Kays Translations

Chapter 30 – No Secrets Are Allowed

The gathering aboard the magic ship continued until a voice reached everyone in the hall.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will soon arrive at the Hanging Garden.”

It was a servant of House Clausel.

Lessard, who had hosted the evening, then thanked the guests for attending. Several minutes later, the magic ship descended and docked at the Hanging Garden.

The nobles disembarked one after another. Richter Leonhardt was among them.

Only after seeing every guest off did Lessard finally exhale.

“That concludes our work for today.”

He thanked Ren and Licia for helping him.

They had intended to return directly to the mansion, but Lessard changed their plans with a suggestion.

“Why do the three of us not enjoy a light meal at our leisure? We have gone to the trouble of using a magic ship, and there is still food left. We may as well eat before returning home.”

“I would be happy to,” Licia replied.

“Please let me join you as well,” Ren said.

The two accepted at once, and the three sat together for a late meal.

The view of Elendil at night was as beautiful as ever. The Grand Clock Tower, where a great disturbance had occurred the previous year, stood out beneath more lights than usual.

A quiet meal shared only among people who knew one another eased the fatigue of the day.

“Will you two be able to rest properly tonight?” Lessard asked.

“Yes, though I am so tired that I am worried I might oversleep,” Licia said.

“I feel the same. We should have been busier during the preparations, yet somehow today was more exhausting.”

“That is how such things are. The actual event is always the most tiring.”

“So it was the same for you, Father.”

Unlike the earlier standing reception, they remained comfortably seated and ate at their own pace, just as they would at the mansion, without worrying about the eyes around them.

“Speaking of which, Father, Ren and I spent quite a while discussing Roses Caitas.”

“Ah, that is a truly tremendous seal. I have seen it several times while traveling for work, but was this the first time for both of you?”

Lessard sometimes left Elendil aboard a magic ship and had seen the seal from the sky on those journeys. Even so, he had passed it only two or three times.

Roses Caitas was not especially far once one traveled by magic ship, but the sanctuary itself stood in a remote region. An old road led there, yet it was used for little besides approaching Roses Caitas. Valleys, mountains, and lakes surrounded the area, and magic ships rarely followed that route.

“It has apparently been busy recently, but the sixth day will draw an especially large crowd,” Lessard said.

“Around Roses Caitas?” Licia asked, blinking.

Lessard nodded and explained.

“The choir of the Elfen Church will go there to pray that Main God Elfen grant salvation to every soul that died on that battlefield.”

“I would like to hear the choir sing,” Licia said.

“So would I,” Ren added.

“Then perhaps the two of you should go together.”

Licia turned toward Ren.

The choir would visit the vicinity of Roses Caitas on the morning of the sixth day of the Lion King Grand Festival. By then, the organizing committee’s workload should be lighter than it had been that day.

It was no firm plan, however. They would go only if they had enough time and the opportunity arose.

After finishing their light meal, Ren, Licia, and Lessard reunited with Weiss, who had been guarding the exterior of the magic ship. The four prepared to descend to the ground level of the Hanging Garden.

Just before they left, Ren looked toward a dock entrance on the upper level above the berth they had used. Its doors were not normally open.

“Werlich-san is still working on the repairs at this hour.”

The dock held Lemuria, the magic ship Werlich had constructed long ago. A former member of the imperial family had treated it so poorly that it was left half-destroyed. Werlich now planned to process Asval’s horn and use it to rebuild the vessel into something finer than it had ever been.

As Ren looked up, Werlich thrust his head out from the dock entrance. He had noticed Ren below and peered down without the slightest fear, despite being several dozen mel above the ground.

“Hey! Everything is going perfectly up here!”

“Thank you! But please do not lean out so far. It is dangerous!”

“Huh? This height is nothing to me… but fine, fine!”

Werlich laughed and disappeared back inside the dock.

“As energetic as ever, Werlich-dono,” Licia said.

The four finally entered the Hanging Garden and began making their way to the ground level and then back to the mansion.

(The committee work is going well, and even though I could not see it clearly, I got to see Roses Caitas.)

