Kays Translations

Chapter 19- How to spend the consecutive holidays

The last two days of the consecutive holidays.

First, Licia left Elendil on a magic ship. The return trip was to be at night, so Ren, who had finished practicing his new skills and training at the Lion's sanctuary today, returned home shortly after finishing taking a hot bath. From outside the window of his room, which was open, he heard a voice that indicated that Licia had returned.

Ren went to the entrance hall and found Licia, who had just returned home, just as he had expected.

When she saw Ren, she ran to his side.

“I'm home. I have something for you, please eat it later.”

"Thank you for your hard work on such short notice.”

“It’s alright, I'm fine. So how are you?”

“The same as usual. Hunting, wielding a sword, that sort of thing.”

Licia laughed when she heard that, “That sounds a lot like you, Ren.”

“Hey, hey.”

Licia's voice was bubbling with excitement.

“Why don’t we go to town tomorrow for the first time in a while, if you don't mind. My father said we're free tomorrow.”

“That would be nice. I haven't been able to walk around Elendil as much as I would like to recently.”

“Yes! I hear there are a lot of new stores these days, so let's go relax together!”

Licia, with a big smile on her face, said, "I'm looking forward to it!” and leaves him.

Lessard, who came in after she left, asks Ren. Weiss was a little behind him.

“I checked the reports on the magic boat on the way back. It’s about the Ashton’s family village.”

Lessard pulls a letter out of his jacket pocket and hands it to Ren.

Sensing that it looked good for immediate confirmation, Ren opened the seal in front of Lessard.

The parchment inside shows that the village has changed a lot again.

He had taken the trouble to take a painter with him, and he had drawn a detailed picture of the village.

"Heh.... part of the village has a facility that serves as a base for merchants....."

“I've heard about the merchants who go through Clausel's territory. The roads around the village have been built, and it seems that the area is becoming quite prosperous.”

Then, Weiss opened his mouth with a smiling expression on his face.

“I've heard from the remaining knights over there as well. The village has become much safer than it was before, thanks in part to the money you send back. It won't be long before they call it a town.”

“It wasn't just me. It was all of you who helped me."

Ren said shyly, and the two men in front of him laughed.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The next morning.

It was after nine in the morning when Ren and Licia met up in the same entrance hall.

“Ren, you seem to be working hard, training and all, so don't push yourself too hard.”

“I'm fine. I mean, Licia-sama is okay too, right?”

"Fufu….Naturally.”

There are no guards by their side. Licia is protected by Ren, who is now an accomplished swordsman. Licia, the one being protected, is also a swordsman class. If something were to happen to these two, it would be the same even if they were inside the mansion.

“Can we go now?"

Licia, dressed in plain clothes, asked Ren.

She was dressed in a skirt that was no longer a good fit for her. The neatness of the white blouse on her upper body also accentuated her attractiveness.

Of course, her glossy hair was adorned with a platinum feather hair ornament.

“On the contrary, I can't wait to leave.”

“Oh my, Ren. You must be hungry, right?”

“Of course I am. I was going to have breakfast outside, so I don't know when I'll collapse.”

“Yes! Yes! Shall we go? father, I'm off then."

“Be careful. Ren, take care of Licia.”

Ren couldn't even say, "Leave it to me," and only gave a smile.

Once outside, the mid-June sunlight was dazzling.

The two of them involuntarily narrowed their eyes at the brilliant sunlight that was pouring down on them so close to summer.

As soon as they left the mansion, Licia let go of her hand that was pulling Ren.

She was dressed in civilian clothes and had a sword at her waist. It is Licia's trademark sword, the White Lost.

Ren, on the other hand, carries an iron magic sword at his waist. The scabbard is a custom-made sheath that was made for him by Verlich some time ago. The size of the sword has changed to some extent as Ren's physique has grown, so a new scabbard may need to be made at some point.

“......?"

Licia noticed Ren's gaze.

“You're wondering about my sword?”

“I was thinking that the way you carry your sword in civilian clothes is also very picturesque, Licia-sama.”

“Fufu, there's nothing to praise in your case, is there?”

“No way. I don't expect a reward."

They laughed as they did so, opening the gates of the mansion and exiting its grounds.

Unlike the mansion in Clausel, the mansion in Elendil is a prominent mansion facing the main street. When the two come out of the mansion, they stand out.

However, they leave the mansion together almost every day to go to the school.

For the people of Elendil who live nearby, it is a familiar sight.

