Since the start of spring, Vane’s name had been on everyone’s lips at the academy.
The stories of his trip to Windea over the holidays and the newfound air of dignity he carried—a confidence Ren had noticed himself—were the talk of the halls. Watching Vane grow more stalwart by the day, the students were beginning to believe the rumors that he truly was a descendant of Hero Ruin.
Ren viewed this as a positive development.
The roster of the second-year Special Merit Class remained unchanged, yet several students approached Vane and Sera with visible excitement. Even after classes ended, the buzz didn't fade.
Witnessing the lively scene, Ren chuckled softly to himself and left the classroom. Licia had stepped away for a moment to attend to some business, leaving him with some time to kill within the academy.
"Mmm..."
Walking down the hallway, he let out a relaxed groan and yawned. Having been in Windea so recently, the mundanity of school life made him drop his guard. He followed the first-floor corridor out to the courtyard and headed toward a set of back-to-back benches. A thick hedge separated them, ensuring that anyone sitting on one side was hidden from the other.
Just as Ren prepared to soak in the warmth of the sun and relax, a voice called out from the other side.
"Is that you, Ren?"
It was Radius. Ren stood up and peeked around the hedge to find the prince sitting with a book open in his lap.
"What are you reading?" Ren asked.
"I decided to brush up on some Great People's Biographies. I just borrowed this from the library."
Glancing at the cover, Ren recognized it as a book he had checked out once before. However, it wasn't Radius’s first time reading it; the prince had revisited this particular volume several times.
"No matter how many times I read of Grimdall’s ferocity, it still makes my heart tremble," Radius admitted.
"Ah... I know what you mean."
Ren had read it at the manor over the winter after Kaito recommended it. Grimdall was the knight who served as the namesake for the Holy Grimdall Sword Medal Ren had recently received. The biography detailed the life of the legendary figure who served the Lion King.
"They say the Lion King possessed strength in both swordsmanship and magic that no ordinary man could hope to match," Radius said, his eyes scanning the text. "Yet, some theories suggest that the Blind Knight, Grimdall, actually surpassed the Lion King in pure sword skill."
"I wonder how strong he really was."
"Who knows? One cannot measure himself against those long gone. I can’t even begin to imagine it."
Radius continued to read as he spoke. He didn't seem to mind Ren’s presence; in fact, he seemed to enjoy the meaningful silence of a quiet afternoon. Ren shifted his posture and sat on the bench on the opposite side of the hedge. Even through the leaves, their voices carried easily.
"On another note," Radius said, "I heard about what happened in Windea. It’s concerning."
"Yeah... tell me about it."
"The Demon King Cult has a history of stealing Holy Relics. It is highly probable they intended to seize this one for some dark purpose as well. While there is a slim chance another party was involved, it is difficult to be certain at this stage."
"I thought the same. But—"
"But what?"
"...No, it’s nothing."
Ren stopped himself. There was no point in mentioning that things were playing out differently than they had in The Legend of the Seven Heroes. He couldn't explain his foreknowledge, but the situation was too serious to ignore. Instead, he mentioned a few specific locations to Radius. He described them as places where the Cult would likely strike next.
"Rest assured," Radius replied. "Since the incident this winter, we’ve been deploying more forces than ever before. We are already in the process of sending units to the regions you mentioned."
Ren felt a wave of relief, realizing how reliable the collaboration between Radius and Ulysses truly was.
"Since I know you’re worried about them, would you like me to send you a summary of our next movements?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Ren had one more concern: the Priest of the Demon King Cult who had appeared in the first chapter of the game's sequel. He wanted to get ahead of the threat.
"Hey, Radius."
"Hm? What is it?"
"If I told you I was really worried about something and asked for your help, what would you say?"
"I would help," came the instantaneous reply.
Ren blinked. "Wow. You’re not even going to ask for the details first?"
"I am not. Now, tell me, what is it I should do?"
Before Ren could answer, a pair of students walking down the corridor spotted him and approached hesitantly. Their private consultation was cut short as Ren turned to face the newcomers.
"Good afternoon, Upperclassman Ashton," Lizred said with a polite little bow.
"Upperclassman Ashton, please excuse my rudeness the other day," Squall added.
The two first-years seemed to be wandering the grounds after class. Being called "Upperclassman" still felt a bit strange to Ren, but he supposed he’d have to get used to it.
"You two. Have you settled into your classes yet?"
"Ugh..." Lizred groaned.
"Miss Archayse?"
"Th-That’s a separate matter! I’ll get used to them eventually!"
Radius remained silent on the other side of the hedge, choosing not to disturb the juniors. While Lizred was being vague, Squall didn't hesitate to fill in the blanks, much to her embarrassment.
"Liz didn't do as well as she hoped on her first mini-quiz," Squall explained. "It sounds like she was severely scolded by the Former Heroic Earl Archayse."
The "Former" Earl was Lizred's grandmother, a woman known for being as strict about academics as she was about magic. Even the current head of the house couldn't stand up to her. Yet, despite her severity, she was a person of great character and was deeply loved by her family.
"Squall! Why would you tell him that!?"
"You were the one who wouldn't say it, Liz."
Squall, the descendant of the Great Saint, let out a short, weary sigh. Ren couldn't help but laugh at their banter.
"See! Now he’s laughing, and it’s all your fault!" Lizred cried. "Honestly... first Sharo, and now you. Why are the Heroic Archduke families so lacking in consideration for others?"
"Do not lump me in with Sharo," Squall countered. "At least I’m not saying anything factually incorrect."
"Kuuu... always with the logic... Upperclassman Ashton, what do you think!?"
"Eh? Me?"
Ren looked at his juniors with a troubled smile. If this were the game, he might have sided with one or the other to gain affection points. But in reality, he didn't want to step on anyone's toes.
"Everyone is busy right after enrollment," Ren said diplomatically. "I’m sure you’ll show your true potential once you settle in, Miss Archayse. There’s no need to worry."
Both Lizred and Squall seemed satisfied with the answer. On the other side of the hedge, Ren heard the sound of a book closing. Radius stood up and walked around the greenery, finally entering the juniors' field of vision.
"Ren, I’ll be going now."
"Got it. See you later."
Lizred, who had been surprised to see Radius with Ren once before, looked just as shocked today. "Hafua!?"
Ren noticed she was clutching several papers—likely information about the after-school club orientations or facility tours.
"Are you two okay on time?" Ren asked.
"Wawa!?" Lizred let out a cry that was decidedly un-ladylike as she realized she was running late. She and Squall hurried off.
A few moments later, Licia arrived.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" she said, rushing over to him.
Seeing Ren looking so amused, she sat down beside him. As the months went by, the space between them when they sat together seemed to shrink. The distance was becoming tantalizingly small; it felt as though the slightest push would bring them together. In fact, a few mischievous female students were already plotting to do just that.
"What’s wrong?" Licia asked, her breath brushing his shoulder.
"Miss Archayse and Mr. Meldeg were just here. It was a bit lively."
"Hehe, I can imagine. What were they on about?"
"Apparently, Miss Archayse had a bit of a rough time with her mini-quiz."
"Well, it’s only the beginning of the term. I’m sure she’ll figure it out once she gets used to the pace."
They chatted for a while longer, making the kind of idle conversation that defined the slow, peaceful atmosphere of the academy after hours. After a few dozen minutes, they both stood up.
"We have training at the Lion Sanctum today," Ren said. "Shall we?"
"Yes."
Ren stood first and offered a hand to Licia. She took it with a radiant smile.
Later that evening, Ren took a break from his training at the Lion Sanctum and watched Licia.
"Ho! You did well to block that!"
"Not yet! I can still go!"
Licia had been spending more time in one-on-one sessions with Estelle lately. It had been Estelle’s idea; she seemed moved by Licia's fierce determination to keep up with Ren.
"In my youth, I polished my sword skills just to win over my husband," Estelle had once told her.
"Did your husband study the sword as well?" Licia had asked.
"No, he was quite slender. Whenever I tried to make him hold a blade, he’d look at me like I was trying to poison him."
