Kays Translations

Chapter Eleven: His Father’s Condition

Ren returned to the manor before evening, where Mireille greeted him with a stunned expression.

“D-did you defeat all of these yourself!?”

“Yes. They kept attacking me for some reason.”

There were twelve Little Boars in all. Both the Magic Sword Summoning Technique and the Wooden Magic Sword had gained the same number of proficiency points.

“Even your father rarely brings home this many… Wait! How did you carry them all?”

“I carried half. I tied the others together with vines I found in the forest and dragged them until the vines broke.”

“I-I see…”

(The part about finding them in the forest was a lie.)

The vines had actually been created by the Wooden Magic Sword.

While testing whether Nature Magic (Minor) could produce anything besides roots, Ren had experimented using the nature magic he remembered from the game.

It had not been difficult. He only had to strongly imagine roots or vines appearing and then swing the sword.

(I couldn’t produce anything else, but it is only Nature Magic (Minor).)

Naturally, the roots and vines vanished when he dismissed the Wooden Magic Sword.

(I also need to avoid overusing it.)

He could tell that nature magic consumed mana. Each use sent through his body a sensation similar to summoning the Wooden Magic Sword.

His magical capacity would have to grow alongside his other abilities.

As Ren reconsidered these points, Mireille examined the Little Boars and cried out in surprise.

“These are wonderful! The pelts will sell for more than the ones your father usually brings home!”

“Why is that?”

“Because they have no major cuts. Your father works hard with his sword, but a blade inevitably damages the pelt. You fought with a wooden sword, so these are almost unmarked.”

She looked at Ren with mild bewilderment.

“I was surprised when you said you didn’t need an iron sword…”

“I feel safer using a weapon I’m familiar with. Besides, perhaps my skill increases my strength.”

“Maybe so. You’ve been a tremendous help to both me and your father. But you must never do anything reckless.”

“I know. This is only until the baron’s reinforcements arrive. I’ll work moderately hard.”

“For someone working ‘moderately,’ you’ve hunted more than your father.”

“It was luck. The Little Boars keep attacking because they think they can defeat me.”

That saved him the trouble of searching for them.

(I hope tomorrow goes just as smoothly.)

He only needed to maintain this pace for a little over a week.

Ren silently appealed to the chief god Elfen and stretched his back.

“Oh! You didn’t get lost in the forest, did you?” Mireille asked.

“No. Just as you told me, I kept checking my direction against Tsurugi Rock.”

“Good. Getting lost in that forest would be terrible.”

“It certainly would.”

Only then did Ren notice how tired he was. His first real day hunting in the forest had taxed him more than he had realized.

“Whew… I need to do my best again tomorrow.”

Determination filled his young face.

* * * *

On the second day, Ren hunted the same number of Little Boars as on the first. He surpassed that total on the third day, and his results continued to improve on the fourth and fifth.

He entered the seventh day without injury. The sun had begun to sink when he returned from the forest.

“Young master, you’re amazing!”

“As expected of Lord Roy’s heir!”

“Another good day, I see!”

The villagers called out as Ren passed.

They spoke to him far more often than when he merely wandered the village, and every greeting began with praise. He could hardly dislike it, but the tension of the past week prevented him from becoming conceited.

(I really did hunt quite a lot.)

After answering the villagers, Ren lifted his armor and checked the bracelet.

– Wooden Magic Sword (Level 1: 97/100)

He did not bother checking the Magic Sword Summoning Technique. Each Little Boar granted only one proficiency point to both the technique and the wooden sword, so its next level remained far away.

The road would be long.

The Wooden Magic Sword, however, was on the verge of leveling up–and that promised something new.

– Iron Magic Sword (Unlock conditions: Magic Sword Summoning Technique Level 2 and Wooden Magic Sword Level 2)

The Iron Magic Sword.

The prospect of unlocking another weapon made every day’s fighting feel worthwhile. Its name suggested an ordinary sword, but Ren expected it to possess a special property just as the Wooden Magic Sword did.

At present, touching its entry produced no explanation. That information would probably become available only after it was unlocked.

(I can’t imagine what special ability a sword made of iron would have.)

Whatever it was, he would almost certainly discover it the next day. Excitement made his steps so light that he seemed ready to skip.

The many Little Boars bound together behind him by vines made that cheerful gait look rather strange to the watching villagers.

Then, as the manor came into view, Ren stopped abruptly.

“What’s happening…?”

