Chapter 90

The actual taste is close to chicken and not bad.

Ain and the others had only been stepping into the former Demon King's territory for a few minutes.

If there was a problem, it would have been caused by Ain alone.

However, from Lloyd and Dil's perspective, it was a more acceptable outcome than if Ain had gone on a rampage.

They were preparing a place to stay, but they couldn't bring themselves to use the remaining ruins, and entering the opened Demon King's castle was out of the question.

Thus, the group set up many tents and installed the cooking equipment they had brought.

The extreme cold they had experienced on the way to the former Demon King's territory was somehow gone. Here, they were blessed with a spring-like climate, and everyone had already taken off the cold-weather gear they had been wearing.

It felt as if they were leisurely preparing for a camp in the spring weather.

When the Demon King's castle opened, everyone was on high alert.

But that only lasted a few minutes.

As nothing happened, Lloyd was the first to lower his guard.

He still felt as if they were being watched, but with no change in the situation, he finally ordered the camp to be set up.

After that, nothing seemed to be happening, so they ended up preparing in the pleasant spring weather.

"Sir Lloyd! Can I start the fire now?"

"Yeah! Go ahead! We need to eat the meat to prepare for what's coming!"

A knight called out to Lloyd, who was near Ain.

He was in charge of preparing lunch and would immediately start cooking the Yatsume rabbits they had just caught.

If you went to a high-end restaurant, you could enjoy a dish that was a work of art and took a lot of effort to prepare.

Even a noble would surely be impressed. This was the meat of a monster.

But this time, such elaborate cooking was impossible.

...However, the knights, including Lloyd and Ain, preferred the freedom of a barbecue-style meal.

Therefore, this kind of cooking was more enjoyable for them.

"Master Ain. If you can bear it, why don't you absorb it now..."

"...No. I shouldn't say such demonic words. I've decided to eat this last after the rabbit meat."

"Ah, I see... I apologize."

Ain was fidgeting uncontrollably.

If he could bear it this much, Dill thought he might as well eat it now.

But this was Ain's way. This time, he had decided to endure until the end.

Normally, holding a magic stone with bare hands would be abnormal.

After all, the magic power emitted by the magic stone would have a negative effect on the human body and erode it.

This was a gesture only someone with Ain's characteristics could make.

The ruins enveloped in the spring weather.

There, the boy gripping the magic stone tightly... It seemed like a scene from a painting, but his mind was only on the "feast," which lacked a certain dignity.

"Can you hold this? Let's go!"

"Alright, set it up. Don't bend it!"

Here and there, knights could be seen working in tank tops.

They must have gotten hot from the work. But they still had their swords properly sheathed at their waists, showing that they hadn't forgotten the basics.

Incidentally, this expedition was composed entirely of males.

It wasn't that they had specifically chosen this, but when the groups were divided, it turned out to be a male-only party.

Perhaps because of this, they felt more free to act than usual.

If the angel Mei from the dining hall were here, she would have doted on them.

Incidentally, Bara did not accompany this investigation because it was determined that she could not yet handle the schedule.

They were concerned that she might be used as a disposable pawn.

"Still, there were such grand tents."

Using magic tools, the tents were made comfortable for living.

Made from magic stones, they had air conditioning and insulation functions to create a comfortable room for the user.

Several of these were set up, quickly transforming the scene into a grand one.

"The tent Master Ain will use is, of course, of a higher quality than ours, so please rest assured."

"...I don't mind sharing, though."

While everyone was working hard, he felt bad about receiving such special treatment.

But from the knights' and Dill's perspective, if Ain were treated the same, they would feel even more apologetic, so this was better for them.

Incidentally, the facilities in the tent Ain would use included air conditioning, a comfortable floor, blackout performance, and a bit of soundproofing.

Even in a tent, it was a better space than a commoner's.

"The cooking is done! Come and eat, those who have finished setting up!"

While this was happening, someone from the cooking team called out.

With the fire ready, the sound of meat being grilled could be heard.

The gradually spreading savory aroma and the happy sound of grilling meat further boosted morale, and the setup proceeded smoothly.

"Master Ain, let's eat, shall we?"

"Yeah, I'll take a little bit first, if you don't mind."

