Chapter 28 – The Legend of the Sky

“I’ve been looking forward to hearing your story. Why not begin with what happened in Clausel?”

Lessard and Ulysses immediately nodded when Ren glanced at them, leaving the telling to him. Richter watched the martial tournament unfold in the Imperial Capital Grand Arena and listened to the crowd’s cheers while giving Ren’s account his full attention.

“There was once a monster called a Thief Wolfen near our village…”

Ren began with his first true battle and explained the events that had eventually led to his escape with Licia.

“You fought that elf alone and escaped the crisis while protecting the young saint?”

“No. I could only do it because Licia-sama helped me. And I think we were fortunate. The horse the elf had brought with him listened to me, so somehow we managed to escape.”

“Leonhardt-dono, that horse is now Ren’s partner, though I have yet to see her with my own eyes,” Ulysses added.

“Oh? That interests me as well. They say a horse with monster blood chooses a master worthy of its service. You must have won her over through the strength of your character.”

“She’s a relaxed horse. Perhaps she merely thought life beside me would be peaceful.”

Richter laughed at Ren’s joke, and his eyes brightened with each new part of the story.

When Ren reached a pause after describing the escape, an arena attendant entered, poured tea for them, and withdrew. Ren moistened his throat after speaking for so long.

“You truly enjoy stories like this, Leonhardt-sama.”

“I could say I love them. Many people on the Sky Continent are fond of heroic tales.”

“Is that a trait of the Shelgadian people?”

“Indeed. It is by no means unique to me.”

Richter’s mother, through whom he inherited his darker complexion, had been born in the southern part of the Martell Continent. According to him, the people of her homeland were often exceptionally passionate. Even apart from that heritage, however, the people of the Shelgad Empire had long tended to love heroic tales.

“The reason is the hero who once saved our country.”

Richter was clearly enjoying himself, so Ren courteously said, “Please tell us, if you would.”

Pleased, Richter began the tale.

“Long ago, the Sky Continent had a guardian deity known as the Phoenix.”

Whenever the Phoenix reached the end of its life, it turned to ash and was reborn as a young bird. After repeating that cycle countless times, the creature thought to live forever lost its wisdom. Its attacks claimed innumerable lives.

“Then a hero appeared and brought the Phoenix to its final rest.”

The hero came from nowhere and asked the Shelgadians where the Phoenix lived. He traveled to the center of the Sky Continent and fought a fierce battle against it. The Phoenix’s seemingly inexhaustible regeneration weakened as the battle continued, until the hero’s sword finally pierced the giant bird’s throat.

“Afterward, the hero stood beside the people of the Sky Continent. He prayed for those who had been sacrificed and devoted himself to rebuilding the land. Deeply grateful for his conduct, the emperor of that era said he wished to reward him.”

The hero had earned the right to every form of wealth and fame the Sky Continent could offer.

Yet he desired neither, astonishing its people.

“What he asked for was blood flowing from the Phoenix’s throat. One small vial would be enough, he said.”

“The Phoenix’s blood?”

“It was said to possess extraordinary power – perhaps even the Phoenix’s vitality. No one now knows the truth. Whatever its effect, it must have been an incomparable treasure.”

There was no longer any way to verify the details, and nothing certain remained.

“The hero stayed on the Sky Continent for a short while longer. Then, one day, he quietly disappeared without ever revealing his name.”

“He sounds incredible. I wonder how strong he was.”

“I wonder as well, but just like the effect of the Phoenix’s blood, there is no surviving way to determine it.”

The emperor of that age buried the Phoenix’s remains with great reverence, and a new capital was founded on that land.

In imitation of the hero who had saved the Sky Continent, each succeeding emperor was required to possess great strength. The current emperor was no exception: he was a formidable warrior who held fourth place in the Sword King Rankings.

(My ancestor seems to have been strong, but the hero of the Sky Continent must have been extraordinary too.)

Ren kept the thought to himself, then resumed his own story at Richter’s urging.

By the time Ren finished, Richter looked thoroughly satisfied. He had been delighted throughout the tale, and afterward he lingered in its afterglow like an audience member who had just watched a celebrated play.

“A fine story. I hope you will someday tell me the heroic tales you have yet to create. For that reason, I would like House Clausel and House Ashton to remain friends of mine for many years.”

Lessard cautiously asked, “Leonhardt-dono, regarding the proposal you recently made to House Clausel…”

“Yes. I would like to make an additional investment. I have developed an even greater fondness for the Clausel territory that produced a young man like him. And if Strong Arm is involved as well, I hope to deepen our ties still further.”

Richter answered without hesitation. He was a decisive and agreeable man. The details would be settled later, but the discussion advanced smoothly.

“I would like to put several matters in order before returning home. Forgive me if I appear to rush, but past experience taught me to make decisions I will not regret.”

Richter’s wistful smile met Ulysses’s gaze.

“You remember the incident, Marquis Ignat?”

“Of course. The grand ducal succession struggle that erupted in the Shelgad Empire is famous.”

“…A painful subject. House Leonhardt was involved in that conflict as well. I urged the grand ducal house to resolve the dispute peacefully, but the result was what it was.”

“Did that incident cause you to leave the knighthood?”

When Richter nodded, Ulysses appeared to understand.

Richter began speaking in a slow, halting manner. Inwardly, he meant the explanation as thanks to Ren for sharing so much, and to Ulysses for arranging their meeting.

“Although I served my country as a knight, I failed to fulfill my duty and allowed the nation to be thrown into turmoil. From that day onward, I could no longer permit myself to remain a knight.”

Richter looked at Ren, weighed down by remorse.

