Kays Translations

Chapter 27: At the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary again

About a week before the New Year.

At sunset, the dwarf Verlich paid a visit to the house.

"Oh, it’s Verlich-dono!”

"Oh. It has been a long time, Weiss.”

He exchanged greetings with Weiss at the entrance of the mansion, said, "It's a promise," and left the mansion, leaving a white wooden box behind.

Weiss seemed to remember his nostalgia for that behavior of suddenly coming and immediately leaving.

“Please take it, young lady."

Weiss opens the white wooden box and takes out the sword inside.

Licia takes the straight sword in a black scabbard from his hand. She pulls the straight sword out of the scabbard and reveals its white, unclouded body.

(I knew it was that one.)

Ren didn’t say it out loud, but inwardly, his eyes widened at the familiarity of the sword.

The fact that I was right when I heard the story in the hanging garden is now proven right here and now.

“...... Pretty."

The other side of the room, Licia, was amazed at the beauty of the straight sword.

Weiss' cheeks relaxed when he saw her being fascinated.

“The sword may still be a little big for the young lady's body, but it will eventually be just the right length for you. The ---- name is 'Hakuan Byakuen(White Darkness),' that's what the dwarf said when he left."

It was the sword synonymous with Licia in the legend of the Seven Heroes and boasted one of the best attack power in the story.

The sword is a gem that was refined over a long period of time from the sacred iron Orichalcum with the holy water of the Silver Sacred Palace Nodias. The sharpness of the sword can be called that of a great sword among great swords. However, it has a habit of rebelling against the user's magical power, and there are few people in the world who can suppress this habit and master it.

This is the description of the white darkness that Ren recalls.

Naturally, there’s no way for players to obtain the sword. It is the same as Licia, who was called the heroine who couldn’t be conquered, and was unattainable.

“Thank you, I will treasure it.”

“I’m honored to hear you say so. I’m looking forward to seeing your swordsmanship with that sword in the future.”

“I'll do my best. Hey Ren! Let's work hard together!”

“Yes. I'll do my best not to lose to Licia-sama.”

“Then let's see...... Oh, Weiss! Can I use this sword to train against monsters?”

“Of course. But the weight and length are different, so please take it easy at first and bring your current sword with you.”

“I understand. I promise I won't overdo it.”

Ren and Weiss followed her.

(If I want to say something, today would be a good day to say it.)

I thought it would be better before Licia went for the monster slaying training.

Tomorrow's training is for Licia's entrance exam for the Imperial Military Academy's special class, so now would be the perfect time for Ren to decide to take the exam as well.

I didn’t want to miss this opportunity and wait for the right time.

At the dinner table, Ren thought as he tucked into the delicious food.

As he sat down to dinner today, Ren reaffirmed that his decision was unwavering.

He never thought that going for a place he thought he should avoid right after birth would now seem like a good choice......

I am very close to saying this conclusion, which was reached with various thoughts and encouragement.

Licia and Lessard started to chat with each other after the meal. ...... That's when

“There’s something I’d like to ask you two.”

Ren began to talk.

“What is it?”

“What happened?”

Hearing Licia and Lessard's reply, Ren sucked in a deep breath.

He finally speaks the words he has decided to say.

His voice was clear and staccato.

“I'm going to try to get into the special class at the Imperial Military Academy----“

This brought silence to the table.

Ren had said the other day that he, too, had decided to leave Clausel, adding that it was also to protect Licia.

Unlike that day, this evening was spoken of as a definite future.

“...... We’ll be going to school together?”

“Yes, but only if I get accepted.”

“Of course you will get in Ren! Father! Did you hear that?  Ren is going to take the same entrance exam as me.”

"Of course I heard. What a joyous news!”

If Ren would attend the same institute as Licia, that would be a safe thing for his daughter, though not Ulysses.

And, looking to the future, it is also encouraging to have someone like Ren take over the Ashton family.

“In that case Ren, along with Licia, will have to work hard to study for the exam.”

“I'm going to study hard while doing the work I can do here at......”

“Wait, that’s the Imperial Military Academy special class, we’re talking about. There's no way you could manage that by studying on your own."

That being said, Ren has been a diligent student since he was a child.

In the legend of the seven heroes, the examination was one of the events, so it is safe to say that he has done a surprisingly good job of the necessary studies.

However, he still needs to study harder than ever so that he doesn't fail the exam even if he makes a mistake.

(I'll have to go buy some reference books or something later.)

I would like to go to the Imperial Capital in the near future and make some preparations. I also wanted to inform my parents about this decision, and I realized that I also needed to prepare a letter.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The next day at noon, Ren went to the capital alone to inform Verlich that the transportation of Asval's horns had been scheduled.

As he was alone, Licia, Lessard and Weiss weren’t with him.

They were not there because the official business of the Clausel family was scheduled for today and tomorrow, so Ren took the lead in taking care of the job.

I could have sent them a letter, but I doubt they would have noticed the letter. The words of Ulysses had been on his mind, so Ren went to him himself and reported the situation.

I went to the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary on my way home. I had been there before with Edgar.

The knight who guarded the sanctuary remembered me from my previous visit with Edgar.

“It's been a long time. Ren-dono.”

He was the knight who had performed wind magic at Edgar's request before.

The knight, still in his jet-black armor as before, noticed that Ren had come alone and stepped to his side.

The knight had a gentle smile on his face, in contrast to his intimidating armor.

“Are you alone today?"

“Yes, I am. Edgar-san told me that I could use the training area in the back, so I thought I would watch your training and learn as well, if time permits.”

Normally, it would be more convenient if Edgar were there.

But this time, because of the short notice, there was no room to contact him. But thankfully, Edgar was at the Holy Lion Sanctuary.

“Since Edgar-sama is here today, I thought he had an appointment with you.”

“Eh? Edgar-san is here?”

“Yes, he is. I thought you guys had plans today since he said he was going to to give instructions to Ren-dono as soon as he arrived this morning.”

The coincidence is just right.

If Edgar still plans to remain at the Lion's Sanctuary, it would be best if he could introduce himself to other knights.

I asked the knight if I could come in, and he immediately nodded.

"Basically, someone is always wielding a sword here. The off-duty knights often visit and train here, so there will be no shortage of people to fight with, no matter when you come.”

The knight said as he walked.

Implying that Ren was welcome to visit without hesitation.

“I see that there are always people at the training center.”

“Yes, even at night.”

The Lion's Head sanctuary was as solemn and quiet as before when Ren stepped inside for the first time. However, things began to change when he went to the back of the building and passed a room in the training center that he and Edgar had used. He felt a pressure that made his skin tingle.

(---- Certainly)

Edgar told me that the training hall was located almost at the far end of the lion sanctuary and was an open atrium.

As usual, the place was located at the end of a huge stone door.

A little further on, one can look down over the railing at the large training hall below. The place was half-underground, and sunlight poured in through the high glass ceiling. What was different from the room Ren had used before was that the ground was not cobblestone but hard earth.

(----)

When I got here, the pressure was more intense than it had been earlier. It was the pressure of the knights in training looking up at him when they noticed him looking down at them over the railing.

But that doesn't mean they didn't welcome him.

One of them even looked up at Ren and gave him a small smile, no doubt.

But when a dozen or so hard sword users looked up at him, Ren couldn't stop feeling a pressure he hadn't experienced much.

Edgar, the target, seemed to be talking to the knights who were there.

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