Ain also heard this and looked surprised.
“There’s no need to look like that…”
“I’m sorry. But it’s true, he’s grown up, so you wouldn’t recognize him.”
“I remember his features, but even when I was in Heim, if we pa.s.sed each other in town, I’m sure I wouldn’t recognize him.”
Krone’s memories of Tigre continued.
“You wouldn’t recognize him?
“Yes. I would recognize him if he was wearing the royal family’s clothes, but otherwise, I wouldn’t know. I just remember that the royal family clothes were as flashy as ever.”
Even though she was dealing with royalty, Krone was still the same Krone.
“I can’t remember. I only remember the features of people I occasionally meet at parties.”
“Well, he was a member of the royal family… And I heard that Krone was quite forward with him.”
It was said that Tigre haf liked Krone since they were children.
If that’s the case, he thought it would be easy to remember his face.
“The other people treated me like a prost.i.tute, the same as the third prince. Then it’s the same for everyone, right?”
She said, resting her head on her elbows on the desk.
“…I see.”
I guess everyone, even as children, tried desperately to get Krone’s attention.
When he thought about it, he felt a little sorry for them.
“When I was in Heim, the only people I recognized at first sight were Ain and Olivia-sama. That’s why I don’t really care about the third prince or anything else.”
Even as she said this, Krone turned away and looked annoyed.
“Ah, since I came to Ishtalika, everything’s fine. I have work to do, and I remember the people I talk to…!”
Ain smiled, amused by Krone’s panicked expression.
“I know. I’m not worried.”
“I-I see. Well, that’s good.”
Krone tried to hide her fl.u.s.tered state by playing with the tips of her hair with her fingers. Her cheeks also seemed slightly flushed.
Although he didn’t offer her any help, Ain did ask her about something that had been bothering him.
“By the way, I think Krone’s mother was a high-ranking figure in Heim, right?”
When Ain said this, Krone looked up.
“If your mother came… what would you do?
——What will she do?
That was what Ain wanted to ask.
But before Ain could say anything, Krone interrupted him.
“If she harms Ain or Ishtalika, I’ll go and argue with her, even if it’s against my mother.”
“As I thought, Krone.”
In front of Krone, who had said this, Ain said a word of praise.
“But that’s only natural. I was born from the womb of a woman named Elena, but I can’t say that I’m on her side now. My side is Ishtalika, and the one I obey is you, Ain.”
Krone stared at Ain with her strong eyes.
As always, the woman known as Krone was not only beautiful, but also possessed a dignified strength.
“But, Ain. It’s not a question of if, but when. For there is no one in Heim who can do the job better than my mother.”
Without waiting for Ain’s answer, Krone continues.
“I am not the representative of the civilian government of Ishtalika. Still, I think my mother and I will be at odds.”
“Oh, I see… the representative of the civilian government of Ishtalika.”
The representative of the civil government of Ishtalika…
It must be a man named Warren.
Sometimes he was a kind old man, but at other times he had eyes as sharp as a blade. And sometimes, he seemed to see through everything, completely controlling the flow of conversation.
There was no man in Ishtalika more skilled at talking and strategizing than he was.
“Yes, that’s true, Warren-sama. Any intelligent person would surely think it best to avoid a direct debate with him.”
…Said the person who had been most educated by Warren in recent years.
“I feel like if I leave it up to Warren-san, everything will be fine.”
“Fufu… I agree with that.”
In the gradually warming atmosphere, Ain turned over the letter he received.
“Huh? What is this?”
There was a piece of paper inside that looked like a map, and Ain was curious about it.
“Which one is it?”
Krone, who had moved to sit next to Ain, looked at the paper Ain was holding.
Her long hair seemed to be in the way, so she put one of her strands over her ear.
“Ah, this is about the island.”
When Krone saw this, she nodded as if she understood.
“The island?”
“Yes. You know, we talked about it earlier, right? The place where the meeting will take place.”
Krone, who was sitting next to him, said this while looking at Ain.
“You mean the uninhabited island we prepared for the meeting?”
“Oh, I see. You mean that island.”
It was located east of the continent of Ishtar, and although it was closer to Heim, it was about halfway between the two.
“It must be hard for Heim too, with all the security and the ships and so on…”
“Compared to us… Still, they were the ones who started it, so there’s nothing to complain about.”
