Before returning to his guest room, Ren headed for the large public bath.
It was the same bath he had been permitted to use once before. He washed away the grime and soaked in the hot water, letting the fatigue that had unknowingly settled into his bones melt away. When he finally checked his wristwatch on his way back, it was already past midnight.
As he walked past Ulysses’s office again, the door opened.
"Oh, Ren! How was the water?"
Fiona emerged from the room, clutching a thick stack of papers. It appeared she had been working late.
"It felt great. Here, let me help you with those."
Seeing her struggle with the weight, Ren offered his assistance. She nodded with a grateful smile. Ren took the entire stack—refusing to let her carry even half—and walked with her toward the office she used further down the hall.
She explained that whenever she was in Eupeheim, she handled her administrative duties and her studies in that particular room rather than her private quarters.
"Thank you so much. You can just... put them here, if you don't mind."
"Understood."
He set the papers down on the desk. Fiona wanted to separate a few particularly urgent documents, and as she reached for the top of the pile, a sheet of paper grazed her fingertip. The sharp edge sliced through her skin, and a small bead of crimson blood welled up.
"I feel like I'm showing you a very pathetic side of myself right now..." she murmured.
"...It’s nothing like that. You'll be fine," Ren said gently.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, took her hand with a firm but careful grip, and wrapped the cloth around her finger. Fiona’s cheeks flushed a shade of pink that rivaled the crimson on her fingertip.
Fiona insisted she would return the handkerchief after having it cleaned, and Ren eventually excused himself. As he continued toward his guest room, he paused.
"Huh...?"
He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the mana circulating through his body felt more vibrant and revitalized than it had just moments before. Ren did not yet realize that this was the work of the Black Priestess's power, triggered without his knowledge.
The next morning.
"I truly cannot find a reason for it."
Ulysses, Ren, and Fiona were gathered for breakfast.
"Lord Ulysses, is something wrong?" Ren asked.
"Ah, forgive me." Ulysses apologized for his cryptic muttering and set down a report he had been reading while he ate. "The waterways haven't been quite right since shortly after your last visit."
"Is that why the Noble District was sealed off?"
"Yes. The volume of water in the channels fluctuates wildly for no apparent reason... and it’s the same with the rivers feeding into Eupeheim. It stabilized for a while, but the issue keeps recurring."
"Father, wasn't it also true that the external surveys yielded no clear answers?" Fiona added.
Ulysses nodded, a rare look of frustration clouding his handsome features. "It’s affecting the merchant ships navigating the city. We’re using magic tools to force the flow to stabilize, but it’s a stopgap measure, not a cure."
"Could it be related to the Glacier Crossing?" Ren suggested.
Ulysses shook his head. "I've looked for historical precedents. Even when similar issues occurred in the past, they always resolved themselves within a few days. This is different."
"Then I'm not sure what else it could be."
"Exactly. It’s a mystery. I’d give anything to find the root cause..."
Ren wanted to help, but he had no specialized knowledge of hydrology to offer.
"At this rate, we might as well just pray," Fiona said with a light, self-deprecating laugh.
Her father tilted his head. "Pray?"
"Well, there’s that shrine on the offshore island, isn't there? I've heard it's dedicated to the Water God. I thought perhaps we could offer a prayer there..."
Ren recognized the location from the game’s lore—it was a place in the Legend of the Seven Heroes that the player could never actually reach, visible only as a tiny speck on the edge of the world map.
After breakfast, a servant entered the room.
"Master, Lady Drake and Master Verrich have arrived."
The group moved to the guest parlor to meet them.
"Your beauty is every bit as radiant as the rumors suggest, Fiona Ignat," Estelle said, offering a casual greeting as everyone took their seats on the plush sofas. Ulysses arrived shortly after his guests.
"Ren, Eupeheim is clear for now, but it seems the weather at our intended destination is showing no signs of improvement," Ulysses explained. "Traveling there now would be a waste of time. I think it would be best if you all relaxed here in the city for another day."
"I thought that might be the case," Ren replied.
Ulysses smiled warmly. "Please, make yourselves at home. I have to head out shortly to investigate the waterways personally."
"Hm..." Estelle’s brow furrowed. "Marquis Ignat, is that malfunction you mentioned still occurring?"
"Yes. Intermittently."
"For a man of your caliber to take this long to resolve an issue is unheard of. Ah—no! I don't mean that as a slight. I’m simply genuinely curious!"
"I take no offense. Truth be told, I am completely stumped."
Ulysses planned to take Edgar to the Old City to inspect the riverbanks, water sources, and the underground channels. He instructed Fiona to look after their guests, and she nodded dutifully as her father hurried out of the manor.
"What do you want to do, Chief?" Ren asked.
"I already have a destination in mind," Estelle said.
"Then let's go. Where to?"
"The Winter Market."
Ren, Fiona, and even Verrich knew exactly what that meant. The Winter Market was a massive event held daily at the Port of Eupeheim during the cold months. It was a haven of street food, famous for its skewered seafood and local delicacies. It was also a place where one could comfortably start drinking alcohol in the middle of the morning.
"...Please keep it in moderation, okay?" Ren warned.
"I—I know! Fiona is with us, after all! I’ll stop at six... no, wait! I’ll limit myself to five glasses! I promise!"
Ren doubted five glasses counted as "moderation," but he decided not to push the issue. He turned to Fiona. "I'm sorry for the trouble, but could you show us the way?"
"Of course! Leave everything to me," she said, clearly delighted by the unexpected outing.
Many years ago, when Vane and Sera were just children, the Riohalde family had paid a visit to Vane’s rural village. It was during that trip that Sera had slipped away from her father and the guards to wander into the forest alone.
"This is why I told you that you were being too reckless, Young Lady," a young Vane said, standing over a trembling Sera as she crouched beneath a massive tree. This was a scene Ren remembered well from the game’s backstory.
"What do you know...? Are you going to mock me, too? You think I’m weak. You think I can't even kill a single monster!"
"Where is this coming from? You just ran off into the woods without a word..."
"...Because the Village Chief said the food was running low because of the monsters. I thought if I could kill them, my father would finally acknowledge me!"
In her youth, Sera had been consumed by a desperate need to prove her strength. As a descendant of the great Hero Gajil Riohalde, the pressure was immense.
"If I don't work harder, I'll never catch up to that girl."
"That girl?"
"...Yeah. A girl I met in the Imperial Capital. She was so strong. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't beat her. Not even once."
Even as a child, Vane knew Sera was exceptionally capable. He was surprised to hear there was a girl out there who could consistently best her, but he had more pressing concerns. He reached out a hand to her.
"Let's go home, Young Lady."
"And if I refuse...?"
"Werent you just hiding here because you were scared of those Little Boars?"
"I—I was not!"
"Well, maybe not. But you're in no state to fight them right now."
He spoke gently, trying not to bruise her ego further, and gestured with his outstretched hand. Finally, Sera took it with a sigh. It was shortly after that Vane encountered his very first "boss."
It was a brutal struggle. The two children fought with everything they had, but as the battle dragged on, they were pushed to the brink of despair.
"Huff... huff... I won't... let it end like this...!"
Gasping for air, the young boy stood in front of Sera, shielding her with a rusted iron sword. His vision was blurring, but he poured every ounce of his will into one final swing.
At that moment, the impossible happened. The battered, rusted blade was suddenly wreathed in a blinding flash of light. With that first manifestation of his Hero power, Vane struck down the beast.
"What was that light just now? It wasn't Holy Magic...!"
When Heroic Archduke Riohalde finally arrived on the scene, he saw the fading embers of a sacred power that defied belief. Though the light vanished almost instantly, the Archduke made a silent deduction and decided right then and there to bring Vane back to the capital.
Unaware of the political implications, Sera simply found herself drawn to the boy who had risked his life to save her when she was at her most vulnerable.
Vane could still remember every detail of that day. He didn't know why, but he had dreamed of it last night.
"Yawn..."
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sat up in his bed on the magic ship. He got dressed and stepped into the hallway, where he ran into Kaito and Charlotte.
"Sleep well, Vane?" Kaito asked.
"Well enough. But we were up so late that I’m still a bit groggy."
Charlotte gave him a teasing smirk. "Oh? Would you like a lap pillow from your favorite upperclassman?"
"I’ll pass, thanks."
Vane stretched his arms over his head, ignoring the playful bait. The three of them walked to the dining hall, where they were eventually joined by Sera and Nemu.
Once everyone had finished breakfast, Sera spoke up. "Kaito, is it true this ship has a full training ground?"
"Yeah! It’s about the same size as the one at the Academy."
"Then let's go! I want to move around a bit. Who's in?"
Despite it being their winter break, no one objected. They were scheduled to reach the Leonard territory by noon, and everyone felt the need to burn off some of the lingering tension in their muscles.
Charlotte tapped a finger against her lips. "Fine, but we're doing our Academy assignments in the afternoon."
"Whoa, hold on, Sharo! We'll be arriving at my house by then! We’ll be in a carriage seeing the sights!" Kaito protested.
"Which is exactly why we need to study while we can. Between the parties and the ceremonies, we won't have any free time later. We do it now, or we fall behind."
"Ugh... I hate that you're right. Fine, just... don't mention the 'S-word' again until we're actually doing it. It’s depressing."
"Right, right. Whatever you say."
After a short rest, the group headed to the training deck in the lower levels of the ship.
"Why exactly is there a training hall on a ship?" Vane asked as they stepped onto the polished stone floor.
"One of my ancestors was a fanatic about daily training," Kaito explained. "He believed you should never miss a day, even while traveling, so he had this place custom-built."
They spent the next few hours sparring, rotating through different pairings and practicing coordinated maneuvers. By the time they finished, the sun was high in the sky. Kaito collapsed onto the floor, panting. A few moments later, the ship gave a slight lurch.
"I’m done for... you guys keep... oh, wait. Is it time?"
Vane looked out a nearby porthole. "The dock is in sight. We’re losing altitude."
"That’s our stop."
The primary magic ship port of the Leonard Archduke Territory was a spectacular facility built into a massive sea cave at a cape. Large vessels disappeared into a cavern so vast it could have housed Ren’s entire home village with room to spare. The cavern port led to several surface buildings, including a multi-story dockhouse.
As the ship descended, Vane turned to Charlotte.
"Charlotte-senpai."
"Hmm? What is it, Vane?"
"Could I have one last one-on-one match? Just us."
"Of course. I’ll try to be gentle."
It was an odd matchup. Vane was a swordsman, while Charlotte was an archer. Vane caught his breath, watching her as she considered the distance.
"How far apart do you want to start?"
"Actually... from a distance, please."
The further apart they were, the greater Charlotte’s advantage. As a master of the bow, she could pin down almost any opponent before they could get close. Even Kaito struggled to close the gap on her. Vane knew this, yet he asked for it anyway.
Charlotte’s eyes sparkled with interest. "Are you sure about that?"
"I am. I told you before... I feel like I'm right on the edge of grasping something new."
"Well, I’d love a more detailed explanation, but I suppose showing is better than telling. What exactly are you trying to find, Vane?"
"I don't know yet. But it feels vital."
Sera, who had been sitting on the floor to rest, watched them intently. She had dreamed of the past today, too. She felt she understood.
"Vane!" she called out. "You can do it! I’m cheering for you!"
"Yeah! Just watch me!"
The match began, and the disparity was immediate. Charlotte was a blur of motion, pulling and loosed arrows with terrifying precision. Even if Vane deflected one, two more were already in the air.
And she wasn't limited to physical ammunition.
"You’re quite the warrior today, Vane!" she praised.
He managed to close the gap by a few paces, only for her to unleash a volley of arrows fashioned from pure wind magic.
"Guh...!"
Vane gritted his teeth, his blade humming as it struck the gale-force projectiles. The physical arrows had been easier to handle; these wind arrows exploded upon impact, buffeting his body with freezing gusts that made every step a struggle.
"Go, Vane! Don't give up!"
Fuelled by Sera’s voice, Vane lunged forward with everything he had. He swung his sword in a wide arc, cleaving through a concentrated blast of wind. Everyone watched in awe, wondering if he was truly about to pull off the impossible—
Then, without warning, the entire ship shuddered with a violent, unnatural jolt.
Vane skidded to a stop, and Charlotte instantly dispelled her magic. Everyone scrambled to their feet, trading worried glances.
"Something’s wrong," Kaito said, his voice grim.
Without another word, they ran for the exit.