Volume 01 – Chapter 06

Chapter 6: A Visit by the Saint

 

On a certain day at noon, the knights dispatched to several villages returned to Claussell, a city far from the village Ren lived in.

They arrived at the baron’s mansion and headed straight to his office.

There, the knights dispatched to Ren’s village reported that the unknown monster threatening the villages was a Thief Wolfen. When the Baron and Weiss heard that it was Ren who defeated that monster alone, they couldn’t contain their surprise.

“Weiss! You had told me about Ren Ashton before, but was he really that strong?!”

“Th-That boy had an outstanding talent! However, I never thought he would be able to defeat something on the level of a Thief Wolfen……!”

Although both of them were shocked, they switched their focus back to the rest of the report. The knights then informed the baron that a few knights had remained stationed at every village in case any trouble arose.

 

When the knights finished their reports, the Baron dismissed everyone except for Weiss.

“……At any rate, we need to prepare a reward for the Ashtons.”

“How about exempting their village’s taxes for this year? And perhaps you could also go and meet them directly at a suitable time.”

“Then let’s do that. ────Good grief. Even so, we still have to investigate the other nobles. I can’t help but doubt that there was something unnatural about this incident.”

“……That’s right. After all, Thief Wolfen is a monster that wouldn’t normally appear in that region.”

Seeing that Weiss was also of the same opinion, the Baron smacked his desk and stood up.

“Hmph! It’s definitely the work of the hero faction or the imperial faction!”

He opened the window of his office in a rage and looked down at the cityscape.

The hero faction and the imperial faction. The baron didn’t say much about them, but the irritation was clearly visible on his face. Weiss, who was standing next to him, also had a grim expression.

“We have to be vigilant. Tell the knights who are stationed in the villages to stay there for a little longer,” said the baron in a firm tone.

“As you wish! I’ll send the order that there should be at least 2-3 knights stationed at every village.”

“Please do…… But Weiss, I’ll have you go to the Ashton family’s village once again in the near future.”

“I understand. If I am correct, you would like me to ask Roy-dono and the villagers if they have noticed something unusual around the village?”

“That’s right. I’ll entrust that matter to you, my most trustworthy subordinate.”

“────I have received your order,” replied Weiss and left the office soon after.

 

After leaving the office, he walked down the corridor and saw Liscia leaning against a wall. Her elegant appearance was perfect for her moniker, a ‘saint’.

When she saw Weiss approaching her, she looked up at him as if she had something to say.

“Is that true?”

“May I ask what you mean?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Is it true that a boy my age took down a D-rank monster────a Thief Wolfen at that?”

Liscia had most likely heard that from the knights that had left the office earlier, and it must have piqued her interest.

“That seems to be the case. But I do believe it is the truth since I’ve seen that boy’s talent with my own eyes.”

“So is he really stronger than me?”

“Without a doubt,” he replied instantly.

“If that’s true then let me have a match with him,” she responded without a moment’s delay and took a step forward. “As the 「White Saint」, I don’t want to lose to anyone my age.”

“……Hmm. My lady, you should know that your demand is quite unreasonable.”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“Then let me answer as well. My lady, your wish cannot be granted. It would take a long time to reach the Ashton family’s village, and since a Thief Wolfen had appeared, we aren’t allowed to be too careless.”

“……”

“It goes without saying, but there wouldn’t be any problems if we, the knights of Claussell, escort you. However, we cannot take you along with us if all you want to do is have a match with the boy.”

“Hmmm…… I see.”

For a moment, Weiss thought that this would make Liscia give up on the idea.

As proof, Liscia cast her eye’s down. The figure of her putting her hands together as if praying seemed really delicate.

However, she soon raised her head and looked at Weiss with a lovely yet triumphant expression, and she was secretly chuckling.

“My father has to go to visit the Ashton family to reward them by exempting their taxes and praising them for their work, isn’t that right? But since he is really busy, don’t you think it’s better if I went instead?”

Weiss could say nothing in return and cursed his choice of words. Liscia had seen through his plan.

He remembered that the young lady in front of him not only had a natural talent for swords, but she was also a hardworking prodigy who was great at studies as well.

“Fufu. I have to go see my father,” said Liscia and started walking away.

Naturally, Weiss followed her.

“I request that you not argue with My lord today.”

“That’s quite a rude thing to say. I’ll have you know that I never argue with father. We just have nice discussions,” she said after turning around to look at Weiss and making an even lovelier smile.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

A few days later.

It had already been around two months since the Thief Wolfen incident. The season had just begun to turn to autumn and all the villages in the Claussell barony had started preparing for winter.

During one such day, Ren was heading alone for the top of the Blade Monolith holding a jute sack.

Once he climbed to the top, the sunlight tempted him to sleep and he started getting drowsy.

He lay down on the ground while basking in the wind which had started getting somewhat chilly.

“……I ended up sleeping.”

After some time, he woke up and covered his mouth while yawning, and looked at the bracelet equipped on his arm with drowsy eyes as if he had remembered something.

It was the bracelet that came along with his Summon Magic Sword skill, and the experience he gained after his fight with the Thief Wolfen was displayed on the crystal embedded in it.

 

 

Ren had hunted a total of twenty Little Boars in the last two days.

Comparing that with the numbers he saw in the crystal, he could guess the proficiency he gained from his fight with the Thief Wolfen.

It was “80”.

The proficiency of both his magic swords and his Magic Sword Summoning Art skill had increased by that amount.

“I guess the proficiency I gain from fighting monsters is the same as when I absorb their mana stones.”

