In Nostria, the deaths of people of noble status were hardly uncommon, but Graham's death still left Count Elias shocked into silence.
He had not died beneath the claws and fangs of other Lions. The name Maris left him baffled, and only when Ryan asked did Count Elias instinctively recall everything about this neighbor of his.
"Count Maris City. His ancestors, like mine, were holy knights in the Glorious Fortress who bravely held off the Colossus. For their great merits, our ancestors were granted sacred noble titles by the King."
"And over the long years that followed, our ancestors built up their count cities step by step and became great nobles."
By this point, Ryan still had not heard the reason Count Maris was loyal to the King. Surely it could not be because of some history from a thousand years ago.
Count Elias quickly reached the key point.
"The grandmother of the current Count Maris was a member of the Sun Kingdom's royal family."
"That grandmother's elder brother later became the King. Moreover, that princess was highly capable. She helped the economy of Count Maris City prosper to nearly twice its former size. At that time, almost all the kingdom's resources transported north had to pass through Count Maris City."
"Through such connections and methods, Count Maris became the wealthiest count city in the kingdom. They relied on their relationship with the royal family and the King."
"Then Count Maris City, in turn, began to feed resources back to the Sun Kingdom's royal family."
"Vast amounts of money caused the Sun Kingdom's strength to surge, allowing the kingdom's power to contend with the Holy Flame Empire."
"Under such ties, the relationship between Count Maris City and the royal family grew ever closer, and marriages between the royal family and