Chapter 21

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"Alright... I can do it!"

"What's the matter, Lady Ein?"

On a sunny day, Ein was in the courtyard of the Ishatarica royal castle, "White Knight." Chris, who saw Ein nodding, approached and spoke.

Not only Ein, but also the first princess, Katima, was there.

"Meow? What's the matter, Chris?"

"I heard that Lady Katima and Lady Ein were doing something in the courtyard, so I came to check."

"Hehehe, meow. After eight months of hard work, our joint research with Ein has finally borne fruit, meow. Give us a round of applause, meow."

Chris, who had no idea what she was talking about, had no choice but to follow the first princess's command and clapped.

--- It had been nine months since Ein came to Ishatarica.

Ein, who had good potential, learned to control the unconscious activation of absorption within three months.

After that, Chris and Lloyd took turns training Ein.

The training mainly focused on basic skills, such as building physical strength, practicing swings, and lessons on magic.

Ein had just turned six and was about to turn seven in half a year.

During this time, Ein and Katima got along well and were often seen together.

Even when Olivia returned from her marriage, Katima was often seen in the laboratory, which she generally did not allow others to enter.

This surprised the servants, knights, and even Chris, as Ein was the only one allowed to enter.

"Alright, let's start the experiment, stray cat... Lady Katima."

"Aye, let's do it, meow. Chris, please step back, meow. It's dangerous, meow... and Ein, did you call me a stray cat, meow?"

"It's just my imagination."

"Dangerous?... Oh, I see. I'll move."

"Here, I'm taking out everyone's favorite Ripul Modoki (living), meow. Come on, Ein! Do it, meow!"

"...Let's go!!"

Katima took out a living Ripul Modoki from a box beside her.

The Ripul Modoki is a monster that attracts and eats insects with its smell. It can be easily defeated with a stick.

"A-Ain, my lord!?"

What Ein released with a burst of energy was a single black tentacle extending from his palm. At the end of it were three finger-like appendages with sharp claws.

The tentacle pierced the Ripul Modoki, and a glowing bubble-like substance flowed from the arm.

"My lord, what is that!?"

"I did it, Lady Katima... It's a success! Finally, our research has borne fruit!! I can even taste it! This is amazing! ...And this Ripul Modoki is a good one; it has a strong honey scent and is ripe!"

Ein understood several things from the experiments over the past few months.

Even among the same type of monster, the taste of the magic stones varied.

Just like crops, they had different flavors.

Another thing he learned was about the empty magic stones after absorption.

While they still tasted the same, the quality was noticeably lower compared to when the magic stone's life force was being absorbed.

Empty magic stones became fragile and had a property of melting like rock sugar, so Ein powdered them and dissolved them in water to drink.

He was also researching the consumption of magic stones from monsters like Dullahan and Ripul Modoki, as well as other types of magic stones.

"We did it, meow!! We finally did it, meow!"

The two seemed to be in their own world and did not react to Chris's voice.

"My... My lord! Please listen to me!"

"...Ah, sorry, Chris. What's the matter?"

"What's the matter? What was that ominous thing just now!?"

"Thank you for listening, Chris, meow."

"Yes, thank you for listening."

"What are you two up to?"

Chris felt a slight fear seeing the two getting along so well.

"This is mine and..."

"My masterpiece, meow! Its name is..."

"Dark Straw ver. 1 (meow)!"

---

A few days after Ein was announced as the crown prince, news about Olivia was released.

She had married into the Haim family but was now divorced.

The reason for the divorce was not disclosed, but it was announced that she had returned to Ishatarica due to the divorce.

Her name reverted to Olivia von Ishatarica.

Olivia, who was popular in Ishatarica, received cheers for her return.

Many people also asked why she was divorced and why she had to marry into the Haim family in the first place.

During these few days, there was quite a stir among the nobles in the capital.

Not only was Olivia's return a big event, but she also brought a boy back with her.

Issues such as the succession to the throne and his future were discussed.

There were many opinions, including whether the Roundheart family would interfere in the future or if it would be a problem even if they did, as Haim was just a small country.

Amidst this, the announcement of Ein's succession to the throne and his appointment as the crown prince.

There was some opposition to this.

While the issue with the Roundheart family was one reason, some nobles in Ishatarica did not approve of mixing blood from a remote area like Haim.

However, the Prime Minister Warren, Marshal Lloyd, and Deputy Commander Chris of the Royal Guard, who had high influence in the capital, supported Ein.

The nobles who had been taken care of by Warren and Lloyd also supported Ein.

While some were still observing the situation, they were not negative towards Ein.

Among the knights and servants serving in the castle, Ein was known for being honest and well-mannered, and his reputation was not bad.

Therefore, at the moment, there were no major issues among the Ishatarica royal family and the influential nobles in the capital.

---

"Hahaha! The Dark Straw!"

Lloyd's laughter echoed in the conference room.

He had heard about the commotion in the courtyard and had Chris report it.

"The legendary Dark Knight of the Dullahan... The skill used to create this is a straw... This is quite something, hehehe."

Warren, who was nearby, also chuckled.

They never expected that the first technique created using the Dark Knight's skill would be called a straw.

"This is not a laughing matter... I was worried about what you two would do next, and Lady Katima, you should at least give a warning next time, meow?"

"Meow?"

Katima, who came to report with Chris, was in a good mood, munching on a sweet treat she had received.

"I... I didn't hear that..."

"Well, it's not a big incident, so it's fine, Chris. What do you think, Warren?"

"That's true. As a precaution, can you explain the principle, Lady Katima?"

"Mmm! Thank you for listening, Warren! After eight months of hard work, I'll explain the Dark Straw ver. 1, meow."

Chris was thinking.

If it's ver. 1, it means there's a possibility of improvements... and the thought of a next-generation version made him a bit uneasy.

"The Dark Knight's skill is the Illusory Hand, a third arm made of magical power. It can become as strong as the user desires, and it's a basic skill of the Dark Knight, which can also be considered a main skill, meow."

"I've heard of it, but I've never seen it with my own eyes."

"Lloyd, it was impossible to see it with the naked eye."

"Indeed, that's true."

The Dark Knight's skill can perform many techniques.

One of them, the "Illusory Hand," creates a black third arm.

The strength, durability, and length of the arm can be adjusted by the user, making it incredibly powerful depending on how it's used.

"Combined with the Dryad's absorption, the concept of the Dark Straw was born, meow!"

She crossed her arms and stood up, looking down.

Although she was short, she couldn't actually look down.

"The specially designed claws enhance the piercing power and the transmission of magical power, meow. It can pierce through, meow."

"Hmm. Lady Katima, if it can pierce through, why is it called a straw, meow?"

"Good question, meow! Lloyd is a good boy, meow. I'll give you some homemade nutrients later, meow."

"That's very kind of you."

The excellent researcher, Katima.

The nutrients she made and gave out were highly effective.

Even Marshal Lloyd found them very useful.

However, the ingredients were kept secret, which made them a bit scary.

"The specially designed claws allow the absorption of magical power from the magic stone, meow. But that's not all... The Dark Straw can absorb the life force of the magic stone without removing it from the body, making it a groundbreaking invention, meow!"

Chris held his head.

What kind of dangerous thing have they invented?

"Lady Katima... That's quite powerful."

"But there's still room for improvement, meow. The consumption of magic power and concentration is too high for Ein, and it can be peeled off if the opponent is strong enough, meow."

Despite the weaknesses, it was still a terrifying ability.

Even while sleeping, it could absorb a significant amount of life force from the magic stone.

"Oh! I've got an inspiration, meow! I'll be going now, meow~"

Saying this, Katima left like a storm.

After bombarding them with information, she probably went back to her laboratory to improve the invention.

"Hmm... Those two are really something. They're a mix of Lady Olivia and Lady Katima."

"Hahaha! Indeed, Lord Ein is growing up well."

"Lady Katima probably understands the risks to some extent, so it's fine to receive reports occasionally."

"Understood. And... Is there something you want to discuss, Warren?"

Warren, who called Chris for the report, also had something to tell him.

"--- A report from our informant in Haim. The Roundheart family has been dissolved."

"That's good news."

"There's more, Warren?"

Indeed, this was not the first time Lloyd was hearing this, as he prompted for more.

"You're sharp, Lloyd... Yes, there is. The territory of Roundheart, which had the port town of Roundheart, is now under the management of the Haim royal family, but the name remains the same, Port Town Roundheart."

"I see. What's next?"

"--- Lord Logus has been ennobled for bringing a child with a Holy Knight to Haim. He requested the name Roundheart, and his title is now Baron."

What Warren said was a frustratingly rigged outcome.

"Is... Is that true?"

"Warren, was land given to them?"

"It seems they received a fairly large mansion in the capital. The Haim royal family probably wanted to limit the punishment to this extent. The Roundheart family was one of the most prestigious in Haim."

"I can't accept that! How can this be?"

"Chris, we also can't accept it... but"

Chris couldn't accept it.

Especially since Olivia, whom he had taken care of for so long, had suffered so much.

"Demotion to Baron and the loss of territory... but they did receive a large mansion in the capital."

"As a punishment, it's not insignificant... but I understand the situation. The Haim royal family probably wanted to show that they would not start a war, and this is their way of saying, 'We'll forgive you to this extent.' After all, Haim is a kingdom on that continent, and they have a certain level of confidence."

"Still... The princess suffered, and it doesn't feel right. I don't like being taken for granted."

"Indeed, we are also considering... not revenge, but some form of retaliation."

Warren reassured Chris.