#//And the mage who happened to get caught for that gets special treatment afterwards

[dutybcrne]

No thoughts, just Kae in that one corrupted/allied to the Abyss sibling verse I rambled abt a bit ago occasionally bullying Abyss mages into cuddles whenever he’s with the Abyss sibling bc Klee was onto smth when she called hers Mr Fluffy, they are the closest thing to stuffies he can have out there-

[enbylesbianism]

ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS: Simon Snow trilogy wrapped! (review)

Hi, there! It took me a while to finish this post, as I could talk about it for... a long time (not necessarily a good thing), but I got it! I like praise, so if anyone wants to tell me I did a good job... Also, I might edit this post later on. I don’t remember anything else I’d like to add, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I did after posting. My brain does not obey me. Anyways, off to it! By the way, I won’t give this book a real rating.

While this is a review on Any Way the Wind Blows, I intend on analysing some points of the overall series too. The book starts where Wayward Son left off, the end of the road trip, Simon and Baz having problems in their relationship, Penelope helping Shepard with his curse... and the whole situation of the NowNext vampires. Rainbow Rowell only seems to remember the first part. That leaves us with the second book of the series ignored almost completely, with the exception of Simon and Baz’s feelings as well as Shepard’s existence.

Don’t get me wrong, aspects of the book are mentioned, but never in a truly important way. Lamb, the Vampire King, is mentioned by Simon, but only focusing on his and Baz’s relationship, never about the fact that there are a bunch of vampires (supposedly ‘evil’) in the U.S. but I guess what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? I could count on one hand the times the NowNext vampires were mentioned (like, literally, this isn’t an exaggeration, I looked up ‘NowNext’ on the e-book and only got five results), all of them either being one of them considering telling someone else about it, then not following through with it, or dismissing it as a concern for Lamb. Which makes the plot of Wayward Son completely useless for the trilogy. Now, that wouldn’t matter as much if everything else had been properly developed, but we definitely can’t say that.

We are introduced to a brand new, poorly developed villain, Smith-Smith Richards, whose character arc is as ridiculous as his name. He’s one of the fake Chosen Ones that started appearing after the events of Carry On (and the only one to be mentioned and/or defeated, for that matter). It becomes clear that presenting as Simon Snow-ish is part of his brand, especially when Baz describes him as looking like the Netflix adaptation version of Simon, and that he was raised and guided by his uncle, who’s just... there. I don’t think it would’ve been hard to make him manipulating Smith-Smith into believing he’s the prophetic savior of the Magickal World, which would not only make both of their characters more interesting, but it could also serve as a parallel of Simon’s relationship with the Mage. Richards also has some special powers such as increasing a mage’s magic for a limited amount of time, but taking it away afterwards, as well as making someone immune from spells. It’s worth saying those aren’t skills that are usual in the Magickal World, or else there wouldn’t be so much confusion and shock from people (specially Baz and Penny, who would definitely have heard of something like this before), but we get no explanation on why or how Richard has them.

Then, we have the Salisbury’s. We, as readers, already know Lucy and Davy are Simon’s parents, making Ruth his grandmother. It’s noticeable that Rowell builds up to that discovery, by making Simon get along with Ruth instantly, him thinking about Lucy a lot etc. It makes us excited to read the part where they actually figure it out, to know how Simon would deal with that, him dealing with the fact that he’s the Mage’s son and the fact that, technically, he killed his father. I suppose that’s the point, but actually getting to that part was incredibly underwhelming. The way they discovered about Simon—being able to lift a family sword—hadn’t been mentioned or hinted at before. One would’ve expected Simon, who’s particularly interested in swords as it’s mentioned many times throughout the series, to notice a freaking Excalibur at the Salisbury’s place before. 

And speaking of noticing things: when it’s finally revealed that Simon is Lucy’s son and the Mage’s heir, Baz pointed out the uncanny similarities between his boyfriend and the deceased Watford principal. “Those narrow eyes. That tilt of his head. I thought... I thought he’d learned it. Was imitating it.” + “Merlin, Simon, you even look like him.”  (Any Way the Wind Blows, chapter 86) Simon was the Mage’s protégé for years and I assume the Magickal authorities knew that he was the one to inherit all of his money and personal belongings, but no one, in the whole British Magickal community, thought about them being related? I refuse to believe there were no conspiracy theorist teachers at Watford or that Mitali or even the Pitch’s alongside everyone who was against the Mage didn’t at least check to know if there was something behind those characteristics. Baz literally said (chapter 88), “I think it’s undeniable. I’d cast ‘Flesh and blood’ on them, but it would bounce right off of Snow (...)”, so there is a spell for that. Plus, we didn’t even have one whole chapter of Simon dealing with this information! The chapters (no more than five, out of ninety-one) were divided between Simon, Baz and Lady Ruth’s POVs. He’s the main character, so one would think he’d get more development.

Another point that felt rushed was the romance. While Simon and Baz’s relationship wasn’t, as it’s been a topic Rowell has explored for three books (we’re not counting Fangirl here, as their ‘participation’ on it was minor and their personalities weren’t as consistent as in the trilogy. Not that it is that consistent there), the others just felt like she wanted everyone to finish the trilogy with a pair. I’ll start with Shepard and Penny. There were fans who liked them together before Any Way the Wind Blows, but it wasn’t hinted at—it was more like a fandom thing. I personally like them as a couple, but it could have had development and, maybe, foreshadowing in Wayward Son. I mean, they did fight monsters during a huge part of a road trip together.

The next one I’ll talk about is Agatha and Niamh. I love them, don’t get me wrong. Actually, it’s precisely because I love them that I wish they’d gotten a better treatment. Niamh wasn’t introduced before Any Way the Wind Blows. I get why she wasn’t introduced in Carry On—it was interesting to see a character who wasn’t caught up in Simon and Baz’s drama during the school years—but a hint of her existence could’ve been left in Wayward Son. Agatha is an important character on it, and a mention of her father training an aspiring veterinary could’ve fit somewhere, as a hint, maybe. (Also, Lucy, the dog, being absolutely forgotten during this book when a lot of Agatha’s time is spent in a veterinary clinic...) Besides, we could get the vibes from them, but after they kissed, there was barely any content. We didn’t get them calling each other ‘girlfriend’ (or if they even like that label at this point), or the aftermath of the kiss, or a POV from Niamh. Or Niamh appearing the epilogue? If Agatha was taking care of the goats, I’m sure Niamh would have a part in that too. Still on Agatha’s character, but not on Niamh’s, it felt like Rainbow Rowell was setting up for aromantic and asexual Agatha, specially because of this quote: “It was like she'd pulled the feeling right out of my heart. I could have kissed her. (I still wish sometimes that I wanted to.) (That would feel like an answer to... the question of me. Then I could say, 'Oh, thats who I am. That's why I've been so confused.')” (Wayward Son, chapter 4).

And I was leaving the best (I need to be sure everyone knows I mean this sarcastically) of the romance topic for the end: Fiona and Nicodemus. It’s just... so forced and undeveloped. Not even because, to me, they’re both gay as hell. There was just... such a lack of development! I don’t think we had any interaction between the both of them before Any Way the Wind Blows. There was no foreshadowing or why would Fiona, a vampire hunter from a family of vampire hunters, would marry... a vampire! I’d already find it weird to see fanfiction of them as a crackship, but it’s canon?! Like, canon as in they’re going to get married and use Fiona and Natasha’s mother’s ring? Seriously, nothing will take from me that this is a lavender marriage (as I’ve already discussed with my best friend, which inspired this post of theirs.)

I’d also like to speak about a topic that’d been hinted throughout the series, especially post-Carry On, which is the criticism towards the Magickal Community in the U.K.. That criticism is very much embodied in Shepard’s character. It’s explicitly said that the British mages have some kind of supremacy towards other supernatural beings, such as vampires for example, gatekeeping literal magic. Up until relatively recently, mages with weak links with magic couldn’t attend Watford (and that’s a major plot point in the final book) and there’s a denial towards any other kind of magic except the ones that are part of their craft. Even within the Magickal community itself, there are more important families that are more likely to succeed, like Natasha receiving criticism for marrying Malcolm, as a Pitch. It felt pointless not to tackle the issues you’ve set up yourself in your own universe. Penelope has very strict morals related to magickal law and beliefs, something that she could’ve deconstructed, especially considering Shepard, her love interest, symbolises that. Another point related to that is, the trilogy is very clearly heavily inspired by Harry Potter, where many of those points are very clear (e.g. wizard supremacy in relation to other species, such as werewolves and domestic elves and the status quo that makes some traditionally magical families more influential than others, like the Malfoy’s vs. the Weasley’s), so it’s not an easily forgettable concept.

The series also had a lot of inconsistencies. The one I’ve seen talked about more often is Simon and Agatha’s... intimacy status, let’s call it that. Simon’s whole thing in the first book was that he struggled controlling his magic when experiencing intense emotions, which makes it hard to believe that he managed to have sex withount an... accident. Besides that, though, there’s this quote, “She (...) presses a kiss into my temple. No one has ever kissed me there. No one has ever kissed me anywhere but on my mouth” (Carry On, Chapter 27), but in Any Way the Wind Blows, when Simon’s about to have his wings cut, Agatha says, “It’s a strange feeling to look at someone’s chest and know it’s nothing to do with you anymore, but still to remember kissing every inch.” (Chapter 14)

So, we have established that Rainbow Rowell’s work, both character and plot driven, is flawed. “But we got the characters interacting for the closure of the series, at least!” Well... we got interactions between the canon romantic relationships, yeah. But besides that, we didn’t get much. There were no interactions between Agatha and Penny, or Shepard with Simon and Baz. Or Penny and her mother figuring stuff out. Or literally anyone with a therapist. And not gonna lie, the interaction we got between Baz and Dev was underwhelming, to say the least. Niall is nowhere to be seen, too.

Rainbow Rowell’s writing is beautiful: she writes poetic lines that make the book seem perfect at first glance, if you don’t think about it for too long. Her words are very shiny, but once you get use to that light and see what’s behind them, what’s between one shiny quote and another, it has so many flaws and plot holes that it reads like a first draft. There are many concepts in there that are genuinely good: the rest of the trilogy focused on the protagonist dealing with the trauma of being a child soldier instead of being entirely an adventure, Simon being unlabelled, a fake Chosen One that gives mages fake hope... Those are all good ideas, but so poorly explored that, despite being an entire book/trilogy, it still feels like a writing pitch or something among those lines.

I felt iffy about other things during my reading of the series, but they aren’t exactly plot points, so I’ll just list them below:

Mitali, Penny’s mom, including ‘discovering your bisexuality’ as a mid-life crisis thing 

As I’ve seen people talking about biphobia/bi erasure in the books, I’ll be including this post that features both unlabelled and bisexual individuals talking about the topic (it isn’t my place, as a lesbian, to talk about this, that’s why I decided not to do so.)

Romanticising of Baz’s suicide (a.k.a. chapter 61) in the first book. If you’re not in a good place mentally, like I was when I first read Carry On, I hope you know that a kiss or romance doesn’t help any mental illness you or others might have. Don’t let anyone use your guilt to manipulate you. Paraphrasing Alice Oseman in their graphic novel Heartstopper, love can’t cure a mental illness.

Any Way the Wind Blows was... very horny. I can’t point out how this makes the book bad exactly, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed. One of Rainbow Rowell’s strongest skills is that her quotes, when loose, are good. They tend to be poetic and just beautiful, overall. But in the... explicit scenes, these skills were barely used, and I felt like I was reading NSFW tweets off of someone’s private account on Twitter. Besides, the first two books of the series weren’t written like that, so the change was very sudden.

The older people could’ve been more explored. Penelope and Mitali’s relationship and how similar the both of them are compared to each other, Daphne and Professor Bunce’s insecurities and why they believed in Smith-Smith, Fiona, Nico, and Ebb... Also, the Mage and Lucy. We could’ve had more on them, y’know. 

The pop culture references. They made the book read even more like Twitter’s feed. Honestly, if I wanted to read prompts and nice ship content alongside memes from Twitter with some horny thoughts sprinkled all around, I would’ve opened the Twitter app. Or Tumblr, Instagram, whatever.

The POV switching felt lazy to me at times. It’s nice to know how different characters are experiencing that situation, yes, but sometimes, like during the discovery that Simon is a Salisbury, it read as if Rowell wanted to create tension, but couldn’t think of any other way to do it except the switching around.

Narrative wise, I think Simon and Baz should’ve spent more time broken up. 

[kdrawssometimes]

Wait, these are my own characters. Oh well IT KEEPS HAPPENING.

No war can be won by the nobility alone. Here two siblings with a forgotten family history, split up as children and reunited by chance on the battlefield, there a dashing sea captain who takes a fateful charter for the main party— the common folk have an important role to play as well.

Ceidan was born to ordinary parents in a small border town in Corasanne, but his life was thrown off course when the town was destroyed by bandits when he was still very small. Along with a small gaggle of lost refugees, he stumbled across the border into the Empire of Dromin, and was spotted by a sorcerer who disingenuously offered to adopt him. She trained him to be a talented Thunder Mage, recognizing that his natural ability was likely amplified by the Mark of Ashla on his right hand, but treated him more as a living weapon than as a son. As a result, he’s very prickly and suspicious, even though he ultimately wishes to help and have friends. Ceidan is found as an enemy unit early on, and is slightly tricky to recruit; getting him to switch sides is easy enough, as he’ll immediately become a neutral unit as soon as Michaeli ends a turn in his range, but keeping him alive through the following enemy phase until he can come talk to her can be difficult if you haven’t sent more units with her to defend him. He’s about as squishy as mages get, but his Spd is unusually decent, and his Mag growth is ridiculously good. 

Ceidan is an option for wielding Xiphos, though he’s very reluctant and must have at least a B support with your MU to be convinced. If he’s made the Chosen, he grudgingly tolerates Corasanne’s accolades in his epilogue in order to maintain access to the magical tomes he wishes to study, but is otherwise known to be reclusive and often rude about the whole thing.

Ceidan’s reclass options are Thief, Dark Mage, and Cleric. Thief > Trickster is a somewhat popular route for those who don’t keep him on the Thunder Mage line or promote him to Chosen, as it cashes in on both the extra Spd he gets as a Thief and his still excellent Mag stat.

Michaeli is Ceidan’s older sister, and was taken in by a different group after being separated from her family in the battle. She made it to the capital of Corasanne, and grew up on the fringes; wanting desperately to become someone who could prevent the tragedies she’d survived when she grew up, she frequented the edges of the royal training yards, mimicking the knights in training. She was caught in the act by a retired swordmaster, who took her on as an apprentice and a surrogate daughter; as an adult, she followed through on her old dream and joined Corasanne’s army, hoping to help out the other common folk. She’s the first Myrmidon you get, joining the party by default before one of the game’s earliest chapters, and slightly sturdier than the usual build. Notably, all of her S-support options are platonic.

 She also bears the Mark of Ashla on her left hand, and is as such an option for wielding Xiphos; she’s comparatively easy to convince, though she protests special treatment, and complains to Ashla’s spirit that relying on a bloodline is unwise. If she’s made the Chosen, she disappears a few years into the epilogue, though it’s implied that several of her friends know where she went and are covering for her so that she can live a normal life.

Michaeli’s reclass options are Mercenary, Cavalier, and Soldier.

Felixandra is rumored to be both the most daring and the most beautiful merchant captain to sail the Hydian Sea. The protagonists hire her midway through the first act while on the trail of some Dromin saboteurs; she first appears as an allied Fighter unit in the defense of her ship in the obligatory boat map, and stays on with the party afterward due to damage sustained in the fight. While she initially appears to be motivated mainly by gold, it becomes apparent that she’s got a heart of it, and cares deeply for those she fights alongside. She’s got solid stats all around and her Skl growth makes for a decent Warrior promotion, as she’ll actually be able to make use of bows.

Felixandra’s reclass options are Rogue, Wyvern Rider, and Archer.

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 2 Part 2

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

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Chapter 2 – Arvis of Velthomer

Part 2

Four days later, Cigyun returned from Balhalla.

She gasped when she saw Arvis.

"Why are you so surprised, Mother?"

"It has been six months since I last saw you, but still, you've changed so much…"

"How so?"

"Well, you aren't that much taller. And now that I've gotten a good look at your face, that's the same as well. But when I first saw you, you looked like an adult. And not just any adult, but a very dignified one, like your grandfather did."

Arvis didn't remember his grandfather, but he'd heard many stories of the man, who had been the duke when he was born. He also liked the large portrait of his grandfather hung on the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

He'd had bright red hair, a tapered beard, and almond-shaped eyes. Arvis didn't have the beard of course, but whenever he looked in the mirror, he could see the resemblance. 'I want to grow a beard like that someday.' He would think.

He took his mother by the hand, led her to a place away from her maid, and whispered, "Mother, did you know that Father died?"

Her face hardened. "Yes."

"Who told you?"

"When I received your letter, it was delivered with one from your father as well."

"Please forget all about Father's letter." Arvis said decisively.

"Why?"

"Because he came down with a very sudden illness. It was, um, a heart… That's right, it was a heart attack. Mendel, the doctor, told me directly. If Father's letter said differently, then he was lying."

"Who came up with that idea? Was it the butler, Oran?"

"No, it was me."

"You did…?" She said with a huge sigh. "I understand. Father died of a heart attack."

"That's right. And it's what I had announced to everyone."

Cigyun suddenly felt her chest become hot. ‘He’s become so considerate in just this year alone. Everyone, I was so, so wrong. I never should have left the forest... I never should have tried to defy fate...’ She frantically pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and hid her face in it.

Arvis thought that she was simply crying over the death of his father. 'But the person that made you sad is gone, Mother!' He wanted to say, but couldn’t bring himself to.

ー

Victor's funeral was held ten days later.

Because he had been an inheritor to Valflame, Prince Kurth attended the ceremony.

His coffin was put in the shrine behind the castle, and was kept closed during the entire ceremony, as his body had already begun to rot. This also meant that no one saw the red spots on his face.

Afterwards, everyone left Velthomer, except for Prince Kurth, who spent the night in the villa.

The next morning, he approached Arvis to say goodbye. "If you ever need anything, please tell me. I will do whatever I can to help you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Arvis said, then realized that his mother was not with them. He had seen the prince doing his best to comfort her many times, so he thought, 'She probably wants to thank him.'

"Please wait a minute. I'm going to go get Mother."

"Thank you, but you don’t have to." The prince’s expression darkened. "I don't think she wants to see me anymore."

Arvis realized at those words that something had happened between them, and that he shouldn’t try to pry into the matter, so he changed the subject.

"Will I be able to attend the Royal Academy when I'm older?"

"Of course. Come to Belhalla once you've turned fifteen. I'll be your reference, and they’ll let you in right away. Or, if your Holy Mark appears before then, I'll let you enroll earlier."

"Really? You think I'll get it?"

"You will. No one else within the Velthomer family has one right now, so you'll get it for sure."

"I'll be happy if it happens, but I don't know if it will…"

"Of course you'll be the one. The inheritors to the holy weapons are greatly revered at the Royal Academy, and given special treatment. It is also tradition for all the inheritors around the same age to form a special club. Of course, they have fun together in their free time, but they also work together and come to understand their destiny as the Crusader's descendants. I can't quite put it into words, but since I was one of them, I can guarantee that it will be fun. I'll be waiting for you to come to Belhalla." Kurth said and gave Arvis a firm handshake.

ー

That night, at dinner, Arvis noticed that his mother had a very grim expression on her face.

'She looks just like Father did. What will I do if I lose her too?’

His fears were not just in his head.

The next morning, after they had finished breakfast, she hugged him, and said, "I must leave now. I worried about you the whole time I was gone, but once I saw your face, I was reassured. I know that you will become a fine duke of Velthomer."

He realized that she didn't plan on ever coming home. His heart started to pound. 'Don't go!' He tried to say, but the words got caught in his throat. He knew that if he said them, he would only add to her suffering. Instead, he continued to scream to himself, 'Don't go! Please! Don't leave me all alone!’

She cradled his cheek, carefully etching the feeling of his skin in her mind, so that she would always remember what it felt like to hold her son. Then, she stood up.  "Take care, Arvis."

He watched her walk away, not once taking his eyes off her until she had disappeared. He felt like he was tied up, and couldn't move.

ー

He was right. She didn't come home.

The next day, the butler handed him a letter. "This is for you. It’s from Lady Cigyun."

He took it and threw it right into the fireplace. He didn't want to know what it said, but knew that it must have had something to do with what had happened between his father, his mother, and Prince Kurth.

His mother had been his everything. Though he'd never loved his father, he’d always wished to meet the man not as family, but the great duke of Velthomer. And while he may have only just met Prince Kurth, he respected him as well. He didn’t want his feelings for any of them to be sullied.

ー

The public quickly found out about Lady Cigyun's disappearance, and the debate over who was to become the next duke of Velthomer was brought up once again.

As Arvis no longer had a guardian, Victor's younger brother, Lord Dalton, called for a family meeting.

It was highly likely that the meeting would be held, no one would listen to the words of a seven-year-old, and Dalton would be chosen to become the duke.

Arvis already knew how great it felt to give orders, so he did not intend to give up the position so easily. He remembered what Prince Kurth had said to him at his father's funeral.

'If you ever need anything, please tell me.'

