Volume 2 - CH 7.1

The Order-sol who had visited Clausel left the town in the morning after giving one more lesson on the sword.

Shortly after—

Ren was summoned by Lessard to visit his office.

“A report has arrived from your village.”

As he said this, Lessard, who was standing by his desk, picked up a document bound with string.

He handed it to Ren and asked him to look inside.

“Can I take a look at it?”

“Of course you may. There are letters from your parents too, so you can look at them together.”

Ren looked through the documents without hesitation.

The information was a little unfamiliar, but the summary was that the recovery was going well.

On the contrary, it said, even the roads are being built and life is becoming more affluent than it used to be.

(Thank goodness)

There are other reasons, too, with the help of Clausel.

Ren had repeatedly and strongly told his parents that they could use all of the money for the restoration of the village.

Of course, his parents were adamant about it, saying that it was his money.

But they nodded in the end under Ren’s strong eyes after he gave them a good argument, saying, “I’m a member of the Ashton family, too, and this is what I should do.”

But there was one phrase that bothered him.

“Since you’re there, why don’t relax a little more at Clausel? Let the Baron take care of you! The village hasn’t settled down yet, so leave the rest to us and the Baron!』\

That’s not a statement of good riddance.

Next.

“…… Me and Mireille will do a lot of hard work. We’ll hurry up and rebuild the village for the day when we can all live together again! Of course, if you like Clausel, you can live there too!”

Furthermore, Roy apologized over and over again for his own ineptitude. Despite the half-joking words in the first sentence, Roy’s frustration was painfully evident.

Mireille’s words were also attached to the letter and half of the letter was an admission of their frustration.

(…… dad, mom)

In fact, there’s no mistake in Roy’s words.

It was obvious that staying at Clausel was safer and better for Ren’s future, so it was a natural thing for a parent to say.

In light of the spring upheaval, it was a perfectly sensible thing to do.

Even if Ren was the eldest son of the Ashton family, it was a thought that couldn’t be suppressed.

Roy always respected Ren’s autonomy, but he was also a parent. He couldn’t help but think of his son’s bright future and hope for his safety.

On the other hand, Ren also had some thoughts.

(If there is a possibility that I could be the spark of a fire. Maybe I shouldn’t go back to the village ……)

Viscount Givens had an unusual obsession with Ren.

The other side of the coin is that if it weren’t for Ren, there might not have been as much turmoil.

(It means it would have been better for the village if I wasn’t there.)

It’s sad to be aware of this.

But more than that, there was also a part of me that was able to separate if it was for the good of the village.

It’s not only my parents. I could suppress this painful feeling when I thought of the villagers as well.

“But you know what?”

Ren, who had been lost, heard Lessard’s voice and returned to consciousness.

“I said I would also provide the magical tools of life, but was refused.”

“Did you say my dad refused? I guess he was just being reserved.”

“Oh, yes. He was adamant that he was sorry to accept any more charity from me since I was doing so much for the restoration of the village.”

After saying this, Lessard said as if he had just remembered.

“What do you want to do now, by the way? If you want, you can stay here until you take over the reigns of your family.”

“I … that’s…”

“Apparently, you have things to think about.”

Ren fell silent.

I couldn’t get the thought I had just had out of my mind.

“Talk to me, Ren. I want you to tell me what’s bothering you.”

His tone of voice was calm and gentle, and it gave the impression of a large vessel.

Ren, who wasn’t able to hide his emotions, regretted this and spoke, thinking that he couldn’t be silent any longer.

“Actually—-.”

So he reveals what he honestly thinks.

Lessard, who had been listening, said in a grave voice, 

“I didn’t tell you, but Roy had asked me about it. You’re a promising talent, so someone might target you again. A monster would be difficult, but if it was a nobleman, it would be more difficult. So, if it’s alright with you, he’d like you to be a knight here at the Clausel’s mansion.”

That’s what happened when Roy and Mireille came to Clausel, according to Lessard.

They consulted Lessard with a sincere look on their faces and repeatedly appealed to him to give priority to their son over them.

“I’m in line with their feelings.”

If Ren were to decide to live in Clausel, the Baron would protect him at all costs.

Of course, in return, he would send a new knight to the Ashtons’ village and he would think carefully about what would happen if Ren’s siblings were not able to take over later.

“There are far more people who know your name now than before. However, due to rumors of your family’s connection to Marquis Ignat, there may not be as many people who are as outspoken as before. No one can guarantee that it’s so.”

“…. yes.”

“Also, you now seem to be putting your parents and the villagers ahead of yourself.”

There was no doubt about that either.

“In other words, you are more concerned about protecting your family than yourself. You are hesitant to return to your still unstable hometown because you are afraid of another disturbance involving you.”

Ren nodded with a sad wry smile.

“I would prefer not to be in the village. You thought so because you prioritized the presence of someone other than yourself, didn’t you?”

“….I guess so.”

“This is my personal opinion, but I don’t think you need to rush into making too many future decisions. At least, you can stay in Clausel until your worries are gone. As Roy said, take it slow for now until the village is restored.”

That’s much better than going back to the village with my troubles.

Lessard was clearly seeing Ren’s mind when he said this.

“Is there nothing we can do about these troubles?”

“They’re not easy to resolve. As long as we live in this world, there’ll be unreasonable situations wherever we are. It’s something that cannot be helped.”

But—

Lessard continued in a strong tone.

“If you become a noble, that’s a different story.”

“Does that mean I have to become a noble?”

“No. There are beings in this world that are unreasonable even to the nobility.”

Maybe God? No, but Lessard said it’s real.

If so, would it be the emperor of Leomel?

But none of these would be true, since Ren is not a being that can become one.

To Ren’s puzzled ears, Lessard gives the answer.

“It’s a Sword King—-.”

Ren felt as if his heart had been grabbed by those words.

“Le– Lessard-sama!”

“The Five Sword Kings are not bound by anything and act of their own volition. One of them serve the Emperor, but she does so only because she likes to.”

“No, no! A Sword King is….!”

“As you know, there are only five of the best swordsmen in the world.”

I know that.

But what nonsense! I don’t think I can.

Speaking of Sword Kings, there’s one person who could be challenged.

That person is the female Sword King in the service of the Emperor, whom Lessard has just mentioned.

But even she can only be defeated if the protagonists are at the highest level and have good luck.

(And even then, she’s pretty easy to beat, according to the settings.)

It was insane to think that I would be asked to become such a monster.

“Fufu!”

“Lessard-sama, why are you laughing?”

“Kukuku! I’m sorry. It’s refreshing to see you surprised.”

But Ren’s nerves and worries were a little relieved.

The heavy feeling that had been lingering in his mind up until now became lighter.

“In any case, it never hurts to improve yourself, don’t you think?”

“That’s true, but…”

“That’s why it’s probably fine to worry about the future right now. If you spend time improving yourself, it will help you when you succeed the Ashton family. Even if you leave the Ashton family, it should be meaningful to live in a new world.”

“You mean—“

“As I said before, you can live in Clausel, at least until the village is restored. I would welcome that and Licia would be happy too.”

I can agree with that for the time being.

I would like to be a Sword king if I could, but it’s hard to say.

“You may ask for Weiss’s training with Licia. Or you can try to do a knight’s work in anticipation of the future. Or you can look for work you can do for the village here, experience a lot, make good use of time.”

(The first two are good, but is there anything I can do for the village here?)

“And don’t worry about your life. You can stay in this mansion as long as you like.”

“No. I can’t bother you any longer….”

“It’s no problem. Your parents have offered to pay for living allowance, but I, for my part, have no intention of accepting it from the Ashtons.”

“But….”

I try to resist, but I don’t really have anything to say after.

If I were to leave the Clausel mansion and fend for myself, I would first need a place to live.

If it’s a rented house, I’ll need rent, and I’ll need living expenses, including food.

(I tried to be strong, but what can I do?)

I’m sure that the knight’s apprenticeship will pay me a salary. I should be able to make a modest living.

However, Ren had forgotten that it would be difficult for an eleven-year-old child to rent a house on his own.　

He was unaware of this when he heard Lessard’s voice.