Chapter 8: The Saintess Who Blends in Strangely Well
Some time had passed since the matter with Viscount Given, and before long, the season had swiftly shifted into winter.
The entire farming region was covered not just with morning frost, but with pure white snow.
Winter was a harsh season for the border village, but thanks to Ren's presence, this winter they were able to prepare more than enough. They had ample firewood and food, enough to last without worry.
This was all thanks to Ren, who had gone hunting nearly every day.
"Lord Ren, today's hunt was quite successful as well."
"Indeed. I thought it would be harder to move once winter came, but once I got used to it, it wasn't as bad as I expected."
Ren looked up at the afternoon sunlight as he spoke.
Nearby, a dozen or so Little Boars were stacked up, evidence of another successful hunt.
(Recently, I feel like I've gotten better with the sword.)
This was because he had been fighting without relying on the natural magic of the wooden magic sword.
Ever since the knights had been stationed in the village, Ren had always gone hunting alongside them.
It was no surprise that his swordsmanship had improved, as he had fought while concealing his ability to summon the magic sword.
(I feel like I could stop hiding it now, but I've kept it a secret so far.)
At this point, it seemed too late to change things.
Currently, there was no reason to reveal it, so he planned to keep it hidden for the time being.
"That said, Lord Ren, you might want to consider going to the Imperial Capital."
One of the knights suddenly spoke up.
"Why do you say that all of a sudden?"
"Lord Ren, there's no doubt you'll become great. You might even make a name for yourself as a knight in the Imperial Capital."
"Yes, indeed. ...Though we can't say it too loudly, but from our perspective, you seem more like the reincarnation of the Seven Heroes than the heir to one of the Seven Great Noble Houses."
Ren felt embarrassed.
He was happy to be praised, but it was a little too much when two adults praised him so openly.
"I have no intention of leaving this village. After all, I'm the heir to the Ashton family."
This wasn't the first time he had been praised like this.
Whenever Ren was praised, he would always respond by stating that he was the heir to the Ashton family and had no plans to leave the village.
"Hmm... What a waste..."
"Stop it. You’re only going to make Lord Ren uncomfortable."
"Ah... You're right."
The three of them continued talking as they made their way back to the mansion.
The path through the fields, which had been difficult to walk even before the snow began to fall, was now even harder to navigate, with only the sound of crunching snow underfoot filling the air.
The steadily falling snow seemed to envelop the village in a stillness that was absent in the summer.
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The mansion was, as always, old and worn.
In fact, the roof creaked ominously under the weight of the snow.
(Wonder if it will make it through this winter...)
Since they had ample funds after defeating the Sheefulfen, Ren planned to repair it in the spring.
"I'm home," Ren called out as he opened the door leading to the kitchen. He expected Mireille to be waiting inside, as usual.
However, today she wasn't there.
"Oh, welcome back. The madam is at Granny Rigg's house."
Instead, Lishia was sitting at the table, leaning on her hand in apparent boredom. Her response was so natural that Ren didn't even think to comment, simply adapting to the situation.
"I see, that explains why she wasn't here."
"Why don't you go take a bath first? I brought some magical tools from the mansion, and I think you'll find them quite useful."
"That sounds intriguing. I’ll take you up on that offer."
Ren walked past Lishia and out of the kitchen without hesitation.
With practiced steps, he made his way to the changing room, and sure enough, things seemed different.
"Wow. A hairdryer?"
Looking at the magical device placed in front of a somewhat cloudy mirror, Ren's memories of his previous life resurfaced.
Until now, he had been drying his hair with a towel and then in front of the fireplace, so this sudden modernization was quite a surprise.
Excited, Ren quickly stripped off his clothes and entered the bath.
In the space where there had never been a shower until now, one was newly installed.
Wondering where the water came from, he examined the situation.
It turned out the water was connected to a massive crystal orb the size of a human head, attached to the shower. The water seemed to be generated by magic.
When Ren turned the handle, warm water immediately poured over his head.
"...Huh?"
He let out a relaxed sigh as he crossed his arms.