“Leonhardt-sama…”

The conversation had turned so abruptly that Ren did not know how to respond. Richter apologized for placing him in that position.

“Long ago, a struggle over succession broke out in one of our grand ducal houses and drew in many nobles.”

The family had two brothers.

The younger warned that the elder’s beliefs were dangerous. The elder was an expansionist who argued that Shelgad should intervene actively in regions of conflict and secure its own interests wherever possible. The younger insisted that such thinking did not suit the present age, and the brothers became enemies.

“How was the succession dispute resolved?” Ren asked.

“It was never resolved. Both brothers died. There was discussion of allowing a distant relative to inherit, but in the end, the entire grand ducal house was abolished.”

First, a lower-ranking noble loyal to the elder brother targeted and killed the younger. The younger brother’s wife and only daughter secretly went into hiding. When Richter and other third parties learned what had happened, they searched for the two women in order to protect them, but could not find them.

The elder brother, meanwhile, was assassinated when a noble who admired the younger brother acted recklessly on his own.

Because the dispute involved a grand ducal family of immense power and influence, the entire Sky Continent had been thrown into uproar. The bloodshed ended without bringing happiness to anyone.

“I had lost the right to call myself a knight. As I spent my days confronting my helplessness, my father-in-law came to visit me. He was a merchant on the Martell Continent. He suggested that I might serve my homeland from a different position rather than as a knight. I also had a noble relative who owned a trading company, so I decided to try.”

Richter had taken pride in being a knight and initially struggled with the idea of abandoning knighthood for commerce. Yet he could not escape the belief that a man who had failed to do what a knight should was no knight at all. Almost as though fleeing from himself, he became his father-in-law’s apprentice.

He briefly considered becoming a civil official, but his father-in-law supported him strongly.

Fortunately, Richter possessed genuine talent as a merchant.

He used the relationships cultivated during his years as a knight and built a trading company whose name became known not only throughout the Sky Continent but in many foreign nations.

“That is why you appear to me to shine brighter than the morning sun rising in the east. Or perhaps I admire you because you have accomplished what I could not.”

Richter spoke directly to Ren.

Those were undoubtedly his true feelings. They explained why he had been so strongly drawn to Ren and why his heart had raced while hearing the young man’s heroic tale.

“At the time, I was also indebted to the late former Marquis Ignat.”

Ulysses nodded. “The woman who went into hiding had once served in our imperial castle. Even the smallest tension between our two countries would have been troublesome – pardon me, exceedingly difficult.”

Ulysses gave a small cough, perhaps deciding the subject had grown too heavy.

“This is the Lion King Grand Festival. Let us enjoy the tournament as well. Look there – a young man from House Leonaal is about to fight.”

Everyone turned toward the arena.

Kaito’s match began at the referee’s signal. With a powerful roar, he dominated from beginning to end, leaving the student from the other school unable to respond. The difference in strength was overwhelming.

One descendant of a Hero House after another displayed their power before the delighted spectators.

Sera Riohard entered next. Wielding the sword she had honed since childhood, she controlled her opponent with ease and secured a convincing victory just as Kaito had.

The audience thrilled at the youthful strength of the Hero Houses.

“Oh!”

Ulysses glanced at his watch and realized they had kept Ren longer than intended.

“My apologies. We’ve taken quite a lot of your time.”

“Is it already that late?”

Richter looked regretful, then turned to Ren and Lessard.

“Would the two of you care to join me for an early dinner? Marquis Ignat will be showing me around the imperial capital this evening, and I would be glad to have you accompany us.”

Lessard bowed deeply and answered apologetically.

“I am honored by the invitation, but I have already received several others…”

“As I expected. Viscount Clausel is much discussed these days. I suspected your schedule would be difficult.”

Ren had originally been scheduled to accompany Lessard on work beginning in the evening.

However, from the way matters stood, it seemed best for Ren to accept Richter’s invitation even if he went alone. Lessard appeared to think the same, and the two exchanged a glance.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Ren ultimately attended the dinner alone. On the way back afterward, he walked through the imperial capital before the sky had fully darkened.

“I’m sorry you even had to escort me…” Fiona said apologetically.

She was there because she too had been invited to the dinner.

Ren walked with her along the main avenue toward the station and smiled. “Please don’t worry about it. I’m the one who is always indebted to you.”

“You really are kind.”

Fiona tilted her head, her profile illuminated by the red sunset lingering in the twilight.

“…Hee hee.”

She smiled happily.

The unexpected chance to walk beside Ren delighted her. She had never imagined that during the Lion King Grand Festival she would be able to return with him while the two of them enjoyed the festivities together.

Moreover, until Fiona reached her dormitory, they could continue taking in the festival.

Her beauty and status made her conspicuous, so she had already changed out of her uniform. Glasses, a hat, and unfamiliar clothing served as a light disguise. A summery, short-sleeved sweater suited her well.

They browsed many stalls along the way.

Fiona enjoyed herself and took particular pleasure in buying frozen sweets and sharing them with Ren.

(I wish this time could continue forever.)

She felt the wish with painful intensity.

At one point, they entered a street packed especially tightly with people.

Without realizing it, Fiona pinched the hem of Ren’s clothing between her fingers.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“It’s fine. It would be troublesome if we became separated.”

After apologizing, Fiona remembered the Baldor Mountains.

Just before they had crossed the suspension bridge, she had clutched the hem of Ren’s coat in exactly the same way. Remembering it made her strangely happy.

Even so, her relationship with the person she loved had not advanced much since then. Living right beside him was a joy, but looked at another way, that was almost the only change.

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