Ren had self-study time starting from the afternoon, so he headed to the small room at the back of the library—the one he had used while serving as an executive committee member for the Lion King Grand Festival.
Radius was alone in the room, a place Ren had continued to frequent even after the festival's conclusion.
"Ren, is that you?"
Ren stepped inside and took his usual seat.
He brought up the invitation Ulysses had delivered the other day. Thinking it was as good a time as any to discuss it, he laid out the details.
"—And that's the situation," he concluded.
After telling Radius about the invitation to board the Gardiknight and the upcoming trip to Eupeheim in November, he asked, "How does it look for introducing me to that person you mentioned during the trip?"
Radius nodded. "That works."
Their schedule in Eupeheim wasn't packed tight. Most of the time was intended for Ren, Licia, and Lezard to relax—a holiday of sorts. Stepping away for a while wouldn't be an issue.
"I'll let them know about you in advance. I'll make sure to show my face on the day as well. I'll be heading to Eupeheim by magic ship, so keep that in mind."
"Wait, Radius, aren't you—?"
"I declined Ulysses's invitation. It isn't really the kind of event where the Imperial Family should be too involved. Besides, I have other matters to attend to. I want to devote myself to them until the very last minute."
"I see. Is there anything I can help with?"
"No, don't worry about it. This is something I couldn't even ask of you, Ren."
As before, his voice carried a weight of mental exhaustion. It didn't seem to be related to the Demon King Cult or similar troubles.
"To put it simply, it’s a matter of family circumstances."
His voice held a double meaning, colored with a sense of "at long last." Ren couldn't very well pry into the private circumstances of royalty, so he smoothed things over as usual.
"I doubt there are many families with circumstances as difficult as yours, Radius."
"True enough. I think so myself."
A few days passed.
The largest station in the Imperial Capital was bustling with unprecedented energy.
Crowding the platform were those invited by Ulysses—nobles and dignitaries from various regions, regardless of their political factions.
The chassis of the rumored Gardiknight was far larger than that of any conventional magic train. Unlike previous models, it was a double-decker, with a height and width that pushed the very limits of the station's capacity. Its streamlined design seemed to scream that it was a cut above anything that had come before.
During the ceremony, Radius offered a congratulatory speech as the representative of the Imperial Family. Before long, the guests began to board the Gardiknight.
"Please, take this."
Since receiving it directly from Radius would have been too conspicuous, Ren took it from the hand of an Imperial Guard. It was an expensive-looking envelope.
"His Highness only told me to say that it is a letter of recommendation."
Catching the meaning, Ren looked over at Radius, who stood some distance away.
Thanks.
Don't mention it.
With a brief exchange of silent lip-reading, Radius departed the station with his escort.
Ren and Licia boarded the train like the other guests. Soon after, the Gardiknight departed, accelerating rapidly. It left the city behind in a heartbeat, hurtling toward its final stop: Eupeheim. It was fascinating to watch the landscape outside the window shift and transform in the blink of an eye.
Lezard and Weiss were also on board, but they were acting separately. Ren and the others made their way to a carriage that served as a cafe during the day and a bar at night.
"Amazing. We're moving so fast, yet there's no shaking at all."
"As expected of the latest model," Ren agreed.
"Hehe, I'm glad you're enjoying it," Fiona added with an elegant smile.
The three of them were there because Fiona had invited them. One entire wall of the carriage was a single, massive sheet of glass, providing a panoramic view of the world rushing by outside.
As they enjoyed their leisure time, the door opened.
"Licia, so this is where you were."
It was Sera. She was also a guest on the Gardiknight. She was wearing her academy uniform—as were the other three. They had all attended supplementary lessons at the academy before the ceremony, so they had simply boarded in their school clothes. Ren recalled seeing other young lords and ladies in their uniforms as well.
Now what?
It wasn't that he was unhappy Sera had arrived, but he was suddenly conscious of the fact that he was the only male in the group. Staying and chatting with them was fine, but...
"Riohalde-san, Vane came along too, didn't he?"
"Yes. He’s with me as my guard. I think he went to the observation car with Kaito a little while ago."
While the cafe car was scenic enough, the observation car Sera mentioned offered even better views, with a glass ceiling to match the walls. It sounded like a good place to appreciate the journey.
"In that case, I'll go check out the observation car for a bit."
Stepping into the connecting corridor, Ren found it crowded with other guests. He saw a handful of students in the Imperial Military Academy uniform, along with others in what looked like uniforms from different schools—children of those involved in the railway project.
"Here goes."
Ren moved past the guests and made his way down the corridor. When he opened the door to the observation car at the rear of the train, it was even more crowded than the cafe. However, he spotted Vane and Kaito immediately.
"Hm?"
Kaito, sitting by the window, noticed Ren and waved him over energetically.
"Ashton! Over here!"
It was a rather loud summons, but Ren didn't mind as he joined them. Naturally, both were in their uniforms as well. Ren sat next to Vane, across from Kaito. A board game similar to chess sat on the table between them, the two of them mid-match.
"Want to play, Ren?"
"No, I'm content just watching."
Despite saying that, Ren reached into his jacket. He pulled out a small book, roughly the size of a mass-market paperback.
"You've always got the strangest books, Ashton."
Ren had bought it at a bookstore in the Imperial Capital a few days ago. He had stopped there with Licia on the way back from the academy and picked it up on a whim.
"It's interesting. You want to read it, Upperclassman Leonard?"
"Do I look like the type who reads for fun?"
"...I don't know how to answer that, so please have mercy."
"Hahaha! My bad, my bad!"
Vane, sitting beside him, glanced at the title.
"'Magic Ship Basics: Even a Little Boar Can Understand!'...?"
"Yeah. It's exactly what it says on the tin—a book about the fundamentals of magic ships."
Perhaps because he had helped repair the Lemuria recently, he had felt the urge to learn more. There was no deeper meaning to it. Even as a total amateur, Ren found the book surprisingly engaging.
"Huh... you read stuff like that, too."
"Once in a while. Anyway, I think I'll read this while I watch you two play."
Vane and Kaito didn't mind; they spent the time together like the old friends they were.
Ten minutes passed as Ren turned the pages. The two boys continued their game.
"Alright! One more time, Vane!"
"You're on. I'm not losing this one, either."
Ren occasionally glanced at the board while he read. As he grew more focused on the text, the voices around him began to fade into the background.
"Ah—hey! Wait! That's—"
"It's a fair match—fair and squa—"
"Gah—I'm not done—"
Ren remained quiet amidst the heated match. At some point, tea had appeared on the table—likely the work of the attentive onboard staff. Ren brought the cup to his lips and set it back down repeatedly. By the time he finished his first cup, Vane and Kaito were on their third round.
"By the way."
Kaito’s voice returned to its usual, casual tone. He caught the interest of Ren, who had been engrossed in his book.
"I heard a rumor that the Pope of the Elfen Church has ordered their boasted greatest force to mobilize. Sounds like they're getting serious about the Demon King Cult."
"What? You don't mean the church is the one going on the offensive, do you?"
"That's exactly it, Ashton."
"...Wait, seriously?"
Ren was stunned to hear that the leadership of the Elfen faith was taking such direct action.
"One of their temples was attacked a while back, right? I think it was just before the Great Clock Tower of Erendil was hit. Rumor is some holy relic was stolen, so the Elfen Church decided they couldn't just sit back and watch anymore."
Kaito was referring to the Tears of Elfen, the relic once kept in one of the church's temples.
"Do they actually know where the Cult is moving?"
"Maybe. They've got branches all over the world; they might have picked up something."
"I see... no wonder."
Ren thought that an organization like the Elfen Church would be formidable in a situation like this. As Ren drained the last of his tea, a member of the service staff noticed and stepped forward to pour him a refill.