Chapter 26 – The Lion King Grand Festival Begins

It was the morning before the Lion King Grand Festival began, and the academy was closed for the day.

“I might be able to use it a little now.”

Ren had once again come alone to the forest to train with his new technique.

After practicing with the Flame Magic Sword, he stood beside the monsters that had attacked him and checked his bracelet. Fighting them while training had raised his proficiency by a reasonable amount.

The Iron Magic Sword in particular now displayed:

Iron Magic Sword (Level 3: 4400/4500)

It was a satisfyingly round number, only a little short of the next level.

Unlike the Wooden Magic Sword, which had evolved into the Great Tree Magic Sword, the Iron Magic Sword had required a great deal of proficiency to level up from the beginning. Ren remembered how much effort it had taken to reach this point, and the thought of another level made him smile.

(Perhaps the Iron Magic Sword will evolve soon too.)

What would it be called after evolving?

The thought alone filled him with excitement.

But he had done enough for the day. He had already been outside town for quite some time, and being injured before the Lion King Grand Festival would be foolish.

After calmly reminding himself of that, Ren returned to Io.

“Io, let us go home.”

“Neigh!”

Almost two hours had passed since sunrise.

Ren bound the hunted monsters with rope and loaded them before mounting Io. She was untroubled by that much weight and began walking as steadily as ever.

They left the forest and followed the road.

Ren had returned to Elendil and was planning to stop at the Adventurers’ Guild before heading back to the mansion when someone called to him.

“Good morning, Ren.”

Estelle had spotted him on a busy main street.

“Good morning. What brings you to Elendil today?”

“I am off duty, so I thought I would get some fresh air. The Imperial Capital is overcrowded, so I came to Elendil in search of somewhere a little quieter.”

Elendil was unusually crowded as well, but it was still far better than the Capital.

“And what were you doing, Ren? From the look of you, did you leave town to swing your sword?”

“Something like that.”

After smoothly avoiding the details, Ren asked Estelle a question of his own.

They had encountered each other in Elendil like this before, and he had wondered about it since then.

“Estelle-sama, what sort of work do you normally do?”

“Me? I review the work sent to the Lion’s Holy Office and manage its knights. For someone who holds the position of director, I spend a surprising amount of time in the field.”

“I see. No wonder you always seem so busy.”

With a sigh, Estelle said, “I have returned home, yet work leaves me no time to spend with my husband.” Even the head of the Office needed time to breathe, so Ren understood why she wanted to walk outside on her day off.

(Perhaps her husband is not in the Imperial Capital.)

Her behavior made it easy to tell that the two of them were close. Even so, she was walking alone on her day off, so Ren’s guess might not have been far from the truth. Then again, her husband might simply have been busy as well, leaving their days off out of alignment.

“Haaah…”

Estelle yawned.

“Even though I am off duty, I still have to visit the Lion’s Holy Office this afternoon. More importantly, Ren, how has your sword been since we last spoke?”

“Reasonably well.”

“Hmm. It seems something has changed in your state of mind.”

“How could you tell?”

“Your expression is clearer than it was the other day, and you answered without hesitation.”

Ren gave an embarrassed smile and scratched his cheek.

Several things had happened, and he truly was in better condition than before. Apparently satisfied by what she saw, Estelle checked her watch and began walking toward the Hanging Garden to return to the Imperial Capital.

With her back to Ren, she said:

“I should be going. Keep training, young man.”

“Understood. Have a safe journey back to the Capital.”

“Hmph. Who do you think you are worrying about?”

Estelle raised one hand and waved without turning around.

After several more steps, without slowing or looking back, she added:

“The essence of the Mighty Sword lies in the Lion King’s battlefield verse: Shear Away the Stars, and Gaze upon the Black. If you wish to become a Sword Saint, never forget those words. Continue striving toward them.”

She left Ren behind. He watched her go while turning the words over in his mind.

Estelle, meanwhile, walked alone through Elendil’s crowded streets.

“What a mysterious boy. Every time I see him, he has grown stronger as though he were someone else.”

She murmured the words with an amused smile.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The beginning of a new week arrived.

Chronois surveyed the students assembled in the main auditorium.

“Everyone, enjoy yourselves with the restraint expected of students of this academy! And do not forget to thank all the people who worked so hard to make this Festival possible!”

The moment she finished addressing the entire student body, she snapped her fingers.

Every door leading out of the auditorium opened at once, and countless students rose in high spirits.

“Off you go! Do your best, everyone!”

A cheer-like roar filled the auditorium.

The Lion King Grand Festival began that day, and venues across the Imperial Capital would soon be overflowing. The Imperial Capital Grand Arena, where the martial arts tournament would be held, was expected to fill its enormous stands with spectators.

“All right! Let us go, let us go!”

Kaito Leonaal shouted from the seats occupied by the second-year students.

“Come on, Vayne!”

“Right!”

