Chapter 79

Thank you for accessing today as well.

The relaxed time before dinner. During that time, the two of them talked about the day's events.

— Things got complicated during the day. But if asked if I regret it, I haven't thought about it at all.

The situation is just troublesome, and the words "I want to settle this" have been a frequent thought since returning from Euru.

After that, the healing came from being congratulated by Krohne on being the top student. After being congratulated, I decided to tell Krohne about what happened during the day.

"…I'm starting to think it's kind of creepy…"

"It's already a stalker, isn't it?"

As for Krohne, the assistant, basically all the information Aine obtained can be shared with her. So, even though it's a bit difficult to say, I decided to tell Krohne about the matter from Heim.

Krohne basically doesn't say anything close to bad words about people. The fact that even she said it was creepy shows that she is also approaching her limit.

"Is she incredibly optimistic…? Or is she just ignoring the bad things on purpose?"

"Maybe both?"

"I see… sigh. I can really understand the hardships of my mother."

Krohne's mother worked within Heim Castle, so she had a lot of interactions with the royal family. Therefore, Krohne could quickly understand her mother's hardships.

…In Aine's room, Krohne looked exasperated. She had been thinking the atmosphere in the castle was bad since morning, but she never imagined it would come to this.

"Maybe we should invite Krohne's parents to Ishtarka?"

This has been discussed before. Krohne and Graf went to Ishtarka first, but since their lives have stabilized, it has been discussed a few times whether to bring the whole family.

But currently, that would be difficult.

"To try to hide… I think that's impossible now. If we really do it, we might have to forcibly take them away at the meeting."

"Hmm… as a last resort."

It's just a way of starting a fight. …But since Heim started the fight, thinking about it, it doesn't seem so bad.

"But are they really that aggressive…? I thought they would be a bit more reasonable."

"Hmm? Like Prince Tigris?"

"Yes, that's right. Even with his face all red, I didn't think he would go this far."

When Aine was in Heim, he had no dealings with the Heim royal family. It was only after coming to Ishtarka that he met Prince Tigris by a strange twist of fate.

Therefore, Aine can only believe Krohne's words, but he seems to feel a bit of discomfort.

"To put it bluntly, the Heim royal family was acting like a dominant power on that continent and was satisfied with that."

"Indeed, they seem to be doing as they please over there."

Recalling Tigris' incident in Euru, it's the same. He barged into other people's meetings without permission, acting very freely.

"But there was no sense of when to back off. They didn't need to get involved in distant Ishtarka."

"Hmm… but when I met Prince Tigris, I thought he really likes Krohne."

Krohne flew all the way to Euru just for her. He invested a lot of money to do so, and the reason was for Krohne. Thinking about that, his love for Krohne is clear.

"Even though it's been years since he last saw her? …Isn't he idealizing the memories too much?"

Sighing, Krohne twirled the ends of her hair. It was a rare gesture, but it strongly expressed her annoyance.

But even if it's about idealizing memories, she has grown more beautiful than Tigris could have idealized.

"Every time I say this, the parties were always full of such people."

"That's true. I didn't have many opportunities to go to such events, so I'm glad I didn't have to."

"Yes. Thinking about it, maybe I should be grateful for the treatment at the August residence, which led to meeting Aine?"

Krohne's expression was complicated. In her values, it was quite difficult. It was a fateful meeting for her, but considering what Aine went through, it was unforgivable.

Therefore, it became a bit of a dilemma for Krohne.

"In the end, it was probably for the best. I'm happy here in Ishtarka, and if Krohne is enjoying herself here, that's all I need."

"…Yes, if so, that's good."

Changing the subject, Aine sipped the tea she prepared and relaxed.

"I'll be careful about what you're thinking too."

"Yes… but, Aine, when you hear 'rampage,' do you have any idea?"

"Rampage?"

"Yes, that's right. Rampage."

Krohne described Heim's actions as a "rampage." The meaning of this word is deeply related to what Aine is investigating.

"Among the things I've been involved with recently, it would be the Demon King or the Red Fox."

"Correct. Good job, Aine."

