Chapter 70

Good evening. Thank you for accessing today as well.

When Ain and Chris were heading towards the monster arena, the royal family's special train had finally returned to the capital. Incidentally, the purpose of this trip on the royal family's special train was announced as an inspection of Katima's magic city, Ist.

"Let's go, nya."

Bara and Mei were given a room next to Katima's. Most of the time, except when sleeping, they gathered in the spacious living room between the rooms. The royal family's special train was equipped with luxurious and excellent facilities, far surpassing the inn in Ist where they had stayed until last night. This greatly impressed Bara.

"Katima-sama? Have we arrived at the capital?"

"Yes, nya. It was a long journey, wasn't it? Oh, by the way, leaving Ist...?"

"H-Hai! Not only leaving Ist, but it's actually my first time leaving the slums... I was surprised the whole way to the inn."

Seeing Katima laugh continuously, Dill, who was standing by her side, showed an indescribable expression. Katima's behavior didn't change even when dealing with Bara and the others.

"Hey, Katima-san! The capital is so big! What's the castle like!?"

"The inn we stayed at until last night would have to be gathered hundreds of times to match its size, nya. Look, Mei, have you finished your preparations for departure, nya?"

"Of course! I don't even have any luggage! I'm going empty-handed!"

"Indeed, nya!"

Their laughter echoed through the train.

Katima and Mei seemed to get along well, and they often laughed together during the trip. For Dill, it was refreshing to see Katima taking care of such a small child.

"...I used to take care of Olivia like this, nya. So don't make that face, nya!"

"S-Sorry!"

Perceptive Katima could see through Dill's thoughts. Dill, who was easily seen through, couldn't help but show an awkward expression.

"Really... Well, nya. Dill, are you ready, nya?"

"Of course. I'm ready to go as soon as you say, Katima-sama."

"Good, good. Let's go, nya!"

"Ooh!"

"H-Hai!"

Mei's loud response was followed by her sister Bara. After that, they would get off the train and head to the carriage stop, then proceed to the castle. In contrast to Mei's excited attitude, Bara was tense and uneasy.

*

"It's big, Onee-chan!"

"I don't even know what's going on..."

"Hmm~"

Mei, enjoying the view from the window. Next to her, Bara, who was increasingly confused by the situation. In front of them, Katima was humming a tune, and Dill was sitting silently.

What Mei was enjoying was the approaching castle of Ishtalica...the White King. She was amazed at the sheer size of the building, feeling as if she had traveled to a different world.

Bara, who was next to her, tried to look at the scene when poked by Mei, but she couldn't be as genuinely happy as Mei. After all, being shown such a different world, she couldn't tell what was real... She couldn't shake off the feeling that she might still be dreaming.

"Katima-sama, we are passing through the gate."

"I know, nya. ...Well, both of you, you will meet a few people. I want you to show Bara's abilities at that time. Are you feeling well, nya?"

Warren and the scholars in the castle, and in some cases, even King Silvardo of Ishtalica. The matter was serious. After all, as a valuable healer, her worth was immeasurable.

"I feel better than ever. I've had so much delicious food... I have no complaints about that."

"Mei, too!"

"That's great, nya. Mei is a good girl, nya! I'll give you some sweets later, so wait a bit, nya!"

"Really!?"

Surprisingly, Katima was very kind to small children. She was even sweeter than the sweets she was about to give. And Mei, who was attached to her, seemed to be nothing more than a cute creature to Katima.

"By the time we get there, nya. Well... Dill, I'm counting on you, nya."

"Hai!"

The carriage arrived at the gate, where it stopped in front of the large door of the castle. Dill got off first to escort Katima and the others.

"Please, Katima-sama."

"Okay!"

Dill helped Katima get off, even though she always said she could do it herself. It was a matter of etiquette, so she couldn't really complain. Next, he helped Bara, and finally, he lifted Mei down.

"Please treat me like a lady!" some noble girls might say, but Mei was genuinely happy about it.

"Thank you!"

Seeing her smile, Dill couldn't help but relax. But he was still on duty, so he tried to be as strict and dignified as a royal guard.

Mei, holding hands with Bara, was still smiling.

As the three got off, those who had been watching their arrival approached Katima.

"Welcome back, Katima-sama. How was the inspection this time?"

"Back, nya. Thanks to Ain, it was a fruitful inspection, nya. I'll report to Father later, so Warren, please listen to it, nya."

