Kays Translations

Chapter 18: The Clever Shelgadian Might Give Me a Reward.

The garden was vast.

The lawn covering the ground had been planted with a mixture of grasses so that it would remain green through most of the year. Nearly all of it would wither in winter, but now, in late autumn, it was still lush.

The two girls suited the garden almost too well. They were more radiant than the flowers around them.

“I’m sorry… Father has been looking forward to this for so long…”

Fiona was apologizing for what had happened immediately after Licia and Lessard arrived at the mansion.

It would not have been an exaggeration to say Ulysses had awaited this day for years. Ever since Fiona’s life had been saved, he had dreamed of welcoming House Clausel in person.

That enthusiasm had led him to receive the two members of House Clausel with extraordinary warmth.

He had announced that he would show Lessard around the mansion, then carried him off with even more forcefulness than usual.

Fiona had worried that such an exhaustive welcome might overwhelm their guests. Ulysses, however, had insisted that he would not do anything halfway, and that was how they had reached the present situation.

Licia had been received almost like a member of the imperial family.

She was alone with Fiona now, yet the treatment had still made her feel like a princess.

“It’s all right. I was happy to see Marquis Ignat enjoying himself so much.”

“Ahaha… Hearing you say that is a relief.”

Their slender legs, visible beneath their skirts, stopped before a flower bed filled with autumn blossoms.

“These are beautiful.”

“They only bloom in autumn. Their name is—”

Surprisingly, the conversation proceeded as naturally as ever.

Standing beside her, Licia bent slightly and watched Fiona lean closer to the flowers.

Licia was confident that she understood Fiona’s charms better than anyone.

The lovely, beautiful face of a noble young lady in love—a face she showed to no other man—was surely Fiona at her most captivating.

Even another girl could not help being drawn to the sight of so refined a lady falling in love with the innocence of an ordinary town girl. There was something almost dangerously enchanting about it.

“Is something wrong?”

Fiona noticed Licia’s gaze and tilted her head in confusion.

Even that expression only reinforced how wonderful she was.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Ren was once again inside the Bureau of Mysteries, which he had visited the previous day.

Radius was not with him this time, but Ren felt no nervousness about coming alone.

Ragna waited in the same room on one of the upper floors.

“I’ve been waiting.”

As on the previous day, Ragna received Ren while sitting with an air of haughty importance.

“Mr. Ragna, people call you Director too?”

“Yes, as the director of this laboratory. Some call me Doctor as well, but it is nothing impressive. This is merely one of the Bureau of Mysteries’ many laboratories. When I think of it that way, the Bureau is filled with rather strange people.”

“Strange people?”

“Do you not find it strange that they welcomed a man like me and gave him the status of a laboratory director?”

Remembering the previous day’s conversation, Ren answered with a little less restraint than before.

Even so, he kept an appropriate boundary and took care not to misjudge the distance between them.

“You may be an unusual person, Mr. Ragna, but they probably value the wisdom and romance you pursue.”

“Oh?”

Ragna’s mood immediately improved.

Hearing one of his favorite words brought a smile to his face.

“My judgment was not mistaken. Ren, you truly are a man who understands romance. Calling you here first thing in the morning was worthwhile.”

“That reminds me—why did you call me?”

Ren approached the desk where Ragna waited.

“Tell me, are you interested in Old Town?”

Old Town had come up the day before as the place where the strange mithril relics had been excavated. It was also the submerged district Licia had stopped to admire.

“I’ve heard it’s beautiful, but that’s about all I know. I’d like to see it, though I don’t really understand what the place is like.”

“It is fascinating. Many of the submerged buildings are made of stone, and a considerable number still retain their original forms.”

Mansions remained beneath the water while colorful little fish swam through them, creating an almost dreamlike view.

“There must still be rare artifacts sleeping down there.”

“Exactly!”

Ragna’s voice rose with excitement.

“It is said that Eupheim was even more prosperous than the Imperial Capital in those days. As a major center of trade, it was also a place where new technologies from both within and beyond the empire converged.”

“Then there are submerged research facilities too?”

“Of course. There were several.”

That was why the area remained under public administration.

It also explained why the Bureau of Mysteries conducted regular investigations there.

Ren found this far more exciting than the dead mithril he had seen the previous day.

“The Seven Heroes were rising to prominence in that era. In other words, Mirim Altia—the woman called the god of magic tools—was still active.”

“Does that mean defensive devices she created might still be operating?”

“Precisely. Large mansions and research facilities contain magic tools she personally made. Those devices protect the buildings themselves. Even after several centuries, breaking through her technology remains difficult. That is the greatest reason the investigations take so long.”

Ren’s heart began to race as he listened.

The mostly submerged town seemed likely to contain far more heritage than he had imagined.

