A few hours before the Ashtons were to have breakfast, a group of knights who had been sent by the baron visited the Ashtons in their garden.
Naturally, Roy, the head of the family, was puzzled by the sudden visit.
Seeing them, the old knight who was leading the others stepped forward and opened his mouth.
Ren, who had rushed home to greet them, clenched his hands nervously.
"My apologies for the sudden visit."
The man who apologized at the outset was a classy old knight who looked good in a swallow-tailed coat.
"Not at all….! But is there an issue with—- my village?"
"Of course I will explain. But first, I would like you to take this."
The old knight inserted his hand into his armor and pulled out a piece of parchment.
"A village south of here has been hit by a rather troublesome monster. The details are written on the parchment."
Roy read through the parchment he received.
Soon after, Roy's expression turned grim.
"Are you sure?... there are no D-rank monsters in this area."
"It's understandable to be skeptical. But there's no doubt. We're also in the area to check the damage."
"... that's ..."
"But don't worry. By the master's arrangement, knights will be dispatched to neighboring villages. They will be coming to this village as well, so please be on your guard for a while."
"That would be great! But, how long is "for a while"?"
"The dispatch has already begun, but we still need 20 days from today. The master is doing his best, but there are many areas to be dispatched and it will take longer than usual, including the selection of personnel. This village in particular is far from his residence, so I can't say that it will be soon."
The old knight said apologetically, as if it were hard to say.
Roy, on the other hand, looks grim, but he seems to find hope in the fact that knights would be dispatched.
"I understand. Then, for the next twenty days, I will be looking around the forest more carefully than usual."
"I'm sorry. But please don't be too hard on yourself. I hear that there's no one in this village who can fight but you, Roy-dono. If you get injured, there's nothing we can do."
"No, I will not. If it comes to it, my son can fight too."
Roy, with a proud look on his face, beckoned to Ren, who was listening nearby.
Mireille, who was holding Ren's hand by her side, accepted and told him to go to Roy's side.
"Mu... that child can fight?"
"Yes. Come on Ren, say hello to the Knight Captain."
(Was this man a Knight Captain? )
"My name is Ren Ashton. I'm grateful that you are sending a knight to help our village."
Ren couldn't use the tone that a nobleman would use.
So he bowed to the knight commander after speaking as politely as possible.
The knight commander, hearing Ren's words, let out an exclamation of admiration.
"What polite greetings. I'm Weiss."
Weiss squatted down in front of Ren and made eye contact with him.
"How old are you?"
"I turned seven this spring."
"Well, you're an intelligent boy for that."
Roy and Mireille were in a good mood after Ren received a compliment.
They watched him with smiles on their faces.
"However..."
But then Weiss turned a puzzled eye on Roy.
"I understand that he's your heir apparent, but it must be tough for a child of only seven years old to defeat monsters."
"It's all right! Ren is much stronger and more skilled with a sword than I was when I was ten years old! So even if I were to make a mistake, I'm sure Ren would protect this village!"
"Oh… is that so?"
"Yes! And he has a skill!"
"I'm even more surprised that he's skilled."
(I'm getting a little embarrassed ...)
It's good to be praised, but it is embarrassing when it continues like this.
Ren prayed that this conversation would end soon.
Then, perhaps his prayer was answered, Weiss stood up and said to Roy.
"It is good to have a reliable heir. —- Now, while we're on the subject, would you allow us to rest here in the village for a day? Our men and horses are tired from traveling around villages for so many days."
"Of course. It's a shabby mansion, but you're welcome here."
"No such thing. I'm sorry, but please take care of us for one night."
Weiss then instructed the knights under his command.
There were no stables to rest the horses, so they were tied to a tree in a corner of the yard.
—- Then the three Ashtons were busy cleaning the guest rooms and preparing breakfast.
The Knight Commander said it was fine, but Roy and Mireille would not accept and put in a lot of effort.
When Roy had settled down, he went out of the house carrying his sword as usual. Ren saw him and went outside as well as Roy to see him off.
"Dad, are you going to the forest?"
"I'd better get going, it's getting late. I'm sure you'll be fine, but try not to be rude to anyone."
"I understand. Dad, please be careful too. —- Oh, yeah!"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I heard that the people who were with Weiss-san are also knights. Why did they use honorifics for you, father?"
"Well, the Ashton family is in charge of a village, even though we're both knights. I'm talking about the superiority of our position."
"Oh….. I see."
"I'll be off this time!"
It was an unusually hectic morning, but Roy's figure was the same as usual as he headed into the forest.
Just as Roy was out of sight, the door to the mansion was opened.
Weiss comes out of the door and speaks to Ren.
"Oh? Where did your father go?"
"He is in the forest. My father goes to the forest every day in the morning to kill monsters."
"Then my men can also….."
"No, my father said it was not as bad as that."
Ren recalled the words Roy had said to him during the cleaning.
"Well then, I'll take your word for it. —-But then again, you really are a very polite boy to say that."
The knight-captain, who looked interested, came up to Ren and stood next to him, looking down at him. He immediately folded his knees and brought his eyes closer to Ren's.
His expression is gentle and calm.
"There are many knight children around me, but I've never seen one like you before. It's almost as if I'm talking to ojou."
"Ojou?... are you referring to the Baron's daughter?"
"The young lady was born in August. She will soon be seven years old, just like you."
The actuality is, it's a topic that I'm not really interested in, although I was talking to the knight commander.
She's a young lady whom I'll never meet anyway. I don't particularly care.
—– However, even Ren would soon develop an interest.
"The young lady was born with the skill of the 'white saint.' In time, she will make her name known throughout the empire."
(... hmm?)
What did this man say just now?
I'm sure he mentioned that she has the skill of "White Saint".
(Wait, wait, wait! What's going on here….!)
That skill is definitely the power of the saint who Ren Ashton took the life of in Legend of the Seven Heroes II.
The saint's name is —-
"Li... Lithia Klausel...!!!"
Ren unintentionally uttered the name.
Hearing this, Weiss chuckles with a furrowed brow.