Oh no! The King of the United Kingdom of Euchronia is dead! Despite wielding powerful royal magic, all it took was a knife in his sleep. Who could have done the dastardly deed? Metaphor: ReFantazio isn't interested in keeping it a mystery. It's Count Louis Guiabern, a charismatic, accomplished, and revered army officer with flowing blonde locks. So front and center is Louis' act that it occurs in an anime cutscene before you even get to the title screen.
While a shadowy assassination, it's essentially an open secret when the plot of Metaphor: ReFantazio begins. Count Louis is an ever-present threat, and though he doesn't hide his sinister motives he's so far above the player – in terms of strength, support from the people, and the fact he literally owns a flying airship – that he feels unreachable. A cult-like leader, his followers are fanatics – and when the king's posthumous magic spell thrusts the seat of succession to a vote that reflects the choice within the populations' hearts in real-time, he's an immediate front-runner.
