Chapter 48: With the elite on a midsummer night

It was almost July.

It went by so fast because I had so many things to accomplish.

The day after the second exam of the Imperial Military Academy, in the evening, Ren returned to the residence with Licia.

His face was becoming more tense as time progressed. Licia saw this and let out a deep sigh.

But she said nothing.

There were so many things she wanted to say, but none of them came out of her mouth.

“At times like this, if I weren’t a noble, I wonder if I could have gone with you.”

Licia sat down on the sofa in the hall and muttered to herself, to which Ren asked, “What’s wrong?” Licia said, “I just realized I’m not strong enough” and then she put the cup on the table to her lips. What was being poured was a cup of tea, which Ren has just brewed. Drinking it made her feel a little better.

“Oh, by the way…”

“What is it?”

“ I didn’t see your friend at the exam my lady.”

“……”

Licia was taken aback when she heard the name she hadn’t been called in a long time.

She blinks repeatedly as she looks at Ren, who sits right beside her, and her cheeks relax when she sees Ren twist his head.

“My friend probably registered early that’s probably why she took the test in a different classroom than we did.”

Ren understood the answer.

“For some reason, I wanted to address you how I did before.”

“Fufufu. It felt a little fresh. But when I thought that you were nervous too, I was happy. I don’t know if we’ve been through something like this before, though.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Yes. Are you?”

Licia still didn’t say anything definite. She didn’t want to burden Ren with her words, so she kept them to herself.

A few minutes passed.

Two guests arrived at the Clausel family mansion.

The servant, extremely nervous, led the way for Fiona Ignat, who was accompanied by Edgar. Edgar is also standing behind her.

“Fiona-sama, it has been a long time.”

“It’s been a long time too. It’s nice to see you again.”

Licia and Fiona exchanged words.

Fiona came to this mansion this time to protect her. Even though the Grand Clock Tower, where the battle will take place, is nearby, there is only one reason why she should come here.

There are those who will be aided by Ren’s participation in the battle.

Something must have been discussed between Ulysses and Lessard. Ren guessed as much.

Licia was about to admire Fiona, who had just answered with a smile, as she had done before. She shook her head busily, and Licia tapped her lightly on the cheek, startling Ren. Fiona, on the other hand, gave a small giggle.

“…… and more.”

Ren looked at the clock on the wall, then out the window.

Then he exchanged greetings with Fiona.

“My apologies. I’ll be out for a bit.”

He said in a slightly stiffer voice than usual and left their side. As he did so, he exchanged glances with Edgar and left the hall with him.

Fiona and Licia sat on the sofa facing each other.

“Summer clothes look great on you.”

Fiona was wearing her school uniform today.

The summer uniform suited Fiona too well and was very dazzling.

However, when Fiona received the praise, she said, “Umm, no! I think Licia-sama would look better in it!” She said these words from the heart, not out of concern or good humor, but from the bottom of her heart.

In fact, Licia would look great in it.

When she was dressed in the school uniform, there was no doubt that she, like Fiona, would be a magnet for the opposite sex.

But that’s irrelevant now.

The two exchanged a wistful look after such an idle conversation.

“I’ve never felt so much pain in my life as I do now that I’m not allowed to do anything.”

Fiona said.

“Me neither. I admired him and tried my best to be like Ren,  but I still feel so frustrated that I can’t stand next to him.”

Licia concurred.

Both of them are very aware of what is in store for them tonight.

As a matter of fact, Fiona had also not heard from her father what was going to happen at the Grand Clock Tower.

It was so sudden that she didn’t know what was going on.

But she noticed it before she reached the Clausel family’s mansion. It was at the same time that Licia noticed. Tonight, Ren would accompany and fight alongside Ulysses and the others in the mission they had in mind. It was impossible for the two intelligent people not to notice.

Ulysses was more chatty than usual, probably because he intended to inform them of everything as soon as it was done.

They couldn’t interfere.

It’s true that the two of them are much stronger than their peers, but they don’t have enough strength. There was nothing the two of them could do here, they were only there to be protected.

A few minutes after they exchanged words, Ren and Edgar returned to the hall.

Ren’s appearance was completely different from before. He looked as if he had just finished getting ready to go into battle.

“I’m sorry! Edgar-san gave me some information about a unique monster, so I’m going hunting now!”

It was such a ridiculous lie that they couldn’t help but laugh.

Ren must have thought hard about it, but he was too naive.

The story is somewhat similar to Ulysses’ messy storytelling when he sent Fiona away. I wonder if Ren and Ulysses have some similarities.

“…… mo.”

“Re-Ren-kun…”

Ren had this quality.

He was smart when it mattered, but only at times like this did he make poor decisions. It was just like Ren, and his kindness itself is unmistakable.

The two beautiful princesses who had no choice but to laugh did not even point out that it was a lie.

They decided to be honestly fooled by the kind and cute lie.

“Then —-.”

Ren said and turned to leave the mansion.

Then, Licia and Fiona spoke at the same time, “Wait!”

“Ah, um….”

First, Licia looked as if she wanted to say something, but seemed to be unable to make up her mind.

“…… that.”

Next was Fiona.

Ren stopped and looked at them and wondered what was wrong. But soon after that, the two people who stopped Ren defined the words they had to say.

“Have a good day. If you come back with any injuries, I won’t be happy.”

“Please be careful. If you do anything reckless, I will be very angry with you.”

The girls weren’t trying to send him off on an easy ride.

But still, they could believe.

Ren saved their lives.

They believed in Ren’s strength and words more than anyone else.

“Yes! I’ll be back in a little bit!”

Ren was seen off by the pretty smiles of the girls and left the house alone.

The two who remained in the house hurried to the window and watched Ren from there until he was out of sight. When Ren was out of sight, they both took a deep breath as well. At about the same time, they were praying for his safety.

Then Edgar excused himself for a few minutes.

When he returned to the hall, they were still thinking about Ren. When he brought something to them, they turned their attention to it.

“Edgar? What is that in your hand?”

“As you can see, it is a reference book.”

Edgar had several thick reference books in one hand. And yet he had walked without the slightest blip of his torso.

He put them on the table when she asked what they were going to do with them.

A stack of reference books for Licia’s exam study, as well as for Fiona’s midterm exam.

“Ren-dono is a man who never forgets to strive at all times. If he can’t wield a sword, he will train himself to do so without wielding it. If even that is not possible, he will wield the sword even in his imagination.”

Edgar wanted to tell them that they shouldn’t just be frustrated.

The two quickly caught on to his intention and changed their minds. The girls looked at each other and nodded in remorse.

But I still have something to think about.

“Um…… Edgar?”

“Yes? How can I help you?”

“I understand what you said, and so does Lady Licia. I was struck by what you said about how we should make the most of our time.”

“But I wonder if it’s okay for us to just study when Ren is working so hard……”

In other words, while Ren is fighting against the demon cult, they were studying.

The reality is different, but it’s still a bit of a concern.

They were a little lost, partly because it was as if they had thrown everything at Ren in a roundabout way, but that is in fact what they did.

Edgar begins with a word from the girls’ parents.

The girls have important exams awaiting each other, and it is their job to do their best. And that it is something they can do at the mansion without worrying about Ren.

So do what you can and that’s what it’s all about.

“……Fiona-sama.”

“……Licia-sama.”

Licia and Fiona looked at each other for what seemed like the umpteenth time already.

Then, after another wry smile, they went to the table where the reference books were placed. There, unlike the sofa, there were wooden chairs, and they sat down in them.

Still, they couldn’t help but look out the window every so often, unable to calm down.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Ulysses is not in Elendil.

He was now in the imperial capital, separated so that he could make a big move if the need arose.

Where Ren left the mansion and headed was an abandoned house on the outskirts of town.

The abandoned house was where Edgar had instructed him to go, and it was dark when he entered. It was supposed to be an abandoned house, but there was no dusty sensation.

Hidden in the back of this abandoned house is a path to a secret basement.

As soon as he put his hand on the old wooden flooring, a staircase to the basement, hidden there, appeared. Like a mist, some of the flooring disappeared.

(Voices)

The voices of men came from the basement.

