When Ren and the knights entered the room, Roy greeted them immediately. "I’ve been waiting for you."
Mireille stood beside him, her expression as grim as her husband’s.
"So," Roy began, "has something been going on behind our backs that we weren't told about?"
The Clausel knights who had accompanied Ren looked down, their expressions sheepish. "Our deepest apologies. Because it involves matters that cannot easily be made public, we were unable to inform you, Master Roy."
"I figured as much. Does this have to do with Viscount Given?"
"It does."
Ren and the knights took their seats on the sofas arranged in the room. Although they were a short distance from the bed where Roy lay, they were close enough for conversation.
Roy caught Mireille’s eye and gave her a small nod.
"Ren," he said, turning back to his son. "First, take a look at the letter those men left behind. We’ll hear what the knights have to say after you've read it."
Mireille handed the letter to Ren. He pulled the parchment from the already-opened envelope and spread it out. The text was brief, but its implications were heavy. Ren felt a surge of interest as he scanned the lines.
I see...
The letter stated that Viscount Given’s heart was pained by the recent monster disturbance and the chronic poverty of Ren’s village. It claimed the Viscount had wanted to help sooner but was spread thin by his obligations to his own subjects. By way of apology, he proposed two things:
First, that the village be incorporated into Viscount Given’s territory, with several knights stationed there permanently to compensate for a "lack of military power."
Second, that Ren Ashton be taken into the House of Given as a page, with the promise of generous compensation.
It was a blatant power grab. In this country, it wasn't unheard of for a frontier village to be transferred between nobles, but the timing was suspicious.
Sensing that Ren had finished reading, Roy let out a long, weary sigh. "Good grief. The Thief Wolfen incident was an anomaly. Aside from that, there isn't a single record of the Ashton family lacking the strength to defend this village."
"In other words, the Baron’s governance has been flawless," Ren noted.
"Exactly. For that matter, once before you were born, a D-rank monster appeared..."
One of the knights nodded as if remembering. "We are aware of that. You were the one who slew it, Master Roy."
"Yeah. And to be honest, that was easy compared to the Thief Wolfen. No matter how high its rank, it was just a normal beast—it didn't have special magic or that insane speed. So, no, we’ve never lacked for military power."
Roy’s gaze sharpened, turning as cold as a whetted blade as he looked at the knights. "Which brings us to the main point. The waves of factional conflict have finally reached even these backwoods... is that it?"
"It is exactly as you say," the knight replied.
"I knew it. That explains why the Viscount reached out his hand."
"As you know," the knight continued, "many have sought to bring the House of Clausel into their fold. However, our Lord has remained staunchly independent, showing respect to both the Imperial family and the Seven Great Archduke Families. It is regrettable that things have come to this."
Ren listened in silence, connecting the dots in his head.
The factional struggle in the Leomel Empire...
He began to organize his knowledge of the world's politics. Every noble in the empire belonged to one of three major factions.
The first was the Imperial Faction. They held the Imperial family—and the Lion King who founded the nation—in the highest regard. They believed that the Emperor should continue to lead Leomel with absolute authority.
The second was the Hero Faction. This group was led by the Seven Great Archduke Families, the direct descendants of the legendary Seven Heroes. In the game lore of The Legend of the Seven Heroes, this was the faction of the protagonists. They weren't looking to overthrow the throne, but they argued that the empire should be more democratic and free. This desire stemmed from the massive wealth gap in the empire; while frontier villages like Ren's struggled, wealthy nobles in the capital held enough riches to save dozens of such villages single-handedly. The Hero Faction wanted to curb the Emperor's power to address these inequalities.
The final group was the Neutral Faction. It consisted of those who respected both the throne and the Archduke families. Some were simply conservatives who didn't want radical change, while others were pacifists who believed the nobility should remain united, just as they were when the Demon King first appeared.
Baron Clausel belongs to the Neutral Faction, Ren reminded himself. And Viscount Given is part of the Hero Faction.
"It must be difficult for you to talk about," Roy said to the knights. "These aren't things you usually discuss with a knight in a tiny frontier village."
"Dear, watch your tone," Mireille scolded.
"O-Oops! Sorry. I didn't mean it as a slight! I just meant in terms of common protocol..."
Mireille apologized to the knights on her husband's behalf before giving his cheek a sharp pinch. The tension in the room eased slightly.
"So," Roy asked, "why is the conflict spilling over into our village now?"
"You may already know this, Master Roy, but around the time Master Ren was born, it just so happened that all seven of the Great Archduke Families produced heirs. Every single one of them."
"..." Roy went silent.
"Father? Why the long face?"
"Because I've never heard a word of that! How is news like that supposed to reach a place like this? I'm just a low-rank knight who never gets invited to parties. I've only left this village once in my life to pay my respects to the previous Baron!"
Ren suppressed a smile. That's a very persuasive argument.
"Well, I knew the factions existed, at least," Roy muttered.
In a village where people rarely came or went, news traveled slowly. The knight gave Roy a sympathetic smile before continuing.
"Because the Seven Great Archduke Families all gained heirs at roughly the same time, the Hero Faction is more united than ever. They are claiming that these children are the reincarnations of the Seven Heroes."
"Hah! What a load of nonsense!" Roy barked.
Ren, however, looked up at the ceiling and went quiet. To him, it wasn't nonsense at all. In the game's story, the protagonists were indeed hailed as the return of the heroes who slew the Demon King. As the plot progressed and their fame grew, that title was shouted from the rooftops.
"There are only six major families left anyway," Roy pointed out. "It’s been over a hundred years since the line of Hero Lauren died out. Calling this a 'second coming' is an insult to his memory."
Hero Lauren was the man who had delivered the finishing blow to the Demon King, the strongest of the original Seven Heroes. His lineage was believed to have vanished because his descendants were unable to produce children—a tragedy the people of this era called the "Demon King's Curse."
"But Father," Ren interjected, "what if the Hero's blood was being passed down in secret?"
"Ren?"
"Think about it. Six heirs were born at the same time. If they are the reincarnations of the heroes, then a descendant of Hero Lauren must exist somewhere as well. A Hero Faction noble wouldn't hesitate to call that the 'will of the Main God Elfen' and use it to justify their movements."
Because that's exactly what's happening, Ren added internally. That was the main plot of the game. Somewhere out there, the descendant of Lauren—the protagonist—was likely living in a rural village just like this one.
The knight looked impressed. "I'm amazed. Master Roy, the movements of the Hero Faction are exactly as Master Ren predicts. There are many among them who think exactly like that."
"That's my Ren. Smart as a whip," Roy said proudly.
"He really is," Mireille added. "I can't wait to see what he becomes."
"Father, Mother... this isn't the time for praise," Ren said with a sigh. Internally, he was grimacing. Man, being on this side of the story is a massive headache.
In the game, the protagonists faced many hurdles within the empire, often clashing with the Imperial and Neutral Factions. Ren remembered being annoyed by the arrogance of those nobles when he was the player.
But now... Viscount Given is the one being a pain.
It was strange to find himself resenting the Hero Faction nobles this time around.
"Still..." Ren murmured.
"What is it, Ren?"
"No... it's just a bit strange. Those heirs were born years ago. Why is this only becoming an uproar now?"
The knights went silent, watching Ren with expectant eyes. It was as if they were waiting for him to solve the puzzle.
After a few minutes of silence, Ren looked up.
"Father," he said, his gaze so intense it actually made Roy recoil slightly. "Do you remember exactly how many years ago you killed that D-rank monster?"
"O-Oh! It was about a year before you were born, so... eight years ago?"
"Then the factional conflict might have been influencing things even back then."
The knight’s face lit up with admiration. "Master Ren, you are truly perceptive. Our Lord suspected the same thing—that Viscount Given may have been eyeing this territory since that time."
"Then you think the Thief Wolfen was related as well?" Ren asked. It was a logical jump. The wolf's appearance had been too bizarre to be natural.
"That is the working theory. It seems that—"
"This is a reaction to the House of Clausel receiving land near the capital, isn't it?" Ren interrupted.
The knight froze in shock. Roy and Mireille stared at their son as if he had grown a second head.
According to Weiss, the Baron got that new land last year, Ren thought coolly.
That would have put the Hero Faction on high alert. If House Clausel, home to the Saint Licia, was receiving favors from the Emperor, the Hero Faction would fear them switching from the Neutral Faction to the Imperial Faction. Given the Baron's competence, the Hero Faction couldn't afford to let the Emperor's side grow that much stronger.
Ren organized the timeline in his head. The first disturbance eight years ago coincided with the birth of the heirs and the revitalization of the Hero Faction. The second disturbance—the Thief Wolfen—coincided with the Baron gaining land near the capital and the rising influence of Saint Licia.
The Hero Faction likely wanted to force House Clausel into their fold.
And then there's Viscount Given, Ren thought. He had no proof, but Given’s aggressive move right after the wolf attack was too perfect.
A Lord's primary duty was to protect his people. If a Lord repeatedly failed to keep his lands safe, he could be stripped of his title. If Ren’s village and others like it were devastated by monsters, the Baron would be vulnerable.
So, what's Given’s game? Ren wondered. Does he plan to 'save' the Baron from impeachment in exchange for his loyalty? That would be little more than blackmail.
Or, if House Clausel was destroyed entirely, the faction could simply install one of their own to govern the vacant territory.
It was all speculation without evidence, but one thing was certain: they were in the middle of a very dangerous game.