Volume 2

Chapter 1: Fiona Ignat

As Legend of the Seven Heroes I approached its climax, one incident after another plunged the Imperial Capital into chaos.

A prominent noble died without an apparent cause. A knight of the Imperial Guard, terrified by something no one else could see, attacked the Third Prince. The prince was abducted, and the knight believed to have taken him was later found dead.

Famous nobles from every faction were assaulted. In a remarkably short period, the capital that symbolized Leomel’s prosperity became a place of fear and confusion.

Some blamed an invasion by a foreign nation. Others claimed the disasters were the wrath of Main God Elfen.

Neither explanation was correct.

The entire campaign was the work of a single nobleman—a declaration of war by a man consumed by revenge.

The protagonists of the game eventually left the Imperial Capital for a great city to investigate the noble who ruled it.

That future, however, no longer remained possible.

Ren Ashton had already changed Marquis Ignat’s fate.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Roughly one month from Clausel stood a picturesque metropolis celebrated as the City of Water.

White-brick buildings lined an intricate network of canals. Boats moved through the streets, delighting visitors. The city followed the nearly circular shape of the coastal land on which it had been built, and its immense harbor made it a crucial center for both sea and land transport.

Its majestic white appearance had earned it another name: the White Crown.

Members of the imperial family had visited many times throughout its long history.

The city’s name was Eupheim.

It lay about two weeks from the Imperial Capital. Its strategic harbor faced neighboring nations, so the noble who governed it had to be both capable and shrewd. Few people in Leomel were reckless enough to provoke him.

That ruler was Ulysses Ignat, a handsome thirty-five-year-old noble with black hair that shone blue in the light.

“Welcome home, Edgar.”

He received his elderly butler in the garden of a mansion so large it resembled a small castle.

“I have returned, my lord. You appear unchanged.”

“Naturally. It is a beautiful day, isn’t it? I was considering amusing myself by causing trouble for the Hero Faction.”

Ulysses sat at a garden table and invited Edgar to join him. Edgar refused because a servant should not sit beside his master.

“You dislike sharing a table with me?”

“I am your butler, my lord.”

“Then I shall stand as well. That would make us equal.”

Edgar could hardly allow his master to remain standing, so he yielded and took a seat.

“Tell me what happened in Clausel,” Ulysses said.

Edgar reported everything in detail: the civil official guided by Viscount Given, the first tribunal and its prepared judgment, the attempted transfer to the Imperial Capital, and the return of Ren and Licia. He concluded by describing what the two children had accomplished.

“So Ren Ashton truly is remarkable?”

“Without question.”

“Even compared with the heirs of the Seven Great Houses?”

“That was my impression. I believe you too would judge him more valuable than gold.”

Ulysses smiled without restraint. He also praised Edgar for giving the black document carrying Ignat authority to the Clausel side.

“That is welcome news. It has eased some of my irritation toward His Majesty.”

“My lord, with respect—”

“Do not say it. I understand why His Majesty could not give us the materials. The imperial family required them.”

He understood the reason. Understanding did not mean he could accept it without resentment.

The matter had concerned Fiona’s unusual constitution. Treating it had been far from simple.

“Sometimes I wonder what I would have done if Fiona had died,” Ulysses said quietly.

Edgar did not answer.

“I might have staged a coup. I might have assassinated the Third Prince, whom so many expect to become the next emperor, and wished for Leomel’s destruction. Please do not look so alarmed.”

Ordinary common sense said such ambitions could never succeed. Edgar knew Ulysses possessed enough power to make them possible.

“Fortunately, Lady Fiona’s condition could not have been controlled without the Thief Wolfen materials,” Edgar said.

Ulysses nodded gravely. He engraved Ren Ashton’s name in his memory as the person responsible for preserving those pristine organs.

“For that reason, I would like friendly relations with House Clausel.”

“Not House Ashton?”

“Both, technically. But nobility is troublesome. If I reach directly for House Ashton, I will be no better than that foolish viscount.”

Edgar asked whether Ulysses intended to draw Clausel into the Imperial Faction. Baron Clausel had few close relatives and remained politically neutral; a marquis of Ulysses’s standing could exert enormous pressure.

“No,” Ulysses said. “That sort of crude recruitment is exactly what the Hero Faction would do. Baron Clausel already leans closer to the Imperial Faction than the Hero Faction. The proper repayment is to avoid creating another burden for him.”

A girl’s voice reached them from the mansion.

“Father?”

A young lady appeared in the garden, carrying a faint floral fragrance with her.

“Edgar! You have returned.”

Her waist-length hair was black like obsidian, yet purple seemed to shine within it. Her skin was pale as snow, and her refined features made her appear older than she was. Amber eyes looked proudly toward Edgar.

She was Fiona Ignat, Ulysses’s only daughter, two years older than Ren and Licia.

“Welcome home. How was Clausel?”

“It was a worthwhile journey. However, Lady Fiona, I must again ask you not to speak so politely to servants.”

Fiona smiled.

“You already know I learned this manner of speaking from Mother. It is too late to change it now. Please give up.”

Her tone was gentle, but her quiet determination made clear that she would not bend.

“Father, I would also like to visit Clausel and personally express my gratitude to Ren Ashton.”

“I would like that too. Baron Clausel has asked us to wait, however. We belong to different factions, and my rank as marquis makes any visit politically difficult.”

“Could I send a letter?”

“It is a good idea, but we should respect the baron’s wishes this time.”

Fiona lowered her gaze in disappointment.

Ren had saved her life without ever meeting her. She wanted to thank him, but she did not wish to cause trouble for the house he served.

She looked up at the sky and prayed to Main God Elfen that the day would soon come when she could speak to him herself.

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