Kays Translations

Chapter 31 – While They Continue Winning Steadily

When Estelle was asked what she had been doing, she folded her arms.

She showed no sign of panic. Her expression remained perfectly calm.

“It concerned the knights being dispatched to Elendil. I had been away from Leomel for years, so I needed to inspect the situation with my own eyes.”

“You claim it was to ensure that everything was in order.”

Estelle had indeed walked openly through town. Had she been hiding something, she would hardly have spent the morning drinking at the guild. Even if someone had seen her there, what would they have suspected?

Without sounding insolent, she explained herself as though the answer were self-evident.

“Very well. But I am not finished.”

When had Radius acquired such force of presence? When had his eyes become so commanding?

Estelle had known him since the day he was born, but she had never imagined he would grow into a young man capable of exerting such pressure.

“As I thought… Is this all thanks to Ren?”

Her whisper was too faint to reach Radius, no louder than a breath.

After she murmured those words, Radius’s voice rang through the carriage once more.

“I already knew that you spent some time in Elendil. Naturally, you made no attempt to conceal that. But why did you leave Elendil and head for the highway? I also want to know why you slipped past people’s notice and moved as though you were conducting a covert operation.”

He was indirectly telling her that he knew she had taken pains to keep anyone from noticing her movements.

Radius did not care that Estelle had been in the town itself. His concern was solely with the suspicious actions she had taken in secret.

Even so, Estelle replied,

“Might Your Highness have mistaken me for someone else?”

“Mistaken you for someone else?”

“Yes. Even had I attempted to conceal myself and move unseen, no matter how capable Your Highness Radius may be—”

Estelle tried to cut the matter short with that reply.

There was, however, something she could not overlook. Learning afterward that Estelle had behaved suspiciously would not have told Radius what she had done during the consecutive holidays. He could not travel back into the past. Unless he had sensed something and acted before she made her move, he would never have discovered it. In other words, Radius had begun investigating at a remarkably early stage.

There was one more factor: the half-Cait Sith girl who remained at Radius’s side.

For a moment, Estelle had forgotten about Mirei Arkhaise.

“No matter how capable I may be—what?”

“Nothing, Your Highness.”

Mirei was a civil official, not a covert operative.

She could imitate the work of one to a degree, but not well enough to deceive Estelle. When it came to investigations, however, Mirei’s ability surpassed even Radius’s.

She produced astonishing results that seemed almost like foreknowledge, enough to amaze Estelle herself.

And when Radius’s own abilities were added to hers…

“Incidentally, Ren also left Elendil on the morning in question. You appear to have headed somewhere nearby. Were you aware of that, Estelle?”

“With respect, there was never any occasion on which I was near Ren.”

“What a curious way to put it. Did you deliberately contrive to lose your memory?”

“Memories are not lost so conveniently. I remember no such event because it never occurred.”

“Then I owe you an apology. Still, you are familiar with the foolish, crafty nobles who frequent the council, are you not? They have a habit of forgetting inconvenient memories whenever it suits them. Forgive me again, though. I cannot imagine that Estelle would ever become one of those fools.”

The conversation did not end there.

Even without saying so outright, Radius made it clear that he knew far more than Estelle wished him to know.

“And this is not limited to what happened in Elendil. Did you truly believe that I would fail to notice you, however deeply you hid in the shadows?”

“Your Highness Radius, I—”

“I have no interest in excuses. There is only one thing I want to know: why were you moving around Ren?”

Radius’s response would change drastically depending on her answer.

Do not choose wrongly. This is the final question.

His expression seemed to convey those words.

“…Haa.”

Estelle sighed as though she had finally resigned herself.

At the same time, the pressure Radius had been emitting faded away.

“My apologies. It appears there was something I had forgotten.”

“Yes. I thought as much.”

“Out of curiosity… what would Your Highness have done had I remained unable to remember?”

“At the very least, I would never have entrusted another task to you.”

“No harsher punishment would be necessary. Now then…”

Estelle proceeded to remember in front of Radius.

Even that was performed with deliberate, theatrical artificiality.

“As for the answer to what I was doing… I am forbidden to say anything in my own words. I was instructed to respond precisely so.”

“You were instructed?”

“Yes, Your Highness. There is no mistake.”

That answer could only mean one thing.

Taken literally, whoever had issued Estelle’s orders had anticipated that Radius would eventually see through her actions.

“Then what would you think if I asked someone else about your movements?”

“I have nothing to say on the matter. How Your Highness chooses to proceed is entirely at your discretion.”

“Heh. Then I shall do exactly that.”

Fortunately, Radius was smiling.

At the sight of his fearless smile, Estelle quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“I apologize for taking your time. As always, Estelle, see to the security in this area.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Radius stepped out of the carriage. Estelle followed shortly afterward, cleared her throat, and made a conspicuous show of straightening her posture.

As they walked over the cobblestones, they spoke as they normally did.

“…Your Highness Radius, I did tell the truth earlier.”

“Oh? Which part was true?”

“The part about never meeting Ren.”

“You mean the incident in the forest during the holidays?”