Sera Riohard and Vayne answered near Ren and Licia.

The students competing in the martial arts tournament drew especially intense attention as they left the auditorium. Yet the students entering the other competitions carried no less expectation.

Each of them headed for their venue with pride as a representative of the Imperial Military Academy.

On that day, not a single student remained in the auditorium merely to chat.

That concluded the first events of the morning.

The scene then shifted to a plaza beside the district of the Imperial Capital where many schools stood.

Ordinarily, stalls catering to students lined the plaza. During the Lion King Grand Festival, however, the Festival administration had installed headquarters buildings for each participating school.

“This will be our headquarters,” Radius said.

Although the building was temporary, it was reasonably sturdy and soundproof enough that outside voices became faint once the doors closed. Furniture for administrative work and even a small kitchen made it highly convenient. At first glance, it resembled a modest private home.

Once everyone was seated, Radius continued.

“We will normally work here. The workload should not be greater than it was during the preparation period, so we ought to have a reasonable amount of breathing room.”

From that day forward, their task was simply to remain available at headquarters and support the Festival from behind the scenes.

“Students participating in the competitions may come with questions, and teachers may contact us with information that needs to be shared. But the necessary supplies are already at each venue, and teachers are stationed there, so there is little work for us to perform on site.”

There was still some work, however small in amount.

That was why the headquarters existed and why the organizing-committee members would remain stationed there.

“I will be away for a short time. I intended to ask Ren to work at the martial arts venue. The remaining three of you should stay here.”

Security in the district containing the headquarters buildings was extremely strong. Radius’s presence meant that knights from the Lion’s Holy Office were stationed nearby as well.

There were probably hidden members of House Ignat’s guard in the area too, so there was little cause for concern.

“Radius, would you like me to escort you part of the way?”

“Do not worry. I have several considerations this time, and I decided to take Estelle with me. She should be waiting near this plaza.”

“Oh…”

In that case, Radius had no need of him.

Ren smiled wryly.

“Ren, you are scheduled to speak with Ulysses and the others, correct? Working there will make things easier for you.”

“Sorry. Thank you for arranging it.”

“I do not mind. My position usually forces everyone else to accommodate me. Ren, go to the Imperial Capital Grand Arena. Our academy has a preparation room there, so you may work from it. I left a written list of your duties in the room.”

Radius departed headquarters immediately after giving those instructions.

Ren watched him go, then looked at Mirei. She understood his unspoken concern at once.

“Leave everything here to Mirei, nya. Ren-dono should have no trouble working alone at the Imperial Capital Grand Arena, so there is no need to worry about that either, nya.”

“Understood. Then I will leave headquarters to you.”

“M-Mirei will handle it, nya.”

“Licia-sama, Fiona-sama, I am heading to the Imperial Capital Grand Arena.”

The two young ladies smiled at him.

“Take care.”

“We will be here, so please contact us at once if you have any trouble!”

After exchanging a few final words, Ren placed the luggage he did not need on a shelf in headquarters.

He said, “I am off,” once more and stepped outside, narrowing his eyes against the brilliant sunlight.

As he crossed the plaza, he noticed a light sheen of sweat forming on his skin.

“It is already summer.”

It felt as though spring had been only days ago, and the thought made him laugh.

His steps toward the arena were lighter than usual.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The Imperial Capital Grand Arena was already crowded.

The spectators were excited by the approach of the memorable opening match. Their enthusiasm rivaled the heat of summer and filled the enormous venue.

Ren stood on the first floor, in the connecting corridor leading to the arena floor.

Preparation rooms for the teachers and organizing-committee members of each school had been established beside the corridor.

Ren had just stepped out of one and was observing the representatives from the various schools.

(Everyone is nervous.)

Among them, his attention settled on a boy sitting on a bench.

Even the courageous Vayne could not help feeling nervous when representing a prestigious academy at an event of this scale.

He would be fighting in the tournament’s opening match in only a short while.

Sera, who would normally have been beside him, was absent because her own turn was approaching and she was busy preparing.

“It will be all right. Just do what you can. You have worked hard ever since leaving the village. Show them the result of that work, Vayne.”

Ren thought he heard Vayne murmuring to himself.

After watching him for a moment, Ren returned to the preparation room and opened a wooden crate. A magic tool inside kept the bottled drinks cold.

Distributing them was not technically Ren’s responsibility.

That duty belonged to the instructors who taught swordsmanship and the other combat classes. Even so, Ren took one bottle and left the room again.

He approached Vayne and sat beside him.

“You should drink a little before you go.”

“R-Ren!? Why are you here?”

“Consider it part of my work on the organizing committee.”

“Oh… I see.”

Vayne took one sip from the bottle Ren handed him. Then he opened his mouth wider and drained the rest at once.

“Ha… That is really cold.”

His throat had been dry from tension, but the brief exchange seemed to help him relax.

Sitting beside Vayne, Ren began considering what to say next.

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