Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 24: Toward the End of Their Second Spring.
Several days passed, and nobles from across the country made their way to the Imperial Capital.
The Imperial Castle towering over the capital was a massive structure renowned throughout the world. Since its founding, it had never allowed enemy intrusion and stood there today as a symbol of Leomel’s power.
The largest meeting room in the Imperial Castle was so vast that calling it a mere room felt inadequate. It was larger than the main hall of the Imperial Military Academy and not much smaller than the parliament building where the capital’s legislature convened.
Several such meeting rooms stood side by side, linked by broad corridors. Today, every one of them was crowded.
Nobles from across Leomel had spent days discussing the agenda items prepared for the conference.
The Imperial Castle Conference, held every few years, was an event where almost all the Leomel nobility gathered.
The agenda covered regional administration, exchanges between territories, road maintenance, and many other matters.
This year in particular, the disturbances of the previous winter, the incident involving the Giant God’s Messenger Wadatsumi, and the events in Windea had drawn enormous attention to Hero Ruin’s descendant.
These matters were heavily discussed, and the Hero Faction was especially energized.
Ulysses and Radius, however, sat calmly in their seats. They had known this was the sort of reaction they would face.
The situation made some members of the Imperial Faction uneasy, but none voiced their displeasure.
Within the Imperial Faction, there were rumors that Radius would become the next crown prince. That prospect gave them confidence.
Ulysses watched the nobles throw themselves not only into the conference but into factional maneuvering as well.
“They truly never get tired of it, do they?”
He chuckled as he spoke to Radius beside him.
They were seated in the largest conference room of all.
“What do you think, viewing all these factional struggles from the perspective of a future emperor?”
“I can’t dismiss it lightly. Some people do foolish things from time to time, so I have to keep an eye on them. What about you, Ulysses?”
“Not especially. I’ve never had much to do with factional disputes.”
It was an absurd claim from a man so often described as the leading figure of the Imperial Faction.
“Don’t be absurd. Plenty of people have crossed swords with you, Ulysses. Especially that Minister of Justice more than ten years ago.”
Radius meant the former Minister of Justice whom Viscount Given had served as an aide. When that minister challenged Ulysses politically, he lost the struggle and fell from power.
That confrontation made the still-young noble Ulysses famous both inside and outside the country.
“I never started any of those conflicts myself.”
“Oh? Is that all?”
“But if someone comes after me, of course I resist. That has nothing to do with factions.”
“There are many ways to phrase the same thing, I suppose.”
While Ulysses and Radius spoke, Vayne and the others were being introduced.
A nervous Vayne greeted the assembled nobles and was met with thunderous applause.
Now that all seven descendants had gathered, the sight of the sole inheritor of Hero Ruin’s blood moved even some nobles within the Imperial Faction.
After the Imperial Castle Conference ended that day, Ulysses stood in the corridor, gazing out of a window overlooking the city.
He was known as the Strong Arm, an epithet that had attached itself to him over time. Many nobles and military officers respected and feared him, though Ulysses himself had never claimed the name.
Nobles and military officers repeatedly approached Ulysses at the window, and almost all showed some degree of surprise or tension. Even members of his own Imperial Faction were no exception.
“Excuse me.”
He was not talking to himself.
Ulysses was addressing a group approaching along the corridor.
They were young students wearing Imperial Military Academy uniforms.
For academy students, those uniforms were formal enough for an occasion like this.
“Who is that over there?”
One of the approaching students noticed Ulysses.
Ulysses smiled and gave a casual nod. Vayne noticed him first, and the other Hero House students followed as he approached.
Other nobles watched the encounter from a distance.
“It is an honor to meet you, Marquis Ulysses Ignat.”
“How courteous. To think the descendant of Hero Ruin would be the one to address me—I’ll have to boast about it to my late father.”
With that, the Strong Arm bowed respectfully at the waist.
“I am hardly a man of great talent, but I have been entrusted with the title of marquis. I hope you will remember me.”
Vayne sensed the strength beneath Ulysses’s smile more keenly than his companions did.
It was not that they had never seen one another before. Both had attended many of the same parties, but until now they had never directly exchanged words.
So this is Ulysses Ignat…
And there was more to it than that. The smile of the Strong Arm, renowned across nations, carried unmistakable pressure.
Without realizing it, Vayne felt sweat gathering in his clenched palm as he sensed the strength hidden beneath that smile.
Ulysses found Vayne’s reaction rather endearing.
“Don’t be too nervous. I’m just a noble, not someone like you, a descendant of a hero.”
“What… What are you saying?”
“Is it strange? Well, I don’t think I said anything wrong.”
Vayne could not tell whether the exchange held some deeper meaning.
After thinking it over, he concluded that it probably did not. Ulysses seemed simply to be observing how Vayne reacted.
Even while speaking lightly and joking, Ulysses radiated an overwhelming presence.
There were many reasons nobles of every faction treated him with caution, and everyone seemed to understand them instinctively.
“What’s wrong?”
Even that gentle question made Vayne feel as if letting his guard down for an instant might cost him everything.
“…No. It’s nothing.”
“Is that so? I hope so.”
Their conversation continued for a little longer.
“Oh, look at the time. Sorry, but I have something I need to do.”
As they watched Ulysses leave, Vayne and the others began talking among themselves.
“Man, this is the first time I’ve heard Marquis Ignat speak from this close!”
Kaito, who had relaxed somewhat, said with a laugh.
Kaito had seen Ulysses at parties before, but this was the first time he had stood close enough to converse with him.
“Vayne, weren’t you scared?”
“How should I put it…”
Whether “scared” was the right word or not, Vayne could not deny how tense he had been.
Vayne gave a wry smile and realized his clenched palm had been sweating the entire time.
“He has a presence you can’t really feel from a distance.”
“Exactly. My palms started sweating just from standing near him.”
“Me too. Sera, haven’t you spoken with him a few times?”
“I have, but I never get used to it. I’m nervous every time. Licia says she’s used to him already, but I can’t understand that at all.”
Many nobles believed Marquis Ignat was someone one should never antagonize. Even among sword practitioners like Sera, some felt it best to avoid crossing a Mighty Sword Style user.
Those impressions alone did not define the Imperial Faction’s strength, but Ulysses’s influence was undeniable in both politics and the martial world.
In either world, there were always people it was wiser not to provoke.
â—‡ â—‡ â—‡ â—‡
As students, they could conveniently use their academy uniforms as formal wear.
A party, however, called for something a little more elegant.
Before spring, Ren and Lessard had gone to the capital and ordered several suits from a respected tailor who often made Licia’s clothes. They bought summer clothing as well and arranged for everything to be delivered to the Elendil estate.
The suits arrived the day before the final day of the Imperial Castle Conference. After a last fitting and a few adjustments at the estate, Ren was ready for the party.
On the evening of the conference’s final day, Ren put on his new suit and headed to a grand luxury inn along the Imperial Capital’s main avenue. Several carriages were already parked outside its entrance.
Ren and Licia stepped out of their carriage and entered the venue.
Ulysses and Fiona were waiting for them.
“I need to greet the Viscount. Why don’t the three of you take your time?”
Ulysses left them with that suggestion, and the three agreed.
The adults were busy, with nobles talking in groups while enjoying the standing reception. Licia and Fiona glittered in elegant dresses beside Ren in his new suit, and the three raised their glasses in a toast.
After they had been enjoying the food for a while, one of the uniformed knights guarding the venue approached Ren.
“I have a message for you three.”
Messages like this were not unusual at noble parties.
They were often used when people of rank wanted a discreet rendezvous, or when nobles wished to speak privately without attracting attention.
Ren did not assume either possibility. He was simply curious about who had sent for them and why.
“Us? Who’s it from?”
“From Arkhaise-sama. He is waiting for you on the balcony just outside the venue.”
Arkhaise was Mirei’s family name. House Arkhaise was a count family. Whether a summons came from its head or from Mirei herself would ordinarily matter greatly, but this message was clearly from Mirei and did not sound like an invitation to a private tryst.
Ren led the two others to the balcony.
