Chapter 19: The imperial capital in winter

The Hanging Garden is the largest station in Elendil. Its scale is rare even in Leomel, as it also serves as a magic ship station. Just moving to the ground floor is an exercise in itself.

Once outside of the ground floor, we could take a short rest because we could ride in the carriage that had been prepared for us.

Ren got on the same carriage as everyone else and rode through the town for a few minutes.

Although less bustling than the imperial city, the streets were filled with history and emotion, and the quietness was just right for an urban atmosphere.

The house we were looking for was in the center of the town.

Unlike the mansion in Clausel, the one in Elendil faces the main street. There were no buildings next to each other, but a white building with a high wall surrounding the entire site.

Once you passed through the gate in the carriage, a lush garden greeted you.

“It’s a magnificent house, different from Clausel’s.”

When Ren said so, Lessard chuckled to himself, However,

The appearance was somewhat similar to that of his parents’, whom Ren had seen in the spring.

“The furnishings are almost identical to Clausel’s. Perhaps it’s because I was a noble who grew up in the countryside, but I never used to get used to city life like Elendil. I wanted to at least have a familiar environment in the mansion, so I hired the same furniture maker.”

“…………”

“Ren? What’s wrong with your sudden wry smile?”

“I heard the same story in the spring and I couldn’t help it.”

When Ren returned to his village, he heard the exact same words from the mouths of Roy and Mireille.

That amused him a little.

When he told Lessard who seemed to care, he laughed happily.

“We’re lord and a knight in our service. It’s not surprising that we share similar sensibilities.”

Licia and Weiss, who were listening to the conversation, also laughed.

Soon the carriage stopped in front of the door of the mansion, and a knight opened the carriage door from outside.

“Let’s go, Ren.”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to seeing the inside of the mansion.”

Licia led Ren off the carriage and into the grounds of the mansion.

Once inside the mansion, watched over by the servants who greeted him, Ren understood the meaning of what the landlord, Lessard, had said.

The house here is different from the one in Clausel, but if you look closely, you can see the familiar furnishings, which made Ren feel at home.

In Clausel, Ren, who lived in the old mansion, was assigned one of the guest rooms. From now on, this room will replace the old house and become his home. He was shown to the guest room that had been prepared for him after greeting the deputies in the presence of Lessard and the others.

As he had heard, the guest room reminded him of Clausel’s main residence.

This would be a comfortable place to spend time without any sense of discomfort.

Perhaps that was the reason.

After walking through the town of Elendil for the first time that day and spending the night in the mansion, Ren fell asleep without feeling uncomfortable.

He had no trouble recovering from his long journey.

The next morning, soon after sunrise, they all had breakfast together, and Ren then saw them off at the gate of the mansion.

Licia asked in a rather disappointed tone of voice.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with us, Ren?”

“I’m sorry. I’m going to check on the monsters that appear in the plains and forests outside of Elendil, just in case.”

I say instead.

“I’m looking forward to the day when I can go out of town with Licia-sama, and I’ll do my best to make that happen.”

“……it’s not fair to talk that way anymore.”

“I mean it. Then, please take care, Licia-sama.”

The carriage carrying Licia, Lessard, and Weiss left the mansion.

Once the carriage was out of sight, Ren returned to the guest room where he was staying and prepared to head out of town.

The preparations were for fighting monsters.

It had been a long time since he had done this kind of preparation, and he found himself getting excited.

His fingers were naturally more focused than ever before on tying his shoelaces. When he looked in the mirror in his room, he saw himself with loose cheeks.

After finishing his preparations, Ren slapped his cheeks hard.

He told himself to stay alert and not to let his guard down.

“Okay……”

Finally, he left his room and headed out of the house.

Recently, he has spent too much time traveling from Clausel to the territory to board the magic ship and after arriving in the imperial capital to Elendil, so he hasn’t been able to do much hunting in the forest east of Clausel.

Every time he walked, he’s reminded to renew his efforts.

Ren called out to the knight in the hallway.

“I’ll be off now.”

The knight had accompanied him from Clausel, so he understood the situation.

“As the master said, please take care and don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“Thank you. Good bye.”

After leaving the mansion, Ren took in a full breath of fresh air.

“I have to check out the efficient hunting grounds.”