Ren went down the stairs to that basement. When he opened the wooden door at the end of the stairs, he found several familiar faces inside.

“—- Ren-dono?”

The man who said this was the large man who had crossed swords with him many times at the Lion’s Holy Sanctuary.

The other people who were there were all hard swordsmen that Ren had crossed swords with many times at the Lion’s Sanctuary. They were all dressed as adventurers, not as they had been in the Lion’s Holy sanctuary.

“Why is Ren-dono here?”

“Why in the world is he here?”

The hard-sword wielders voiced their doubts, but they were quickly silenced.

They immediately realized the significance of Ren’s visit and turned to Radius, who was seated in a chair at the far end of the basement.

“I have called him. Ren will be a comrade-in-arms at my back tonight.”

Everyone was stunned, but also immediately convinced.

They had experienced Ren’s strength firsthand, and there was no need to doubt his ability. His sword skill may not be as good as Edgar’s, but the power that lies deep in his heart is that of a lion.

“If Ren-dono is here, we can count on him.”

“We are sufficient enough, there is no need to have too many strong men.”

“It’s as good as having a thousand knights. What joy!”

The knights welcomed Ren’s arrival and shouted at him as he passed them on his way to Radius.

Ren followed suit, and when he reached Radius’ side.

“Radius.”

Ren said

The knights of the Lion’s Holy Sanctuary looked wide-eyed when Ren called Radius by his name, but when Radius, who had been called out, replied lightly, “Yes,” they looked at him.

“Are the men here today’s force?”

“Yes. Don’t tell me that you are dissatisfied with them.”

“No way. I was just surprised. But I thought it was natural. When I heard that all the forces that will be deployed are hard sword fighters, I felt sorry for the other side.”

The knights of the Lion’s holy sanctuary are still a handful of battle force, it’s just that Ren is growing up at a monstrous rate. The average ability of the knights is superior to that of the Kingsguard.

Not to mention their individual strengths and how strong they are when they form a team. —-

(—-It’s really quite spectacular.)

The hard sword users, who were all enemies in the game, are now gathered as allies.

Ren felt a shiver run through his body at the fact that so many strong people who had gone through so much trouble had gathered here.

Ren then went about checking the strategy and meeting with the knights, and time passed in ten or twenty minutes.

It was already dark outside, and the night was falling.

When a little more time passed, Radius looked at his watch and got up from his seat. Ren stood right next to him, drawing the knights’ attention.

“Gentlemen, it’s about time.”

The sound of everyone adjusting their posture echoed through the basement.

Their eyes turned all the more powerful. Ren gasped at the strength and unwavering leadership of these people, whom he had grown accustomed to seeing.

He wondered if this was the face of the knights of the Lion’s Holy Sanctuary as they headed for the battlefield.

Then the knights opened the way. It was a path for Ren and Radius to pass through. Next the knights drew their swords and held them in front of their chests.

Radius walked along the path with Ren, and asked everyone:

“I ask you. What will you do tonight?”

“The judgment of the Lion King.”

“I ask you. What will you do tonight?”

“The judgment of the mighty sword.”

“Then lay waste. By the sword of your Lordship, bring down the wrath of the Lion King, the founder of our land.”

A special strength that not even the seven great heroic nobles can possess, and that Leomel is proud of.

The knights of the Lion’s Holy Sanctuary sometimes throw themselves into special missions at the behest of the royal family. On such occasions, they would show their strength, as Radius said.

After an unruffled exchange of questions and answers, they escaped from the basement and went to the outside of the abandoned house.

Just before the operation was to begin in earnest.

“Ren!”

Everyone stopped.

“I’ll ask you the same question. What will you do tonight?”

Ren took a few seconds to answer the question.

He wondered if he should say such a thing in front of the knights of the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary, and in front of the descendants of the Lion King.

However, he followed his heart.

Ren’s passion for this day was full of enthusiasm, and he was determined to make it happen.

He looks up to the sky and tells Radius and the knights.

“I will be the lion that will defeat all my enemies.”

Some listeners might spit it out as irreverent.

But no one did. Rather than call it irreverent, everyone was pressured by Ren’s appearance and the awesome power in his voice.

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