Chapter 8: In a place called the Hanging Garden.

In the blink of an eye, the months passed by and we were approaching July.

There were only a few days left until the party that Lessard had mentioned. Ren was on board a magic ship for the first time since he came to this world.

He was alone in his cabin, which resembled a luxury inn, looking out the window at the clouds drifting across the blue sky.

(In the end, how did this happen...?)

The circumstances of the party weren’t particularly complicated.

Ren's name wasn’t on the invitation to the party. This is normal, however, as the names of servants and those who work for nobles aren’t written at parties where nobles gather.

On the other hand, Ren hesitated to stay in Clausel when there was a possibility of a discussion involving his village.

As a result, he decided to accompany the party to the imperial capital without joining it.

It had been a short time since the Demon king’s cult uproar.

He would have come to this conclusion sooner or later in terms of escorting Licia.

Although he felt somewhat evasive about visiting the imperial capital and Elendil, he had no choice in the matter.

“We’ll be arriving at Elendil shortly.”

A voice came from nowhere.

Ren turned his eyes to the place where the voice came from, and there he saw an extravagant chandelier on the ceiling.

In fact, it was also the magical device that delivered the voice.

(Maybe because it's a guest room that even the nobility use. it's really luxurious.)

Tickets for the magic ship are expensive, but still not so expensive that commoners cannot afford to board.

But as for the magic ship, its staterooms are prestigious. Ren said he would pay for the ticket himself, but "let me pay for it this time because of the circumstances," was Lessard's reply.

Ren then left the guest room where he had spent almost the entire day.

Outside the guest room, the space was so calm and serene that it was hard to believe that he was in a ship flying in the sky. It wasn’t too luxurious and cozy, comparable to the Clausel family's mansion.

“Ren!”

Licia was waiting for him a little further ahead.

She saw him and waved her hand.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Thanks to you. I fell asleep right after you left,  Licia-sama.”

“Fufu, a long journey in a carriage is exhausting, isn't it? I hope one day Clausel will have a magic ship port."

Licia, with a wry smile on her face, knows that it’s difficult to do so.

The main reason for this is because of the financial problems and the lack of maintenance. It’s difficult to maintain, mainly due to financial issues.

Therefore, wehad no choice but to take a magic ship in a territory ruled by another nobleman.

“Let's go. My father is waiting for us.”

As soon as Licia said that, the altitude of the magic ship started to drop.

Within a few minutes, the ship lowered its hulking bulk to the magic ship dock at Elendil.

The two of them walked around the magic ship in the meantime and met up with the two men, Lessard and Weiss.

Ren was suddenly struck by the scenery outside the window he saw while heading for the entrance and exit.

(......It really is Elendil.)

In the center of the wide stone ground sits a huge structure that at first glance looks like a white stone fortress or even a tower. The sight of the spires standing in various places is breathtaking, and the entire structure, somewhat reminiscent of the Gothic style, is magnificent, decorated with water streams and greenery.

From its upper floors, a long runway-like road extends into the air. The magic ships that had come to Elendil were lined up at equal intervals and anchored in the air, flanking the road from both sides.

From the ship that Ren and the others had come in on, they could see the scenery of other magic ships standing in a row.

Perhaps it was the height of the place where the magic ship was anchored, but it seemed as if the clouds were closer than usual.

(It felt like a fantasy.)

The magic ships that stayed around varied in appearance.

Some were bullet-shaped, some looked like giant watercraft, and some boasted huge bodies with layers of wings that resembled fish fins.

"Here they come."

Ren, who had been distracted by what was going on outside as he walked, heard the voice of Lessard, who had stepped near the doorway one step ahead of him.

Weiss was standing next to him.

“I was going to ask you what you thought of Elendil when you saw it for the first time, but I guess I don't need to ask you.”

“Yes.... I’m overwhelmed, to be honest.”

“That's good to hear. Then let's go outside and let you be even more overwhelmed."

The four of them met up with the crowd of disembarking passengers and headed down a path that was intended for those in the staterooms where they had stayed and out onto the ramp that led to the outbuildings.

A moment later, the cool breeze outside caressed the group's cheeks and hair.

From the handrail of the ramp, Ren looked down at the ground far below.

Below the buildings, a number of carriages were parked, and many stalls lined the street. The area was crowded with commoners, adventurers, and nobles.

The many train tracks extending out from the ground of the building Ren was heading for were also a sight to behold. The scenery, which he had only known through knowledge, was very impressive when he saw it with his own eyes.

“The building where we got off the magic ship and headed is ----”

“The hanging gardens… right?”

“---- How boring. You knew that."

Ren felt like he had done something bad to Licia, who was trying to explain it to him in a good way.

Not that I'm going to leap to get her in a good mood.

“All I knew was the name. I didn't really know what kind of building it was."

If you don’t mind, please give me an explanation…. Ren mouthed to her

Then Licia opened her mouth, looking like she had no choice but to speak up, but happily.

She turned to him, who was a few steps ahead of her as they exited the ramp.

“The hanging gardens where we are now are one of the symbols of Elendil.”

According to Licia, the Hanging Garden is not only a place to board the magic boat, but also serves as a station for the magic train.

If you take the magic train from the Hanging Gardens, you can reach the capital in about an hour and a half. And there’s no station in the vicinity of the capital that boasts a scale as large as that of the Hanging Garden.

Therefore, many nobles and big merchants go to the Hanging Garden, and it’s an important commercial complex.

"Oh wow.... I'm learning a lot."

Not to flatter Licia, but when Ren exclaimed in admiration, she laughed happily and said.

"Fufu, you think it's too fine a town for a baron to keep?"

“No, no, nothing like that.....”

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be mean. Ren, you’re smart, so I was wondering if you might be thinking about that too.”

To be honest, it's not that I don't think so.

When you hear that a nobleman is in charge of such an important place, it’s natural to imagine a high-ranking nobleman.

Ren was about to make a mess when Lessard explained to him.

“When the magic boat terminal began to spread throughout the country, these hanging gardens began to lose their value. Although the fact that it’s a strategic point near the Imperial Capital where people can go to the sky remains unchanged, the level of difficulty in managing it is tremendous. Not many nobles wanted this place, which had already lost value, because it was too much of a responsibility.”

"Even so, I thought that if you combined it with Elendil, it would give you a boost as a noble.”

“Yes. It just as you said, Ren. Nevertheless, even for the royal family and the imperial nobility, those who were entrusted with this place had to be chosen carefully. The Hanging Gardens are used by many nobles, regardless of faction, so there was no difference in the importance of the place.”

However, there were no nobles in the capital who would willingly govern the Hanging Gardens in view of the difficulty of operating it and the repercussions if it failed, as Lessard had mentioned earlier.

“The income from operating the Hanging Gardens is not that great either. The annual maintenance costs are tremendous. There’s the tax revenue from Elendil itself, but when you consider the cost of maintaining the town, the nobles who want to make a profit are more fearful of failure.”

“Ah... so even if you get a beat, there isn't much to gain.”

“The town's tax revenues are not as high as they could be.  The former lord had no children, and soon after they retired, the seat of the lord of Elendil became vacant. It was about two years before you and Licia met.”

It’s not to say that there were no nobles who came forward to claim the title of "I am the one”.

However, because the nobles of each faction restrained each other, they weren’t proactive in recommending a suitable noble from the same faction.

Then, a noble from the neutral faction mentioned Lessard’s name on the spot.

Lessard was competent for his rank, and since he had a saint as a daughter, he was well remembered by everyone.

It was also a half-hearted compromise when Lessard was entrusted with Elendil.

He could see that some of them would eventually want to bring the entire Clausel family into the faction.

“And so it was decided that I would take care of Elendil."

“I feel--- somewhat as if you’ve been forced into it.....”

“Haha, but it was convenient for me. I had no ambition to expand my power as a noble, but having Elendil delivered by a neutral noble wasn’t a bad idea. I had hoped that I could put a stop to the factional strife, even if only a little.”

Nowadays, the development is different from the wish that Lessard had before.

Viscount Givens also had some ambition, because he once made a move on the Clausel family, and then on the Ashton family.

“Boy, ever since the master took charge of this place, tax revenues have been rising steadily.”

“It's been on a slight uptrend, and the latest figures finally show a visible change......."

Ren thought it was cool that Lessard said it so matter-of-factly and without boasting about his accomplishments.

The power of the knighthood itself may be weak, but it’s encouraging to see an individual make his or her competence known.

The day when he becomes a viscount may not be far off.

Not long after all this was said and done.

(---- Oh! I knew it!)

Ren turned his face toward the town of Elendil and looked at the grand clock tower that sat in the center of the town.

It was built of ivory-colored bricks and supported by columns surrounding it on all four sides. Soaring high into the sky, it is a work of historical art.

The hands of the clock are pointing to exactly twelve o'clock.

The sound of the bells echoing in the area was as mysterious as a hymn.

“Ren? Why did you stop all of a sudden?"

“I'm sorry. I must have been overwhelmed again.”

“Fufu, Ren… we have to move fast, so we'll have to wait for sightseeing later.”

Licia hurried him along, and he quickened his steps to follow her.

As he did so, he turned his attention to the end of the road, which was like a runway.

(---- Is there something like that too?)

There was something there, covered with a cloth like a tent. Through the cloth, it looked like a magic ship in the shape of a bullet. It was in the same place during the legendary era of the Seven Heroes, but unlike the other magic ships, it was something mysterious that didn’t seem to move.

(I wonder what it was.)

When I get a chance, I might ask Lessard about it. Ren thought.

Ren, feeling nostalgic for the scene inside the Hanging Garden, boarded the magic train heading to the Imperial Capital from the station set up on the ground level.

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