The balcony offered a superb view of the Imperial Capital at night. Young nobles came there to cool off from the heat of the party or to enjoy the view with someone they fancied.
Each seat was separated by thin white curtains. In front of one of those seats stood Mirei.
Mirei wore a dress Ren and the others had never seen before. Her makeup and carefully styled hair made her look more like an elegant lady than ever.
“I’ve been waiting for you nya.”
Her familiar tone immediately put Ren and the others at ease.
“Well then, come right inside, nya.”
Beyond the curtain, Radius was waiting.
Ren could easily guess why they had used House Arkhaise’s name. If Radius had approached him openly at the party, it would have drawn attention.
A large round table stood inside the screened-off space, and Ren, Licia, and Fiona sat side by side.
Radius sat across from them, close enough that the arrangement barely felt formal.
“Sorry for calling you all of a sudden.”
Radius began.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Mirei stood smiling just behind and to the left of Radius.
“What’s going on?”
“Nyahaha. I was just enjoying myself, nya.”
The Third Prince smiled in agreement.
“I feel the same way. When we gather like this at night, it reminds me of last summer. We used to spend days working at the academy back then.”
The five gathered there had all served together on the organizing committee for the Lion King Grand Festival. They still met from time to time in the small room deep in the library, and gathering like this at night brought back memories of the previous summer—and the comfortable feeling of being among trusted comrades.
“So, Radius, what business do you have with us?”
“I’ve gathered some information as requested.”
Radius pushed a stack of documents across the table toward Ren.
Licia and Fiona tilted their heads at the sight. They had sensed that Ren was up to something again lately, so hearing that he had asked Radius for information made the situation easy enough to guess.
“Oh.”
“What’s with that deflated tone?”
“Sorry, the documents are thicker than I expected.”
“For a friend. And for Leomel.”
“You’d sound more like the next crown prince if you reversed those,” Ren teased.
Radius laughed cheerfully and winked at him. Ren knew his best friend did not take his homeland lightly, so there was no need to press the joke.
“As I mentioned to Ren before, attacks began around noon in several of the areas where we predicted they might appear.”
“How did you deal with them?”
“The forces we positioned in those regions have already begun operations. We still haven’t found what appears to be the enemy’s main body. I’ve also been told the Hero Houses will soon take the lead, with the Hero Faction independently dispatching its own forces,” Radius explained.
Ren read the report while listening to Radius, turning over several possibilities in his mind. Licia then asked:
“Hey, Ren, when did you mention something like this?”
“It started in spring. Someone tried to take the Ring of the Goddess of Water, and there was the incident with the Giant God’s Messenger Wadatsumi. There’s no harm in being cautious.”
For Ren, events were unfolding largely as planned. Unlike the fixed story of Legend of the Seven Heroes, people here could act independently, which made it easier to anticipate and investigate the Demon King cult’s movements.
(—Is this it?)
One report among the stack caught Ren’s attention.
It was the climax of Legend of the Seven Heroes II, Chapter 1, “Bloodline of the Hero.”
One report concerned the area near Windea, where Vayne and the others were expected to go again. Demon King cultists had been sighted there, and the Hero Faction intended to pursue them. Vayne, now confirmed as Hero Ruin’s descendant, would face one of the cult’s powerful members.
The battle would begin soon.
â—‡ â—‡ â—‡ â—‡
Elsewhere in the party venue, Vayne and his companions had gathered.
Sera had called everyone together to share information she had just received.
The content of her report was the same as what Ren had heard from Radius.
“It’s the Demon King cult.”
Sera said it simply.
The six listening to her immediately tensed. It was a scene that had occurred in Legend of the Seven Heroes as well.
“Several towns were attacked. It seems there were casualties.”
“They attacked us out of nowhere again. We need to hurry too!”
Kaito’s shield symbolized protection.
With the Demon King cult baring its fangs at Leomel, he felt a strong sense of duty.
Like his ancestors, he knew he had to protect the people.
If he already possessed House Leonaal’s legendary Hero Equipment, he might even have sworn, “By my ancestor’s shield, I will fight.”
But the situation was a bit different now.
“Some towns were attacked, but it seems there are no casualties.”