Thinking of buildings still guarded by Mirim Altia’s defensive devices, Ren said:

“Calling them ‘doors that refuse to open’ sounds rather impressive, doesn’t it?”

Ragna’s eyebrow twitched.

Then he nodded.

“Yes… It sounds unbelievably impressive. I want to open them, yet part of me almost hopes they remain closed forever.”

“I understand. Sometimes the anticipation before a door opens is the most enjoyable part.”

“You have excellent taste. Very well. I shall permit you to brew the most expensive tea in this room.”

Finding a shared enthusiasm improved Ragna’s mood even further.

His wording remained as pompous as ever, but that was simply part of his personality. It also showed that the distance between them had narrowed.

When Ren finished brewing the tea and returned to the desk, Ragna opened a drawer.

“I’ll give you something else while I’m at it. I won’t even charge you.”

He removed an old folded sheet of parchment.

“…What is this?”

“A secret map. Well? Your heart is racing now, isn’t it?”

Ren could hardly deny it.

He accepted the object described as a map and opened it immediately.

It was neither excessively large nor small. Holding its edges in both hands, it fit within the width of his shoulders. Deep creases showed how often it had been folded.

“Is this a map of Old Town?”

“You recognize it?”

“I only guessed from the terrain. I’ve never been there.”

Several red marks had been drawn on the secret map—or rather, the map of Old Town.

Ragna had also written notes recording when he investigated each location.

“Several doors there remain sealed by ancient magic tools. The red marks indicate the buildings containing them.”

“I see… You haven’t tried blowing them apart or forcing them open?”

“I understand the temptation. One explosion would reveal what lies inside. However, I would prefer not to destroy historically valuable buildings or their surroundings. More incidentally, imperial law forbids it.”

“That is not incidental at all. And just to be clear, I’m not personally eager to blow anything up.”

The idea had merely escaped his lips out of curiosity.

Nothing more and nothing less.

“More importantly, why are you giving me such an important map?”

“It is only my spare. It became old, so I prepared a new one.”

“That isn’t what I meant. I’m wondering why you suddenly decided to give it to me.”

“It is a modest gift for Ren, who understands my romance. There is no deeper reason.”

“…Thank you. I don’t know whether I’ll ever have an opportunity to use it, but I will when that opportunity comes.”

After saying that, Ren asked another question.

“How do you investigate a town that’s underwater?”

“We sometimes use diving equipment. However, many locations whose defensive devices remain active still contain air inside despite being submerged. Visit them yourself someday and you will see a remarkable landscape.”

“So you’re telling me to enjoy discovering it for myself when I get a chance to use the map.”

“Exactly. A book is not as enjoyable when someone tells you the ending first, is it?”

“That’s true.”

The scenery was also difficult to describe in words.

Ragna repeated that seeing it firsthand would be quicker.

“The need for permission to enter is the only problem.”

“Think of it merely as something to use should the opportunity arise. That map is proof of the romance you and I now share. I drew it privately, and it contains no classified information, so use it however you please.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll accept it without reservation.”

Ren slipped the map into his coat.

Only then did he remember that Ragna had summoned him early in the morning. There had indeed been another reason besides their discussion of Old Town.

Ragna handed him several books about Sacred Magic and ancient mythology.

“Take them. I have read each one several times.”

“Th-Thank you—wait, what language is this?”

“Some are written in languages used in the south of the Martell Continent. Others use the tongues of beastfolk living on the Western Continent. Read them with a dictionary. It will be educational.”

“Can you read them without a dictionary?”

“They are merely languages spoken by humans and other races. A few weeks of study is enough to speak any of them.”

Ren decided to ignore that remark because everything this man considered ordinary was absurd.

Ragna had already warned him not to expect information beyond what they had discussed the previous day. Even so, he had prepared the books in case they proved useful when Ren wished to investigate something himself.

Ren thanked him sincerely and resolved to purchase the necessary dictionaries somewhere.

“Oh, one more thing.”

Ragna set one foot on the desk with a thump and grinned.

His expression was faintly provocative.

“If you manage to open one of those doors that refuses to open, I’ll give you a reward.”

“Your tone makes it sound as though you’re completely certain I can’t do it.”

“Only half certain. If you open one, that would be splendid in its own way.”

“Are you serious? A reward from the Bag Traveler is bound to raise my expectations.”

“I do not mind. When that day comes, I promise to give you an interesting item from my collection.”

Ragna laughed.

Almost immediately afterward, someone began knocking urgently on the door. Ragna answered with obvious annoyance, and several researchers entered.

Apparently, his afternoon appointment had been moved forward, and he had to leave at once.

Despite having summoned Ren himself, Ragna offered him a sincere apology.

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