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...?

Now that Lyle and his party have found a new home in the Academic City of Aramthurst, a location known for its underground dungeon and where any trade can be picked up for a fee, they’re ready to tackle their next objectives—expanding their party and gaining new skills. There’s only one problem: how are they going to keep themselves in funds? Lyle’s initial plan is to make coin within the lucrative halls of Aramthurst’s dungeon, but this idea is quickly quashed when he finds out entrance to it is strictly controlled by the Academy. And with a party that’s way too small and a list of achievements that’s about one line long, Lyle doesn’t stand a chance of impressing them. In fact, his prospects only get worse when he manages to run afoul of some Academy nobles. As always, Lyle turns to his ancestors for help, but all they do is nag and complain. Still, Lyle is determined to blaze forward. Is he...entering his rebellious phase?!

Lyle Walt is struggling. His ancestors have given him a challenge to conquer thirty floors of Aramthurst’s dungeon without using their Arts, but with his party divided, it’s proving impossible. Aria and Sophia bicker with one another constantly, and Miranda only fuels the flames. Meanwhile Novem watches on without intervening, fending off Lyle’s new automaton, who treats her with open hatred. And all the while, Lyle sits with his head in his hands, unable to see a way to fix the problems laid out before him. That is, until he finally discovers a possible solution—a new comrade.

After learning his fill in Aramthurst, Lyle heads to Central, where he receives an invitation to visit the Circry estate. There he meets Miranda and Shannon’s father, Ralph Circry, who...isn’t Lyle’s biggest fan. But just as tensions start to rise, a surprising new visitor arrives: Lionel Walt, a nobleman from the Central branch of House Walt. All of sudden, Lyle is forced to navigate dealing with a distant relative—a complicated task made even more complex by his disownment. It’s in this dubious, slightly hostile atmosphere that Ralph steps forward and offers both boys the opportunity to join a subjugation force. The reward? Some gold coins, and the implied heirship to House Circry for whoever distinguishes himself the most. How will Lyle handle this new rivalry with Lionel? Is he even up to the challenge before him while still coping with the grief of watching yet another of his ancestors fade away?

With the gryphon slain and the schemes of the palace’s nobles thwarted, Lyle’s party decides to spread the true story of what happened around the royal capital to ensure nothing is covered up. By the time the operation is in full swing, they begin hearing disturbing rumors—whispers that the crown prince has annulled his marriage to the Princess of Banseim’s neighboring land, Fonbeau, meaning war could break out between the two nations at any moment. The situation is grave, yet the citizens of the capital seem oddly unaffected. Then, in a chance meeting with Princess Lianne, Lyle learns the truth: the odd events unfolding in the capital can all be traced back to one person—his sister and fated foe, Ceres. What is the true nature of the Heretical God’s Child’s power? And now that Ceres is finally making her move, sowing chaos among the people of Banseim, will she succeed in plunging the kingdom into ruin?

Now resolved to fight Ceres, Lyle Walt and his party must leave the capital and set out for the Free City of Baym. These tasks soon become difficult when Lionel puts out a warrant for Lyle’s arrest and names him a traitor to their nation—all to fan the flames of a petty grudge! With wanted posters everywhere and soldiers on the lookout, Lyle and his party are left with no choice but to take a detour. But when they are making their way through the countryside, they hear an odd tale. Foreboding rumors abound of the nearby Kingdom of Lorcan harboring a secret dungeon, and a strange beast is said to have wreaked havoc on the country’s soldiers before racing off through the sky. Lyle’s nosy ancestors of course demand he go check things out, and he soon agrees. But once Lorcan’s mysteries begin to unspool, so too does a piece of the fifth head’s past...

Upon arriving in Baym, Lyle’s party attempts to promptly complete their registration at the city’s Guild, only to find themselves treated no better than rookies. As it turns out, all the experience they had gained traveling around through foreign lands is moot—they’ll have to prove themselves all over again before they’re allowed to take proper requests, let alone explore a dungeon. Left with nothing else to do, they devote themselves to doing menial labor to steadily gain the mysterious Guild receptionist’s trust. However, this task is complicated by a rookie adventurer named Erhart who constantly picks fights with their party. Driven by jealousy, Erhart and his party angrily refuse the tasks offered to them by the Guild receptionist and demand more substantial work instead. They harass the receptionist until she finally agrees to allow their party to participate in a large-scale dungeon raid. But is this a stroke of luck or an omen of disaster...?

Lyle and his party have gained the key to conquering Zayin: the theocracy’s holy maiden, Thelma. However, Lyle still has a few problems to solve before his party heads off to wage war—particularly their lack of troops. And faced with the costs of funding an entire army, it quickly becomes apparent that they’ll need to find a backer. Enter the Trēs family, the founders of one of the leading merchant houses in Baym. When Lyle is approached with the opportunity to guard one of their vessels, he seizes the chance to prove himself and gain their support. But Lyle’s ancestors and his other party members seem to have a different approach in mind—namely, seducing the head of House Trēs’s beloved daughter and the captain of the ship they’ve been hired to protect, Vera.