Ren stretched his back, satisfied that it had been an excellent day.

He would probably fall asleep the instant he reached bed. His only concern was whether he could stay awake long enough to take a bath. Falling asleep in the tub would be disastrous.

“Ren, do not fall asleep in the bath,” Licia said.

“…How did you know what I was thinking?”

“I tell you this all the time, but of course I know when it concerns you.”

Her clear, beautiful voice continued, “Be careful,” as she raised her index finger in warning.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The following morning, Ren woke in his room and tilted his head.

He felt as though he had dreamed something, yet he could remember none of it. Forgetting dreams was perfectly ordinary, but this time an inexplicable weight remained in his heart.

“What was that…?”

When he checked the clock, it was slightly earlier than his usual waking time. He dressed and left his room, then soon encountered Licia.

(What is wrong?)

She also looked unsettled, as though something refused to make sense or some thought would not leave her.

Ren approached to greet her.

“Licia-sama, is something wrong?”

“No… nothing serious.”

Her manner of answering bothered him, so he laughed and made a casual joke.

“You did not have a strange dream like I did, did you?”

“…What? You too, Ren?”

What was meant as a meaningless joke suddenly became something else.

Ren stared at her. Licia looked equally surprised. Without realizing it, they stepped half a pace closer and searched each other’s faces.

“Can you remember what the dream was about?” Ren asked.

Licia immediately shook her head.

“No. But I cannot stop thinking about it. I feel strange.”

“I think I dreamed something too, but I cannot remember any of it. Even so, it keeps bothering me.”

That was all they could say.

Strange dreams were common, and normally there would have been no reason to examine the matter further. Ren and Licia exchanged uneasy smiles.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The second day of the festival required less work than the first, leaving the organizing committee more time to relax at headquarters.

Reports from the various venues showed that students of the Imperial Military Academy were advancing steadily in every competition and reinforcing the institution’s prestigious reputation.

The martial tournament was especially successful: every representative from the academy continued to win.

The third day passed in much the same manner. By the fourth day, only formidable competitors remained, yet the academy’s representatives continued their advance.

Radius was traveling toward headquarters in the same way as the previous day, sorting information inside his carriage.

The interior was as luxurious as befitted a prince of a great nation. Mirei sat beside him, while Estelle occupied the seat opposite.

The open windows admitted the hot summer air. Even so, Radius read the documents with an untroubled expression and did not activate the cooling magic tool installed in the carriage.

When they reached the square where headquarters stood, he still did not move to leave.

“Your Highness, I will wait outside, nya,” Mirei said.

“Thank you.”

Ordinarily, Mirei would step down first and Radius would follow. Today, however, only Mirei left the carriage.

Estelle, seated across from Radius, raised an eyebrow.

“Is something the matter? Does Your Highness have other business?”

“Yes. Here.”

“Here in the carriage?”

Radius nodded and set the documents aside. He closed the windows, snapped his fingers, and activated the carriage’s magic tools. Cool air began flowing through the enclosed interior.

Another sound reached Estelle’s ears, and she recognized it at once.

“You have sealed the sound inside… What is this about?”

A similar magic tool had been used years earlier when Ren and Licia were abducted by Yelquq. It controlled sound within a confined space; here, Radius had activated it to prevent any conversation from escaping the carriage.

Estelle regarded him with a questioning expression.

“What are you doing?”

Radius answered calmly.

“You already know. I arranged all of this for you. By now, you should understand that I know a great deal about you, Estelle.”

Estelle remained silent while he continued without the slightest hesitation.

“You were busy during the recent holidays. That is understandable. The Lion King Grand Festival is being held throughout the imperial capital for the first time in many years, and the Lion’s Holy Office must have faced endless negotiations over security.”

“…Something of that nature.”

“There is no need for modesty. I understand that you were busy in many places.”

He merely held her gaze, yet Estelle felt as though he might force every secret from her, even matters connected to the emperor’s private orders.

“Very well. I will phrase the question differently.”

Radius did not look away.

“What were you doing in Elendil during the holidays?”

Estelle tilted her head without so much as moving an eyebrow.

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