Kays Translations

Chapter 52: The end of summer approached

Much had been done, and it was not until late at night that they were able to return to the mansion.

On the way, Radius repeatedly told Ren that he could leave, but Ren, as the one who had been involved in the day's operations, stayed with him until the very end.

Not a few were surprised at the commotion that day.

Ulysses was working at the same time, so the impact was kept to a minimum, but inevitably, there was a lot of work to be done on site.

(---- tired)

I really thought so.

I turned my head and saw that the hands on the clock tower were showing 3:00 am.

When Ren returned to the Clausel family mansion, he exchanged a few words with a knight standing in front of the iron gate.

“Welcome back.”

That was all.

The knight of the Clausel family looked at Ren, who had returned exhausted, and also realized much when he recalled the aftermath of the commotion that had reached this point.

“Everyone is still awake.”

“Even at this hour?”

“Of course. The master of the house has been doing a lot of work today because of the tremendous commotion in the city.”

“...... are there nobles from the imperial capital or other visitors?”

“The nobles sent numerous messengers.”

However, it seems that no one tried to break into the mansion. The reason for this was probably because Ulysses was taking some kind of measures.

It was enough for Ren to know that.

Such work is not my job. If Ulysses was in charge, I have nothing to say.

Or rather, he was so exhausted that he hardly had time to think about it, so his mind naturally didn’t allow him to do so.

“I'm ......."

What shall I say when I enter the mansion?

As he was working his tired brain, the knight who was guarding the gate smiled at him.

“Please get a good night's sleep, Ren-dono. That is all you need to do.”

Ren was stunned by the words of the knight in front of him and laughed as well.

He smiled tiredly and much more weakly than usual.

He passed through the iron gate and entered the garden, which was paved with lawn. He walked straight down the cobblestone path from the gate and stood in front of the door of the house without noticing a shadow that he would normally have noticed.

The shadow was a carriage parked in a corner of the garden.

But Ren did not seem to mind at all, and entered the mansion on his feet. The servant standing in front of the door said in a gentle voice, "Welcome home," and he walked slowly to the door she had opened.

(First, I will take a hot bath and eat a little more food....)

It would be about an hour before I could fall asleep. No, it would be about two hours, since I would have to report to Lessard about today's events.

I wanted to go to sleep right away, but it can't be helped.

But the thought that it would be almost morning before I could sleep brought a bitter smile to my face.

"If you like, you can use the large bathroom. The master also said so.”

“Thank you very much…”

Saying this, Ren stepped into the large bath.

After taking a bath, Ren regretted it.

I should have told the servant that I wanted to ask for dinner before taking a bath. It was already late, so he decided to get something light and rest.

As he was thinking this, the servant called out to Ren as he left the bathhouse.

“Please come into the hall where we have prepared a meal for you.”

“ ......?"

“Oh! Why are you surprised?”

"Because I never said a single word......”

“Oh, dear. Do you think that we servants don’t understand? I have prepared it for you, and I would be happy to serve it to you, if you would like.”

Then Ren's stomach grumbled.

Ren scratched his cheeks in embarrassment at the pathetic sound and thanked the servant. The servant led him to the hall and inside.

Ren was greeted by Edgar, who was inside the hall.

“Welcome home, Ren-dono.”

“Huh? Why are you here, Edgar-san?”

“As long as Fiona is here, I'm here too. Even so, I was going to wait for you tonight."

Edgar said with a gentle smile.

“----You were a hero this evening as well, right?”

“I don't know. I've done all I can do. I was overwhelmed by the power of the Sword King in the end.”

“Haha----I see. I understand perfectly well.”

After a brief exchange, Ren was led by Edgar into the hall.

The food on the table is steaming.

“By the way, I see that Fiona-sama is still in Elendil."

Ren had assumed that Fiona had already returned to the capital.

But that is not possible by any stretch of the imagination.

It was impossible for that girl to return to the capital at the end of the mission without waiting for Ren's return.

