"I was nervous. Fortunately, since it was Lady Estelle presenting the award, I think I managed to act more or less like my usual self."
"Hehe. Was Lady Estelle behaving more strictly than usual during the ceremony?"
"Ah... well..."
It would probably be fine to tell her. Fiona and Estelle had become friends over the course of the winter, and both had already begun interacting with one another in a more casual manner.
"That was only at the start. Halfway through, she spent the rest of the time grinning at me because of how stiff I was."
Perhaps Estelle had simply wanted to ease Ren’s tension. Fiona laughed, watching with amusement as Ren spoke with a slightly disgruntled expression.
"She presented it to me in her office at the Lion Sanctum, but..."
The office was located on the upper floors of the Sanctum. Several other knights had been present, yet Ren’s nerves had unexpectedly faded after the initial formalities. Despite the incredibly solemn atmosphere of the room, Estelle’s presence had quickly brought things back to their usual pace.
"It’s a great honor, but it isn’t exactly something for daily use. For now, I just have it displayed in my room."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. It’s not really the kind of thing you pin to a school uniform, after all."
To a certain extent, the Imperial Academy permitted students to customize their uniforms. For instance, when summer arrived, Kaito wore short-sleeved shirts with his uniform slacks, and Ren’s classmate, Nemu Altia, frequently wore a hoodie over her clothes. Charlotte Rofelia, an upperclassman who was quite fond of Vane, also had her own style—leaving several buttons undone or adjusting the length of her skirt.
Because of this, pinning a single medal to a jacket wouldn't actually be a problem. Estelle had even told him he could wear it on his uniform if he wished, but the award was far too conspicuous.
'I don’t wear mine on anything but my formal military coat,' she had told him. 'You should think of it as something to be worn only when visiting places that require formal attire.'
Since it seemed other recipients followed that example, Ren decided to do the same.
...Still, it certainly stood out.
The award Ren had received was known as the Holy Grimdall Sword Medal. It featured a black sword at its center, adorned with gold thread and intricate detailing; it carried a certain weight and presence just pinned to one's chest. It was a decoration that only the Director of the Lion Sanctum could bestow, reserved for Strong Sword Users who had ascended to the rank of Sword Saint.
The Lion Sanctum was often described as a semi-independent agency. Because it was an institution tied to the Empire's absolute founder, the Lion King, there were certain spheres where even the state could not issue orders. The Holy Grimdall Sword Medal, presented by this very institution, took its name from a blind knight named Grimdall, who was said to have possessed strength second only to the Lion King himself.
Reaching the rank of Sword Saint did not, in and of itself, trigger a special reward from the state. If the government were to grant titles or lands for every person who reached that rank, it would create an unfair precedent unless they did the same for the various adventurers based in Leomel. However, regarding the subjugation of the Apostle of the Giant God, Wadatsumi, Ren had already received an ample reward from Ulysses, the Lord of Eupeheim.
After walking Fiona back to the girls' dormitory, Ren strolled through the winter streets of the Imperial Capital. While enjoying a bit of window shopping, he glanced at a massive building situated along the main boulevard.
The Adventurer Guild, Leomel Empire Headquarters.
Inside, the building featured a space similar to any other guild branch. However, because it was the headquarters, one could accept large-scale requests here that had been gathered from across the entire Empire. Ren stepped inside without any particular goal in mind.
The interior was far more modern than the branches in Clausel or Erendil. As Ren looked around, his ears caught the sounds of conversations rarely heard in other guilds.
"Ah, no, this matter does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court or the Elfen Church—"
"We have received a consultation from the Western nobility regarding this investigation."
Unlike other branches, the lobby here was populated by nobles, knights, and civil officials. The headquarters served as a hub where requests could be issued and then dispatched to rural regions.
"You are Ren Ashton-sama, correct?"
A female guild staff member approached Ren while he was looking at the bulletin board.
"We only have standard requests out here on the board. Would that be acceptable?"
"Ah, no. I just stopped by on a whim today. ...Wait, you know who I am?"
"Of course. We have already been notified by the Lion Sanctum."
The notification meant two things: First, he was authorized to accept special requests at the Imperial Capital Guild. Second, he was granted permission to enter the Garden of Swords.
These were the privileges that came with the Holy Grimdall Sword Medal—or rather, the perks of being recognized by the state as a Strong Sword User who had reached the level of a Sword Saint. Beyond these practical benefits, his standing in social circles and noble society would naturally increase. It was a profound change in status, something Ren had never possessed until now.
It wasn't that these privileges were strictly exclusive to Sword Saints who used Strong Sword Arts; rather, because Leomel now guaranteed his identity as an elite combatant, the Guild extended these courtesies to him. There were other ways to earn such rights, but all of them were exceptionally difficult to achieve.
"When you wish to accept an Emblem-bearing request, please come to that reception desk over there. We will escort you to the private rooms immediately."
Emblem-bearing requests were special contracts stamped with the seal of the Imperial Capital Guild. They were high-level missions, distinct even from the special requests Ren had handled in the past. Without exception, every one of them involved some form of complex or dangerous circumstance. In the world of The Legend of the Seven Heroes, these were the quests worth taking, often rewarding the player with top-tier equipment upon completion.
Ren continued to look around the building for a while after the staff member left, eventually checking the clock on the wall. He hadn't intended to stay long, but thirty minutes had already slipped by. Since he had no other business there, he stepped back outside.
The cold January wind brushed against his cheeks, ruffling his hair.
"Hey, look! They say the items in that shop are the new spring releases!"
"Oh, you're right! Spring is almost here, isn't it?"
Passing the voices of schoolgirls in their uniforms, Ren moved through the crowded main boulevard. By the time he had browsed a bookstore and picked out some spring clothes at a boutique, the sun had already set. He ate dinner in the city, and as seven o'clock approached, he decided it was time to head back.
As a final stop, he decided to swing by the Lion Sanctum to give a brief greeting to Estelle before heading to the station. As he walked through the government district, he passed through the quarter where the various temples were clustered.
...Now that I think about it, this might be the first time I've actually walked through this area.
Wandering the district on his own feet, he noticed the high concentration of clergy and religious followers. Last summer, the seal on Roses Kaitas had been broken. Even now, the number of people who knew Ren and Licia were involved was strictly limited, but the Elfen Church had spent every day since then proclaiming it to be a miracle and the will of their Main God. The religious fervor remained high; the Imperial Capital Grand Temple located further in was bustling with a number of pilgrims that far exceeded previous years.
"—And then there’s Vane’s power, too," he murmured to himself.
He was thinking of the glimpse of power Vane had shown during the crisis with the Apostle of the Giant God, Wadatsumi. It was the awakening of the power Vane was originally destined to use to return Asval—whom Ulysses Ignat had planned to resurrect—to his slumber. However, since the opponent had been Wadatsumi and not the dragon, it had likely only been a precursor to his full awakening.
Ren had heard a few details about what had transpired on the Leonard family's magic ship. Once the winter break ended and classes resumed, Vane would undoubtedly be the talk of the Academy.
The light from the antique-style streetlights, spaced at regular intervals, illuminated Ren’s path. His footprints stretched out behind him on the cobblestones, which were lightly dusted with snow.
"If Vane completely awakens—"
He was about to think that it would surely be a massive asset against the threat of the Demon King Cult when he suddenly stopped.
Ren blinked, his eyes fixed on a lone woman walking toward him from up ahead. The woman stopped as well, looking back at him.
Neither of them spoke for a moment. Ren was stunned, wondering what she could possibly be doing here. The woman seemed to share his sentiment.
However, the woman was the first to move, stepping closer until she reached Ren's side. She spoke when she was just a few paces away.
"You are a mysterious one," she said, looking right at him. "I can tell you’ve grown much, much stronger since we met at the Great Clock Tower."
"...Why are you—"
As they passed each other, the woman of mystical beauty—Sword King Lutreche—offered a final word.
"Until we meet again."
Her hair fluttered in the wind, brushing past him. When Ren spun around to look back, Lutreche was gone. No matter where he searched, he couldn't see even a trace of her.
It was as if she had simply vanished into the snow falling from the winter sky. She was no longer there.