Kays Translations

Chapter 18: Like Ren

Naturally, Vane started walking ahead of everyone else. The distance to the spring was not far, and a leisurely two-minute walk would get them there.

As Vane knelt on the grass just before the spring and slowly reached out his hand, he said.

“The water is shining.”

The water in the spring began to emit a white radiance. The descendant of the Hero Ruin caught that light in his hands, leaving the six waiting behind him in awe of its divine presence.

The light gradually absorbed into Vane’s body, and within a few tens of seconds, it had completely disappeared. Finally, a beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping him.

The sight was even more divine than before, astonishing their companions.

After the light vanished and Vane withdrew his fingers from the water, his fingertips were not wet.

Vane stood up, simultaneously examining his palms.

Then he turned to his companions.

“It seems… it was something like this after all.”

He had thought about it many times, but never expected it. 

Ever since the incident with the Giant God’s messenger Wadatsumi in winter, he had been feeling the presence of that holy power more strongly, and gradually, he had become able to use it. Now, it had been confirmed.

Someone with the blood of Hero Ruin was left here.

Several tens of minutes passed, but they communicated without words.

All seven descendants of the Seven Heroes spent their own time by the spring, watching the water sway in the breeze.

Eventually, one of them stood up and left.

That person informed Kaito before heading toward the temple. Seeing this, Charlotte asked, 

“Kaito? What’s going on with her?”

“She’s going to offer prayers at the temple.”

“In that case, shall we go too, after we offer prayers to the goddess?”

As they were discussing this, only a few seconds passed.

“Who’s there!”

A boy’s voice came from the temple. It was the voice of the person who had been resting with them here just a while ago.

Vane was the first to stand up and dash toward the temple.

“Let’s go!”

In response to his voice, the remaining five stood up simultaneously. They rushed through the temple with such vigor that didn’t show any signs of fatigue, climbing several stone steps.

Vane drew his sword as he approached the open interior of the temple. He advanced into that area, cautious and ready, wondering if something had happened to their companions.

The boy who had shouted earlier stood just inside the temple, poised and alert. Vane moved forward to protect him, crouching down to observe the situation.

Looking at the two figures in front of the altar at the back of the temple, especially one of them, he held his breath. He could sense the aura even from their backs, and there was something strangely familiar about one of them.

The person standing in front of the altar turned toward them.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The ancient blue deer was still in an excited state, but not to the point where it can’t be overcome.

Ren, having successfully overcome it, continued on with Ragna towards the location of the temple..

They took a shortcut, either using paths with upward air currents or straight paths created by extending plant life upward. They didn’t stop by the spring and instead came to see the condition of the temple.

Ren turned to Vane.

Seeing his classmate for the first time during the holidays, he seemed even more dignified than before. He appeared more confident than he had been before, wearing a more self-assured expression.

“Vane, you’ve gotten stronger.”

Ren said this with a gentle smile.

“Ah… I hope so.”

Vane replied briefly and approached Ren slowly, his steps measured.

“I sometimes think, ‘Why me?’ But if I have the blood of Hero Ruin, then I believe there must be something I can do. So, I’m going to do what I can.”

“Yep, I think that’s a good idea.”

“But Ren, why are you here? Do you know about this spring?”

“If it’s about the legend, I’ve read about it in books.”

Vane also asked Ren about other matters.

Regarding the question of why he was here, Ren explained that he was only here because he had been requested by the person next to him to do a job.

When he inquired about the surprised voice the boy had just made.

“I’m sorry. I just startled you.” 

Ren said with an apologetic tone and a wry smile.

He turned his face towards the boy who had raised his voice earlier.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ren Ashton, and I’m in the same class as Vane.”

Considering that the other person was from the heroic family, should he have used honorific language? Well, since Klonoa had mentioned that students should be treated equally, Ren might have been worrying too much about it.

Even though they were outside the school building, there was no distinction between seniors and juniors. Shortly after, Ragna introduced himself as a bag traveler as well. Some people were surprised and asked why he was working with Ren, but Ragna didn’t offer any explanations, so Ren just smiled and avoided giving a clear answer.