So, where is she? ----

“They were both awake and waiting for you until shortly before you left.”

Fiona and Licia were sitting on the couch. They were sitting together on one knee, with a few reference books in their lap.

They had fallen asleep quietly, snuggled up against each other.

“Why are those two like that?”

"For several hours now, Fiona-sama has been helping Miss Clausel with her studies. During the course of their work, both of them fell asleep from exhaustion.”

It seems that they spent that time sitting next to each other, reference books in hand, teaching.

“Fiona-sama has been up late studying for exams recently, and I heard that Miss Clausel hasn't been sleeping much because of her exams.”

So they fell asleep.

For the two of them, this must have been quite an awakening. On the day of their busy day, Ren had left the mansion to fight, and they couldn't wait for him and let go of their consciousness.

Ren couldn't help but lift the corners of his mouth at the sight of the two of them awake to the limit.

“No wonder Edgar-san was there.”

“As I told you earlier, I would have stayed to wait for you.”

After a similar exchange, Ren took his seat.

He ate the food prepared by the servants before it got cold. He avoided greeting them both, so as not to disturb their sleep.

He thought about taking the food to his room to eat, but decided to eat it here because there were many easy-to-eat snacks.

“By the way, I met with the daughter of the Riohard family.”

“I have been informed as well. The Lord seems to be working on that matter with the Riohard family, so there is nothing to worry about.”

“I’m relieved. I mean, you guys really work fast.”

“The Lord doesn’t often devote himself to working behind the scenes, but if he does, he will be able to serve to the fullest.”

“......There is no one more frightening than Ulysses-sama, who is devoted to working in the shadows. Seriously.”

I would not say that his outburst in the legend of the Seven Heroes was behind the scenes, but I would say that Ulysses was strong enough to do what he had to accomplish.

It is probably the main reason Radius was able to move like that tonight.

Ren recalls the day as he diligently ate his meal.

"I have to see Lessard-sama after this meal."

“Well, then, today doesn’t seem to be a good day. Baron Clausel left his residence just two hours ago to join the master in the capital. He has asked me to tell you to get plenty of rest today.”

I was a little glad to hear that.

Thinking that all I have to do now is sleep, and my body feels a little lighter.

It is not that I took my report to Lessard lightly. It was simply that I was just too tired to do anything about it today.

"Swordsman-dono..."

Suddenly.

“After tonight's battle, did you have any destination to aim for?"

Edgar asked suddenly.

“.....”

Ren had a long-held desire, and he had continued to pursue it.

Edgar must have had something in mind when he asked the question.

Especially because it would be better for Ren if he told him now, because it would stick in his mind and benefit him.

(Really.)

Even though he was tired, Ren was alert.

It had something to do with the fact that Edgar had deliberately asked him about the swordsmanship.

“I have just reaffirmed my undiminished purpose, the same as before.”

And.

Edgar smiled with satisfaction.

“Very few people can look up at the top and understand the difference. And only a few can look up at the top and think of walking to it again.”

"I feel like I’ll be mocked as a clown.”

"It is only nonsense for those who do not understand the difference between a heroic tale and a comedy.”

After finishing the meal, Ren looked at Edgar who was standing by his side.

“I was amazed at the reality of the situation. But I'm not going to change. I will continue to hone my sword, as I decided to do in Clausel's house, in order to become as strong as the Sword King.”

The question here was Edgar's own proclamation.

If Ren had been shocked by the Sword King's display of strength, he would have tried to say something. But there was no need. Ren was as elated as ever.

“The next spring, the director of the Lion Holy Sanctuary will return to the imperial capital. It will be a good opportunity for Ren-dono to learn swordsmanship."

“......"

“Ren-dono?”

“No, it's nothing. I'm just a little dazed from exhaustion.”

Actually, I wasn't. Hearing that it was the director of the Lion's Holy Sanctuary, Ren was just recalling his knowledge of the game.

Next spring, it's going to be lively again and Ren sits up and straightens his back.

Then there was a light knock at the door of the great hall.

It was the Clausel family servant who appeared, and she called Edgar in a whisper.

“I am sorry, sir. The master has contacted you.”

“I understand. I'll stay here too, just in case.”

“Thank you for your concern. ----please wait a moment.”

Edgar left the hall.

Ren who left in the hall stood up quickly and approached the couch.

It may not be advisable to approach two people who have fallen asleep, but Ren, who was exhausted, couldn’t bear to sit on the wooden chair and wanted to sit down on the soft couch.

The feeling of softness, soft but not too soft, made his eyelids grow heavy.

Just a little bit, just until Edgar came home.

Ren's breathing gradually deepened, unable to resist the way his heavy eyelids were following gravity's pull.

It wasn’t more than a few minutes before Ren let go of his consciousness.

And it was a few dozen seconds after Ren fell asleep.

On the sofa opposite him, Licia's eyes fluttered open.

A few seconds later, Fiona woke up as well, and they looked at each other and huffed.

They had planned to wait for Ren, but they had fallen asleep.

They realized this, and in their hearts they blamed themselves and regretted it......

"Tsu…Re-Ren!!!?"

“Ren, you....?"

The girls muttered almost simultaneously after they noticed Ren's figure.

Then they stood up.

The girls sat down on either side of the exhausted Ren and smiled kindly and gently at him, and they complimented each other.

They didn’t speak of their regrets for not being able to be with him.

For now they only needed to touch on Ren's work.

"...... Licia-sama. I think it would be better to take Ren-sama to his room.”

“Yes.... but if we pick him up, we might wake him up.”

They were lost.

Being awake, they forgot about the simple matter of calling Edgar and the knights here, and were only focused on what was in front of them, like they had to do something about it ourselves.

Their narrow-mindedness was probably due to the fact that they were too focused on Ren.

Lost in thought, they wondered if they could lend a hand and carry Ren to his room.

But then Edgar returned.

"Hmmm. What are you two doing......?"

The obvious question made them blush, and they knew they should have called Edgar. The hand that was about to reach out to Ren stopped there.

Edgar smiled helplessly after he realized what they were thinking.

Ren woke up there, perhaps noticing what was going on around him. The little sleep he got wasn't enough, but he also noticed Licia and Fiona sitting on either side of him.

“I'm sorry ---- I don't understand the situation."

He honestly revealed his feelings.

“I thought that Re-Ren would be tired and should sleep in bed.....!”

“Me too! I was wondering if there was any way we could carry Ren-kun!"

Ren sees the two of them in a panic and is at ease.

He understood what was going on.

“Hey, hey!”

Licia asked Ren.

“Is it okay to ask you about today?”

Fiona then asked.

“I don't want to force you to tell me now. I know you're tired too, Ren-kun.....”

“Yeah. So we’ll talk about it tomorrow or later...."

Even so, Ren was in the mood to talk.

Even a little sleep had cleared his head surprisingly well, and most importantly, he had fought through a crude lie to the two people here, so he was in no mood to go to bed without explaining anything.

But where to begin?

Ren looked at Edgar's face and nodded when he saw Edgar's lips move to say, "It's okay”.

“It's a long story....”

For now, let's talk about the most important things first.

“---- Together with Radius, I fought against the Demon cult at the Grand Clock Tower.”

Yes, this is it.

No matter how much the two beautiful princesses were stunned, it is an indisputable fact that this is the case.

So I would like to tell them not to be so stunned.

“...... Really?"

“Really, what is it?"

The two of them would have been able to predict every single thing, but they never thought that Ren would be there to fight against the Demon cult along with the Third Prince.

Unbeknownst to him, Ren wondered what he had done.

But then again, that's just like Ren. Licia and Fiona thought so as well and began to giggle at the same time.

