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Volume I: The Forbidden Birth, The Old Wolf, & The Secret of the Basement

SPOILER WARNING — VOLUME I

This page contains a full chapter-by-chapter plot breakdown and major ending spoilers for Volume I: The Unwanted Legacy. Read at your own discretion!

Timeline: Prologue (Rainy Full-Moon Night) / Main Story (Six Years Later — Spring, 501 A.G.E)
Character Ages: Aelira Viremont (6), Lysric Viremont (11), Prince Louis (6–7), Zaek Evarard (50s/60s)
Primary Settings: Secluded Cabin, Viremont Estate (Isenvale), Kirsk, The Imperial Capital of Aeliron (Royal Palace)
Core Theme: A child born in blood and secrecy; the unexpected bond with a weary Hero, and the cruel price of noble ambition.

Prologue: The Rainy Night & The Whisper of "Luma Renai"​

On a cold, relentless rainy night under a radiant full moon, an unnamed scruffy doctor in his thirties is picked up by an unmarked black carriage and driven to a secluded old cabin far from prying eyes. As he steps inside, a mysterious voice whispers "Luma Renai" on the wind—repeating three times during the agonizing labor inside:

  • The Birth of Aelira: Attended by a midwife and her younger sister Vivianne Viremont, Lady Ellyssia Viremont delivers a healthy baby girl. Placed in her mother's arms at Vivianne's tearful plea, Ellyssia uses her final breath to name her child—"Aelira... My daughter"—before passing away.
  • Sylas's Cover-Up & Massacre: Patriarch Sylas Viremont bursts into the cabin drenched from the rain. Declaring that no one can ever know Ellyssia died giving birth to a child whose father cannot be named, he commands Vivianne to claim Aelira as her own daughter and marry Wilkram, ordering Ellyssia's body returned to the mansion to stage her death as a drunken fall from the balcony.
  • Slaughter of the Witnesses: When the horrified doctor objects, Sylas slits his throat on the spot, then ruthlessly slaughters the midwife and every lady-in-waiting inside the cabin. When guards ask whether to dispose of the infant as well, Sylas stops them, staring at the crying baby: "Look at her mana. It's massive. She'll be useful."

Arc 1: Life in Isenvale & The Discipleship Plot (Chapters 1–4)​

Six years later, in the bright days of spring, six-year-old Aelira Viremont completes 200 swings with a wooden sword in the estate garden until her hands are raw and she collapses:

  • Lassandra ("Lassy") & The Dinner Table: Looked after by her warm, devoted nanny Lassandra, Aelira attends a rare dinner with her legal parents, Vivianne and Wilkram. When Lassandra speaks up asking Vivianne to praise Aelira's hard work, Vivianne rises to slap her—only for six-year-old Aelira to throw herself between them ("D-don't hurt Lassy!").
  • The Zaek Evarard Scheme: Watching Aelira grip her fork in her fist, Wilkram suggests an etiquette tutor, which Vivianne rejects ("Aelira will be the next hero of House Viremont. And heroes don't need etiquette"). Wilkram reveals a political opening: the Royal Court wants legendary Hero Zaek Evarard (who slew a High Demon) to tutor Crown Prince Louis, a post Zaek desperately wants to avoid. By offering Aelira as a disciple first, House Viremont can give Zaek a convenient excuse to decline the Crown.
  • Family Breakfast & Relatives: At the Grand Dining Hall—where Aelira is seated far apart from the family—she interacts with her uncle Celdric Viremont, her sickly but affectionate aunt Elda Viremont (who kneads Aelira's cheeks like dough), and her eleven-year-old cousin Lysric Viremont, who mocks her with nicknames like "Little Chump", "Radish", "Cabbage", and "Little Dumpling." Mimicking her mother, Aelira learns to hold a fork properly for the first time, before Sylas announces over Celdric's furious objections that Zaek Evarard has been invited to evaluate Aelira.
  • Tutors of the Estate (Tarihon & Telgit): In the library, tutor Mr. Tarihon lectures Lysric and Aelira on the Golden Era (500 years ago), King Laius's fall to the Dragon God Xyronath, the rebellion of the enslaved non-human races, and the rise of the Eight Heroes wielding the Dwarven-forged Imperial Swords. When Aelira asks why humans enslaved the other races, Tarihon coldly replies, "Because... we could." Later at the training yard, bald, mustache-twirling sword instructor Mr. Telgit mocks Aelira as a "twig," praises Lysric's wild swings, batters Aelira into the sand five times during defense drills, and assigns her 300 daily swings because she is a girl.

Arc 2: The Arrival of the Old Wolf & The 3-vs-1 Test (Chapters 5–8)​

A week later, a carriage bearing the dark green and yellow Evarard crest arrives at the gates:

  • Zaek Evarard's Entrance: Looking like a scruffy traveler in his fifties with a white ponytail and a weathered katana, Zaek banters with his old friend Sylas and greets the family—immediately sensing a massive wave of mana inside six-year-old Aelira. Cornered by Vivianne and Wilkram's knowledge that he is dodging the King's summons, Zaek agrees to stay a few days just to observe the girl.
  • The 3-vs-1 Courtyard Spar: Watching Telgit's morning lesson, Zaek notices that while Lysric's attacks are all strength and zero technique, Aelira possesses sharp instincts—her body reflexively twitching toward a lapse in Telgit's guard even while being battered. Stepping into the ring, Zaek challenges Telgit, Lysric, and Aelira simultaneously: "Touch me once—and you win."
    • Zaek knocks Telgit out cold against the wall and kicks a charging Lysric aside.
    • Using Lysric as bait, Aelira times her strikes. When Telgit recovers and Zaek uses an illusion technique to appear behind Telgit, Aelira reads the opening and silently lunges at Zaek's exposed flank.
    • Startled, Zaek reflexively kicks her harder than intended, sending her flying. Yet after Telgit and Lysric are knocked out for good, Aelira stands back up bleeding with fire in her eyes. Even after Zaek disarms her wooden blade, she charges barehanded and punches Zaek square in the stomach before passing out—a blow Zaek lets land out of sheer respect.
  • Drinks with Sylas & Acceptance: In Sylas's alcohol-soaked room, Sylas asks Zaek to retire as an Evarard Hero and become a mercenary under Viremont's banner, warning that faith in the Crown is decaying and the Giants will rise again. When Zaek asks about Ellyssia, Sylas instantly puts a blade to Zaek's throat, warning him off family secrets. Zaek tells Sylas that in forty years as a Hero, he has never seen anyone like Aelira. Visiting her bedside nine hours later when she wakes, Zaek laughs heartily as Aelira apologizes for punching him "because it might've hurt," and officially takes her as his disciple.

Arc 3: The First-Day Awakening & Dark Undercurrents (Chapters 9–12)​

  • The Strange Inner Presence & Mana Awakening: Under the garden tree, Zaek instructs Aelira to meditate and feel her mana's pulse. Initially, Aelira senses something heavy, constant, and unmoving—like liquid or sand—that reacts to her emotions, something even Zaek has never heard of. When rain drives them into the library, Aelira reads a book brought by a soaked Lassandra stating that mana circulates around the stomach area. Shifting her focus, Aelira connects with her true mana source on her very first day (whereas Lysric took nearly a week), sending a physical tremor across the entire mansion before fainting into Zaek's arms.
  • Seeking Family Approval: Excitedly running through the mansion to share the news, Aelira receives only a cold "Good job" from a wine-drinking Vivianne, an embarrassed pat from Wilkram (caught in bed with two giggling maids), a flustered "YOU MORON!" from a jealous Lysric, and a fake smile from Uncle Celdric—who darkly mutters behind her back: "She may be an even bigger problem than I thought..." Only Lassandra hugs her warmly.
  • Ice Affinity & King Laius's Sensitivity: The next morning, Zaek explains elemental affinities and guides Aelira to test elemental vibrations in her right hand. On her first attempt, she manifests Ice, freezing the ground beneath her feet. When Zaek leaks a microscopic pulse of mana as a test, Aelira instantly snaps her head toward it—displaying extreme mana sensitivity reminiscent of King Laius.
  • Elda's Despair & The Framing of Lassandra: In his study, Celdric argues with his wife Elda, who warns him that his and Sylas's dark ambitions already cost them their eldest son ("Safe and fine... but not our son anymore") and will cost them Lysric next. After Celdric orders a household maid spy to report on "the other case," Elda warmly praises Aelira in the moonlit corridor—only to turn ghost-pale and stumble back in bitter shame and pity when Lassandra steps out of the shadows, knowing Celdric is framing the innocent nanny.

Arc 4: The Road to the Capital & Betrayal at Kirsk (Chapters 13–17)​

  • Sudden Departure & Clara's Assignment: Using Aelira as his excuse to finally answer the King's summons to the capital Aeliron, Zaek prepares to depart in a special carriage pulled by four massive, crystal-fed magical horses (Black Shubars). At the gates, Vivianne forbids Lassandra from accompanying Aelira and assigns the nervous, orange-haired maid Clara instead.
  • The Secret of Adoption: Seeing Aelira sad on the road, Zaek reveals why he does not wield the Evarard Imperial Sword Ireviel: he was adopted by chance when House Evarard needed someone to carry the Hero title. When Aelira tearfully asks if she was adopted too because her parents don't love her, Zaek comforts her with a gentle white lie that her parents are simply inexperienced at showing love to their first child.
  • Kirsk & Clara's Betrayal: Stopping at the warm steppe town of Kirsk, Clara vanishes. Because Zaek has terrible face-blindness and forgot what Clara looks like, he accidentally brings back a stranger—Eliza (a woman he once saved from an ogre)—to help a mortified Aelira use the public restroom. Realizing lookouts are watching them, Zaek sprints back to the carriage yard with Aelira to find the drivers tied up and Clara leading a gang of bandits to steal the Black Shubars.
  • Instant Breeze & The Two-Headed Eagle Necklace: Clara vents her bitter class hatred against the nobility bleeding the poor dry. Telling Aelira to watch a real fight, Zaek effortlessly takes down five bandits barehanded, and when the bandit leader holds a knife to Clara's throat, Zaek sheathes his katana and executes a lightning-fast draw slash—Instant Breeze—felling the leader without harming Clara. Refusing Aelira's plea to forgive Clara ("Too much kindness is nothing but weakness"), Zaek hands them to the town guard. Buying fried chicken skewers at dusk, Zaek teaches Aelira: "The hero is someone who protects the people's lives. Not their wealth." At a market stall, a merchant gifts Aelira a 500-year-old wooden necklace depicting a two-headed eagle (inscribed Alphonso), commemorating Baron Sir Niklas and the First Hero of Viremont saving Kirsk from a High Demon's ghoul swarm. With the drivers concussed, Zaek feeds the Black Shubars his own mana and wildly drives the carriage himself into the night.

Arc 5: Aeliron, The King's Warning, & The Duel with Prince Louis (Chapters 18–20 & Interlude #1)​

  • The Imperial Palace: Arriving in the bustling capital of Aeliron—where Zaek notes the sheltered populace lives in a peaceful bubble compared to the impoverished provinces—they are greeted at the palace plaza by Heinz.
  • Interlude #1 (Old Hero Before the King): In the crimson-and-gold throne room, Zaek faces the King, who demands Zaek step down from his Hero seat to tutor Prince Louis. Zaek declines, citing his new disciple who awakened magic in a single day. The King warns that an unstoppable civil war is coming against the Temple, which is exploiting provincial poverty with false salvation to seize power from the Crown. Zaek swears House Evarard will stand by the King when war comes, but refuses to become a court politician.
  • Aelira vs. Crown Prince Louis: Wandering through the royal garden hedge maze, Aelira meets Crown Prince Louis von Aerium reading on a tree branch. Realizing she is the six-year-old girl Zaek chose over him, Louis scoffs ("Ever looked in a mirror? You're anything but a hero") and challenges her to a wooden-sword duel in the circular palace training grounds, refereed by royal guard Gilbert.
    • Surprised by how light Louis's strikes feel compared to Telgit's brutal beatings, Aelira uses Lysric's defensive posture and superior stamina to weather Louis's rapid flurries.
    • Feigning a retreat to draw him in, she parries an exhausted, wide swing off-balance and taps his chest to knock him flat on his back.
    • When a humiliated Louis scrambles up for a desperate shoulder tackle, Aelira stands firm while Louis collapses to his knees in total exhaustion and admits defeat ("I... give up. It's my loss").
  • Albert von Heinrich & The Return Home: As a black-robed Temple spy slips away to report the genius Prince's defeat to the Cardinal, Albert von Heinrich—the blond, former-commoner youngest Captain of the Royal Knights—disperses the stunned crowd, congratulates Aelira, and greets Zaek warmly. When Zaek asks if she wants to stay in the capital, Aelira pleads with puppy eyes to go right back home because she misses Lassy.

Epilogue & Short Story #1: The Murder of Lassandra​

  • Short Story #1 (Lassandra's Last Day): While Aelira is away at the capital, Lassandra endures vicious gossip from maids (Lenent and Candace) accusing her of seducing Celdric after Celdric repeatedly summoned her to his rooms. As punishment ordered by Vivianne through head maid Madam Isabella, Lassandra is forced to scrub the entire mansion's mountain of laundry alone until her hands go numb—helped only by the quiet, deadpan blonde maid Aisha, giving Lassandra a fleeting moment of warmth as she dreams of showing Aelira the night orchids of her hometown, Oryndel.
  • The Secret Basement Tunnel: That night under the full moon, as Lassandra prays to Lord Aelther holding her mother's silver necklace from Oryndel, Aisha wakes her and leads her down to a corpse-reeking secret tunnel in the basement where Vivianne awaits. Lassandra swears she never betrayed Vivianne, and Vivianne agrees—revealing that Celdric had been sending money to Lassandra's family in Oryndel to frame her as a spy in their sibling conflict. Stepping from the shadows behind her, Wilkram clamps a leather-gloved hand around Lassandra's throat and snaps her neck on Vivianne's command ("Finish it").
  • The Shattered Return: At that exact moment in the carriage riding home under the stars, six-year-old Aelira's chest tightens and tears stream down her face uncontrollably without her knowing why. Rushing into the mansion the next morning searching for Lassy, Aelira is met by Vivianne's icy lie: "She left for her hometown yesterday. She said that she will never return. That's why I told you not to trust anyone. See?"
  • The Temple's Vow: In a candlelit chamber, Temple Bishop Sir Vergas receives Bishop Sir Edward's report on Zaek rejecting the King and training six-year-old Aelira Viremont—vowing that if House Viremont intends to rise from the ashes, the Temple will "burn them back into the ground—in the Holy Maiden's name."