Chapter 28: In an Unfamiliar Place

Every sensation felt dull.

It was as though Ren were no longer himself, and the scenes before him shifted without regard for his will.

Before he knew it, he was watching his own back from a short distance away, following like a shadow.

The village was burning.

This other Ren carried only two Little Boars. He walked along the road between the fields in a daze, surrounded by speechless knights.

“Mother…?”

He suddenly dropped the monsters and ran.

The knights raced after him, and together they hurried toward the Ashton manor.

When they arrived, the building was engulfed in flames.

“No…”

The other Ren nearly collapsed to his knees. Trembling, he continued toward the house.

His mother had to be inside.

He could think of nothing except hearing her voice.

A knight caught him from behind and held him back.

“You must not!”

“Let go! My mother is—!”

“No! If you enter those flames, you will die too!”

Ren continued struggling, but his resistance was feeble. The boy before him looked so powerless that Ren could barely believe they were the same person.

“I promised Father before he died! I promised I would protect her!”

At the edge of Ren’s vision stood a simple stone marker he had never seen before. The sight of it sent a chill through him.

Then—

“Move aside! Quickly!”

Hooves thundered behind them, accompanied by a girl’s voice.

Both Rens turned.

A dazzling radiance swallowed everything.

* * * *

The scene changed.

Once again, Ren watched another version of himself from behind.

Evening spread across the sky. This other Ren stood on a plain at the edge of the village, staring at rows of human-sized burlap sacks.

“Ren…about Grandma Rigg…”

“I know. I was already prepared.”

His shoulders shook as he answered without turning.

The knight bowed and left. Weiss appeared in his place, soot covering his armor.

“Boy…”

He pulled the stunned Ren into a powerful embrace.

Tears soon ran down Weiss’s cheeks. He apologized again and again.

“Forgive me. Had we arrived sooner…”

“It’s all right. This happened because I was weak.”

“But—”

“The same is true of Father. On the night he died, I should have found the courage to gather Londo Grass. If I had, Father might have lived. He might have been able to stop today’s attackers too.”

“That is not so! The fault lies with us!”

“Some of the knights lost hands or legs fighting for the village. It was only because of them that the Thief Wolfen Father drove away was finally killed.”

The other Ren insisted that the knights were not to blame.

“They saved Mother too. And you destroyed the attackers, Sir Weiss.”

“No. One escaped. Forgive me. If only I had arrived sooner…”

“Please stop. If I make you apologize any more, Father will scold me.”

Then he continued.

“The person who came with you was Lady Licia, wasn’t she? This is the first time I’ve seen her.”

“Yes. The young lady was deeply troubled by what happened with the Thief Wolfen during the winter. She came as His Lordship’s representative.”

“A saint truly is remarkable. She extinguished the manor’s flames.”

“…Yes.”

“She saved Mother. How could I resent you or House Clausel after that?”

The other Ren sank to the ground. He hugged his knees and lowered his face before the rows of sacks.

Silence passed.

What was he supposed to do now?

The village was no longer habitable. Most of the houses had burned, and only a little food remained.

Fear of the future slowly consumed him.

“I’m going to sit beside you.”

A girl’s voice—Licia’s—came from behind him.

Ren looked up.

Bandages covered her fingertips, and small cuts marked her cheeks. Despite her own injuries, she had ignored her status and worked to rescue the villagers.

“I treated your mother as much as I could,” she said. “The other survivors too.”

“Thank you. I…”

“But she needs more treatment before she will wake. I’ll escort everyone who survived to my town or to nearby villages.”

Licia looked directly at him.

She believed the attackers had probably belonged to either the Hero Faction or the Imperial Faction. House Clausel had been dragged into the struggle between factions, and someone seeking to expand their influence had used a brutal method to strike the village.

Yet there had been no warning—nothing that could reasonably have predicted the attack.

Weiss and his knights had arrived only by chance. Without that coincidence, Ren would have lost his mother as well.

Even so, both Weiss and Licia accepted the blame.

Licia, in particular, promised she would do anything within her power to make amends.

“Honestly, I don’t know what I should feel,” the other Ren said. “I don’t have room to hate you. Mother is badly hurt, and there are too many villagers to worry about.”

Licia nodded in silence, pain filling her expression.

“Father always said that House Ashton serves House Clausel, and that our duty is to defend this village with our lives. He would say it was wrong to resent you. I…can’t think clearly enough to decide anything.”

Large tears spilled from his eyes.

He had endured until that moment, but all his restraint finally collapsed.

Licia reached out and gently embraced him.

* * * *

Was that a dream?

Ren opened his eyes, still half dazed.

Could those have been the Ren and Licia from the game’s original history?

It felt as though he had been shown events from a world he had never known.

But why had he seen them now?

More importantly, what he had witnessed did not fit the story in which Ren eventually killed Saint Licia.

If that village had truly been destroyed in the original timeline, Ren might have grown to hate House Clausel and sought revenge. Yet the boy in the vision had not blamed Licia. She had saved his mother and the surviving villagers, and the two had shared grief rather than hatred.

Perhaps something later changed him. It was impossible to rule out.

Still, the simple explanation that he murdered Licia out of revenge now felt far less convincing.

No matter how long he thought, no answer appeared.

Ren turned his attention to his present surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was the musty smell of damp wood.

Then came the unpleasant rocking beneath his body, the creak of timber, and the rhythmic clatter of wheels over uneven ground.

