Kays Translations

Chapter 27: After It Turned Cold, Part Two

Fiona wasn’t in her room after all.

As Chronois and Edgar walked through the estate, she appeared at the far end of a corridor.

“Lady Chronois!”

Fiona hurried toward them, the necklace at her breast swinging on its silver chain. A jet-black jewel sat at its center.

She stopped before Chronois and offered a graceful greeting.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Sorry for arriving so suddenly.”

“Not at all. I’m happy to see you again. What brings you here today?”

“I came to check on you, of course.”

“I’m perfectly healthy now. Besides, I heard you were enjoying a long conversation with Father.”

“Conversation can be important too.”

Chronois gave an embarrassed laugh, and Fiona smiled with her.

Then Chronois placed a hand against Fiona’s neck, closed her eyes, and concentrated on the sensations passing through her palm. A faint warmth unlike ordinary body heat flowed into Fiona, soothing her as she took several slow breaths.

“There. That’s enough.”

“Am I all right?”

“You no longer need the medicine. Your body has matured, and what happened before shouldn’t happen again. You can relax.”

Chronois stroked Fiona’s head, then raised one finger.

“But be careful of other people’s malice. Someone may be able to force your special power out of control.”

“Is such a thing possible?”

“Perhaps.”

Chronois smiled loosely at Fiona’s alarm. It wasn’t a warning founded on certainty, only a possibility she didn’t want the girl to ignore.

Fiona understood and sighed with a helpless smile.

“Please don’t frighten me like that.”

“You still shouldn’t lower your guard. The Demon King was defeated long ago, but another being like him might one day appear. Someone like that could harm us in ways we can’t imagine.”

“Then this hardly sounds like my problem alone.”

“Ahaha… That’s true.”

Chronois had mainly wanted to remind her to remain cautious. Even in jest, however, her advice carried enormous weight with Fiona.

“I’ll approach the coming final examination without letting down my guard.”

“That’s right–your final exam is almost here.”

“Yes. The Special Class entrance examination has been so long that I’ll be relieved when it finally ends.”

Unlike the entrance tests of ordinary schools, admission to the Imperial Military Academy’s Special Class was decided through several stages. The process lasted from summer until the winter after the new year.

Fiona was applying despite being a marquis’s daughter. Graduating from the academy carried great prestige, and Chronois’s policies allowed its students to receive an unusually advanced education.

“Don’t remove the necklace I gave you.”

“Because something like the Demon King might appear?”

They smiled despite the unsettling subject. Both remained vigilant, but the sheer scale and improbability of the danger made it difficult not to laugh.

“Oh, I really must go.”

Chronois checked the watch on her wrist and realized how long they had talked. Before leaving, she raised a finger to her lips.

“I’m cheering for you. Keep that between us, all right? I’m still the academy’s dean.”

She scratched her cheek and turned away in embarrassment. Fiona bowed deeply and thanked her several times.

With that concern settled, Chronois said farewell and accompanied Edgar toward the entrance. Ulysses waited outside to see her off.

As they walked, Chronois spoke again.

“I actually visited the Baldor Mountains.”

“That’s interesting. May I ask why?”

“One of the examination sites we had prepared became unavailable. The Baldor Mountains were suggested as an alternative, so I inspected them along with several other candidates. They were unsuitable, unfortunately.”

“Why?”

“Too many sheer cliffs, and this winter is expected to be terribly cold. It would be too dangerous for the applicants.”

Ulysses agreed.

“Have you told the academy board?”

“Yes. I spent the year inspecting possible sites. All that remains is the final selection.”

“You could simply leave the entire decision to the board.”

“While its members are so busy fighting over factions?”

“A painfully fair observation.”

The nobles on the board naturally belonged to different political factions, yet the body still functioned to preserve fairness in the Special Class. Chronois therefore avoided open complaints and refused to favor any side.

“The examination site must be difficult to manage when its location is confidential,” Ulysses said.

Graduating from the Imperial Military Academy’s Special Class was nearly a guarantee of a brilliant future. To prevent unfair advantages, only a select few learned the final examination venue.

Besides the board, only the crew of the magic ship used for transport and the lord governing the chosen location received the information. Not even the applicants’ parents, other nobles, or the imperial family were told.

“Was it all right to tell me what you just did?”

“The Baldor Mountains are no longer under consideration. It isn’t something to announce publicly, but there’s no harm in mentioning a rejected site.”

