Kays Translations

Chapter 53: “From Here, the Main Story Begins”—So He Said

The months following that summer remained extraordinarily busy.

Life in Clausel had never been empty, but in Elendil Ren had so much to do besides prepare for the academy examinations that the days seemed to vanish in an instant.

House Clausel also experienced a major change.

When Lessard was summoned to the imperial castle, the emperor elevated him to viscount. The honor recognized not only his cooperation during the summer disturbance, but also the skill with which he had governed Elendil—an exceptionally difficult city to administer. The emperor himself announced the elevation during a ceremony in the audience chamber.

Everyone was astonished.

Lessard most of all. He embraced one person after another and, with tears in his eyes, repeatedly thanked Ren.

From that day forward, he was Viscount Clausel.

The title still did not make him a high-ranking noble, but it made House Clausel far more difficult for other aristocrats to overlook. The ceremony became a subject of conversation in noble society because the emperor, in an unusually direct remark, had said that he expected much from the new viscount.

Licia’s summer birthday was celebrated modestly with her family, just as Ren’s had been.

The third examination came in autumn, and the final examination followed soon after the New Year. Ren and Licia studied relentlessly, Fiona sometimes helped them, and Ren occasionally visited the Imperial Capital with Radius as promised. Licia also spent a month away on House Clausel business, and when she returned, something in her relationship with Fiona had changed.

Even after summer ended, the next half year provided no shortage of events to discuss.

Then spring arrived.

“Father!”

For the first time, Licia appeared before Lessard in the uniform of the Imperial Military Academy’s Special Class. The sight filled him with emotion, and he congratulated her on the important day.

Ren stood beside her in the same uniform, and Lessard congratulated him as well.

“The uniforms suit both of you.”

“Thank you. Mine feels a little tight around the shoulders.”

“New uniforms are often stiff. The cloth will soften and fit you better with wear.”

The weather on the day of the entrance ceremony could not have been better. The sky was clear and blue, and the air was neither too warm nor too cold.

“Everyone, it is time.”

Weiss called from the entrance after coming in from outside.

He praised the two students much as Lessard had. By the time he finished, tears of emotion had gathered in his eyes.

They could not linger, however. Unless they left soon, they would be late.

Ren, Licia, and Lessard stepped beneath the cloudless sky while the servants, knights, and attendants gathered at the entrance saw them off with gentle smiles.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Silver, crimson, and gold dominated the enormous auditorium of the Imperial Military Academy.

From their seats on the first floor, Ren and Licia could see golden chandeliers suspended from a ceiling far overhead. The silver-white walls gave the hall a majestic brilliance, while the thick crimson carpet complemented them perfectly.

The auditorium was shaped like an open fan. Rows of seats climbed along that curve through the second, third, fourth, and fifth floors, holding every current student and honored guest attending the ceremony.

On the distant stage stood an incomparably beautiful woman: Chronois Highland.

After a long assignment away from Leomel, the dean had finally returned and was present to welcome the new students.

Another member of the faculty spoke, his voice carrying throughout the hall.

At the Imperial Military Academy, the highest-scoring male and female entrants served as representatives of the incoming class. Near the end of the ceremony, both were summoned to the stage before the dean.

This year’s representatives were Ren Ashton and Licia Clausel.

The two rose from their neighboring seats and walked through the auditorium.

“Ren, are you nervous?”

“A little, actually.”

“Good. So am I.”

They exchanged quiet words and small smiles.

Walking over the thick crimson carpet, they reached the stage at the far end of the hall, climbed its steps, and approached Chronois.

(I never imagined I would stand here beside Licia.)

The chandelier light pouring onto the stage was almost dazzling. Beneath it, memories rose behind Ren’s eyelids.

“You can see her, can’t you? I just killed her.”

Game Ren had spoken those words while holding the dead Saint Licia in his arms. Her blood had dripped onto this very stage and stained it crimson.

Now Ren stood there beside Licia—shoulder to shoulder, close enough to feel her presence.

Conflicting emotions tormented him, but his feet never stopped. The soles of his formal shoes struck the wooden floor in a slow, steady rhythm.

Chronois waited ahead.

In Legend of the Seven Heroes, she was the other woman whose life Ren Ashton took. She was also one of the world’s greatest magicians.

Her silky golden hair swayed as she watched Ren and Licia approach with obvious delight. She wore a broad-brimmed witch’s hat and a cape, yet neither looked theatrical or out of place on her.

When the two representatives stopped before her, Chronois smiled like a jewel catching the light.

“A pleasure to meet you, Saint. And—long time no see, Hero-kun.”

Licia had already been tense before the dean. Hearing Chronois casually call Ren “Hero-kun” startled her even more.

Chronois had also said it had been a long time.

Confused, Licia looked at Ren. He appeared equally puzzled.

(Long time no see?)

Ren searched his memory. Chronois would not lie without reason.

He knew her from the game, of course, but like Licia, Chronois was far too important a person for him to forget meeting in this world. If they had spoken before, how could the encounter have escaped him?

The two new-student representatives remained silent before the dean. To those watching, nothing seemed unusual. Everyone assumed the three were exchanging formal words too quietly for the hall to hear.

“Have we met somewhere?” Ren asked.

“Twice. It was about two years ago. You and I spoke on both occasions.”

That hint was enough.

Ren had not forgotten either memorable encounter: the day he defeated the Steel-Eating Gargoyle, and the day he toured Clausel’s villages with Licia.

“There were quite a few complications, but Dean—”

“Chronois is fine. I do not believe I am old enough to enjoy being called ‘Madam,’ either.”

Chronois deliberately interrupted him.

Ren recalled the words they had exchanged at the Adventurers’ Guild in Clausel.

“As you hoped, Chronois-san, I decided to come to the Imperial Capital.”

“Yes! I’m delighted you remembered.”

“R-Ren? Where did the two of you meet?”

They could hardly make a scene onstage. Licia maintained a proper posture, but her expression clearly conveyed her shock to Ren and Chronois.

Ren glanced at Chronois, silently asking permission to explain. She nodded slightly.

“Once, while we were touring a village in Clausel, I had to leave rather suddenly.”

“The time when someone you had met in town somehow appeared in the forest, and you encountered her again?”

“Exactly. That person was Chronois-san.”

“Ha-ha. I was searching for a suitable examination site. Meeting Ren-kun twice in Clausel was pure coincidence.”

Licia remained astonished. Ren, by contrast, found that the revelation made perfect sense and even brought a strange sense of relief.

“Marquis Ignat told me about you,” Chronois continued. “I wanted to visit House Clausel and greet you properly, but…”

The academy’s examinations were unusual, and her duties had made such a visit impossible.

Chronois had also intended to apologize for what happened in the Baldor Mountains. Deciding that the stage was not the place for a long conversation, she changed course.

“We can speak properly later. For now, I should behave like the dean.”

She turned from Ren and Licia toward the many new students behind them.

Chronois congratulated everyone on entering the Imperial Military Academy and expressed her hope that their years there would be fruitful.

Then she spread her arms like wings.

“Now, everyone.”

She snapped the fingers of her right hand.

A gust of wind swept through the vast auditorium.

The ceiling, walls, and floor vanished. Everything except the furniture and seating became transparent, transforming into an endless blue sky. Clouds drifted past as though swimming through the air, and pure-white birds flew freely between them.

Dazzling sunlight poured from above. Within that mystical scene, Chronois’s voice rang out.

“Welcome to the Imperial Military Academy! Welcome to the finest academy in the world!”

If the realm of the gods existed, perhaps it resembled this.

Every person in the auditorium cried out in surprise. The gasps soon became cheers.

On the stage, Ren and Licia looked around with relaxed smiles as applause and delighted shouts filled the hall.

“Congratulations to both of you!”

Chronois used the uproar to address them privately.

When they turned, she was smiling sweetly.

“Come and visit the dean’s office next time. We have much to discuss.”

Ren and Licia wondered whether the dean’s office was truly somewhere students could be invited so casually. Still, Chronois possessed influence greater than that of many high-ranking nobles. Refusing her would be absurd, and Ren also wanted a proper explanation of the events in Clausel.

They answered with hesitant agreement, and Chronois beamed.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

After the entrance ceremony, every corner of the academy grounds buzzed with activity.

The auditorium, gardens, and area near the main gate filled with conversations. Nobles renewed friendships and discussed the future. Upperclassmen and their families approached promising entrants, sometimes hoping to recruit them early as future knights, attendants, or civil officials.

Students wearing Special Class uniforms attracted particular attention, and conspicuous crowds formed around the most notable among them.

Knowing that, Licia positioned herself near the main gate and avoided being surrounded by subtly suggesting that she would soon leave.

“Licia!”

Sera Riohard called to her.

She arrived with Vayne and happily celebrated the fact that they would all study in the same class. Vayne watched the two girls with a cheerful smile.

“We were assigned to different examination rooms all the way through, but from now on we’ll be in the same classroom.”

“Yes. I look forward to it. And you must be Vayne.”

“Y-Yes! It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Vayne. I have no family name, but House Riohard is currently looking after me.”

Vayne became visibly tense before Licia’s beauty.

Her appearance in the academy uniform was dazzling to anyone, and merely standing opposite her could make a young boy nervous. Sera was beautiful as well, but Licia carried the added presence of a saint.

“I look forward to studying with you,” Licia said.

Then she checked her watch.

Ren had given it to her for her birthday the previous summer. Its pink-gold casing was charming, and the pure-white face suited her elegant appearance.

“I wish we could speak longer, but I have to leave.”

Ulysses had long ago decided to host a celebration that day. It promised to be appropriately extravagant, and Radius would also attend in secret.

Licia turned toward Ren, who was being approached by several other new students.

“Ren, we should go. Father is waiting for us.”

Ren, who had remained near her, turned and finally showed his face clearly to Sera and Vayne.

Both froze.

They blinked several times, remembering a certain summer night.

“Huh?”

“That boy…”

“Hello. It’s been a while,” Ren said casually.

Licia listened to the exchange with an exasperated smile and repeated that they should leave. After saying goodbye to Sera and Vayne, she walked away beside Ren.

As the pair turned their backs, the astonished voices behind them carried across the distance.

“Could he be…?”

“You don’t mean—!”

Their realization made Ren and Licia glance back.

“The boy Licia said was stronger than she was—that’s him! He was one of the two top-scoring entrants!”

“Right! Then he’s the boy she’s been talking about all this time!”

In a buoyant voice loud enough to reach them, Licia asked Ren a question.

“I know I said we should go, but would you rather stay and speak with them?”

“No. We’ll be in the same class, so there will be plenty of opportunities. Today, we should give priority to what has already been arranged.”

“Fufu. You’re right. Shall we go?”

Licia trotted lightly to keep pace beside him.

Ren laughed as they passed through the lively area around the main gate. He remembered how this day had appeared as an event in the game.

(So much has changed.)

Originally, the two representatives should have been legitimate heirs from among the Seven Great Houses—not Ren and Licia.

Ren’s presence had changed that. His encounters and reunion with Chronois, and the words they had exchanged, were all developments that had never existed in the game.

Because of those changes, the fear Ren had once associated with entering the Imperial Military Academy was gone. He now felt only a desire to grow and a determination to face whatever awaited him.

“You look as though you’re enjoying yourself, Ren.”

“I am. I’m rather excited.”

This was only the beginning.

The long road leading to Ren’s academy enrollment had now ended. In the structure of Legend of the Seven Heroes I, the events preceding admission were merely the opening portion; the main story truly began once the characters entered the academy.

Even though this world no longer followed the game, the feeling remained.

(Still, it was an exceptionally long opening chapter.)

Ren had fought for his life and nearly died more than once. He had experienced things no ordinary life would ever have shown him.

Yet perhaps an opening like that was not so bad—more turbulent than most, but filled with enough happiness to make up for it.

A pleasant spring breeze stirred his hair.

Blending into the bustle around him, Ren spoke quietly. The words were both an affirmation of the life he had led and a wish that the road ahead would be filled with light.

He gathered everything he had experienced into a single sentence.

“Now—let the main story begin.”

A strange fate awaited the boy reincarnated as the mastermind behind the story.

Its true beginning was surely this day.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Allow me to tell you a fragment of an old tale.

A girl was kept under strict guard within a stone tower.

She was extraordinarily beautiful. Her face possessed such loveliness that flowers and jewels seemed dull beside it, and any man who saw her would have been captivated.

Yet within her body dwelled a rare and terrifying power that corroded all things.

Simply remaining near her caused life force to wither and skin to blister. Given enough time, the power even eroded the mind and stole a person’s sanity.

One night, someone called out to the imprisoned girl.

A man had evaded the guards and spoken to her through the tower’s small window—the only opening through which she could glimpse the outside world.

Two months passed after his visits began. Throughout that time, the girl listened to his voice but never answered.

Another month passed before she finally spoke.

“Why are you so persistent?”

The man showed no surprise. He answered in the same easy tone he always used.

“Because I am strong. Your power is not enough to harm me.”

He waited for her response.

“You’re lying. You must be using some power to protect yourself. My father probably sent you to improve my mood.”

“Nothing of the sort.”

“Then put your hand through the window. If you can touch me without fear, I will believe you.”

“If that is all it takes, gladly.”

The man immediately extended his hand through the narrow opening.

The girl stared in disbelief. Rather than touch him, she hurried away from the window.

“Are you an idiot? Or a fool?”

“Why did you arrange two words with the same meaning?”

“You are absurdly reckless. Enough—withdraw your hand before it is too late.”

The man did not withdraw it.

Instead of peering through the opening, he stretched his arm farther inside and waved his fingers, earnestly trying to reach her.

Watching him, the girl said, “I knew you were a fool after all.”

“You’re the one driving me mad. You told me to touch you. If that makes me a fool, then you have called yourself one as well.”

“No one has ever called me a fool before.”

“I am honored.”

“That was not praise. Enough. Take your hand back.”

“No. Not until you touch me.”

The girl sighed deeply and moved farther from the window so that even the sound of her breath would not reach him.

Noticing that her voice had grown distant, the man’s arm drooped.

“Nothing good will come of touching me,” she said.

“Something good will.”

“Then say what it is.”

“At the very least, you will understand that I am not like everyone else.”

“I do not need to understand. This is your final warning. If you do not want the knights to seize you, withdraw your hand and leave.”

His arm did not move.

After a moment, as though a splendid idea had occurred to him, the man asked an even more brazen question.

“What must I do before you will take my hand?”

The girl released another long sigh. Faced with a man who plainly intended never to give up, she decided to drive him away by demanding the impossible.

“Bring me something capable of restraining my power. Then I will take your hand. I might even meet you face to face and allow you to kiss it.”

Her tone became rough and imperious, unlike the manner in which she normally spoke. Even the girl herself was secretly surprised by it.

“Tell me what to bring. I will obtain it somehow.”

The girl repeated what a famous magic-tool artisan had once told her. The woman’s name, as she recalled, was Mirim Altia.

“Bring me a fragment of the Dragon King’s horn, the blood of the phoenix that rules the Sky Continent, and a tear from the giant sleeping beneath the sea.”

At last, the man pulled his hand from the window.

Relief and disappointment warred within the girl. She thought he had finally abandoned his foolish pursuit.

She was mistaken.

Standing outside beneath the moonlight, the man smiled with delight.

“I will bring all three within a year.”

“What? Wait—wait a moment!”

“I promise. Please wait for me, and do not take back your word.”

“Wait! I—”

His presence vanished. Before the girl realized what was happening, he had disappeared like mist.

Bewildered, she sank to the floor.

“Liar. Such a thing is impossible.”

She muttered the words, yet prayed that he was not a liar.

For the first time in her life, she wished there were someone who would remain close enough to speak with her.

She hoped he would return—even if he brought none of the three impossible treasures—so that she might hear his voice again. —-.

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