Kays Translations

Chapter 43: The Protagonist and Main Heroine

Once Ren left Elendil and began walking through the open air, he became more alert. Every early-spring breeze against his cheeks seemed to revive him.

He did not travel far that day. He left the road and walked only a few dozen minutes before finding a secluded place where he could test his new equipment.

Ren removed the Flame King’s Gauntlet from its box and equipped both pieces.

The fit remained perfect. Moving his arms and fingers produced no discomfort at all.

The timing also made it feel like a birthday gift. Ren’s birthday was in April. This year’s celebration had been much smaller than the previous one because both he and Licia were preparing for the Imperial Military Academy examinations.

After confirming that no one was nearby, Ren summoned a magic sword.

He equipped the Shield Magic Sword on his left arm and briefly activated its power.

“…Hm?”

The sensation was difficult to describe.

While wearing the Flame King’s Gauntlet, something made him feel that another sword was within reach.

Surely not.

He extended his right hand.

The crimson jewel near his left thumb released a surge of heat.

It resembled Asval’s eternal flames, yet it did not burn him. The heat was unmistakable, but somehow not painful.

The air before him cracked.

A magic sword began to emerge, its entire blade the color of brass and covered in crimson patterns.

“The Flame Magic Sword…”

It was less ornate than Flame Sword: Asval, but unmistakably powerful.

In the past, merely attempting to summon it had consumed so much mana that Ren could not complete the process. This time, the sword appeared without that immediate collapse.

Even so, one glance told him how dangerous it remained.

If he carelessly swung it or activated its full power, he would probably lose consciousness at once. The sword contained enormous strength and demanded a matching amount of mana.

Ren closed his hand around the hilt.

Although his eyes remained open, the world suddenly went black.

Then he saw a silver-white mountain peak many leagues away.

A red dragon sat upon it, facing a man whose back was turned toward Ren.

“Greedy fool,” the dragon said. “If you desire my horn, use your power and take it.”

Ren could neither move nor interfere. He could only witness the memory.

The man remained silent.

“Why do you say nothing? If you are afraid, your arrogance has already failed you.”

“Forgive my persistence,” the man replied. “But I truly do need it. So I will ask once more. Even a fragment would be enough. Will you share a piece of your horn with me?”

The dragon laughed.

“Enough. Burn to ash.”

Asval unleashed a torrent of flame.

It was far greater than the eternal fire Ren knew, an absolute blaze that seemed capable of consuming the entire world. This was Asval in his prime.

When the flames subsided, the man was still standing, sword in hand.

“Are you a hero?” Asval asked.

“No. I am merely an adventurer.”

The vision receded as though a violent wind had swept Ren away from it.

He found himself back in the forest outside Elendil.

“I saw him…”

The dragon had unquestionably been Asval. The man before him could only have been Adventurer Ashton, the powerful ancestor Asval had spoken of.

Had the Flame Magic Sword shown Ren one of Asval’s memories?

He did not understand why, but the encounter clarified at least one thing.

“I cannot complain that Asval called me weak after seeing that.”

The identity of Adventurer Ashton became even more mysterious.

Ren had little hope of entering the Forbidden Archive, but he wanted to find another way to learn the truth.

Voices from deeper in the woods interrupted his thoughts.

“It is heading your way!”

“Drive it into the trap! Move!”

Several men were shouting.

Still holding the Flame Magic Sword, Ren ran toward the commotion.

A group of adventurers had laid traps in a clearing. Their quarry was a Winged Wyvern, a dark-green flying dragon species classified as D-rank and rarely seen so close to Elendil.

A cheer rose from the hunters.

“We caught it!”

“How did you manage that?”

Among the adult adventurers stood a boy and girl only slightly older than Ren.

Vayne and Sera.

The protagonist and main heroine of The Legend of the Seven Heroes were celebrating their successful hunt.

Ren immediately dismissed the Flame Magic Sword before anyone noticed it. He had always known that he would eventually encounter the pair, but he had not intended that meeting to happen here.

He quietly began to leave.

“You there! Sorry, but could you help us?”

An adult adventurer spotted him and hurried over.

Running now would look suspicious. Ren stopped.

“What do you need?”

“Several people were injured, and moving the Winged Wyvern is taking everyone we have. Could you handle some of the simpler work?”

“I would rather help with the heavy lifting.”

The man laughed.

“We have enough hands for that. I need you here. You will receive a share of the reward when we return to the guild.”

Ren understood the task. Someone needed to record the condition of the area, dismantle the traps, and prepare a report describing any damage caused by the Winged Wyvern.

He was still searching for an excuse to avoid the two familiar characters when Sera approached him.

“I am sorry to impose, but could you help us over here?”

Ren sighed inwardly. Leaving after being asked so directly would be stranger than remaining.

“What should I do?”

The scene filled him with deja vu.

In the game, this was the first meeting between Vayne, Sera, and Ren Ashton. The three became acquainted during the work and promised to meet again at the academy.

The current circumstances were slightly different. Game-Ren had accepted the same request from the beginning, while this Ren had merely wandered into the aftermath.

Still, the essential event was unfolding in almost the same way.

Ren helped collect the traps and compiled the information needed for the guild report.

“I am sorry,” Vayne said. “I will add part of my reward to yours, so please accept it.”

“That is unnecessary. I did not do enough to deserve so much.”

“Are you sure? Then I apologize again.”

“There is nothing to apologize for.”

Vayne eventually gave up trying to pay him extra.

“Then at least let us buy you dinner.”

“Perhaps another time, if we happen to meet again.”

It was a polite but unmistakable refusal.

The adult adventurers prepared to carry away the wounded and the Winged Wyvern. Ren, Vayne, and Sera remained a short distance from them while finishing the last tasks.

Ren quietly searched the surrounding woods.

There should have been hidden guards nearby.

Sera was the legitimate daughter of one of the Seven Great Houses. Like the other descendants of the Seven Heroes, she fought bravely in public, but trusted retainers protected her from the shadows whenever possible.

The game even included an event in which the protagonist discovered one of those escorts and was warned, “Do not tell the young lady.”

Ren finished gathering the final piece of equipment.

Then he remembered what came next.

Monsters appeared from behind the bushes.

“Sera!”

“I know!”

Vayne and Sera drew their swords at once.

In the game, all three would fight if the pair’s levels were too low. If they had already grown strong enough, however, they defeated the monsters before Ren Ashton could join the battle. Players often found the extra encounter irritating after the Winged Wyvern hunt, but it existed mainly to establish the relationship among the three characters.

None of the approaching monsters was particularly dangerous.

“Leave this to us,” Vayne called. “You do not have a weapon, so stay back!”

“We will finish quickly,” Sera added. “Do not worry.”

“Thank you.”

Ren watched carefully, ready to intervene if necessary.

There was no need.

Vayne and Sera displayed excellent swordsmanship, cutting down one monster after another with practiced coordination.

They were not merely at the expected level. Both had developed beyond what the game event required.

When the final monster fell, they raised their hands and exchanged a triumphant high five.

“We were stronger than they were!”

“Yes! I am glad we won!”

Ren recognized the exact exchange.

“Ah… That line.”

Both turned toward him.

“What?”

Ren coughed, straightened his posture, and praised them instead.

“Your swordsmanship was remarkable.”

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter