Kays Translations

Chapter 5: Sword Garden.

"..."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Radius furrowed his brow and asked Ren.

"What's the matter with you?"

Ren was taken aback by this, and it didn't take long after that.

"No, no, no-----------!"

Even he was surprised by how calmly he was speaking. But once he had digested Radius's words, it was a different story.

Crown Prince. Heir to Leomel.

"Is this for real?"

"What's the point of lying about something like this? Besides, didn't you mention something about me being highly regarded as the next emperor?"

"Well, yeah! But... it's just that when it actually happens, it's kind of... surprising!"

He was surprised. He was definitely surprised, but there were things he needed to say first.

Ren also remembered that he had something to say, so he replied, still not quite settled.

"Congratulations. I always thought you'd become the Crown Prince."

"Yeah, thanks."

Radius, who was being congratulated by Ren, broke into a warm smile. It was a friendly, personable laugh that he rarely showed. 

"I wanted you to celebrate with me, but I also wanted to surprise you. Well, today was worth you coming over."

"Well... if you're happy being celebrated, then I don't mind being surprised."

With Radius, the one being celebrated, okay with it, there was nothing for Ren to worry about.

Once Ren had regained his composure, he took another sip from the tea cup he had just managed not to drop.

"I know you've probably figured it out already, but what just happened isn't entirely unrelated to Cecil Ashton."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Did you forget? The Forbidden Library."

Ren chuckled after a brief pause.

"Oh, no, I didn't forget. I guess I was still surprised by the Crown Prince news."

The Forbidden Library was a special place located on the lowest level of the Imperial Library, accessible only to a select few.

Ren had talked with Radius about the Forbidden Library before. If Radius were to become the Crown Prince, he would be granted access to them.

At the time, Ren had joked that if Radius reached that point, he would want to explore the Library to see if there were any Ashton family records.

"Now that we've come this far, I'm curious, too. I still want to investigate."

"Thanks. If there's any information related to our family in the Forbidden Library, the discussions will certainly become more formal."

"What are you talking about? The discussions are already formal enough at this point."

Radius laughed coolly as he looked at Ren. 

But for a moment...

"...?"

When he looked at Ren, he felt a premonition that perhaps... But Radius feigned ignorance and Ren didn't notice, so the conversation continued.

"The Academy after winter break is bound to be full of discussions, no matter where you are."

"Yeah, about Vane?"

"Hey Ren, did you already hear about that?"

"Well, just a little."

Radius responded with an indifferent tone.

"It's not confirmed, but there are rumors that he unleashed an incredible holy power. They say it even resonated with Airia's power... But that would mean..."

"He's related to the Seven Heroes?"

"That's right. But if that's the case, there's only one left."

"The only one left would be the descendant of Hero Ruin."

The bloodline of the Hero Ruin, who was thought to have disappeared. 

Radius, who appeared pleased but also somewhat sluggish, responded with a casual, "Maybe."

"At this point, the power struggle among factions doesn't matter much. If this man Vane turns out to be a descendant of Hero Ruin, that's a wonderful thing. I'm happy about it... but..."

"But what?"

"While it's great for the Hero faction to gain momentum, I'm concerned that troublesome nobles will appear if they start to think they can do anything."

From a citizen's perspective, the resurgence of the Hero faction was not a bad thing.

However, on the other hand, there were nobles, not only in the Hero faction but also in the Royal faction, who could become troublesome, and that was the only concern.

Nevertheless, Radius added, somewhat self-deprecatingly "I also think it's because we lack the power to deal with them."

Radius regained his composure and continued.

"Oh, and one more thing, Ren."

As a young boy who had single-handedly defeated the Giant God's Messenger, he would undoubtedly attract attention.

Many would come to him with questions, especially given that there were no official reports of Ren's victory. But there was no doubt that the nobles, who could easily imagine it, would hear about it.

"Your next goal is to become the Sword King, right?"

"...Yeah."

Ren, upon hearing that, recalled his connection with Lutreche, the first time they had spoken when he had passed by the temple district lined with temples.

Radius feels that Ren is thinking about something and asks.

"Did something happen with the Sword King?"

"Hmm... it felt like there was something."

"Can you tell me?"

"Sure, but it's not that big of a deal."

Ren mentioned his meeting with Lutreche.

He had also told Licia the same thing yesterday.

Even with Radius, he hadn't imagined that Ren would meet Lutreche. Given that she herself had been surprised, it was undoubtedly a coincidence.

"I really don't know..."

Ren didn't understand... neither about the Ashton family nor Lutreche's intentions.

With no answers in sight, the two of them eventually finished their tea.

After that, they stuck to more ordinary, inconsequential topics.

"It seems that the remaining two Viscount families will also enroll in the spring. I heard they passed the entrance exams."

The Hero faction would become even more lively. Aside from that, Radius's own situation would likely be a tailwind for the Imperial faction.

In the early afternoon,

"It's already closing time."

As Radius said, the academy library was closing.

During the winter break, there were days when it closed in the morning.

"If you're heading back to the castle, shall I escort you part of the way?"

"No, I'm fine. I have someone picking me up."

