Chapter 25: How to use quest rewards?

Some time had passed since then, just before the start of December.

Ren who returned from his journey to Eupheim, was in his room at the Clausel mansion at Elendil.

It was after he finished his dinner.

“Isn’t the quest reward too valuable…?” 

He said, looking closely at the item placed on the desk.

It was the Dragon Vein Furnace, a small-sized furnace that could be held with both hands. It was a furnace that brought energy from magic stones and was made by combining dragon cores, a special furnace crafted from dragon species. 

Its birth dates back to over a hundred years ago on the Shelgadian Empire in the Sky Continent. It can produce output worth mentioning even in the modern era, but handling it is quite difficult. While Ren couldn’t comprehend its detailed technical specifications, it was quite expensive and yet inconvenient to use.

In simple terms, if mishandled, it could explode. And the explosion would be tremendous.

…Maybe he gave it away so easily because he dislikes Shelgad.

Ragna disliked the Shelgadian Empire, his ancestor’s homeland. However, the Dragon Vein Furnace held considerable value, so he must have received it as a reward for opening the sealed door. 

With various considerations in mind, it wasn’t an impolite item due to its high value. However, keeping it in his possession served no purpose.

“Come to think of it, what happened to the flow of water in Eupheim?”

Despite various speculations, they only knew that the cause was unknown until they left the city.

Since the lord of the city is Ulysses, it’s unlikely to become a more significant problem, but it kept crossing his mind.

“I should consult with Verlich about it.”

Ren turned his attention back to the Dragon Vein Furnace and imagined the imposing figure of the boisterous dwarf. As he did so, someone knocked on the door of his room.

It was Licia, coming into his room.

“We’re going to practice swordsmanship shortly… Oh, that painting, you already had it displayed.”

The painting they found at the orphanage submerged in the old city was hanging in Ren’s room.

Upon seeing the painting, Licia approached Ren.

“By the way, I was also thinking about what to do with this valuable reward.”

“You mean the Dragon Vein Furnace?”

“Yes, it’s an old furnace, but it has the power comparable to modern ones. Except for the fact that mishandling it can cause an explosion that can destroy an entire town, it’s a fantastic item.”

“The point to be cautious about it is rather significant, isn’t it?”

“It’s fatally substantial.”

Still, Ren had something on his mind.

“Do you think Verlich could use it skillfully?”

“Oh, that’s possible!”

It happened in autumn.

Ren and Licia were taken by Estelle to Verlich’s workshop.

Before and after accompanying the Lesser Griffin hunt, Verlich had talked about the furnace…

This Dragon Vein Furnace might be the solution for repairing the magic-driven ship, Lemuria.

“But is it okay, Ren? After all, you received it as a reward.”

“It’s fine. I want to get on Lemuria as soon as possible too.”

It was Ren’s sincere wish.

Even if he tried to use it for himself, there was nowhere to use such an item. There was no choice but to use it for Lemuria. He didn’t even have the desire to cause an explosion somewhere by running amok with the Dragon Vein Furnace.

“Verlich probably informed Ulysses-sama about it, and they were looking for materials related to the furnace or the furnace itself.”

“That’s what I think too, but I wonder if he’s busy lately?”

Not concerning the Guardian Knight, but an event involving the factions within the royal family.

Since this autumn, due to an event that also involved Eupeheim with the commotion of the Hero faction, Ulysses was in a situation he couldn’t ignore.

It was all because of that day when the Silver King Shield, Airia, was found.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The next morning, past nine o’clock on a holiday morning, Elendil also began to bustle.

At that moment, Licia, who woke up in the mansion, sat up on the bed, adjusted her disheveled nightgown, and got up.

After rising, she opened the curtains covering the window, just as she always did.

“Today is going to be a good…” 

She was about to say “good weather.”

It should’ve been a good weather, but lately, you could see traces of light snowfall in the morning.

As she opened the window and bathed in the morning air, she noticed something.

“Eh?”

Licia realized that the view outside the window was different from usual.

Her hair swayed in the morning breeze as she hastily ran out.

She rushed to the office where Lessard should have been.

