Ten years prior to the present...
The province of Nair had suffered a brutal attack. Having attempted to separate from the empire, their defiance was met with a harsh counter attack. The province's noble was executed, and the people of city was left to endure the aftermath of the assault, which had been carried out by Lord Lyton under the Emperor's command.
On the day of the Nair noble's defeat,
Lord Lyton was on the route to return to his city, Maxia. From the window of his carriage, he observed the desolate ruins of Nair. Turning to the knight Arthur, he inquired with sorrow in his voice, "Do you think we went too far?"
Arthur responded with a neutral tone, "Sir, everything was executed in accordance with the royal orders. Furthermore, it has been decreed that those who agree to rejoin the empire will be provided with essential supplies." This information eased Lyton's conscience.
One year before the attack on Nair...
At the gates of the city of Nair, the guards noticed a mother and child approaching. One guard commented, "Do you think they walked all this way?"
Another guard scoffed, "Are you daft? If you were I wouldnt be shocked but there isn't a city within a 50-kilometer radius. How could they have possibly walked this far?"
However, the guards were taken aback by the appearance of the mother and child. Their clothes were covered in dust and stained with blood. The child appeared to be around nine years old. One guard immediately ran towards them, instructing the other to fetch a healer.
Reaching the pair, the guard asked the mother, "Were you attacked by bandits?"
She weakly replied, "Yes," and pleaded with him to care for her child before collapsing.
The guard then turned to the child and asked his name. The boy, thinking to himself about his mother's lie, replied, "His name is Austin."