Louis entered a notarial office in Cleppé.
"Hello."
"Oh, Sir Louis. Glad to see you again. What brings you to us so soon?"
"A testament."
Louis pulled out a sealed document.
"I see." He turned to his apprentice and said, "Go fetch the witnesses." The apprentice quickly left, the door slamming behind him. "And what shall we do with your previous will?"
"I'd like to retrieve it, please."
"Of course."
The witnesses arrived, and they read:
[In the year of Ludovic, during the reign of Energy-Strongest Domis-EursI, Louis Vinirlmo, administrator of Nirl, in the event of my death or if I become unable to express my will:
I grant, out of goodwill, usufruct rights over half of my possessions for two years to the accountant, except for my house in Nirl, inherited from my parents, Samuel and Kilia, who themselves inherited it from theirs.
At the same time and for eternity, without possibility of contest from any heir or family member, I hereby distribute as follows:
My house goes to Rodolphe and only to him, even if he should die. Any heir must ensure the preservation of this house and never sell it, or they will lose their inheritance. Moreover, should I live but be unable to exercise my will, a right of usus is granted to me. A right of visitation shall be given to Emilie, priest of Nirl.
As for all the rest of my possessions, in Nirl or elsewhere, everything I knowingly or unknowingly own:
⅙ shall go to the city of Cleppé, glory of my life, protector of Nirl and our ancestors.
⅙ shall go to the temple of Cleppé for its great salvific mission.
⅙ shall go to Manon, daughter of Jirs and Yursea.
The remaining, if Rodolphe is alive and returns before the age of 15 or before the execution of the will, goes entirely to him—meaning half of the estate. Otherwise, it is to be divided among Oscart, Tirza, Manon, Michael, Lenn, Skyra, and Kokm in equal shares. Additionally, if still declared alive at the time of execution: Alain, Eloise, and Emilie are to be included. If the will is executed before Rodolphe's return, the listed parties will manage the inheritance, without the right to sell and with the duty to return it in the same condition, until six years from now. My title as administrator of Nirl is to be temporarily and then permanently passed to Manon.
If any of the named persons or entity is found responsible for my death under any circumstance, their share shall be redistributed equally among the others.
Written by my own hand, then witnessed: Louis]
After the reading, the document was examined, one or two corrections made, some notes added, then all the witnesses signed, and Louis paid a few coins.
***
That evening in Nirl. Louis was surrounded by his three guests, all members of Nirl's guards.
"Before we begin, I have bad news to share."
"A raid incoming?" asked Manon.
"Worse," Louis replied gravely. "While three of the four function-bearers of Nirl are at the battlefield, taking with them the best-equipped and strongest of Nirl's people…"
He paused, looking at them, mouth ajar, at a loss for words. "They…"
"What is it? Has something happened to them? Is the war going badly?"
"A royal emissary came as fast as he could and told the viscountess, who just informed me: they are all likely dead."
A heavy silence fell.
"That can't be… not them! What exactly happened?" Skyra asked urgently.
"It seems the demons have allied with the revolutionaries and hybrids and agreed to sacrifice a large portion of their army so that no news would leak… before they detonated large mines of unknown energy against the Paladins."
"Don't tell me you believe that," snapped Kom, irritated. "Paladins, demons, angels, hybrids — I've seen it with my own eyes! On the battlefield, they never truly fight each other. They talk, joke, and get along perfectly!"
Louis's gaze darkened, and he articulated each word slowly: "Whether we believe it or not, we'll have to believe it when the missi dominici arrive. I'm risking my life just saying this, and I had to quickly settle my affairs in case I die."
A silence followed, broken by Louis.
"The bishop of Cleppé will offer a few prayers in their memory—"
"But that's not why you called us, is it?" asked Manon, her eyes sharp. "What about the village? How are we supposed to defend against raids without them? Isn't the answer obvious? Each of us takes a position of responsibility?"
Louis turned to Skyra and Kom."And you? What do you think?"
"You're just replacing them like that?" asked Kom.
"I get it, about the raids — that's why we stayed," said Skyra. "But isn't it all a bit hasty?"
"I haven't decided anything yet," Louis replied. "Especially since we can't choose those roles alone."
"But we're already the ones filling those positions when they're away," Manon replied bluntly. "And even more than that."
She looked intensely at Louis, who averted his gaze. Most of the powers from his administrator role — even his personal domain — were already being handled by the three people in the room, especially Manon. All of them had avoided the slow, grueling degradation from working the fields, received wages, and were armed by the man in front of them.
They continued discussing various matters, after which Louis met with his slaves, practiced their language, tried to understand what drove them to act as they did, got them thinking, and then, emphasizing their safety, asked them to devise a less dangerous plan of action.