"Hehe. That's great. Well... immediately, these two are?"

Warren and a few of his direct subordinates greeted Katima. Warren had come down to welcome her and the important guests she had brought.

"That's right, nya. Both of you, this is Warren, the prime minister, nya! Please introduce yourselves, nya."

"Prime minister? What's that?" Mei asked, while Bara, who had some knowledge, became even more tense.

"Ba, Bara, I am! I was just a town doctor... My younger sister Mei was helped by the Crown Prince... That..."

She didn't know how to use proper honorifics or what etiquette to follow. After all, she had never left the slums until recently, and dealing with the country's dignitaries, who were like figures in the clouds, was something she had never even considered.

"Thank you for your courtesy. I am Warren Lark, the current prime minister of the unified nation of Ishtalica. I have heard a little about you, Bara. You must have worked hard for a long time. I apologize for making you come all the way from such a distant place."

Bara's worries were quickly dispelled. Was it because he was concerned about her? Or was it just a polite gesture? She couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes at such kind words.

"Well, who is this young lady?"

Warren bent down to be at eye level with Mei and prompted her to introduce herself.

"I'm Mei! Nice to meet you!"

She had been educated during the trip to avoid rudeness. She used polite language and greeted new people properly. It was basic, but better than nothing, as Bara had instructed her.

"Nice to meet you, Mei. You must be tired from the long train ride?"

"No! It wasn't cold, and the floor wasn't hard, so I'm fine!"

"Mei! ...I'm sorry, Prime Minister..."

To Mei, the most important thing was that there was no draft and the floor was soft. It was a completely different space from what she was used to.

To prevent children like Mei from experiencing such conditions, Ishtalica had implemented many policies. But in such a vast country, it was difficult to achieve the desired results.

Warren showed a pained expression for a moment, but then he resumed his kind demeanor and started talking to Mei.

"That's good. Have you had lunch yet?"

"Not yet...!"

Remembering Bara's scolding, Mei added the polite language. She tried to correct herself, but it only made her seem more adorable. Her effort was clearly conveyed to Warren.

"Then let's prepare lunch first. What about you, Katima-sama?"

"Sure, nya. Just prepare a room and I'll eat there, nya. Dill will come with me, nya."

"Hai!"

Warren indirectly asked if Katima would eat with Bara and the others. His and Katima's consideration was that, being brought to such a different world, it would be better to have familiar faces around.

"Please, this way. First, let's have a meal and rest... I hope you can recover from the long journey."

*

"Indeed, I have received it."

He had said he could deliver the documents by tomorrow, but true to his word, they were delivered quickly. It was just after they had slept and had breakfast, when Chris and Ain were discussing what to do today, that the inn staff brought the documents to their room.

They were sealed tightly, wrapped in a way that resembled the letters used by nobles.

"You work fast."

Chris took the documents and returned to Ain's side. She was dressed casually today, wearing a white, slim shirt and skinny jeans.

Even in simple clothes, Chris's good figure was evident.

"Yes. To gather information in less than a day, he is always impressive."

"You might even make dust bunnies with the dust you kicked up."

"...Ain-sama. Such dirty things..."

"I know, I was just joking. Let's look at the information he gathered, then."

In response to Ain's words, Chris opened the seal on the documents. The string came undone with a smooth snap.

"Did you use magic?"

"Just circulated air around my nails."

"That's convenient."

Chris, feeling a bit better, smiled and handed the documents to Ain.

"Hehe... Here you go, Ain-sama."

"Thanks. I'm excited to see what's written here."

The cause was my fault. It might have been an act of God, but it was a fact that the wyvern stopped moving because of me. However, from what I heard next, it was clear that the person was suspicious in both senses of the word.

Thinking about his body odor made me feel sick, but seeing Chris in her casual clothes made me feel more at ease.

"...?"

Noticing Ain's gaze, Chris tilted her head, asking what was wrong. Ain shook his head, saying it was nothing.

"Let's see..."

Indeed. Ain read the first line and understood. Or rather, what was written from the first line was too ominous.

'List of victims of forced sexual acts.' This is not good. The fact that it was made legal by paying a large sum of money made it even worse.

Criminals exist everywhere. This was true in Ishtalica as well, but seeing it firsthand was disheartening.

"...Are you okay?"

A worried face peered over from the side. Chris, who noticed Ain's uncomfortable expression as he read the documents, asked out of concern.

"It's just dusty. Look, Chris, you should see it too."

"Okay. Excuse me."

—...So that's how it is.

I didn't expect her to get so close and peek from the side. She must have just taken a shower, as the scent of shampoo wafted from her long hair. In her pants, her thighs were close enough to touch, creating a somewhat sensual atmosphere. In a word, it was stimulating.

"Maybe I should have cut it down."

"Well, no new victims have been reported in the last couple of days, so it's fine. In fact, it's better that we investigated first... But this, it's a sure conviction."

"There's no point in fighting for such a person. What will you do?"

If I had cut off his head yesterday, it probably wouldn't have been a big problem. But investigating thoroughly would be more effective.

"Look at this."

"You mean the kraken that pig keeps?"

"...Yeah, that's right."

Being called a 'pig' so casually made Ain's heart skip a beat. He wasn't a masochist, but when a woman like Chris said it so casually, he couldn't help but look at her face.

"Eh, eh... Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I'm not awake or anything?"

"Awake...?"

I couldn't say what I was waking up to, even if my mouth was torn apart. I prayed in my heart, 'Please don't mention it.'

"A gangster posing as the lord of the river, they say."

"...A kraken, but the lord of the river?"

"He seems to have fallen from grace, but it's not very impressive."

In summary, he's like a frog in a well. He seems to do as he pleases in his domain.

Destroying the boats owned by the citizens, eating the fish caught by fishing... He's big enough to eat smaller monsters in the vicinity as well. The report says he does as he pleases.

I feel sorry for him, influenced by his owner. He's causing damage because he hasn't been taught that it's wrong.

"To be honest, I thought it was sad that he was allowed to do as he pleased by his owner. But if he's causing damage to the citizens, the situation changes."

"That's also illegal. Those who keep monsters are obligated to compensate for the damage caused by their monsters. I doubt that pig has done that."

"Indeed."

While talking with Chris, Ain read through the compiled documents. An interesting piece of information caught his eye.

"...This, I didn't know. If I had found out on the day of the duel, I would have been surprised and... damn!"

Today, she also read the documents, following his lead.

"Indeed... Perhaps the catchphrase should be, 'I never said the duel would be one-on-one!'"

"It sounds exactly right. Shall we bet on whether I'll say it on the day of the duel?"

"Then I'll bet on saying it."

"I'm on the same side, though."

"...The bet won't work, then."

The pig owned two krakens of the same species. He probably planned to bring one monster and make it a two-on-one fight, a typical underhanded tactic.

Or perhaps he likes squid?

"But this kind of thing is more exciting to find out on the day of the duel. Knowing it now doesn't make it exciting..."

Feeling a mysterious sense of disappointment, he read the next page.

"Wow, this is crazy. Embezzlement and padding the numbers, he's doing it all."

Hearing Ain's voice, Chris also peeked at the document from the side. Being so close made Ain's heart race.

"Sometimes you encounter people like this, but this one is quite deep-rooted."

"It can't be eliminated, no matter what. This kind of problem."

Telling people to stop committing crimes doesn't make them stop. The same goes for eliminating misconduct. It's obvious, but it's still disappointing.

"But thanks to this, there's no need for a trial, and it can be executed on the spot. It's good for the treasury."

"Indeed. It's more than enough for a conviction."

"Yes. And his mansion is probably under surveillance, so it's almost impossible for him to escape."

"Of course. ...Then, let's think about the date of the duel. But I feel a bit relieved."

Relieved? Chris was puzzled, but Ain quickly explained.

"I was thinking about which one, El or Al, to have fight. If it's two-on-two, it might be just right."

"...It will probably be quite a mess."

"Mess?"

"Yes. You'll likely see why sea dragons are the strongest in underwater battles."

At first, he thought about having the twins fight. He didn't want them to get hurt or put in danger.

But now he felt relieved that there was no need to worry.

"Actually, one-on-one would have given the kraken a better chance than two-on-two."

It's not that the young sea dragons are weak. The reason sea dragons are called the kings of underwater monsters... Ain would see that reason on the day of the duel.

"By the way, Chris. You have one button on your shirt wrong."

"...U, uh... You should have said something earlier..."

Ain thought, 'Sometimes I could see a bit of her undergarments, and it was hard to say something.' He had restrained himself from peeking and wanted to be appreciated for it.