Kays Translations

Chapter 9: The Task Lessard Entrusted to Him and a Long-Forgotten Unease

The next morning, Licia visited Ren’s guest room after finishing her training.

“Ren, why not join me starting tomorrow?”

Her smile and lively voice made the invitation clear.

“My body is almost back to normal. I will consider it.”

Licia narrowed her eyes and approached the desk.

“Are you hiding something from me?”

She placed both hands against his cheeks and turned his face toward her.

“Your eyes moved.”

Her intuition was inconveniently sharp.

Ren still did not want to reveal his work for Lessard or his guild registration. Nothing was fully established, and he knew she would worry. After hesitating, he offered a partial truth.

“I have been thinking about what happened with the Sacred Sword Style. I wondered whether my influence might harm your future.”

It was not entirely false. He had genuinely considered that possibility.

“That is my decision,” Licia said at once. “Do not blame yourself.”

Ren looked aside, made guilty by how sincerely she believed him.

“We will find styles that suit us someday. The Sacred Sword Style is not the only school.”

She released his face, took his hand, and pulled him from the room.

“Where are we going?”

“To breakfast. You have not eaten yet.”

She was trying to cheer him, which made concealing the truth feel even worse.

They encountered Lessard in the corridor.

“Licia, should you not be preparing to depart?”

“Father, you said we would leave after breakfast.”

“You trained longer than expected. We are nearly at the appointed time, so you will eat in the carriage.”

Licia turned apologetically to Ren.

“I have work outside town today. I thought there was still time.”

“Do not worry. I will eat lightly and find another book.”

“I am sorry after inviting you.”

She released his hand and hurried toward her room.

“My daughter has been rather noisy this morning,” Lessard said after she disappeared.

“Her cheerfulness always gives me energy.”

“That answer sounds very much like you. Licia and I will return late tonight. I would like you to begin the survey today.”

Conducting the work while Licia was absent felt strangely secretive. At the same time, Ren was excited to fight monsters again after his long recovery.

“I look forward to hearing what you accomplish on your first day,” Lessard said.

“I intend to proceed cautiously. I lack local knowledge, so I will gather information at the guild and explore with Weiss’s map. I will fight only when necessary.”

“Weiss is accompanying us. Speak to the household if anything occurs.”

After Lessard left, Ren had breakfast delivered to his room and prepared his equipment.

The task resembled the work he had performed for Roy, but this time he carried the responsibility of Lessard’s direct trust.

“Time to begin.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Three hours after leaving Clausel, Ren reached a vast woodland on the side of town opposite the hills where he had fought Yelquq.

It was called the Eastern Forest for the obvious reason that it lay east of Clausel.

As he walked beneath the dense canopy, Ren realized the monsters were not completely unfamiliar. He had never seen the local populations in person, but he knew the ecology of any species unchanged from the games.

A shape peered from behind a tree.

It resembled a rabbit, except that it possessed three eyes and twice the normal number of limbs.

A Mitsume—an F-rank monster, one rank above the Little Boars Ren had hunted throughout childhood.

“Kikik!”

It sprang with far greater speed than a Little Boar and crossed the distance in an instant.

Ren calmly summoned the Iron Magic Sword and extended its point. The Mitsume drove itself onto the blade, which pierced its neck.

“Kiiii!”

“So this is how it feels.”

A small part of him felt out of practice. Another part felt nervous. Most of what remained was relief: even after months away from real combat, he still possessed an overwhelming advantage against a monster of this rank.

He summoned the Wooden Magic Sword as his second blade. Its vines bound the corpse and lifted it for transport.

“Convenient.”

Magic Sword Summoning Technique had reached Level 3 after the battle with Yelquq, allowing him to maintain two swords simultaneously. He had considered using the Iron and Thief’s Magic Swords, but transportation mattered more during a survey.

After absorbing the magic stone, Ren checked his bracelet.

――――――――

Ren Ashton

[Occupation] Eldest son of House Ashton

[Skills]
Magic Sword Summoning — Level 1: 0/0
Magic Sword Summoning Technique — Level 3: 241/2000

Level 1: Summon one magic sword.
Level 2: Gain Physical Ability Boost (Minor) while a magic sword is summoned.
Level 3: Summon two magic swords simultaneously.
Level 4: Gain Physical Ability Boost (Medium) while a magic sword is summoned.
Level 5: *****************************

[Acquired Magic Swords]
Wooden Magic Sword — Level 2: 990/1000
Enables attacks comparable to Nature Magic (Minor). The effective area expands with level.

Iron Magic Sword — Level 1: 990/1000
Sharpness increases with level.

Thief’s Magic Sword — Level 1: 0/3
Has a chance to steal a random item from the target.

――――――――

The kill had granted a small amount of proficiency. Both the Wooden and Iron Magic Swords were close to advancing.

“How many will I encounter today?”

The rate of encounters mattered both to the survey and to his growth. He needed to estimate the local population, the density of each habitat, and how often a traveler might meet a monster.

Only a short time later, he heard quiet breathing behind cover.

(There may be more than I expected.)

Ren moved before the second Mitsume could attack. He crossed the distance in a blink and killed it with a single sweep of the Iron Magic Sword.

He continued mapping, hunting, and taking notes. After a late lunch, four additional Mitsume brought one of his objectives within reach.

The Iron Magic Sword advanced successfully.

The Wooden Magic Sword did not.

――――――――

Wooden Magic Sword — Level 2: 1000/1000

Iron Magic Sword — Level 2: 0/2500

――――――――

A long-forgotten sense of wrongness returned.

The Wooden Magic Sword had reached its displayed maximum, yet its level had not increased. This did not look like a true level cap. Magic Sword Summoning itself displayed 0/0 when no further progress was available.

“So there must be another condition.”

The sword was not finished. Some hidden requirement prevented its advancement.

Ren could not identify that requirement immediately. He set the mystery aside and continued his assigned work until evening, recording monster numbers, locations, habitats, and any unusual behavior.

The survey proceeded well. So did the hunting.

When he returned to Clausel carrying a remarkable number of monsters in the Wooden Magic Sword’s vines, the familiar weight and scent of a successful hunt made him smile and remember life in his village.

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