Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 64

Maseguru 64: Visiting Professor Oz

Their appointment with Professor Oz was scheduled early in the morning.

Although it was quite early, it was not much different from when Ainz would go to the academy.

They also had things that needed to be done first this morning.

「How was it?」

Asked Ainz to Chris who has checked the room.

「They were still sleeping soundly in the exact same position as last night...」

The place they had to go first early in the morning was the room of Fhalla and May. He thought that they should be awake by morning, but to his surprise, they were still asleep.

Chris said that the letter they had left last night hadn't been opened yet, so they must not have woken up yet.

Chris also had placed another letter on their side before she gets out of their room.

「Now that we have done our business here, shall we meet up with Kadyma-san then?」

「Yeah, let's do so」

Kadyma and Dill were the first to leave the inn. Kadyma said she wanted to get some fresh air, so they went out first.

Ainz and Chris then went down the stairs and headed outside.

It was still early in the morning, so the inn was still wrapped in silence.

「A-Ainz-sama... One moment, please」

「Hmm?」

As they went down the stairs, Chris called out to him. Ainz then turned to look at Chris after landing his feet on the next stair.

「...Well, it must be cold outside, so please wear this tightly around your neck」

She wraps the muffler in her hand around Ainz's neck. The muffler seemed to be made of monster materials... a soft and luxurious material that is exceptionally comfortable to wear.

The climate in the Magic City of Ist is colder than that of the Royal Capital, and they have even prepared a lot of warm equipment in their travel preparations. After all, catching a cold here will only be a waste of time.

「Err, umm... Thanks」

He gets nervous when someone suddenly brings their face closer to his. Well, anyone would get nervous even if it wasn't sudden... When Chris wrapped the muffler around him, she was close enough to him as if she was hugging him, and his body stiffened for a moment from that.

After that, he quickly proceeded down the stairs, trying to hide his embarrassment somehow.

「Fufu... Not at all」

He felt that Chris was somewhat close to him these days. It's not like he doesn't like it, but it was quite embarrassing to be seen being embarrassed. Even now, she seemed to know that Ainz was embarrassed, and she put her hand to her mouth and stifled a laugh.

「(Dear mother, the existence called woman is really hard to understand...)」

***

「Did they awake nya?」

「They were still asleep. Well, we've also left them another letter」

「Then, let's get going nya!」

Kadyma starts humming with nya nya nya as they move. This was not the first time she dragged them around like this. But Ainz and the others decided to follow her.

「Hey, Kadyma-san?」

「Hmm?」

「Have you heard anything from the castle?」

「Yeah, the Royal Family Train will come in a few days, so Dill and I will take it and go home nya」

They used the regular water train... though in a carriage for nobles to get here, not the Royal Family Train. So, he wondered why would the royal family train come here.

「Why would they send the royal family train all the way here?」

「Because it's convenient in many ways nya. It also doubles as my escort nya」

「They're being very cautious, or rather, exaggerating things again, aren't they?」

「I-I also got a message from Father nya. He said he's going to give Ainz some kind of reward later nya」

He found it hard to understand the flow of this conversation. They're on their way to the University of Magic where Professor Oz is waiting for them, but she told him about the Royal Family Train and rewards for him, he can't help but wonder what had she done in the past day...

「Why am I going to receive a reward...?」

「Normally, it would be best to let her demonstrate her ability first, but... due to our current circumstances, that will be done as soon as we arrive at the Royal Capital. The demonstration I was talking about is about Fhalla-dono's healing magic. Being from the slums, she may still be inexperienced with her magic, but that is to be expected. Even so, her value is too great to be valued with money」

Dill answers Ainz's questions. Compared to Kadyma's vague explanation, his explanation was better. Ainz shoots a glare at Kadyma, but she just continued to walk in a good mood.

She was probably looking forward to their talk with Professor Oz.