However, that didn’t mean the proficiency of his magic swords and the Magic Sword Summoning Art skill would remain the same. If he did some training that didn’t involve fighting monsters, he wouldn’t be able to absorb any mana stones and the proficiency of his magic swords would not increase.

While reconfirming what he had discovered in the past few days, his gaze fell on the section which he was most excited about.

 

────「Thief Magic Sword」

 

It was the magic sword he had gained by absorbing the Thief Wolfen’s mana stone.

Part of the description of his Summon Magic Sword skill was that the number of magic swords would increase if special conditions were met. It meant that absorbing a Thief Wolfen’s mana stone was one of those conditions.

Does that mean I’ll gain more magic swords every time I defeat a unique monster? he thought as he unsummoned the Wood magic sword and summoned the Thief magic sword.

“Rather than a magic sword, this is more like armor for my finger.”

The Thief magic sword had the appearance of armor that is used to cover the back of someone’s hands.

Ren equipped that magic sword on his index finger and waved his hand at the skeleton of a Little Boar a short distance away.

But nothing happened.

However, when he waved his hand at a bird flying nearby, a gust of wind emerged from his hand and hit the bird.

Although the wind didn’t hurt the bird and it flew away like normal, one of its feathers appeared in the palm of his hand.

(It seems like the ability of this magic sword won’t activate unless I use it on a living creature.)

But that didn’t mean he could use it whenever he wanted to since activating the ability even a single time consumed a lot of his mana.

(And there’s one more thing that’s bothering me.)

The proficiency of the Thief magic sword didn’t increase no matter how many mana stones he absorbed from Little Boars.

He could think of two reasons for that.

The first was that he would need to absorb the mana stones of monsters that had a certain level of strength. The other was that he would need to absorb the mana stones of more Thief Wolfens.

Ren was leaning more toward the latter.

It was because the reason why the proficiency needed for the next level was so little could be explained by the low encounter rate of Thief Wolfens.

 

……Although he was busy in his thoughts, he stood up since he had yet to accomplish the goal of his outing today. He had climbed all the way to the top of the Blade Monolith not to sleep, but to collect the jewelry items gathered by the Thief Wolfen.

Switching his mind to that task, he put all the scattered jewelry inside the jute sack he had brought along with him.

(It’s such a new feeling to collect the drop items of a monster I defeated myself.)

After every battle in the game, the monsters’ drop items automatically went to the players. But now that Ren was actually inside the world of that game, manually collecting items hidden by the monsters was something he had never experienced before.

It was a completely different feeling from when he carried home the Little Boars he defeated.

However, none of the things he found were extremely valuable.

The best items a Thief Wolfen could drop were special weapons or armor. Simple jewelry that could be sold for money fell in the general category.

That said, Ren wasn’t disappointed because there was now an excuse for him to wear the bracelet he got from Summon Magic Sword in front of others. He could say that he picked it up from the jewelry he collected from the Thief Wolfen. Selling the rest of the items for money would also help his village so it was not a bad thing overall.

……However, he couldn’t find a bracelet among the items he picked up.

Even so, he convinced himself thinking that he could just lie his way through.

“Hm?”

A strange item caught his eye.

When he picked it up, he found that it was a large crystal ball the size of his head and was dyed a deep blue.

Accompanied by a glow similar to lightning, an azure haze was squirming inside it.

“Is this……”

 

With how it looked, there was no way it was just any regular jewelry. Ren thought that it could be an item he knew about, but when he was trying to think about what it could be────

「Ren-donooo!」

He heard a knight call out his name from far away, so he crammed everything inside the sack in a panic and climbed down using the vines.

When he crossed the makeshift bridge he had created using roots, the sound of horseshoes got louder. He quickly made the vines disappear and a knight showed up soon after that.

“Ren-dono! Didn’t we tell you that you have to inform any one of us knights before entering the forest?”

“Ahaha…… I’m sorry. I thought it wouldn’t be a problem for me to go alone now.”

“Good grief…… It hasn’t been long since that incident so please don’t push yourself.”

(……That’s right. Only two months have passed since that fight.)

That night, Ren was fortunate that the baron’s reinforcements arrived earlier than expected. That was the only reason he was alive today.

However, his wounds were deep enough to reach his organs, and it took him days to regain consciousness.

But perhaps due to the medicine that the knights brought with them and Ren’s own vitality, he went through a short rehabilitation period and could now move his body like before.

That was also why it took him two months to finally climb the Blade Monolith and collect the items.

Since the pieces of jewelry were valuable, he had considered asking the knights to collect them. However, the knights were busy with the matter regarding the Thief Wolfen, so it was a little hard to ask them to run an errand for him.

“But Ren-dono, why did you come all the way to the Blade Monolith?”

“There was something I was looking for.”

Ren showed the knight the items he had collected in the sack.

“O-Ooh! Is this────!”

“That’s right. This is the treasure that Thief Wolfen was hiding. I want to sell these and use the money for the village, but is it alright if I do that? Are there…… any taxes or other things I should keep in mind?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. A monster’s loot belongs to the person who defeats it. However, you killed that monster as part of the Ashton family’s duty to protect this village, so there should be a tax levied on it, but in this case, you are exempt from paying it.”

As the reward for slaying the Thief Wolfen, Ren’s village was exempted from paying tax for the current year.

“The same is true for the materials of the Thief Wolfen you asked us to sell. The Lord will be the one to buy them, so you can expect him to pay slightly more than the market value.”

“Is that true? I think I’ll receive quite a huge amount.”

