In truth, nearly every prominent enterprise in the Declair Empire was operated by ducal houses. They had been the first to receive priority rights when the empire opened its commercial ventures.
Riersha, who had been quietly listening to Carden’s explanation, raised her hand.
“But how come the Arachrene family became a ducal house so late?”
“That is because wars broke out ceaselessly in the western part of the empire. Even while other regions were enjoying a golden age, the west remained stagnant.”
“I see…”
“Once the west finally realized how far behind it had fallen, they hastily established House Arachrene — and elevated the strongest among them to the position of duke.”
That was the origin of House Arachrene.
But what could truly be expected from a land ravaged and laid to waste by war?
In order to close the gap with regions far ahead of them, House Arachrene placed its emphasis firmly on ability.
A path was opened for anyone — no matter who they were — to rise to a position of prominence, so long as their talent was exceptional.
And within the bounds of what was permitted, freedom was guaranteed that even the duke himself could not encroach upon.
In that way, House Arachrene grew at a pace that left all others unable to compete.
“The other ducal houses chose to compromise with the imperial family,” Carden said. “But we still retain our own military.”
“Is that why they don’t get along with the imperial family?”
“Yes, that is correct. House Arachrene currently governs its territory without any aid from the imperial family.”
It wasn’t simply a matter of imperial subsidies.
Preferential treatment through policy also fell under the umbrella of imperial aid — and yet House Arachrene had always been the exception.
…Was it because the family refused to disband its military to the very end that the Empress moved against them?
Even going so far as to desperately prevent her own awakening?
Riersha already knew — there was an imperial spy hidden within the house, working for the Empress.
Why is that person helping the Empress?
If House Arachrene were to fall, that person would surely not escape unscathed either.
When a noble house collapsed and every direct heir perished, all assets were seized by the imperial family.
The noble house would then disappear from history entirely, inherited by no one.
In other words, for someone who merely wanted the military disbanded, what the Empress had done was far, far too excessive.
There’s something more I still don’t know.
A dull ache began to gather behind Riersha’s eyes.
One thing was certain — someone inside the house was aiding the Empress.
For now, identifying who that person was seemed the most pressing matter.
Grandfather and Father are probably already looking into that.
Then what could she do on her own?
Riersha sank deep into thought.
Carden, who had quickly noticed that the child’s concentration had begun to drift, glanced briefly at the time.
Fortunately, the lesson was drawing toward its end.
“Well then, we will cover the remaining content in the next session. We will go through House Willias, House Marcella, and House Kineart in order.”
“Yes!”
“What we studied today is very important, so please review it carefully. It connects directly to what we will cover next time.”
“Yes!”
Riersha’s eyes sparkled with bright alertness.
Her pace of learning is truly remarkable.
He had expected that studying the history of the Declair Empire would take considerably more time.
Carden kept his expression composed, betraying nothing — yet inwardly, he was deeply impressed.
Excessive praise could sometimes prove harmful to a growing child, and so Carden was sparing with his words when conducting heir lessons.
But even by his own measure, Riersha was extraordinary.
For a child, she possessed a remarkably rational and flexible mind. There were moments when she connected threads he had never even pointed out to her.
I believe the interior renovations on the castle that Young Lady Riersha is set to receive will soon be complete.
When that day arrived, Carden found himself genuinely looking forward to meeting Riersha within the Tower of Truth.
⁂
A warm afternoon sun spilled across the land.
Haydin, riding a dragon conjured from his magic, arrived above Arachrene Ducal Castle and looked down.
Far below, a tiny figure that could only be Aska came sprinting toward him at full speed.
“…Hah, hoo! You’re so petty! I asked you to carry me!”
“No. You’re heavy.”
“What weight are you even feeling? It’s not actually alive!”
Aska cried out at the sky, indignation surging through him.
This was absolutely just to mock him — he was certain of it. Every time he nearly caught up, the dragon sped ahead just enough to drive him mad.
Haydin leisurely withdrew his magic and descended to the ground, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.
That should have been my ability!
Unlike Haydin, who had manifested the ability to conjure forms, Aska’s gift was combat-specialized — which meant he was stuck doing everything the hard way.
Though the fact that Aska had kept up with that dragon at all made him something of a monster in his own right.
Haydin walked toward the knight standing guard at the gate of Arachrene Ducal Castle.
The knight stepped forward to block the unfamiliar visitor.
“Please state your purpose.”
“The Young Lord summoned us.”
“…Pardon?”
“Here.”
Aska, standing beside him, held out a crumpled return summons.
The knight’s gaze landed on the Young Lord’s seal, and his expression shifted with a measure of tension as he turned toward the gate.
He had already been given word that they would be returning.
“Welcome back. Lord Haydin, Lord Aska.”
“Has anyone else arrived besides us?”
Before passing through the gate, Aska asked with a curious tilt of his head.
His competitive streak extended even to pointless things — and if they were coming back at all, he wanted to be first.
The knight at the gate immediately shook his head.
“No. No one else has arrived yet.”
“So we’re in first place, then?”
Aska grinned with obvious satisfaction. At that moment, Haydin sensed something and turned around.
Not far off, a formidable surge of magical energy was steadily drawing closer.
“So they’re arriving now,” Haydin murmured with a quiet, pleased smile.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than two silhouettes appeared in an instant, closing the distance with startling speed.
One was a powerfully built man wearing a hood. The other was a woman with silver-white hair that fell to her waist.
“Long time no see, everyone. Hadi, Aska.”
“…It’s not Hadi.”
“Take that up with Aska. He started it first.”
The silver-haired woman shrugged her shoulders with complete innocence.
At this all-too-familiar scene, a quiet sigh could be heard from beneath the hood.
“You two haven’t changed at all, even after all this time. No growth whatsoever.”
The man lowered his hood and drew a return summons from inside his coat, holding it out.
“I am Johannes.”
“Welcome, Lord Johannes.”
All of Arachrene’s hounds had gathered in one place.
The knight assigned to guard the gate that day steadied his breathing, as though he could scarcely believe what he was seeing. The tension had locked every muscle in his body rigid.
How in the world did all these monsters end up assembled here at once?
He had served as a gatekeeper for House Arachrene for more than seven years, but he had never once imagined he would live to see them gathered together like this.
The elite, select few of House Arachrene.
The first organization the Young Lord had ever created — known in hushed circles as Arachrene’s Hounds.
Officially, they were addressed as Corps Commanders.
The title of Corps Commander could only be earned by those who cleared the most grueling stage of House Arachrene’s advancement trials — the Final Gate.
And the conditions required to pass the Final Gate were these:
Unwavering loyalty to one’s master. The force of will to see any mission through. And a strength that no one could hope to match.
But why are there only four of them? The order was for a full return.
The knight was tilting his head in puzzlement, quietly counting them one by one, when a voice rang out from inside the main castle.
“Welcome back, everyone. Hadi, Aska. Johannes, Milia.”
Someone had come out from within the castle to greet Arachrene’s hounds — calling each of them by name with easy familiarity.
She was a strikingly beautiful woman with silver-grey hair braided and bound in a single plait.
The four who had each heard their names called greeted her warmly in return.
“Sona!”
Sona, who had come out at the Young Lord’s instruction to welcome her old companions, smiled brightly.
