One day, a group of youths gathered at a designated location.
The site was a magic ship landing in a town located several weeks' ride from the Imperial Capital. These young men and women were the candidates for the final entrance exam for the Imperial Military Academy’s Special Merit Class.
The magic ship prepared for them was a masterpiece. Even if it encountered a powerful monster in the open skies, it was engineered with the primary directive of delivering the students safely to their destination. From the moment they boarded until they reached the town, every aspect of their surroundings was kept under rigorous control. Once inside the vessel, they were guaranteed a level of safety rivaled only by the Imperial Castle of Leomel itself.
The examination was split across several venues, each staffed by Academy instructors and Knights of the Imperial Capital to handle any emergencies. The possibility of outside interference was nearly nonexistent.
Inside the ship, the final preparations were concluding.
"Captain."
A crew member spoke to the captain on the bridge after finishing the final checks.
"The prescribed inspections and verifications are complete."
"Then, weigh anchor."
Unlike a conventional vessel, a magic ship's bridge was a specialized space packed with various magic tools. This particular ship was even more unique; to ensure absolute fairness for the exam, the destination remained a secret, impossible to confirm until the very moment of departure.
As the signal to depart was given, the flight path illuminated across the glass-plate magic tool in the center of the bridge.
"What in the...?"
The captain froze in astonishment. Many of the crew members were similarly struck dumb.
"Is there no mistake?" the captain demanded of the nearest crewman.
"Th-there shouldn't be! It was verified by the magic tool artisans, the magic ship administrators... even the directors of the Imperial Military Academy checked it!"
The captain snatched up the report. It contained over a hundred verification items, each detailed with the names of the responsible parties and the exact time of confirmation. According to the logs, several crew members had personally witnessed the directors and artisans signing off on it.
"You lot, are you absolutely certain?"
"Y-yes, sir!"
"We checked it over and over! When we asked if it was correct to use this location during winter, they told us that 'the true worth of a candidate is only tested in such environments'..."
The crew had been skeptical at first, but the directors and the artisans had been adamant that there was no error in the designated route. The venue was exactly where it was intended to be.
"Very well. We will proceed as ordered and transport the candidates along the specified path."
Finally accepting the situation, the captain signaled the departure. The furnaces, powered by magic stones, roared to life as the ship ascended, quickly reaching the high heavens far above the landing.
"Target: The Baldur Mountains."
With those words, the magic ship carrying the examinees streaked across the sky. Their destination was the site of the Last Stage from Legend of the Seven Heroes I—the very place Academy Director Chronoa had explicitly stated would not be used for the exam.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Several mornings earlier, Yuno had brought several letters to Lezard’s office. Ren and Licia, who had been assisting Lezard with his administrative duties, lowered their voices to avoid disturbing the Baron as he received the mail.
"Correspondence from the knights stationed in the various villages, my lord," Yuno said.
"Understood. I'll look them over at once."
As Yuno bowed and departed, Lezard broke the seals. The letters were petitions from villages struggling with the heavy snow.
"...It seems their supplies are holding out, but the structural damage from the snow is significant."
It wasn't that Lezard’s winter preparations had been insufficient. Rather, the letters described a series of natural disasters that required the dispatch of knights to assist the locals.
"Lord Lezard, is it the same kind of damage that happened at the Old Wing?" Ren asked.
"So it seems. Older houses are buckling under the weight. In other areas, trees in the forest have snapped or fallen, blocking the roads. This is the nature of winter; one never knows the full extent until the snow actually falls."
"Does that mean you'll be choosing the knights for the dispatch now?"
"Yes. We must act quickly, or the people will suffer."
"In that case, let me help. Hearing about the villages reminds me of the trip I took with Lady Licia."
"Wait... the village we visited together?" Licia asked.
"A river had been dammed up there," Ren explained. "If there's similar damage due to the snow, I think I could be of use if I went along."
"I see. That’s a fair point."
Ren possessed the strength to take down a D-rank monster single-handedly, and his physical power—bolstered by the Magic Sword Summoning Arts—was far beyond that of any ordinary adult. In his hands, even a normal sword could cleave a boulder with ease.
Lezard considered the offer for a moment. "To be honest, I would be grateful for your help, Ren. However, it pains me to ask you to go so far afield when we already owe you so much."
"Please, don't worry about that. It's a bit late to start worrying about giving me work, isn't it?"
Ren wanted to emphasize that since he was already handling the East Forest investigation, this was just an extension of his duties.
"Lord Weiss needs to stay in Clausel in case of an emergency, so it's more practical for me to go. I'm used to long journeys and camping."
"Hmm..."
"And it's not as if my parents forbade me from helping out, right?"
"No. On the contrary, Roy told me that if you ever expressed a desire to help with the work, I should let you."
"Then it's settled. I'm used to this kind of labor. Back in my home village, I helped my father with repairs whenever we had weather like this."
Ren was more than just a helping hand; his stamina surpassed that of the regular knights. Lezard bowed his head, looking genuinely apologetic. "Then I shall rely on you."
"...I suppose I can't say 'I'm coming too' this time, can I?" Licia murmured.
"My sword exists for times like these, Lady Licia," Ren said gently.
"I'm not trying to be unreasonable," she replied. "It's just... I wanted to do whatever I could to help, too."
Licia’s presence would certainly boost morale, but the current situation required physical labor and repairs above all else. She understood that perfectly well.
"Father, it's alright if I at least help Ren with his preparations, isn't it?"
"Of course it is."
"Um, Lady Licia, I can pack my own bags..."
"It’s fine. I just want to help."
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
The situation shifted late that afternoon. Lezard visited Ren in the Old Wing, his expression unusually grave.
"I hesitated whether or not to involve you in this, Ren, but I decided you had a right to know."
He pulled a sheet of paper from his coat. Ren took it and scanned the contents. It was a Designated Quest.
"A Designated Quest?"
It was a request for the same mission he had declined before, but the context had become much more dangerous. The same historic snowfall that was wreaking havoc in the villages had triggered a crisis in the Baldur Mountains.
"An emergency beacon was sighted from a fort within the Baldur Mountains."
It was assumed that the beacon had been lit by the adventurers—specifically Kai’s group. In short, the request was a formal plea for help from Meidas the werewolf.
There is an old fort near the mid-slopes of the Baldur Mountains used by adventurers. In emergencies, they take shelter there and raise a beacon to signal for rescue.
Ren was familiar with the fort. Fortunately, it was stocked with food and provided some shelter. Water could be obtained by melting snow, and they could survive on monster meat if necessary. However, an old fort wasn't a sustainable long-term solution. If their means of keeping warm failed, they would freeze to death in short order.
While a part of Ren thought they brought this on themselves, he couldn't ignore the situation.
I owe Meidas for the Platinum Wing. But even so, going into the Baldur Mountains in this weather...
He knew that adventurers accepted their own risks, but lives were on the line. There was no time to waver. Then, a specific detail clicked in his mind, and his hesitation vanished.
"Lord Lezard, I know one of the adventurers waiting for rescue. Before he left, he told me the client was a messenger for a merchant purveyor tied to the Hero Faction."
Lezard let out a long, heavy sigh. He stared up at the ceiling of the Old Wing and sighed again.
"How troublesome... and at a time like this."
The incident with Viscount Given was still fresh; they had to be extremely careful. Even with their friendship with Marquis Ignat, they couldn't afford to be passive.
"I cannot allow the Hero Faction to claim that House Clausel failed to assist as some kind of petty retaliation for the incident in the spring," Lezard muttered.
Ren and Lezard shared a bitter smile. It was absurd that a Baron had to worry so much about the safety of a mere messenger for a merchant, but given the political climate, they couldn't simply ignore it.
"I'm sorry, Lord Lezard. I should have told you about this when I first turned down the request."
"No, while the information is valuable, the outcome wouldn't have changed. If they were tied to the Hero Faction, they wouldn't have listened to advice from someone like me who had just clashed with one of their nobles. When a messenger's career depends on a job, they tend to turn a deaf ear to warnings."
Lezard wasn't just trying to comfort Ren. He knew they could have warned the party about the severity of the winter, but they couldn't have stopped them. Forcing them to stay would have been viewed as a hostile act.
"Regardless, the knights are already being dispatched. Since their route was planned to take them near the Baldur Mountains while visiting the villages, our house can afford to send a search party into the mountains."
While adventurers technically accepted their own risks, there was no telling if other citizens were stranded in the fort as well. For the sake of human lives, the peace of the territory, and to keep House Clausel out of another political quagmire, they had to act.
I have to stop overthinking this, Ren decided.
"Please let me join the group heading to the Baldur Mountains."
"...I thought you might say that."
The mission was already going to take time, but adding a trek into the mountains meant Ren would be gone for over a month. Lezard hated to demand so much of him.
"It's just a small detour. Please, let me help protect Clausel—my home." Ren scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Besides... if I stay here and do nothing, I know I'll be haunted by the thought of Lady Licia’s worried face."
"Are you thinking of when the two of you were fleeing from Jelkku?"
"Yes. I never want to see her look that way again."
While the chance of this incident becoming a major disaster was low, the events of the spring had taught Ren not to take anything for granted. He was training to become strong enough to stand against the whims of the powerful, and turning his back on a rescue mission felt like a step backward.
"For someone who can take down a D-rank alone, perhaps the mountains aren't so frightening... but still."
"Lord Weiss has to stay here, so please, let me go."
After a long pause, Lezard offered a compromise.
"I will not permit you to accept the Designated Quest as an adventurer. However, I will allow you to accompany the knights to the fort as an official dispatch."
"What’s the difference?"
"If you act as an adventurer, you bear the legal responsibility for the contract. If you go under my orders, the situation changes. If the search is forced to go deeper than the fort, you are not obligated to follow. You can withdraw under my authority."
Lezard explained that the path from Clausel to the fort was relatively safe—it had fewer monsters, stable terrain, and was generally shielded from avalanches. He wanted to ensure Ren could return safely regardless of what the adventurers chose to do.
"By the way, Ren, you have a skill, don't you?" Lezard said, as if just remembering. "I imagine it would be quite useful in a situation like this. I assumed that was part of why you were so confident in offering your help."
"That is..."
"Ah, no need to explain the details. I'm not asking for your secrets."
Ren had indeed considered that the Nature Magic of the Wooden Magic Sword could be vital in the mountains. The ability to artificially create paths or clear obstacles could save lives. However, he had kept the details of his Magic Sword Summoning to himself. Licia had seen it, of course, but she had never pressed him for details, nor had she told her father.
Ren had hidden his power initially out of a childish caution based on his memories of the game's plot. Recently, however, it had become a matter of self-defense.
"Licia is a Saintess, so her power is public, but for you, I would advise against telling others needlessly. To broadcast your strength is to broadcast your weaknesses."
Ren felt a deep sense of gratitude for Lezard’s wisdom.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
The winter sun set quickly, and the sky outside the window turned a deep indigo. Once Ren's preparations were finally complete, Licia retreated to her room.
"...This should be everything. I'm certain I've prepared everything he'll need."
She sat at her desk by the window, reviewing her notes on the supplies she had packed for him. All that remained was to write a few instructions on how to use the magic tools she’d included. She looked at her pen, a memory suddenly surfacing.
"I-it’s fine. It's just a memo this time. It won't be like... like before."
A long time ago, she had written a letter to bring Ren to Clausel. She’d written it at the Ashton mansion before it burned down, but because Weiss had teased her that it read like a love letter, she had tucked it into her pocket to destroy it later. She had ended up losing it, and it had somehow found its way to Ren. The memory made her face turn bright red.
But, as she told herself, this was just a set of instructions. There was nothing to worry about.
However, after finishing the technical notes, she hesitated.
"...If you don't come back soon, I'm coming to get you myself."
She took the pen—one she hadn't dipped in ink—and traced those words across the paper. The pressure of the nib left a faint, nearly invisible indentation that could only be seen if held to the light. It was a secret message, born from equal parts mischief and genuine longing.
The next morning, Ren prepared to depart. They stood outside the mansion gates as the snow began to fall in soft, steady flakes.
"Ren, give me your hand."
Licia didn't seem to notice the cold. When Ren reached out, she took his hand in hers, and a warm, golden light radiated from her fingertips. Ren felt a sudden surge of vitality; strength and clarity flooded his senses.
"Is this Holy Magic?"
"Yes. But don't think this means you can overexert yourself. It's just a little blessing to keep your body light and help prevent injuries."
It was a gentle magic, designed to wash away his fatigue and keep him agile. It wouldn't last forever—the effect would likely fade long before he reached the mountains—but it was a heartfelt gesture.
"Thank you. I feel like I can take on anything now." Ren glanced at the dagger at his belt. "And with the amulet you gave me, I have nothing to worry about."
"Fufu. Then make me a promise."
Licia tightened her grip on his hand. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a beautiful, desperate intensity.
"You must absolutely, absolutely not push yourself too hard. Promise me."
In that moment, she looked like a perfect blend of a mystical Saintess and a girl her own age, radiating a fragile, captivating beauty.