Chapter 6: The Request that Caught My Eyes and the Person that Requested it.

Around the same time.

Inside a certain magic-powered ship approaching the Imperial Capital,

If this were the Legend of the Seven Heroes,

『Vane, that was amazing. 』

This event was unfolding on the magic-powered ship just before the ending of Legend of the Seven Heroes I.

A group had gathered in the ship’s hall.

Among them, Vane, the descendant of the hero who had thwarted Ulysses Ignat’s schemes in the Baldor Mountains, was at the center of the conversation.

『That light… Vane, maybe you’re the descendant of the hero, Ruin? 』

『I wonder… I don’t really feel anything. 』

Seeing Vane hesitate in his response, Sarah Riohard chimed in.

“It was like the light when you saved me in the forest a long time ago.”

It was an incident from their past that had brought the two of them together.

“That light probably prevented Asval’s complete revival… But it didn’t feel like divine magic or white magic.”

“Yeah, Nemu thinks so too!”

“Indeed, I’ve been to the temple many times for the Lophelia family’s work, but no priest ever used such power.”

Nemu Altia and Charlotte Lophelia added their voices.

Vane, who had been at the center of the conversation, gazed at his palm while sitting on the sofa.

He reminisced about the time spent in the Baldor Mountains and thought about the aftermath of the tragedy that had spread throughout the entire Leomel Empire.

Now, he pondered his companions’ words.

“There have been so many things, and I can’t settle down to think yet… Right now, I’m just grateful that we all returned safely. 』

Vane’s words were met with agreement, and everyone rejoiced at the end of their challenging journey.

On the way back home, they observed a landscape through the window of the magic-powered ship.

In a region far from human settlements, despite being mostly flat terrain, several large rivers converged at an unusual geological formation.

This place existed within the vast natural expanse, about two hours by magic-powered ship from the Imperial Capital.

“Sarah, what’s that?”

Vane, curious about the terrain, asked Sarah.

“That’s the place where water and wind sleep… Windea. 』

At the event just before the ending of Legend of the Seven Heroes I, unfolding inside the magic-powered ship,

A huge river merges at the center of the terrain that Vane was concerned about.

“Look at that.”

They had arrived at a massive lake, large enough to accommodate a small city. It was surrounded by lush forests and plains.

In the center of the lake stood a tower-like mountain with sharp rocky peaks. The summit of the mountain reached even higher than the magic ship that Vane and the others were on. At the top of the mountain, which pierced through the clouds, there were grains of light that resembled the vibrant magic and midsummer greenery. These grains of light danced in the wind.

“They say the water and wind on the Elfen continent eventually make their way there 』 

Vane said, though he wasn’t sure if it was true, and Sara chuckled.

“It looks like the light shining above the clouds is the accumulated magic,” 

“I guess so.”

Sara continued. 

“The water drawn from that lake into the mountain transforms into pure magic and is released back into the world. The wind blends with that magic and, like water, is reborn to fly across the continent from the sky. Windea is said to be a domain created by the Water Goddess.”

In events like these, Vane, who inherited the blood of the Hero Ruin, would undergo a bit of enhancement there, acquiring new abilities. And now, in this world line as well, a similar conversation was unfolding. The only difference was that they were on their way back from the Leonardo territory rather than the Baldor Mountains.

“Huh… so there’s a place like that.”

“It’s been a while since I saw something like this.”

Vane expressed his admiration, and Sarah stood proudly next to him, eager to continue the conversation.

Seeing this, Charlotte attempted to interrupt from behind, trying to embrace Vane. Sarah, however, resisted and wriggled her body to shake Charlotte off.

“For goodness’ sake! Charlotte, you’re always so sudden!”

“Aw, don’t be so rough!”

In the end, Sarah sighed in resignation, because she couldn’t shake Charlotte off, and resumed the conversation, disregarding the girl behind her.

“Once every few hundred years, the usually dry spring near the temple at the top of the mountain there gets filled with water.”

“It’s not rainwater, is it?”

“Of course not. It’s water imbued with holiness, possessing the power to repel evil. It springs up from nowhere. It seems it reacts strongly to the power of the hero, especially…”

Suddenly, everyone’s movements came to a halt, as if they had coordinated it. They all turned to look at Vane.

Vane, in the spotlight of their gazes, nodded vigorously.

“If my power can be used to fight against the Demon King’s Cult, then I think we should investigate,”

If it was a decision made by Vane, no one opposed it.

If he said it, they wanted to respond to his feelings.

