Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 2 — Don’t Forget Time with the Saint
Ren arrived at a terrace table outside a café on the Imperial Capital’s main avenue, breathing a little hard.
“Sorry. I’m late.”
He apologized to the boy already sitting at a table enclosed by hedges.
The boy was his close friend, Radius.
“Do not worry about it. You arrived a full three minutes early. Besides, I have found it surprisingly pleasant to sit here alone, so there is nothing to apologize for.”
Ren assumed the words were merely considerate.
After he took the seat opposite Radius, however, the prince continued.
“Watching the main avenue on a holiday is not bad.”
“Really? Why?”
“I can enjoy the atmosphere. Recent events have made me especially conscious of the lives of the people.”
“Haven’t you always been like that?”
“I have, but several things have happened lately that brought it to the forefront of my mind.”
Their outing began with the same sort of inconsequential conversation they always shared.
They spent an ordinary holiday like two boys their age, drinking tea and occasionally looking through the hedges at the avenue beyond.
“…Yawn.”
The small lapse in Radius’s normally dignified bearing caught Ren’s attention.
“That’s unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look sleepy in public.”
“I woke early this morning. I had business at the Temple of the God of War.”
“You went to that temple?”
Ren had never visited it himself, but as someone who aspired to become a Sword King, he knew exactly what kind of place it was.
Radius going there was unusual enough to make him curious.
Their gazes met, and Radius immediately understood what Ren wanted to ask.
“It was private business.”
“Oh… All right.”
Radius clearly had no intention of explaining further, so Ren withdrew without protest.
He took a bite of cake and relaxed at its sweetness.
“I also looked at the ranking tablet,” Radius added. “I hope to see your name carved upon it one day.”
“Cough! Cough!”
The remark came so abruptly that Ren choked.
He coughed several times before looking at Radius in disbelief.
“Why would you suddenly say something like that?”
“Why are you so surprised? You are rather flustered today.”
“Anyone would be surprised when you bring it up without warning!”
“Did you not decide that you would become a Sword King?”
Ren had already told him about that resolution, so Radius tilted his head in genuine confusion.
“…I did. You just surprised me by saying it so suddenly.”
“I see. At least you have not lost your nerve.”
“Of course not.”
Unmistakable determination showed in Ren’s eyes.
Radius had never truly doubted him and had only been teasing.
Ren’s resolve no longer wavered, and he could now express it plainly.
“I’ll become one. Absolutely.”
“Good. I look forward to it.”
When their time at the café ended, the two rose from their seats.
Radius wore a simple disguise, and the crowds filling the avenue made it unlikely that anyone would recognize him.
He had made arrangements for his protection as well.
Since Radius assured him there was no cause for concern, Ren walked beside him without worrying about the details.
They left the café and wandered down the avenue without any particular destination.
“Radius.”
“What is it?”
“About the person we discussed before—I want you to introduce us sometime this year.”
“The person knowledgeable about Sacred Magic and the Divine Child?”
“Yes. The one in Eupheim.”
Ren had first consulted Radius after the incident at Roses Caitas.
During the battle with the Sword Demon, a strange transformation had overtaken Licia’s body.
If he had to give it a name, he might call it an angelic transformation. He could not forget the shining wings that had appeared from her back or the bursts of holy power she had released without conscious control.
“What sort of person are you planning to introduce me to?”
“A former teacher of mine. The same person I mentioned before—the one who founded the Arnevelde Trading Company with me.”
The answer made Ren genuinely happy. The person sounded dependable.
Ren parted from Radius shortly after sunset.
The prince had another engagement, and Estelle, Director of the Lion’s Holy Office, came to collect him personally. There was no need for Ren to escort him back to the castle.
Autumn had made the sun set noticeably earlier.
Ren occasionally glanced up at the twilight sky as he walked through the Imperial Capital toward the familiar gates of the Imperial Military Academy.
“Ren!”
Licia called to him from outside the school gate.
