Licia was apparently going to do some shopping with Sera before heading home.
The Imperial Academy didn’t prohibit its students from taking detours or buying snacks on their way back. Naturally, if someone did something to tarnish the school’s reputation, they would be disciplined accordingly, but there was no need to worry about that with those two.
Since he was on his own for the evening, Ren made his way to Verrich’s Workshop in the Blacksmith District.
"I’ve been thinking about your next set of armor. I want to make sure it accounts for how much you're growing," Verrich said.
Verrich had been working on a set of armor for Ren using Asval’s Horn for quite some time now. Ren dropped by every now and then to check on the progress.
"Sorry for the wait. I feel bad that your armor keeps getting pushed to the back burner."
"Don’t worry about it. Besides, I was the one who asked you to prioritize the repairs on the Lemuria. You mentioned it yourself, didn't you, Verrich?"
"Oh? Mentioned what?"
"That you’re currently scouting for specific monster materials for the next piece?"
"Well, yeah. But I finally managed to secure them after talking to that brat Ulysses."
"Does that mean you can start as soon as the materials arrive?"
"You bet. Since I’ve kept you waiting this long, I’m going to work my tail off to make sure this set is every bit as good as the Gauntlets of the King of Flames. You can expect big things from a piece forged by yours truly. Anyway—I’d better get moving. I’m heading up to the Sky Garden to get back to work on the Lemuria!"
Verrich slapped a bicep the size of a child's head with his other hand and gave a boisterous, wide-toothed grin.
"You’re starting repairs at this hour? It’s already sundown!"
"The new parts just arrived. It’s a man’s nature to want to see new gear as soon as it lands."
"Fair enough. I can relate to that."
Ren nodded and stepped out of the workshop alongside the dwarf. Verrich locked the door behind them and began walking with long, heavy strides, letting out a massive yawn. Ren followed close behind.
"By the way, how’s the Academy treating you?"
"It’s fine. I just attend my classes like anyone else."
"Come on, that’s it? No... I don't know, student stories?"
"Let me ask you instead—what kind of stories were you hoping for?"
"For instance, how are the Swordsmanship Classes?"
"Those are actually starting up pretty soon."
There were several classes that didn’t begin immediately after the semester started, and Swordsmanship was one of them. The first-year students had a surprising amount of orientation and administrative work to clear first.
"Hmm... Honestly, I feel like you shouldn't even bother participating, Ren."
"Why’s that?"
"It’s a waste of time. For a kid in the Special Merit Class, as long as you pull high marks on the exams, no one’s going to complain. You’d be better off skipping and using the time to self-study for your other subjects."
For Ren, who spent his mornings honing his skills at the Lion Sanctum, it was safe to say he wouldn't learn a single thing from a standard Swordsmanship Class. The same likely applied to Licia.
"In fact, you’d be better off on the side doing the teaching."
"No, no... Teaching is its own kind of difficult. Verrich, what would you do if the Empire asked you to teach your craft to a bunch of kids?"
"Gahahaha! Not a chance! That’d be a total waste of time! There’s no way I could ever teach anyone anything!"
"I don't know how it'll actually go, but I’m pretty much in the same boat."
Ren was naturally a helpful person, so he couldn't say for certain that he was unfit for teaching. However, since he was still a student, he doubted the opportunity would ever arise.
Suddenly, Verrich looked up at the sky, his expression shifting as he changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, it’s almost time."
"For what?"
"Have you heard the news? The army is finally returning from the Martel Continent."
"No, not a word. To be honest, this is the first I've even heard that Leomel had an expeditionary force in Martel."
The Martel Continent was located to the east of the Elfen Continent. It was smaller in scale, and most of the nations there were minor compared to the powers in Elfen. It was a land plagued by constant, localized conflicts.
Since players never had a reason to visit it during the game, that was the extent of the lore available. However, since Ren had begun living in this world, he had picked up more detailed information while studying for his entrance exams—things like the local dialects and the ethnic demographics of the region.
"So, why did Leomel send troops there in the first place?"
"Apparently, a humanitarian aid group sent by the Holy Land got caught in the middle of a conflict, base and all. The Holy Land asked Leomel for reinforcements, and the Empire jumped at the chance to put the Holy Land and the Silver Holy Palace in Nodias in their debt."
"I see... How long have they been out there?"
"Since shortly before you moved here. About a year and ten months? They sent several dozen people—roughly one platoon, if I remember correctly."
"Wait, that’s it? That was the whole force?"
Ren couldn't help but wonder what such a small number of people could hope to achieve in a conflict zone. However, Verrich’s next words made him realize his mistake.
"Every single one of them was an elite from the Lion Sanctum. I'm sure the deployment was meant to be a bit of a show of force, too."
(—Yeah, that would be more than enough.)
"Besides, they were being led by the Director of the Lion Sanctum herself. With that lady in charge, she probably could have handled a war between small nations all by herself. The only reason it took so long was because she was busy acting as a negotiator between the different countries on top of the actual combat."
Hearing the title "Director" made Ren’s eyebrows twitch for a split second.
"Even with the circumstances, it’s surprising someone of her stature was away from the Empire for nearly two years."
"Oh? Now that you mention it, you’ve got a point."
It would have made sense if it were a major war, but this didn't sound like one. Perhaps there was a hidden objective behind the long-term deployment, but Ren didn't have enough information to guess.
Regardless, it was a fascinating piece of news.
"Wait, you seem to know a fair bit about the lady, Ren."
"Yeah... I’ve heard plenty of rumors about her name and her strength."
In truth, it was all knowledge from his past life’s gaming days—memories he was currently scouring his brain to retrieve. What was certain was that the Director was an absolute powerhouse.
Ren thought back as he walked alongside Verrich.
Director of the Lion Sanctum, Estelle Osroes Drake.
Known by the epithet "Death Eater," she was the strongest knight in the Leomel Empire. Since the Sword King wasn't technically a knight, Estelle sat at the very top of the hierarchy.
In the game, she made her first appearance after the main story of The Legend of the Seven Heroes I concluded. In terms of the timeline, it was during the winter of the protagonists' first year. For Ren, that meant this upcoming winter.
While all the descendants of the Seven Heroes appeared in the first game, those in the grade below didn't join the party yet. This event occurred while the protagonist was still adventuring with their own classmates and the seniors from the year above.
After clearing the main quest, players usually focused on finishing sub-events, maxing out levels, or hunting for missed items. However, because the game was famous for its depth, there was a hidden event waiting for those who reached the true end.
The trigger was completing every single side story in the first game. If you went to the Academy Principal’s Office after school, you could hear her voice coming from inside.
'I’ll be going now. His Majesty has summoned me.'
'Right. See you later, Estelle.'
The woman who emerged from the room was Estelle. From the voice, it was clear she had been talking to Chronoa, but this was the first time the player ever saw her. She would glance at the protagonist and leave immediately, without a single word of dialogue.
Finishing that event granted the achievement "Descendant of the Hero," marking the true completion of the first game.
Her next major role came in The Legend of the Seven Heroes II. After the Ren Ashton incident began, she operated independently of the main party, tracking both the Demon King Cult and Ren himself. She appeared in several cutscenes and spoke with the heroes frequently.
She was neither friend nor foe, but her power was legendary. Players had spent years speculating about just how strong she really was, waiting for the third game to finally reveal it.
"Ren? You went off into your own world there."
"Sorry. I was just trying to imagine what kind of person she is."
"Ah, gotcha. Well... you want to meet her?"
"I have mixed feelings about that. Besides, she doesn't seem like the kind of person you can just walk up to—Wait. Verrich, you’ve been calling her 'the boss,' haven't you?"
"Estelle is a regular client of mine. She’ll probably head straight to my shop once she touches down. And even if she doesn't, you’ll probably run into her at the Lion Sanctum sooner or later, right?"
Ren blinked in surprise, then nodded. Verrich was a world-class blacksmith; it was only natural that the Director of the Lion Sanctum would be one of his patrons.
"Well, if you do see her, make sure you give her a proper greeting."
"Yeah. I will."
A brief silence followed as they continued walking, broken only by another one of Verrich’s yawns. He scanned the Blacksmith District with a practiced eye.
"The district’s going to start getting crowded again soon. It’s always like this during the Lion King Grand Festival."
"I thought the festival organizers provided all the weapons and armor for the participants?"
"They do, but this is for the tourists. The Capital is famous for its smiths, after all."
Verrich pointed down a street lined with the district’s most prestigious shops. There were plenty of students around, but also a large number of nobles and wealthy merchants. There were even a few people who looked like they had traveled from overseas.
"The big shops are all ramping up production for the festival crowds. I don't know how they find the energy to work that much!"
"It’s their biggest chance to make a profit. But you aren't planning on working, are you, Verrich?"
"Gahahaha! You’re starting to get me, kid! Tell you what—I’ll give you that cooking knife I made the other day. I forged it on a whim, but then I remembered I don't actually cook for myself!"
"Thank you. I’m sure our chef will be thrilled."
"Good! If it ever needs sharpening, bring it back to me!"
A few days later, the head chef of the Clausel household would receive that knife and nearly faint when he realized exactly what kind of masterpiece he was holding—but that is another story.
That night, a Magic Ship soared through the sky toward Leomel, cutting through the air like a fish in water. Several other ships were stationed mid-air, connected by gangplanks as personnel moved between them.
"We’ve been expecting you!"
"Welcome home! From here on out, we are in Leomel Airspace!"
A tall woman stood before a group of Strong Sword Users who had come to greet her. Most of the people around Ren were tall men, but she stood just as tall as any of them. Her hair was incredibly long, cascading all the way down to her waist in a voluminous, scarlet wave that exuded an air of nobility.
Her features were sharp and beautiful, carrying a sense of strength that words couldn't quite capture—the unmistakable, terrifying presence of a true master of the blade.
This was the Director of the Lion Sanctum, Estelle Osroes Drake.
The Lion Sanctum Knights, seeing her for the first time in nearly two years, found themselves involuntarily holding their breath in her presence.
"Good work on the reception. I assume you are the group heading out to Martel to replace us?"
Estelle wore a jet-black military uniform with a coat so long it nearly swept the floor, carrying it with effortless grace. As the high-altitude winds whipped around her, the dark fabric fluttered behind her like a pair of wings.