Come to think of it, magic tools are powered by magic stones, he thought, remembering. After a few minutes passed, he finally realized something was off.
"────Why didn’t I notice this earlier?!"
He found himself holding his head in frustration, wondering why it hadn’t clicked sooner.
But even Ren had an excuse. It was impossible to imagine the Saintess, whom he thought would never arrive so quickly, showing up this soon.
Ren hurriedly left the bathroom.
He roughly dried his wet hair with a towel, got changed, and rushed through the mansion.
The place he headed to was, for some reason, the kitchen, where he had last seen Lishia.
"W-why are you here!?"
He burst into the room, still in a hurry, raising his voice without any restraint.
Seeing Ren's sudden appearance, Lishia snapped at him.
"What’s with you, shouting like that!? My ears are killing me!"
She pressed her hands to her ears and pouted with a scowl.
"So, tell me! Why are you here?!"
"Well, it’s obvious. I came because you didn’t come to Clausel, didn’t you?"
"Sure, if you’re here, I get that, but that’s not what I’m asking! Why is the young lady who’s supposed to be in Clausel here, in this village?!"
At first, Lishia was startled by Ren’s voice, but slowly, she calmed down and, with a smug grin, replied with a somewhat proud air.
"The reason I’m here is simple. You didn’t come to Clausel, so I came here instead."
Ren stared at her in disbelief, realizing that she hadn’t given up yet.
"Now that you mention it," Ren thought, recalling the passionate letter he had received, apparently written by Lishia. He still had it tucked away in a small chest in his room. Maybe it was time to address the letter, but…
(…It might be better to leave it alone.)
He remembered the old saying: "Let sleeping dogs lie."
"I heard the young lady was busy, though…"
"Fufu, don’t worry. I finished everything I needed to do."
"Everything, you say?"
"Yes. I wrapped up my studies and work, everything, before coming to this village. Everything’s taken care of before winter ends."
There were no flaws in her story. Her level of determination was impressive.
"So… What did you tell the Baron?"
"I told him that the Clausel family should take an active role in the Given Viscount matter. With me, the daughter of the Baron and Saintess, visiting, they might think twice before acting recklessly."
It seemed like this reasoning had been enough to persuade Lishia’s father, the Baron of Clausel.
"And… I’m truly sorry about this. If only we had more power, things could’ve been different."
Lishia sighed deeply in a somewhat despondent tone. It seemed like the matter with the Given Viscount had weighed heavily on her.
Ren, now calming down, sat down across from Lishia after taking a moment to collect himself.
"So, you didn’t directly protest to the Viscount?"
"No, I didn’t. To protest against higher-ranked nobles, we need to rely on a higher-ranking noble with ties to us, someone with some influence. For the Clausel family, at least a neutral Count would do."
"So…"
"Yes, I’ve asked. But the neutral faction is weaker than the other two factions, so they’re still watching and waiting."
Just because one was of high rank didn’t mean they could freely complain. Any hint of dissatisfaction might provoke the opposing faction’s higher-ups to intervene.
Nobles who wanted to avoid trouble would likely stay silent.
"So the neutral faction is still observing things, huh?"
"Exactly. Ha… I can’t stand it. Even though we’re all nobles of the same empire, they make everything so complicated with factions and titles."
Lishia was clearly frustrated and didn’t try to hide her feelings in front of Ren.
"By the way, there’s something I’ve been wondering."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Even with the differences in rank and factions, wouldn’t the Saintess have more influence?"
"How coincidental. I used to think the same."
But, as it turned out, that wasn’t the case.
Lishia sighed deeply once more.
"Many Saintesses have been born throughout history. But unlike the Seven Heroes, they didn’t accomplish anything, did they? Even though I’m said to be blessed by the Supreme God Elphen, I didn’t slay the Demon King."
Ren understood what she was trying to say.
Originally, Saintesses, who were said to be blessed by the Supreme God Elphen, were revered figures. However, in the Leomel Empire, there were even more powerful figures who garnered more respect.
The Seven Heroes were among these figures—those with an absolute lineage.
The royal faction, whose roots could be traced back to the founding Lion King, was another powerful influence. The founders of the undefeated empire held great sway, and thus, despite the prestigious origins of the Saintesses, their influence was comparatively weaker.
"…That’s true."
Now, Lishia leaned forward on the table, staring intently at Ren.
Her eyes, like jewels, were fixed on his face.
"Are you going to accept the Viscount’s invitation or not?"
Ren, who had been pondering her words, responded nonchalantly.
"I’m not going. I’ve already told you, I have no plans to leave this village."
"Really? If you lie, I’ll have you dragged off to Clausel."
Lishia’s intensity made it seem like she might actually do it.
Ren chuckled awkwardly, repeating, "I’m not going," and finally escaped the pressure of Lishia’s approach.
"So, how was the bath?"
"It was an amazing experience. If I hadn’t thought about you halfway through, I’d probably have stayed in there for another hour."
"So, do you want one?"
"It would be convenient, but… it must be expensive."
"Don’t worry about money. The magic tools I brought were broken, so I fixed them with my pocket money. Don’t hesitate to use them."
"Wow…"
"Hey! What’s with the 'wow'?"
"Well… it’s like you’re saying I should go to Clausel in exchange for this, right?"
Lishia let out a small, surprised "Ugh," realizing she had been caught. But she quickly masked it and tried to play it cool.
"I wasn’t hoping for that. I just wanted you to be present while I’m here in the village."
"So, you’ll be staying for a while, then?"
"Is that a problem?"
(Well…)
Ren didn’t have the right to stop her, and that was the frustrating part.
"The baron has already permitted it twice. Three times, four times, or even ten times—it makes no difference."
Faced with such an audacious argument, Ren was left speechless.
After a few moments of stunned silence, he cleared his throat and forced a smile.
"If the baron has no objections, then I have nothing to say on the matter."
In reality, he had no way to refuse.
"Hehe, I’m glad to hear that."
Lishia smiled sweetly, her expression brimming with satisfaction.
...Perhaps he should just be grateful that she wasn’t forcibly dragging him back to Clausel.
Even so, the situation remained inconvenient for him.
(I’d rather just throw the match.)
Faced with this inevitable outcome, Ren couldn’t help but think such thoughts.
"You do know, of course, that throwing the match isn’t an option, right?"
"Perish the thought. I wouldn’t dream of disrespecting you, my lady."
"Hmm... And yet, you had a rather scheming look on your face just now."
"You must be imagining things."
A brief silence settled between them.
The sound of firewood popping in the hearth echoed through the kitchen.
"Oh, that’s right. Now that you’re back, let’s go see your father together."
"My father? Do you have business with him?"
"I want to use my holy magic to aid his recovery. …I did the same when I visited before, you know."
To his regret, Ren had been unaware of that.
He bowed his head sincerely and expressed his gratitude to Lishia.
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That evening, Ren sparred with Lishia—though not by choice.
Having trained diligently over the past two months, she displayed noticeable improvement.
Yet, the result was still Ren’s overwhelming victory.
Frustrated, Lishia pouted and declared, "We’re doing this again tomorrow morning!"—a sight that was oddly endearing.
Later, after Lishia had gone to bathe, Weiss entered the kitchen, where Ren was sitting.
"Your father is grateful for her aid. …As am I."
Then, with a meaningful look, he added, "So, is there anything you’d like me to do for you?"
"That’s kind of you, but the baron has already rewarded me generously."
"No, this is separate from the baron’s matters. A personal token of gratitude from me."
Even so, Ren couldn’t think of anything in particular.
(Asking for money would be a bit much...)
Exposing his own financial struggles didn’t sit right with him.
"How about this? I could teach you some survival skills—knowledge that will serve you well if you ever find yourself stranded in the wild."
Ren blinked in surprise at the unexpected suggestion.
"It’s always useful to know. Say you’re caught in an unforeseen situation and need to spend a night in the forest—this knowledge could save your life."
(That does make sense...)
Understanding the necessity, Ren quickly made up his mind.
"I would be honored. Please teach me."
He nodded deeply and bowed his head, but Weiss immediately motioned for him to stop.
