Kays Translations

Chapter 13: Ulysses’s Story and a Letter of Introduction

“I thought you were in the Imperial Capital too.”

Ulysses spoke with certainty.

“My being here is only a coincidence. But how did you know I was in the capital?”

“I realized it after speaking with Baron Clausel. From the way he talked, it did not sound as though you were far away. Meeting you here was genuinely a coincidence, though. I had just taken Fiona to the girls’ dormitory of the academy you were looking at and happened to spot you on my way back.”

At the party Ren had neither seen nor heard, Lessard had not made any obvious slip of the tongue.

At most, he and Ulysses had engaged in a little mutual jockeying as two fathers competing over Ren.

In the end, Ulysses had simply been too perceptive.

“I see. Impressive as ever, Marquis Ignat.”

“I’m honored by the compliment. And you may call me Ulysses.”

Ulysses smiled inwardly at the matter-of-fact way their conversation proceeded.

Ren’s confident bearing beside him conveyed even more strength than Ulysses had imagined.

“Human society is fascinating. Someone like you can be dragged onto the public stage by the slightest turn of events.”

“All I wanted was to remain tucked away in my village.”

“Haha, that is very like you! But think about it. Your existence was a miscalculation not only for those embroiled in factional disputes, but also for the Demon King cult. Do you understand? They meddled where they never should have and created a hero—Ren Ashton—who was never meant to be born.”

“You give me far too much credit. I’m simply… the son of a rural knight.”

“But that is now a thing of the past. You are an intelligent boy, so I am sure you already realize it.”

Ren was keenly aware of that even without being told.

And compared with before that realization, his desire to grow had become stronger still.

He now felt a far greater need to sharpen not only his physical strength, but his intellect as well.

“Take the Imperial Military Academy you were just looking at. Even to my eyes, no other school is as well suited to you. I suspect you feel that yourself now, more than you did when Viscount Given invited you.”

“…I wonder. I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Good grief—you truly are endlessly fascinating.”

Ren looked up at Ulysses, studying his handsome features from close range.

The striking man, whose face somewhat resembled Fiona’s, wore a fearless smile.

“Tell me, why do you speak as though you are avoiding that academy? It does not sound as though the matter with Viscount Given alone left you with such an aversion.”

The question came from Ulysses Ignat—the final boss of Legend of the Seven Heroes I.

The Strong Arm kept his eyes fixed on the silent Ren, and Ren did not look away from him either. They simply stared at one another.

When no answer came no matter how long he waited, Ulysses continued.

“It is obvious that you recognize the value of the world-renowned academy before you, yet you still avoid it. Why? You did not fear Viscount Given. You did not fear Asval. You stand calmly even before me—so what, exactly, are you trying to avoid?”

Ulysses’s words shook Ren’s heart.

With every question, Ren felt less certain that he knew the answer himself.

(I…)

He had decided he must avoid the Imperial Military Academy at all costs because he feared reaching the same ending as in Legend of the Seven Heroes.

Yet he no longer knew whether that fear still had meaning. He had already saved many people and drastically changed several of their fates.

Even so, the conviction rooted deep within him could not be overturned so easily.

“I simply think I would be happier hiding away in the countryside than doing something beyond my station and suffering for it.”

At Ren’s self-deprecating answer, Ulysses stared at him blankly.

He blinked several times, then burst into booming laughter.

“Hahahaha! Beyond your station!?”

The laughter welled up from the bottom of his heart as he pressed a hand to his forehead and looked toward the sky.

Once he had laughed his fill, Ulysses wiped the tears from his eyes and looked at Ren again.

“Forgive me. I could not help laughing that off.”

“You startled me, laughing so suddenly.”

“Don’t look so displeased. Hearing something like that, how could I possibly keep from laughing?”

Ulysses beckoned to Ren.

He abruptly began walking, and Ren followed almost without thinking.

“You changed the fate of your home and the fate of Clausel. More than that, you changed Fiona’s fate when even I could not. That is who you are, Ren Ashton.”

“…I’ll say it again: you give me too much credit.”

“Do I? This may sound boastful, but mere luck—an uncertain factor—could never have accomplished more than I did.”

Faced with confidence firmly supported by ability, Ren could find no reply.

“Incidentally, people often say I am frightening. Why do you think that is?”

“Because your wisdom and influence are unrivaled. Because you are an individual capable of pushing Leomel, the world’s largest nation, into dire straits single-handedly.”

“…Oh?”

Ulysses found himself entertained yet again by the fearlessness with which Ren spoke.

“Then I will say it once more. You have profoundly changed the fates of many people, including mine.”

A carriage waited at the bottom of the hill ahead. It was jet-black, and Edgar, Ulysses’s butler, sat in the driver’s seat.

“And yet you think even one academy is beyond your station? Of course that makes me laugh! To borrow your own reasoning, you changed the fate of Leomel—the largest nation in the world.”

Ulysses stopped before the carriage.

He opened the door himself and climbed inside. Telling Ren, “I’ll give you a ride,” he invited him into the jet-black carriage as well.