Through a window, he saw two figures hurrying through the corridor. Even from a distance, he recognized Mireille and Grandma Rigg.

Why were they rushing about like that?

“No…”

Ren immediately understood that something was wrong.

He dropped the Little Boars where he stood and ran into the manor. Mireille was moving so frantically that she did not notice his return.

Ren followed her up the stairs.

“Mother! What happened?”

Just before she entered Roy’s room, he placed his hand over hers on the doorknob.

“R-Ren!? Of course… It is already the time you normally return…”

She was visibly unsettled. It was not that she resented Ren’s presence, but her eyes darted about as though she wanted to shake off his hand and enter the room at once.

“Mother–“

“Young master, move!”

Grandma Rigg had appeared beside them with a desperate expression. She pushed Ren aside, opened the door herself, and hurried into the room.

A wooden tub filled with steeped medicinal herbs was clutched in her hands.

“My lady, remain outside for now! Do not enter–you’ll only interfere with the treatment!”

The door slammed shut.

Ren stood frozen.

Mireille knelt on the dusty floor beside him and pulled him into her arms. Her body trembled.

“Something happened to Father, didn’t it?”

Her embrace tightened, and the trembling worsened.

“Mother, is there anything I can do?”

“…No.”

“Anything at all. Whatever it is, I’ll–“

“There isn’t! There is nothing I can do, and nothing Grandma Rigg can do either!”

“What do you mean?”

Mireille met his eyes. Tears fell from hers and darkened the floor.

“Listen carefully. Your father… may not survive.”

Her voice shook as she explained.

Roy’s condition had suddenly deteriorated about an hour earlier, shortly after Grandma Rigg arrived to examine him. It had worsened so quickly that only lavish quantities of precious medicinal herbs were keeping him alive.

If they could continue administering them until he passed the crisis, he might recover.

“Then, as long as we have enough herbs–“

“We don’t,” Mireille whispered. “We only have enough for tonight.”

That was why she believed Roy might not survive.

Ren could not speak. He did not think his efforts entitled him to a reward, yet rage rose within him at the cruelty of the situation.

His nails dug into his clenched palms until drops of blood fell to the floor.

The door opened a crack.

“My lady! Go to my house and bring back my medicine chest! My husband knows where it is–please hurry!” Grandma Rigg shouted.

“I-I understand! Ren, do not disturb her. Stay quietly in your room!”

No one cared that the old woman was ordering the lady of the territory about like a servant. Mireille stood immediately, embraced Ren once more, and ran from the manor.

As soon as Grandma Rigg returned to Roy’s bedside, Ren entered the room despite his mother’s command.

He could not remain ignorant.

Grandma Rigg mixed medicines without a moment’s rest. Still, this was no time for hesitation.

“Grandma Rigg!”

Ren called to her without shrinking back.

“Do none of the herbs you need grow nearby?”

“Not anymore! They once grew at the foot of Tsurugi Rock, but a severe winter more than ten years ago wiped them out!”

Unlike Mireille, Grandma Rigg answered with obvious irritation. She was fighting to save Roy; an interruption at such a time would naturally anger her.

(What does the herb look like?)

Ren examined the plants she had not yet prepared.

Their five-pointed leaves were distinctive and easy to remember.

(So the medicine she needs is Londo Grass.)

Londo Grass was an ordinary healing herb in Legend of the Seven Heroes. Even the game’s rural-born protagonist could buy it from a shop in town.

Ren’s village, however, was not merely rural. It stood at the remote edge of civilization, rarely visited by merchants or adventurers. They had kept a small reserve, but nowhere near enough for the present emergency.

(I used this item countless times in the game. I can’t be mistaken.)

If Londo Grass still grew nearby, he could gather it.

He could not accept Grandma Rigg’s claim that it had vanished without seeing the area for himself.

He could not sit still while Roy died.

Yet he was afraid.

Night was approaching, and the threat of the Thief Wolfen remained. Going all the way to Tsurugi Rock under those conditions would terrify anyone.

(This isn’t the time to hesitate.)

If Ren did nothing, his father would die–and that moment drew closer with every passing second.

That fear eclipsed all others.

(I’ll go. There is no other choice.)

Ren clenched his fist and forced himself to decide.

Without telling Grandma Rigg, he left Roy’s room. Through a window, he saw Mireille running along the path between the fields.

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

He apologized to her retreating figure, then turned toward the forest.

His gaze passed over the trees to the distant place where Tsurugi Rock stood.

Ren nodded once and rushed from the manor.

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