......

  ......

  At the Heyerar Estate.

  “Welcome, Ms. Colette!”

  “Good day, Ms. Colette.”

  At the front gate,

  Rezelian, Lilia, and Hulim were waiting to greet Colette, who had come for a visit that day. Though it was not a visit from another noble family, out of noble etiquette, Rezelian had dressed in formal attire instead of his usual practice clothes for swordsmanship.

  “You’re far too kind, Mr. Rezelian, Mrs. Heyerar! It’s just a casual visit—there’s no need for such grandeur.”

  Colette looked a little embarrassed at being treated so respectfully.

  “Nonsense. Ms. Colette is my daughter’s teacher. A visit from a mentor deserves nothing but the utmost respect.”

  “Yes, Ms. Colette, please come inside.”

  With Rezelian and Lilia speaking one after the other, Colette could no longer decline their hospitality.

  “In that case...... I’ll be honored to accept.”

  Colette bowed slightly in return.

  “Oh~......”

  Rezelian raised an eyebrow in surprise. She didn’t seem to be of noble birth, yet her grasp of noble etiquette was impeccable. Her background must be far from ordinary.

  Colette was soon led by Rezelian and Lilia to the drawing room, which Laurent had been instructed to tidy up earlier.

  “Master, Mistress, the tea and pastries are ready!”

  Jessica wheeled a cart loaded with treats and tea into the room.

  “Here you are, madam!”

  Jessica set the tea and pastries down in front of Colette.

  “Oh, thank you!”

  Colette thanked her, picking up her teacup and taking a small sip.

  “Delicious tea!”

  Rezelian smiled at her graceful manners.

  “It’s just some humble tea. We’re flattered by your praise, Ms. Colette. Now, if I may ask—my daughter tells me your visit is prompted by an interest in our ancestor?”

  “That’s right, Father. Ms. Colette is a fan of our ancestor—she wants to see our family heirloom. Oh, Jessica, could I have some sugar? The tea’s a bit bitter.”

  Jessica, who had just placed a pastry in front of Hulim, paused for a moment.

  “Huh? But putting sugar in tea is a bit...... Very well, right away.”

  Rezelian stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I see. Is that the purpose of your visit, Ms. Colette?”

  Colette laughed awkwardly. “Hahaha...... Well, yes, that’s part of it. Besides wanting to catch a glimpse of Lord Olubert’s relics, I also hoped to hear more about that great man from you, Mr. Rezelian—as his descendant. To be honest, most of what I know about Lord Olubert comes from biographies and books.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Oh, of course, if the family heirloom is too private to show, please don’t hesitate to say so!”

  “Ms. Colette, um...... Don’t worry! It’s not anything super important—lots of people have seen it before!”

  Hulim said through a mouthful of pastry, stirring the unmelting sugar cubes in her teacup with a spoon.

  Lilia chided her gently. “Hulim, it’s rude to talk with your mouth full.”

  “Mmm...... Sorry, Ms. Colette.”

  Hulim swallowed her pastry in one gulp and fell silent.

  Meanwhile, Rezelian thought for a moment before giving his answer.

  “Ms. Colette, as my daughter said, the heirloom passed down from our ancestor is not particularly valuable. We have no objection to showing it to you at all. However, when it comes to telling you more about our ancestor—truthfully, we don’t know much more than what’s already written in the records. I’m afraid we might disappoint you.”

  Colette shook her head vigorously. “Not at all! I’m already grateful that you’re willing to grant my presumptuous request. Disappointment is the last thing I’d feel!”

  “I’m glad to hear that. In that case...... Jessica!”

  “Yes, Master? What do you need?”

  Jessica, who had stepped back behind Lilia after serving everyone, responded promptly.

  “Go find Laurent and tell him to bring me that locked chest from my workshop. He knows which one I mean.”

  “The locked chest? Right away, Master!”

  Jessica hurried out of the room.

  “Now, while we wait for them to fetch the chest, let me tell you the story of our ancestor—Olubert, the Lone Sword......”

  ......

  Hulim had heard this story from her father countless times before, yet she listened attentively now, hoping to catch some detail she had missed.

  Though she had brushed off the topic at the time, Semiris’s reaction still lingered in her mind.

  Could her ancestor Olubert Heyerar, the Lone Sword, really have been nothing more than a kingdom’s royal protector? If that were the case, why would Semiris—who resided in the celestial realm of Tiramsuin—have recognized his name? Did the inhabitants of the heavens take such an interest in mortal gossip that they even knew the tales sung by wandering bards?

  Hulim found that hard to believe. For the first time, she felt a spark of curiosity about this ancestor—this royal protector whose story she had heard so many times that she had never thought to question it. What secrets lay hidden behind his legend......

  Olubert Heyerar had lived three hundred years ago, during the era of the Pasara Empire. Born a commoner, he had joined the imperial army and quickly risen through the ranks thanks to his extraordinary talent. By a young age, he had attained the position of Captain of the Royal Capital Guard Knights, entrusted with the sacred duty of protecting the imperial family.

  His swordsmanship was unrivaled throughout the empire. It was the gossips of the royal capital who had bestowed upon him the title of the Lone Sword—a nod to his unmatched skill, standing alone atop the pinnacle of martial prowess, with no equal under the sun.

  By all rights, Olubert should have married, established a family, and secured his place among the nobility—thus completing his rags-to-riches tale. Indeed, many powerful noble houses had extended marriage offers to him.

  But fate had other plans.

  What happened next had nothing to do with Olubert—or so it seemed at first. He had been nothing more than an innocent bystander in the beginning.

  At the time, the royal family of the Pasara Empire was at its weakest point in a thousand years. The imperial line was dwindling, and the reigning emperor was weak-willed and incompetent, unable to govern the realm. Powerful noble clans held the real power, manipulating the court from behind the scenes. The empire, though outwardly stable, was rotting from within—on the verge of collapse.

  It all began with a rebellion. No one knew the true cause. The most widespread rumor was that several powerful nobles, unwilling to submit to a young prince who had already shown remarkable talent and promise, had plotted to assassinate him. But their scheme had been hijacked by ambitious warlords, who used the chaos to amass their own forces and launch a full-scale rebellion.

  The uprising erupted from within the royal capital itself. Flames engulfed the imperial palace in an instant. The emperor and the vast majority of the royal family perished in the chaos.

  The empire was left leaderless. Seizing the opportunity, the power-hungry nobles raised their banners, claiming to be quelling the rebellion—while in truth, they were the ones fanning the flames of insurrection.

  To everyone’s astonishment, the very prince the nobles had sought to kill had sensed the danger beforehand and escaped the capital just in time.

  A single spark of hope remained—but the situation was far beyond the young prince’s ability to control.

  As the rebel noble armies, allied with the insurgents, laid siege to the royal capital once more, trapping the few remaining loyalist forces in a hopeless situation—

  Olubert, who had been missing for days, reappeared.