Chapter 34- A giant crimson sword

Ren explained the reason behind the surprising natural magic he displayed earlier, without hiding the evolution of the magic sword.

The explanation itself wasn’t difficult. Although Licia thought it was a rare power, in reverse, that was all there was to it.

“So, that’s how it was.”

Licia reminisced about the past. It was after their battle with Jerukku and when they returned to Clausel together.

Everything fell into place, including the reason why Ren suddenly asked Licia if she had a magic stone.

“Do you remember what happened when you asked me if I had a magic stone? I was really surprised at that time.”

“I apologize. I didn’t understand much about the Magic sword of flame either.”

“Well… that’s fine. So, do you understand the flame sword now?”

“No, not at all. Since then, I haven’t been able to summon it, so it remains a mystery unlike the other magic swords.”

It was known that Licia’s magic stone had been used.

Even without saying it, it was clear that pushing too hard would have consequences for Licia’s body.

“Did you understand the reason why I said it was dangerous?”

“Yeah, I understand.”

Before reveling in the surprise and joy of learning about Ren’s power, she addressed the reason he had been silent…

With a gentle smile, Licia said,

“Is that all about the power you were hiding?”

“Yes, I’ve told you everything.”

Having been able to share, Ren felt a lightness in his heart.

As Klonoa had said, keeping secrets for so long must have been even harder than he had imagined. He was now grateful for her advice.

Licia smiled anew. It warmed her heart to hear Ren’s secret.

“Thank you for telling me, Ren.”

A sense of deepening trust washed over them.

While still wearing a smile, Licia continued.

“I thought you finally told me everything, but you seem so sad. There was no need for you to speak so sorrowfully.”

“On the contrary, you’re underestimating the Flame Sword, Licia-sama.”

“And you, Ren, you’re overthinking it. It’s alright to trust me more and think together.”

Licia’s voice, filled with joy, was vibrant and seemed ready to burst into song.

“I’m really happy that you worry about me, but I want us to have a more equal relationship.”

“Equal, you say?”

“Yes. I don’t want you to be concerned about things like being the daughter of a viscount and a knight’s child.”

Changing that mindset was difficult at this point.

However, a thought occurred to Licia. The joy of having his secret shared hastened a change in her heart.

Licia took a deep breath and, with a determined expression, spoke up.

“So, please, call me Licia.”

Ren twisted his head in confusion.

Licia, in that moment, resembled when she had given Ren permission to address her by name.

“You’ve been calling me Licia-sama until now, haven’t you?”

“That’s why, that’s not it.”

“Um…?”

“Li…cia. I’ve told you not to use honorifics and call me by my name.”

While he understood what she wanted to say, it was a sudden request.

Ren smiled wryly and voiced his question.

“… What do you mean by ‘too sudden’ and ‘careless’?”

“It refers to the time we’ve spent together. And as for the suddenness… well, I guess it’s because I’m really happy right now. When we were dealing with Jerukku, I thought I was just being helped, but it seems my power was somewhat useful too. That makes me incredibly happy.”

Even though Ren played a significant role, Licia believed that to be true. She confessed, saying, “I couldn’t bear it and blurted it out.”

Ren, on the other hand, was perplexed by the suddenness of the conversation and scratched his cheek.

“Fufu, if you call me by name, I’ll spare you from draining my magic stone. For now.”

“Isn’t making that a condition a bit unfair!?”

Of course, she didn’t genuinely want to make it a condition. It was merely playful banter with Ren.

After hesitating for several tens of seconds, Ren let out a big sigh.

Licia knew what Ren was thinking as he made that gesture. He was nodding his head now, having finished composing his mind.

“While setting aside the hesitation of addressing the young lady of my lord by her given name, since suddenly changing the way I address you might make you nervous, can we make the final decision after we leave the seal?”

“…Understood. I’ll gladly compromise if that’s all.”

Having obtained a verbal agreement, Licia nodded sincerely.

Considering the possibility of being outright rejected, it was a sufficient response.

“As promised, using the power of my magic stone will be the last resort.”

“Eh!? Haven’t you forgiven me!?”

“Hmm? I only said ‘for now.'”

“Wow… I missed that part. That’s not fair…”

Licia chuckled softly as she began to walk.

Since staying silent wouldn’t change anything, she wanted to think about what would happen next while walking.

…They waited for rescue while checking the surroundings, but the appearance of the time cage remained unchanged even after one hour or two.

Should they continue to hope for rescue or try something else?

The hearts of the two of them were determined as they looked at each other.

“Klonoa-sama mentioned it, right? That there are magic circles and magic tools to create seals.”

“You’re going to check if there’s anything unusual?”

“Yes. If nothing changes by staying here quietly… we have to do something. …We don’t even have water or food.”

What Licia didn’t explicitly state was that if rescue took too long, they would die.

“Ren, let’s go!”

For the first time in a long while, someone walked the stone staircase that led to the center of Roses Caitas.

In a situation that no one could have expected, only Ren and Licia moved forward without hesitation.

Their destination was the center of Roses Caitas, the place where the enormous statues lined up beyond the stone staircase.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

After advancing on the stone staircase for a while, their visibility improved.

The dense fog didn’t completely obstruct their path. Comparing it to when they entered the forest early in the morning, it could be said that their field of vision was more open.

The zigzagging mountain path was long, and it would feel lonely if one were walking alone. However, that wasn’t the case when they were together.

As they walked and talked, at the edge of the stone staircase, beneath the trees, there was a small shrine.

Seeing its pitiful state, the two stopped and knelt in front of the shrine.

“…The scars of battle.”

“Are those remnants from that time?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Most of the stone shrine had collapsed.

While there were no traces of bloodstains left, Ren found an old sword that had fallen beneath the altar. Nearby, there was a white cane that seemed to belong to a clergyman. Although it was just an empty gesture, the two kneeled in front of the shrine, clasping their hands and lowering their heads in prayer.

After offering their prayers, they resumed walking up the stone staircase.

By the way, Licia said:

“The stairs we’re walking on are also quite worn out.”

The Demon Lord’s army and everyone who fought against them had already been cleansed, leaving no corpses behind.

However, the scars of the war that remained in the silent space evoked indescribable emotions in the hearts of the two.

Eventually, the center of Roses Caitas, carved out of the mountains, came into view.

After walking for another ten minutes, the two completed the final step. The square in front of them had clearer visibility than before.

The many giant statues lined up in a fan shape along the mountain slopes are all partially or completely destroyed. The heads of the statues have fallen and shattered as if gouging into the cobblestones at the edge of the square. Among them, there was one particularly enormous statue. Surely, it was modeled after the main god, Elfen.

At the feet of the statues, along with weapons and armor, large gray cloths are scattered. They were all covered in debris and dust.

“…”

Licia fell silent in the face of the devastation.

Ren, who was standing beside her, took a step forward.

(That is…)

He stopped when he saw the dazzling magic circle spread across the cobblestones and the intricate patterns floating above them.

Although the patterns were complex, there were places where the light seemed to be missing, causing an obvious sense of unease.

“Ren, do you notice something?”

“Of course. Something seems off.”

And there was something floating in the center of the magic circle. As Licia and Ren squinted to observe, they saw a silver necklace floating there. It was likely the center of the seal, containing the power of the goddess of time.

The two of them had only come to this place to assess the situation.

However, it was undeniable that there was a noticeable anomaly in a part of the magic circle, as they had noticed from the beginning.

“I wonder if it’s broken or something.”

“I’m not sure… ‘broken’ might not be the right term, but it feels a bit strange.”

“…You’re right.”

“…Since we’re here, why don’t we take a closer look together?”

They were unsure if it was safe to step into the magic circle, but when Licia and Ren stood in front of it, a path appeared leading to the center.

The hidden cobblestones beneath the magic circle rose one by one, forming a path.

The two of them hesitated, pondering whether to move forward or reconsider once more.

However, realizing that the situation wouldn’t change by remaining silent, they made up their minds and stepped onto the path of cobblestones. Ren extended his hand to support Licia, ensuring she wouldn’t stray from the path.

Several tens of seconds later, the cautious duo stood at the center of the magic circle.

Licia murmured as she looked at the necklace before her.

“When the time comes, if we break this…”

It sounded quite presumptuous for a White Saint, but considering they had been unexpectedly caught up in the seal, it couldn’t be helped.

Upon hearing her muttering, Ren smiled wryly.

“Haha… Setting aside whether we can break it with our power, it would be a last resort.”

“Well… perhaps it’s better to avoid breaking it and find a way around the magic circle. It’s probably an incredible magic artifact… no, I mean a sacred relic, so I hesitate to destroy it.”

“But isn’t breaking the seal pretty much the same thing?”

“…You might be right, but it’s a matter of how we feel.”

Licia pouted her lips and looked up at Ren, but before he could respond, something happened.

As soon as the necklace they were observing emitted a sudden dazzling light, the particles of light emanating from it subsided. The necklace fell onto the cobblestones, and the light of the magic circle began to fade. The light faintly sparkled at their feet.

“Re-Ren!”

Surprised but smiling, Licia turned to Ren.

“Could it be that with this, we can finally go outside—”

…Somewhere in the distance, a sound of rubble shifting could be heard.

Ren, who quickly noticed the anomaly, tensed up. Before responding to Licia’s smile, he reflexively pulled her close and moved away from the vicinity of the necklace.

In an instant, a deep crimson giant sword descended from the sky.

The silver necklace was shattered into pieces.

As they rushed toward the outside of the magic circle,

“What the… What’s happening today!”

On the way Ren took Licia to the outside of the magic circle, another one, followed by another one. Finally, a fourth giant sword rained down to pierce the two..

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