“Yes. I intended to approach the area near him, but I could not. I had the peculiar feeling that Ren would notice me, so I abandoned the attempt.”

Thus, that encounter truly had never occurred.

As Estelle had said, she and Ren had never been in the same place.

“Kuh… Hahaha. You were wary of Ren’s intuition?”

“Very much so. It is the sort of instinct often found in those who have repeatedly risked their lives, and Ren’s is exceptionally sharp even among such people.”

“Hahaha! Yes, Ren does have a habit of being extraordinary in every possible way!”

Mirei was waiting a short distance from the carriage. Despite the summer heat, she stood as composed as ever without a trace of sweat on her brow.

Estelle stopped one pace behind them.

“Shall we go, Your Highness, nya?”

“Yes. We must all work hard again today.”

“Yes, nya!”

“Estelle, I am counting on you today as well.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Estelle watched Radius and Mirei head toward the headquarters established in the plaza.

As they walked, Radius said,

“Estelle admitted it. She was ordered to answer that she could say nothing.”

“Uwaa… That really makes it feel as though someone has been turning us around in the palm of their hand, nya.”

“Indeed. I cannot say that I appreciate it.”

“What shall we do? Should I arrange an audience at once, nya?”

“I have already requested one. Set it for the night of the seventh day of the Lion King Grand Festival. Once the festival is over, I will question His Majesty—no, I will question my father.”

A burden had been lifted from Radius’s shoulders, but the matter was not finished.

He would demand every last answer and discover exactly what intentions lay behind all of this.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

(Today’s martial arts tournament ends with the quarterfinals, doesn’t it?)

Ren recalled the schedule as he woke in his room that morning.

The four contestants who would advance to the semifinals would be decided that day. Every representative from the Imperial Military Academy had survived thus far, so there was a strong possibility that all four semifinal places would be theirs. Whatever might have happened in Legends of the Seven Heroes, that was the situation Ren considered now.

“Yaaawn…”

He dressed and left his room, ready for another day of organizing-committee work. Lessard had already departed the mansion. By the time Ren reached the dining room, only Licia remained to join him, arriving a little later.

“Good morning, Ren.”

“Good morning. Licia, part of your hair is sticking up.”

“What!? Where?”

Ren pointed to the spot, and Licia hurriedly pressed it down with one hand.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks. She gave a deliberate cough, kept her hand firmly over the rebellious lock, and sat beside him.

Breakfast was soon served, and they ate together.

“Let us do our best again today.”

“Of course,” Ren replied.

They finished their meal quickly.

“As far as my condition goes, I feel completely recovered,” Licia said. “I have not had another strange dream since then, so I have been sleeping well.”

“The same is true for me. Still… I wonder what that dream was.”

“I have no idea. We spent that entire day together, from morning until night, so perhaps we dreamed of similar things because we saw the same sights.”

“Perhaps.”

A few minutes later, Licia finished eating as well, and the two left the dining room.

With their bags in hand, they stepped outside into brilliant morning sunlight.

Licia shaded her eyes and narrowed them against the glare. Her smile was every bit as radiant as the morning sun.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

That afternoon, Ren had just finished lunch at headquarters when someone knocked on the door.

He opened it to find Sera, Vayne, and Nemu waiting outside. Licia noticed them and came over, and she and Ren stepped out of headquarters together.

“Listen! We won again today!”

Sera announced the news joyfully before Ren or Licia could say a word.

She threw herself at Licia with such force that Licia took half a step backward. Licia caught her and spoke while Sera held her tightly.

“As expected. I knew all of you would win.”

“Licia, our representatives won all four quarterfinal matches,” Nemu said.

“Then only students from the Imperial Military Academy will compete in the semifinals?”

“That’s right. Surprising, isn’t it? Our representatives always advance quite far, but apparently it has been a long time since we occupied every place in the semifinals.”

“Really? Then, Licia, will you be able to watch the semifinals and finals? We want you to see us fight!”

Licia met the eyes of Ren, who stood beside her, and silently asked what he thought.

“We should have plenty of free time on the sixth day, so I think it will be fine.”

Work had been reduced at every academy so that organizing-committee members could enjoy the latter part of the Lion King Grand Festival. The teachers of each institution and the festival administration would work together, leaving more time for the students who were the event’s true stars.

“Really!? You probably already know, but the martial arts tournament’s final day begins in the afternoon! Every other competition will finish in the morning, so our matches will be the last events of the festival!”

“All right,” Licia said. “Unless an urgent task appears, I should be able to come. I look forward to seeing how well you do, Sera.”

“Yes!”

“Ah… Sera, do not leap at me so suddenly.”

Licia smiled as Sera hugged her once again.

“This is thanks to you, Ren. Thank you.”

On the tournament’s first day, Ren had helped ease Vayne’s nerves. In Legends of the Seven Heroes, excessive tension could inflict a penalty on a character’s attributes, a mechanic that had frustrated many players. Apparently, no such penalty had troubled Vayne this time.

“Hey, Ren,” Vayne said after thanking him.

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