Kays Translations

Chapter 34: The Reason Why Radius was Busy

Radius was in a certain city. In the morning, just after waking up, he heard a knock on the door of his bedroom. He got up from the luxurious bed in the room and asked through the door, 

"What is it?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Nyah. There is a guest, Nyah."

"A guest? Who is it?"

"It's Ragna-sama, Nyah."

He suddenly appeared again. With a sigh, Radius said, "I'll be right there," and prepared himself.

Ten minutes later, when he arrived in the living room, there was Ragna waiting for him.

"Did you wake up because you sensed my presence?"

"Don't be ridiculous. It's obviously because of Mirei."

After letting out a big yawn, Radius sat down opposite Ragna, who was sitting on the sofa.

"Why did you come this time? Lately, you've been showing up so suddenly."

"Do you mind?"

"Not really. It's better than not seeing your face at all."

"Fumu, you could at least say you're happy to see me, your teacher."

"Haah... So, what's the matter?"

"Hm? Ah, right.."

Ragna immediately put his hand inside his robe.

What he took out was an envelope sealed with magic wax.

“It’s what we talked about before.”

"... What are you talking about?"

"It's about Ashton, the adventurer, as we discussed in Gargadia."

"Oh... did you find out something!?"

"I've only been able to investigate to a certain extent."

"..."

"You might be curious, but you can read it later. You seem busy, so prioritizing our conversation might be better for your own sake."

"You're still talking as if you know everything, Ragna."

Hearing that, Ragna stood up.

Standing in front of the window and looking outside, he said. 

"You seem busier than usual these days, don't you?"

"What's it to you?"

"Don't sulk now, my cute, cute former student."

Jokingly or not, Ragna loosened his cheek.

"I came here just for the letter. Did you think that was the only reason?"

"Don't beat around the bush. Say it clearly."

"I thought it was about time, so I came. Isn't there something you want to ask me to do, Radius?"

Radius didn't look him in the eye and quietly nodded.

“Ah-----“

He nodded silently.

"If you had said that honestly, joining your side... I wouldn't have objected."

"For the sake of being thorough, where did you find out?"

"I didn't find out from anywhere in particular. But even so, I could tell by observing the situation. You must be busy dealing with that matter... It's a good opportunity, I think."

Ragna stood before Radius and grabbed the collar of his shirt, forcing him to face him.

He brought his face close to his, despite his petite size, exuding a mature and charming aura as a Shelgadian. With a mischievous expression on his face, he said,

"Go on. Go ahead and ask the teacher for a favor."

Letting out a sigh in response to the provocative gesture, Radius said.

"Fine, I'll ask. Ragna, will you accompany me?"

"For what purpose? Tell me straight."

It was still difficult to say.

Ragna, who knew that much, found this silence enjoyable.

In the end, Radius reluctantly said.

"I... I'm going to become the crown prince."

A rescue ship was sent.

This was an event that had not occurred in the legend of the Seven Heroes.

Radius, who had already lost his life, was expected to become the Crown Prince even before that.

However, that moment never came.

"You've been traveling to various places and talking to other imperial family members who are not in the capital, right? Soon you'll be talking to Marquis Ignat and the others, right?"

"... So you knew everything."

"It's only natural. So, how was it? The exchange with the imperial family members, whom you rarely talk to?"

"They're all troublesome people. I don't want to do this kind of negotiation at all."

"I thought so. So, when is it?"

"The day of being appointed as the crown prince hasn't been decided yet. It could be as early as summer... or maybe autumn."

Either because it was a half-expected answer, Ragna said simply as he headed towards the door of the room.

"Begging me before you leave, you still have a good personality."

"Just to be clear, even without this exchange, I've been on your side, Radius, and that hasn't changed since the past."

"So, what was the point of this exchange?"

"It's my hobby. It doesn't seem like you need any other explanation."

"... Ah, it's good to be reminded of your personality, Ragna."

Ragna stopped in front of the door and remembered something he hadn't mentioned.

It was about yesterday.

"Radius, have you heard about the attack?"

"I know everything about the commotion caused by the envoy of the Giant God, Wadatsumi. The one that fled was supposedly taken down by Ren and Estelle. According to Estelle's report, Ren became a Sword Saint. Various details are still concealed."

"Kukuku! Becoming a Sword Saint at that age, isn't that the fastest in history?"

"It's tied for the fastest."

"Huh? Then who else? Is it that director?"

"Estelle became a Sword Saint at the age of eighteen. The other person became one at the same age as Ren, at the age of fourteen."

"... The Sword King?"

Radius nodded.

"So, in other words, Ren is the future Sword King?"

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Ragna."

"It's fine to have expectations, isn't it? After all, he's already a Sword Saint... By the way, didn't something good come up along with the medal?"

As Ragna was about to leave, he mentioned something.

"Keep the contents of the letter a secret. I don't fully understand it, but it seems more extravagant than I imagined when their names haven't even been made public yet. At this point, there's a lot to it. Once you finish reading it, burn it."

Leaving those words behind, Ragna suddenly left just as he had come.

As Radius waited in the living room, Mirei, who had been standing by, came over.

"Are you finished nya?"

"Yeah. By the way, he saw through the preparations I've been making to become the crown prince."

"Nyahaha, it's him, after all, nya."

Mirei didn't mention the letter and began preparing Radius's breakfast. At times like this, even without much talk, Mirei could understand everything and act accordingly.

Radius broke the seal of the letter. Inside, there was a piece of parchment with writings done deliberately with a magic pen. Even if Radius forgot to dispose of it, the writings would disappear on their own.

"The one who wrote the letter wanted materials from the Phoenix Orphanage."

Continue reading.

"I wonder why. Maybe they wanted to make equipment or turn it into a treasure. It's unknown what other purpose there might have been――――"

Then, Ragna began to question the relevance of various pieces of information.

"The person mentioned in the letter, 'she,' piques my interest. The letter's writer mentioned going to the Sky Continent for her and obtaining materials from the Phoenix."

Radius had the tea that Mirei had prepared without realizing it.

Uncharacteristically for him, he forgot to thank her and continued reading the letter.

"Materials from a creature like the Phoenix are rare treasures even on a global scale. There are no known examples of using it as equipment or a treasure. The data from the time of the Demon King was largely destroyed due to attacks. So maybe there is nothing left, but what do you think of this idea?"

It was an unexpected speculation.

"If we consider a story from the past, the corroding Princess appears. It is said she demanded an incredible treasure, and one of them was materials from the Phoenix. If we think of it like that, it becomes quite an interesting thought."

Previously, Radius had dismissed it as foolish, but this time, he couldn't.

In the continuation that Ragna wrote, he felt a certain persuasiveness.

"What could the dead mithril coin from the orphanage be? The pen unearthed from the old city district is also a mystery. If those items were affected by the Corroded Princess, I can't help but feel that there might be a connection between them."

“---But Ragna..”

"I wonder what expression Radius is making now, reading this far. You must thinking no way. But you can't just laugh it off as nonsense this time."

And then, there was more.

Radius murmured and read ahead.

"I believe that Geno, the head of the orphanage, is the Corroding Princess herself. And there's no need to obscure it any further. The sender of the letter is none other than the renowned adventurer known as Ashton. Considering a few anecdotes, I can't think of any other explanation."

"...Ah, I understand."

"He is an unknown hero erased from Leomel's history. I will continue to investigate as much as possible. If Radius is also curious, he should think about it calmly. If we can investigate the person named Geno who ran the orphanage, we should be able to uncover the truth about the Corroded Princess as well."

At the end of the letter:

"By the way, there was interesting information in a book about a certain country's frontier that was being studied by someone.” 

Cecil Ashton. 

A legend about a person who saved a certain village. It's the name of the adventurer Ashton, which Ragna was able to find in a short period of time."

After finishing reading what was written on the parchment, Radius set it on fire.

"...I should probably talk to Ren directly."

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