Despite Ren’s sudden return, Mireille had gone to great lengths to prepare a feast for lunch.
The food served in the manor was quite different from what he remembered. In addition to the Little Boar they could hunt in the forest, the table was now graced with a wide variety of ingredients.
Ren couldn't have been happier.
By leaving the village and doing his best in Clausel, he had essentially achieved his ultimate goal. Seeing the once-impoverished village thrive gave him a sense of fulfillment that rivaled any of his recent successes.
Once lunch was over and the three were enjoying a quiet moment of conversation, Ren looked around.
"This place has really become beautiful, hasn't it?" he remarked, scanning the new dining room.
With its white plastered walls, dark brown flooring, and a brand-new kitchen area carved from stone, the room felt modern and clean. It no longer featured the earthen floor that had led directly outside in the old house.
"The furniture looks familiar, though, doesn't it?" Roy asked.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. Did the furniture survive the fire?"
"No, it was completely lost. It just means I had to remake it all from scratch."
"Ren, your father has always been the one who made the furniture for our home," Mireille added.
Ren let out a genuine "Oh" of surprise, impressed by his father’s unexpected craftsmanship.
On the other hand, it seemed they had purchased professional furniture for the guest rooms.
"We were planning to order furniture for your room too, but we figured you’d have your own tastes. We decided to wait until you came home," Roy explained.
"Then what about your room, Father? Did you order yours?"
"No. I made the furniture for our room myself, just like before."
Ren recalled the letters he had sent to his parents, telling them to use the magic tools and funds he provided however they wished. His parents had always been hesitant, insisting it was Ren’s money, but Ren had truly wanted them to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
"I told you both not to hold back with what I sent," Ren said.
"Well, Ren, we appreciate the sentiment. We really do. But we felt the village had to come first. And besides, there was one other thing..."
"Something you were thinking?"
When Ren pressed him, Roy scratched his cheek, looking a bit sheepish.
"I suppose it’s just a case of old habits dying hard?"
"That’s right..." Mireille agreed. "We just feel more at ease with the furniture your father makes."
Their words were clearly sincere.
Ren, understanding their feelings perfectly, didn't push any further. He had already seen that convenient magic tools had been installed throughout the manor, including the kitchen, so he was content to leave the rest to them.
Since it was the house where they lived every day, comfort was paramount. It was a modest way of living, but there was a certain dignity in it.
"In that case... please make the furniture for my room the same way," Ren said.
He meant it from the bottom of his heart.
After finishing his post-meal tea, Ren stood up.
"I’m going to go take my things up to my room."
Roy offered to accompany him. Mireille said she would handle the dishes, and when the two men offered to help, she simply laughed and told them not to worry about it.
As Ren walked down the hallway, he noticed the silence—the floorboards no longer groaned under his weight.
"It really is brand new."
"Yeah, thanks to you and the Baron. ...Though, all the books were lost in the fire, so the library is the only part we haven't been able to bring back yet."
"It couldn't be helped. That fire was devastating."
The layout of the new manor was similar to the old one, but the hallway that should have led to the library now ended abruptly, replaced by a wide window. Ren felt a small pang of loneliness at the loss of a place so full of memories.
"Speaking of books, didn't you have some in your room, Father?" Ren asked as they climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Roy let out a sigh. "Only a few, but I kept them in a cabinet. My father’s diary and some books left behind by our ancestor were kept in my room for safekeeping."
"I see. What kind of books were they? The ones the ancestor left."
"Well... they were supposed to be my ancestor’s adventure logs, though who knows if they were true or not."
"Adventure logs?"
"Yeah. If you believe those books, the Ashton family ancestor was a legendary adventurer. He supposedly left the Elfen Continent and traveled the entire world."
Ren’s heart stirred with excitement. At the same time, he felt a deep regret that he would never be able to read them.
"What kind of adventures did he have?"
"All sorts. He supposedly traveled to the Sky Continent to search for gods, and looked for an ancient city said to be sleeping on the ocean floor."
Those are the maps that were rumored to appear in The Legend of the Seven Heroes III, Ren thought.
As far as the Sky Continent went, it was a real place where people lived, and there was even some trade via Magic Ships. But the ancient city on the seabed had never been more than a rumor back in his previous life.
Eventually, they reached Ren’s new room. Roy opened the door to let him in.
The room was brand new and slightly more spacious than his old one. Roy had already placed some temporary furniture inside until they could make his permanent set. The layout and style were identical to his old room, which immediately made Ren feel at home. The only difference was the bed, which had been scaled up to match Ren’s growth.
"Father, tell me more," Ren said, opening the window. He wanted to savor this time with his father.
"Let’s see... Oh, there was the story about the Dragon Elder."
Ren’s heart gave a sudden, heavy throb. The words Roy spoke were far too relevant to the horn Ren had just discovered in the waterfall.
"Does that mean a literally old dragon?"
"Probably. Despite being ancient, it was supposedly incredibly bellicose, always hunting for someone strong to fight."
"..."
"Ren? What’s wrong? Why the sudden silence?"
Roy tilted his head, seeing Ren standing there with his mouth slightly open.
"If you're feeling unwell or tired from the trip, we can talk later—"
"No, no! I’m perfectly fine! Please, continue!"
Roy shrugged. "Well, if you say so. Our ancestor supposedly fought this Dragon Elder. He desperately wanted the dragon’s horn and actually bowed his head, asking if the dragon would give him even a small piece of it."
"Heh... the horn... So, what did the dragon do?"
"The Dragon Elder refused, and our ancestor was about to give up. But then the dragon told him that if he wanted it so badly, he should try taking it by force."
Ren listened with a strained, dry smile.
"And so, our ancestor sliced the entire horn off."
"Wait... what?"
"He took the dragon up on its offer. He sliced one of the horns clean off. Our ancestor won the fight, and they ended up becoming friends."
"Friends... and that’s the end of the story?"
"Yeah. That was about all that was written in the logs. It was written like a diary, so there wasn't much more detail than that."
"You say 'that's all,' but that sounds like an incredible battle."
"Right? That’s why I don’t know if it was real. I don’t know what kind of dragon it was, but if it were that powerful, its name would be in the history of Leomel. Our family would be a famous noble house if it were true."
Roy's logic was sound. However, Ren couldn't dismiss it as a mere fairy tale.
"Roy! A knight is here to see you!" Mireille’s voice called out from downstairs.
Roy left the room to answer the call, leaving Ren alone. Ren leaned against the window frame, crossing his arms as the spring breeze brushed against him. His mind went back to that winter, and the words he had exchanged with Asval.
—Ashton? Why... that name has a strangely nostalgic ring to it.
—You know my family name?
—I can recall nothing... but I do not like it. I do not like that a weakling such as you utters that name!
If his ancestor was the one who had taken Asval’s horn, it explained why one was missing when Ren fought it. Chronologically, it must have happened before the Heroes originally defeated Asval centuries ago.
"But how?"
Breaking Asval’s horn had been the key to weakening it. Ren remembered how hard he had struggled to break the remaining one. And even then, he had only succeeded because Asval’s resurrection had been incomplete and it was already missing its other horn.
Yet his ancestor had defeated Asval in its prime. It was beyond Ren’s comprehension.
"I guess... I really am a 'weakling' compared to that..."
He couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed when compared to an ancestor who had beaten that monster and earned its respect. He desperately wanted to know more, but the logs were gone. It was frustrating to be so close to the truth and yet have no way to verify it.
"—But why isn't he in the history books?"
That was the biggest mystery. Neither the history of this world nor his knowledge from the game mentioned this ancestor. Normally, a person that powerful would be legendary.
"Was it... intentionally erased?"
He considered the possibility that the ancestor had been scrubbed from Leomel’s history for some reason. But then, why was the Ashton family allowed to survive? If the ancestor had done something so terrible that he had to be erased, the family usually wouldn't have been left alone.
"It doesn't make sense. I just don't know."
Ren wasn't an expert on political intrigue. Without any records left, there was no way to find out. He could speculate all day, but he would never get an answer.
In the end, he simply had to accept one thing: the Ashton ancestor had been a man of terrifying power.
The next morning, Ren woke up in his brand-new bed feeling refreshed.
His mood was excellent. While the new manor didn't have the same nostalgic feel yet, it was good to be home. When he opened the window, the breeze carried the scent of fresh soil and grass from the fields.
"Alright."
Ren dressed quickly and left his room, slipping back into a routine he hadn't practiced in over a year.
"Oh, Ren. Off for your usual walk?" Mireille asked as they passed in the hallway.
"Yes. I thought I'd take a look around the village."
"I see. We’ll have breakfast together when you get back."
Ren left the manor and greeted Roy, who was already out in the garden. He stopped by the stable to check on Io. The horse was lying down, legs stretched out in a deep sleep, seemingly completely unbothered by her new surroundings.
Ren stepped out of the gate and began walking along the stone-paved road. What used to be a simple dirt path through the fields was now smooth and easy to walk on, though the fields themselves were as close as ever.
As he walked, villagers began to notice him and called out with happy greetings. Ren chatted with them as he made his way through the village, until he saw an old woman walking toward him.
"Granny Rigu!"
She was the village’s midwife and apothecary, the only one with the Apothecary Skill. As soon as she saw Ren, her wrinkled eyes filled with tears.
"Young master... look at how much you've grown..."
"You think so?"
"Yes. Your face is so dignified now... You’ve become quite the man."
Embarrassed by the praise, Ren scratched his cheek and thanked her. He then fell into step beside Granny Rigu, walking with her through the village he had worked so hard to save.