Chapter 27- Guests from the sky

But I thought about it…

(It’s impossible not to be nervous.)

If it was easy to be calm on this big stage, Vane wouldn’t have been nervous from the beginning.

When Ren was lost, Vane opened his mouth to ask him . His voice was quieter than usual.

“I’d like to ask you something.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“How strong are the students at the other schools?”

For a moment, Ren’s eyes turned into dots, but he changed his attitude when he realized that Vane was really thinking about it.

“Every school chooses representatives to send out, so they can’t be weak.”

Even if it is true that the special classes at the Imperial Academy stand out more than anywhere else, all of the study houses in the imperial capital of the great nation of Leomel offer a high level of education. There are plenty of schools that have the philosophy of “both literacy and martial arts,” so in a word, the representatives of all of them are strong.

But Ren continued.

“I’m certain you can’t see your surroundings right now. Maybe if you looked around at random places, you would relax.”

“Around…?’

Vane looked around and realized what Ren was trying to say. If you look closely, you will see that the students around him are glancing at Vane, and they too are looking nervous.

“I see I’m not the only one who’s nervous.”

In Vane’s case, in particular, there was a reason why he easily attracted attention from the other representatives.

As a representative of the Imperial Military Academy, Vane had no choice but to attract the attention of the students attending other schools in the imperial city.

How strong is the representative of a prestigious name that is well known both at home and abroad?

It was no wonder that the other boys and girls were thinking about it.

“Haha, it would be bad if we lost the first game.”

“You’re saying strange things again…. but if it makes you laugh, I guess that’s good enough.”

Ren looked at his watch and then stood up.

Then, when he turned his back to Vane.

“Do you think there is anyone among the representatives stronger than you, Ren?”

Ren stopped in his tracks.

He didn’t turn to Vane and was silent for several seconds.

He could have heard the constant clamor around them, but only the two of them seemed to be quiet, as if they had escaped the noise.

“…………”

It was just like the other day when Licia stopped and took time to answer a similar question from Sarah.

When he answered, Ren began to speak over his shoulder.

“You won’t know that until you fight.”

He turns to Vane, who is staring at his back, and tells him what he is going to say.

“But I’m not going to lose, no matter who I face. Ever since I started to have an existence that I wanted to protect.”

Vane was convinced by these words.

Ren has surely found a strength that is incomparable to that of that summer. Vane instinctively realized that he was not in a position to participate in this Lion King Festival.

“Then, I’ll be rooting for you.”

“—- Oh, thank you.”

Ren left Vane’s side this time.

Soon, he heard Vane being summoned by an attendant for the opening round. He slapped himself hard on both cheeks and headed for the venue, where he was immediately greeted with loud cheers. The excitement of the crowd before the long-awaited opening round of the tournament had arrived here.

“Hey, Ashton.”

Kaito, who was sweating, came up to Ren as he was heading back to the preparation room and called out to him.

Ren chuckled at how much he had sweated again, even before the show.

“Thanks a lot. Vane was uncharacteristically nervous, so that must have eased his nerves.”

“I hope so.”

Ren, who answered succinctly, had something he wanted to mention.

Vane had headed to the venue earlier for the opening round of this martial arts tournament. Kaito here shouldn’t have fought anyone yet, so why is he so sweaty?

Ren had guessed the reason and wanted to at least say a few words.

“I know you were warming yourself up, but isn’t that a bit much?”

“I can’t help it! My whole body is on a rolling boil!”

“Well…… I think it’s good if that’s enough to keep your strength…… I’ll be in the preparation room, so please come to me if you need anything at all.”

“Oh! Thanks as always!”

Ten minutes after Ren returned to the preparation room, the voice of a referee could be heard from the hall.

Mixed in with the loud cheers was heard,

“That’s it! Winner, Vane! 』

Vane, who had quickly won the opening round was announced, and voices praised him.

Ren listened to them and smiled, muttering, “Do your best”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Ren has a long-planned meeting with a guest from the sky continent.

Ren was to meet his guest here in the Imperial Grand Arena, in response to a message he had received through Ulysses. The place was the guest of honor’s table, and both Ulysses and Lessard would already be there.

Time passed as they did some light work, and it was lunchtime.

Ren finished a light meal and left the preparation room a few minutes before the scheduled time.

(Guests’ seats, guests’ seats: —-)

At the top of several flights of stairs, he saw an aisle leading to the guest of honor’s seats. Ulysses had said that he would make it easy to enter if he came to that passageway, but Ren didn’t expect it to be so easy to proceed.

The guest seating area was thoroughly guarded, as it was a place where nobles from home and abroad also visited.

As expected, he saw Ren approaching,

“From here on is the guest seat. You look like a student at the Imperial Military Academy, but do you have an appointment with someone?”

It was a knight who approached Ren. He was a knight of Leomel and was wearing the same armor as those who had come to Clausel and taught Licia how to use a sword.