He didn't want to ask Prince Kurth for help if he didn't have to. He liked the prince, but also hated him.

However, he had no one else to turn to.

And so, he wrote a letter.

'Prince Kurth,

My father's successor will be chosen in four days.

Please do whatever you can to support my case.

Arvis'

It took two days to get to Balhalla, and that was only if the messenger changed horses and didn't stop to rest for very long along the way. It was nearly impossible for the prince to receive the letter and make it to Velthomer in time for the meeting.

ー

The morning of, the prince still hadn’t shown up.

The meeting started in the afternoon, and ten members of the family were in attendance.

"Alright everyone, let's begin." Dalton said and stood up. "We all know that there are other people in the family that are older than I, but I was the closest to Victor, second only to his young son, Arvis. So please allow me to speak first. Thank you for your understanding. 

“I greatly appreciate you all for coming here today to help Victor’s son, Arvis. I thank you on his behalf. As you know, my brother died suddenly, and Cigyun also disappeared suddenly, but we are not here to investigate the cause of these matters. The problem at hand is that of seven-year-old Arvis, who has lost both of his legal guardians. Velthomer must participate in the Grannvalian government, but we cannot grant Arvis’ wish and allow him, a seven-year-old boy without a guardian, to represent us. If he said something foolish to the king, then it would disgrace our entire family.”

Arvis heard someone snicker. He wasn't sure who it was, but his face turned red with anger and embarrassment.

"By the way, Prince Arvis. Has your Holy Mark appeared yet?"

Arvis remained silent, so Dalton provoked him further.

"What's the matter, Arvis? Can't answer a simple question?"

"I don't have it yet." He knew that his uncle had an ulterior motive, and was offended.

"Well, you heard the boy. My brother's Holy Mark had already appeared by the time he was seven. I may have only been five at the time, but I remember that day as if it was only yesterday. When I saw the firey red mark on his hand, I felt great respect for him. However, Arvis does not have his yet.

“If he had his Holy Mark, he would be allowed to attend the government meetings, so long as he stayed quiet. But since he does not, he would be laughed at immediately. Even he would feel humiliated if that happened, don’t you think?

“And that is why we are here today. We're all family, so I want you to feel free to say whatever is on your mind.”

When Dalton sat down, the eldest member of the family immediately stood to speak next. "How about we decide who will discipline him until he comes of age?"

"I think it's more important that we decide who will inherit Velthomer. That's what's been done in the past when a duke's son was too young and his Holy Mark hadn't appeared yet." Said Victor's younger sister.

"I mean, we need to address both of these issues, don't we?" Asked one of the fire mages of the family.

Suddenly, the butler entered the room. "Prince Kurth has come to participate in the meeting."

"What? Prince Kurth? Why is he here?" Dalton asked, but Kurth entered the room before the butler could answer. "Greetings. Prince Kurth. I welcome you to our castle, but regret to inform you that this is a personal meeting between the members of the Velthomer family."

"I understand, Lord Dalton. I have no intention of meddling in your family's affairs. And that's why I'm not here as the prince of Grannvale, but merely as Prince Arvis' guardian. I think that qualifies me as able to attend this meeting."

"You're his guardian? Who decided that?"

"Both Lady Cigyun and Arvis himself requested it." The prince said simply. "There is precedence for a member of Granvallian royalty to be chosen as a guardian of a duke's son, so I do not think that it would be inconvenient at all for me to become Arvis' guardian."

"Y-You are correct, Your Majesty. It would be an honor to him. He’s still too young to answer even simple questions for himself, so I thank you on his behalf…"

"I understand, and accept your gratitude. So, what have you discussed so far?"

“I expressed concern over who would discipline Arvis until he became an adult. But if you are now his guardian, then that is no longer an issue.” The old man said.

And with that, the results of the meeting were mostly decided.

“I have already become Arvis’ guardian, and if all of you, as the members of the Velthomerian family, agree to that, then I don’t believe there are any problems with it. Does anyone have anything else to say?” Prince Kurth asked.

They went on to decide that Arvis would inherit Velthomer, with Prince Kurth as his guardian. Valflame would be entrusted to the prince, and he would hold onto it until the Holy Mark appeared on a member of the family. If that person was someone other than Arvis, then they would all hold another meeting over who would inherit Velthomer.

After all of the details were ironed out, the meeting was adjourned.

ー

T/N: Note on original character names:

Victor’s brother is ドール (Dōru) in the Japanese.