“Oh my, Ren. What's the matter with you, just when I thought you'd tell me."

“You said you were going to fight monsters, but you were really fighting the Demon cult with His Highness the Third Prince."

“Both of you are laughing, but it's true!”

“I know. I'm not doubting you. I was just a little surprised.”

"Oh, me too. But I thought it was very Ren-like of you to be that way.”

My drowsiness has already gone away.

As an apology for leaving the house without telling them the plan, Ren told them about today's events from then until dawn.

Licia and Fiona listened to Ren's story and smiled as they watched his profile.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Two weeks later, Ren was visited by a messenger from Radius.

The messenger told Ren that he had prepared a meal for them, and one evening Radius and Ren sat down to talk.

It was at a restaurant on the main street where they had shared a steak before.

"Are you sure you don't mind talking in a place like this?”

"This kind of talk is not for other people to hear. This place serves food I like."

“No, I don't mean the restaurant's reputation. I mean, of course, we're going to talk about what happened last time.”

“Don't worry, the people sitting around you are all hard swordsmen.”

"...... Why’s that?"

“It's just a coincidence... it seems that our reservation overlapped.”

"That's a lie! Well, I know they've done everything they can, so I'll leave it at that."

The food was brought to them.

The person who brought the food was the same servant who had served them the last time, and he didn't seem to be as nervous as the other day. It seems that there is a difference between having a prior notice and not having a prior notice.

“I thank you again. You were very helpful the other day."

“No problem. Thank you for letting me accompany you.”

They ate their steaks and drank fruit water.

After a few minutes, Radius mentioned Lenidus.

“We interrogated Lenidus and the other Demon cult members and they are getting weaker by the day. Whether we feed them or potion them.”

“...... You mean they are deliberately trying to die?"

“Not likely. It seems that the Mark is taking away their power.”

According to Radius, they are careful not to harm them in any way.

The same goes for the guards, the magic tools, and the healing preparations, including potions. But even so, he was becoming weak.

The vitality that the demon king had given them was quickly draining away, like pouring water into a glass with a hole in it, he said.

“But there will be a harvest."

Radius drank the fruit water in one gulp.

"They had a deal with some guys from the Holy Land six months ago,"

“...... The Holy Land?"

“Yes. It seems that in order to steal a certain relic, the Demon cult and others attacked the temple where the relic was kept and took it.”

“It's not something that could be found out from the Mark of Lenidus, is it?”

“I'm not surprised. It was only what I could hear in the interrogation. However, the influence of the holy water remained in Lenidus's mark. The power sealed in his mark must have been damaged when he took his position on the matter. I have confirmed this, so there is no doubt about the fact that he set up the affair with the holy land."

As he listens, Ren slurps down a glass of fruit water, following in the footsteps of Radius.

The relics Radius mentioned.

"It seems to be called the Tears of Elfen.”

According to legend, it is a liquid that has the special power to purify anything. I don't understand why the demon cult would want it.

To them, the liquid would be nothing more than a tremendously powerful drug.......

“Is that already stolen?"

“According to the debilitated Lenidus, it seems so. It seems that they attacked the temple with the entity they claim as their master, and they had casualties on both sides.”

“I don't understand the purpose.......”

“Me too. I have no idea what they are going to do with something that only has the power to purify.”

Radius is said to be moving toward the Great Temple of the Imperial City and other temples throughout Leomel as a precaution.

Naturally, they are doing well with the help of Ulysses.

After the meal is over and we have some icy snacks to refresh our palates.

“Ren."

Radius said in a serious voice.

“When the right time comes, will you fight with me again?”

“I can't just nod my head here on my own, but if that fight is for the good of the beings I want to protect, I'd gladly put my life on the line.”

“---- Enough. There’s no better answer than that.”

By the way, Radius repeated.

"I have a gift for the Clausel family as a reward for the recent battle. Tell Lessard to come to the castle on the day of the battle. No late arrivals will be tolerated.”