“Seriously!? They attacked without warning—how is no one hurt!?”
“His Highness the Third Prince and Marquis Ignat secretly deployed forces to the regions they expected would be attacked. I was surprised too when I heard, but… it’s impressive.”
The six of them were astonished.
“That’s why, if it weren’t for His Highness the Third Prince’s actions, we would have been caught off guard.”
Everyone nodded. Vayne immediately added, “But…”
“The battle isn’t over yet. We can’t just stand by.”
“Right. Father and the others are already moving, but we can’t ignore this either.”
Vayne and Sera looked at their companions.
“I’m in.”
“Nemu too! If that’s the decision, we need to hurry!”
Charlotte and Nemu agreed.
“It goes without saying, but we’ll need Arkei’s magic, right?”
Then Kaito added:
“In that case, I’ll be the shield to protect everyone.”
The Hero Houses had a tradition of taking the field whenever Leomel faced danger. Their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for the people set them apart from ordinary nobles.
The seven were not ordinary students but descendants of the Seven Heroes. Their duty was to wield their strength for Leomel. Merely appearing on the battlefield would inspire both the people fighting there and the civilians they protected.
But that was not the only reason. There was a concrete mission that required them to go—a mission connected to House Meldaeg, where Squall had been born.
â—‡ â—‡ â—‡ â—‡
That night, the magic ship Deus departed the Imperial Capital with Vayne and the others aboard. Under the leadership of the Hero Houses, they headed for the battlefield to eliminate the Demon King cult threatening the people—and to fulfill a mission only the seven of them could carry out.
It was a special mission in which even Ren could not assist.
The Imperial Faction was hardly idle. In fact, the first to move had been Third Prince Radius, together with Ren and Ulysses, who had been sharing information with him. Imperial forces were already mobilized and continued hunting down the Demon King cultists who had appeared.
Although the academy was closed that day, Ren had come in. After the previous night’s party, he had stayed in the Imperial Capital.
“Chronois-san, it’s me.”
Ren called out after knocking.
As always, Chronois answered, “Come in, come in!”
Some time earlier, around when Ren first began discussing the Demon King cult’s attacks with Radius, he had also brought the matter to Chronois.
When Ren entered the headmaster’s office, Estelle was there too.
“Estelle-sama, you’re already here.”
“Indeed. I came because I was summoned.”
“Sit, sit,” Estelle said, patting the sofa beside her twice. She showed no restraint at all despite this not being her office.
Chronois sat at the desk in front of the window.
“Wow… so Ren-kun really was the one who called Estelle.”
“Sorry. Radius and I have been considering something, and I really wanted to borrow your strength, Estelle-sama.”
“You’re asking for my sword, aren’t you?”
“That’s why I kept telling you to explain the whole thing to me too!”
“I thought it might be better that way, but Ren told me to wait because he would be here soon.”
“So, Ren-kun, what do you think of Estelle’s answer?”
“As someone who had a hand in this, I feel guilty too…”
Ren answered apologetically while Estelle laughed heartily beside him.
“So, why did Estelle come to the academy?”
“We’re going to battle soon. Ren said he wanted to talk beforehand, so I thought this room would be suitable.”
“…Then maybe you should have told us from the beginning?”
“Perhaps, but Ren wanted to discuss it here.”
Chronois urged them to continue, and Estelle looked at Ren.
“A man with a strange power is leading the Demon King cultists. He is the one who attacked a temple in another country where many Holy Palace Knights of the Elfen Church had been dispatched.”
“I heard that the entire town was reduced to rubble, and every single holy relic was stolen.”
“Right. There were traces showing other Demon King cultists had appeared too, but it seems that man alone did most of the work of destroying the town.”
The strange power was the heart of the discussion.
“There are many kinds of regeneration. This man’s is advanced enough that even the clothes covering his body regenerate with him.”
Even after the Holy Palace Knights pierced his entire body again and again, or magic burned him, he regenerated immediately.
Chronois had heard some of the information from the military as well.
She had been trying to identify exactly what kind of regenerative power the man possessed.
Ren knew one thing: the man’s regeneration was abnormal.
Perhaps, in the end, that certainty came only from his game knowledge.