“I apologize.”

The boy who had shouted earlier bowed his head to Ren.

“I’m Squall Meldaeg. I’m sorry for raising my voice earlier.”

“I’ve heard of you. You’re the eldest son of the Meldaeg family, right? And I surprised you too, so don’t worry about it”

One of the Seven Heroes was a priest named Sirsir Meldaeg.

He was a great White Mage who was known for healing his comrades’ wounds during their journey to defeat the Demon Lord. He also demonstrated his presence with his holy power during the battle against the Demon Lord.

As a saint who left his mark in history, his portrait is now displayed in temples all over the world.

Squall, who was here, was also a powerful White Mage. He was about the average height for his age, slim, and had dull brown hair. He was a well-featured young boy.

“Indeed, my father mentioned you.”

“Me?”

“Indeed. He said you were an amazing knight protecting the White Saint.”

As for the head of the Meldaeg family, he was concerned about Ren because he was the protector of the White Saint Licia.

But due to current circumstances, Licia, the White Saint, had quietly distanced herself from the Elfen Church. 

Hearing such things made Ren feel somewhat conflicted. He couldn’t help but remember the Rosas-Caitas incident, and all he could manage was a dry smile.

“I’m honored that Baron Meldaeg said that about me.”

Ren said that much.

“Vane, if your business is done, it’s better to head back soon.”

“I was planning on doing that soon, but did something happen?”

Ren, who had been concerned about the ring, reported.

“The monsters are getting agitated.”

“Could it be related to the loud noise earlier?”

“Yes, it’s related.”

Ren thought it was probably the sounds of battle and cries when they returned.

Without delay, he continued.

“The path Vane and the others took is safe, so if you’re careful on your way back, you’ll be fine. Descend calmly and take the magic ship back to the imperial capital.”

In fact, Vane had mentioned he and Lizred heard a loud noise, which made sense to Ren when he learned the reason. Vane nodded in agreement with his comrades.

“If you want, Ren, you can come back with us.”

“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”

“But…”

Seeing Vane’s worried expression, Ren added. 

“There are first-year students here too. Don’t worry about me.”

“Ashton-senpai! Are you underestimating I, Liz and the others’ abilities?”

“I’m not underestimating you. But there’s no need for us to stay here for long.”

“That’s true.”

“Besides, Vane has only recently gained new powers. It’s much better for him to settle down on the magic ship than here. I’m sure the journey back will be easier.”

There were several paths they could easily descend through vines and such.

Advised by the Sword Saint, who was skilled with a greatsword, Vane finally nodded.

Vane and his friends turned back and walked toward the temple’s exit. Just before leaving, he turned back one more time to take in the sight of Ren and the traveler with him, who were watching them.

Once Vane and his group had completely left, Ren walked towards the spring with Ragna.

“Back in the cave, you said you found it interesting, but it didn’t seem like you were particularly interested in Vane.”

“I saw what I wanted up close. I don’t particularly want to establish a connection.”

Ragna had just wanted to see him up close once. However, it felt somewhat dry for him to watch without speaking to Vane, especially after seeing the descendant of the Hero Ruin, who was thought to have disappeared.

“I’d heard rumors about him since the time of the Giant God’s messenger Wadatsumi. There’s no need to talk to him now.”

That seemed to have influenced Ren’s attitude as well.

Sitting on the grass where Vane and the others had been before, Ren gazed at the water’s surface while secretly smiling.

(What I just did was totally Ren Ashton, huh?)

Suddenly appearing, delivering words that hit the core and leaving with a cryptic message. Joining in the fight when faced with a formidable enemy, only to be a temporary ally… Ren felt that his recent behavior was quite similar to Ren from the game.

Both of them had finally taken a break.

Just before the spring, Ren sat down on the grass where Vane and the others had rested earlier.

The gentle breeze made the surface of the spring water ripple.

“Since we’re here, I want to check the water quality. Feel free to relax, Ren.”

“Alright, I will. Don’t mind me.”

Ragna took out some magic tools from his bag and approached the spring. He filled a test tube with water and started measuring some values.

After a few minutes of rest, Ren absentmindedly stood up and looked around the spring.

During this time, he decided to summon the Water Magic Sword in a concealed area.

“I hope I wasn’t mistaken.”

Its appearance hadn’t changed, but even just holding it felt more comfortable than before. This was the result of absorbing a little magic power from the Water Goddess’s ring, and it was starting to feel more real.

But Ren couldn’t help but say, directing his words towards the crystal in the bracelet on his wrist.

“Don’t just absorb it on your own out of the blue like that.”

It seemed like Ren wasn’t completely against the idea, but if it happened without him realizing it, he would be surprised, so it was something to think about.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t a negative change, so his comment was more than half-joking.

Returning to the spring, Ren saw Ragna still holding a test tube.

The bag traveler seemed to be enjoying the investigation quite a bit.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Wait, there were people who went ahead of you, Ren-kun?” 

It was lunch break after the long weekend. Fiona Ignat was surprised as she leaned against the wall near Ren, who was sitting on a bench on the rooftop of the academy.

Ren nodded as he swallowed a bite of his sandwich, which was filled with vegetables and meat, a popular choice among students.

“Yes, that’s right,” he nodded after chewing his food. 

Licia, standing next to Fiona, added with her hands behind her back.

“Since it seems to be a very valuable item, were you planning to sell it after all?”

“What should I do, I wonder. Besides selling it, I can only think of when I went with Ragna-san to look for the ring,” 

Fiona chuckled. 

“It would be quite a coincidence if you had the same goal.”

“I think so too. We were both looking for legendary artifacts at almost the same time.” 

“…So rather than having the same goal, maybe they had a different one? Like cashing it in or something else?” 

Licia suggested.

Since the only thing that came to mind was using the power of the Water Goddess, perhaps for some kind of ritual. In the world of the Seven Heroes, unrecorded events usually had some special significance. It didn’t seem like a mere coincidence that other adventurers had gone to retrieve it before them.

“Ren-kun, Ren-kun,” 

Fiona called to him.

“Is it possible that the Demon Cult wanted to take it?” 

“I thought about that too, but I don’t understand why they would want to collect sacred relics.” 

The Water Goddess’s ring would not appear unless it was filled with its own magic power, and the spring in front of the temple would not be filled with water except for once every few hundred years. So, the ring hadn’t been taken before.

While the principle and reason were understood, it was unclear why this was happening now.

“Maybe… they didn’t want to give power to the heroic family.”

 Licia suggested. 

“Yes…Licia-sama what you said makes more sense than them wanting to collect it…”

Ren thought it made sense too.

“Another possibility is that only the Demon Cult knows how to use it,” 

As the fate of the world changed with Ren’s actions, if the Demon Cult had a reason to want that ring…

(Perhaps it’s because it has an important use?)

To accumulate more power than before, they might want to use the Water Goddess’s ring as some kind of catalyst. If there was a way to use it, the Demon Cult would have taken it from the beginning, even before the Seven Heroes’ legend.

(No, perhaps it’s related to Ulysses too?)

In the legend of the Seven Heroes, Ulysses became an enemy and played a sinister role. If that were the case, it might have affected the Demon Cult’s strategy, and they might not have taken the Water Goddess’s ring as it was not mentioned in the legend.

Or maybe they hadn’t fully examined the ring of the Water Goddess and hadn’t been able to find it.

The more they thought about it, the less they understood. Ren turned his face towards Fiona.

“The Demon Cult has stolen things before, like the Elfen’s Tear, right?”

“Yes, but that was also a liquid with a strong divinity, so they probably didn’t know what to use it for.”

“They might have stolen it just to neutralize the Elfen’s church power, so it’s a mystery.”

As the pleasant spring breeze blew through, nobody could find an answer.

“It’s difficult to say who tried to take it, but it seems like it’s going to be tough to investigate.”

Ren and Fiona chuckled at Licia’s remark.

(For now, let’s start with what we can.)

It would probably be a good idea to consult with Radius first.

As the pleasant spring breeze passed through, it enveloped the three of them.

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