“Umm......I don’t understand, but does that mean Lessard-sama should go to the castle?”

“After that, well, I'd like to thank you personally. Is there anything that you’d like?”

Even when suddenly asked, Ren is still troubled.

But Ren considered Radius' position and had a thought.

“If you become the crown prince, I would be happy if you would go to the Forbidden Library and find me some books.”

“The Forbidden Library? I won’t nod my head too easily on that one, but what kind of books do you want?”

Ren also doesn’t know what kind of books there are, or if there is any information left in the first place. Still, he wanted any information about the Ashton family.

He wasn’t sure whether he should tell Radius about this, but in the end he did.

“I would like to see a family tree or whatever you have left about the Ashton family. I'm open to any other information that has to do with the Ashtons.”

“Hmm... I wouldn't mind that much, but on the other hand I don't feel like it's in the forbidden library.”

Radius, who couldn't make sense of it, still didn't take it seriously.

Since it was none other than Ren, he decided to follow his wishes as much as possible.

But for that to happen, Radius has to become the crown prince.

“When you say that, it makes me want to become the crown prince at any cost.”

“Well, if only you’ll remember what I just said then.”

“I understand. In fact, the old family tree of the nobility can be found  in the forbidden library for some reason. There might even be something you would like to see.”

Radius stood up.

“Next time we will tour the castle town together, as friends, not as fighters.”

No, what’s the third prince saying?”

“You think I'm crazy? But if we disguise ourselves somehow, it won't be a problem. Besides, it would be a trivial matter compared to the battle at the Grand Clock Tower.”

“That's ...... well.”

"Well then, I'll ask you to introduce me to a place that serves good fruit water. You seem to know a lot about the stores in the capital."

“Fruit water? Not sake?”

“I can't be punished for drinking anymore, but I'm not particularly interested.”

Radius turned his back to Ren and continued walking.

Along with his personality, which is different from the Radius he saw in the legend of the Seven Heroes.

“Fruit water is good, isn't it? There are some high-end fruit waters, but they are usually cheaper than alcohol. I hear that alcohol is good for you if you drink it in moderation, but fruit water is even better. I know that both have their advantages, but I prefer fruit water.”

“I see. The third prince, who is called a genius, likes fruit water.”

When I told him that, he stopped in his tracks.

Radius turned his face only to Ren.

“---- Oh. I have a sweet tooth. I keep it a secret from my people."

He smiled in a way befitting his age and left the restaurant.

The sound of customers getting up could be heard from the surrounding seats.

The swordsmen who happened to be there were probably leaving, too.

Ren drank the fruit water left in his glass as he listened to the sounds.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Radius was greeted by his aide, Mirei, as he climbed into his carriage.

“It looks like you had a good time, Nya.”

“Oh. I never thought time spent talking with a friend could be better.”

The sound of wheels moving on cobblestones and the faint sounds of people's activities coming from outside.

He turns his head back to the window to talk to Mirei, who is sitting beside him, to tell her about Ren's behavior that he saw at the Grand Clock Tower.

“Ren is a tremendous man. I wonder what underlies that unfathomable strength."

There was a smile on his face as he recounted the story.

He still seemed to have lingering memories of the dinner they had just had.

“Is he like the Sword King, Nya?”

“No. She’s terrific, but this is different. It's hard to describe. I wish I had just the right metaphor. I want to talk about the underlying, unattainable strength of Ren."

After a few moments of hesitation, Radius opened his heavy mouth, "Yes”.

“Ren's strength is similar to that of the girl in that story.”

“That story, Nya?”

“I'm sure you, who serves me, have heard of it. The children of our royal family are told the old tale by the emperor.”

“Ah! That old tale, Nya!”

Radius nodded with a big smile on his face.

“The eclipse fruit princess. Ren's strength is just like her."

Radius tells it as he recalls it.

An old tale told by his father the emperor when he, Radius was still young.

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