Near the main gate, Chronois stopped and turned toward Ulysses.

“I’ll leave Leomel before the end of the year. I’m glad I could examine Fiona one last time.”

“Where are you going?”

“To the Holy Land on official business–for more than a year. I meant to refuse when they first asked, but the work was too important.”

The Holy Land lay near the center of the Elfen Continent. It was the headquarters of worship devoted to Main God Elfen and a neutral territory where pilgrims gathered from across the world.

“Part of the Silver Sacred Palace Nodias is being rebuilt.”

“The Silver Sacred Palace serves as the central sanctuary for temples throughout the world. I had heard that it had deteriorated badly.”

Chronois was neither carpenter nor sculptor. Her role concerned the holy relics housed inside. Numerous seals and barriers protected them, and ordinary workers couldn’t simply disturb those defenses. Chronois would help remove and reinstall them during reconstruction.

“Other nations are sending specialists, so Leomel can’t refuse to do the same.”

Every country was dispatching personnel into a place that proclaimed its neutrality. The arrangement carried an obvious political scent, but Leomel couldn’t ignore it religiously either; countless citizens worshiped Main God Elfen.

“While I’m gone, I suppose the board will become the academy’s highest authority.”

“That sounds excellent. Watching the faction-obsessed board become truly busy will be rather satisfying. Take the opportunity to rest when you can.”

“I wonder whether it’ll feel like rest.”

Chronois checked her watch again and exclaimed at the time. After a hurried exchange of farewells, Ulysses invited her to visit whenever she returned to Leomel.

“I will. Thank you for today.”

She left the estate wearing her robes and pulling the hood low to avoid attention.

Instead of hiring a carriage, Chronois spent more than an hour walking through Eupheim and enjoying its beautiful streets. Her destination was the city’s magic-ship terminal.

She bought a ticket from a magical machine and boarded a vessel scheduled to depart for the Imperial Capital an hour later. Indulging herself, she paid for a private cabin and watched Eupheim through its window.

From the flying ship, the celebrated city could be seen from far above.

Ren really was adorable. It would have made everything easier if the Baldor Mountains had been suitable for the examination.

Chronois stretched with a groan and fell backward onto the large sofa. With no one watching, she hugged a cushion and kicked her feet.

“I can’t take any more. I’m going to sleep.”

She announced the decision to the empty room, rubbed her heavy eyelids, and forced herself toward the bed.

While undressing, she opened the notebook containing her schedule. Every space from her return to the Imperial Capital until the morning she left Leomel was filled.

In other words, she had no days off. The hours aboard the ship were the only holiday she would receive.

“Grr! …What am I even doing?”

She pointlessly growled at the crowded schedule, then felt foolish, dropped onto the bed, and closed her eyes. Accumulated exhaustion soon carried her into sleep.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

At the same time, Ren visited the Adventurers’ Guild.

The receptionist, now a familiar face, spoke as soon as he entered.

“Did you read the letter?”

Ren nodded.

“The guild messenger surprised me when he came to the residence, but I read it immediately.”

“It concerns a nominated request from Kai. I understand he wants you to help escort a group of merchants.”

“Kai?”

“You don’t remember the adventurer you often speak with?”

Unfortunately, Ren didn’t. He couldn’t even recall asking the man’s name.

“That’s me, Hero.”

A rough voice came from behind him. Ren turned and saw the man who had first approached him when he registered at the guild.

“So you’re Kai.”

“That’s right. You couldn’t have known–I never introduced myself. All right, miss, I’ll explain the rest to him directly.”

The receptionist nodded and led Ren to a table in the guild’s dining area. Kai’s wolfman partner was already waiting there.

“I heard what happened,” the wolfman said. “My apologies, Hero. We should have introduced ourselves and simply forgot.”

“I should have asked as well.”

Ren sat, and Kai unfolded a map across the table.

“As you heard, we want you for an escort job. The clients are merchants favored by some noble.”

“Official purveyors?”

“Possibly. They came to Clausel to purchase various goods. Apparently they’re close to nobles of the Hero Faction.”

Ren’s expression immediately soured. Kai knew enough of his history to grin in understanding.

“I know how you feel, but I’d like to rely on you. The planned round trip will take one month. What do you say?”

“A month is a long time.”

Ren had little interest in accepting. A full month away was too much for someone entrusted with the old manor. The payment sounded respectable, but it did nothing to move him.

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