「Thanks, Dill. I don't really need a reward or anything, but I'll think of something」

「You can also put it on hold like I did nya」

「That's a good idea too」

Kadyma was allowed to accompany them this time as a reward for her investigation of the Demon King. So, if he can also put it on hold as she did, it was better for him to do so too.

「...Don't use it for anything weird, okay?」

「That's so mean of you, Chris-san」

Chris was wary of what Ainz would ask for his reward. But well, that can't be helped for her to be like that.

As they continued their talks, they finally arrived at the water train station. Today they would take the water train to the place where Professor Oz was waiting for them.

「Dill! Hand out what we prepared yesterday nya!」

「Understood」

Kadyma suddenly raised her right arm and ordered Dill to hand out the cards to both Ainz and Chris.

「What is this?」

「Umm... What is this, Kadyma-sama?」

The cards that were handed to them shines bluish and seemed to be made of light metal like stainless steel. The front side of it was engraved with Ist's coat of arms... a hand reaching for a magic stone, and at the bottom, there was a text saying there were 14 days left.

「It's a free pass for half a month nya. I bought it as a way to save some money since we're going to ride the water train a lot nya」

「Ainz-sama, we just bought four of them yesterday, so our free passes will last a few extra days」

「Don't worry about that nya! If we still have more than half of the total days left, we can ask for a refund, so it won't go to waste nya!」

It seems that the cards allow them to rides the train for a certain period of time. They should be able to freely ride the water train all over Ist for half a month with it.

Since Kadyma had bought half a month's worth of ticked yesterday, that meant that Ainz and Chris would have a lot of days left on their cards. It was still a good deal for them though, so it's not that bad.

Considering the hassle of having to buy a ticket every time, it was more convenient to have this pass. There are also no ticket gates at Ist's water train station, so they can move around freely with this free pass.

「Let's go nya!」

After finishing her explanation, Kadyma began to move forward with renewed vigor... To tell the truth, he was grateful for this concern she made. After all, it was cheaper, and more importantly, more convenient, but...

「I just find it annoying that I feel the need to thanks someone like her」

「A-Ainz-sama...」

Ainz's spiteful remark reached Dill's ears. When he thought about the relationship between Ainz and Kadyma, he could not help but think that they just like to mess with each other.

***

There were several unique features of the water train running through Ist. First of all, it is quiet and doesn't shake much. It felt no different compared to the carriage for nobles they had been using. This was not a bad thing when he thinks about the fact that these trains will also be running all over the capital one day. He was a little surprised that even the sound of the doors opening was so quiet.

There was one more thing that was rather unique, and that was the in-train announcements. As they passed through several stations before arriving at Ist's Great Academy of Magic, he had heard the in-train broadcast several times. He found that it was convenient to have it on board.

「Hey, Kadyma-san. How soon can we expect to see water trains like the one here becoming more common?」

「This kind of water train is currently being used on a trial with a target of transitioning in five years nya」

「It's rather soon, isn't it?」

「Well, considering the fact that it took almost 40 years to develop it, it wasn't that soon nya」

「...I see」

On their way to the institute, Kadyma explained a little about the water train here. It's not just the visible parts that have been improved, but other areas as well.

Like the safety and the durability of the vehicle, for example, had also been greatly improved.

「That's why it's good to think about the unseen parts once in a while nya」

「I hate to admit it, but I've learned a lot」

「...Why don't you just admit it already nya」

Her words often become a lesson for him. Ainz reaffirmed that she was indeed an excellent researcher after all.

「Dill. Go tell the guard that we have an appointment with Professor Oz」

「U-understood...」

「Just ignore him nya... This nephew of mine is getting more and more arrogant as he gets older nya」

「I still have some of these left, so you can have them, Kadyma-san」

He took out the snack that he had taken from Kadyma when they boarded the water train to Ist. He had a few more bites left that he tucked in his pocket.

「Ainz is a good boy nya!」

「Yeah yeah, I know」

One is the crown prince and the other is the first princess... No one would think that such important people of the country would be having such an exchange. But when Chris saw it from the side, she holds her head in her hands as usual.

「Ainz-sama, let's get in... Huh? Why is Chris holding her head like that? What happened?」

「Chris-san what's wrong? Does your head hurt?」

Besides Ainz, Kadyma was eating the snack happily. The snack is almost gone as she chewed it at a great speed.

「I-It's nothing... Anyway, let's get in」

"When will I ever get used to the interaction between these two... I hope to get used to it someday..." Chris thought. With that hope in mind, she continues to escort them today.

After that, they went to the laboratory at the back of the building as they had done the day before yesterday. Since the guards remembered Ainz and the others' faces, their conversation went smoothly today. One of the guards even led Ainz and the others to the room where Professor Oz was waiting.

「Chief professor. I have a visitor for you」

The guard announced so after knocked on the door of Professor Oz's room and soon received a reply from inside.

「Good work. Let them come in」

「Yes!... Alright, everyone, please come in」

As soon as he heard the voice from inside, he opened the door and let Ainz and the others in. The room was not only warm, but also comforting, as if their body was made at ease after walking through the city so early in the morning.

「Good morning, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and Kadyma-sama too」

「Yeah, good morning too, Professor Oz」

Following Ainz's greeting, Kadyma also greeted Professor Oz. And at Professor Oz's urging, they all sat down on the same sofa that they had sat on the other day.

「I have prepared the documents that I had promised you. I'd like to explain it to you as well」

Oz had prepared a document with the same information for four people. He then handed them out to everyone and then explained to them as they looked at them. The first one is a brief summary of the Red Fox... and Professor Oz's name was written at the bottom of it as the author.

「Let's start with the first page」

Following his words, Ainz and the other took a quick look at the cover and opened it to the first page.

The first page was written as follows, 『A study of the Red Fox's past appearances and its migration routes』.

The documents that Professor Oz had prepared seemed to provide more information than Ainz had expected. The sound of him gulping down his saliva echoed in the room.

***

The place changed to the inn where Ainz and others were staying.

As Ainz and the others were still discussing the documents that Professor Oz had handed them, Fhalla finally woke up and mumbled 『Eh? Where's this place...?』 then looked around with her drowsy eyes, and soon her consciousness gradually becomes aware.

「...Oh right! Yesterday a nobleman asked me to come with him, so I followed him, and I... I ate a lot of food until I was full...!」

She wondered how long it had been since she had eaten until she felt full, and considering that she couldn't remember it even after she thought about it, it must have been years ago. This year was probably the seventeenth year since she was born, a number that seemed meaningless to her, but she never forgot about it.

Since she was brought to this inn, she experienced things that she had never experienced before.

She was amazed at how warm and comfortable the baths were. The floors inside were soft and the water was so clear.

She was also given a lot of food, which she gobbled up with gusto, as it tasted like nothing she had ever tasted before.

Feeling an inexpressible sense of fulfillment for the first time in her life, she lay down on the bed that had been prepared for her. The bed, which they felt like it was going to sink forever, stopped sinking at a comfortable spot and gently supported her body. It was the first time they had experienced such comfort, and soon they were off to the world of dreams.

「E-even if they'd deceive me, I was satisfied...」

This is too good to be true. As someone who grows up in a slum, it was easy for her to think that way. But she was also tired of struggling to live each day... She couldn't bring herself to tell her sister, May, about it. She can't deny that there was also a part of her that thought, 『I guess it doesn't matter if I die now, does it?』.

「Nnh... Sis?」

「Ah, sorry May. Did I wake you up?」

「No, don't worry... Huh? Where are we...?」

Until yesterday, they had slept in a small, old hut that could have collapsed at any moment. The bedding was inadequate and the house was full of dust, but it was still an important home for them to return to.

Then yesterday, everything changed into such a luxurious and comfortable place, so it was understandable that she finds it hard to understand the situation at first.

「We were brought here yesterday, remember? That nobleman wanted me to do something for him」

「Yesterday... yesterday... Aah! The big brother who saved me!」

「B-big brother... You shouldn't call him that May, he'll get mad at you if you call him that!」

「Uuh... But big brother is a big brother!」

"Was it difficult for May who is still very young to understand it?" She thought. But it was no wonder since they didn't get proper education in the slum.

「How should I put it, it gonna hard to teach her... Huh? This is... a letter?」

As she stepped down to the side of the bed and sat down on it, Fhalla wondered how she should teach her, but she found two letters on the table beside her. They were letters that Ainz had prepared for her with what he wanted to say to them.

「To Fhalla...?」

Even though it took her a little while, Fhalla managed to read the letters on the front.

A lot of trash can be found in the slum, and from some newspapers and other documents taken from the slum, Fhalla had learned to read and write.

When their mother was still alive, she had taught them to write little by little. Thanks to that little foundation, Fhalla managed to learn how to read and write a little by little, though she could not immediately recognize the letters.

There was not much use of it in the slums. It didn't make much sense for her to continue learn it, but now that she had lived through it, she feels a little proud.

「What is it!? Did big brother leave something for us?」

「Yup, looks like it... Umm, what does this read...?」

She opened the seal of the first letter, unfolded the paper and started to check the contents. Not being able to understand all the words, she couldn't make out the meaning in some places.

「I-I should have studied a little more...」

But it's not easy to find someone in the slums who can read well enough. So, after her mother had passed away, learning to read jumped up a notch in difficulty.

「Sis, sis, what's that? Did big brother write something on it?」

「That's right, May. Give me a minute, okay?... Let me try to read it first」

It seems that Ainz and Kadyma hadn't really thought this far ahead. They hadn't thought about the possibility that as someone who came from the slum, she might not be able to read the letter.

Though they didn't usually think about it much, this should be a lesson for Ainz and the others.

After that, Fhalla managed to "decipher" what was written in the first letter little by little over the next ten minutes.

There were a few words that she couldn't read, but she was able to understand what they were trying to say.

「May, the nobleman said we could freely use this room. But you can't leave the room until he comes back. Okay?」

「Okay~! May like this room after all!」

「Good girl, good girl. I like this room too」

When she stroked her head, May looked at Fhalla with a big smile on her face. She must be really happy with what they've got since last night.

「I love how warm this room is! And it's not cold at all!」

The room at the inn was warm, a stark contrast compared to the shabby hut they had been living in. It was no wonder May was so happy.

「You're right, we also got to eat until we're full after all」

「Yup! I don't know what we ate last night, but it was so delicious!」

May gobbled up last night's meal even more furiously than Fhalla did. She regretted that she should have eaten more.

「May, we'll have lots of food again soon, okay?」

「R-Really!? I just ate yesterday, but I can eat again!?」

Before, she would not have been able to afford the luxury of a daily meal. That's why this was such a big shock to May. For May, who was still growing up, being able to eat a full meal was the best thing that could happen to her.

「Yup. It was written in this letter that they'll bring us food in the morning」

「Hooray! More meal!」

With her sister rejoicing beside her, Fhalla looked at the view from the window. The sky was already bright and the food would be delivered soon, just like the letter said.

"Is it really okay for us to have such a luxury?" She couldn't help but think so.

「(What does he want from me for him to go this far for us? ...My body? But a nobleman would never buy a woman like me...)」

But as long as he is so kind to them, she doesn’t mind if he'd treat her like a sex slave. It wouldn't be so bad if May could also eat until she was satisfied. After the way they had been living, she couldn't think of anything wrong with it.

Fhalla couldn't help but wonder why they were treating them this way.

「Ah, come to think of it, I haven't heard his name yet... I have to properly ask him about it when I thanked them」