“Then it’s settled! We should head to Windea soon!”

“N-No way! Sarah-chan, are you crazy climbing such a mountain in this season?”

“Yeah… even for someone with muscles like mine, Windea is said to be more dangerous than the Baldor Mountains, which are already treacherous. It’s probably better to wait until spring.”

“Let’s go during the spring break, okay? After all, we can go together once those kids… start school.”

“…That’s true. There’s no guarantee the spring will be filled with water this year.”

But they believed that if Vane’s power was revealed this year, then surely…

There was always a reason behind meaningful touches.

Many players thought of this event as the prologue to Legend of the Seven Heroes II, and they were correct.

Legend of the Seven Heroes II – Chapter One: “Bloodline of the Hero”

The beginning of the story of the boys and girls who had grown after I.

However, what they had to discuss was not just that.

“After winter break, I want to talk to Ren.”

“Yeah! I second that!”

“Hey, Kaito-kun, don’t suddenly raise your voice like that!”

“S-Sorry, Nemu.”

Kaito couldn’t help but get excited and raise his voice.

That’s how shocking the events they heard about this winter were.

“What’s happened to Ashton? If the rumors are true, he single-handedly defeated the Giant God’s Messenger, Wadatsumi.”

As Kaito got excited, Charlotte added her words, still frolicking on Sarah’s back.

Sarah, who had completely given up, was playing with Charlotte’s bangs hanging down.

“It’s not just a rumor anymore. Considering the power that was there at that location, there’s no doubt it was him.”

“But, you know, even the Lion Holy Sanctuary’s Chief was there, right? And the Ignat family’s steward too.”

“I know about that. But the Chief was in town, that’s what they say, and the family steward was by the side of Marquis Ignat, right?”

“I see… So it’s probably Ren after all.”

As the winter hours slowly passed by.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

While the magic airship carrying Vane and the others flew in the distant sky, Ren believed in the words uttered by Lutreche and headed to the Adventurer’s Guild in the Imperial Capital.

Amidst the bustling crowd of people, he paid no attention to his surroundings and made his way to the reception counter.

“Welcome, Ren Ashton-dono.”

“I came here because of our previous conversation. Is that alright?”

“Of course. You’ve come to verify the Crested Emblem, correct?”

“This way, please.” 

Ren was guided by the receptionist to the inner part of the guild.

However, it wasn’t a space used by employees, but rather a special room for guests, akin to the interior of a high-end inn.

As Ren walked down a long corridor, there was also a reception desk in the special room.

The requests posted on the wall even had a luxurious feel to the paper used. At least, that’s how it felt to him.

Apart from Ren, there were several other adventurers present, as well as nobles, wealthy individuals, knights, and more who had come for requests.

“Do you have any specific preferences?”

When asked by the receptionist who had guided him. 

(That being said…)

Since Lutreche hadn’t provided detailed information, he wasn’t sure how to proceed from here. Planning to take his time and thoroughly read through the requests at his own pace, Ren told the receptionist, “I’ll take my time looking.”

“Of course.”

After the receptionist left, Ren turned his attention to the requests posted.

– “Defeat monsters on the aerial route to the Magic Continent. Combat is scheduled on the deck of the magic airship. Daily payment of 5 million G, to be divided among participants.”

– “Head to the territory of the Black Emperor’s Horn and collect the shed horns of the Behemoth. Reward negotiable. Due to being a powerful individual belonging to the S-rank, there are several special conditions.”

– “I want to hear the song of the Sirens. I request an escort to a secluded open sea area. Daily payment of 17 million G.”

There were many other request forms as well, and Ren noticed that several of them seemed familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

However, with just this information, he couldn’t see any apparent connection to Lutreche’s advice. Ren hummed as he continued to glance over the requests for a few minutes.

“Could this be…”

His attention was drawn to a particular request.

– “Searching for sacred relics. Carrying luggage. Preparing meals. Assisting with document organization. Other miscellaneous tasks. Reward negotiable.”

Compared to the other request forms, this one seemed incredibly plain.

Ren thought that there shouldn’t have been such a request in Legend of the Seven Heroes.

However, what he should have been paying attention to wasn’t just that request. He also noticed something extremely familiar about the name of the person who had posted the request.

“…Ragna-san?”

The name written on the form was that of the Bag traveler.

Ragna, a researcher belonging to the Mystey Agency.

With no other interesting requests catching his eye, Ren decided to peel off the sheet containing Ragna’s request and bring it to the reception counter.

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