“Forgive me. We have only just met, yet here I am lecturing you so grandly.”

“N-no, not at all! It’s difficult to put into words, but what you said helped me!”

That was no lie.

Speaking with Ulysses, who sat opposite him, did not make Ren’s aversion to the Imperial Military Academy seem trivial. Still, he had to admit there was something laughable about a person who had changed so many fates being afraid of his own uncertain destiny.

Why did he assume he could not change his own fate?

That was what Ulysses’s words seemed to ask.

In Legend of the Seven Heroes I, Ulysses was the final boss and, as Ren had said, a man powerful enough to drive Leomel into crisis through his personal might.

Considering that Ren had changed even his fate, Ren honestly could think of no answer.

The carriage began moving, its wheels rumbling over the cobblestones.

“Never forget this. Acting beyond one’s station can bring painful consequences, but for the most part, you no longer fall within that category.”

“Even though I’m only the son of a rural knight?”

“That is merely the family into which you were born. You are strong now. Whatever the circumstances, anyone who defeated Asval is unquestionably powerful. You possess enough strength to crush a certain amount of trouble and injustice beneath you.”

Ulysses’s words sank deep into Ren’s heart.

“That strength has brought you a rare freedom—more freedom than you could ever exhaust, even while bearing responsibility for those precious to you.”

“…”

“And naturally, your strength is no longer limited to physical might. Baron Clausel is gaining influence through your presence as well. Although it may be difficult for us to support you openly, I want you to remember House Ignat too.”

Friendship with Ulysses in particular was immensely reassuring to Ren, who knew exactly how formidable he was.

Ulysses might have been the final boss in the game, but his power was an extraordinary asset so long as it did not run out of control.

Moreover, even if Ren could not quite call himself a bulwark against such an outcome, he was now unquestionably an important person whose connection to Ulysses could help keep him from losing control.

“Thus, freedom is also proof of power. If you are unworthy, then every student at the Imperial Military Academy must be unworthy as well.”

“…May I ask you one thing?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“I understand what you mean, Lord Ulysses, and there are parts of my thinking I may need to reconsider. But there is one point that does not sit right with me.”

In contrast to his earlier calm, Ren’s voice now sounded faintly resigned.

He spoke without the slightest hesitation, even to Ulysses.

“Perhaps it was convenient that the building we happened to be looking at was the Imperial Military Academy. Even so, you seem especially eager to recommend that particular school. It isn’t only because it is Leomel’s most prestigious academy, is it?”

“Ah, you noticed?”

“…So that really was part of it.”

Ulysses wore an awkward expression, while Ren sat opposite him with a knowing look.

“My daughter attends it. I can’t help thinking it would be reassuring to have someone like you near her.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought.”

“But do not misunderstand me. Although my daughter is part of the reason, I genuinely believe the Imperial Military Academy would benefit you. I also truly questioned the way you were thinking.”

There was no falsehood in his words.

Ren understood that and appreciated Ulysses’s willingness to admit his personal motive openly.

Ulysses cherished his daughter, but he had not been scheming to force anything on Ren. About an hour earlier, he had recommended the Imperial Military Academy to Licia as well, but only as a warning to consider the future of the factions. He had not guided Ren here to make it easier to persuade him to enroll.

The two matters were separate, and Ren could say with certainty that neither involved calculation or manipulation.

As proof, Ulysses said nothing further about the Imperial Military Academy.

Instead, he continued,

“You still have time before you reach the age to attend. It would do no harm to think about it a little longer.”

He slipped a hand inside his jacket, produced an envelope, and passed it to Ren.

“I heard that the Sacred Sword Style did not suit you.”

“H-how did you know that?”

“Baron Clausel mentioned it in a letter some time ago. I am considering making the same introduction for Miss Clausel, if she wishes, but first I would like to give this letter of introduction to you.”

The envelope bore the name Ulysses Ignat in elegant handwriting.

No addressee was specified.

“Please accept it as one expression of my gratitude.”

“Thank you. May I look inside…?”

After Ulysses nodded, Ren opened the envelope.

The offer was sudden, but he could not help feeling excited.

Sharpening his swordsmanship was one of his most important goals, so the prospect genuinely pleased him.

But when Ren unfolded the parchment within the envelope, his eyes went wide.

“Are you serious about this?”

“Entirely. Many sword styles exist throughout the world, but if the Sacred Sword Style does not suit you, this is the one I should introduce you to, is it not?”

“N-no… I understand the logic, but…”

The letter read as follows:

‘In the name of Ulysses Ignat, I hereby grant Ren Ashton permission to enter the Lion’s Holy Office.’

The Lion’s Holy Office was an institution that managed records and relics connected to the Lion King. To Ren, it was also an organization that had made him suffer countless times during his gaming days.

It was a rare institution even within the Imperial Capital and possessed one other defining characteristic.

The Lion’s Holy Office was regarded as the headquarters of the Mighty Sword Style in Leomel.

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