A week flew by, and finally, the day for Ren’s homecoming arrived.
Weiss, the veteran knight who commanded the Clausel forces, accompanied him to the outskirts of town to see him off. Naturally, Licia was there as well.
The three of them chatted on horseback as they made their way toward the main gate.
"It remains a profound regret, though," Weiss remarked, as if the thought had just struck him.
Licia tilted her head slightly. "What brought that on so suddenly?"
"The matter of Asval. Both the Head of the Family and I find it almost unbearable that we cannot make your achievements public, Ren. ...Forgive me, it simply crossed my mind again."
Even searching the length and breadth of Leomel, only a handful of people knew the truth about the Asval incident.
Aside from Ren and Fiona, the list was limited to Weiss, Licia, Lezard, Marquis Ignat, and his butler, Edgar.
The feat was kept secret at Ren's own request, a wish Marquis Ignat had honored. Given the involvement of the Demon King Cult, the Marquis had judged the information as something that required the utmost discretion.
Of course, every other detail of the incident had been shared with the relevant parties.
"With Lady Fiona’s power in the mix, it’s better for everyone if it stays a secret," Ren said with a wry smile.
The Marquis had suppressed information regarding Fiona’s status as the Black Priestess for her own protection. Revealing the connection between her power and the legendary dragon Asval—even in its weakened, incomplete state—was a risk they couldn't afford to take.
"...That is true. I suppose this is for the best, for both our houses."
"I mean, no matter how incomplete the resurrection was, we’re talking about Asval," Ren said. "Why did you two believe me so easily when I said I’d defeated him?"
Asval was in a different league entirely from a Thief Wolfen or a Steel-Eating Gargoyle. He was a creature of legend.
"Because you were the one who told us, Ren," Licia replied, her voice filled with absolute confidence. "I didn't need any other reason to believe you."
She looked perfectly composed, as if his victory were the most natural thing in the world.
"To be honest, I was stunned," Weiss added, offering the more grounded perspective Ren had expected. "Both the Head of the Family and I were momentarily speechless."
He continued, "However, Lady Ignat herself testified that you saved her. While the knights and adventurers didn't see Asval personally, they certainly saw the pillars of fire that ravaged the suspension bridge."
In short, based on the evidence and the witnesses, there was no room for doubt.
"Though the knights and adventurers themselves remain mistaken about the details."
The people at the Baldur Mountains—the soldiers, the adventurers, and the examinees—all believed the dormant volcano had been forcibly reactivated by members of the Demon King Cult.
None of them had any idea that Asval had been the true cause.
This misconception made it easy for the Clausel and Ignat families to keep the dragon's existence hidden, which suited their needs perfectly.
"I must admit, I am curious about the exact power you used to bring him down," Weiss said.
"That would be—"
"Weiss, stop," Licia interrupted.
"Ah, yes. I apologize," Weiss said, sounding a bit flustered. "As I’ve said before, I have no intention of forcing you to speak of things you’d rather keep private."
He quickly tried to smooth things over. "Exceptional power draws attention. It’s best to avoid talking about it too much and inadvertently exposing your weaknesses."
That was the same reason Licia hadn't pressed him.
If Ren were to suffer because of her curiosity... The mere thought of it made her feel that asking was out of the question, no matter how much she wondered.
Engrossed in their conversation, the three eventually reached the city gates.
"...I suppose this is it," Licia said, her voice tinged with sadness.
From here, Ren would be escorted by a group of knights waiting at the gate. Io—the horse that had once belonged to Jelququ—let out a short whinny while looking out toward the open road.
"Lady Licia, thank you for coming to see me off."
"Don't mention it. I came because I wanted to. ...But please, be careful on your journey."
"The same goes for you, Lady Licia. Have a safe trip to Erendil."
The two exchanged smiles.
Ren gave a gentle tug on the reins and moved forward.
As he passed through the gate, the wind sweeping across the plains brushed against his face. He headed toward the knights waiting for him, his thoughts turning toward the home he hadn't seen in so long.
After departing Clausel, Ren made a point of stopping at several villages along the way.
It wasn't a task Lezard had assigned him; it was Ren's own suggestion.
Just as Licia had done when she visited Ashton, traveling through the territory was an important duty for a member of the ruling house's circle.
Ren spent his time in these villages subjugating local monsters and helping with manual labor.
Day by day, the village of Ashton drew closer.
"Master Ren, look over there," one of the knights called out as they galloped across the plains at midday.
Ren let out a cry of surprise when he saw the brand-new road ahead. "Oh! Is that the new road?"
"It is. It looks like the construction has almost reached the village."
At this point, Ashton was just a stone's throw away.
Wow, this is impressive, Ren thought.
While no road was ever perfectly safe, maintaining them generally discouraged monsters from settling nearby.
To reach Ashton, one had to pass through a dense forest. The new road cut straight through the woods, a clear sign of the massive scale of the construction project.
"...This looks like it cost way more than I imagined," Ren muttered.
The knight only gave a wry smile, offering no further comment.
It had clearly been an expensive undertaking.
I’ll have to thank Lord Lezard properly when I get back, Ren realized.
The funds from selling the Thief Wolfen materials wouldn't have come close to covering this.
Ah—!
As they continued on, the familiar sight of Sword Rock came into view.
Ren could still vividly remember his life-or-death struggle against the Thief Wolfen at that very spot. The group bypassed the rock, staying on the newly paved road instead.
What used to be little more than a wide game trail was now a proper, sturdy road.
As they followed the path, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Hey! Over there!"
The shout came from further ahead, just off the main road.
Ren exchanged a quick nod with his escorts. They veered off the road and galloped toward the sound.
A few minutes later, the voices became clear.
"There sure are a lot of them today!"
"Master Roy! Don't overdo it!"
"Yeah, I know!"
Ren had suspected as much the moment he heard the first shout. Now that he could hear them clearly, he was certain.
"Dad!?"
Ren urged Io forward.
Being a horse with monster blood, Io lunged forward with a burst of speed that left the other knights' mounts in the dust.
Ren vaulted into the fray.
Wow, that’s a lot of them, he noted.
It wasn't just Roy; two other knights were there, but the three of them were being swarmed by more than a dozen Little Boars. Ren had never seen so many gathered in one place.
He didn't waste a second. Leaping from Io's back, he used the surrounding trees as springboards. Moving like a blur, he cut down the Little Boars one after another. Roy and the knights could only blink in stunned silence at the sudden intervention.
When the dust settled and Ren finally came to a halt, Roy spoke.
"...Ren!"
He dropped his sword and ran toward his son.
Ren, still holding his Iron Magic Sword, hurriedly sheathed it and braced himself as his father pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Dad, you shouldn't run at me while I'm holding a sword. It's dangerous."
Hiding a bit of embarrassment, Ren returned the hug.
When they finally pulled apart, Roy was beaming, though he rubbed one of his eyes. He wiped away the tears of joy that had gathered and flashed a wide, toothy grin.
"Trust my son to make such a flashy entrance for his homecoming!"
"I'm surprised too," Ren admitted. "I didn't expect to find this many Little Boars right next to the new road the moment I got back."
"Yeah, well, whenever they start working on a road, it tends to agitate the local monsters. It can't be helped."
Ren had suspected that was the case, but he still gave a small shrug and a sigh.
The other knights from the village stepped forward.
"It's been a long time, Master Ren!"
"You’ve changed so much! Just how strong have you become!?"
As Roy said, it was certainly a flashy return. Wiping out an entire pack of Little Boars in a matter of seconds made him look like a completely different person from the boy who had left the village a year ago.
The knights who had been escorting Ren finally caught up, their expressions relaxing as they saw the situation was under control.
But the peaceful moment was interrupted.
A stray Little Boar emerged from the thicket, recklessly charging at Ren's exposed back.
"Buruu!"
Ren and Roy both sensed it and were ready to react.
However, neither of them needed to.
"Hmph."
Io, who had been standing nearby, reared up and delivered a powerful kick with her front legs, sending the Little Boar flying.
With a proud whinny, she went right back to nonchalantly munching on the grass.
"...Is that your horse, Ren?"
"Yeah. She's got monster blood in her, so she's pretty tough."
"I can see that."
The Little Boar didn't move again.
Ren looked at Io, who was blissfully stuffing her face with grass, and let out a dry, helpless laugh.