But if they knew a battle was coming, they could research beforehand—not only for a fight involving Ren, but to gain any advantage they could against the Demon King cult.
That was why Chronois had investigated the phenomenon.
“So what did you find?”
Chronois admitted that no ability she knew matched what had been reported.
“Magic can repair clothes. But regenerating them together with the body… and from what I’ve heard, this is on an entirely different level from ordinary regeneration.”
“As I thought, there just isn’t enough information.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t find anything that would actually help.”
“Don’t worry about it. This is the Demon King cult. It wouldn’t be strange for one of them to wield a power we’ve never seen. Still, it’s a troublesome ability.”
“It may be some special power imbued with divinity,” Chronois said.
One thing, however, was certain: Vayne’s power. The Hero’s power could slow the enemy’s regeneration, making it the only special countermeasure they currently knew would work.
(Then maybe there’s only that other way to fight him effectively.)
Ren considered that, then asked another question.
“But even if Vayne’s power works, we still won’t know the exact nature of the regeneration, right?”
For now, it was only a hypothetical question.
Chronois had already considered that possibility.
“Right. The Hero’s power is a divine blessing from the Main God Elfen, so we already know it will work on anyone wielding the Demon King’s lingering power.”
“Well, never mind. The Hero Faction will be taking the lead against them. I may join the battle depending on how things develop, but not for now.”
As she had said from the start, Estelle intended to lend her sword to the fight.
“If you’re going into battle, will you be helping the Hero Houses or the knights?”
“No. I’m heading to the Great Sea of Trees first, for a separate matter.”
The Great Sea of Trees was a secluded, sacred region in House Rofelia’s territory. Since she was speaking with Chronois, Estelle could explain openly: knights in the area had reported sensing ominous mana nearby.
“The Great Sea of Trees… isn’t the territory of the Black Emperor’s Horn Behemoth deep inside it?”
It was the monster whose name Ren had previously found in an Emblem Contract. It belonged to S-rank, generally regarded as the highest tier.
“If that ominous mana belongs to the Demon King cult, we have a problem. If they tried to control that monster… or even merely provoked it into a rampage, the consequences would be disastrous. I’m going to investigate immediately and, depending on what I find, kill it on the spot.”
In Legend of the Seven Heroes, Estelle had rarely stayed in the Imperial Capital. After Third Prince Radius was abducted and killed in the first game, she had traveled throughout Leomel relentlessly hunting the Demon King cult.
But the current situation was different. Estelle had received a separate mission from Radius.
“Controlling a creature that proud doesn’t sound realistic… Are you sure you’ll be all right? Should I come with you?”
“Heh. Are you underestimating me, Chronois?”
“No, no, I’m just worried. Can’t you tell?”
“I know. Don’t worry. Besides, it would cause more trouble if you left this area. Please use your strength to reassure the people here.”
As Ren had discussed with Radius, he intended to stay near the people he needed to protect in Elendil and the Imperial Capital—Licia and Fiona. At first he had wondered whether he should go fight alongside Vayne and the others, but they were surrounded by substantial Hero House forces, and a Mighty Sword Style user was also being dispatched in secret.
There was also a special mission only members of the Hero Houses could carry out, making it difficult for Ren to interfere even if he wanted to.
And because he believed Orphide could be left to Vayne and the others, Ren decided his own role was to remain near Licia and Fiona in case the worst happened. If events continued as expected, everything should be over by nightfall.
Soon Estelle left the headmaster’s office, and Ren followed shortly afterward.
(…I’ve made sure Vayne knows.)
The previous night, before the party ended and before Vayne’s group left the inn, Ren had caught Vayne and passed along a piece of advice. Unsure how to explain where it came from, he had presented it merely as a rumor heard through the guild.
“…Is it true?”
“I’m not sure. But I think it’s worth trying.”
“Alright, if a fight breaks out, I’ll give it a shot!”
If Vayne could use the tactic, they might gain an advantage in battle. It was essentially strategy information from the game. Because Ren could not be certain that his knowledge of Legend of the Seven Heroes would apply perfectly in this world, he had presented it only as a rumor and told Vayne to try it if the chance arose.
