Chapter 4: What a close friend said.

Ren returned to the grand complex station, the hanging garden, that Elendil proudly boasted of. There, Licia welcomed him.

Her beautiful hair, a mixture of amethyst and silver, sparkled like the stars in the night sky. While she was becoming more mature, she never lost her charm.

With a booming voice just as rain returned.

“Welcome back Ren.”

Ren, who had just arrived, replied to her lively greeting with, “I’m back,” and then looked around.

“Huh? Is it just you, Licia?”

“Yeah. Father and Weiss were here until a moment ago, but they went to the Imperial Capital just as you arrived.”

It was for some minor business.

As for guards… well, Licia’s abilities made that question unnecessary, and there were plenty of guards and knights around, so it was a pointless question.

The two of them began to walk side by side, heading towards the ground floor.

Perhaps because it was getting late into the night, the coldness of the wind blowing on their cheeks stung a bit when they stepped outside.

While walking down Elendil’s bustling streets at night, Licia looked at Ren, who was walking beside her. It seemed like she had started to look up at him just a little more than before, since the beginning of the winter break.

“Did you find the book you wanted to read?”

“Yeah, I did, but it seems like it’s a popular one, and I was able to borrow it by chance. Someone else had it until yesterday, the librarian said.”

“That’s good. I wanted to read it too.”

She seemed interested, so Ren asked, “Would you like to read it first?” To which Licia replied, “No, it’s a book you borrowed, Ren. It’s fine after you’ve finished it.”

“In that case, I’ll bring it to you when I’m done.”

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting!”

She smiled happily at this small promise, and her steps were very light.

After that,

“Shall we do it before bed tonight?”

“Let’s do that.”

After that exchange,

At night, Lessard and Weiss had not yet returned.

The time was past ten at night, and a bit later, it would be time for both Ren and Licia to sleep.

Ren and Licia went to the mansion’s hall and began a certain training session.

Since the incident with Roses Caitas, Licia had developed an aversion to using sacred magic. She had consulted with Klonoa about it, and following Ren’s conversation with Ragna, the bag traveler, who was in charge of the mystery agency at the Bureau of Magic in Eupheim, she had resumed her training in sacred magic from the latter part of the winter.

Based on the advice of Headmaster Klonoa, Ren and Licia had started practicing sacred magic little by little together…

“Hey, Ren, isn’t it more effective when I use it on you?”

“Yes, it seems that way… Maybe it’s because I forcibly made your magic stone listen to me back then.”

“Then that means you’re the master of my powers, right?”

Licia said with a laugh.

“Not quite like that, more like… ‘You, Ren, are so annoying, I’ll listen to what you say,’ something like that.”

Use of Sacred magic on Ren was more effective than when used on others, including Lessard and Weiss. It definitely seemed related to the events of Roses Caitas, but the reason was still unclear.

“Shall we stop here for today?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. See you again tomorrow.”

By the time they had finished their training before bed, Ren’s eyelids were getting heavy.

He returned to his room from the hall and made preparations for sleep. After that, he turned off the magic light and lay down on his bed. As soon as he did, he let out a big yawn and closed his eyelids.

—  Shortly after dawn, there was a knock on Ren’s door.

When he opened the door, a servant was standing in the corridor, and the servant handed him a letter.

Looking at the letter, the sender’s name was simply written.

“From Radius?”

“That’s correct. If you could please check the contents… as the Royal Knights mentioned,” said the servant who had delivered it.

Ren nodded, returned to his room, and broke the seal on the letter.

Taking out the parchment inside, he read Radius’s handwritten words.

“I’d like to meet you at the academy today or tomorrow if you have the time. We’re in the small room we always use for reading. Don’t worry if you’re busy; I won’t mind.”

“Don’t worry if you’re not available,” is written.

It seems that Radius, who has been unusually busy since last year, is finally settling down a bit. He spends his occasional days off reading books at the academy.

A rare invitation from his busy friend.

Ren had no reason to refuse, so he thought he’d go today if possible.

He quickly went to the dining hall and had breakfast. Licia, who had woken up a bit later, saw Ren and tilted her head.

“What are you doing at this hour?”

“Radius invited me to the academy, so I’m going.”

“Alright. Take care.”