Her hair still looked like silver infused with amethyst, and her beauty continued to captivate those around her.
The smile she gave Ren was unlike the ones she showed anyone else, and her eyes shone brightly.
Standing beside her was Sera Riohard, the daughter of House Riohard, one of the Seven Hero Houses.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“You didn’t. We only just finished.”
Licia and Sera had attended supplementary lessons at the academy that day.
Their grades were not poor. They had simply decided the extra instruction would be worthwhile.
Ren had felt no such need and already had plans with Radius.
“The two of you are as close as ever,” Sera said.
The girl who had held the role of main heroine in Legends of the Seven Heroes possessed an appearance every bit as striking as Licia’s.
Ren wondered what would become of her feelings for Vayne, the game’s protagonist.
“Sera, why say that now?” Licia asked.
“I was simply thinking about it. More importantly, Ren, why didn’t you attend the supplementary lesson? It is unusual for you to skip one when Licia is going.”
“I already had plans with Radius.”
There was no deeper reason.
The fact that Ren had earned a perfect score on the previous examination was not something he needed to mention.
On the way home, Ren and Licia took a small detour through the Imperial Capital.
They entered a lane away from the main avenue. It was not particularly dangerous and was lined with stalls where an unexpected bargain could sometimes be found.
“Where did you go with the Third Prince?” Licia asked.
“We drank tea and wandered around the city. Nothing more.”
“I see… And when he left, Estelle came to meet him?”
“You know him well, Licia—oh.”
Ren’s dark brown hair shifted as he turned his head.
His gentle features, which resembled his mother’s, took on the expression of someone who had discovered something rare.
“What is it?”
Licia leaned closer to peer at his face, then followed his gaze.
A small figure was walking along the street with an enormous bag on their back.
The traveler was about as tall as Ren and Licia had been at ten years old, making the load look wildly out of proportion to the bearer’s body.
The bag was tremendous—perhaps two mel across.
The traveler lowered it beside the road, sat on top of it, and propped their cheek against one hand.
A dirty robe and mask concealed every feature of their face.
“That’s incredible. Do you think they’re a dwarf?”
“I don’t know. There is almost no reliable information about the Bag Traveler.”
“The Bag Traveler?”
“That is what people call them. Rumors have been spreading about a very small person carrying a gigantic bag.”
“I suppose an appearance like that would be difficult to miss.”
The Bag Traveler was a figure surrounded by rumors both in Legends of the Seven Heroes and now in the world Ren inhabited.
“Have you never heard about them?”
“Now that you mention it, I may have heard someone talking about them…”
The Bag Traveler appeared in different parts of Leomel for limited periods. At that time of year, the traveler could be found in the Imperial Capital.
The voice suggested the traveler was probably male.
In the game, he was a mysterious merchant who sold special items to anyone willing to pay an extraordinary price—more money than Ren currently possessed.
Several adventurers stopped in front of him.
“Looks like the Bag Traveler’s shop has caught their interest,” Ren said.
The name came from the traveler’s own introduction.
The adventurers addressed him.
“That is an enormous bag for someone your size.”
“Looks as though you’re selling something. Let us see what you have.”
“Gladly. My bag is packed with wisdom, hope, and romance. If you boys desire something, you may obtain it by paying the proper price.”
He asked what they thought.
The adventurers’ expressions changed.
“Wisdom and hope?”
“And romance…? Is this fellow selling some suspicious drug?”
“You approached me, and now you call me suspicious. How rude.”
The adventurers seemed to lose all desire to inspect his wares and turned away wearing strained expressions.
The Bag Traveler was entirely unconcerned and merely waved them off.
“Ren, shall we keep going?”
The two resumed their walk through the market street and enjoyed its atmosphere.
Another hour passed before they finally began the journey home.
Licia still wore her academy uniform beneath her coat. Its hem swayed as she walked, and the regret she felt at seeing their time together end occasionally showed on her lovely face.