Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 10: With the Arrival of Spring.
Lemuria’s first owner was a member of the former imperial family.
Werlich had built it at the request of the imperial family, but its owner used it so recklessly that the furnace was destroyed and even the frame was badly damaged.
Finally, after a long time, the repairs were completed to the point where it could be test-flown.
“It’s quite impressive, isn’t it? This is Lemuria, which has undergone repairs and improvements!”
At one corner of the dock in the Hanging Garden, Werlich—a blacksmith and magic-ship engineer—spoke proudly.
Having heard about it just last night, Ren had come here with Licia to see the nearly repaired Lemuria.
Standing on the dock’s stark iron floor, the two of them were left speechless.
They could only imagine how beautiful Lemuria would look once it was flying through the sky.
“In spring, it will be able to fly long distances! We plan to perform a test flight soon… Hey, what are you two so quiet for?”
“Sorry, we were just too impressed.”
“I am too. I’ve never seen a magic ship this beautiful before.”
Werlich, unusually bashful at their reaction, scratched the tip of his nose and looked proudly at Lemuria.
“Oh, it’s amazing!”
Lemuria’s exterior had hardly changed since Ren had last seen it. Its interior was divided into several rooms, but the ship itself was smaller than an ordinary passenger-carrying magic ship.
The bullet-shaped upper part had translucent wings that folded like fish fins and shone like polished crystal. Some decorations from its time as the imperial family’s magic ship were still present.
The lower section connected to the upper body resembled a sailing ship stripped of its mast and sails.
The impression Ren had formed before—that it looked every bit like a ship meant to fly—had only grown stronger.
“The appearance and size haven’t changed much, but due to adjustments to the furnace’s output, various modifications have been made internally. First, the main furnace’s responsiveness to magic power… Then, I recalculated the coefficient for increasing the output…”
Ren couldn’t understand his explanation, but he got the gist of it from the atmosphere.
Lemuria had been modified so extensively that its internals could practically be called something entirely different from before.
Asval’s horn and the Dragon Vein Furnace Ren had received from Ragna the previous year had been incorporated into it. Combined with Werlich’s skill as an engineer, they had brought Lemuria back to life with even greater power.
“I’ll register myself as the pilot. It’s difficult to operate this thing, so it’s better this way.”
“Do you have to register for magic ships?”
“What are you talking about, Ren? Of course, you do. Even for my sister’s magic ship, my name is registered along with the Drake family’s members. You have to be thorough about these things.”
“I understand. Although, I think Lessard-sama will confirm that kind of thing.”
I think so too… but what exactly is the situation with this ship’s ownership?
Surely it belongs to House Clausel.
As Ren was about to say that, Licia spoke first.
“Lemuria was granted to our family along with Elendil by His Majesty, so ownership lies with our family.”
Unlike territory, however, Lemuria had been bestowed on them as an imperial gift.
“But I heard that, for certain rights—including the right to use it—your name will be listed alongside Father’s.”
“That’s right. By the way, I just heard about it this morning.”
“I just found out this morning too. I didn’t think it was something to keep a secret.”
“Gahahaha! I see! Well, I get it. Lemuria was practically brought back to life thanks to Ren, so I can understand why Lord Lessard would do that!”
It would never be acceptable to casually transfer ownership of something bestowed by the Emperor.
Even so, wherever possible, the records would make it clear that Lemuria was Ren’s ship as well. That suited Ren perfectly, since he had already been hoping to use it in the spring.
“I’ll take care of the test flight soon. I can’t promise it’s completely safe yet, so I’ll do it alone.”
He firmly declared that.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Since that morning.
Licia was telling Fiona about what had happened in the Hanging Garden dock. The three of them were in the usual room in the academy, with Ren included.
“It seems like they’ll be doing a test flight soon.”
“Fufu, I’d like to see it myself. …By the way,”
Ren wasn’t participating in the conversation and was staring at a map.
“Hmm…”
He was fiddling with a pen in a troubled manner, which was an unusual sight for him.
“What’s up with Ren-kun?”
“I think Ren is probably pondering something about going to Windea.”
“Wi-Windea? Why are you going there?”
Licia explained the situation, and Fiona immediately said, “I see.”
The two girls continued talking. Ren could hear them, but rather than processing their words, he registered only that they were having a conversation.
Ren continued to stare at the map.
“I should discuss this with Ragna.”
Saying that, he returned his attention to where the three of them were.
“Is there something wrong with both of you?”
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
“Yeah, it’s nothing.”
Only then did Ren notice that both girls were looking at him. He asked sincerely rather than pretending ignorance, and the two of them smiled.
A little over ten minutes later,
“Oh? You’re all here?”
Radius arrived in the room.
Mirei followed him in. The cat ears she had inherited from her mixed Cait Sith and human ancestry stood upright, while her tail swayed gently.
Seeing the same group that had gathered during the Lion King Grand Festival the previous year brought back memories of the bustle that had filled the months from spring into summer.
“Hmm?”
When Radius tried to sit down in the seat next to Ren,
“A map. It looks like it’s near Windea.”
“Yeah, I’m planning to go there in the spring.”
“…I don’t quite understand, but is it a trip?”
When Ren explained the reason to Radius, he also understood and nodded knowingly.
“Probably. But with an Emblem Contract like that, Ren may be the only person who would actually accept the request.”
“I mentioned the same thing to Ragna. It’s not like I have any immediate plans for the spring, and I’ve been curious about it.”
“That’s probably true. But… you’re still as active as ever, Ren.”
“Well, I’ve learned a few things.”
Then Radius muttered to himself, “It would have been better if Ragna had told me first,” and after that,
“What are you going to do about the magic ship?”
“I was thinking of using Lemuria or having Ragna prepare one. I also plan to discuss how to proceed once we’re there.”
Hearing that a test flight would be conducted soon, Radius celebrated it.
Immediately, he took out a small piece of paper from his pocket, wrote something on it, and handed it to Ren.
“Then I’ll tell you where Ragna is staying. How about stopping by on your way back?”
“Ah… yeah, that sounds good. I have some things I want to check too.”
Ren answered while thinking about the broken key and the Water Magic Sword. Their previous conversation had come up so suddenly, and summoning the sword outside would have attracted attention, so he had put off testing it. Still, he thought it would be worth investigating before they went to Windea.
“I still don’t know whether it’ll be summer or autumn, but once I become Crown Prince, I should be able to help with the Forbidden Archive as well.”
“Thanks. I’m counting on it.”
The two of them continued the conversation so naturally that Mirei finally interjected.
“You two should explain things properly. These two are completely lost, nya.”
The words “Crown Prince” themselves needed no explanation.
What did need explaining was that Radius was going to become Crown Prince—and that Ren already knew. The latter could be guessed from their relationship, but still…
“Very few people know yet, but I will eventually become Crown Prince. Keep it secret for the time being.”
He said it so casually that the listeners could only stare in surprise.
(So Ulysses-sama hadn’t told Fiona-sama either.)
Fiona’s surprise was only natural.
Ren, who turned his gaze toward the girls, felt that they looked just like he did the other day.
The talk about the Crown Prince wasn’t continued much, and Radius said, “It’s a long way off,” and cut off the conversation himself.
“We came to study during the winter break, but what about you Radius?”
“It’s about Mirei’s work. I’m also free, so I just came along.”
“Work in the library? Doing research?”
“Not exactly. Won’t the winter break be ending soon? And then the day to part ways with the fourth years and the graduation ceremony will come.”
“So that means I won’t be a student anymore.”
Mirei said it lightly, but Ren still felt a little lonely at the thought of her graduating. It was unavoidable, yet it meant that Ren, Licia, and Fiona would have far fewer chances to see her at the academy.
“Well, I’ll come to check on you all from time to time, nya.”
“Right. Mirei isn’t merely a civilian working at the castle; she’s my assistant. Starting in spring she’ll also register as a part-time staff member at this library. In other words, the five of us won’t be separated entirely. Mirei will still come to the academy from time to time.”
“Oh…”
“What’s wrong, Ren? Your response was rather deflated. Well, not just Ren, but you two over there also seem a bit down.”
“Ah, ahaha… Sorry, it’s just that Licia and I were thinking about it right before we heard this…”
“Yeah… I mean, I’m happy that we’ll get to see Mirei-san again…”
“Nyahahaha! Well, that’s how it is, nya! It would be strange if I, who will become the Crown Prince’s assistant, stayed in the castle all the time, nya!”
Presented with a logical argument, the three of them nodded in agreement.
The fact that Third Imperial Prince Radius and his assistant Mirei were close in age was convenient both inside the castle and in the circles around it. Arrangements like this were not especially unusual.
“So that’s what you meant about Mirei-san’s work.”
It was Licia who spoke.
Ren addressed Radius.
“So there will be a graduation ceremony, and then after a little while, an entrance ceremony?”
“Yes. This time of year always gets busy.”
Once again, a new spring arrived. Ren wondered what kind of spring it would be this year, and these thoughts weren’t limited to just that.
“I see… So this year is the year, huh?”
Ren and Licia would advance to their second year. And according to the game, something was supposed to happen during that year.
In the Great Hall of the Imperial Military Academy.
“Re… Ren! What are you doing!? You just… killed her!”
“You can tell just by looking, right? I just killed her.”
It was an exchange from Legend of the Seven Heroes between Ren Ashton—just before he disappeared while carrying Licia’s body—and Vayne, a descendant of Hero Ruin.
For Ren, that scene had been the beginning of everything.
It was where his determination to prevent that future at all costs had begun.
If the timing alone still matched the game, it was supposed to happen this year.
“Ren? What do you mean by ‘this year’?”
He narrowed his eyes slightly as he met the gaze of the delicate girl peering into his face—Licia.
“Please don’t mind it. It’s really nothing.”
Repeating it as if he were telling himself.
Licia looked up at Ren and smiled softly. “How strange.”
Just by looking at her smile like this, Ren felt an inexplicable sense of calm.
On the way home that day, Ren told Ragna about Lemuria.
When Ragna showed him the broken key again, Ren summoned the Water Magic Sword beforehand and carried it at his waist. He brought the key close to the sword, but there was no reaction at all.
Perhaps the repair required an object that directly contained the Goddess of Water’s magic.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
The winter days passed in the blink of an eye. Ever since the incident with Giant God’s Messenger Wadatsumi, time had seemed to move especially quickly.
The graduation ceremony was held right after March began.
Among the Imperial Capital’s many prestigious academies, the Imperial Military Academy stood apart. The number and status of the guests made it difficult to believe this was merely a student graduation ceremony, and the surrounding security was equally extraordinary.
The solemn ceremony, attended by the commander of the Imperial Knights and several generals among others, was held in the academy’s Great Hall.
Nevertheless, in the end, the bright voices of the graduates echoed throughout the hall.
When Chronois declared the ceremony over, the graduates enjoyed one last round of conversations with their friends, behaving like ordinary young people just as they had throughout their school days. Even as they left the hall beneath the voices of the current students, smiles remained on their faces despite the tears.
Outside the academy, graduates exchanged farewell words with current students and faculty members.
The trees in the garden were covered in flowers of many colors. Beneath a clear blue sky, countless graduates prepared to leave the nest.
On such a radiant midday,
“Hey! Have you seen Ren!?”
Vayne ran through the school building in search of the classmate he had not yet had a chance to speak with that day.