The Yatsume rabbit meat he had been looking forward to. Was it a luxury to have this for lunch? But for those who had walked a difficult path, this level of heat was more desirable.

Ain felt the same way, and his heart leaped at the thought of finally filling his empty stomach.

*

Clack, clack... The sound of leather shoes echoed through the wide corridor.

Suddenly, it stopped, then started again, clack, clack, reflecting her busy state.

"Ah, um... Lady Chris?"

"Ah!? Sir Marsa... Is something wrong?"

"It's... hard to say, but..."

Marshal Christina.

Called Chris by Ain and those close to her.

She possessed strength befitting her rank and rare beauty, and was popular among the female knights.

The woman making the busy footsteps in the castle corridor was her.

"I have a message from Lady Olivia."

Hearing this, Chris wondered if something had happened. Could it be an emergency for Ain!?

But the words Marsa spoke were completely unrelated.

"'The noise is too loud, so give the twins some food,' she said."

Chris's eyes lost their color, and her mouth opened in a sad expression.

She felt self-loathing at the fact that she had been a nuisance.

"Is that so? I apologize, Sir Marsa... Was I that loud...?"

Seeing her puppy-like expression, it was hard to tell her the truth.

But with Lady Olivia's words, it was difficult to gloss over it.

"...I think the sound was a bit loud."

Marsa was a considerate woman.

Chris understood this. Therefore, the words "a bit loud" were a great blow to Chris.

If Marsa said it was loud, it must have been "quite" loud.

Disappointed, Chris was handed a bucket by Marsa.

A bucket...? She wondered, but when she saw the contents, she understood.

"Um, this... Lady Olivia said to give this to you, Lady Chris."

"To cool my head, I see..."

The bucket was filled with a large amount of fish.

The fish, packed to the brim, were the twins' food.

The twins hunted on their own, so they didn't need much food in the castle.

Therefore, a bucket of a size that could be carried was sufficient.

"Thank you, Sir Marsa. I'll go outside..."

"Please be careful..."

Chris's back, walking dejectedly, looked somewhat worrying.

In the end, she seemed to have accepted it, but she probably wanted to go with Balt.

"Hmm. Maybe the rumors about the servants aren't entirely baseless, or something?"

The rumor was that Chris's priority had shifted from Olivia to Ain.

Not in a master-servant relationship, but perhaps because Chris was aware of Ain as a man.

As a result, the rumor was that Ain had become more important.

Seeing Chris's appearance just now, Marsa felt that the rumor had some truth to it.

—Walking somewhat dazedly, Chris headed outside the castle with the bucket in hand.

The temperature around the capital was still high, and it was a time when walking outside in short sleeves felt hot.

At the water's edge, the twins were swimming around happily, waiting for their food.

"Here you go, both of you. I've brought your food."

Sometimes Chris brought food, so the twins recognized her face and voice.

Hearing her voice, the twins eagerly showed their faces above the water.

"You've grown so much, both of you. You might not fit in this waterway soon..."

Feeling the growth of El and Al, Chris called out to them while scattering the fish on the water.

The twins eagerly bit into the fish as they were scattered.

The twins, who lived in this waterway, seemed to be getting more and more cramped.

Thinking about how they would continue to grow, it might not be long before they were seen in the castle.

"Will you grow as big as that sea dragon? Hmm, but you're still far from that, right?"

She recalled the sea dragon incident off the coast of the port town Magna.

Despite bringing a fleet, they were almost wiped out.

Thinking back, Chris remembered that she wanted to talk to Ain in her last moments.

Olivia and Katima were smart, but they did things that were free and hard to understand, causing worry.

Ain was such a boy, but Chris felt that those hectic days were like precious gems.

For Chris, the moment Ain came to help was still vividly remembered.

At first, she was impressed that he was Olivia's son, but then she was drawn to Ain as an individual.

"Will the twins pray that we can go on the next investigation together?"

"Qu? Quququ!"

"...Qu!"

Ain's words were somewhat understandable, but Chris's words were not.

However, they somehow understood that she looked sad.

The twins stopped eating for a moment and turned to Chris, moving their fins.

It was clear that they were trying to comfort her.

