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Interchapter: The Legend of the Seven Heroes III <DLC: The Clausel Incident> (Part three)

Everything was going well.

The preparations for the trial, the outcome of which had already been decided, went without a hitch, and although it took some time, Jerukku had succeeded in using Thief Wolfen.

Soon, the plan was put into action.

The Ashton family’s village was hit by a huge fire as planned, and most of the villagers lost their lives.

Roy, the knight in charge of the village, also lost his life, as did Riggs, the medicine woman. Mireille, Roy’s wife and Ren’s mother, was seriously injured and hasn’t regained consciousness.

However, they failed to secure Ren Ashton.

This report came from Jerukku, who had escaped after fighting Weiss.

“Viscount, are you sure?”

Viscount Givens said without losing his composure at the inn in Clausel.

“If he’s still alive, then there is no problem. Besides, according to Jerukku’s report, they will soon return to Clausel. As soon as the judgment is over, I’ll take Ren Ashton and Mireille Ashton to my territory.”

The knight who had asked Viscount Givens couldn’t help but wonder why.

But no matter how many times he asked, Viscount Givens didn’t seem to tell him, and the only thing he could tell the knight was that he was confident of victory.

“I think it’s time to go.”

Viscount Givens, who had been having breakfast, got up, put on his cloak, and left the room.

He left the inn with the knight who accompanied him and headed for the main street with another group of knights who were waiting outside.

—- The group headed straight for the temple.

The people of Clausel gave them hostile glances, but they dismounted their horses and stepped into the temple with a faint smile on their faces.

Baron Clausel, who had visited the temple earlier, stared at him, but this did not bother him.

“Why isn’t Weiss, who is always by his side here?”

“Did you forget? He was the knight that fought and defeated Jerukku, so he may not have returned to Clausel yet.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right.”

The only thing on Viscount Givens’ mind is what happened after he won the battle.

He had the certainty that after securing Ren Ashton, he’d soon be busy.

Soon, just as he was imagining a glorious future, the civil official in charge of the trial appeared and spoke.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Silence.”

The civil officer drew everyone’s attention to himself, and then he mentioned why today’s trial was being held, and what Baron Clausel’s problem was that he was being put on this spot.

After a lengthy formal explanation, the morning’s efforts began.

Viscount Givens wasn’t able to respond to this effort with enthusiasm or ambition.

He was a result-oriented judge anyway.

He had no choice but to go because this was a necessary arrangement, otherwise he wouldn’t have even bothered to travel to such a rural area.

He changed his mind this afternoon, however.

Weiss and Licia had returned earlier than usual, entered the temple, bringing Ren with them.

“I had heard that Ren Ashton was shy and timid, but I wondered if he has a surprisingly strong core.”

He thought this because, although Ren was exhausted, he still had the strength to visit here with Licia.

He had lost his father, other loved ones, and his birthplace, but just being able to walk like that was commendable.

“As I recall, the boy preferred reading books to swords.”

“That’s what I heard. Previously, when I dispatched my subordinates under the guise of adventurers, I heard he cried because he couldn’t keep up with the training his father was giving him.”

“It’s a shameful thing for a knight’s son.”

“But they say he has guts. He stood up to his father, fall after fall, and exchanged swords with him even while shedding tears.”

The Viscount Givens looks on, and Ren is being cuddled by Licia.

They looked as if they were sister and brother.

“Whatever. It doesn’t change my plans.”

The victory he was sure of would never waver.

He never stopped thinking, “I just want this trial to be over and done with”.

But fortunately, he didn’t feel as bored as he did in the morning. He was able to think about the future after bringing him home when he saw Ren sitting in the same temple.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

He was convinced that he wasn’t out of the woods.

He knew that he would be able to fulfill his long-cherished wish without any troublesome interference from the royal faction.

He was surprised when he heard that Jerukku had fought Weiss and lost, but he also thought that if he was still alive, it was a good thing.

“The Clausel family is finished. Ren Ashton will be mine and Leomel will be very different from now on. Everything is in my hands.”

Viscount Givens recalled today’s judgment in his room at the inn.

Needless to say, It was going as planned.

The hand-picked civil officials seemed to have been unable to stop themselves from feeling competent in response to Baron Clausel’s rebuttal, but the result was the same.

Baron Clausel, who has been found guilty, will be transferred to the capital in a few days.

“Is anyone here? I’m in a good mood today. I need a drinking companion.”

He has never had a knight accompany him for a drink before.

Jerukku used to drink with him, but that’s about it.

 “—-Anyone there?”

He called somewhat louder and also clapped his hands to call for the knight.

But nothing was heard.

But when Viscount Givens, who was suspicious, got up from the sofa on which he was sitting and was about to leave the room, he heard a creak.

The door opened with a creaking sound.

“You’re late.”

