Seventh

In a world of swords and magic, where the Goddess is revered, Lyle Walt was fortunate enough to be born the first son and heir to an earldom. That is, until his parents disown him for losing pitifully in a fight with his younger sister, Ceres. Lyle had once been hailed as a prodigy—a wonder child—but the birth of his sister changed everything. After Ceres wounds him in their duel, an enigmatic old man swoops in to rescue Lyle and bestows upon him a necklace containing a jewel that has been blessed by the goddesses and passed down through the last seven generations of Walt leaders. As Lyle sets out, necklace in hand, will he be able to prove himself despite his humiliating loss to his sister? And moreover, will he be able to solve the mystery behind Ceres’s monstrous strength and the strange sway she seems to hold over his entire family?

Disgraced nobleman Lyle Walt has finally started to make a name for himself as an adventurer after leading the charge to defeat a group of bandits plaguing the city of Darion. He’s even started to gain the respect of the seven generations of ancestors whose spirits reside inside the pendant he wears around his neck. But learning a few Arts and earning some respect hasn’t helped much with his current goal: finding a way to support himself and the growing cast of women in his life. As Lyle forges on, he finds himself tangled in the intricate web of Darion’s local politics and fighting to survive the dangers of his first dungeon. He even grows closer to a man he once thought despised him—Basil Walt, the fierce warrior and barbarian tamer who founded his house. But as Lyle’s understanding of Basil deepens, he begins to realize that the founder's future might not align with his own...

Lyle Walt and his party have only recently returned to Darion, but once they hear a new dungeon has appeared in the area, Lyle decides he’s going to be on the subjugation team—no matter what. Before long, he’s enlisted the aid of Rondo and his party and schemed his way onto the expedition. Unfortunately, the team’s excitement is quickly deflated by reality, and Lyle realizes that dungeon subjugation is far more perilous than he’s ever imagined. Trapped between a group of hot-blooded, competitive adventurers and an enemy lurking among the Guild personnel, Lyle’s party finds themselves struggling to make any money in the dungeon at all, let alone conquer it! Lyle’s left with no choice but to trust his ancestors’ advice to keep them all afloat. And as their time at the dungeon draws to a close, the question remains: will Lyle’s party actually be able to battle monsters, gain experience, and get themselves some treasure? Or will they fail to even recoup their initial investment...?