After finishing his meal and getting ready, Ren headed to the entrance hall, where Licia saw him off. As Ren stepped out of the mansion, his breath formed white puffs in the cold air. Right after passing through the front gate onto the main street, he caught a glimpse of the snow-covered Grand Clock Tower.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Arriving at the academy, Ren made his way to the library and entered the small room in the back where he called out his friend’s name.

Radius was seated in a chair, holding a book, and enjoying a quiet moment. When Ren called out to him, Radius immediately smiled.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Sorry about that. It’s just that you seem so normal.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Think about it. When was the last time we met?”

“Wasn’t it when we talked about the Leonardo family’s party?”

“Exactly. It was shortly after the discovery of the Silver King’s Shield, Airia. To be more precise, it was before you defeated the Giant God’s Envoy, Wadatsumi.”

Radius had been extremely busy, so they hadn’t had a chance to meet until today.

The awarding ceremony was a different matter since it was under the jurisdiction of the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary, not the castle. Besides, with the commotion caused by the Giant God’s Envoy, Radius had been filled with unexpected appointments. 

What Radius meant was…

“It’s just that you’ve been performing so well, yet you’re acting as normal as ever.”

“Well, what did you expect me to become?”

“That’s true, but I never imagined a boy only a year younger than me would reach the level of a Sword Saint in hard swordsmanship.”

Radius closed his book and placed it on the table.

Ren took a seat nearby and began to relax.

“The Holy Lion’s Sanctuary said the same thing.”

“To the knights?”

“Yes. When I went for training as a Sword Saint for the first time, they celebrated me a lot, but then they said, ‘You’re still the same as always,’ as I continued my training as usual.”

“Haha… I can imagine that.”

Even to the knights of the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary, Ren’s training seemed unchanged.

However, his commitment to training had become more rigorous, or perhaps he was now capable of more intense training than before, given his achievements in hard swordsmanship. This attitude still made him seem like himself.

“I heard you had something you wanted to talk about, but should we talk formally?”

“Somewhat. There have been various things happening during the time we haven’t seen each other. Ragna had been investigating several things related to your ancestors, but I wanted to discuss that with you as soon as possible.”

Aside from the main topic, Radius also wanted to have a conversation with Ren after such a long time.

“Ragna? The old town’s… Geno Institution, was it?”

The door of a building that had been called the “unopened door” had opened when Ren touched it. The building turned out to be the Geno Institution, an orphanage.

“Even though it’s only been a few months since letters and such were found there. Did something happen?”

“Ah. Ragnar is that kind of guy. He always gets results no matter how difficult the problem is. Although there have been difficulties in subsequent investigations, he always manages to produce results.”

“My apologies.”

Here, Radius took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Ren. This was the research report that Radius had received from Ragna before. Ren read the text, which contained the same information that had surprised Radius.

It took Ren only a few minutes to read what was written on the paper, but it took him a few more minutes to gather his thoughts.

He sighed and looked at Radius.

“So, who is Cecil Ashton, in the end?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure, but they seem to be a special entity. The Eroding Princess is similar. There are still many unknowns, but one thing is certain: we’ve taken a big step toward getting closer to the core.”

“It does feel like we’ve finally taken the first step.”

“Better to take one step than none at all.”

Without really looking at anything in particular, Radius gazed into the distance outside the window.

“Hey, Ren.”

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“There’s something else I want to talk about besides the Ashton family.”

Even with the abrupt change in topic, Ren responded in his usual laid-back manner.

“Oh… What’s that about?”

“It’s about the reason I was so busy until recently. Finally, everything has settled, and I want you to hear about it.”

Ren was in the middle of preparing some warm drinks.

He drew hot water from a magic device and poured it into a teapot. As the tea leaves steeped, a pleasant aroma mixed with the rising steam.

As Ren continued with the preparations, he heard Radius speak.

“I’ve been confirmed as the Crown Prince. It’s not official yet, but it will be soon.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Yes. I put in a lot of effort, and all the necessary arrangements have been made. I’ll officially become the Crown Prince in the summer, fall, or perhaps a bit later… Many of the major noble families have already noticed.”

“Ah, it’s like it’s been decided privately.”

“In simpler terms, yes.”

Ren brought over a teacup filled with the prepared tea. With a soft sound, he placed it in front of Radius.

Ren held his own cup in his hand and stood by the window, where he could see the snowy landscape. 

He took a sip and wet his throat.

A moment later, he raised an eyebrow..”——Hmm?”

“Wait a second, did you just say you’re becoming the Crown Prince?”

“Yes, I did.”

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