Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter Seven: The Knights Leave the Village
“Now, now. I am impressed that you know the young lady’s name, but you must not address her without a title.”
“I-I’m sorry… but…”
Confused, Ren folded his arms. He knew it was rude to lapse into thought in front of Knight Commander Weiss, but he could not help himself.
(Why?! The Clausel family isn’t supposed to be a baronial house in a frontier region!)
He searched his memories from the game. The Clausels were an old and distinguished family whose estate lay near the imperial capital.
That was why Ren had remained calm upon learning that the Ashton family’s liege was merely a baron.
In hindsight, failing to ask Roy for the baron’s family name had been a mistake. Yet Ren had been certain that a frontier baron could not possibly be the head of the saint’s family, so the question had never seemed important.
“Lord Weiss!”
Ren spoke with sudden urgency.
“Isn’t the Clausel territory much closer to the imperial capital?”
“What has made you so frantic all of a sudden?”
“I’m sorry! But this is extremely important to me!”
“I do not entirely understand… Still, I am impressed by how well informed you are. It is true that the Clausel family also holds territory near the capital.”
Ren blinked rapidly, silently urging him to continue.
“They received that land last year. His Majesty granted it in celebration of the birth of the young lady, who possesses White Saint, and as a reward for our lord’s success in enriching his domain. Though I hear the additional territory is no larger than a single town.”
“I-I see…”
In other words, Licia Clausel–the very first person Ren intended to avoid–was the daughter of the baron to whom the Ashton family owed allegiance.
The situation could hardly have been further outside his expectations.
(The game never mentioned any of this… But it’s all right. This still isn’t the worst possible situation.)
Ren was only a child and had never met Licia.
That meant there was still no immediate danger.
(I simply have to avoid killing her. Even if we happen to meet, everything will be fine as long as I remain in this village.)
“Eventually, you will have to present yourself to our lord and the young lady.”
“…What?”
“Has Sir Roy never told you? By long-standing custom, the heir of a knightly house must be introduced to the family of his liege lord. When you are older, you will likely visit and offer your respects to them both.”
Ren would have preferred to avoid even that, but it did not sound like something he could refuse.
(It’s fine… I would only be greeting her.)
For now, he pushed the matter aside. He could worry about it when the day actually arrived.
“Changing the subject… I heard that you command Baron Clausel’s knights, Lord Weiss.”
Ren deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere in an attempt to calm himself.
“I do. Why do you ask?”
“Forgive my curiosity, but it seems unusual for the knight commander himself to travel all the way to such a distant village.”
“A perceptive question. I would not ordinarily leave the manor for so long, but as I said, our lord is deeply concerned about this incident.”
That was why even an important officer such as Weiss had been sent into the field. If they encountered the monster responsible for the disturbance, he could lead an immediate attempt to subjugate it.
“Besides, a D-rank monster is beyond the ability of my men to handle safely.”
“I see… That makes sense…”
“Hm? What makes sense?”
“N-nothing.”
Ren had answered strangely because he was recalling the monster-ranking system in The Legend of the Seven Heroes.
Monster ranks were determined by the Guild, a neutral organization active throughout the world. Its criteria varied, but the most important factor was how great a threat a creature posed to people.
S-rank was the highest classification and G-rank the lowest.
A D-rank monster was already comparable to one of the earliest bosses in the game.
(Father is probably stronger than Lord Weiss’s ordinary men… probably.)
Even so, Ren could not say whether Roy could defeat a D-rank monster alone. In the game, the protagonists had faced enemies of that level as a party of four.
Had he known such danger was coming, perhaps he should have begun serious training even earlier.
The regret made him murmur without thinking.
“I suppose there won’t be any training today…”
“Training? Do you mean the sessions you hold with Sir Roy?”
“Er…”
“Your mother mentioned them. You practice with him every afternoon after he returns from hunting, do you not?”
Ren nodded.
“Then I imagine today’s training was canceled because of our sudden arrival.”
“No! That isn’t–“
“Very well.”
Weiss clapped his hands as Ren hurried to deny it.
“What do you mean?”
“If I neither assisted with the hunt nor allowed the heir’s training to continue, I, Weiss, would have no face with which to report back to our lord.”
“Are you saying… you will train me?”
Weiss nodded immediately.
The unexpected offer filled Ren with delight. He had no complaints about Roy’s instruction, but the opportunity to learn from the knight commander of the Clausel family was impossible not to welcome.
“If you do not mind, I would like to borrow a training sword.”
“Of course! There is a wooden sword Father normally uses in the storehouse!”
“Then I shall borrow it. If your own equipment is stored there as well, we can prepare and begin at once.”
Only then did Ren remember to use the more formal way of referring to his father. Weiss smiled at the boy’s earnest effort and followed him toward the storehouse.
Several minutes later, just before the training began, one of Weiss’s subordinates approached.
“Lord Weiss, may I observe?”
Weiss, ever courteous, first asked Ren whether he objected before granting permission.
“Come at me exactly as you would during your usual training. Consider it part of your warm-up.”
(All right.)
Ren stretched lightly, then raised his Wooden Magic Sword.
His body felt light. He seemed to be in especially good condition that day.
“Here I come!”
Ren surged toward the waiting Weiss. Just as he did when sparring with Roy, he closed the distance like the wind, holding nothing back.
“What–?!”
“Hm–!”
Weiss’s subordinate exclaimed in astonishment, and even Weiss raised his eyebrows.
“Haaaaah!”
Weiss caught Ren’s continuing strikes and smiled.