"Hehe... Thank you, both of you. I'm probably the first person to be comforted by a sea dragon, right?"

As a thank you for comforting her, she threw the remaining fish into the water.

The twins eagerly bit into them.

"Ah, I wonder what Master Ain is doing now... I can't stop thinking about it. Sigh..."

While various thoughts were swirling in Chris's mind,

Ain, who had arrived at the former Demon King's territory, was happily eating the Yatsume rabbit barbecue, just like the sea dragons eating fish.

*

"This is what it means for the tongue to melt..."

He didn't think about the obvious fact that the meat juice would spread with one bite.

The appropriately seasoned spices and salt. Just that seasoning on the steak... but he felt like he had discovered a new world of meat.

The phrase "the tongue melts" might not have been the most accurate.

Perhaps "the tongue and the meat melt" would be more appropriate.

Before he knew it, the meat seemed to disappear in an instant.

It was so soft that it could be torn apart by the movement of the tongue alone, and it seemed to merge with Ain in his mouth.

The flavor was neither beef nor pork, and certainly not chicken.

What he tasted in his mouth was a rich, mature aroma like prosciutto and the sweet fat.

...He deeply regretted letting the two Yatsume rabbits escape.

"How is it, Master Ain?"

Dil, who was also eating the meat, came over to Ain.

He was also moved by the taste but respected his lord.

"I can't sleep with my feet towards Lloyd."

"Yes... I'm sure Father is happy to see you enjoy it."

Seeing Lloyd happily grilling the meat, it was clear that he was enjoying it.

Ain was grateful for the delicious food and savored the taste.

"We have a considerable amount preserved as a souvenir for the capital. So when we return, His Majesty and the others can also enjoy it."

"That's great. We've got a good souvenir."

Indeed, it was all thanks to Lloyd.

Ain had seen his skills, and it was all good for him.

"Everyone seems to be having fun."

"Of course. After all, it's not something we can eat often, and it's impossible not to feel energized after a tiring day."

The salary of the royal guards was, of course, far above average.

But it was still hard to come by such high-quality ingredients.

Food is important, Ain thought to himself.

"I want to deliver it to the old men as soon as possible."

"Yes. So let's complete this investigation safely and return to the capital together."

As Dil said, they first needed to complete the investigation in the former Demon King's territory.

This was the first phase, and the schedule was three days including today.

Considering that the Demon King's castle gates had opened, a cautious investigation would be conducted.

Above all, they wanted to return to the town of Balt safely without any injuries.

The group, who had enjoyed the delicious food, hoped that they could complete the three-day schedule in this good atmosphere.

"By the way, Master Ain? Are you going to absorb the magic stone now?"

"Hmm... I'm somewhat satisfied with the meat, so I might save it for later. Maybe tomorrow or something."

"...! Is there something wrong with your health!?"

Seeing Dil's surprised expression, Ain felt a slight sadness.

"Am I really that much of a glutton..."

If there's a chance, I'll try to be more restrained next time.

—Of course, he didn't have much confidence in his ability to do so.

*

Since it was the first day, Ain and the others spent the time until late afternoon setting up the facilities and taking a break.

Therefore, they decided to rest for the day and recover their energy.

Ain entered the prepared tent and rested his tired body.

The space was about 8 tatami mats.

It was a large tent, but it had been miniaturized by magic tools for easy transportation, requiring little effort to carry.

He was deeply grateful to the magic tool developers.

"And the bed is not bad either."

Though it was a simple bed, the comfort level was decent.

Considering that they were resting in such a place, it would be too much to ask for better comfort.

This spacious area had several bags and a tank of water.

A large cushion was also placed on the floor.

Looking at the clock in his hand, it was already 9 PM at night.

Unlike lunch, the dinner prepared for them was brought in.

They heated the preserved food and ate it.

The taste was not comparable to the steak at lunch, but it was still made with consideration for the flavor.

"Where should we start..."

He thought about the investigation.

He couldn't even imagine where to start.

The former Demon King's territory was larger than expected, and investigating in such ruins was beyond Ain's expertise.

Therefore, it was easy to imagine that they would rely on the researchers.

The Demon King's castle, which had opened, was a building that tickled the male heart, but it couldn't