Licia kept that particular detail a secret from Ren.
Ren had planned to suggest a break, but seeing how focused Licia was, he decided not to disturb her. He left the training ground and walked down the corridor alone. He was a familiar face to the civil officials now, and he greeted them comfortably as he went.
"Oh, Master Ren," a voice called out.
He turned to see a group of Lion Sanctum Knights. Unusually, they were dressed in sharp, black knight’s uniforms instead of their usual heavy armor. Their chests were decorated with various achievement pins and medals.
"Good evening. You’re dressed quite formally today," Ren noted.
"There was a gathering of knights earlier. We represented the Lion Sanctum."
"I see... By the way, are those medals on your chests?"
Ren recalled hearing that Sanctuary knights didn't bother with the standard officer-level exams. He wondered if these were related.
"No, these are insignias," one of the knights explained, pointing to them one by one. "This proves I completed the curriculum for a Regular Knight, and this one denotes that I’ve reached the Master Swordsman Class in Imperial Swordsmanship."
He went on to show badges for archery, carriage escort for the Imperial Family, Imperial Guard training, and officer qualification. Every single one was a requirement for their station.
"Is the path to becoming a Lion Sanctum Knight really that long?"
"Haha... you have no idea."
"Even the Regular Knight exam was harrowing. When it came time for the higher qualifications, I lost count of how much blood I spat."
"The Imperial Guard training was tough, but the Sanctuary’s exams are on a different level entirely."
Ren leaned in, curious. "What kind of exams were they?"
The knights shared a strained smile. "The content changes every year, but there’s almost always a general education exam. It covers multiple languages, the cultures of various ethnic groups, and ancient history. The scope is so broad it’s common for your common sense to be shattered while you're studying."
"One of my colleagues said 'general education' is just a convenient term they use to justify making us learn everything," another knight added. "And then there’s the military strategy..."
"The classroom learning is the easy part, though," a third knight chimed in. "If you study until your eyes bleed, you’ll eventually pass. No, the real nightmare is the physical fitness test."
"It’s an unreasonable trial," the first knight agreed. "The final exam lasts months. They put us through practical evaluations in the world’s harshest environments and active conflict zones. It feels like they have every intention of killing us."
"The real test only begins once you’re convinced you’ve died. It gets a bit easier on the mind after that."
The Lion Sanctum was composed of the absolute elite of Leomel. Though they didn't go into detail, the sheer weight of their words conveyed the brutality of the selection process. For these men, the insignias on their chests were as precious as their lives.
After listening to their stories, one of the knights asked, "By the way, Master Ren, are you here to see Marquis Ignat?"
"No, I don't have an appointment. Why?"
"I saw an Ignat carriage parked outside. I assumed he was here for you."
Curious, Ren went to investigate. Just as they had said, a familiar carriage was waiting. Edgar, the elderly coachman, bowed as soon as he saw Ren. Ulysses stepped out of the carriage shortly after, approaching with a smile.
"Forgive the sudden visit. I wanted to hear about Windea directly from you."
"I understand."
With the Ring of the Water Goddess involved, Ulysses clearly wanted a firsthand account. Ren told him everything. The Marquis nodded thoughtfully throughout the report, waiting until Ren had finished.
"We can’t be certain the Cult is involved yet," Ulysses said, "but it’s best to be prepared for the worst. If I find anything, I’ll let you know immediately."
"Thank you. I’ll do the same."
"Good. Well, I must be off. We’ll speak again soon."
As he moved to board the carriage, Ulysses paused and turned back. "I almost forgot! I was glad to hear the Lemuria is flying safely. My congratulations."
With that, the Marquis departed. Ren headed back inside, thinking Licia would be ready for a break. As he walked, his mind drifted. Now that the situation with Ragna’s Emblem had settled, he had a new goal.
"...Maybe it’s time I visited her again."
He was thinking of Lutreche, the Sword King who had told him to find an Emblem. He had a few things to discuss, but mostly, he wanted to confirm if the path he had chosen was the right one.