Chapter 43: The hero and main heroine

Leaving Elendil, I was more awake as I walked outside.

Every time the early spring breeze brushed my cheeks, I felt revived by the coolness.

Ren didn’t go too far today. He was only aiming for a place a few dozen minutes off the beaten path. There, he took out his Flame King’s gauntlet and equipped it on both hands.

When he moved his arms and fingertips around, it still felt right. There was no discomfort at all.

(It’s not long after his birthday, so it was just as well.)

April is Ren’s birthday.

However, this year’s birthday won’t be as busy as last year’s. Both Ren and Licia are preparing for exams, so it was just a small celebration.

Ren made sure there was no one around and summoned his magic sword.

The left arm summoned and re-equipped the shield magic sword and exercised its power for a moment.

“…… hmm?”

It was a difficult sensation to put into words.

But now, he felt like he could do it. Equipped with the Flame King’s gauntlet, he had this strange sensation.

So Ren reached forward with his right hand, thinking no way……

“—-!”

The crimson jewel embedded in his left arm near his thumb emitted heat. It was like an eternal fire. It was the same kind of heat as when exposed to the flames of Asval. But it wasn’t hot, and there was a contradiction: it was hot but not hot.

—-Could it be?

It turns out that it wasn’t.

The air in front of him cracked, and a magic sword, entirely brass-colored, with crimson patterns everywhere, began to appear.

“…… The flame magic sword.”

The sword is not as luxurious looking as the flame sword Asval, but it’s also a remarkable sword.

In the past, Ren had been plagued by the consumption of too much magic to try to summon it, but this time he didn’t have that problem.

But he could tell just by looking at it.

If he just swings it around and use its power without thinking, he will lose consciousness immediately.

It is easy to imagine that it is a magic sword that holds that much power and consumes magic power.

Suddenly —-

Ren gripped the handle, and a moment later, his eyes should have been open, but his world went completely dark.

Dozens of miles away.

He saw the red dragon sitting on a silvery white peak.

“Foolish human, driven by greed. If you want my horn, use that power to take it away.”

The red dragon was talking to a man who turned his back on Ren.

Ren did nothing. He was unable to do anything, and was forced to watch the man’s back.

“……”

“Why are you silent? If you are afraid, then you are arrogant—-』

“I’m sorry to say that I’m forceful and I’ve been wondering. But it’s true that I want it. So I’m going to ask you again. I don’t care if it’s just a piece. Will you share it with me?』

“Kukukuku…. hahahahahaha!—- Enough already. Burn to ashes. 』

The red dragon released a blaze of fire.

Far more powerful than the eternal fire Ren knew, it was such an absolute fire, as if it would burn up everything at the end of the world. It was the fire of Asval in his prime.

But when it stopped.

The man is standing with a sword in his hand, not in ashes.

“You, are you a hero?”

“No, I’m not. I’m just an adventurer.”

The world he was witnessing was now far away.

The world that he had seen vanished as if only Ren had been ruffled by a strong wind.

He found himself in a forest on the outskirts of town.

“I saw him…”

It was definitely Asval.

The person he was facing was undoubtedly the adventurer Ashton. It was the mighty Ashton, as Asval called him.

Why had he been shown such a scene, or was it Asval’s memory that had been shown to him through the magic sword of fire?

Some things are understandable to Ren, even though some of them don’t make sense.

“Yes, I have no complaints even if you say I’m weak.”

It makes me wonder even more about who Ashton the Adventurer is.

It’s unreasonable to think that one day I will have the opportunity to enter the forbidden library…… but I would like to find out somehow.

As Ren was thinking these thoughts, he heard a voice saying.

“Hey! He’s headed your way!”

“Drive him into the trap! Go, go, go!”

The voices of men reached his ears.

It had been some time since they had caught the bandits, but Ren, curious as to what was going on, ran with his flaming magic sword in his hand.

A little further on, several adventurers were engaged in a hunt using traps.

(Well, there were monsters like that.)

The creature being hunted was a flying, winged wyvern.

As its name suggests, it’s a wyvern itself, one of the dragon species that boasts a dark green physique.

Its rank was D, which is rare in this area.

Ren, who was watching the adventurers gathered in the vicinity, said, “Hmm!?”

The area was an open space where trees had been felled by human hands, and everyone had just finished hunting there with their traps ready. ……

“I did it! I caught it!”

“H-How did you manage to ……!”

Mixed in with the adult adventurers were a pair of men and women that weren’t much older than Ren.

(Vane and Sarah……!)

Vane, the hero, and Sarah, the main heroine.

They were both in Ren’s line of sight and were happy to have finished the defeat.