“…………”

What is it?

Viscount Givens didn’t look at the face of the knight that entered, but instead looked out the window beside him.

“This is it. Sake with a night view is fun.”

The night view of Clausel is not bad at all.

Which explains why the city is so popular among the people of the imperial capital.

Unfortunately, it was starting to rain right now and the rain beating against the windows obscured the night view.

He didn’t like it, but the weather can’t be helped.

So he gave up—-.

A thunderclap rumbled through the heavens, and the lights in the guest room suddenly went out.

“Look at the state of the magic tool. Maybe the magic stone came off.”

“………….”

“If you understand, do it quickly.”

The light didn’t seem to come on at all, even though Viscount Givens gave the knight instructions.

In addition, the knight who was supposed to be behind him didn’t seem to be moving.

Viscount Givens, who had been in a good mood, finally became angry because it took him so long to answer the call in the first place.

“What have you been doing in silence since a few minutes ago?”

He raised his voice and was about to get up when, a moment later, a flash of lightning shone through the pitch-darkness of the guest room.

Viscount Givens thus witnessed it.

He saw an old gentleman dressed in a tailcoat through the windowpane.

The old gentleman’s shirt was stained bright red.

“Huh —-!?”

For a moment, after the shock that rushed through his chest, he felt heat.

A slimy, sticky, human skin liquid flowed back down his throat.

As his eyelids grew heavy, he saw icicles piercing his stomach. He also shivered as he collapsed from the couch to the floor, his body shuddering at the ruthless eyes looking down at him.

“Da—mn— you.”

“My name is Edgar. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with me, but there’s no need to be.” 

As he coughed out blood, the breath escaping from his mouth.

Viscount Givens felt his body grow cold as he slowly began to feel the pain.

“Viscount Givens, your death is really an accident.” 

Edgar said.

He said that his master, Marquis Ignat, had hated and resented Leomel ever since he lost his only daughter.

He was about to destroy Leomel, first of all, by attacking the unsavory heroic faction, when he noticed the disturbing movement of Viscount Givens.

“But please remember: This isn’t aimed at a small person like you. I was just looking into the heroes and happened to see some information about you.”

“This is……”

“And I just stabbed you along the way.”

Viscount Givens vision blurred and Edgar’s voice became distant.

He was dying.

Viscount Givens, now aware and terrified by the words, attempts to beg for his life, but his voice is completely silent.

“Only I, personally, don’t like you. But I did find the noble saintly lady and that boy who behaved so stoutly even after the loss of his father precious.”

Then Edgar turned his back on Viscount Givens.

He tosses several sheets of parchment from the pocket of his tailcoat into the guest room, wipes the blood from his hands, and leaves the inn.

Viscount Givens who remained was out of breath by the time his back was out of sight.

—-The next morning, Baron Clausel was terribly surprised when he heard of the tragedy at the inn.

Not only because Viscount Givens had been murdered, but also because a number of documents had fallen around him that revealed his wrongdoing.

At first, Baron Clausel’s involvement was naturally suspected.

However, at the same time, Viscount Givens’ wrongdoings were also investigated and it was revealed that the civil official who traveled to the trial had received money and it was publicly known that he had been falsely accused.

The heroic aristocrats, wishing to keep their mouths shut, did nothing further.

The assassin was never identified and for the next few years, few people went out at night in the town of Clausel.

Baron Clausel’s event with Viscount Givens, including the assassination of Viscount Givens, became known as the “The Clausel Incident”.

Since then, a young apprentice knight has lived in the Clausel family mansion.

His swordsmanship is not praiseworthy, but he’s said to be diligent and hardworking, and has the strength of mind to stand up to Weiss no matter how many times he is overthrown.

……The boy is working hard for his mother, who has yet to wake up.

—- There’s another who has also changed his living environment.

It’s an elf named Jerukku.

“It wasn’t a bad time, Viscount.”

With these words, he left the familiar territory of Viscount Givens.

As he rode his horse across the plains, he thought about the future.

“Going to Chronois Highland is a bad idea, but I can’t go back to my hometown to get more information.”

He would have to search for information from scratch again, that was what he meant.

It seems that it is not easy to break the curse that had eroded down to his bones.

“Kukuku…… well, that’s okay.”

He pulled the reins and started the horse.

The wind brushed his cheeks and the scent of the plains wasn’t bad.

The smell of blood was even better and when he thought about it and smiled, he had already forgotten the memory of Viscount Givens.

“I’ll just have to find a way to break the curse while enjoying the killing. Yeah, that’s all I have to do.”

Jerukku who said this to himself would lose his life four years later.

Of course, he never expected that.

He had no way of knowing that the day would come when he would be defeated by the Descendants of the Seven Heroes and the Imperial Academy would lose the life of the dean, Chronois Highland.

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