Chapter 33: The Sword Saint Once Again

The young boy found himself asleep in front of the shrine without realizing it.

During the battle, everything seemed normal, but upon its conclusion, he noticed that he had overused his power.

Before opening his eyes, he thought back to how he ended up in this state.

After the battle, he had come to the shrine to apologize for the fight here… and then exhaustion reached its limit… and he fell asleep as if losing consciousness due to using too much magical power…

It might have been the impact of showcasing the Sword Demon’s technique and the influence of becoming a Sword Saint.

But… there was one thing he didn’t understand.

The back of his head was wrapped in a soft, warm sensation.

When he opened his eyes, he understood why.

“Good morning, Ren-kun.”

Waking up on Fiona’s thigh, Ren responded calmly.

Her silk hair fluttered in the sea breeze, brushing against his cheeks.

“I’m sorry. Have I done something outrageous?”

“I-I get nervous, so please spare me from using formal words…!”

Fiona spoke with shyness, and Ren returned her smile as he sat up.

“How did you get here?”

“In that case, we came on the battleship over there.”

There were several battleships around the solitary island, checking its surroundings.

It had been only about ten minutes since they arrived.

Fiona had come looking for Ren and found him sleeping on the stone pavement around the shrine, so she thought she should at least lend him her knee.

Ren indeed had a special connection with knee pillows.

Ignoring whether he himself was aware of it or not.

“Ah…”

Looking at the flaming magic sword stuck in the stone pavement, Fiona asked. 

“Is this the same one i saw in the Baldor Mountains… or is it a bit different?”

“It’s different. The one over there is more magnificent, you could say it’s an extraordinary magic sword. I don’t know how to summon that one.”

“A magic sword…?”

Ren had told Licia about it in the summer, and even Chronoa and Radius had figured out that Ren possessed a mysterious power.

This seemed like a good opportunity, so he wanted to tell Fiona too.

“It’s a magic sword. I’ve showcased it several times in the Baldor Mountains; it’s my special power called ‘Magic Sword Summoning.'”

“Ren-kun, you said you wanted to keep it a secret when we came down from the Baldor Mountains…”

“I’m talking about that power now. It’s called Magic Sword Summoning.”

As he had told Licia, he informed Fiona about the Magic Sword Summoning.

Fiona had seen the magic sword several times, just like Licia.

So, she had imagined that it was Ren’s special power.

Hearing the secret, Fiona’s face brightened, and she said with a cheerful voice.

“Thank you for telling me.”

After sharing the secret, Ren felt a sense of relief and joy.

As Klonoa had said to him in the summer, keeping secrets from close people was undoubtedly challenging and weighed heavily on the heart.

What she said was right.

While they were talking, Estelle came over there.

“Are you awake, Ren?”

A spirited and resolute woman.

After pondering for a moment, Ren…

“What do you mean?” 

“Both, of course.”

“In that case, they both woke up safely.”

As the Sword Saint, and even though I was tired…

“That’s good to hear. It was quite a beautiful melody.”

“Melody?”

“Didn’t you hear the sound coming from your body? That was the resonance between your aura and magic. Once your body adapts, it won’t happen anymore. We refer to the situation when that sound is heard as the ‘Sword Saint sings’.”

“Wow… That sounds cool…”

With a smile, Fiona and Estelle laughed at Ren, who seemed carefree.

Ren finally stood up and lent a hand to Fiona, who had lent her knee to him earlier.

“Fiona says that this shrine is related to the Lion King.”

“Eh? Is that so?”

The continuation was narrated by Fiona.

“When the Lion King was alive, ships would be shipwrecked, and they would end up on this solitary island. The Lion King believed it to be the blessing of the Water Goddess and was instructed to build a shrine here.”

“What a perfect awakening for a Sword Saint. The Lion King is probably blessing you too.”

Listening to the unexpectedly interesting story, Ren nodded in agreement while looking at the shrine.

“By the way, why did it appear here in the first place?”

“I came here to investigate that. I think we might find the reason in the back. Let’s go.”

Prompted by Estelle, Ren followed her towards the back of the shrine.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, his body swayed for a moment.

The black-priestess extended her hand from beside him, supporting him with a smile.

“Thank you.”

“Fufu…Don’t mention it.”

Ren showed a bit of embarrassment.

He swayed only for the first few steps, and then he continued walking on his own.

The shrine was a simple and unadorned stone structure.

It is said that there is an altar at the very back, but the altar has been destroyed, and beneath it, there was a hidden staircase leading further down.

Estelle proceeds without hesitation.

Ren, as well as Fiona, follows.

“It’s an impressive sight. It’s rare to come across such ancient enchantments laid out like this.”

There were numerous traps and protective marks created by various magic.

The walls, floors, and ceilings were adorned with many symbols, but none of them retained their effects.

According to Estelle, they were forcefully destroyed, rendering them mere decorations.

At the back, there was an underground room.

Several treasures were scattered around. In the center, there was a pedestal with a carving on it.

Estelle looked at the carving and said.

“The Lion King, who washed ashore on this isolated island, might have believed it to be the blessing of the Water Goddess and offered the Undine’s magic stone…”

The spirit of water. The carving depicted Undine.

In the past, unlike the present day, beings called spirits used to appear frequently.

When a spirit died for some reason, it dropped a magic stone. At that time, Leomel treated the magic stone as a treasure.

“It was an offering to the Water Goddess. Nothing could be more fitting.”

Though it was a rare item, a magic stone was still a magic stone.

It didn’t possess the same effects as a relic, and finding an advantage beyond using it in magic weapons was difficult.

Estelle continued, 

“We might be able to confirm the reason why it appeared here. Let’s go inside.”

“Clearly, someone snuck in here.”

“Yes, indeed. The envoy of the Giant God I fought was stronger than the regular individuals.”

“I see you’ve properly learned about the regular ones too. Well, you’re still as diligent as ever.”

Without acknowledging the slip of the tongue, Ren cleared his throat.

“They became stronger by using powerful magic stones as bait, right?”

“Yes. Rather than using Undine’s magic stone in magic weapons like Leomel did, it’s much better to use them as food for their subordinate monsters. That’s probably what the intruder was thinking.”

Given time, the envoy of the Giant God might have become even stronger.

“Now, we understand the situation.”

“Estelle-sama, is it okay to leave it at that?”

Fiona asked.

“At the point where they infiltrated here, it’s evident that the enemy was searching for something. Probably the equipment of the Seven Heroes. As Airia was found near Eupheim, it’s likely that there might be others sleeping around here… I assume that’s what they were after.”

If the Demon King’s cult felt threatened by the equipment of the Seven Heroes, they would want to eliminate it.

That might be the reason for the attacks here as well.

(Now that I think about it…)

In the legend of the Seven Heroes, there were no attacks around this area related to Airia.

If he thought about it carefully, at this stage of Legend of the Seven Heroes, Ulysses was already cooperating with the Demon King’s cult.

He could investigate without even staging an attack.

By the way…

(Maybe it was used as a sacrifice for Asval’s resurrection.)

Predicting the use of Undine’s magic stone, Ren let out a sigh.

The three of them ascended the stairs and went outside.

The winter evening sun was already beginning to set.

“The monsters not only in the northern regions but also in other sea areas were lively due to the Glacier Crossing. The conditions were perfect to make the envoy of the Giant God even stronger.”

“Does that mean, Estelle-sama, that they used the Glacier Crossing for this attack?”

The anomaly in the waterway was also due to the envoy of the Giant God’s influence.

Eupheim, with abundant water sources and facing a large sea, was particularly susceptible to it.

The envoy of the Giant God waiting in the sea for the attack was also affecting the flow of the water.

“There were still very slight aftereffects that continued even after investigating with magic tools. But today, when the envoy of the Giant God was approaching Eupheim, the impact increased. The waves appearing in the town were due to the abnormal flow of water.”

“But, Estelle-sama, the water anomaly in Eupheim was confirmed from autumn. Airia was found after that, so there seems to be a lack of consistency in the timing…”

“What Fiona says isn’t wrong, but the Demon King’s cult probably prepared for this as well.”

If it wasn’t just an attack for the sake of finding Airia, they might have planned to attack somewhere else if necessary.

Even if a more detailed investigation were to be carried out, Estelle concluded that this was generally the case.

Is that so?

As Ren gazed at the sky, Estelle asked.

“However, Ren, what was the trigger for you becoming the Sword Saint?”

“On the contrary, I’d like you to teach me that.”

“Umm… I don’t know. If you ask me, Ren has experienced life-or-death battles many times. With Licia and Fiona too, during the Baldor Mountains…”

“Well, that is…”

Because Fiona seemed hesitant, Ren clearly expressed the words she couldn’t.

“You don’t have to answer. I just made assumptions on my own.”

Then Estelle said.

“If that’s the case, Ren has experienced life-or-death battles many times. That might not be the trigger; perhaps you needed some other experience.”

As they continued on the road leading from the shrine to the coastline

“Umu!” 

Surprisingly ten seconds later, Estelle stopped and nodded.

“Ren, have you ever fought a powerful enemy alone?”

“Huh?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, Ren looked puzzled.

Licia and Fiona were always by his side during many fierce battles.

Jerukku, Asval, even during the Sword Demon, they were always there.

(…)

He might not have experienced defeating a powerful enemy alone.

Now that it was pointed out, he could indeed agree with that.

“If you haven’t, it might mean that you hadn’t fully recognized your own strength.”

“What do you mean by ‘hadn’t fully recognized’?”

“It means you were still bound by the belief that you weren’t worthy of defeating powerful enemies alone. It’s not self-deprecation, but rather, the ferocity that you can reveal was suppressed, and you showed too much respect to your opponents.”

“…Ah, it’s like I was restraining myself.”

“Something like that. Also, the timing might have been just right.”

Through the experience in summer, he acquired the power necessary to become the Sword Saint.

And there was a battle that brought about a change in Ren’s consciousness, and he became the Sword Saint as he was destined to be.

The experience of overcoming an undoubtedly powerful enemy with just his own strength and sword made him stronger.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Eventually, they returned to Eupheim on the battleship and took a short break at the harbor. In the bustling town, it was Estelle, Fiona, and Ren together.

Although Ulysses seemed busy, he finally returned to be with Ren and the others. He had already paid his respects on the battleship, but he did so again here.

“However, I never expected you to become a Sword Saint,” 

Ulysses said with delight.

“It’s unprecedented. To become the Sword Saint in the art of hard swordsmanship while still a student,” 

Edgar added.

“Even Edgar was also surprised. How can I express my gratitude after hearing such beautiful melodies?”

“No, no, no… I’m just so grateful for all of you, and finally…”

While they were talking, a knight approached Estelle. He said he had an urgent report and knelt before her, showing tension on his face.

“Leonardo-sama and the others have fought against the envoy of the Giant God, Wadatsumi.”

“Continue,” 

Estelle urged.

“Yes. Leonardo-sama and the others managed to repel the envoy of the Giant God without any casualties, and everyone is safe.”

Ren smiled wryly upon hearing that the situation was similar to the Legend of the Seven Heroes. While Vane and the others were relieved, there was still more to the report.

“The sea area where they fled is about one to two hours away from Eupheim by magic ship. We have received reports from various sources, and we would like to ask the director to handle the matter.”

“Sorry, but I’m on vacation. You should have understood that when I arrived here on my magic ship,”

 Estelle replied.

“Eh, uh, well…”

“It’s as His Highness said. It’s almost like an order, and I don’t want to go against it.”

Estelle said it half seriously, but she had a grin on her face. Fiona and Ren exchanged glances and chuckled.

Then Ren said, 

“Estelle-sama.”

It was unthinkable to interrupt the conversation between the knight and the director, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Is the promise to train me still valid?”

“Of course. I intended to take care of you during this vacation.”

“Then, I’ve rested enough. Shall we go a little?”

The knights were still undecided on what to do, while the others had already understood the situation.

“There seems to be a conveniently strong monster around. I don’t mind going hunting.”

“Then, please do.”

Ren and Estelle started walking side by side. Even defeating the one that escaped would be beneficial for Eupheim. So, there was no reason to hesitate.

The knight finally realized that what happened earlier was an act and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ren, please wait a moment.”

Fiona took Ren’s hand and stopped him in his tracks. She wiped away the remaining soot or dirt on his cheek with a handkerchief she had. Though she truly wanted to go with Ren, she knew well what she should do in Eupheium.

“Please take care of yourself. If anything happens, I’ll come flying to you immediately,” 

“Don’t worry. Estelle-sama is here, so I won’t need to do anything reckless, and it seems like everything will be fine.”

“Come on, Ren-kun…”

With these parting words, they went their separate ways.

“Ren Ashton! Are you really sure about this?”

“I’m fine. I want to reaffirm my senses while I still remember them. Ah, but if it’s okay with you…”

Ren, walking towards the magic airship terminal, stops and turns around. Despite appearing quite tired until they returned to Eupheim, now he doesn’t show any signs of exhaustion.

“I’ll be back soon, so I want to eat something delicious when I return.”

“—————————–“

Leaving such a small wish behind, he turned his back again.

“Hahahahahhaha! I’ll prepare as much as you want!”

And so, they headed back to the battlefield.

As they walked through Eupheim,

“But, Estelle-sama, your way of speaking just now was a bit mean.”

“I know. But what His Highness said was true. I didn’t want to go against that order, so I wanted an excuse.”

“Haa… I thought so.”

Blending into the crowd,

After walking for a while, they met up with Verlich, who was standing with his back to a street lamp.

“Hey, Ren.”

“Verlich-san, it feels like it’s been a while.”

“Yeah. Anyway, it seems like you did something amazing.”

“Maybe. I’ll tell you the details on the magic ship.”

“Alright! I’m looking forward to it!”

The magic ship terminal wasn’t too far from here.

Night was approaching even faster now.

“By the way, Ren, how does it feel to subjugate monsters attacking the country during winter vacation?”

“On the contrary, Estelle-sama, what do you think about subjugating such monsters during your vacation?”

Estelle was momentarily taken aback. Before she could continue, Ren spoke first.

A white breath was carried away by the sea breeze.

“I said it once in front of Radius before.”

It was during the commotion at the Great Clock Tower.

“To become a lion who can overcome everything.”

Had he truly become stronger, just as those words suggested?

Thinking about the growth on this day,

“Yeah, Ren, I think you can do it.”

The Sword Saint once again headed towards the battlefield.

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