"Hmm… not much, but I feel a sense of accomplishment."

It's not much, but he tried to show a face filled with a sense of achievement. Seeing Aine's happy face, Krohne chuckled.

"Don't worry too much. It's just a stretch."

"Even if it's a stretch, as someone who is investigating, I feel a sense of crisis."

"True? Then be cautious. Right now, it's just a stretch, but in terms of possibility, it's not zero."

"…I will. Thanks, Krohne."

The Red Fox issue is so troublesome that it makes Aine and the others feel like they're dealing with a "final boss." Because anything can happen, they can't let their guard down mentally.

"But if we compare them as someone to be elevated… it does seem inferior. Would the Red Fox even choose the Heim royal family…?"

"The Demon King and the Heim royal family. Yes, it's a wrong choice as a target to use. The gap is too big."

Even though they are both "kings," the difference is too great. It's hard to imagine the Red Fox making such a mistake, but for now, they are laughing at this joke together.

*

"…It's really starting to feel creepy…"

A line that could be called déjà vu. Olivia said such a line.

Aine, who had finished dinner and a bath, went to Olivia's room and enjoyed the evening with her.

Olivia, like Aine, had just finished her bath. Her beautiful body was visible through the lace negligee.

A memory that was already fading, but Aine, who has a past life, couldn't see her as a "pure mother," which made him unsure where to look.

"Yes, that's true…"

—He had thought about it for a long time, but it was probably due to the influence of reincarnation. Living a new life as "Aine." Because of this, there were times when he was mentally immature or lacked composure.

Even so, he couldn't see Olivia as a pure mother. This made him want to complain to the goddess of reincarnation.

But actually, the way Aine was born… it was a kind of split birth, which influenced him, but he didn't know this.

"Krohne said the same thing."

"Oh, oh… We've been together for so long, our personalities have become similar."

Was it Olivia who became like Krohne, or the other way around? Aine thought Krohne was influenced by Olivia. Krohne was a big Olivia fan even when they were in Heim, so it wasn't strange.

"As a mother, I really… how should I put it?"

"Aine? You don't have to worry. …What do you really think about Heim?"

Aine nodded honestly. He wanted to hear what Olivia really thought about Heim.

"…Yes. I do think about the August family."

"I feel the same. I want to live together with Krohne."

"Yes, I feel the same. But to put it simply, I'm not very interested. That's my honest feeling."

Tilting her head, Olivia said this. Aine asked about the true meaning of "not being interested."

"Specifically, not being interested means… for example, in Heim. Even if a major epidemic or disaster occurs… I no longer have any interest in it."

Some might think Olivia's words are cold. She was a beautiful woman, known as a saint in various places, full of compassion.

But for the current her, the people to love are the citizens of Ishtarka, not the people of Heim.

"Then, for example, if I… had a big conflict with the Roundheart family…"

"It's fine. But don't do it half-heartedly."

"I see…"

Final confirmation part 2. It seems the Roundheart family is not a problem.

In short, the current concern is the August family living in Heim. If possible, he wants to bring them to Ishtarka quickly.

"But bringing Krohne's parents here is difficult from a mental perspective."

"…Yes. I don't know how much they are attached to Heim. So, like Graf, it might be difficult to make a quick decision."

Graf was not without loyalty to Heim, but in his priorities, family… and Krohne were the most important. This influenced his decision to aim for Ishtarka.

Now, Graf travels to various places on the continent for business. According to Krohne, he is enjoying life in Ishtarka.

"Even if a third party thinks it's for the best, it can sometimes be a burden. So we need to consider it carefully."

"Forceful measures are truly a last resort."

Olivia nodded with a smile. "Yes, that's right," she said quietly, elegantly bringing the teacup to her lips. Aine realized how refined Olivia's movements were.

"By the way, Mother… I mean, you too. Do you feel frustrated?"

"Frustrated…?"

"To put it bluntly, the attitude from Heim so far. It's not wrong to feel disrespected."

Olivia thought about it for a moment, took another sip of tea, and then spoke after a pause.

"But, it's self-inflicted, isn't it? The trigger was created by Ishtarka."

"…Yes."

Hearing Aine's response, Olivia continued.

"Right? In terms of military power, assets, and culture, Ishtarka is not inferior in any way. But to be treated with such disrespect by Heim. But that's the seed we sowed ourselves."

Aine listened intently to Olivia's opinion, which he had never heard before.

"Tracing back, it goes all the way to the first emperor. But ultimately, the people living now… the royal family and the citizens, need to think anew."

"It's… difficult. Especially this issue…"

"Yes… it's really difficult. But the seeds we sowed. If we forget about them and only complain to the other side, we might be undermined. So I think we should think about it a bit more."

"Yes… I hope this incident can be a trigger for something…."

Aine's words about wanting to settle things, said in the morning, could be a trigger.

Not an extremist, but Olivia, who supported reform, thought the country's future required some changes to the system.

"No matter how much we think, we won't know the results until they come. It could be a big failure or a foolish policy, or it could be a foolish policy for not acting. …But thinking about it, I have something more important."

"Something else?"

Looking puzzled, Olivia stood up and approached Aine. Then, from behind the sofa, she hugged Aine and whispered softly.

"I respect Aine's thoughts more than anything and anyone. So don't worry, do what you want."

Olivia's words and actions made Aine feel more reassured than excited.

The soft pressure of Olivia's ample chest on his back. Her calm heartbeat reached Aine's body, gradually calming his heart without arousing any base desires.

"…But, what I said earlier about our responsibility… that's a secret, okay? I don't want to get scolded by Father."

—Her playful side was part of her charm.

'That person really missed out.' Being with Olivia, Aine often thought this.

*

The castle was enveloped in an uneasy atmosphere from morning. But there was a woman who didn't know about it at all.

That was the first princess of Ishtarka, Katima. She didn't even notice that her father, Silvardo, was angry.

She had been holed up in her laboratory for three days. The many walls set up to block Silvardo's aura had been effective.

Why three days? Because her research was starting to go well. This also made her lose the opportunity to go outside. Therefore, Chris occasionally brought her meals.

—While Aine was relaxing in Olivia's room, she was celebrating the success of her experiment.

"Experiment complete, nya!"

Her custom-made chair fell backward with a thud. After several days of experimentation, it finally bore fruit.

Saying it's a research result that can be achieved in a few days might not seem difficult. But considering the many verifications that preceded it, it was not an easy task.

"Anyway, the conditions for monsterization are clear, nya."

Katima nodded vigorously to herself. Over the past few days, she had conducted experiments on several hypotheses. She gathered a few weak monsters and experimented to find the conditions for their evolution.

Similar experiments had been conducted in the past. But this time, Katima delved deeper into the verification.

"Notes, notes… In other words, absorbing low-grade magic stones has no effect other than on status, nya! So, there's no monsterization, nya!"

Her experiment was as follows:

Artificially evolve a Big Bee. It evolves into a Giant Bee, a larger bee.

During this process, she gave it cheap magic stones, like Ripple Mimics. After the Giant Bee evolved, she continued to give it more cheap magic stones equivalent to Ripple Mimics.

Initially, the Giant Bee's status increased due to the collisions in the cage. But after a while, there was no change, and the thousands of magic stones given had no effect.

The Giant Bee could evolve into a King Bee, an even larger bee. But there were no signs of evolution at all.

"…Nya. Maybe I am competent, nya? Maybe I am smart, nya…? My brain is scary, nya…"

Looking at herself in the mirror, Katima praised herself. If Aine had been there, he would have silently punched her.

"Magic stone-eating mother complex. Hmm… Aine really has a good character, nya. …But as the supreme fur and brain owner, I will win, nya."

The experiment was over, and Katima felt relieved. She disposed of the Giant Bee with a magic device and headed for the sofa. Her body, which hadn't slept for a while, was at its limit.

"Anyway, it's fine, nya. I'll tell Aine later, nya… zzz…"

Katima landed on the sofa, moved around a bit to find the perfect spot, curled up, and drifted off to dreamland.

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