“I’m sorry. I have been summoned by Ulysses Ignat.”

“Mmm…. Marquis Ignat?”

Soon after, Ren understands why Ulysses said that.

Among the many knights standing in this aisle, there was a knight with a familiar face. There were several knights sent by the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary.

They saw Ren and approached him, saying, “”Ren-dono”

Seeing this, the regular knight took a half step back in surprise.

Even if Ulysses’ name was mentioned, it would be a different story if a knight from the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary came up to him.

The regular knight said to the jet-black knight.

“Mhm, you know him?”

Then another knight came up to him,

“Hey, have you forgotten?  Marquis Ignat asked you to let through anyone who claimed to be here to see him.”

“And —-,” the knight who had just arrived continued.

“If the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary will vouch for his identity, that’s even better.”

“Of course, his identity is guaranteed by the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary.”

A knight familiar with Ren answered immediately.

The regular knight nodded his head in agreement. Soon after, Ren was led onward by a knight from the Lion’s Sanctuary.

On the way, Ren speaks out.

“From the way the regular knight was acting, even though he is a knight, the knights of the Holy Lion Sanctuary are in a higher position than them.”

“Hahaha. In our case, we also have to pass the officer level examination.”

“Oh….no wonder….”

The path to the guests’ seats, where Ren’s shoes echoed in the air, was lined with the regular knights as well as the guards brought by each of the guests. The guests’ seats, however, are basically separated by a wall, and unless the guests are seated together, they will enjoy the games in separate seats. Even the doors leading to the guests’ seats are separated.

Edgar was standing in front of the door at the end of the path.

Ren parted there with the knight of the Lion’s sanctuary.

“Ren-dono, we have been expecting you.”

Edgar opened the door as soon as Ren arrived and urged him to enter.

Behind the door was a row of seats with furnishings reminiscent of a room in a luxury inn. There was nothing to block the view in front of them, and it was the best place to get a panoramic view of the Imperial Grand Arena.

There were three men in the room. Ulysses Ignat, Lessard, and a dark-skinned good looking man whom Ren had never seen before.

“Hey, I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Ulysses-sama, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Keep me waiting? What are you talking about?  You’re a little early, as usual.”

Ulysses beckoned Ren to the table where the three of them were gathered.

The semicircular table faced the arena. Ren stepped close to Ulysses once. He had asked for this table to be set up, so that he could be near his guests from the celestial continent.

“Marquis Ignat, is he the Ren Ashton we have heard so much about?”

A dark-skinned, handsome man spoke.

What a dignified man. He was dressed in brightly colored clothes and the muscles of one large exposed arm were toned. As Ren had heard beforehand, he was a merchant who had been a knight, and it was apparent that he had some vestiges of that. The man was also adorned with a variety of goldsmith’s accessories and jewelry, but there was nothing repulsive about him. Perhaps it was the elegance that emanated from the man.

(This man is said to be from the sky continent. ……)

If I had to use a metaphor, I would say that he was desert royalty. He is a man so full of color and fragrance that it is easy to imagine that he has captivated many women with the passion that wafts from his flowing eyes.

Such a man’s eyes were shining when he saw Ren.

He can’t wait for Ulysses to introduce himself.

“As you guessed, he is Ren Ashton.”

“Really!”

“Yes, he is. He was born in a village in the Clausel territory and saved not only my daughter, but also Licia Clausel. He is now a close friend of His Highness the Third Prince and attends the Imperial Military Academy.”

The dark-skinned handsome man gets up from his seat after hearing Ren’s introduction. He stood up and was taller than Ulysses.

“This “petty official,” is Richter Leonhardt. In my country, I am a count.”

He was a man with an unusual first name, perhaps a remnant from his days as a knight.

“It had been about 20 years since I had been to Leomel. I am glad to see a hero of whom I have heard so much in a great country after so long a time.”

“I am honored to hear you say so. But you have not been to Leomel in twenty years?”

“Yes I haven’t.”

Richter said with a smile.

To Ren’s eyes, Richter did not look like a man over sixty by any stretch of the imagination. He was in his late 20s or early 30s at best.

Seeing Ren’s surprise, Richter smiled, showing his white teeth.

“If I look young, it’s because I was a Shelgadian —By the way, what do you know about the Shelgadians?”

“Yes, I do. The people who have been living in the sky continent for a long time. I remember that their life span is longer than that of ordinary people on earth, more than twice as long.”

Since the information was only knowledge, it was a bit surprising to see them in person, and it took some time to understand them.

Richter’s cheeks relaxed as he realized that Ren knew the Shelgadians. He extended his hand to shake Ren’s.

“I come to you from the only great power on the sky continent, the Shelgad Empire. You must understand that my skin color is due to my mixed blood.”

Ren and Richter shook hands and then sat down in each of their respective seats.

Ren sat in the corner next to Lessard. As he sat down in his chair, Lessard told him, “I’m sorry to bother you at this busy time”.

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