For the time being, Ren extinguished the flaming magic sword before everyone noticed it. It was inevitable that he would eventually meet those two, but he had no intention of meeting them here.

Just as he was about to walk away.

“Oh? You there! I’m sorry, but I need your help!”

An adult adventurer spotted him and called out to him.

Ren tried to run away, but the adventurer was approaching him, and he didn’t know if he should run away.

Giving up, Ren took a step into the open.

“What is it?”

“There are some injured people here, and we’re having a hard time carrying the winged wyvern. I’m sorry, but I need your help with the remaining simple tasks.”

“I’d prefer to do the heavy lifting if I can.”

“Ha ha! We have enough people to do the heavy lifting. I’m sorry, but I’m going to need you to do this one. I’ll give you your reward when we get back to the guild!”

Ren knows what that simple job entails.

After defeating the Wing Wyvern, he would take note of the situation in the area and report back to the guild. The work is supposed to inform them of the damage caused by the Wing Wyvern.

Upset, Ren tried to bite down, wondering if he could somehow be involved in the heavy lifting.

However.

“I’m sorry. May I ask you to help me over here?”

Then Ren, who was approached by Sarah, let out a sigh.

It was strange to run away after all this had happened. Ren had no choice but to go to the direction where Sarah and Vane were to help them.

“What can I help you with?”

Ren had a sense of déjà vu at this scene.

It was just as well. This was the first time Vane and Sarah met Ren Ashton.

Taking this opportunity, they formed a friendship and promised to meet at the academy.

After the encounter, which could be called the same event, Ren secretly chuckled and checked the area.

As he recalled, it was organizing the traps and other items used to defeat the Wing Wyverns.

And also to compile information to be submitted to the guild.

(…… Oh, in case the situation is different from the one in the game.)

In the Legend of the Seven Heroes, Ren Ashton had come to this place with the same request as the two of them from the beginning.

In that sense, Ren’s appearance is a bit different.

In any case, thinking to get this over with quickly, Ren checks the area.

“I’m sorry. I’ll pay you out of my reward too, so please accept it.”

“No, it’s okay. I really don’t need to be paid this much.”

“I-Is that so? Then I’m sorry once more.”

“It’s okay,” Len said repeatedly.

Vane finally gave up on Ren’s intransigence and said, “At least let’s have dinner,” to which Ren replied, “If I ever get a chance, I’d love to,” a curt refusal.

Soon the work to be done here would be over.

The adult adventurers were getting ready to carry the injured and the winged wyvern, and the three remaining were some distance away from the adults.

(Aren’t there supposed to be hidden guards?)

The hero experiences many adventures during the story, but Sarah and the other members of the Seven Great Heroes are, as they say, all legitimate children of high ranking nobles.

They fight bravely as the descendants of the Seven Heroes, but there are also those who work behind the scenes.

Whenever possible, Sarah’s guards are hidden in these situations.

In the game era, there was an event in which the protagonist who found the escort spoke to him and said, “Please don’t tell the lady”.

(Well)

When the last job is done, Ren recalls.

He has to fight monsters right after this.

“—- Sarah!”

“Yes! I know!”

The two of them notice something.

The two quickly drew their swords in front of several monsters that appeared from behind the bushes.

Here the three of them fight together —-, but if Vane and Sarah are at a higher level, Ren Ashton doesn’t participate in the battle.

For dramatic purposes, the two of them defeat the monsters before he can enter the battle.

The three of them fight together only when their strength levels are insufficient.

Ren remembers that many players were annoyed by the fact that the monsters appeared after the Wing Wyvern battle.

However, there are no strong individuals among the monsters that appeared.

This battle was just a little battle prepared for a conversation with Ren Ashton.

“Leave it to us! You, who have no weapon, stay hidden!”

“We’ll end this soon! Don’t worry!”

“Uh….. thank you very much.”

Ren wondered what was going on, and thought that if they were in danger, he would interfere

But there was no need to worry. The two of them showed off their superb swordsmanship in front of him, defeating monsters one after another.

As they say in the game, they seem to be at a level where Ren Ashton doesn’t need to participate.

(—- Oh, more than the proper level.)

Calmly, I dug out those words as I searched my memory.

In reality, Vane and Sarah both seem to be growing up quite well. I have to agree with their visible strength.

When they finally killed the last one, they raised one hand and clapped it together.

“We were stronger than them!”

“Ah! I’m glad we won!”

“Ah—- that line.”

When Ren let out a familiar exchange, the two looked at him and said ‘Huh?’

Ren coughed and straightened his posture, and then praised the two for their skill.

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