Chapter 67
Maseguru 67: Favorite Food
It was a little back when Ainz just arrived at the monster arena.
「There's monster everywhere...」
「Some of them are quite rare. There are no aquatic creatures like the Sea Dragon though...」
The weather was fine and not too cold today. He had been looking forward to this day so much. He even has a hard time falling asleep last night.
「It seemed that a lot of people are here, isn't it?」
It was just like the White Rose station during the morning rush hour. He immediately understood how popular the monster arena was.
Spectators came from all over the continent to make bets and to see the rare monsters. It was one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ishtalica after all.
「This place was also a famous tourist destination here. A place where people could see rare monsters in a safe place, that's why so many people gather here」
Ainz looked around with excitement in his eyes.
There is a big dog with two heads, a huge slime, and even a big bird with four wings. In this one place, a lot of monsters were gathered.
「Is that, a wyvern...?」
In front of the stone-paved arena, he spotted a large, conspicuous figure. The figure was very noticeable in the arena, which was made of stones.
「Hmm... Yes. They're called the Ash Winged Dragon, and they're the most common species of wyvern out there」
「Hee... Can I come close to it?」
「It should be okay. As long as you don't touch the monsters brought here without permission, they won't mind if you come near them. Nobles wanted to show off their prized monsters after all」
Ainz then walked over to the wyvern he had just seen. It seemed that there were others who were also interested in it as well, and many people were crowding around the wyvern.
「Uwaah. It's so big!」
Wyvern, which could grow to about 15 meters when its wings were open, attracted a lot of attention. Even Ainz was moved by its gestures and couldn't help but stare at it with his mouth open.
「The size of this wyvern was so impressive, and it seems that it was well taken care of, but... it seems that it doesn’t have any experience in fight」
「How do you know that?」
There were several men near the wyvern. Seeing that the chains in their hands were connected to the wyvern, it was easy to imagine that they were the ones who were in charge of taking care of it.
「It doesn't have any tear on its wing membrane. It's not that it was the must-have characteristic of a strong monster, take Named for example...」
The wyvern in front of him didn't seem to be that strong. However, it must have been raised with much care considering how beautiful it was.
...But all of the sudden, the wyvern stretched its wing and showed itself to the people around it when it caught sight of Ainz.
「Hmm? Was it looking at me?」
「Yeah... It seems that it was indeed looking at Ainz-sama...」
The wyvern stared at him without even blinking. Its wings, which had been stretched out, gradually folded into a compact size.
「Wha, hey, what's wrong...!?」
He intended to care for the wyvern by asking it 『What's wrong?』 while trying to extend his finger to the wyvern to convey his intention, however...
When the wyvern noticed that he was moving closer to it, it immediately folded its wings and backed away a little. It didn't even blink at all as it walked away from him.
「...Umm」
「It seems that it was wary... or rather, scared of you... I never thought you could even scare a wyvern」
「I'm not sure I should be happy about that though」
In the end, the wyvern backed up to the wall behind it. It then curled up into a ball, hiding itself with its wings. The people around them seemed to be wondering why it was doing this, and they gradually became more and more noisy.
「What happened!? Why is my wyvern look so frightened like this...!?」
Then a pig... or rather, a fat nobleman noticed the commotion and came to the scene. The man who was in charge of the wyvern began to explain to the nobleman what had happened.
「I see... You there! You must have done something to my prized wyvern, right!?」
「Eh, me...?」
The crowd then opened up like how Moses split the sea, and Ainz and Chris stood out in the middle of the split... The nobleman then pointed towards Ainz and asked compensation from him.
***
Recollecting this troublesome encounter will not make it go away, nor will it improve their situation.
「Hmph! I am the head of the prestigious Oink family, Sage Oink. A great nobleman in charge of several agricultural regions! ...Mind your place, I have the power to do whatever I want with you!」
Which one is the rude one, he wondered. Even though he was hiding his true identity, Ainz was still a crown prince, and he was still far above him in terms of authority. ――"Who is this guy?", such a question arise in Ainz's mind.
「Oh, I see. Sau'sage', huh?」
He blurted out what he thought when he heard his name.
「In case you haven't noticed, I'm a viscount. So, what do we do now? Shall I cut you here now?」
「I wouldn't say something like that if I were afraid of you, right?」
He felt like he'd cut him in an instant if he says one more word. However, even though he didn't intend for this to happen, the cause of the incident this time has something to do with him, so he don't want to be that cruel to him.
"Let's calm down and take your hands off that rapier first, okay?" whisper Ainz to Chris.
「I apologize, Viscount Sage. But she's my most important woman, and I can't agree with that... And under the command of The Fist King of Ishtalica, such trafficking-like remarks are considered a crime. So, I think you should restrain yourself from saying too much」
「Since you're wearing such a nice clothes, you must be a nobleman too, huh? Then it's just right... You know what I mean, right? I'm sure you're aware of the true intentions of us nobles」
Said Sage in a low voice.
「(Haah, what a no-good fellow. It was such an easy-to-understand law, yet, he dared to violate it)」
The words that Sage spoke didn't reach the crowd, which was still watching us. It seems that he was careful not to violate the words of the First King of Ishtalica so openly in front of them.
「Auu...」
「Don't get that embarrassed, pull yourself together」
Chris, who was standing next to him, looked embarrassed but pleased when she heard him said she was 「an important woman」 for him. Ainz wondered is that how an escort should act... But since today was sort of a private day for them, Ainz can't complain about it.
「If it were scheduled to compete today, then I'll compensate you with money. Can I settle it with that?」
「...Just shut up and give me that woman. It'll be cheaper, right!?」
It seemed that Sage was interested in Chris. She may not look like the usual Chris, but she was still a beautiful woman. And to Sage, Chris was also very beautiful, and a night with her was worth more than money.
「I can't do that. So please let me settle this with money. I'll have a third party do a proper assessment, and I'll compensate you for today's loss and... separate compensation to you as well...」
He wanted to end this problem as soon as possible.
「Just give me that woman already, don't make me repeat myself! Though I came from a family of a viscount, I'm still in charge of many territories, and I had a connection with other nobles too, you know?」
「(Hmm, let's add another charge on him. It sounds like a leading question, but well, it was Viscount Sage who defied the First King of Ishtalica's words in the first place...)」
『Serve the people』, 『Do not engage in human trafficking』 ...The words left by the first king are still cherished and incorporated into the law to this day.
He looked next to him and saw that Chris was still looking a little embarrassed but seeing that her left arm was resting on the rapier at her waist, he knew that she could probably cut Sage's head in an instant if he ordered her to do so.
He was sure it would be done in an instant, without anyone around him noticing when she moved.
「So. What is your name? You're not badly dressed, so I assume you are a member of the nobility, am I right?」
「I'm sorry for being late to introduce myself. I'm not really a noble, but...」
His status as a Crown Prince is not treated as a court rank here in Ishtalica. And since Ainz is not a prince now, his court rank is technically not a court rank at all.
Since he doesn’t have a court rank, he decided to pretend to be the son of some merchant, but one question arises, what should he use as his pseudonym? He was thinking of using Grint and the others' name, but his next words were interrupted by Sage.
「Enough. I'm not interested in your detail since you're not a noble. You don't even have to say your name because I'm not going to remember it anyway. You may have a small fortune, but you are just a nobody with no prestige」
...This is the first time he has ever seen such a despicable nobleman in Ishtalica. But it's been a good experience for him. He decided to remember his name for now.
「You, do you breed monsters too?」
「Umm... You mean the one at my home?」
「Yeah, that's right. Then, you have any?」
What came to mind when he said that was the image of the twin sea dragon, El and Al.
The results of nurturing them with too much good food are extraordinary, and he can already see them growing up big in his mind.
「Err, I do raise monsters, but...」
Even today, they must have been fed well by Kadyma and the castle waiters and are growing nicely.
Or maybe they were still out at sea hunting today too? He wondered. And it seems that thanks to them, the number of monsters living in the water near the harbor has decreased dramatically according to the reports of the fishermen.
It's obvious that this is due to the work of the twins, who have grown to be huge and have already become a threat to the nearby sea. ...They might have become the master of the nearby sea already. Thinking about it brings smiles to Ainz face. The twins were like children to Ainz after all.
「But it gonna be hard to show them off because they were an "aquatic" monster」
「Hou, aquatic monsters, you said? Then it's just right... I have a better idea to settle this」
Whit a grin and an amused look on his face, Sage continued to press his demands on Ainz and the other.
***
After all the troubles he had encountered this day... the sun finally began to set, and an indescribable beautiful pattern of orange clouds filled the sky. The area was bustling with activity, and the smell of the many stalls filled the air. An event had just ended, and many visitors were about to leave the place.
「I didn't know it was that flashy... It even made my eyes flicker」
「It's been a long time since I've seen that much magic. I just got so excited」
At first, he had planned to spend today in the monster arena, but that plan was changed because he couldn't be sure that Ainz's presence wouldn't affect many monsters
So Ainz suggested to Chris that they cancel the plan and go somewhere else.
By the way, of all the monster he saw today, he liked the giant slime the most. Ainz somehow found it was cute.
After that, they went to another famous place in the magic city, the magic arena.
『Aren't they going to fight with magic?』 Ainz wondered, but was convinced when he heard Chris's answer.
If they were to fight each other with magic, it is natural that they would get seriously injured. And it's not realistic considering that they have to heal those who are injured. That's why it was established just as a show competition.
The event is open to adventurers, and there are numerous events held every day.
There were huge ice formations that could reach tens of meters, and a lot of lightning magic going around the venue. It was a very exciting day for Ainz to see so much magic that he had never seen before.
「Hey, Chris-san, it's not like there aren't people in the royal capital who can use magic, right?」
「Of course there are. It's just that there aren't many places to use them. Its efficiency was poor after all」
「Its efficiency was poor?」
「They can't cast flashy magic that many times. So, after they use it, they'll just be a sitting target」
The reason why it is difficult to use powerful magic is also because of the amount of the user's magic power have. That is why it is not something that can be used so freely.
「It's best to use them a little at a time by choosing the right occasions. Especially if they're an adventurer, they should be able to adjust their magic to defeat monsters」
Ainz then wondered, wouldn't it gonna be a little easier for them to handle the Sea Dragon incident if they were accompanied by magician like the ones here... But actually, that would not have worked well.
After all, it's all about endurance.
Huge monsters are all fierce creatures that have great endurance. So, they can usually withstand any magic used by a magician. They can even withstand a powerful single-shot magic.
「...Ah, I'm sorry, Chris-san... Can you give me a minute?」
「Y-yeah... But what's wrong?」
As Chris was explaining, Ainz seemed to have found something and started walking in a slightly different direction. He seemed to have a purpose and kept walking toward it.
「What did you found this time, Ainz-sama...」
「Umm, I thought I saw someone there... Ah, there he is」
They continued on to a shady area next to the arena. It seemed to be a resting place, with benches lined up under some planted trees. Ainz then walked up to a middle-aged man sitting there.
「Hello, good evening」
「...Hmm? Oh, good evening. What's the matter, young man?」
Ainz spoke to the man, and the man replied with a good-natured look on his face. Chris felt that the situation was somewhat farcical. She wondered what was going on.
The man was dressed in clothes that looked a little more expensive than the average commoner's, but there are plenty of merchants and the like who wear such things. And there was nothing particularly eye-catching about him.
「Uncle, did you win your bet?」
「I was lucky enough to win today. I got a little extra spending money thanks to that」
「That's good to know. Well...」
The preface is over. Ainz finally begins to get to the point.
「Have you finished looking into it? Or will it take a few more days?」
「...Umm, I wonder what are you talking about, young man?」
「Okay, let me rephrase that a little bit」
Suddenly, Ainz's presence changed. It was filled with a kind of charisma, full of the dignity of a person who stands at the top.
「...We can put aside the chain of command and other issues for now. I'm asking for a debrief, so you can make that your top priority」
The words were out of context, but the other man could understand what they meant. The man who heard it bowed at once to Ainz, and then said the following words.
「...Yes! I accept the order the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince. If you wish, I can provide you with the information that His Highness the Crown Prince requires by the end of tomorrow」
「E-eh? Ainz-sama... What's this...?」
Chris was the only one here who didn't understand the situation. Already, Ainz and the middle-aged man seemed to share a common goal, and they seemed to understand each other somehow.
「Then I'll leave that for you to prepare... Speaking of which, I think there are about three of you. I know one of you went back to the royal capital yesterday. Did the personnel for Kadyma-san return?」
「It is as you say, but were you able to figure out that much?... But since when you noticed us?」
「Maybe around the time we were on the White Rose station?」
「...Good grief, this made no sense at all」
The man who exhaled lightly looked like he had given up. Chris, who still didn't understand this, asked Ainz again.
「A-Ainz-sama! What are you talking about...?」
「My bad. This person is the secret agent that Warren-san employs. He was acting more cautiously than usual, and I think that's why Chris-san didn't recognize him」
「...H-how did Ainz-sama know!?」
It was true that Warren's covert group was very skilled. But Chris should have been able to notice them if they were acting close to her. But there was a reason why she couldn't notice them this time. This time, they had prepared one of the most skilled people in the group, and had made them act even more secretive and cautious than usual. It was a fatal mistake for Chris to not notice them.
But if he had acted even a little closer to Ainz, Chris would have been able to notice them.
「I guess it's because I've just gotten used to it, the same presence is always around after all. Especially since I've been asleep for half a year after returning from Euro, I've become strangely aware of various presence」
Ainz muttered that he's getting less and less human these days.
「Well, that's why I thought they were looking into my troubles this morning. And that hunch turned out to be correct」
Said Ainz while glancing at the man.
「It is as you say... The owner of Majolice's magic stone store has made a magic tool, and due to this, it is difficult to recognize you as the crown prince from your appearance, but we judge you as the crown prince from your clothes」
「...Don't tell me you know all the clothes I own?」
「Of course. It's necessary knowledge」
He couldn't help but make a blank face at that. He never thought that they even knew what kind of clothes he had.
「H-hey, Chris-san, pull yourself together. Don’t get so depressed about it」
「B-but as an escort... I failed to notice them, but Ainz-sama was aware of them all this time...」
「In my case, it had something to do with the fact that I was used to their presence, and that I was probably growing from absorbing a lot of magic stone. So, don't worry about it. You did good enough」
When he patted Chris's head, she seemed to recover a little and finally looked up. If she had a tail, she would have been swinging it around at a very high speed. He wondered if there are any magic tools like that... So, he decided to ask Kadyma about it later.
Chris is kind of cute like a dog these days. And he thought it suits her.
「So. Did the "dust" come out?」
「Yes. We have already informed His Majesty」
「As I've thought... So, what Warren-san say about this?」
「He said he would take the opportunity to thoroughly inspect the situation and squeeze out the pus. Also, please be assured that Fhalla-dono and May-dono have arrived safely at the castle and are being protected」
「I see. I'm glad you got two good pieces of information; I appreciate it」
Viscount Sage, as expected, seemed to have a lot of "dust" to knock around. Warren decided that he would use this opportunity to investigate thoroughly. It was also a relief for Ainz to hear that Fhalla had arrived safely at the castle.
「I am honored by your praise... But may I ask you one more thing, will His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really accept his proposal?」
「Ah, you mean the duel between our aquatic monsters? I guess it gonna be fine」
Sage proposed a duel between the aquatic monsters that Ainz keeps and the aquatic monsters that Sage keeps. And the loser should accept the winning side's demand.
「Then I would like you to decide on a date for the duel with Viscount Sage when the time is right」
「Does that mean you want me to give you some time to finish your investigation first?」
「Yes. And the location of the duel will probably be a large river about an hour or so from the capital. It is connected to the source of water that flows through the royal capital, so there is no problem in taking the Sea Dragons there. Also, the monsters owned by Viscount Sage seem to be kept in his territory upstream of the river, so it's a perfect location」
Considering the size and depth of the river, it wouldn't be a problem... He finished his explanation by saying that.
Actually, Ainz was thinking of refusing the proposal when it was made to him. He knew that he was after Chris's body anyway, and he didn't want to accept it just in case. But then Chris said something to Ainz.
『Even though they were still a child, there's no way a single nobleman can possess a monster that can defeat your Sea Dragons』
That's why he accepted the duel he proposed.
「But what kind of monsters that Viscount Sage possess for him to be that proud?」
The only question is, what exactly is this aquatic monster that Viscount Sage possesses.
「It's a medium-sized Kraken. It's certainly powerful, but...」
「H-hey, Chris-san. I think the Kraken is...」
「Yes. It's the Sea Dragon's favorite food」
The twins would probably like to eat their favorite food once in a while...