Even though Licia, who had returned to Elendil only recently, had been sleeping longer than usual, Lessard would have finished his breakfast and started working before this time.

“Father!”

In the office, Lessard and Ren were present.

They turned their faces to Licia, who seemed to have noticed something.

“It seems you’ve noticed, LIcia.”

“Eh…Yes, I felt something was different.”

Licia, whose steps were less composed than usual, walked behind her father, who was sitting on the sofa, and approached Ren, who was standing by the window.

“Licia.”

“Good morning. I see you’ve also noticed, Ren.”

Licia’s attention had immediately been drawn to the anomaly. It was the grand clock tower.

This giant clock tower, a symbol of Elendil, was undergoing a change. This change was that…

“I thought it might suddenly start moving, but it didn’t happen, of course.”

Ren said, and Licia followed suit and looked outside the window.

Now it was already past nine in the morning, but the time shown on the clock face of the grand clock tower was eleven o’clock. It wasn’t due to a malfunction of the mansion’s clock. 

In other words…

“I’ve never seen the grand clock tower stop like this before.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Half-past ten, about an hour after Licia was surprised.

The group was in front of the grand clock tower.

Right after the clock tower’s hands stopped moving, Licia was woken up, and on Lessard’s orders, the square in front of the clock tower was declared off-limits.

In that square, there were nobles other than the Clausel family.

“Keho, keho.”

A girl named Nemu, who appeared from the entrance to the Grand Clock Tower, opened it with a dusty look. She had the blood of one of the Seven Heroes who built this Grand Clock Tower, an ancestor revered as the god of Magic Artifacts.

“Ugh… just climbing up makes me tired…”

“Nemu, are you okay?”

“I’m f-fine! Just my thighs are twitching a bit! Would you like to touch?”

“No, that’s alright.”

“Eh… You won’t help me there…”

“…Fine, is this okay?”

Nemu, representing the Altia family, had come here in response to a message. The Altia family had been responsible for managing the Grand Clock Tower for a long time, and she had been investigating the cause of the anomaly that occurred in the tower until just now.

According to Nemu who was dressed in cute work clothes.

“Viscount Clausel, the safety devices were activated.”

Although the Clausel family was also involved in the management of the Grand Clock Tower, as previously confirmed by Ren, most of it was under the control of the imperial capital. However, Lessard couldn’t sit idle. There was work to be done by understanding the situation.

“As I mentioned before, inside this Grand Clock Tower, there are several small components that always allow magic energy to pass through…”

These were prepared by Millim Altia, one of the Seven Heroes.

These safety devices were designed to prevent any impact on the entire Grand Clock Tower in case any of these components were damaged or experienced anomalies. The current situation was the planned stoppage due to the degradation of one of these components.

It is designed to automatically stop working when it senses deterioration or abnormalities in its parts.

This time it was the former, a scheduled outage.

“It seems… the mechanism system designed by our ancestors is not the issue. The component Nemu mentioned seems to be deteriorating, and it automatically stopped as it’s time for replacement.”

“So, it’s not a complete breakdown?”

“You can rest assured. We, the Altia family, regularly inspect it. This is a planned stoppage. It’s actually normal.”

Nemu, though still a student, possessed enough technical skills to manage the Grand Clock Tower. She could discuss technical matters that even Lessard couldn’t fully grasp. If she said it, there was no doubt about it.

“In that case, it’s a good opportunity…”

Lessard recalled something. It was something that had been decided during regular inspections of the Grand Clock Tower.

“I remember Marquis Altia advised us to replace some gears previously. This might be a good chance to do it.”

“That might be a good idea. I think the gears are prepared in the imperial capital, so we can get them transported here.”

It was urgent, but it wasn’t a huge surprise since it had been somewhat expected. It was more like “finally” than anything else.

However, the components that had reached the end of their lifespan were a different matter. Nemu herself had claimed that no one else could create those parts but the Altia family.

“Those can only be made by members of the Altia family. They are components that convey the power created by the mechanism system of the Grand Clock Tower through gears and other magic tools.”

“Something like a secret technique of the Altia family?”

“Yes, exactly. The Grand Clock Tower has many complexities due to its history…”

Nemu patted her ample chest.