The space was dark, but thin lines of daylight entered through gaps in the walls. When his eyes adjusted, he realized he was lying inside something like an old wooden shed.

No—a carriage.

Where are we?

Painful breathing came from beside him.

Only then did Ren notice that his hands and feet were bound.

He turned his head and finally understood.

“My lady!”

He remembered nothing after the Beast Tamer’s incense had put him to sleep. They were being transported somewhere.

Licia lay beside him, her breathing shallow and strained. Large beads of sweat rolled from her forehead.

“My lady, it’s me. Ren Ashton!”

She could not answer. Only a faint, pained sound escaped her lips.

“I’m surprised you’re awake.”

The Beast Tamer’s voice came from outside the wooden compartment.

“You slept well. Four days should have been more than enough.”

Four days?

They had to be far from the village.

“Ren Ashton, remain obedient and you will come to no harm. Stop thinking of foolish things and endure for a few more days.”

“Then what happens to the young—what happens to this girl?”

The man laughed.

“Clever. You corrected yourself because you hoped I did not know Licia Clausel’s identity.”

Ren’s expression hardened.

“Answer me. Will Lady Licia be safe?”

“Of course. But would you believe me merely because I said so?”

Ren could not answer.

“Do not worry. I do not tell lies. Her illness was simply not part of the plan. If I can obtain medicine along the road, I will give it to her.”

Licia’s illness was not normally fatal on its own, but Weiss had warned that complications could kill her.

Her condition was clearly worse than it had been at the manor. The mold, darkness, jolting carriage, and lack of proper rest could only be harming her.

She needed medicine and a clean place to recover.

“I have kept both of you alive with potions for the past four days,” the Beast Tamer continued. “You might even show some gratitude.”

“You attack our home, murder the guards, abduct us, and then ask for gratitude?”

Licia’s breathing worsened beside him.

Ren forced down his anger.

He could not trust the attacker’s vague promise to search for medicine. The man had burned the manor and killed the knights without hesitation.

They had to escape.

Ren had never traveled beyond the lands around his village. After four days by carriage, he had no idea where they were. Even if he freed them, they might die before finding another settlement.

But abandoning Licia was unthinkable.

If he remained quiet, the Beast Tamer seemed willing to guarantee Ren’s safety. Perhaps Licia’s death would even prevent the future depicted in Legend of the Seven Heroes.

None of that mattered.

If Ren left her to die when he could have tried to save her, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

His summoned sword was gone. The attacker must have placed it somewhere outside.

That was irrelevant. Ren could dismiss and summon a magic sword again whenever he wished.

“Good,” the Beast Tamer said. “Stay quiet.”

“Stop speaking to me. Hearing your voice makes me sick.”

The man laughed loudly.

Ren did not attempt to escape immediately.

He needed to wait—at least until the Beast Tamer and his monsters slept. A failed attempt might cost both their lives, and the attacker seemed far less concerned about Licia’s survival than Ren’s.

Escaping at night in unknown land was reckless.

But it was still their best chance.

He considered shouting when the carriage reached a village, yet there was no guarantee anyone would intervene. The Beast Tamer might have allies, or simply silence him before help arrived.

For now, Ren could trust only himself.

* * * *

Some time after the last daylight disappeared through the wooden gaps, the carriage stopped.

Night had fallen.

“What would happen if I shouted for help?” Ren called.

“It would accomplish nothing. A magic tool prevents sound from leaving the compartment. Only I can hear you.”

How convenient.

Beside Ren, Licia continued gasping. Her condition had worsened throughout the day.

“Keep moving,” Ren said. “Find medicine tonight.”

“It is already dark. We will rest now and search for a village tomorrow.”

The Beast Tamer rose from the driver’s seat. The carriage shifted under his weight.

A key turned, and the side door opened.

He threw food inside: dried meat, hard bread, and a leather waterskin.

“Feed your precious lady.”

The door closed and locked again.

Still bound, Ren crawled across the floor. He gripped the waterskin between his teeth, dragged it to Licia, and carefully tipped water between her lips.

She swallowed a little at a time.

He then soaked a piece of bread until it softened. After whispering an apology, he held it between his own lips and placed it gently against hers.

Eating was difficult, but Licia managed several small bites.

She cannot survive many more days like this.

Neither could Ren. Whatever effects the potions had, their strength would continue to decline.

If they were going to flee, they had to act before that happened.

Tonight. I cannot wait any longer.

Once he accepted the decision, a strange calm settled over him. There was only one path, so fear no longer had room to paralyze him.

Eventually, faint snoring came from the Beast Tamer.

He could also hear the slower breathing of the Mana Eaters outside.

The goal is escape, not victory.

Fighting the Beast Tamer while two D-rank Mana Eaters protected him would be madness.

Ren turned toward Licia.

“My lady, will you entrust your life to me?”

He whispered the question.

For an instant, the corner of her mouth seemed to soften.

Ren drew a deep breath. Only then did he notice how violently his heart was pounding.

Do not lose your nerve now.

Let’s go, Ren.

He spoke the words more softly than leaves brushing together.

The Iron Magic Sword appeared and dropped onto the carriage floor with a muted sound.

Ren pressed the chain around his wrists against its edge. Even the metal links parted easily.

He cut the restraints from his ankles, then crawled to Licia and freed her as well.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter