Chapter 18

Good evening, thank you for the many bookmarks and evaluations.

I am gradually revising past parts to make them easier to read.

I apologize for the slow pace of the story...

"Lord Ein unconsciously uses two skills to absorb... no, to eat the magic stones."

No one could understand what he meant, and everyone had a puzzled look on their face.

"Chris, continue your explanation."

"Yes. I believe you know the reason why monsters fight, right?"

"To eat and grow. They eat meat to fill their bellies and absorb magic stones to grow."

"That's right. Lord Ein breaks down the toxic part of the magic stones and uses absorption to eat them. As a result, he becomes stronger in the same way as monsters."

Seeing Chris explain, Olivia asked why she thought so.

"There were reasons I could think of while guarding. But the main reason was after seeing his status."

Using two abilities to absorb magic stones.

It's like eating a poisonous fish, such as a puffer, after it has been prepared.

"When monsters absorb magic stones, their growth depends on the original monster. For example, if they absorb a magic stone from a monster with high magic power, the increase in magic power is the highest."

"Then, Lord Lloyd, what does Chris mean? Does Lord Ein's growth resemble something?"

Lloyd, who understood the situation to some extent, was curious about what the growth resembled.

"The characteristic of elves is that their magic power and agility increase significantly, while their defense is hard to improve. I felt a bit sluggish a few times. It was when Lord Ein was hungry, so the absorption must have been activated to transfer nutrients to the host. That's the nature of absorption."

For Ein, the increase in his status was a big issue.

But he was more shocked by Chris saying he was an elf.

"Chris... are you really an elf? Because your ears..."

"I should have mentioned it earlier, but I am an elf. Unlike Heim, many different races exist in Istarica, and elves are hard to distinguish by appearance."

"I didn't notice at all because your ears weren't pointed."

The feature of elves that Ein thought of was their pointed ears.

In fact, he had been taught in Heim that the features of elves were white skin and long ears.

"Lord Ein, the shape of an elf's ears changes depending on their environment. Since Lord Chris lives in the capital, he doesn't need to be as sensitive to small sounds as elves in the forest or mountains."

Hearing Warren's explanation, Ein understood the nature of this.

"Elves are few in Istarica, so misunderstandings are common even in Istarica."

"...Hey, Chris. If what you say is true, can Ein become stronger using magic stones?"

Olivia asked Chris with a delighted look.

"Yes, that's correct. However, there seems to be a limit. Lord Ein, can you absorb this Bigbee's magic stone?"

Saying this, Chris handed the magic stone to Ein.

"Um, what should I do?"

Ein had been unconsciously absorbing them until now.

He didn't know how to do it.

"Imagine drinking water, and it should be absorbed."

Ein did as he was told.

As he thought about absorbing the magic stone, it began to change color, becoming more like a crystal.

"What... What is this!?"

"Hmm... It seems Chris was right."

"Lord Lloyd, have you ever heard of such a case?"

"I have never heard of it. If a human absorbs a magic stone, they would immediately collapse and be in a dangerous situation."

While everyone was reacting, Ein continued to absorb the magic power from the magic stone.

After a while, it seemed to be finished, and it had completely transformed into a glass bead.

"...It seems to be finished."

"Yes, that's right. Lord Ein, please check your status card. Has it increased at all?"

"Um... there's no difference."

After absorbing it, Ein checked his status card, but the numbers hadn't changed.

On a whim, he licked the magic stone, which had turned into a glass bead.

"Yeah, it's sweet like caramel. It would make a good snack."

Seeing Ein lick the magic stone, everyone except Olivia was surprised.

Olivia, on the other hand, was just smiling at the sight.

"I didn't think he would actually lick the magic stone..."

"Lord Ein, you can sense the smell and taste of magic stones, but we can't."

"Huh? I thought everyone could. Is it just me?"

Warren pointed out that ordinary humans can't sense the smell or taste of magic stones.

"From the case of the Apricot mimic's magic stone, I knew you could sense the smell, but now it's clear. Magic stones from monsters with lower status than yourself can't be used for growth. I think there's a limit to the growth you can get from a single race's magic stones."

"Does that mean, Chris, that for Ein, these weak monsters' magic stones are just snacks?"

"Yes, it's not wrong to call them snacks."

"Ku ku ku ku ku! Lord Ein is truly remarkable. I've never heard of anyone who calls magic stones snacks!"

Lloyd laughed loudly.

Looking closely, Silverwood and the others were also surprised but started to laugh after hearing Lloyd's laughter.

"Lord Lloyd is right. The princess has indeed given birth to an extraordinary child."

"That's true. My daughter has always been a topic of conversation. Whether it's a good thing is a different matter, though."

"By the way, Chris! You said I have the characteristics of an elf. Does that mean elves have magic stones?"

"Yes, of course I have a magic stone inside me. It's natural for different races to have magic stones."

The shock was so great that Ein couldn't close his mouth.

He had some knowledge about different races, but he didn't know they had magic stones inside them.

"Um... but if you absorb a magic stone, you'll die, right?"

"Different races and monsters have different properties. You see, different races and monsters have two important organs in their bodies."

One is the magic stone.

It contains magic power and the life force of the magic stone itself.

It's highly pure and usually doesn't come out.

This highly pure magic power is gradually distributed throughout the body.

The other is the core, which is like a human's heart.

It circulates blood and nutrients throughout the body.

Instead of a heart, the core serves this function.

These two organs are not always in the same position, but they have one thing in common.

If the magic stone is destroyed, the core dies, but if the core is destroyed, the magic stone can continue to live for years.

This is why many magic stones are sold at market stalls.

"In other words, as long as the life force of the magic stone is not completely drained, you won't die. In Lord Ein's case, there must be conditions for absorbing the life force of the magic stone. From what I understand, you can't absorb the life force of living monsters or different races."

"Then, if the magic stone is removed from the body, can Ein absorb it?"

Silverwood said this.

"The magic stone of the Bigbee met those conditions."

"I see. Indeed, growth is possible, but even if you absorb the highly pure magic power from Lord Chris's magic stone, it might not be enough. After all, the life force of the magic stone is the main source of nutrition."

Lloyd was talking about the growth value when absorbing.

When a monster absorbs another monster's magic stone, the most significant growth comes from the life force of the magic stone, not its magic power.

Therefore, even if you absorb the highly pure magic power from a powerful monster like Chris, it might not be enough.

"The growth from the Bigbee's magic stone was not recognized. This is probably because you have absorbed a large amount of Bigbee's magic stones before. It might have been at the Roundheart residence, or perhaps from the furnace on the water train today."

The furnace on the water train was filled with a large number of magic stones, so it was like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"Your Majesty, this story is becoming more and more credible... or rather, it's almost certain."

"I think so too. I would like to see Ein grow by absorbing magic stones."

"By the way, Chris. You said the absorption is a racial skill... why do I have it? My parents are ordinary humans, right?"

The absorption that Ein has is not a human skill but a racial skill, as Chris explained.

However, he didn't explain why Ein has it or what race it belongs to.

"Yes, I should have explained that. The princess is a Dryad..."

"Hey, Ein, let's go eat some high-quality magic stones? Your father wants to see you get stronger, you know?"

Chris was about to explain, but Olivia suggested they go eat magic stones.

Silverwood had a look of exasperation, but he seemed to be interested and decided to go along with the suggestion.

*

"Your Majesty, what do you think of the princess and Lord Ein?"

"Ein is like Olivia, intelligent, and mischievous."

"Haha, indeed. I was also teased a bit."

After Olivia suggested they go eat magic stones, they took a 10-minute break.

Ein was taken by Olivia to tour the audience chamber.

"Isn't it strange that you can't think of the advantages of toxin decomposition? While ordinary toxin decomposition has limited effects, it's an EX skill."

"Lord Ein is still a young child, Warren."

"Yes, he is a young child... but I have a few reasons to consider."

"Hmm. Continue, Warren."

Warren began to share his thoughts.

"Perhaps it's for the princess, to protect the position of his mother, who was the legitimate wife. The Roundheart family, with their flowery minds, couldn't understand Ein's greatness. The second child was born as a holy knight, and the father's attention shifted to the second child."

"Ein is a kind child who loves Olivia... it's not impossible."

"Yes. Perhaps unconsciously, he put off thinking about how to use his ability. To not fall behind his younger brother, he tried to make up for it with effort and gain recognition."

"Hmm... From the results, it seems to have been a poor strategy and a failure, doesn't it, Warren?"

"Giving up on thinking about how to use it and putting it off was a mistake. If he had thought about and found a way to use it, he would have been designated as the next head of the family without any problems... or perhaps, even in the Roundheart family, he might have still lost to his younger brother's holy knight."

For them, the Roundheart family already had the impression of being flowery-minded and weak.

"I see."

"Warren, you said there are several reasons. What is the other one?"

"The princess's strategy. While encouraging him to become a fine knight, she might have been guiding him to not focus on his ability."

"...It's Olivia, so it's not impossible. What do you think her intentions were?"

"If it was part of her strategy... then everything, including returning to Istarica, was planned?"

Silvwood and Lloyd considered this, but they couldn't deny it.

Olivia had always been good at planning and guiding people, as evidenced by the deal she brought from Euru.

"The princess's priorities, after Lord Ein was born, were Lord Ein, Istarica, the Roundheart family, and Heim. I think there were parts she was not satisfied with. But as she said, she wanted to bring Lord Ein to an environment where he could be happy."

This is just one perspective. However, it's natural for a child to try to meet the expectations and support of their parents... Warren concluded.

Even if there were other possibilities with toxin decomposition EX, if his mother, Olivia, encouraged him to become a fine knight, he would strive for that.

Warren said that Ein was a straightforward and kind child.

*

"H-Highness, I have brought it... phew, it was heavy."

We moved back to the conference room.

Mother said she would treat me to magic stones.

The conference room is quite convenient.

"Olivia, this is... from your room?"

"Highness! I wondered what you would command Martha... to prepare a Dullahan's magic stone and give it to Lord Ein!?"

"Quiet, Chris. Be quiet. Here, Ein, Mother will treat you to this."

What, a Dullahan? It's so impressive that I can't say anything.

It smells like coffee and seems bitter.

The Dullahan's magic stone is black, with a blue aura-like presence inside.

It's about 30 cm in diameter, a bit larger than usual.

"A Dullahan's magic stone, which is extinct, Olivia! Such a valuable national treasure!"

"I didn't think you would bring a Dullahan's magic stone, Highness."

"Ku ku ku... Since the princess returned, everything has been so exciting, Your Majesty."

"I can't hear you. Ein, Mother loved Dullahans. Don't you think they're cool? So strong and cool in their black armor. Come here."

"Okay, I'm coming!"

I don't know what the others are saying.

It seems impressive and interesting.

And I just found out Mother is a Dullahan fan.

She must have forced herself to keep it in her room.

"Here, this was Mother's precious treasure. Go ahead, you can absorb it."

Mother says it with a smile.

Let me enjoy it.

I'll treat it as a precious gift from Mother.

I reach out to the magic stone.

"Oh, oh... it's being absorbed. A national treasure is... being absorbed..."

"Bitter...?"

As expected, it's bitter.

I don't know if there's coffee in Istarica, but if I had to describe it, it's like coffee.

It's like a strong, bitter espresso without milk or sugar.

The acidity is not strong, but it's just right.

Even though I'm not drinking it, the texture is rich and heavy.

It's not spicy, but I can feel a unique aroma.

This bitterness would go well with a cheese cake.

"Hmm, hmm. It's being absorbed, Warren."

"Good absorption. I look forward to the future."

The adults are getting sentimental, but I continue to absorb.

It's gradually transforming into a large glass bead.

"Enough... now, Ein, you must absorb it completely! It would be a waste to leave any behind!"

Your Majesty is so surprised that he's saying strange things.

Don't worry, I won't leave any.

I won't give it to you.

"Ein, are you done? What did it taste like? You looked so delighted."

"It's done, Highness. I didn't think you could take the head in your hand like a Dullahan. If I have to say, my body feels full..."

"That's wonderful, Ein... Now, show Mother everything."

It sounds a bit inappropriate, but it's just the status card.

Thank you, Mother.

"Absorbing a Dullahan's magic stone... even monsters have never done such a thing... Truly, the princess is something else."

"Indeed, it's exciting, Your Majesty! ...Your Majesty?"

"Yes, it is... I've decided to look forward to it, I've given up."

Chris and Your Majesty are half-exasperated, but they seem to be looking forward to it.

Lord Lloyd, on the other hand, has been