"Alright then."

As they left the academy, a carriage was waiting to pick up Radius.

Alone again, Ren headed in a certain direction.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

A little over an hour on foot.

Crossing a bridge at the edge of the Imperial Capital, there was a vast green meadow, even in winter.

Permission was required to enter this area, and Ren had that permission.

There were no buildings or hidden treasures here, but there were indeed reasons why unauthorized individuals couldn't step foot here.

This place was a location that the Lion King had visited for sword training in the past and was still cherished by the people of Leomel.

To enter, there were several ways to obtain permission, all of which required approval from the castle to officially set foot here.

One way was to be awarded a medal from the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary, like Ren.

Another was by special permission for rare accomplishments by the people of Leomel.

In fact, these achievements had been evaluated and recognized based on the legend of the Seven Heroes, allowing access.

(2:30pm on this day.)

Chronologically, this occurred after the end of the main story of Legend of the Seven Heroes I, before entering II.

It was during the free days Ren had after returning to the capital after the battle with Ulysses Ignat in the Baldor Mountains.

Ren walked on the grass, which was slightly damp from the snow.

"Not turning out exactly like the Legend of the Seven Heroes, huh?"

It wasn't turning out that way.

Ren found it amusing to hear himself say that with his own mouth, given how he had been trying to avoid such a fate.

He gazed at the spot where she should have been standing.

In the corner of the meadow, which was slightly elevated like a small hill, stood a single tree.

As Ren stood there, looking into the distance...

"Why are you here?"

It was the voice of a beautiful woman.

Before he could turn around in response to that voice, Ren felt his heart pounding unexpectedly, but he tried to maintain his composure and turned around.

"Maybe I thought I might be able to meet you."

The person standing there was the silver princess.

"...with me?"

"Yes, the Sword King, Lutreche-sama."

Leomel's supreme power.

In the Legend of the Seven Heroes, there was an event known as challenging the Sword King, providing an opportunity for him to meet Lutreche.

(What is it...?)

Lutreche exuded a mysterious beauty.

However, beyond her beauty, there was something fragile about her, something that didn't at all match the abilities Ren knew she possessed.

But it was only for a moment.

She quickly erased that shadow and simply seemed surprised. Everyone thought of her as an otherworldly, a woman who was always calm.

Yet, she seemed surprised and paused when she looked at Ren.

Regaining her composure, she answered him.

"You don't need any honorifics when speaking to me. I'm just Lutreche."

She answered matter-of-factly and continued.

"Ren Ashton, why did you come to see me?"

"I wanted to talk to you directly once. I couldn't ask you yesterday."

Lutreche thought he would probably be asking about what happened at the Grand Clock Tower. It was an incident from when Ren had moved to Elendil, and the Grand Clock Tower, which Elendil boasted about, was targeted by the Demon king’s Cult. A battle ensued where Radius and the others, anticipating their plans, lured them in and swept them away.

However, Lutreche had only explained that she "somehow helped."

Ren had heard about it from Radius, and he thought she might try to evade his questions, so he hadn't asked. But now...

"Do you know anything about the Ashtons?"

Marquis Ignat’s Old Town.

Based on information from the orphanage found in the submerged town, the Mystery Agency’s renowned researcher, Ragna, had investigated many things.

Cecil Ashton and the Eroding Princess.

Considering this, Ren was curious about why Lutreche had helped him at the Grand Clock Tower. Maybe she knew something about the Ashtons?

And that guess...

"There's no reason to talk."

Lutreche didn't deny it.

She didn't lie, unlike when she spoke to Radius earlier. Instead, she simply brushed aside the question.

"But I can help you move forward."

With these words, she unwrapped the cloth that had covered the longsword she had been holding.

"Move forward, you say?"

"Yes... but please tell me first."

She looked at Ren and asked, 

"Can you become stronger than me, Ren Ashton?"

The world's most famous sword, from the mouth of the master craftsman Verlich, who said that no sword could be made better than it. 

The sword called "Godslayer," its silhouette with an endlessly white blade. Verlich had named it this, saying that the pure white reminded him of the world's creation.

Godslayer was thrust into the turf, but this wasn't intended as a match. Lutreche simply wanted to hear Ren's determination.

"I... become stronger than you?"

Ren's hesitation wasn't due to doubt.

He was struggling with his choice of words. The words that came out of his mouth, however, piqued Lutreche's interest.

"Even if it might not be a direct answer, I won't change what I do. I've always stayed the same, and if I need to become stronger than you, then I want to become stronger than you."

He didn't want to insult the Sword King.

He wanted to avoid speaking rudely and instead conveyed his thoughts—how he had absolutely decided to become the Sword King, how he felt since becoming the Sword Saint.

"..."

The Silver Princess gazed at Ren.

At some point, she lightly moved her fingers and the cloth that had fallen on the turf floated into the air, covering Godslayer once again.

Turning away from Ren,

"Hey!"

She moved away from him, lips moving.

"Try looking for an Emblem with a Mark."

Why was this like a Guild's high-difficulty request?

Considering how Ren's actions had changed many fates, he couldn't ignore it.

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