After filling his body with the air of Elendil, which was similar to Clausel’s but somehow different, he set out on his way out of the town.

On his way, he looked up at the Grand Clock Tower, one of the symbols of Elendil.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

An hour and a bit later, the three of them walked through the snow-covered Imperial City.

The cold imperial city was a bustle that even Clausel, in the midst of its festivities, couldn’t compare to.

“Licia. What is that vial you hold in your hand every day these days?”

“This was given to me by Ren. It seems that Edgar-san prepared one for me while Ren was still at the imperial capital. He said I can practice with it if I wanted to.”

“Well, if you don’t mind, let me have a look at it.”

As he made his way down Imperial City Boulevard in the morning bustle, Lessard picked up the vial and looked inside.

He held the vial up to the sky, and the special crystal ball inside it rolled out with a clunk.

“Thank you—- By the way, what does this have to do with the hard sword technique?”

“Umm—- Weiss, can I ask you?”

“I am very pleased to be able to help you. My Lord, inside that vial is a special crystal ball. It is a special crystal ball in which we knead the magic power to deal with battle techniques and deliver it to the crystal ball through the glass. By doing so, if you can destroy the crystal ball, you will be judged to have the gift of the hard sword technique.”

“I see. When it comes to hard swordsmanship, there are some things that aren’t heard of in other schools.”

Licia nodded.

A slight impatience was visible on her face.

“I’m always working hard with Ren, but I still can’t seem to break it.”

“Is Ren the same?”

“Yes. But Ren is said to have a talent for it by Edgar-san, so it’s only a matter of time. I wish I had the same talent for hard swordsmanship…….”

“I don’t think you need to worry too much. The young lady is also becoming proficient in handling the holy magic that’s a part of the White Saints.  Since the young lady is also skilled with swords, it wouldn’t be surprising if you have a talent for hard swordsmanship.”

“I hope so….”

She herself held the vial up to the winter sky and looked at the crystal ball, then prayed earnestly for a quick result.

It wasn’t long after that.

“I think I see it.”

The clothing store was in sight.

It was a clothing store where Lessard had often visited and where he had met his late wife in the past. The clothes Licia had inherited from her mother had been tailored there.

It was convenient for Licia to have them re-tailored.

“It’s been a long time. Licia is getting older now, so I’ll have some of her clothes made for her.”

“Is that all right?”

Licia said, her voice bouncing.

“Yes. There are probably some clothes you want to show Ren. So choose anything you like.”

“…… Oh, Father!”

“You don’t have to be shy. Let’s go. And while we’re at it, let’s go and see if we can find some clothes for Weiss and me.”

“My Lord, am I also ……?”

“Yes. Take it as a way of thanking you”

Weiss was bewildered by the unexpected words, but once he firmly refused, Lessard strongly said, “Don’t mind,” and he bowed his head, thinking it would be tactless to refuse any further.

They visited the clothing store and stayed there until late afternoon.

They did not have the purchased clothes in their hands. Since they were approximately in need of new adjustments, they were to be sent to Elendil’s mansion when they were tailored.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The three of them ate at a restaurant they spotted along the main street, and then set out on their way to the blacksmith shop district, as planned.

“Are you going to buy some new equipment at the blacksmith shop?”

Licia asked Weiss in a corner of the bustling Imperial City.

“No, it’s a sword for the young lady.”

“For me?”

“I’ve been consulting with a blacksmith I know about the young lady’s sword for a while now.”

He thought it would be convenient for Licia to prepare for the challenge of training against monsters

It’s not that Licia has never had a sword of her own before. But as she grew older, its sword blade was becoming shorter and shorter and didn’t match her fighting style.

Therefore, with an eye on the future, he was going to prepare a sword that would be even better than before.

“Mmm is that so? Then you should have told me as well.”

“I am sorry, but it’s not only from me, it is also a gift from all the servants.”

Feeling that tactless words could not be spoken, Lessard expresses his gratitude in a straightforward manner.

Licia asks Weiss, who has become a little afraid, in a pleasant voice this time.

“The fact that you’re acquainted with the blacksmith means that you’ve known him for quite some time.”

“It’s as you said. He is the blacksmith that I got to know during my days in the Kingsguard. Well, I am getting old.”

Weiss laughed, thinking back to the old days with somewhat distant eyes.

A cold winter breeze blew between the three of them.

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