"There’s no need to bow. This is my way of thanking you."
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By the time the date had changed, Ren and Weiss had left the mansion and ventured deep into the forest—far beyond Tsurugi Rock.
Ren was awestruck by Weiss’s sheer strength as he forged ahead through the harsh, snow-covered terrain.
And when a Little Boar suddenly appeared, Weiss cut it down with a single, blindingly fast strike, leaving Ren utterly speechless.
Eventually, Weiss came to a halt in front of a large rock.
He gestured for Ren to follow him into its shadow, then sat down on the ground and motioned for Ren to do the same.
"First, we need to make a fire."
There were several ways to do this, he explained, but knights typically relied on magic tools.
If no such tool was available, they would use flint.
And if even that was unavailable, as a last resort, they would rub wood together to generate heat.
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"But if the wood is wet, the fire won’t catch. That’s why you must always prepare beforehand and avoid getting into that situation."
With those words, Weiss handed Ren a short sword sheathed in leather.
"This is a gift from me. The tip of the blade has a special mineral embedded in it. The sheath is also crafted in such a way that if you rub a flint against it strongly, sparks will fly."
"Is that really all right? It seems like an expensive item."
"It’s not so costly. In Clausel, it’s only 10,000 gold—about the same as the daily wages of a commoner."
Still, Ren thought, it wasn’t exactly cheap.
However, he chose to accept Weiss’s words and, as encouraged, drew the short sword.
As he did, Weiss took a piece of firewood from his bag and placed it on the ground.
"Since this is a training session, I brought back a piece of firewood from your estate. Now, I’ll show you how it’s done. After that, you can give it a try."
With a practiced motion, Weiss struck the blade against the sheath, creating a spark with ease.
Ren couldn’t help but exclaim, "Oh!" in admiration.
Next, Weiss rummaged through his coat and pulled out a small bundle of straw. He then struck the blade against the sheath again. After repeating the process a few times, a faint fire ignited in the straw.
Ren also tried, and after several attempts, sparks finally flew from the blade.
Using the small ember as a starting point, they soon had a small fire going, and the two of them rested in front of its warmth.
"By the way, why did you leave the mansion just before the day changed? The preparations were finished early, yet there was still a bit of time before you left."
"Hmm... I didn’t want the lady to hear about it."
"Oh, I see..."
Ren shrugged and gave a wry smile.
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The next morning, Ren woke up before dawn.
Though he had only slept for about half his usual amount of time, he surprisingly felt wide awake, and by the time he walked along the village’s field road, the remnants of sleep were long gone.
"You managed to get back early, didn’t you?"
"Yes. With any luck, the lady should still be asleep. I’ll go check on the horses, so you can head back first."
As they exchanged a few words, the two arrived at the mansion as planned.
After parting ways with Weiss, Ren reached for the door and opened it—just as Lishia’s voice greeted him.
"Oh, welcome back!"
LishiaLishia, with a bright smile, greeted him in a voice as light as the sound of bells.
However, despite her cheerful expression, there was an unmistakable pressure in the air that Ren couldn’t ignore.
"It must have been cold. You really didn’t need to leave at that hour, did you?"
"Well, um... the thing is..."
Ren scratched his cheek, giving a faint smile as he tried to deflect the conversation.
"Really... I wouldn’t go as far as to ask you to take me into the forest in the dead of night, but... I admit I was a little irritated that you kept it a secret..."
Then LishiaLishia’s next words caught Ren by surprise.
"And there’s no need for a spar today."
For a moment, Ren thought she might be angry, but that wasn’t the case at all.
"You just got back, so you must be tired, right?"
"N-No, really, it’s fine! I’m not too tired—"
"It’s all right. If you overdo it and get sick, that would be a problem, wouldn’t it?"
Ren was momentarily taken aback by the sudden concern.
However, looking at LishiaLishia’s expression, it didn’t seem like she was just pretending.
Her words were definitely sincere.
"Are you sure it’s fine?"
"Of course. It wouldn’t make me happy to win against you when you’re exhausted."
Ren couldn’t help but smile faintly, thinking that this competitive spirit was just like her.
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