Kays Translations

Chapter 20: Invitation to the Old Town.

The scale of Marquis Ignat's mansion was indeed extraordinary.

Although blessed with the opportunity to witness the imperial city and palace in the capital on a regular basis, this mansion was an exception when considered as a residence.

When actually witnessed, no other words could be found.

In front of the grand main gate, one could see the private soldiers of the Ignat family standing.

Upon seeing Ren approaching, they quietly braced themselves.

Perhaps they had heard of Ren's unique features.

Even so, they wouldn't make the foolish mistake of jumping to conclusions before confirming. The gatekeepers were indeed seasoned.

In Ren's eyes, it seemed as if the gatekeepers had started to become agitated.

When he stood about ten metres from the main gate, one of the private soldiers said, "Excuse me..."

"May I ask your name?"

"I was invited by Marquis Ignat, I'm Ren A------"

Even though he said that, it was merely words.

Upon reflection, Ren didn't receive any other invitation than to ride on the Gardenite this time. He was dressed neatly so as not to be disrespectful, but that alone made him look like a mere boy.

Or rather, he might just look like a son of some noble.

......Speaking of which.

Ren suddenly remembered.

He had something tucked away in his pocket just in case.

Seeing him reach into his pocket, the private soldiers standing in front of him made a sound in their throats. Not out of thirst or hunger, but imagining what Ren might pull out next.

They did not expect him to pull out a weapon from his pocket.

Their readiness was due to the tension from the expected development.

"Excuse me. This..."

A black card, an old invitation.

It was from years ago. The invitation that Edgar, who visited Clausel as a representative of Marquis Ignat, left to Ren.

The private soldiers of the Marquis Ignat's household received the old invitation from Ren, confirmed it.

The other private soldiers around also involuntarily changed their positions and came to see the invitation.

"...No doubt about it"

"Yes, it was prepared by Lord Edgar"

"Oh... This is what I heard in the rumors..."

Looking at the invitation dramatically, they eventually regain their calmness.

◇ ◇ ◇

The girls had mutual feelings of wanting to stand next to Ren.

Recently, the change in how they address each other between Licia and Ren has also influenced this, especially making Fiona feel that this cannot go on.

After a while, the two were still talking in the garden.

Perhaps because there was some magical tool somewhere, the garden was not cold even in this season.

Lessard was receiving hospitality inside the mansion, but for them, this time was also important.

"Ladies, Mr. Ren Ashton has arrived"

The Ignat household's waiter rushed to inform them.

Upon receiving this, the two who were sitting on the terrace chairs nodded.

The waiter quickly left the seats, and the two rose from their seats simultaneously.

Ren was expected to be brought here by Edgar. To welcome such him, the two who had left their seats put their right foot forward almost simultaneously.

They looked at each other.

"............"

"............"

They had thought about it many times before, so there was no need to mention how attractive they were to each other.

Now they were just reconfirming how attractive the other was.

Once again, they sighed, "Fuu."

It was an atmosphere they hadn't experienced in a while. It must have been the day when the two first met at a party in the imperial capital.

Just like that night, the platinum feather hair ornaments and the star agate necklace were swaying.

They stopped while looking at each other.

For a moment, the waiter who left the seat felt a tense atmosphere here--- but after all, the two of them did not forget to respect each other's positions and feelings.

The relationship between Licia and Fiona, which they talked about at the girls' dormitory before.

They hadn't forgotten that.

"I'd like you to give way today..."

Fiona was about to say something,

"I won't give in, you know."

"I-I haven't finished talking yet!"

They don't mean to treat Ren like an object and give him away.

There's no way the two of them would say such foolish things. Licia was just being overly cautious in front of her formidable rival, Fiona.

"I want to thank Ren! I've promised a long time ago to serve tea in this mansion..."

"I'm sorry! That's what you mean!"

The energy was suddenly drained from their bodies.

They moved their stopped feet and went to greet Ren.

"Fiona, honestly..." sighed with an attitude suitable for her age.

With a cute, sulky attitude, not a grudge.

Licia was surprised and inadvertently interacted in a casual manner, but both of them did not notice it. On the contrary, they hadn't realized that they could now interact more naturally.

The waiter who had left the seat was watching the situation. Smiling to himself at this charming scene.

The girls took a breath and exchanged the last words to wrap up this situation.

"I won't lose, you know."

The revealing of Licia's true feelings, unusually assertive and striking.

"And I definitely won't lose either."

Fiona, often adapting to her counterpart and being modest, didn't back down either.

A declaration of war reminiscent of a night several years ago? Or just a declaration of intent?

Either way, their feelings have been unchanged for a long time, and because they have been slowly moving forward, they are where they are now.

Then, their beloved's voice reached their ears.

"Sorry, I'm late...Huh?"

Ren, brought by Edgar, noticed the two as he arrived, realizing something.

Contrary to usual, their cheeks were reddened.

They seemed somehow flustered.

"You two are red, are you okay?"

The two felt conflicted that Ren did not realize what was happening, but they didn't complain, deciding it couldn't be helped...

Approaching him, who had arrived late, they said,

"It's nothing."

"Yes, it's nothing."

Their sighs, heavy with their words, told of their frustration with his own passivity and perhaps their maidenly wish to be noticed.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The setting changes to a welcoming venue prepared by Ulysses.

According to Fiona, she had no memory of a party ever being held in this mansion.

In the past, Ulysses arranged another place considering her poor health, and since then, Ulysses has not preferred to invite others to the mansion.

Hence, a separate facility is set up on the premises.

The last time such an event like a party took place in this mansion was,

"Hahaha! It was before I inherited the mansion from my father!"

Ulysses said with a big smile on his face.

"Master, it was worth the wait."

"Indeed! It's a hassle to have a party at home, but today it's inexplicably fun!"

For the Clausel family, who are still lower nobles, this is a somewhat heavy and somewhat important conversation.

Fortunately, they were getting used to dealing with Ulysses.

In the lavishly decorated party hall...

This place, adorned with rare furniture, was far more prestigious than any previous party venue, and the servants' behavior was incomparable.

Lessard said,

"It is an honor to be invited by the Marquis of Ignat."

"Haha! The Viscount of Clausel is as usual."

The hospitality continued for a while.

After all, this was a special occasion that Ulysses, Fiona, Edgar, and everyone in the mansion were looking forward to.

The two from the Clausel family and Ren were nervous at first, but gradually relaxed.

They enjoyed talking with the Ignats, and several hours passed.

Time really flew by.

The light coming in through the large windows had already passed the setting sun and was starting to dim.

"Viscount Clausel"

Just before this gathering was about to end,

"What do you think? Would you like to discuss the business we talked about before?"

"Is it okay? I appreciate it...but it's getting dark."

"No, don't worry about us."

The response of the Ignat family was flawless and more than sufficient.

"Wouldn't you prefer to stay overnight?"

"When you say stay, do you mean in your mansion?"

"Yes. Both my servants and I would be delighted. We will contact the inn for you."

Lessard was taken aback by the sudden proposal.

There were merits to this arrangement. Lessard and Ulysses lived a distance apart and the only means of communication was through letters or boarding the magic ship.

They collaborated closely in their work and they felt that the time they could speak directly was as valuable as gold. They could profit from this conversation as well.

"For the further prosperity of both houses, how about it?"

"You suggest this, sir, even though you expressed a desire to entertain the members of the Clausel family? Is it acceptable to start discussing work so soon?"

Edgar, who had been silent up until now, spoke up.

"Accommodating them overnight would be even more hospitable. Stop saying unnecessary things."

"Oh, I apologize for the discourtesy."

Their exchange was quite deliberate.

If they had planned to accommodate everyone from the start, they would have notified them in advance. However, the conversation had gone well today.

To put it bluntly, this was an unexpected proposal.

As soon as Lessard gave Ren and Licia a signal with his eyes, they both nodded in return immediately.

Nearby, Fiona was also clapping her hands together with joy, smiling broadly.

"Marquis Ignat, would you care to join us for a drink? It's been a while."

The appropriate response was to agree with the proposal.

It was decided without anyone objecting.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

As the evening passed, before dinner was served.

There was Ulysses' office, which in the past both Klonoa and Radius had visited.

Ren, who had been called, also sat in and listened. This could be a learning experience for him, as he was expected to take over the village. The adults were considerate of that.

"Excuse me."

In the middle of the conversation, Edgar arrived and passed a bundle of papers bound with Ulysses' string to him.

Edgar left the office immediately.

"It's a report on the old town."

"Ah, that time of year is coming up."

The old town was a place that Ren had heard about frequently since yesterday.

It was also a place Licia had crossed with the sailors yesterday.

"Ulysses, what's going on in the old town?"

"It's nothing major. Just a routine report."

Since it had been mentioned, Ulysses asked Ren, "Did you know about the old town?"

"Yes, I've heard about it for a while now, and it was also a topic of conversation at the Mystery Agency. Also, I heard that Licia passed by it yesterday."

"Oh, I see you talked to the Director. Did he mention that it's a regulated area?"

"That's why I was wondering."

"Well, that makes things easy. We need to send guards to the old town regularly, and this is related to that."

Upon glancing at the contents of the paper, Ulysses said, "Just as I thought."

Whether it was because he had mostly anticipated what was written, or because he was reading quickly due to the presence of Ren and Lessard, was unclear.

"Again, that reaction."

Ren asked again,

"Did you find something strange?"

"No, it's happened many times before. According to the Mystery Agency's investigation, it's light caused by some sort of reaction from a magical tool submerged in water. Of course, whether or not that light is a danger signal has been investigated. It seems to be just a light indicating that it's still operational."

A report was set to arrive at Ulysses just in case.

In addition to this, it was also time to send out regular patrols, but Ulysses prioritized the current conversation and decided to think about that later.

However,

"The old town..."

Ren's voice leaked out, showing his interest.

"If you're curious, why don't you go see for yourself?"

Ulysses suggested this when he heard Ren's voice.

It was said in a casual tone, as usual.

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