Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 6: The Request That Caught His Eye and Its Client
Around the same time—
A magic ship was approaching the Imperial Capital.
Had this been Legend of the Seven Heroes—
『That was incredible, Vayne.』
It would have been an event aboard the magic ship shortly before the ending of Legend of the Seven Heroes I.
The party had gathered in the ship’s hall.
At the center of the conversation was Vayne, the hero’s descendant who had thwarted Ulysses Ignat’s final scheme in the Baldor Mountains.
『That light… Vayne, could you really be a descendant of Hero Ruin?』
『I don’t know… I don’t feel any different.』
Vayne hesitated, and Sera Riohard spoke up.
『It looked like the light you used when you saved me in the forest long ago.』
That old incident had first brought the two together.
『It must have prevented Asval’s complete resurrection… but it didn’t feel like Sacred Magic or White Magic.』
『Nemu thought so too!』
『I agree. I’ve visited temples many times on House Rofelia’s business, but I’ve never seen a priest use power like that.』
Nemu Altia and Charlotte Rofelia added their opinions.
Still seated on the sofa, Vayne stared at his palm.
He replayed their time in the Baldor Mountains and considered the aftermath of the tragedy that had spread throughout Leomel.
Then he turned his companions’ words over in his mind.
『So much has happened that I still can’t think clearly… For now, I’m simply grateful that all of us returned safely.』
Everyone agreed with Vayne and celebrated the end of their arduous journey.
On their way home, they watched the scenery through the magic ship’s windows.
Far from any settlement, several enormous rivers crossed an otherwise mostly level region and converged upon a remarkable formation.
It lay amid a vast wilderness roughly two hours by magic ship from the Imperial Capital.
『Sera, what is that?』
Curious about the landscape, Vayne asked her.
『Windea—the place where water and wind sleep.』
In that event immediately before the ending of Legend of the Seven Heroes I—
The enormous rivers converged at the center of the terrain that had caught Vayne’s attention.
『Look.』
Their waters flowed into a huge lake broad enough to contain a small city, surrounded by verdant forests and plains.
At the lake’s center rose a towerlike mountain of sharp exposed rock. Its summit extended above the magic ship and pierced the clouds. There, particles of light—blue with mana and green like midsummer foliage—rode the wind.
『They say all the water and wind of the Elfen Continent eventually travel there.』
Sera laughed and added that she did not know whether the story was true.
『Is that light above the clouds the mana that has gathered there?』
『Apparently.』
Sera continued.
『Water drawn from the lake into the mountain is converted into pure mana and released into the world again. The wind mixes with that mana and is reborn in the same way, then flies across the continent from the sky. Tradition says Windea is a domain created by the Goddess of Water.』
In the game event, Vayne—who carried Hero Ruin’s blood—received a modest enhancement there and awakened a new ability. A similar conversation was unfolding in the present world. The main difference was that they were returning from House Leonaal’s territory rather than the Baldor Mountains.
“So a place like that exists…”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it from up here.”
As Vayne admired the view, Sera stood proudly beside him and prepared to explain more.
Charlotte, apparently wanting to interfere, wrapped her arms around Sera from behind. Sera twisted, trying to shake her off.
“Honestly! Charlotte, you always do that without warning!”
“Oh, don’t be so rough with me!”
Unable to dislodge her, Sera released a deep, resigned sigh. She continued talking as though the girl clinging to her back did not exist.
“Once every few hundred years, the normally dry spring beside the temple at the mountain’s summit fills with water.”
“Not rainwater, I assume?”
“Of course not. It is holy water with the power to repel evil, and it wells up from nowhere. They say it reacts particularly strongly to the hero’s power…”
Everyone except Vayne froze at once, then turned toward him as though they had planned it.
Under the weight of all those gazes, Vayne nodded firmly.
“If my power can help us fight the Demon King cult, then I think we should investigate.”
No one objected to a decision Vayne had made.
If that was his wish, they wanted to support it.
“Then it’s settled! We’ll go to Windea soon!”
“N-No! Sera, climbing that mountain in this season would be insane!”
“Yeah… Even with muscles like mine, that would be rough. Windea is said to be worse than the Baldor Mountains, one of the harshest ranges in the country. We should wait until spring.”
“Then let’s go during the spring holiday. Once those children enroll, we can all travel together.”
“…You’re right. There’s no guarantee the spring will fill this year anyway.”
Yet they all believed that, in the year Vayne’s power had revealed itself, surely it would.
A conspicuous piece of foreshadowing always carried meaning.
Many players took this event as the prelude to Legend of the Seven Heroes II, and they were correct.
Legend of the Seven Heroes II, Chapter One: “The Hero’s Bloodline.”
It marked the beginning of a new story for the boys and girls who had grown since the first game.
But Windea was not their only subject.
“Once winter break ends, I want to talk to Ren.”
“Yeah! Exactly!”
“Kaito, don’t suddenly shout like that!”
“S-Sorry, Nemu.”
Kaito Leonaal had been too excited to keep his voice down.
The stories they had heard that winter were simply that shocking.
“What in the world happened to Ashton? If the rumors are true, he defeated Giant God’s Messenger Wadatsumi all by himself.”
While Kaito spoke excitedly, Charlotte added her thoughts without releasing Sera.
Sera had completely given up and idly played with Charlotte’s dangling bangs.
“It isn’t merely a rumor anymore. Considering who was present at the scene, it could only have been him.”
“But the head of the Lion’s Holy Office was there too, wasn’t he? And House Ignat’s steward.”
“I know. But the head was reportedly inside the city, and the steward remained beside Marquis Ignat.”
“I see… Then Ren really must have done it.”
Winter passed slowly around them.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
While the magic ship carrying Vayne and the others crossed the distant sky, Ren followed Lutreche’s advice and visited the Adventurers’ Guild in the Imperial Capital.
Ignoring the bustle around him, he went directly to the reception counter.
“Welcome, Lord Ren Ashton.”
“I came about what we discussed before. Is that all right?”
“Of course. You have come to examine the Emblem Contracts, correct?”
“Please follow me.”
The receptionist guided Ren deeper into the guild.
This was not an employee area, but a suite reserved for distinguished guests, furnished like a high-class inn.
At the end of a long corridor, the special suite even had its own reception desk.
Even the paper used for the requests posted on the walls seemed luxurious.
Several adventurers were present besides Ren, along with nobles, wealthy clients, knights, and others involved in high-level commissions.
“Do you have any particular requirements?”
the receptionist who had guided him asked.
(Even if she asks…)
Lutreche had given him no details, so Ren had no idea where to begin. He decided to read the notices carefully at his own pace and told the receptionist, “I’ll look around for a while.”
“Certainly.”
After she withdrew, Ren turned to the contracts displayed on the wall.
• “Exterminate monsters along the aerial route to the Demon Continent. Combat will take place on a magic ship’s deck. Daily pay: 5,000,000 G, plus an equal division of the rewards for slain monsters among all participants.”
• “Travel to the territory of the Black Emperor’s Horn Behemoth and collect the horns it has naturally shed. Compensation negotiable. Numerous special conditions apply because the target is a powerful S-rank individual.”
• “I wish to hear the Sirens sing. Escort requested to an uninhabited region of the open sea. Daily pay: 17,000,000 G.”
Many other contracts were posted as well, and several looked strangely familiar, as though Ren had encountered them before.
Nothing he saw suggested an obvious connection to Lutreche’s advice. Humming thoughtfully, Ren continued scanning the notices for several minutes.
“Could it be this one…?”
One particular contract caught his eye.
• “Search for sacred relics. Carry luggage. Prepare meals. Assist with sorting documents. Perform other miscellaneous duties. Compensation negotiable.”
Compared with every other contract, it was remarkably plain.
Ren could not remember any such request appearing in Legend of the Seven Heroes.
The contents were not the only thing that drew his attention. The client’s name was extremely familiar.
“…Ragna?”
The name on the form belonged to the Bag Traveler.
Ragna, a researcher of the Bureau of Mysteries.
Since no other contract interested him, Ren removed Ragna’s notice from the wall and carried it to the reception counter.