Licia looked slightly jealous.

“Leave everything to me! I was dispatched here as the Altia family’s representative this time! I’ll quickly make the parts!”

Then Lessard asked 

“What about Marquis Altia and the others?”

“My father and mother have other tasks to attend to. So, I will handle it this time!”

There was no doubt about Nemu’s skill. She had frequently assisted in managing the Grand Clock Tower until now, so there was no reason to doubt her abilities.

Soon after, civil servants and knights dispatched from the castle arrived. They joined the conversation, and the adults discussed how to proceed with the restoration. Nemu left the discussion to the Altia family’s servants and started talking to Licia and Ren.

“Licia-chan, are you free today?”

Nemu had returned to the imperial capital a few days ago from Eupeheim. As the long weekend approached, she must have wanted to take a break, but she was thinking about work.

“I was planning to be free until I woke up, but not so much now.”

“Aww… Did Viscount Clausel give you some work?”

“No, it’s not that. Originally, I was planning to go shopping with Ren. But now, I can’t just enjoy myself.”

“Hom-hom-hom. You two are as chummy as ever.”

With a slight blush on her cheeks, Licia turned away and lightly waved her hair with one hand.

“I wonder if there was something to do if I had free time.”

“Hmm… How about this? I need to make the components quickly, so I thought you could accompany me to the forest.”

“The forest?”

“Yes, that’s right. We need to go to the lake deep in the forest.”

Ren silently clapped his hands upon hearing that. There was indeed such a lake. It was the place where he had excessively hunted Berserk Fish before. As a result, the fish population had decreased significantly, and he decided to avoid overhunting them from then on.

In that lake, there were metals that were easily imbued with magic power. Nemu planned to process them on-site and bring the completed parts back to the Grand Clock Tower.

“Can you really make it that easily?”

“Oh my, is Licia-chan underestimating Nemu?”

“No, that’s not it. I just asked if it’s not difficult, even for Nemu.”

“Hehe~ Thanks! Don’t worry, I’ll be fine! But going alone feels a bit lonely, so I want you to accompany me, Licia-chan.”

Of course, I want Ren to come along as well.

However, Ren replied.

“I’m planning to help with the Grand Clock Tower.”

“What are you going to do over there?”

“It seems like dealing with the gears and mechanisms will be quite challenging. Especially when it comes to handling the weight and replacing parts, having me there should make things easier.”

Forgetting about it, Nemu enthusiastically places both hands together and prays to Ren.

“I’m sorry! You’re right, so you understand that removing the gears and carrying new ones will be really tough!”

“I’ve seen it too, so I know. I think I’ll manage with that much.”

With Ren’s strength, the gear replacement should go smoothly. At this moment, Nemu claps her hands and says. “I got it!”

“Before leaving the Imperial Capital, I met Sarah-chan, and she said she’d come to check on us, so I think I’ll bring her along too.”

It wasn’t the first time Ren wasn’t by Licia’s side. The forests and lakes around Elendil were no big deal for the two of them.

But Nemu said, putting her hand on her lips, 

“If that’s the case…Is it okay to decide without asking Sarah-chan?”

“I think it’s fine. She seemed free anyway.”

Nemu’s freedom caused Licia to lose the will to explain further, so she left everything to Nemu.

After another ten minutes or so, Sarah, who had been mentioned, arrived.

“So, it’s really stopped?”

“Sarah-chan, We are going to work on the repairs. Do you want to come along?”

“…Licia, will you explain properly to me?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Wait a minute! Why don’t you ask Nemu!?”

“Nemu, you skipped over all the explanations in the middle!”

After listening to the explanation, Sarah finally understood. Though she had some complaints about being called free, voicing them would only complicate things.

Sarah lightly flicked Nemu’s forehead.

“Ouch!”

“From now on, explain properly.”

“Yes…”

“Changing the subject, if Ren is there, it should be fine going outside Elendil, right?”

“No, Ren will stay here and help with the work at the Grand Clock Tower.”

“I see…there’s also removing the gears and all. They seem heavy, so it might be better if Ren helps.”

“So, I’ll stay here. As for you guys, um…”

Ren crossed his arms. There were still things he needed to consider.

…There was no doubt that the three of them wouldn’t lose to the surrounding monsters.

However, one should be cautious and not only worry about monsters but also about something caused by humans.

Looking up at the sky, Ren closed his eyes and groaned.

Returning to the basics, he also wondered if there was a need for them to go in the first place.

“Nemu intends to finish it by tonight.”

Ren interjected into Nemu’s conversation.

“As for collecting materials, why not leave it to someone else?”

“If we take the metal out of the water, its properties will change. So, if Nemu doesn’t handle it directly, it will become quite troublesome. We need to process it right away.”

“So, you’re using the ‘Water Vein Ore,’ right?”

“Wow… As expected of you, Ashton-kun.”

Only Sarah is completely clueless.

“Huh? What’s that?” 

Not fully grasping the concept, Sarah asked, and beside her, Licia explained,

“It’s iron ore affected by the influence of aquatic monsters. It’s known for being both highly conductive to magic and extremely hard.”

Metal submerged in water undergoes a transformation due to the magic energy released by the corpses of aquatic monsters.

“Licia-chan, you’re amazing too. That’s the idea. But if you take it out of the water, the change in properties will begin, so it needs to be processed right away to be useful.”

Rather than using the Water Vein Ore for all the parts, the whole concept was initiated by Milim Altia, who suggested using it for only certain parts.

Among the parts, some were made of far more expensive metals than Water Vein Ore.

Fortunately, no damage was found in such parts during this incident.

…That being said, each of the massive gears is expensive.

Looking at the whole picture, it still incurs considerable costs.

“In that case, Altia-san has to go there directly, right?”

Ren brought the conversation back.

“Also, without Nemu, the parts couldn’t be processed.”

“I understand that Ren is worried about Licia, but don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Recently, even the roads are bustling with people, you know.”

Since the incident with Roses Caitas, there has been a sharp increase in people following in the footsteps of past pilgrims. It has become a trend to travel around the surrounding areas of the capital city, Elendil.

Ren also concluded that Lessard would be fine.

That was the situation until evening.

Ren, who had been working on removing the remaining gears at the Grand Clock Tower, sat on a bench in the square, letting out a light breath to take a break.

Suddenly, the dazzling sunlight was blocked.

“Ren-kun, good work.”

It was Fiona Ignat.

Until recently, she had entertained Ren and the others in Eupheim, but as the end of the holiday approached, she returned to the capital.

Her hair was as black as obsidian, with a high-quality gloss reminiscent of silk. She sat down next to Ren on the bench and handed him a towel. Ren expressed his thanks and accepted the towel.

“Why are you here, Fiona-sama?”

“After lunch, I heard the others talking in the dorm salon.”

“About the Grand Clock Tower’s hands stopping, I suppose?”

“Fufu, that’s the case.”

She wanted to see how Ren was doing, thinking he must be working hard. So, she tidied herself up and left the Imperial Military Academy’s female dormitory.

“You didn’t come alone, did you?”

“I came partway with Edgar. He seemed interested in the Grand Clock Tower as well. Look, over there.”

Fiona leaned closer to Ren and pointed with her hand to where Edgar was talking to Lessard.

“It’s easier to report to Ulysses-sama directly if you come to ask.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought too.”

Fiona’s charm emanated from her lively voice and smile.

Ren’s profile while wiping his sweat as he looked at Edgar stole Fiona’s gaze.

Realizing that she had been staring too intently, her cheeks flushed suddenly. Feeling that she had come too close to Ren by a half-step—compromising from the bottom of her heart—she stepped back half a step.

“Fiona-sama?”

“Ah! W-What is it!?”

“That’s my line. Why did you suddenly panic like that?”

“N-Nothing! Please don’t mind it!”

She was a bit surprised because Ren called out to her just as she moved half a step away.

Quickly regaining her composure, Fiona asked in a dignified and charming manner.

“What’s the situation with the gear replacement?”

“There are still a few left. I’ve made quite a bit of progress.”

Fiona looked at the gears placed at the edge of the square.

Some gleamed like new, while others, though not rusty, looked aged. They all varied in size.

Despite the size differences, none of them would be lightweight.

It was evident from the scale of the gears.

“Were those gears brought down from over there…?”

“That’s right, and it’s also about carrying the new gears up and down.”

The Grand Clock Tower’s stairs were made wide, designed to transport large materials like this.

However, going up and down an immeasurable number of stairs to reach the high floors and carrying gigantic gears back and forth was unimaginably tiring.

Ren was trying to move the gear he had placed under the bench to the spot where other discarded gears were resting, after taking a short break. Fiona squatted down and reached for the gear under the bench. Although it was relatively small, only about the size of a typical pillow, it was surprisingly heavy due to the special metal used in its construction.

“I couldn’t lift it.”

“It’s quite heavy, isn’t it?”

Fiona sighed in frustration at her lack of strength, but it was probably beyond her capacity from the beginning.

After that, she left Ren’s side and went over to Edgar and Lessard to attend to her duties as a member of the Ignat family. Ren, who had finished his break, stood up.

“One last push.”

He looked straight at the Grand Clock Tower, preparing to continue with the remaining tasks. He had no idea how many times he had gone up and down the stairs today. He had lost count.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The sun had completely set.

When they returned to Elendil, it was already the time when the town’s night life was starting to pick up.

Elendil was a beautiful town, with a unique blend of historical charm and modern architecture.

The black antique-style street lamps lining the main street bathed the passing people and cobblestones in a warm orange glow.

The illuminated Grand Clock Tower still had its clock hands stopped.

“Nn … I’m tired!”

Nemu walked with a curved back, crossing her hands behind her neck and resting her arms. Her narrowed eyes and cheerful smile made her look like an elegant cat.

Walking alongside her, the three of them stood out in this urban Elendil. Their good looks and undeniable presence attracted attention.

“…It was tough indeed.”

Sarah let out a sigh and smiled with a touch of hardship.

“Once we thought we could dig up the water vein stones with Nemu’s magic tools, a huge number of monsters came attacking from the sky.”

“Probably because they mistook the flying monsters for prey due to the presence of the water vein stones’ power housed in them. Don’t you think so, Licia?”

“That’s possible. They were all probably after the water vein stones.”

“Do you remember how many we defeated? I can’t remember killing more than twenty.”

“I’m the same. I was doing my best just to protect Nemu, who was trying to extract the metal.”

“Teehee, but thanks. Thanks to you both, Nemu could focus on her work.”

The three of them returned to the square in front of the Grand Clock Tower.

Ren was sitting on the bench just like he was in the evening. He had completed the last task and was taking a break.

“Where’s my father? I’ll ask Ren.”

Licia excused herself to the other two and walked toward Ren.

It wasn’t as if Fiona was deliberately showing any competitiveness just because she was standing next to the bench. They watched Licia’s retreating figure as she hurried to Ren.

“Do you feel like Licia is taking the lead? What do you think, Sarah?”

“I don’t know. If I were her, and Ignat-sama was a love rival, I might be feeling desperate.”

“Haha, Nemu too, Nemu too!”

The conversation between them ended, and they proceeded towards the Grand Clock Tower. Licia, who had gone ahead to talk to Ren, turned to Sarah and Nemu as they arrived and said, “Let’s go,” pointing towards the inside of the clock tower.

It seemed that Lessard and Edgar were not here at the moment.

“Hello, Ignat-sama. You were amazing at the Lion King Festival the other day,” 

Sarah greeted Fiona.

“Yes, thank you. Riohard-san also had an impressive performance,” 

Fiona replied with a smile.

It had been a long time since Sarah had a chance to talk to Fiona at such a relaxed pace. They had met once before when they went to a certain territory, almost a year ago. While they saw each other a few times during the Lion King Festival, they didn’t exchange many words.

However, for Nemu, it was almost like their first meeting, so she was nervous around Fiona, partly because she was a member of the Ignat family and partly because she found Fiona beautiful. Seeing Nemu’s nervousness, Licia and Sarah couldn’t help but smile at the rare sight.

“Um, I’m Nemu Altia!”

“Fufu, nice to meet you. I’m Fiona Ignat.”

Nemu introduced herself with a slightly tense voice, and Fiona responded with a gentle smile.

Apart from the reason that she was from the Ignat family, Fiona was also beautiful, adding to Nemu’s nervousness.

“Lessard-sama and the others have headed to the capital. They seem to be reporting the situation of the Grand Clock Tower to the castle,” 

“I see. Then, um, what about you, Ashton?”

“I stayed here to help with the work and wait as a liaison.”

The term “help” raised some questions. Although adults also participated in transporting the gears, Ren had done most of the work. He stood up from the bench.

“Shall we go? The Altia family members are waiting upstairs.”

The Altia family technicians were preparing the equipment. All that was left was for Nemu to transport and install the parts she had created.

With a nod, Ren led the girls and stopped when a castle official called out to him.

“Ah, Ashton-dono. We have some consultations regarding what Clausel-sama said earlier.”

Normally, the questions about the Clausel family should have been answered by Licia. However, she had just returned and Ren knew more about what happened in the square. Additionally, Ren was left in charge by Lessard, so the official gave a slight nod to Licia and asked Ren.

“Let’s go now. I’ll be waiting here while you do your work,”

Even though Licia and the others have been out of town working, you can tell how much the gear transportation has drained their energy just by looking at the square.

Ren said “ Please”

The scheduled repairs were completed, and the gears were expected to start moving safely after the safety inspection.

A few tens of minutes later, when Nemu came back downstairs and told them about it, Ren deeply bowed his head.

“Well then, once the safety inspection is done, you’ll go back, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan. Is something wrong?”

Nemu tilted her head, looking at Ren.

“Lessard-sama mentioned that he wants to prepare a thank-you gathering for all of you,” 

To Fiona, Sarah, and Nemu.

Interestingly, among the great nobles affiliated with the two major factions—the Royal Faction and the Heroic Faction—there is a connection with the Clausel family, who are particularly remembered by the Emperor, even among the nobles belonging to the neutral faction.

“It’s an honor to be invited, but it’s getting late today, so I’m not sure…”

When Sarah hesitates, Nemu also begins to think,

“If you’re worried about that, don’t be. They’ve prepared rooms at Arnea.”

The most famous luxury inn in Leomel owned by the Arne Velde Trading Company Nemu and Sarah were surprised at Ren’s words, who plainly said that even high-ranking nobles struggle to reserve rooms there.

“What?! Are you serious, Ren!? Arnea is incredibly hard to book, even for us!”

“Ashton-kun… Even though Nemu is obsessed with magic tools, I know that the inn over there is a remarkable place, right?”

“I know. I’m serious. And they said you can also stay overnight if you want.”

“Let’s go! Sarah, you’re coming too, right?”

Nemu was already enthusiastic about spending the night there.

To call it a “sleepover party” with friends makes it sound cute, and if we can stay at a trendy inn as well, there’s no way I could refuse. Greedy as she is, Nemu is already fully determined to stay overnight.

“I need to ask my father first…”

“Always with that excuse! You want to stay too, right, Sarah-chan?”

“I, I do! But if I stay without permission, I’ll get in trouble, won’t I? Isn’t it the same for you, Nemu?”

“Nemu’s parents are in the capital for work, so as long as I inform those at the mansion, everything will be fine.”

It was different for Licia and Fiona. Both of them seemed to know about various circumstances, and Licia assumed it had something to do with Radius.

“And Ren, did you receive a message from the Third Prince?”

“You figured it out?”

“Fufu, it could only be that. Radius must have prepared the Arnea rooms as a personal thank-you gesture to those who handled the sudden commotion, and since the management of the Grand Clock Tower is mostly handled by the castle, you’re included in it.”

It was the most plausible explanation. Radius, as a gesture of thanks to everyone who handled the situation, had personally arranged for rooms at Arnea.

However, Lessard’s indulgence had its limits, and the necessary expenses were borne by him. The decision to contact the Altia and Riohard families and leave it to them, if their daughters desired, became apparent just over ten minutes later.

***

The dinner prepared at Arnea was magnificent. It effortlessly charmed the young ladies from various distinguished families who were accustomed to fine dining. The cakes served after the meal melted on everyone’s cheeks.

In the spacious guest room, there were several bedrooms. The three girls gathered in the central salon.

Looking at the clock, it was already past 8 in the evening, and everyone was in their nightwear after taking baths. However, Fiona had left the inn before the three of them took their baths. Since she lived in the girls’ dormitory, she hadn’t obtained permission for an overnight stay.

“Our school’s exams are too difficult!” 

Sarah’s lament resounded in the luxurious guest room. After the Lion King Festival held in the summer, the Imperial Military Academy conducted exams for both regular and scholarship students. Sarah was complaining about her results in the humanities subjects. As for her swordsmanship, she had scored full marks.

They had talked about exams before, and it seemed that Sarah had remembered her scores.

“Hey, Sarah-chan, did you study properly?”

“I did! I worked as hard as during the entrance exam!”

“And what were the results?”

“I did terribly, okay?”

It wasn’t a flippant remark but a voice of resignation. Sarah was not bad at studying by any means, but the level of the scholarship class was high, making it difficult for her to achieve the desired grades in the exams. Nevertheless, she was still above average.

Nemu, who found it difficult to continue the conversation, glanced at Licia, hoping to hear how she had done in the exams.

“How about you, Licia?”

“I did fairly well.”

“Fairly well? Come here, Licia.”

Called by Sarah, Licia sat down on the sofa with a lack of vigor. Sarah then forcefully pulled Licia’s arm and pushed her onto the bed, then straddled her.

“What do you mean by ‘fairly well’ when you scored over 90% in all subjects?”

“Well, you know… I understand that you’re not satisfied, but why are you straddling me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s for this.”

Sarah placed her hands near Licia’s sides and began tickling her.

Licia was strong when it came to swordsmanship, but this was a different story. Laughing while squirming, Licia somehow managed to escape from Sarah. As she straightened her disheveled clothes , looking flustered from laughter.

“What are you doing all of a sudden!”

“Sorry, sorry. Licia is so cute.”

“No, I don’t understand!”

Licia returned to her original seat while looking at Sarah with eyes that were more cautious than ever before.

The three girls enjoyed this opportunity to the fullest, and during the meal, and even in the midst of this pajama party, they always had smiles on their faces.

But eventually—-

The topic changed to the events at the cave along the coastline.

That day, the discovery of the great shield of the Seven Heroes had a profound impact not only on them but also on the Hero faction and other factions’ aristocrats.

Sarah and her friends, who were at the center of the discussion, were especially shocked.

“…Hey, Licia.”

Sarah brought up the subject suddenly.

“I wonder if my ancestor’s sword is also sleeping somewhere.”

The joy of finding the shield of the Seven Heroes was still vivid in her mind. At the same time, Sarah was thinking about the sword her ancestor had used.

“I don’t know about that… but do you want to find your ancestor’s sword?”

“Yes… It’s been a few years since the existence of the Demon king’s Cult became clear, right? I also feel like I should find my ancestor’s sword as a descendant of the Riohard family.”

“Nemu too. I’m sure all the other kids are thinking the same. I think there must be some meaning behind the fact that the shield was found now that the Demon king’s Cult has appeared.”

However, they could only think that it was a stroke of luck that Kaito’s shield was found. There were no clues at all.

“…Both of you do your best. I’m rooting for you too.”

Licia gave them a gentle smile. Her smile, called the White Saint, warmed the two who were thinking intently about finding their ancestors’ equipment. Sarah, who was listening, brought a cookie to her mouth and calmed her heart with its sweetness.

“That’s right. There’s a party coming up.”

“To celebrate the discovery of the Seven Heroes’ shield, all the Hero faction members are gathering.”

“Yeah, that’s right. We’re all going to Leonardo’s territory. All seven Great heroic families will be there, too.”

“Yeah, exactly! When the winter break comes, Nemu and the others are planning to go together with everyone!”

Listening to them, Licia thought they sounded really excited.

“It seems like the Heroic faction is going to get even livelier.”

She murmured in a voice too small for the two to hear.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter