Kays Translations

Chapter 29: Another Detour to the Mansion.

Inside the enormous magic ship belonging to House Leonaal—

The vessel was traveling toward the Leonaal domain after making several stops along the way.

“…This is bad.”

Kaito spoke to Vayne with a tense expression.

Both boys were still wearing their academy uniforms.

“What’s wrong?”

“The party is almost here, and my entire body feels stiff.”

“Then you are nervous.”

“O-Obviously!”

Kaito answered defensively, making Vayne laugh.

“It cannot be helped. Hero Equipment was discovered, so we always knew a celebration would be held—and that it would be enormous.”

“Even knowing that does not stop me from being nervous…”

Kaito sighed and looked through the ship’s window.

A blizzard hid the scenery outside.

Vayne stood beside him.

“These are uncertain times. Everyone is grateful for the prestige the Seven Heroes left behind.”

Vayne and Kaito walked toward the center of the ship.

A hall as spacious as the entrance of a noble mansion occupied its center. Deep-red carpet covered the floor, making the interior resemble a luxurious inn or aristocratic estate rather than a vessel.

The three girls sat on sofas in the hall.

“Oh my.”

Charlotte smiled when she saw Kaito.

“How unusual. I have never seen you this nervous.”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Not at all. I only think you should hold your head high. The shield appeared because it chose you.”

“Exactly! You should be more confident, Kaito!”

Nemu agreed, and Sera added:

“No one is telling you to become arrogant, but you could stand a little straighter.”

The others nodded at the Riohard heiress’s blunt advice.

Airia’s appearance in this era had to possess meaning—a great reason that could not be ignored.

Kaito’s tension faded before he realized it.

“Then I suppose I will act as confidently as I please.”

The girls laughed and teased him once he returned to his usual manner.

Vayne smiled with them, then casually glanced through a nearby window.

“The storm is worsening again.”

The intensifying blizzard held his attention.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Hmm…”

Estelle stood aboard another magic ship floating in the night sky, arms folded in thought.

They had passed the time when they should have reached the planned hunting ground. The ship was now anchored to a mountain they encountered along the route.

Such weather posed little danger to a Drake vessel.

The problem was something else.

“Fighting in weather this terrible would be entertaining, but the monsters refuse to appear.”

“We may end up doing nothing but snowfield-march training. Most monsters are probably hiding from this much snow.”

“True. But that lacks imagination. Snowfield marches have some value, yet they are not the training Mighty Sword Style practitioners need most.”

The exercise alone would not be demanding enough.

They might as well have remained at the Lion’s Holy Office and practiced with their swords.

“In that case, Sis…”

Werlich yawned from the chair before the helm and offered a suggestion.

“Why not continue to Eupheim? We can reach it after only a few more hours of flight.”

“What business do you have in Eupheim?”

“I need to discuss something with that brat—meaning Ulysses Ignat. It concerns materials for Lemuria’s repairs, and I would rather speak face-to-face than exchange letters.”

The matter was connected to the Dragon Vein Furnace Ren had given him.

Ren immediately understood and nodded.

Estelle had no reason to object and listened to the rest.

“Then we will spend tonight in Eupheim. Winter beneath the White Crown does not sound unpleasant.”

Once the decision was made, Estelle left the wheelhouse and stepped onto the deck in the blizzard.

She returned only minutes later, brushing snow from herself with a smile.

“I retrieved the stakes. We can fly again.”

Apparently, she had jumped from the deck, recovered the stakes, and used the mountainside as a foothold to leap back aboard.

The ship’s furnace resumed operating, and the vessel rose into the sky.

Winds around the mountain and stronger currents at altitude caused the ship to sway repeatedly.

Once the vessel stabilized enough that no one needed to touch the helm, Ren brewed tea for everyone.

The three spent the journey in the wheelhouse while eating a light dinner.

“This is what the weather becomes during Glacier Crossing…” Werlich said.

Ren looked at him over his food.

“Does Glacier Crossing cause this?”

“Apparently. During Glacier Crossing, the Sky Continent floats above the northern skies of the Elfen Continent. That creates unusual cold waves and winds. I do not know the mechanism—it is simply one of those things.”

“I see. That explains the weather.”

The phenomenon both worsened the climate and increased monster activity.

A winter shaped by Glacier Crossing arrived only once every dozen years or more.

The phenomenon must also have existed in Legend of the Seven Heroes. Because the game never explained it, Ren had assumed it was ordinary weather.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

At exactly ten that night, Ren stepped into Eupheim’s magic ship terminal.

Unlike Elendil’s Hanging Garden, Eupheim’s terminal was built around a fan-shaped, multistory central building. Corridors extended from it toward the individual berths.

Ren, Estelle, and Werlich walked along the corridor serving privately owned ships.

Most of the walls were glass, and large polished stone tiles covered the floor.

Ren’s footsteps echoed through the corridor when—

“Ren! You really did come!”

Fiona hurried toward him.

Ulysses followed behind her.

“Ren,” Estelle said, “Werlich and I will discuss tomorrow’s plans. You may speak with Fiona and the others.”

Estelle and Werlich did not go far. They sat on a nearby bench overlooking the outside.

Ren continued toward Fiona and Ulysses.

“Lady Fiona, why are you here?”

This was Eupheim, and Fiona had recently mentioned returning home, so her presence itself was not surprising.

What confused Ren was how quickly she had learned of their arrival.

Ulysses supplied the answer.

“The Drake ship sent a signal to this terminal. A vessel belonging to that house receives special attention, so the message was also forwarded to me.”

“I knew your plans, so I wondered whether you might be aboard. Your sudden arrival made me worry that something had happened…” Fiona said.

“N-No! There was no accident or emergency!”

Ren honestly explained their hunting plans and the weather that had diverted them.

Once Ulysses heard about Werlich’s request, he understood the circumstances.

“I see. Then I will speak with those two.”

“Understood. In that case, I should—”

“A carriage is waiting outside. Ride home with Fiona.”

“Why?”

“You were about to say that you should find accommodation for tonight, were you not?”

That was exactly what Ren had intended to say.

The sudden shift from lodging to a carriage had caught him unprepared.

“Stay at our mansion. I will tell the other two that you are coming with us.”

Ulysses spoke as casually as a friend’s father telling a child to remain overnight because it had grown late.

Considering Ren’s relationship with Fiona, the sentiment was not entirely different. The speaker, however, was a marquis.

The invitation carried a completely different weight.

“…Thank you for your hospitality.”

Even Ren’s delayed answer seemed to amuse Ulysses.

“Fiona, I leave him to you.”

With that, Ulysses joined Estelle and Werlich.

Ren looked at Fiona after they were left together.

“Ahaha…”

Fiona apparently had not known about her father’s plan either, but she had no intention of refusing it.

“Father seems to want us to return first. Shall we go?”

The night was already late.

Continuing the conversation at the mansion was more sensible than remaining in the terminal.

Perhaps Ulysses had predicted this outcome from the beginning. He had arranged for another carriage to arrive later for himself. By the time he returned to the Ignat mansion and spoke with Ren, who had arrived earlier, it was past eleven.

They met alone in the study where Lessard had joined them during Ren’s previous visit.

Despite the unexpected arrival, Ulysses remained in excellent spirits.

“How many days will you stay?”

“I apologize, but I plan to remain only tonight.”

“How cold. I thought you and I were friends.”

“I am honored that you consider me one, but I have work in Elendil several days from now.”

Ren would perform a small task in Lessard’s place.

The experience would help him when he eventually succeeded his father as village chief.

“Then you merely need to return before that day.”

I should not have mentioned the deadline, Ren thought.

Both of them were mostly joking, but Ulysses would genuinely welcome any extension of Ren’s stay.

“Estelle and Werlich will stay at an inn. I invited them here, but they declined.”

Ren understood their hesitation.

Werlich was close to Ulysses, yet might still feel reluctant to impose. Estelle was not nearly as familiar with the marquis.

Ren asked which inn they had selected.

“Thank you again for tonight. I should retire now.”

“Of course. As I told you before, consider this your own home and relax.”

Ren left Ulysses’s study.

The marquis’s tone almost seemed to conceal the additional wish that Ren might someday make the mansion his home in truth.

The same guest room as before had been prepared despite his unannounced arrival.

Still surprised by the household’s readiness, Ren passed the attendant who had served him during his previous stay.

“Please enjoy the entirety of your winter break here.”

The attendant spoke as though the matter were already settled.

Ren somehow maintained his composure before the outrageous suggestion.

“I will only be staying for one night.”

“What a pity.”

The attendant sighed in genuine disappointment and walked away.

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