Ren met Radius at a corner of the corridor. The academy was closed, but they had arranged to meet there.
“For the most part, they’re moving exactly as expected.”
Radius delivered the latest reports one by one.
“The citizens finished evacuating before the enemy arrived. Knights and Hero House forces are fighting throughout the town. We prepared anti-army assets such as magic war machines, but with so many enemies, close combat is unavoidable.”
“Any significant developments in the battle?”
“Nothing worth noting. Everything is proceeding smoothly.”
Then Radius added a qualification.
“As I mentioned, it’s mostly as expected. In this situation, there’s a high possibility that they’re sending more forces than we anticipated.”
“Reinforcements?”
“Only signs so far. If they do send reinforcements, the Imperial Capital or the area around Elendil is the most likely target. They’re probably wary because we moved so quickly. It almost looks as though they’re trying to stop us from identifying their true objective.”
“So that’s why the reinforcements?”
“Yes.”
The Imperial Castle Conference had only just ended. If trouble erupted around a major city like the capital, it would inevitably draw Leomel’s forces back toward the area.
That included figures such as the Sword King and Chronois; sending them elsewhere would become impossible.
(Of course the Demon King cult would think about that too.)
Unlike in Legend of the Seven Heroes, the Demon King cult had failed to cause several of the major disasters from the original story, including the incident in the Baldor Mountains. Ren’s actions behind the scenes had often been responsible, but this could be one consequence of changing events.
It was only natural that developments Ren did not know would sometimes occur. The Demon King cultists were clearly still trying to bring Leomel down.
“What bothers me is that man.”
That man—the one Radius had previously reported to Ren. His name was Orphide.
“Without a doubt, he’s the mastermind behind this current commotion. But what could his objective be?”
Ren had been thinking the same thing. The Demon King cult was beginning to run rampant across the world, yet Leomel had suffered more than any other nation. Why the cult targeted Leomel so persistently remained unknown.
The same was true for Orphide’s motivations.
Radius went on.
“There must be something about targeting Leomel that brings them closer to reviving the Demon King. I don’t know the details, but my determination to stop them hasn’t changed.”
“Or maybe some country that hates Leomel is using the Demon King cult to attack us.”
Ren said it as a joke.
“I considered that too. But other countries have suffered major damage as well, so it’s hard to believe anyone is simply using the Demon King cult as a pawn… though I suppose we can’t rule out everything.”
Radius gave a thoughtful sigh.
“I don’t know about the Shelgad Empire. Maybe it’s because they’re always in the sky, but there’s very little information about Demon King cultists appearing on the Sky Continent.”
Radius’s comment was also meant as a joke, much like what Ren had said earlier.
“So, Ren, what are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”
“If you were acting like your usual self, I thought you might say it was about time you went to fight too.”
“That’s… well.”
Ren had considered it. Since Vayne and the others were heading into battle, perhaps he should help as well. But he was thinking about Licia and Fiona. He believed he should remain here, close enough to protect them.
Instead, without going so far as to call it a responsibility borne by someone who knew Legend of the Seven Heroes, he was doing everything else he could.
Since before spring, he had repeatedly coordinated with Radius and the others so they could stay one step ahead of the enemy.
…Even so, Ren could not completely shake the doubt that he ought to be doing more than staying here. He had actively fought the Demon King cult until now, and that history weighed on him. Even if remaining here was the right decision, part of him still felt it was not enough.
Seeing Ren lost in thought, his best friend spoke.
“I’ll respect Ren’s decision, but promise me one thing.”
“A promise?” Ren tilted his head.
“Just promise me you won’t do anything reckless. Those two would be sad.”
Radius chuckled and lightly poked Ren in the side.
“What if I act recklessly without thinking I am?”
“Then it’s your own responsibility.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
“So, be careful, my friend.”
“I haven’t even said I’m going to fight.”
“Hmm, now that you mention it, you haven’t,”
Radius replied with a laugh.
Radius smiled at Ren’s back and thought:
You have the same look on your face as you did back at the Grand Clock Tower, Ren.
He left the thought unspoken.