A subtle yet significant change had taken hold of the relationship between Ren and Licia.
Barely two months had passed since Ren had dropped the formal "Lady Licia" in favor of calling her simply "Licia."
The other students could only guess that something had happened during the Lion King Grand Festival. While some had tried to pry the truth from Licia, she remained tight-lipped about the details.
The change in their dynamic became public knowledge shortly after the Time Cage covering Roses Kaitas had vanished. It happened in the classroom when Ren spoke to her as he usually did.
"Licia, let's head back."
"Yes, let's."
The casual familiarity of his address sent a ripple of shock through the students of the Special Merit Class. Ren had been perfectly composed, and Licia had responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, leaving their classmates utterly bewildered.
Sera, in particular, had been stunned.
However, a smile quickly spread across her face as she realized this was the fruit of Licia’s hard work. Among the sea of surprised faces, she was the only one watching over them with genuine joy.
As with all things, however, people eventually grew accustomed to the shift. The students stopped reacting whenever Ren addressed Licia without an honorific. By now, even if others overheard their conversations, they hardly bothered to look up. The atmosphere that had existed before the Lion King Grand Festival had returned.
Even outside the first-year Special Merit Class, the shift in their relationship remained a topic of conversation. Fiona, finding herself trailing behind Licia, occasionally used the news to spur herself on in private. But that was a matter for another time; her own struggle was only just beginning.
Early one morning at the academy, Ren and Licia arrived ahead of their usual schedule. They made their way to the Academy Principal's Office to meet with Chronoa Highland, a woman celebrated as one of the world's greatest mages.
Chronoa reached out to touch Licia’s hand as she spoke. "There hasn't been much progress in researching Holy Magic, given how few practitioners there are."
The wing-like power Licia had manifested was unprecedented. Even the vastly knowledgeable Chronoa couldn't identify its origin.
Ren and Licia had discussed the matter beforehand and decided to seek her help. Licia couldn't simply go about her daily life without confiding in someone about the immense power she had unconsciously wielded. Naturally, Chronoa was the one they trusted most.
Licia had already explained the situation to her father, Lezard, following the incident. The only others who knew the full details were Chronoa and Fiona, who had come to collect Ren and Licia on that fateful day. They had decided to wait until things settled down further before informing Ulysses or Radius.
"I'm sorry... I've been scouring the books in my collection, but I haven't found any promising information yet," Chronoa admitted.
The Academy Principal’s residence was said to house a library with an uncountable number of volumes, yet her search had yielded no records of a similar phenomenon.
"N-No, please! Don't let it worry you! It's my fault for using a power I didn't even understand," Licia insisted.
"But it wasn't by your choice, Licia-chan!"
"If we’re looking for the root cause, it was the Time Cage and the Sword Demon," Ren added. "So the blame doesn't really lie with either of you."
That was the heart of the matter. Both Licia and Chronoa nodded in agreement.
"Whether the trigger was me or Licia, I'm not sure," Ren continued. "But either way, we were just caught up in it. Licia did nothing wrong."
Perhaps some lingering effect of the Black Priestess who had lent Ren her power in the Baldur Mountains remained. Or perhaps the seal had pulled Licia into its workings, utilizing her power as the White Saint to help destroy the Sword Demon. In the latter case, the influence Licia had gained from the incident involving Viscount Given might also be a factor.
Or perhaps it was both. Since Ren had also been entangled in the event, he wasn't entirely a bystander.
"Also, as we discussed before," Ren said, "let's keep our distance from the Elfen Church for now."
Had the Elfen Church intended to interfere with them from the beginning, they would likely have been more subtle and effective. Regardless, after their experiences over the summer, the pair felt nothing but a sense of deep aversion toward the institution.
"There's no need to force any contact," Chronoa said. "If the Elfen Church reaches out to you in your capacity as the White Saint, let me know. I'll find a reason to decline on your behalf."
"Are you sure, Chronoa-sama?"
"Of course. Your well-being is the most important thing, Licia-chan."
Her lustrous hair, reminiscent of spun gold, swayed as she spoke with a gentle warmth. She reached out and affectionately patted Licia’s head.
"Hey! Attention, everyone! Eyes on me!"
When lunch break arrived, a lively voice cut through the air, drawing the group's focus. It was Nemu Altia, daughter of the Altia Family—one of the seven Heroic Archduke Families.
Hearing her call, the four friends who had been enjoying their lunch nearby—Ren, Licia, Sera, and Vane—gathered around.
"What is it, Lady Altia?" Ren asked.
"Ah, look! You're doing it again, Ren-kun!" The petite Nemu grinned, crossing her index fingers to form an 'X'. "We talked about this, didn't we? You're supposed to call Nemu and Sera without using honorifics."
Ren usually maintained a degree of formality with noble students of his own age. However, ever since he had started addressing Licia casually, he had begun to adopt a more relaxed attitude compared to the spring and summer terms.
"It's a habit. It just slips out," Ren apologized. "I'll be more careful, Nemu."
"Mhm, mhm. Then I suppose I can forgive you this once!"
"So, why the sudden summons, Nemu?" Sera asked, tilting her head. "And besides, this is my desk, isn't it?"
Nemu had specifically called everyone to Sera’s seat for a reason.
"I want you all to see this! It's a special scoop Nemu just got her hands on this morning!" Nemu declared triumphantly, standing with her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest.
Without waiting for permission from the desk’s owner, Nemu unfurled a large, rolled-up paper she had been carrying. It was a poster.
"Well? Isn't it incredible!"
Vane looked at the image and clapped his hands as a memory surfaced. "I’ve heard about this. It’s that new long-distance railway, right?"
"Exactly! The very one rumored to finally open for public travel this winter!"
The large poster depicted a sleek, state-of-the-art magic train named The Gardiknight. In the ancient tongue of Leomel, the name referred to an Unstained Knight.
"It's the most talked-about railway in the empire, and Marquis Ignat himself spearheaded the project!"
Until now, travel by sky via Magic Ship had been considered the pinnacle of transportation. However, this was a terrestrial network. Departing from the Imperial Capital, the train would stop at several cities that lacked Magic Ship docks before reaching its terminus in Eupeheim. These new tracks served as a vital new transit system, even from a national defense perspective.
...In the original timeline of The Legend of the Seven Heroes, this project was never completed. Ulysses, who was destined to lose his life this winter, had lost all interest in the world after Fiona’s death.
"Wait, does The Gardiknight pass through Erendil as well?" Ren asked.
"Uh-huh! Did you really not know that, Ashton-kun?"
"No. It’s news to me."
Ren had heard snippets of the planning under Ulysses, but that was the extent of his knowledge. He turned to Licia. "What about you, Licia?"
"I knew," she whispered, leaning in so only he could hear.
The physical distance between them had closed naturally, much like the change in how they spoke.
"Construction started years ago, but Erendil wasn't originally on the route. But then we formed a connection with Marquis Ignat, didn't we?"
"Ah, so that’s why."
"But knowing the Marquis, I'm sure he planned it with proper logistics in mind," Licia added.
"For a project of this scale, I doubt personal sentiment was the only factor," Ren agreed.
The Ulysses he knew wouldn't make major changes to a massive undertaking based on whimsy alone. He likely confirmed the strategic benefits before making the adjustment.
"So, Nemu," Sera said, still puzzled. "Why did you suddenly bring this poster here?"
Nemu blinked once, then replied with a cheerful shrug. "Because it looks like fun, obviously!"
The bell signaling the end of lunch break rang through the halls.
After the afternoon classes concluded, Ren found himself walking down the hallway with another friend.
"The news was officially released this morning. Since the information is now public, Lady Altia likely picked up that poster from somewhere," Fiona said with a bright smile.
The evening sunlight streaming through the windows illuminated her profile, casting a silken glow on her obsidian hair. She was a girl of breathtaking beauty, often described as a goddess of grace, yet she possessed a warmth and approachability that outshone any gem. Her striking figure, evident even through her school jacket, never failed to draw the eyes of those around her.
"That reminds me! I believe my father will be heading to Erendil soon. He has business to discuss regarding The Gardiknight!"
"Lord Ulysses is coming?"
"Yes! Before the line opens to the general public, he wants to speak with everyone who contributed to the project—"
Fiona nodded, her smile catching the amber light of the setting sun. Her pride-and-joy black hair swayed softly as she walked, reflecting the deepening colors of the evening sky.