Chapter 24: A place where treasures slumber in caves along the coastline

“Oh, right, Ren, you met someone from Shelgad in the summer.”

“Yes. I met a person named Richter Leonhardt through Ulysses-sama’s introduction.”

“Oh, that’s quite a prominent figure.”

Uncharacteristically, Ragna showed interest in someone other than Ren and Radius.

“The Leonhardt family was quite active during the recent turmoil.”

“Do you mean the one that erupted in the Shelgad Grand Duchy?”

That was the story, if I recall correctly.

In the Shelgad Empire, there were two brothers from the Grand Duke family. The older brother believed that Shelgad should intervene in conflict areas to secure its interests. On the other hand, the younger brother disagreed, arguing that his brother’s thinking wasn’t in line with the current times. This led to a succession dispute involving other nobles.

During the summer, when I came to the capital, Richter’s family was known as a prestigious lineage that served Shelgad as knights for generations. Despite their efforts to end the turmoil, both brothers from the Grand Duke family ultimately perished. Richter felt ashamed that he couldn’t do anything and couldn’t continue to live as a Shelgad knight.

Eventually, he became a merchant at his stepfather’s invitation and achieved success.

Richter was a kind-hearted man and, like many Shelgad people, loved tales of heroes.

“We have factions and disputes in Leomel as well. Both are foolish stories.”

“…Indeed.”

“I wonder how the wife and daughters of the younger brother who fled are doing? The daughter should be an adult by now. Children always get caught up in their parents’ conflicts. Doesn’t it seem laughable and trivial?”

“There may not be laughter, but I do find it trivial.”

“All of these are irrationalities that abound in the world. To truly be free, one must be a person who can subdue everything with power, like the Sword King or the magicians of the Imperial Military Academy. …Hmm, it seems even here, the gods are showing their incompetence. Wonderful.”

After discussing heavy matters, the two drank a cup of tea to calm their minds.

Before they realized it, quite some time had passed.

“I’ll be heading back now. If there’s anything, please let me know.”

“Sure. Wait, I’ll come with you.”

Ragna, who stopped Ren, stood up, and they left the room together. They went to where the traveler’s bag, a large bag that looked like a traveler’s, was placed in the corridor. Ragna reached out to its closed mouth.

When he stretched his hand, the bag opened on its own. Ragna put his hand inside and said. 

“I’ll give you something nice from my collection. It’s a promised reward.”

It was a small wooden box with intricate carvings that could be easily held with one hand.

When Ren received the box, he asked. 

“So, is the reward inside this?”

“You’re quite observant. What’s inside is…”

Ragna was about to explain it with excitement, but the door of the elevator in the corridor opened.

A researcher from the Mystery Agency appeared and hurriedly approached them.

“Chief, there’s something I need to discuss about the Old Town case.”

“…Haa, bad timing. Ren, sorry, but there’s a note inside with the details. Please read it.”

“Understood.”

Just before they were about to leave, the researcher returned to the elevator ahead of them.

When it was just Ragna and Ren, Ren casually asked. 

“May I ask you something? Have you ever heard of the adventurer Ashton?”

“What… Ren! Don’t tell me you secretly wish to be like me after all?! Is that why you mentioned an adventurer?!”

“…I’m sorry. It’s nothing like that.”

“I don’t mind, but who is this adventurer Ashton?”

“Well… He seems to be one of my ancestors.”

He decided to reveal only the part about having such an ancestor, avoiding any difficult topics. After all, Fiona was deeply involved in the incident at the Baldor Mountains.

Even with this new information, they couldn’t find any answers.

Ragna tried to think again, but he couldn’t recall anything about it either.

“I’ve never heard of it at all.”

Ragna’s knowledge didn’t provide even the slightest hint, emphasizing the fact that Adventurer Ashton was an exceptional individual.

When Ren visited his hometown and heard about the Elder Dragon who was unmatched even by the prime Asval, he had already suspected that there were peculiar circumstances behind it, as there was no historical record of such a remarkable person.

On the other hand, this unknown information emphasized the exceptional nature of the adventurer Ashton even more, which Ragna had not been aware of until then.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

When they left the cave along the coastline, it was pitch dark outside.

As soon as they stood on the sandy beach, Sarah stretched her back with a comfortable sound and looked up at the night sky. It was a different night sky from the one she was used to seeing in the capital. Even though she didn’t usually pay much attention to the positions of stars, she could tell that they were far away from the capital.

“Yeah! Hey, Sarah-chan!”

Nemu grinned mischievously. When Sarah turned around in response to the call, Nemu dipped her hand into the water.

“What- Hey, Nemu! Don’t splash water on me!”

“Fufufu! It’s your fault for letting your guard down, Sarah-chan!”

The two suddenly started playfully teasing each other, and Charlotte joined in as well.

The three girls frolicked at the water’s edge, making splashing sounds. Seeing them having fun, Kaito smiled at Vane. Their faces look a little tired.

“I wonder if they’re tired. I feel like sleeping right now.”

“We’ve been exploring the cave all this time, so they probably wanted to play since the scenery is beautiful.”

“Ah, I see. But seawater is the natural enemy of my shield.”

“Even though it’s made of a special metal, does it still rust?”

“Well, yeah. It’s just that it rusts less ridiculously fast.”

Kaito sat down on a large rock on the sandy beach, and Vane sat on a similar rock next to him.

The girls were still enjoying their playfulness.

“Speaking of which, Licia Clausel was incredibly strong yesterday.”

“She’s a skilled swordsman, maybe even on the level of a sword master.”

“Yeah, and if she possesses Holy Sword Techniques, she might be on the level of a Sword Saint. How do you become a Sword Saint in our generation?”

“She must have put in a tremendous amount of effort.”

Licia had talent, of course, but her hard work surpassed that.

After exchanging smiles with Kaito, Vane felt even more determined to do his best.

Vane stood up from the large rock and went over to the girls.

Kaito watched him leave and secretly wondered who would capture Vane’s heart.

Setting that aside, Vane called out to the girls who were still playing.

“Everyone, it’s time to go back.”

“Ehh?! Vane-kun, you should play too… Ahh! Sarah-chan!? We were in the middle of talking!”

“You should’ve been more vigilant, Nemu!”

“Ugh! If you’re going to say that, then I’ll really go all out!”

“Um, both of you… it’s already late…”

Seeing the two continue their water splashing, Charlotte Lophelia said in a charming voice.

“Give up.”

“No way, no way! These kids just can’t get enough playing――――Kyaa!”

“An opening, Charlotte!”

“Ugh… fine, I’ll stand my ground! Taste the brilliance of the Lophelia Style Archery!”

Whether archery would be useful in a water splashing contest was questionable, but the aim was surely good.

Vane, who was left behind, gave up and joined the girls’ play.

―――― The next morning, they were still in the same place.

They had come to the cave for exploration and also for their training.

They had fought against the recommended monsters multiple times and had progressed deeper into the cave.

At noon, the group started eating the meals they had brought.

They were resting, relying on the light of torches when the following happened.

“So, in the next battle, Vane and I should take the lead and――――”

Kaito, who had been sitting comfortably on a convenient rock, fell down before finishing his sentence.

“Huh?”

While he was explaining the plan with big gestures, he had lost his balance and fallen.

“W-WOOOOOOAAAAAHHH!”

“K-Kaito-senpai!!!”

Kaito rolled off a nearby slope.

Struggling to protect the food he was holding, Kaito managed to avoid spilling it. He got up, smiled happily, and continued eating.

“W-what the heck!”

When he finally managed to get his composure back, Kaito held the food in his hand triumphantly towards the sky, successfully protecting it. He stood up, grinned with joy, and savored the remaining food in his cheeks. After swallowing it, he placed his hand on the nearby wall.

“Well, it’s natural for someone like me.”

“Sometimes, Kaito-kun says overly confident things, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, thanks, Nemu.”

“I wasn’t complimenting you, but oh well.”

Then, a clattering sound was heard, and pebbles started rolling down from the rocky wall.

The rocks that formed the wall were gradually collapsing. At the center of it was the rough wall that Kaito had touched forcefully.

The ground around him began to shake as well.

Droplets running down the wall turned into splashes and touched their cheeks.

Charlotte was the first to let out a startled voice.

“Hey, Kaito!? You put too much force into it!”

“That’s right! …But this is no time to be talking, Nemu!”

“Yeah, you’re right! This might be pretty dangerous!?”

In the worst-case scenario, there was a possibility that the cave might collapse. The five of them started to panic, but fortunately, there was no impact on their surroundings.

Kaito, who had suddenly raised his large shield, said with surprise, 

“Huh?”

“What’s this? It seems like there’s a path leading further inside.”

A path that didn’t exist before had appeared, and the wind passed through it. It was a path that suddenly emerged due to the wall collapsing during the previous tremor.

“Charlotte, you said you had memorized the cave’s map, right?”

“Yes, I did, but I don’t know about this path.”

“However, judging from this situation…”

“It seems like a hidden path. What should we do? Shall we explore it?”

The five of them almost simultaneously nodded to confirm the situation. After finishing their lunch from earlier, they gathered their resolve and stepped into the path leading deeper into the cave.

What they found there was unlike anything they had seen before. Instead of a regular cave, the ground, walls, and ceiling emitted shimmering silver magic particles. 

When they walked ahead for about 10 minutes, what lies ahead was—

A smooth stone corridor.

It seemed as if the entire space had been meticulously polished and arranged, creating a perfectly symmetrical spherical area. It was perfect as thought it was arranged by human hands.

At the center of this place, something was floating. 

The first to mutter, “Could it be?” was Kaito.

“Kaito-senpai, what’s wrong?”

“…That thing floating over there.”

“What could it be… It looks like a shield?”

The magic particles emitted from the floating object were much stronger than those they had seen along the path.

The surroundings of the floating object were blocked by a thick crystal wall, preventing anything from getting close.

Kaito was dumbfounded but took a step forward.

 “It’s exactly as it was written in the book! That must be…”

The Seven Heroes who protected the Hero Ruin. The ancestor of the Leonardo family. The shield used by the hero who also fought against the Demon King.

“The legendary shield used by my ancestor—it’s the Airia!”

Even though Ren wasn’t present, the shield considered part of the Hero’s Equipment was revealed after centuries.

As a descendant of the Leonardo family, the one acknowledged by Airia as its wielder was Kaito.

The shield once used by the great ancestor, Light Leonardo, chose Kaito as its new master and wielder.

The crystal wall that covered the shield started to crumble. A new history was about to be made in the Leomel Empire.

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