“Excellent… Your strength and the path of your blade are both beyond reproach!”
The unplanned lesson continued until shortly before evening. As the hours passed, even Weiss grew increasingly enthusiastic about teaching him.
â—‡ â—‡ â—‡ â—‡
Ren learned something important from that day’s training.
There existed warriors even stronger than Roy, whom Ren had already considered far beyond himself–warriors whose swordsmanship was beautiful enough to inspire genuine admiration.
And there was another discovery.
“I learned something else… and this is a huge gain!”
After training until he could barely stand, Ren lay on his bed that evening and stared at the result.
– Magic Sword Summoning Technique (Level 2: 56 / 1,000)
His proficiency had risen by ten points at once.
That suggested proficiency increased faster when he trained against a stronger opponent. The gain was five times greater than usual, proof of just how powerful Weiss truly was.
Despite his aching muscles, Ren could not suppress a delighted smile.
â—‡ â—‡ â—‡ â—‡
The following morning, shortly after sunrise, Weiss and his party finished breakfast and prepared to return to Baron Clausel’s manor.
By the time the sky had fully brightened, they were mounted and ready to depart.
“Sir Roy, thank you for receiving us so graciously despite our sudden arrival.”
“Not at all. I am the one who should thank you for instructing my son.”
“Nevertheless, remain cautious. You may have a knight’s duty to protect this village, but all will be lost if you fall in the process.”
“I understand. I will fulfill the Ashton family’s duty while protecting my own life as well.”
“See that you do. That is precisely what our lord expects of House Ashton. Now, it is time for us to leave.”
After offering one final word of thanks, Weiss ordered his men onward.
Ren and his parents stood outside the manor and watched until the party disappeared from sight.
The knights rode toward Baron Clausel’s estate, crossing hills, passing through forests, and sometimes fording shallow rivers.
By the time the sun began to set, they were still far from any settlement other than the Ashton village, so they stopped to prepare a camp for the night.
“Lord Weiss,” one of the men said while they worked.
“What is it?”
“Nothing urgent. I merely heard that you gave the Ashton heir a lesson yesterday.”
“So did I!”
“How was Sir Roy’s pride and joy?”
Several others joined the conversation, though none sounded particularly expectant. Everyone knew that Roy was a practical, self-taught swordsman rather than a formal instructor.
“It is a shame the boy has no professional swordmaster.”
“Sir Roy teaches him, but teaching is unlikely to be his strength.”
Weiss tilted his head.
“You appear to misunderstand. That boy is strong.”
His subordinates stared at him in surprise. Only the knight who had watched the training reacted differently.
“He truly was remarkable,” that man said, his voice lively as he recalled the sight.
“Is that really true?”
“What reason would I have to lie? Lord Weiss, would you not call him an exceptional talent?”
“Indeed. He is still rough around the edges, but his talent is undeniable. He is intelligent as well. He absorbed everything I taught almost immediately, and he worked without giving up no matter how exhausted he became.”
His men had never heard Weiss praise anyone so lavishly–not even Licia, the saint.
“To be honest, I wanted to bring him into the Clausel Knights.”
“Bring him in?!”
“Commander, he is only seven years old!”
“And none of you could defeat that seven-year-old boy. His present ability already exceeds the young lady’s.”
Impossible, they thought.
Absurd.
Yet they could not dismiss the claim when it came from Weiss, the knight they respected and whose judgment they trusted without reservation.
“Still, taking him from the village would be difficult.”
Roy was presently the village’s only defender, and one day that duty would pass to Ren. For that very reason, bringing him to the Clausel estate would not be simple.
Weiss returned his thoughts to the more immediate danger.
“Even with that boy there, we must hurry the reinforcements.”
His subordinates nodded solemnly.
“Against G-rank Little Boars, none of you would fall behind regardless of their number. Even against F-rank opponents, you should each be able to handle roughly five at once.”
“Yes, sir!”
“But E-rank is another matter. A D-rank monster would remain dangerous even against five or more men of your ability. Sir Roy alone is not sufficient protection–and the creature involved in this incident is D-rank.”
“Commander…”
“What is it?”
“Did Sir Roy not once defeat a D-rank monster by himself?”
“He did. It was before his wife became pregnant.”
The subordinate wanted to argue that Roy should therefore be safe this time as well.
Weiss’s expression, however, did not brighten. Instead, it grew darker in the firelight.
“We still cannot afford optimism. Unfortunately, this is not an ordinary D-rank monster.”
The questioning knight suddenly remembered and nodded.
“Of course… It is a unique monster with an abnormal power.”
“Exactly. That is why we must hurry. We must deliver sufficient fighting strength to the territory as soon as possible.”
Weiss looked toward the sky in the direction of the Ashton manor and closed his eyes.
He prayed that no new victims would appear before the baron’s knights reached the villages.
Of course grown men wouldn’t want to admit a 7 year old could beat their ass. Their ojou being an exception, cause they have to admit their superior’s kid is better than them.
I don’t think it’s that but they probably thought Weiss was saying that because it was the son of Roy. It’s hard to see that not just 1 but 2 kids being strong in their youth.
The lady makes more sense because she has a proper instructor while Ren is being taught by his dad, Roy. We know that Roy is not good at teaching (kinda like Rudius’ dad who was an instinctive type versus knowledge type).
Dejame adivinar en la historia original del juego el prota pierde a su familia por el mounstro mutado y culpa al baron por mandar tarde a los caballeros y mata a la ojou en la escuela para que sintiera lo mismo que el