One day, Ren was dreaming.
He saw a scene from the nostalgic Legend of the Seven Heroes. It was one of the major incidents from The Legend of the Seven Heroes II, where a colossal monster appeared off the coast of the Imperial Capital’s harbor.
While the creature had been summoned by those seeking the Demon King's resurrection, the player was always shown a shocking event immediately following the battle.
It featured Chronoa Highland, the woman hailed as the World's Greatest Mage. In this scene, she was inside the Imperial Capital Grand Temple, her chest pierced by Ren Ashton’s sword.
Every player who saw it was equally stunned and left with the same question. Chronoa was an absolute powerhouse in the game’s lore, a figure whose strength rivaled even the Sword King. Everyone wondered how Ren Ashton had managed to defeat the Academy Principal—how he could have possibly bested Chronoa Highland.
Since there were no signs of a struggle within the Grand Temple, it was widely assumed that Ren had resorted to something akin to assassination. This was the only conclusion the players could reach.
Naturally, the game never provided an official answer. Ren Ashton never spoke of his motive and vanished from the protagonists' side without letting them learn a thing. While he frequently reappeared before the main characters later on, he only offered cryptic advice and refused to speak of the past.
There was only one inconsistency that players could point to. Chronoa, who had explicitly stated she would participate in the defense of the harbor, never even showed up at the port. Instead, for some unknown reason, she had remained at the Grand Temple to face Ren Ashton.
Of course, the Ren dreaming this now didn't know the answer either. And it was precisely because he didn't know that he had to ensure such a future never came to pass.
"......Ugh."
Ren muttered the moment he opened his eyes. It was a miserable way to wake up. Sitting up in bed, his mood felt like lead; if he could have, he would have gone right back to sleep.
But the fear of seeing the rest of that dream kept him from closing his eyes again. While he felt it might be a useful form of self-admonition to see it through, he decided he’d had enough for today.
(Nothing for it, I guess.)
Ren walked to the window and pulled back the curtains, bathing in the morning sun to wash away his gloom. He had only moved into the Old Wing a few days ago, and just as he was finally getting used to the new bed, he had been subjected to a dream like that.
"......Time to get to work."
Ren slapped his cheeks hard to fire himself up and left the room.
His quarters in the Old Wing were located not far from the entrance—a single room that was neither too cramped nor too spacious. He lived there with the bare minimum of furniture and cooked for himself in the Old Wing’s kitchen. He didn't have much culinary experience, so his meals were rough and simple, but they were enough to satisfy him for now.
He prepared another one of those simple meals today to fill his stomach. By the time he finished eating, the oppressive mood he had felt upon waking had vanished.
After receiving his daily instruction in Imperial Swordsmanship from Weiss, Ren left the manor grounds and headed toward the guild with a practiced stride.
Since Ren was the official caretaker of the Old Wing, he handled all the cleaning himself without any help. Licia had shocked the servants by offering to assist, but Ren had politely yet firmly declined, leaving her pouting with her cheeks puffed out.
That had been the routine for the last few days, and because he had been prioritizing his new duties, it had been a short while since his last visit to the Adventurer Guild.
Before he knew it, summer was in full swing. He took a deep breath, letting the distinct, heavy morning air of the season fill his lungs. It made his mind feel sharp and clear.
(You can see all the way to the horizon from here.)
This was a perk of Clausel’s unique geography. Even among the streets that sloped upward toward the center of town, the area near the Old Manor offered an unobstructed view of the lands beyond the city walls.
"Yo, morning there!"
"Oh my, if it isn't the Hero! Looking energetic this morning, aren't we?"
Ren continued toward the guild, exchanging greetings with stall owners and townspeople along the way. The area around the Adventurer Guild was bustling with life, filled with adventurers preparing for hunts and stalls serving them breakfast. He wove through the crowd and stepped inside the building.
He checked the bulletin board for any interesting leads, but there was nothing new. It was the same familiar board as always. It looked like today would be a standard day of investigation and supplementary hunting.
Grumble...
Suddenly, Ren’s stomach let out a pathetic sound.
(I guess breakfast wasn't enough after all.)
His growing body was relentless in its demand for nutrients. He hoped no one had heard that. Just as he was feeling relieved that no one was standing directly next to him—
"Ahaha, what a cute sound."
A woman’s voice came from behind him as he turned toward the dining area. He looked back to see someone sitting at a nearby table, smiling at him.
(I don't recognize her.)
He had been frequenting this guild long enough to know the faces of the regulars, but he had never seen her before.
Actually, he couldn't even see her face. She was draped in pure white vestments, with a deep hood pulled down to hide her features, revealing only her mouth. The only other identifying trait was a few strands of golden hair, as fine as silk, peeking out from the fabric. Her voice had a strange, processed quality to it, making it just barely possible to tell she was a woman. She was likely using a magic tool to mask her speech.
"Come over here. If you like, why don't you have a meal with me?"
"......Um,"
"Ah, of course I'll treat you! Don't be shy."
Ren realized she probably thought he was penniless. It wasn't an unreasonable assumption; when a boy Ren’s age came to the guild, it was usually to take on odd jobs to support a struggling household.
He gave a wry smile. "I'm alright. I have my own money."
"Huh? O-Oh, really?"
"Yes. But since it looks like there aren't many open tables, would you mind if I joined you?"
After she nodded, Ren left the bulletin board and sat down across from her. He signaled a staff member and placed his order with practiced ease. The woman in the vestments watched him, her mouth hanging slightly open in surprise beneath her hood.
"Are you a regular here?"
"Yes. I’ve been coming here for a while."
"Heh... No wonder you seem so mature. You're quite used to this."
"I'm probably just old for my age."
"Ahaha! Even your jokes are mature. You're an interesting one."
As they spoke, the woman’s meal was served first. She didn't touch it until Ren’s arrived, waiting until they both had their food before picking up her utensils.
"I'm sorry for making you wait, especially since we just met."
"Don't worry about it. I wanted to wait."
As he started on his breakfast, Ren found himself curious about why she had approached him.
"Why did you call out to me?"
"Hmm... Just a whim, I suppose. If I had to say, I heard that cute sound your stomach made and wondered what kind of boy you were."
"————And now that we're talking, what do you think?"
"I was just thinking about the best way to kidnap you."
The sheer shock of the statement caused Ren to freeze. The fork in his hand hit his plate with a loud clatter. Seeing his reaction, the woman laughed merrily.
"Ahahahahaha! I'm joking, obviously! If I did that, the knights would have my head."
"......R-Right."
Ren decided it was best not to pry any further. Fearing he’d lose his rhythm if she said anything else bizarre, he focused on eating his breakfast in silence. The woman, however, was a light eater and finished her small meal quickly. She spent the rest of the time resting her chin on her hand, watching Ren with an amused expression.
(What is she finding so funny?)
Ren tried his best to ignore her, but he couldn't help but remain conscious of her gaze. She seemed to pick up on his discomfort.
"If you're so curious about me, do you want to come to the Imperial Capital?"
Ren looked at her and gave a flat, immediate response.
"Absolutely not."
"Ouch... answering so fast hurts my feelings..."
She stood up from the table, looking somewhat regretful. She turned her back to Ren and began walking toward the exit. Her face remained hidden by the hood until the very end, and her voice stayed masked.
"I really wanted to talk a bit more, but I have some business to take care of. I have to go."
She paused at the door and looked back one last time.
"I hope we can meet again."
"Yes. If the opportunity arises."
"Yeah! And when that happens, you’ll have to tell me all about your mysterious power, too!"
Leaving those cryptic words behind, she walked out with a light, airy step.
Ren’s fork hit his plate for the second time.
"......How?"
She had specifically said "your mysterious power." It was impossible not to assume she was talking about his Magic Sword Summoning Arts.
Ren scrambled out of his seat and rushed outside, but when he looked around the bustling street, the woman in the white vestments was nowhere to be found.
"......How!?"
Ren’s cry of bewilderment rang out, drawing the puzzled stares of every adventurer passing by.