CH 17

Roy and Mireille were greatly surprised when I showed Lithia and Weiss into the mansion.

They hurriedly said they were going to prepare their welcome.

Roy, however, was unable to move, so he could only report to Weiss on his recent situation in the room where he was recuperating.

Lithia, however, didn’t stay in that room.

She approached Ren without hesitation and asked to speak with him in his room.

(It’s a good thing I usually keep the guest room clean.)

Ren was adamant that his room was not the best place to talk to the Baron’s daughter, so he showed Lithia to the guest room, one of the few in the house.

“Hey, why do you think I ended up in this village?”

Lithia asked as soon as she sat down on the old sofa, looking at Ren who was sitting opposite her.

The sofa looked like a master craftsman’s masterpiece as soon as she sat on it.

“I believe you said you brought a letter from the Baron?”

Ren changed his tone to speak to the daughter of a Baron, unlike when they first met.

“I’m sorry, that’s just an excuse.”

The girl in front of him smiles triumphantly as she says this.

—- White saint, Lithia Clausel.

Although she doesn’t join the heroes’ party in the Legend of the Seven Heroes, she lends her strength only in event battles and only a high-level hero can compete with her.

(No wonder she had such an outstanding appearance.)

Lithia is a character that has attracted many male players with her outstanding appearance and personality. I remember that she was one of the most popular of all the characters.

However, she couldn’t fall in love with anyone and was known as “the heroine who cannot be conquered”.

When she died in Legend of the Seven Heroes II, even Ren was shocked.

“So, you had other purposes in mind.”

“Yes, of course.”

Lithia nodded and continued in a happy voice.

“I wanted to see for myself. Weiss praised you for your ability to defeat Thief Wolfen all by yourself, even though you’re the same age as I am.”

“……It seems that Weiss-san gave me an excessive amount of credit. And the  Thief Wolfen was injured by my father. So I don’t think it’s all my …… own merit.”

“Is that so?”

“I think the rest was just luck.”

Ren chose his words so that Lithia wouldn’t like him, so that she would lose interest in him.

The truth is, it’s so much better to be disliked.

But since they are the other party, you can’t be too impolite.

“……Fufu, that’s weird.”

With a provocative smile, Lithia leaned her upper body slightly forward.

“The way you just said that, it’s as if you don’t want me to like you.”

(That’s right.)

Ren smiled bitterly without saying it out loud.

But it was understandable for Ren to act this way.

Ren has been seeking a peaceful life since his reincarnation and has been trying to avoid the same future as the legend of the seven heroes.

He had been trying to avoid an encounter with Lithia in particular, so he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

But the relationship between the two is that of a nobleman and a knight, and cannot be severed.

If that was the case, at least he hoped that they wouldn’t become close friends.

“But it doesn’t matter if I don’t like you.”

“—-?”

“Are you interested in coming to my town?”

She tells him her true intentions.

“I was convinced of it when we fought there earlier. You’re not only strong but also courageous. The fact that you took up the sword without hesitation when I suddenly asked you to fight with me is proof of that.”

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

(Was that a method of challenge? ……)

I suppose that by taking the sword that was thrown at you, you are considered to have accepted the fight.

But since he took the sword without knowing what he was doing, his courage is another story.

It’s a ridiculous misunderstanding.

“I didn’t know that was a challenge.”

“Don’t be modest.”

“No, it’s not like that…..”

“I know. You’re not like those noble men who are all talk.”

Ren realized that there was nothing he could say that would make a difference, as his stock was rising due to the misunderstanding.

“It’s precisely because of this reason that I want you to come to Clausel, no matter what.”

In fact, Ren has humbly continued to work hard.

He’s aware that he’s a better fighter than his peers and he’s also confident that he has worked hard in his studies.

However, he didn’t like to show off.

Although there was some misunderstanding this time, Lithia must have understood Ren’s personality.

(She must be a very hard worker.)

Lithia took the time to travel all the way to such a remote area.

Even if there was a hint of intransigence behind it, there was no doubt that her ambition was at the root of it all.

“And I hate to lose. I can’t go home with defeat on my conscience.”

“I thought you didn’t admit defeat.”

“It’s a figure of speech.”

“Hmmm….. In any case, you’re asking me to come to your city so I can be there for whenever you want.”

“Good. I think you’ve understood what I’m thinking.”

……The root of Lithia’s motives would certainly be aspirations.

But her rivalry seems to prevail even more than that.

“I’m sorry, but I have no desire to leave this village.”

Lithia’s eyes widen in surprise for a moment, but she quickly regains her dignified demeanor.

“…… hmmm. Do you hate me?”

It is true that I don’t want to have a relationship.

But it’s not that I dislike her.

“It’s not that. If I leave this village, the only person who can fight will be my father. If a monster like Thief Wolfen appeared there again, the village might collapse this time.”

“I understand your situation. But what about your personal opinion?”

“You mean, if we take the situation of the village out of the equation?”

“Yes.”

“Even if it is ….. I’m not going to leave the village. I like living in this village and I have no desire to live in the city.”

Hearing this reply, Lithia fell silent.

Then she crossed her arms and pressed her fingertips to her mouth in thought.

“I —- never give up, you know.”

“What was that now?”

“I’m just talking to myself.”

“You said ‘Never give up’ or something like that……”

“No, you imagined it.”

It was clear that Ren’s point was correct, but Lithia would never admit to it.

Stubbornly denying it, she stood up abruptly and said

“I’m sorry. I’m sweaty from the fight earlier, so I need to borrow a bath. I’ll pay you for the firewood.”

She changed the subject as if nothing had happened.

“I don’t mind the firewood. I’ve already boiled the water.”

“Oh, you usually boil water? Do you have any magic tools?”

(Magic tools: …… I see. So there was such a thing in this world.)

The magic tool is a useful item that works by using magic power.

The form varies from small, portable ones to huge, installed ones.

Basically, they are made by processing magic stones into fuel or by using the user’s magic power. This is also the reason why magic stones were cash items during the legendary era of the Seven Heroes.

However, magical tools are basically expensive.

This is because the number of craftsmen who can make them is limited.

“The magic tool is too expensive for us to buy. The water is boiled because I’m going hunting, so I boil it early to wash away sweat and monster blood.”

Ren led the way conversationally.

The old washrooms and bathrooms in this mansion are clean even if they smell old because Mireille carefully cleans them every day.

After showing her around, Ren was relieved that Lithia did not seem dissatisfied and turned his back to her.

“Next time, I’ll bring you just the right magic tool from my mansion.”

“Thank you for that —- Hmm? Next time?”

“……….. Um, you know what? I’m not at liberty to say this after being shown around, but, well, I can’t take my clothes off if you’re going to be in here all the time.”

I wish she would have told me what she meant before saying such a perfectly honest thing, but I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, so I had no choice but to leave the place.

What is it this time?

Lithia’s surprised voice reached Ren’s ears, who had a question mark in his mind.

“What…… why is my underwear ……? “

But he couldn’t hear it well because it was through the door.

The voice was echoing, and Lithia’s surprise was the only thing that Ren could hear.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine! It’s nothing! Don’t worry about it!”

The only thing that Ren could say was, “Call me if you need anything,” and he left.

—-It was a sudden turn of events again.

Returning to his room with a sigh for the umpteenth time, Ren remembered that he had left the example product in his pocket.

“How do I return this……?”

To be honest, I could have stopped by the guest room on my way after showing Lithia around.

It was forced, but I thought about just letting it go straight into her luggage.

But I didn’t do that because Lithia’s knight was standing in front of the guest room and I couldn’t go through with it.

I thought about dropping it in the dressing room, but decided against it, fearing that it might be found in case I did.

Considering the means remaining, Ren looked at the fireplace in his room and wondered if he should just burn it.

Or, he thought about dumping it in the woods, or even in the river.

(Or put it in a dumpster —- No, it would be bad if they found it.)

The village garbage will be burned together, but it would be bad if it was found there.

After all, I have no choice but to burn it in the fireplace.

I felt bad and regretful for using the thief’s magic sword, I decided to defy my sense of ethics this time.

“Ren! I’m coming in!”

But the sound of his mother’s voice coming from outside the door startled him and he looked around to see what was going on.

If he didn’t have time to put the fireplace on now, he would have to hide it once. It would be terrible if Mireille saw him.

“What a pathetic …… thing I’m …… doing.”

Ren opened the wooden desk and threw the stolen stuff inside.

The next moment, Mireille stepped into his room.