“That’s right. Although the materials of a Thief Wolfen are not really good for making equipment, they are really valuable for creating medicines. Hence, you can live freely for the next few years without any monetary troubles by selling them.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“I think it will be better for you to have this kind of leeway since Roy-dono won’t be able to work for a while longer.”

The decision to exempt taxes was also made keeping Roy’s condition in mind.

“But the person himself was saying that he could move now, but when I poked his upper body, he fainted due to the pain.”

“W-Was it really necessary to go that far?”

“If I didn’t do that, my father would have started saying that he was fully recovered.”

The knight started laughing after hearing Ren’s exasperated grumble.

“It seems like the future of the Ashton family is in safe hands. Now then, let us return to the village. The knights have hunted the monsters for today, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Thank you──── Then, let’s go back.”

Feeling grateful, Ren climbed the knight’s horse together with him and left for the village.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

When Ren reached home, he headed straight to his room and placed the sack on the couch that lacked cushioning.

He intended to sell all of the items he had gathered, but the crystal ball was different.

He took that azure ball out of the sack and placed it on a table nearby.

“I was right…… There’s no doubt about it.”

Ren was certain that the glowing azure jewel was an item he was familiar with. He recognized that azure lightning and the haze inside of the jewel.

 

“────It’s the Azure Orb of Seraccia.”

 

Among all the items dropped by a Thief Wolfen, the Azure Orb of Seraccia had the lowest drop rate and was very rare to come by.

He remembered when he still played The Legend of the Seven Heroes, most of the players desperately looked for a way to use that item since there was no information on it.

Its description was unlocked only when the main character—who had the Beast Tamer skill—reached the maximum level, and it seemed to contain a deeper meaning.

 

「It seems to be an egg. The surface of its shell is so tough that no sword can put a scratch on it. One can feel a tremendous power contained inside by touching it. Hatching it might be possible if it is provided with an enormous amount of mana and a greater dragon’s horn. Once hatched, the existence born will swear absolute allegiance to the one who hatched it.」

 

The players who read that description recalled a certain monster that existed in the game’s setting.

Before the seven heroes had defeated the demon lord, there was a monster that bared its fangs at the demon lord…… This information was written in the game’s guidebook that explained the story’s setting.

According to that book, that monster had absolute control over ice and darkness and even the demon lord had a hard time dealing with it.

The ‘Seraccia’ in the item’s name referred to a place with temperatures reaching absolute zero where that monster lived. 

“……Now, what should I do with this?”

Should I keep it with me or sell it? Ren pondered.

He knew that it would sell at an enormous price. However, he could earn a large amount of money just by selling the other items as well.

Thinking about the future of the village, having too much money at hand wouldn’t be a problem. But he also didn’t want to hand over the chance of getting a powerful monster to someone else.

Although the monster born from the orb was supposed to swear absolute allegiance to the person who hatched it, there was also a chance of it going on a rampage.

Throwing it away was out of the question, and if the description was to be believed, destroying it would be close to impossible.

“……I think I’ll keep it with me for now,” muttered Ren.

However, he knew that hatching it would be really difficult. It was because there was no information on what the greater dragon’s horn was supposed to be and how to obtain it.

That’s why most of the players just sold the orb even though it was a really rare item.

 

After that, Ren went to his parent’s room.

He wanted to inform them about the treasure he had obtained from the Thief Wolfen, but it seemed like the knight had already told them about it.

“Ren, we heard about the treasure! That’s quite an amazing feat! The knight also informed us that because of the baron’s kindness, there’s no need to pay tax on that!”

“That’s true. Because of that, we can now renovate this house.”

“You’re still the same as usual, huh…… Shouldn’t you think more of buying some luxurious equipment or getting your skill appraised?”

Neither of those things ever occurred to him.

Rather, if Roy decided on that by himself, Ren would be so displeased that he wouldn’t talk to his father for a few days.

“More importantly, I think we should order lots of medicinal herbs as the stock is close to running out.”

“Wh-What are you saying? The treasure is something you’ve earned by yourself, so you can be more selfish you know?!”

“That’s right! We are happy that you’re thinking about us, but you risked your life for that treasure……!”

“Thank you for saying that, but it’s not something I accomplished by myself.”

It was a fact that Ren was able to defeat the Thief Wolfen only because Roy had seriously injured it before.

However, his parents did not believe that.

(I really want the money to be used for renovating the house and helping the village.)

However, his parents still thought that he was holding back for the village, so he didn’t know what to do.

When he was contemplating what to say, he finally figured a way out of it and showed them the bracelet he had equipped on his arm.

“Then, can I keep this bracelet? I found it among the items gathered by the Thief Wolfen and really liked it.”

“Of course! But are you sure you don’t want anything else?”

“If there are other items you like, you can keep them as well, you know?”

“Well…… Ah, in that case────”

Ren was wondering how he would explain the Azure Orb of Seraccia to his parents, so this worked in his favor.

When he told them that he also found a really pretty orb and he wanted to keep it as well, his parents readily agreed to his request.

“This is enough for me,” he said. “Please use the remaining items for this house and the village.”

Roy and Mireille couldn’t help but smile at his words.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The next day afternoon, Ren went to the yard holding a training-use wooden sword.

His purpose for the day was to train with the Thief magic sword equipped on his finger. But since it would only work on living creatures, he could test it only on the birds that occasionally flew by.

(This is its sole weak point.)

Although he would gain the effect of Physical Ability UP (low) as long as the bracelet was summoned, he would have to give up on the Wood magic sword if he wanted to use the ability of the Thief magic sword. That also meant he wouldn’t be able to use the Wood magic sword’s Nature Magic (low).

Increasing the level of his Summon Magic Sword skill would take care of that issue, however, he still had a long way before he could level it up.

(……Well, I can handle Little Boars without any problem even if I don’t use the Wood magic sword.)

In addition, the Ashton family also had a fair amount of normal metal swords, so he could just pick a small one out of them if necessary.

 

While he was busy in his thoughts, he heard a beautiful voice call out to him, accompanied by a flowery scent.

 

“────Are you Ren Ashton?”

 

The voice came from behind him, near the old, unrepaired fence that surrounded his house.

(She is────)

Standing there was a cute and lovely girl whose beauty wouldn’t lose to that of a fairy or a goddess.

While he was entranced by her, Ren realized that the girl wasn’t a resident of this village. And for some reason, she seemed a little familiar……

“Ah…… Yeah, I’m Ren Ashton.”

Although he was not able to recall where he had seen her, he still introduced himself.

When the girl heard his reply, she gracefully started walking towards him as her bewitching, silky hair fluttered in the autumn wind. The word ‘lily’ flashed through his mind when he saw her appearance.

Coupled with the dress she was wearing, her figure was breathtakingly elegant.

“What a relief. After all, I wanted to meet you.”

“Meet me……?”

“That’s right. You were the only thing in my mind for the last few days.”

Her passionate words confused Ren.

Step by step, the girl came closer. She was so charming that Ren couldn’t take his eyes off her and just stood there motionless.

“Are your injuries healed?”

“Yes. I recently made full recovery.”

When she heard that, the girl narrowed her eyes and smiled.

She put her hand behind her back and threw a short sword in front of Ren.

Ren didn’t understand what she was trying to do and looked at her in wonder, noticing that she was holding a similar short sword.

 

「Stop, boy────! Do not────it up────!」

 

 

But before he could do anything, he heard a familiar voice call out to him, so he turned his head toward the direction of the voice, and could see Weiss rushing towards him on a horse.

However, there was still a lot of distance between them so he couldn’t properly hear what Weiss was saying and wondered why he was in this village in the first place.

(I guess I’ll just wait for now.)

With that thought in mind, Ren crouched down and picked up the short sword the girl had thrown.

When he looked at it properly, he noticed that it had a dull edge.

“You picked it up even though he was stopping you? It seems like you have guts. Or is it just to show how confident you are?”

“……Hm?”

“Is it alright if we begin the match at my signal?”

“Err────Begin the match?”

Ren said that as a question but the girl took it as a “yes”.

 

“────Then, let’s begin.”

 

With a delightful expression, she took a stance with the short sword. She sharply stepped forward and closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

Her footwork was refined and she was as fast as the wind.

Naturally, Ren was flustered at the sudden fight. However, the girl paid no attention to him and aimed the sword straight at his shoulder.

(────She’s fast.)

But not as fast as Dad, he thought. Her attack was most likely not as strong as well.

However, her swordsmanship was unlike what he had seen before. It was really sharp and fluid, and it reminded him of his training with Weiss.

Ren perceived all that in an instant.

“I think wooden swords would’ve been much safer for a mock battle────!”

Although he was taken by surprise, he easily parried her sword.

The girl took a few steps back and her beautiful face was filled with a look of admiration.

“Fufu……! This is amazing! I’ve never enjoyed a battle this much in my life!”

Even though Ren had overpowered her, she showed no sign of giving up and made a fearless smile.

Now that there was a distance between them, the girl reached out for her dress and……threw it off.

Ren, who was carefully watching her every move, couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Eh.”

However, she wasn’t in her undergarments. But instead, she was wearing a white, easy-to-move outfit that looked similar to a military uniform underneath her dress.

(That outfit seems vaguely familiar.)

While he was trying to recall where he had seen that outfit, the girl relentlessly closed in. Her movements were a lot faster and sharper than before, perhaps because the dress was no longer hindering her, or maybe because she was more focused now.

“How about this!”

Her swordsmanship was so refined that it didn’t seem like it came from a child.

“I don’t know what you want, but this is nothing!”

However, Ren was still better.

He decided that it was about time to end this, and used his sword to push the girl in order to break her posture.

“You’re joking……?!!”

That action took the girl off guard and her center of gravity shifted to one of her legs, making her lose balance. Ren continued to push her with his sword and she miserably fell on her bottom.

Eventually, she lost to Ren in strength and lay completely flat on the ground.

 

“────I win.”

 

Ren thrust his short sword right next to the girl’s neck.

Since he was straddling her, she couldn’t move her hands properly. Faced with his intense eyes looking down at her, the girl fell silent.

However, a few seconds later, her cheeks slightly turned red.

“…………ose.”

“Hm?”

“I said……! You’re too close!”

When Ren noticed what the girl meant, he separated himself from her in a panic and took a few steps back.

“S-Sorry! That wasn’t my intention, and I was just trying to make you admit defeat!”

There was no other reason. The girl knew that as well, but she couldn’t help but get embarrassed.

 Her bright red cheeks captivated Ren.

“~~! D-Don’t you forget this! I’ll definitely make you regret embarrassing me!”

The girl forcefully stood up and swung her sword. Her eyes were moist due to the embarrassment.

Although her swordsmanship was as beautiful as before, Ren could sense a slight impatience behind it and it looked a little rough around the edges.

“Huh? We are still not done?!”

“That goes without saying! You still haven’t made me admit defeat yet!”

“────H-How irrational……”

At any rate, Ren didn’t intend to fight anymore as he was scared of injuring the girl.

That’s why he wanted to end the match quickly……

“My lady, that’s enough! Boy, you should stop as well!”

While Ren was wondering what to do, he finally heard Weiss’s voice stopping him and the girl.

In response, he calmly asked Weiss, “Weiss-sama, why are you here?”

“Aah…… Sorry for the sudden visit. We actually────”

“Weiss. I’ll do the explaining.”

“……Understood.”

The girl started walking towards Ren and stopped at a slight distance away from him.

And then, she performed a curtsy.

Although she was wearing an outfit that looked like a military uniform, her curtsy clearly displayed her elegance and nobility, and it seemed like the area around her had transformed into a bright banquet hall.

Ren was unconsciously fascinated by the lovely smile she made with her beautiful face.

“I am here as my father’s representative to deliver a letter to the Ashtons.”

Ren had a bad feeling when he heard her words.

Is she────he thought as cold sweat trickled down his back.

“My father praises the Ashtons for defeating the Thief Wolfen and says that he has strong hopes for Ren Ashton’s future.”

“Ah, yes…… Thank you very much……”

The girl felt slightly annoyed at Ren’s unclear response.

“What’s with that reaction? Are you not happy?”

“The young man must be confused, my lady. Besides, you still haven’t introduced yourself.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

The girl cleared her throat and straightened her posture.

She made an elegant smile as she introduced herself.

 

“I am Liscia Claussell────the 「White Saint」.”

 

“You must have heard of me, right?” she asked as to deal the final blow to Ren, who was too stunned to speak.

Ren nodded in response as his cheeks twitched. When he noticed Liscia’s satisfied expression, he looked up at the sky with his eyes gazing into the distance.

“My lady, your dress,” said Weiss after picking up the dress Liscia had taken off earlier.

“I’m sweaty right now so I’ll wear it later.”

“Understood. At any rate, my lady, I cannot approve of you taking advantage of my absence and rushing here alone when we were taking a break in the forest.”

“You knights were taking a really long break. That’s why I rode a horse alone and arrived here before you.”

Unlike Ren, the two of them were talking calmly.

(I don’t understand…… Why did things come to this.)

That thought crossed his mind as he stood beside them in a daze.

He never expected that he would meet Liscia so suddenly.

Even though until recently, he had been thinking about how he would avoid meeting her. He couldn’t help but be dumbfounded at this sudden development.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

When Ren showed Liscia and Weiss into his house, both Mireille and Roy panicked and said that they had to prepare a welcome for them. But since Roy was unable to move, he could only report what happened recently to Weiss in the room where he was recuperating.

 

However, Liscia didn’t accompany Weiss. Instead, she called out to Ren without any restraint and asked him to have a chat with her in the guest room.

Ren invited her to sit on an old sofa and sat on the other side.

“Hey, why do you think I came to this village?” asked Liscia as soon as they finished sitting.

The old sofa looked like a skilled craftsman’s masterpiece just because she was sitting on it.

“As you mentioned before, I think you are here to deliver a letter as the baron’s representative.”

Unlike when they had first met, Ren’s tone right now was that of a person speaking with their lord’s daughter.

“Too bad. That was just an excuse.”

She smiled boldly as she said that.

 

────Liscia Claussell, the White Saint.

Although she didn’t join the protagonist’s party in The Legend of the Seven Heroes and only lent her strength during event battles, only a protagonist whose level was really high could be a match for her in strength.

(……No wonder she stood out.)

Liscia was a character that had charmed many players because of her outstanding appearance and personality. She was one of the most popular of all characters in the game.

But since the players couldn’t get into a romantic relationship with her, she was famously known as the “Unconquerable Heroine”.

“So do you have another reason for coming here?”

“Yes, that’s right,” she said happily with a nod.

“Weiss was praising you, a boy my age who defeated the Thief Wolfen alone. I wanted to see for myself how strong you actually were.”

“Weiss-sama is thinking too highly of me. Dad had injured the Thief Wolfen before I fought it, so I wasn’t……I wouldn’t have been able to defeat it if not for that.”

“……Fufu, you’re quite strange,” said Liscia with a proactive smile and slightly leaned forward. “The way you said it makes it seem like you’re trying not to catch my attention. You sound humble, but I wonder if that’s what you really think.”

(……She’s sharp.)

Ren couldn’t say anything in response and forced a wry smile. But it made sense for him to act that way.

Ever since he reincarnated, his aim was to live without getting caught up in anything troublesome, and had been trying to avoid the same future as that of Ren Ashton in The Legend of the Seven Heroes. For that, not meeting Liscia was a matter of the highest importance, so he didn’t want her to take an interest in him.

However, the relationship between them as a noble and a knight couldn’t be severed.

That’s why he at least wanted them to stay as mere acquaintances.

“But it doesn’t matter even if you don’t want to catch my interest.”

“────Huh?”

“Hey, what do you think about coming with me to Claussell, the city I live in?” She let out her true intentions. “I was convinced of it with our match from earlier. You are both strong and bold. The fact that you picked up the sword without hesitation when I suddenly challenged you to a match proves that.”

Liscia not only praised Ren’s strength but also his character.

(Was that a way of challenging me to a match……?)

Ren realized that the act of picking up a sword thrown at you is considered as accepting the challenge.

“I was not aware that it was a way of challenging someone to a match. So it doesn’t really mean that I am bold.”

“Fufu, you don’t have to be so humble.”

“Well, that’s not really what……”

“I know. You’re different from those nobles who are all talk.”

Liscia’s opinion of Ren was increasing due to a misunderstanding, and he realized that nothing he could say would make any difference now.

 

“────That’s why I want you to come to Claussell by all means.”

 

It was not a lie that Ren had been working hard. He knew that he was stronger than others his age, and was confident that he was putting great effort into his studies as well.

However, he didn’t like to boast about it.

Although there was a misunderstanding between them, Liscia had most likely realized what kind of person Ren was.

(I’m sure that this girl is a really hard worker as well.)

Liscia had taken the time to travel all the way to this remote region.

Her overbearing nature might have played a part in that, but there was no doubt that the desire to improve herself was driving her.

“And I’ll have you know that I hate losing, so I won’t go back after I lost to you once.”

“Hm? I thought you did not admit defeat?”

“That was just a figure of speech.”

“Haah…… At any rate, the reason why you want me to accompany you back to Claussell is so that you can have a match with me whenever you want?”

“I’m glad you’re quick on the uptake.”

“I’m sorry to say this, but I have no intention of leaving this village.”

Liscia opened her eyes wide in surprise for an instant, but she quickly regained her dignified composure.

“……Hmph. As expected, you must really not like me.”

It was true that Ren didn’t want them to get any closer. But he also had other concerns besides what happened in the game.

“That’s not it. If I leave this village, then my father will be the only person left to protect the village. And if a monster like the Thief Wolfen appeared again, the village would be really destroyed.”

“I understand what you want to say, but what about your personal opinion?”

“Do you want to hear my actual thoughts if we leave the village out of the equation?”

“That’s right.”

“Even then, I don’t want to leave this village. I quite like my life here and I’m not really interested in living in a city.”

Liscia could say nothing in response. She crossed her arms and fell into deep thought with her finger on her lips.

“────I definitely won’t give up.”

“Um, I didn’t quite catch────”

“Don’t worry. I was just talking to myself.”

“I think I heard something about not giving up……”

“You must have imagined it.”

It was clear that Ren was right, however, Liscia would never admit it. She stubbornly denied his claims and abruptly stood up.

“I’m sorry, but our match from earlier made me sweaty, so I want to borrow the bath. I will properly compensate for the firewood.”

She changed the topic as if nothing had happened.

“You don’t need to worry about the firewood. The water is already heated.”

“Oh, so you usually keep it heated? Do you have a magic tool or something?”

(Magic tool…… That’s right. This world had magic tools.)

Magic tools were useful items that worked on mana.

They came in all shapes and forms, from small ones that were easy to carry, to large ones that had to be installed at a location.

They generally worked using mana stones which were processed into fuel or through the user’s mana. That’s the reason why mana stones were items that could be sold in The Legend of the Seven Heroes.

However, magic tools were quite valuable and only a limited number of people could create them.

“Magic tools are too expensive for us to buy,” said Ren while guiding Liscia to the bath. “The reason why the bath is already heated is that it saves time for me to wash off the sweat and monster’s blood when I return from my hunts.”

The old toilet and the bathroom in his house didn’t seem that run down because Mireille thoroughly cleaned them on a regular basis.

Ren was relieved that Liscia didn’t seem to be dissatisfied, and he turned around.

“I’ll bring a magic tool from my house the next time we come here.”

“We’ll be really thankfu──── Hmm?! Next time?!”

“…………Errr, it might be weird for me to say this when you showed me the way, but um, I cannot take off my clothes if you stay here.”

Ren wanted to know what she meant by the words she said earlier, but he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, so he had no choice but to leave.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Later that day, at Liscia’s suggestion, she and the Ashtons had a lively dinner together.

However, as soon as Ren was done with his food, he stood up as if trying to escape.

He knew it was rude, but he made a reasonable excuse that he was going to check up on the horses Liscia and the knights arrived on.

Liscia however, followed him and left the house as well.

“A……Are you going to perform some after-meal exercise?”

“I knew you would understand. This will make things easier.”

It was only natural that Ren would think that.

After all, Liscia was wearing a white outfit similar to a military uniform instead of her dress.

“B-But I don’t think it is a good idea to get covered in sweat at this time……!”

“Don’t worry about it. I take a bath before going to bed to get a good night’s sleep,” she replied with a carefree smile.

Illuminated by the moonlight, her figure looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.

However, when she threw a sword at him as she did earlier in the day, it made him avert his eyes from that smile.

“────That’s right! I think Weiss-sama will get angry at us, so why don’t we stop for today?!”

“Too bad. I’ve already asked Weiss for permission, so don’t worry. And your parents gave the okay as well.”

“B-But────?!”

Did she manage to talk the commander into agreeing?! he thought.

As for his parents, he knew that they couldn’t decline the request of the feudal lord’s daughter.

However, the gears in his head turned quickly.

(Oh yeah, all I have to do is not pick up the sword.)

There won’t be any match if he did that.

Just when he was feeling relieved over that idea────

“I might extend my stay if you don’t pick it up.”

“……I was just in the mood for some exercise,” he said with a wry smile.

His great plan was to no avail.

“I wonder why but this is making me feel a little annoyed…… Geez, why are you so adamant in refusing me?”

(There’s no way I’m telling her.)

Liscia’s eyebrows furrowed when she heard Ren’s insincere reply. However, she seemed slightly relieved when she saw him picking up the sword.

“I want you to tell me why you’re avoiding me so much if I win, understood? And I’ll make you accompany me back to Claussell, so prepare yourself.”

“By the way, what if I win?”