They are occasionally approached by shopkeepers who have just opened their stores along the main street, or by adults who are preparing their stalls.

They headed for a cafe along the main street.

They took seats at a white round table against a hedge and spent a few minutes looking at the menu before ordering the set they preferred. Licia ordered a warm cup of tea, salad, and bread. Ren did the same, choosing a warm cup of tea and a heartier meal than Licia's.

“Licia-sama, I'd like to ask you something just to be sure.”

“Yes, what?”

“Even in your appearance, you would draw your sword if push came to shove, wouldn't you?”

“It's a matter of course. That's what I'm preparing for. And Ren you’re the same, aren’t you? You’re in civilian clothes, but you carry a sword on your waist.”

“I'm also your bodyguard, Licia-sama.”

After a few minutes of idle chatter, the meal they ordered was brought to them.

The two, forks in hand, began to eat, and after filling their bellies, they continued to talk while enjoying a cup of warm tea after the meal.

“Elendil's appearance has changed.”

“I heard from Lessard-sama that the inn is almost fully booked.”

Even here in Elendil, preparations for the Great Festival of the Lion King are underway everywhere. The reason is that Elendil, which is just a short distance to the imperial capital, will be crowded with guests who have come by magic ship, not to mention guests who are staying at the Inn. Some of the competitions will be held in Elendil as well, so this may be a factor.

Among the people on the street, there were many who seemed to have come from outside the country. Among them, there were some who looked like beasts, others who reminded Ren of reptiles, and still others who had wings.

The people preparing for the festival, which takes place every few years, resembled Ren and the others who enjoy serving on the committee.

“Come to think of it, I wonder if the representatives for the martial arts competition be decided soon?”

Licia said with a teacup in her hand.

“Sarah told me the other day that the selection committee for the martial arts competition is the last group of students to compete for the winning points, right? Sarah and Vane both have enough points to win, so it looks like it's almost decided.”

“I guess… the heroic faction, but Vane has enough to fight too.'

The two of them have never spoken out of turn, and they have never taken the trouble to think about it and lower the students who participate in the selection process. But a third party who knows the power of the two of them could realistically imagine that Ren and Licia could have easily upset the whole balance.

...... Aside that, the two have no strong interest in the martial arts competitions held at the Lion King Grand Festival, so again, they had no regrets about not participating.

“What are you going to do after this? Is there anywhere you want to go, Ren?"

“I wanted to go buy some notebooks, and for the first time in a while, I also wanted to go to a bookstore. But I'm fine with you prioritizing where you want to go, Licia-sama.”

“Then, it would be fine if my place of interest is the same as yours, Ren."

“If that's really the case, it might be convenient for you.”

Licia laughed. She laid her face at an angle, happily overlapping her hands, which were propped up on the table with her elbows on top of each other.

“It's settled. After we take a short break, we'll go to the bookstore first.”

Licia smiled cheerfully.

After another short rest, the two left the store and walked along the cobblestones to the bookstore, just as they had done when they left the mansion.

They were enjoying their holiday with the bustling town at their side, chatting about nothing.

Then, Ren suddenly spoke up.

“----What's that?"

“What's wrong?"

“I saw an unusual classmate.”

“Uh, an unusual classmate......?"

Licia looked beyond Ren's gaze and realized who the classmate was.

The daughter of one of the seven great heroic nobles, the Altia family, was walking down the main street of Elendil with a group of adults dressed in work clothes.

Nemu also noticed them and ran up to them on a short run.

“Good morning, you two!"

Ren had exchanged words with Nemu for the first time the other day, but Licia had spoken to her several times since she had entered the school. Sarah and Nemu had been talking frequently, and they had been becoming friends as if she was sandwiched in between.

“What are you doing here, Licia and Ren-kun?”

“We thought we’d take a look around the town. What about you, Nemu?”

“I'm on my way to the clock tower.”

According to Nemu, she had come several times to see how things were going since the disturbances last year.

The Altia family's servants and technicians used to come to check on the situation, but this time Nemu seems to have taken on that job.

When Ren and Licia bowed their heads in gratitude, Nemu laughed and said, "It's okay”

"It was originally created by my ancestors, so I have to take good care of it!”

“I knew you were great, Nemu."

“Yeah? What is what?”

“The fact that you can already manage such a large facility with magic tools.”

“Naturally, I’ve been tinkering with magical tools since I was one year old. And I have a goal to invent more than my ancestors!"

Listening to the girls, Ren took a slow step away from them.

He was careful not to disturb them, and as he recalled,

“I'm sorry. I have something to tell the knight, so I'm going to step away for a while.”

He indicated the presence of the knight standing in the town, and left Licia's side for a dozen or so miles.

At this distance, he would be able to run to her in just a moment.

Nemu then turned to face Licia.

"Can I ask you something that's been bothering me a lot?"

“Yes, what is it?"

Licia had a light-hearted attitude and thought that what she would be asked would not be a big deal.

But she was wrong, and she would regret her easy answer.

“...... Date?"

The words were so light that they could hardly be expected to come out of the mouth of a young lady, and they came from the mouth of the daughter of the Altia family, one of the seven great heroic nobles.

When asked, Licia ruminates on the words she just said. A date? If Nemu in front of her had asked her, the person she was talking to must have been someone who had been by Licia's side a while ago. Licia chewed slowly for more than ten seconds and came up with an answer that was obvious.

“Huh…?”

Licia, who had everything from her cheeks to her earlobes and neck uplifted almost instantly, blinks quickly and repeatedly.

She took a half step away from Nemu, folded her arms and looked in the direction of the day after tomorrow like Ren did earlier, and Licia now feigned calmness.

Now, she ran her hands through her silky hair,

“Could you not ask me something I don't understand?”

She tried to be strong.

The strength she had been trying to muster was broken by the daughter of the House of Altia.

“So I’m wrong.”

“Tch, it's wrong if it is! What's wrong with you, Nemu?”

“No, there isn't! But I just got the feeling from the closeness between the two of you, like the two of you playing together on holidays. I'm sure Ren-kun is good friends with the daughter of the Ignat family, right? So I was wondering what the situation was like.”

"............"

“I'm sorry! You can't stare at me with such a pretty face!”

Licia had tears welling up in her eyes and was staring at Nemu with a bright red face.

Licia's shame was reaching its limit, and she did not know when she would pluck Nemu's cheek and pull it.

"As an apology, I’ll give you some pointers on love, so can you please stop staring at me?"

Suddenly, Licia regains her composure at Nemu's words.

She remembers a piece of information and pokes Nemu's sore spot.

“What are you talking about? You said before that you've never been in love and that you've only ever treated the opposite sex like friends.”

“Oh, I said it, didn't I? I said something I shouldn't have said to a girl of your age!"

“If you're going to say that, you should think about what you said and did just now.”

“That's just it. But listen to me, maybe this could be useful information for you, Licia!”

Nemu sounds amused and utters knowledge that Licia doesn't know where she gets it from.

She seemed to be able to give her useful knowledge about magic tools, but what she said was surprisingly in a language that Licia could understand.

"Okay? First of all, you need to use good language.”

“The way me and Ren communicate right now?”

“Yes, it's very important! The distance between the two is very important, but the two of you should be able to be more open with each other! So, you would like to ask Ren to stop using honorifics, or Licia to change the way she calls him!”

“I've told him before that he could be a little more informal with his language, but he said no, because he is a knight's son. Besides, I'm still calling him by his name.”

“But Ren-kun calls you Licia-sama, doesn't he?”

“I'm going to ask him to call me Licia ----”

“Yes, just like Vane-kun and Sarah-chan.”

Nemu shows her affirmation with a strong thumbs up.

Imagining Ren calling her "Licia", she covered her cheeks with both hands and flinched.

“But I have no idea what's harder, having him call me by my name or having him stop using honorifics.”

"Yes, you're right! They're both hard!”

Or rather, said Licia,

“Where did you get that information?”

"There’s nothing to hide, but it's a romance novel."

“I knew it was something like that.”

“But it was good information, wasn't it?”

Licia couldn't deny it and nodded shyly, "Yes”.

The problem was that the likelihood of Ren nodding either way was infinitesimally small, but Licia racked her brains to see if she could somehow put it into practice.

Then Nemu looked at her watch and said it was time to go.

Hearing this, Licia returned to Ren, who had been watching for the right time to leave. Licia's skin was glowing, and Ren tilted His head to look at her. Licia didn’t answer.

Nemu also did not say what had happened, but only laughed,

“See you later, you two! See you at the academy!”

Ren was now left with no chance to find out what had happened.

"You don't have a fever or anything, do you?"

“............”

“Licia-sama?”

Then,

“Insensitive…”

Licia said with just a little bit of dissatisfaction.

I wanted her to allow me to at least say a few words. Perhaps that's why Licia immediately smiled so prettily.

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