He remembered not only the incident on the Euro but also the letter Heim had sent through the Euro.
“Wait, what was the purpose of this meeting?”
Ain suddenly had this question.
“First of all, isn’t it because they want information about Krone and Graff-san? To be honest, if Krone is at the meeting, I don’t think it will be worth anything…”
“Besides, they think I’ve been kidnapped by Ishtalika anyway. So if they rescue me and my grandfather, they can sell themselves a favor. Then my grandfather will also support the marriage with that prince… I think it’s something like that.”
Thinking back, he felt that Tigre said something similar.
I don’t remember much of it because it was all so much idle talk…
“…But you’ll talk to them at the meeting, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
She spoke as if it’s obvious, but Ain still had his doubts.
“So, what’s the point of this meeting after all?”
“It’s not just about us, is it?”
In front of Krone, who had just said this, Ain immediately spoke his thoughts.
“Well, there’s the matter of me and my mother, but… what else? Perhaps the matter of establishing diplomatic relations with the Euro?”
“Yes, that’s right. There are a few things we need to talk about so we won’t be interrupted.
Come to think of it, there were things that needed to be talked about.
“It may have started with me, but since this is a good opportunity, let’s use it to settle things once and for all. That way, we can both feel more comfortable, right?”
“Well, if it means we can cut our ties, then I guess it’s okay.”
Ain looked grim as he thought back to his childhood.
Krone smiled at the sight of his face.
“I’m sure Warren-sama will have something to say about the subject of our meeting, so why don’t we talk about something fun for a change?”
“Fun talk?”
Ain’s sullen face changed completely, and he looked at Krone with a puzzled expression.
“The graduation ceremony is coming soon, right? There’s a school compet.i.tion before it, right?”
“Oh, that event was on the schedule, wasn’t it?”
I was more surprised that she already had that information.
“I heard that spectators are allowed. I’m going to watch it too.”
She said this happily, but Ain was still unsure about attending it.
“To be honest, I’m still not sure if I’m going to partic.i.p.ate or not.”
Then Krone looked at Ain with eyes that seemed to see something unexpected.
“Why are you hesitating?”
“Well, because… you know. If you think about it, you know… right?”
He was considering whether or not to partic.i.p.ate in the event, given the difference in abilities.
He was afraid that he might spoil the event.
“That’s okay. Just show them how strong you are.”
Krone spoke confidently.
“You are the future king. The future king must not be influenced by such trivial matters.”
As always, she spoke with a clear voice, encouraging Ain.
“There are probably people who are looking forward to crossing swords with you. Then that’s fine; you can enjoy it together.”
He remembered what Batz had said.
He was certainly looking forward to fighting Ain.
“So, Ain, you should just show off your sword without saying a word.”
“It’s strange how you make me feel like I can compete when you say things like that.”
When he said this with a wry smile, Krone looked pleased.
“That’s okay. Ain’s a student at the school too, right? No one will complain if you make such memories in the end.”
——You’re thinking too much.
With that, Krone encouraged Ain and got up to go to the window.
“Yeah, it’s a nice view.”
Krone, who walked with a light step, was obviously in a good mood.
In response to Krone’s words, Ain began to think that he might be able to compete after all.
“To tell you the truth, there’s another reason.”
“Does it have to do with my compet.i.tion?”
“Yes, actually…”
Krone, who had been looking out of the window, turned to face Ain.
“The main reason is that I just want to see you in action. Would you be angry if I told you that?”
She shook her head and smiled at Ain, her beautiful hair swaying.
“Of course, I won’t be angry.”
This made him even more determined to enter the compet.i.tion.
If she said something like that, Krone would encourage him. Ain knew that people would start teasing him, so he didn’t say anything.
“Hey, hey. Are you going to compete?”
Then Krone approached with a spring in her step.
Even though she had just gotten up, she looked restless.
She came over, smiling mischievously and looking happy.
“Well, I’ll think about it positively…”
It was a bad excuse, but for now, Ain wanted to keep this under wraps. He replied, averting his eyes from the approaching crown.
“I’m back… what? Is something wrong with you?”
“Ara, ara, it’s so lively!”
Then Chris came to Ain’s car after a long time.
Next to her was Olivia, as if it was a matter of course.
“Chris. And welcome back, Mother. Actually…”
Ain explained what had happened, and the four of them enjoyed talking to each other until they arrived in the royal capital.
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