Liscia’s eyes narrowed when she heard that. “If that happens────I’ll come to this village again!”

Ren realized that it would be his defeat either way, and the light disappeared from his eyes.

He stood in a daze and his grip on the sword weakened.

In contrast, Liscia was full of spirits as she charged at him to attack. She thought that she had completely taken him by surprise, however, Ren easily blocked her.

“H────How did you block that when you weren’t holding the sword properly?!”

“Well, even if you say that.”

Not only was Ren stronger than Liscia, but he was now familiar with her attacks even though he had only fought her once before. He was able to avoid her attacks more effectively now.

(Isn’t it fine even if you don’t win against me!)

Ren was fully aware that the girl had a strong desire to improve herself. The thing that was troubling him was that she really hated losing.

However, he knew that given her ability, she would easily figure out if he tried to lose on purpose. And there was no doubt it would make her angry.

If that were to happen, there was a chance she would forcibly take him to Claussell.

“Why do you want to win against me so badly?!”

“I told you that I hate losing! And as the 「White Saint」, I don’t want to lose to someone my age!”

The two of them continued to cross swords as they conversed.

“I don’t see why being the 「White Saint」 matters in this situation!”

“My 「White Saint」 is a skill that blesses the possessor with an aptitude for swords and increased physical abilities. I can use divine magic as well, so losing to you even after that is really, reaaaally frustrating.”

In other words, White Saint could be called a skill that was a combination of Swordsmanship, Physical Ability UP, and Divine Magic.

Divine magic was really strong in particular. Not only could it heal wounds like white magic, but it could also be used against undead and poison like holy magic. It had another distinct ability, and that was to buff the user or the party members. That’s why every time Liscia joined the protagonist for an event battle, the difficulty greatly decreased.

“The real match starts now! There’s no way I’ll lose this time!”

Liscia’s movements changed.

She was enveloped in a dazzling light for an instant and her speed increased further. Ren could also feel the weight behind her attacks growing heavier.

(Is this divine magic……?!)

Divine magic was a blessing from the chief god Erfen, and since that was something different from Physical Ability UP, the effects overlapped.

(I can see how strong she really is now.)

Ren’s expression changed.

“Why didn’t you use this in our previous match?!”

 “I have to get Weiss’s approval before I can use it, or else he will get angry!”

It meant that she had gotten his permission this time.

(He’s being too soft on her!)

“If that’s the case,” said Ren with his eyebrows raised and he tightened the grip on his sword. His look changed into a strong one, surprising Liscia who was slightly starting to gain the upper hand.

 

And then────

“……You’re joking.”

The match ended in an instant.

Ren approached Liscia in the blink of an eye, and before she could take a defensive stance, his sword was pressed against her neck.

“It’s my win,” said Ren from a distance where Liscia could feel his breath.

Their faces were so close that they could count each other’s eyelashes.

“……I still haven’t lost,” said Liscia in a weak voice.

Perhaps it was due to the tension or embarrassment, but Liscia’s face was slightly trembling and her eyes were wet.

On the other hand, Ren’s cheeks twitched in response.

(Th……There’s a limit to being a sore loser.)

Eventually, he lowered his sword and took a few steps back.

But this time, there was no sign of Liscia counterattacking, and she still seemed to be surprised at the fact that she was defeated so quickly.

Right after that, they could hear the sounds of applause.

Weiss appeared together with several other knights, and it seemed like they had witnessed the match.

“You defeated the young lady even though she was using divine magic. I guess that’s to be expected from the young hero who defeated a Thief Wolfen alone.”

“We were surprised as well!”

“That’s right! There is no doubt you can become a famous knight whose name will echo throughout Leomel!”

The knights were all surprised and started praising Ren.”

“Didn’t we tell you that Ren-dono is really strong?” said one of the knights who had remained in the village after the Thief Wolfen incident.

Weiss followed up after them.

“Sorry for this, boy. Just like these people said, you are really strong. I wanted my lady to experience that herself.”

Weiss had approved of the match for Liscia’s sake. And since the Ashton family served the Claussells, Ren couldn’t say anything back.

“Now then, my lady. I think you are now well aware of how strong the boy actually is.”

“…………”

“My lady, I know you are strong. However, the boy is much stronger even though he was born in a less fortunate environment. To put it the other way, you can catch up to him with more effort.”

(That’s not all. She can easily surpass me.)

“Now that you understand, you should work harder than before once we return to Claussell.”

“Yes…… I know that,” said Liscia and looked at Ren. “I’m sorry for coming without prior notice today. But because of that, I got to experience something really nice.”

“A-Ah…… It has been a great experience for me as well.”

“────If you come to Claussell, we can have a match every day, you know?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s a different matter.”

Seeing that Ren was still not budging, Liscia broke into a smile and went back to the house.

“Once again, I truly apologize. I’ll certainly let my lord know about this debt.”

“But I didn’t do anything much.”

“No, you’re wrong. Don’t you all agree?” said Weiss while looking at his subordinates.

“I think it was a nice stimulus for my lady.”

“That’s right. She felt bored when she had to train with us.”

“What they are saying is correct. ────If possible, I wanted us to stay for a few more days so that my lady could train with you more, but……”

(I really want to decline.)

“We have to leave tomorrow morning.”

They were leaving earlier than Ren had expected. He was surprised, but at the same time, he was also glad.

“My lady had to convince the lord in order to come here. That’s why besides rewarding the Ashtons for their work, we have to visit the surrounding villages in order to quell the uneasiness caused by the Thief Wolfen.”

Liscia’s main objective was to meet Ren, but in return, she offered to perform her duty as the sole daughter of the feudal lord.

(Really, she’s a very admirable and honest girl.)

“Well then, let us meet again tomorrow morning.”

Weiss bowed like a butler and left with his subordinates────but he soon returned together with Liscia, who had left earlier.

“Hey, is it alright if I come to your room later with Weiss?”

Ren was taken aback and asked, “Is something the matter?”

Since we are already here, I’d like to hear what kind of training you usually do, and it seems like Weiss is also curious. So do you mind if we intrude a little in the night?”

Ren composed himself and said “I don’t mind,” to which Liscia replied “I’m glad” with a smile.

Her smiling figure was pure and lovely, making the term ‘saint’ perfect to describe her.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The next morning, Liscia woke up just when the sun began to rise.

She wanted to have another bout with Ren and was reluctant to leave, however, she had no other choice because she had to depart today. But then────

“────That’s right.”

An idea occurred to her.

She decided to leave a letter for Ren in order to let him know how serious she was about bringing him to Claussell.

To do that, she took out a parchment paper and an envelope from the luggage she had bought with her, and went to the table in the guest room.

“Hmm…… What shall I write……?”

Liscia had almost never written a letter to someone before. She only had experience with formal greeting letters, so this was something entirely new for her.

 

However, she earnestly started writing.

……After all, writing letters was also an important part of being an aristocrat.

Liscia used somewhat poetic sentences with skillful penmanship that would not put her status as a baron’s daughter to shame. Once she finished, she made a deep sigh. Right then────

「My lady, it’s me.」

She could hear Weiss calling out to her from outside the room.

“You can come in,” she said.

When Weiss stepped into the room, he saw that Liscia was writing a letter and approached her.

“Are you writing this letter to express your gratitude to the Ashtons for their hospitality?”

“No, this is for something else. But don’t worry, I’ll write a separate letter for that as well.”

“Then what is it for?” he asked while tilting his head as Liscia handed the letter over to him.

“Since you are here, why don’t you read this and tell me your thoughts? This is a letter I wrote for him.”

“I see. So you plan on giving this letter to the boy.”

“That’s right. I really want him to come to Claussell, so I thought I should leave him a letter before we depart.”

Weiss accepted the letter from her and started reading the contents. Meanwhile, Liscia took out another parchment paper and started writing a different letter to express her gratitude to the Ashtons.

 

This time, her choice of words was different from when she was writing the previous letter.

Eventually, she finished writing the second letter as well.

“So what did you think?” she asked Weiss, who was standing next to her.

“……I don’t know how I should say this, but……”

“What’s wrong? Did I misspell something?”

“Th-That’s not it…… There is nothing wrong with your words and sentences.”

“Then what are you trying to say?”

Liscia frowned while looking at Weiss, who was acting a little strange.

In return, he reluctantly opened his mouth and said────

 

“My lady, isn’t this just a love letter?”

 

When Liscia heard that, her eyes opened wide in surprise and she fell silent. The silence continued for a few seconds.

“A love letter?”

 “Yes. That’s what I understood from reading this letter.”

“……Tell me how did you reach that conclusion?” she asked again.

Weiss still looked as if he was reluctant to answer, but in front of Liscia’s commanding gaze, he had no other choice but to respond.

However, Liscia was just feigning calmness and her heart started to beat faster.

“If I had to say, then this part where you wrote, 「My longing for you soared after our first meeting」.”

“I-I meant it exactly as I wrote! I heard so many people talk about him and after we met, I realized that he was much more amazing than what they had said.!”

“I understand what you are trying to say, but this makes you look like a girl who is yearning for the person she loves.”

“~~?!”

“And also────”

“Th-There’s more?!”

Liscia’s face was flushing bright red and she was shocked that Weiss had more left to say.

“There is also the part where you wrote, 「Your bravery, your valiantness, your gallant spirit, all keep on telling me not to stop pursuing you」.”

“That’s just the truth! After watching his skills, I want to have a match with him as many times as I can!”

“However, it looks like this line was written by a town girl who was charmed by a hero she met. Perhaps if you read it again, my lady, you would understand.”

With that, Weiss handed back the letter over to Liscia.

After a while, she slightly regained her composure and no longer panicked when reading the letter again. Her bright red cheeks came back to a normal color and her heartbeat returned to its usual pace.

 

“……You’re right. This is just like a love letter.”

 

The reason for that was not because it was her first time writing an informal letter, but because she had gotten passionate since she really wanted Ren to come to Claussell.

She decided to rewrite the letter, but Weiss told her that they had to depart soon, so she had to give up on that idea.

However, she still had to do something about the pseudo love letter she had written. At first, she thought of tearing it up and throwing it somewhere, but due to Weiss rushing her, she refrained from that. 

In the end, she roughly crumbled it in a fit of embarrassment and put it in her pocket, deciding to dispose of it once they were far away from the village.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

A while later, Liscia left the house together with Weiss and exchanged words with the Ashton family before departing.

She apologized for coming without prior notice and expressed her thanks for their hospitality. She also informed them that they would surely receive the rewards for defeating the Thief Wolfen, and quickly left the village.

Once she and the other knights crossed the bridge that separated the village from the forest, a sudden gust of wind came from the front causing her to momentarily close her eyes and it slightly made her clothes flutter.

“My lady, are you alright?”

“Yes, don’t worry. I was just a little surprised,” she said with a smile and continued riding her horse.

 

……At that time, Liscia didn’t realize it.

The gust of wind had swept away the letter she was hiding in her clothes.

 

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