Benoit Leroy

Benoit Leroy is a quest-exclusive NPC that first appears in the . He is a blood relative and adoptive father of Autumn, and his past treatment of her culminates in the events of the Leroy quest chain.
==Profile==
Benoit Leroy is the self-proclaimed last member of the Leroy family. While the Traveler and Paimon initially consider him a genial, talkative old man, and the girl Molli has a friendly relationship with him and helps with his chores, the situation is soon complicated by the arrival of his new adoptive daughter Morticia and son-in-law Athos. The two less-than-subtly coerce him to stay at home and coldly tell the Traveler and Molli not to return, prompting the Traveler and Paimon to investigate the truth behind Benoit's past.
After the Traveler discovers the full extent of his past treachery and learns that "Morticia" is actually Autumn, who has returned for vengeance for his mistreatment of her and for answers about her missing daughter, the player is given the option to either turn a blind eye to Autumn and Athos' vigilante justice, or intervene on Benoit's behalf.
===Appearance===
Benoit has grey, slicked back hair, blue eyes, a grey mustache and a trimmed beard. He wears formal clothing, consisting of a white cravat, yellow jacket with blue cuffs and a light blue buttoned undercoat, with navy blue legwear, tucked into off-white boots with brown toe and heel parts.
==Quests and Events==
==Story==
Benoit originally lived in the Fleuve Cendre and took in his blood relative Autumn as his daughter. He married her off to an elderly, rich man in the Court of Fontaine who died a few years later and left his house to her, allowing Benoit to move out of Fleuve Cendre himself. Immediately after, he married Autumn off to a random man, who abused and humiliated her. After enduring this mistreatment for some time — long enough to have a daughter with him — she murdered him and was arrested for the deed. Autumn entrusted her young daughter to Benoit, only for him to refuse to serve as a witness on her behalf during her trial. She lost her case and was sentenced to the Fortress of Meropide. Snodgrass and Athos both suspect that Benoit did this so he could keep the house for himself.
Instead of caring for Autumn's daughter, Benoit secretly gave her to a rich family and used the money he received for child support for himself. After Autumn escaped from Meropide and discovered that her daughter was missing, she scoured Benoit's properties and possessions for a clue, but was unable to find any. To get answers, shortly after he left a commission for a housekeeper with The Steambird half a year ago, Autumn disguised herself as a stranger named Morticia and with Athos as her supposed husband, the two wiled their way into Benoit's household.
===Present Day===
Half a year before Leroy: Dying Flash, Benoit left a commission with The Steambird, seeking a caretaker for himself. While Euphrasie was initially hesitant to fulfill the commission due to Benoit's past reputation, she gives it to the Traveler and Paimon at the start of the quest, reasoning that the lack of new rumors was a good sign. However, when they arrive, he informs them that he had taken in an adoptive daughter and her husband who are now taking care of him. Nonetheless, he allows them to help tidy around his house in exchange for candy and Mora.
The next time the two return, they encounter Benoit with Molli, who mentions that her parents disapprove of her visits. After helping Benoit tidy his house again, Morticia and Athos return to the house. However, their strange mannerisms arouse the suspicions of all three, which only yields further suspicious activity by the couple, who refuse to let Benoit leave the house under the excuse that he is in poor health.
To get to the bottom of the situation, the Traveler and Paimon investigate a lead that took them to the Fleuve Cendre, where Benoit came from, and gain Snodgrass' account of Benoit's storied relationship with his daughter. Athos shortly confronts them and warns them not to continue investigating. This fails to deter them, and in their next visit to the house, Benoit briefly attempts to get them to help, only to be accosted by Athos and Morticia. Athos makes veiled threats to Benoit and the Traveler, posed as news articles in The Steambird, but the two nonetheless conspire to free Benoit from his captivity.
With the Traveler's help, Benoit successfully escapes house arrest, but Benoit's sanity has been worn down by the ordeal. The Traveler follows him as he flees towards a mysterious destination, which turns out to be a place where he and Autumn used to live together — where they find Athos lying in wait for them. Athos confronts Benoit over his past actions, indirectly revealing Morticia's true identity as Autumn, before Autumn catches up to them. Seeing that the two are prepared to kill Benoit, Paimon asks the Traveler what they plan to do.
===Fate===
If the player chooses not to intervene in Benoit's fate, Benoit refuses to divulge the fate of Autumn's daughter and devolves into insane ramblings. Autumn and Athos take him "back to his own home," while the Traveler agrees not to reveal any of this to the Maison Gardiennage. When the Traveler next meets the two outside Benoit's estate, it has been put on sale. Athos roundaboutly informs the Traveler that they have killed Benoit when Molli arrives to pay Benoit a visit. Autumn takes an interest in the girl, realizing her age range and features are a perfect match for her missing daughter's. While Molli grows confused and wary by Autumn's questions, Athos coaxes her into divulging information about her relationship with Benoit. Benoit has been blackmailing her adoptive parents, while Benoit fostered an amicable relationship with his unwitting granddaughter to wring every "last drop of value" out of them.
If the player chooses to protect Benoit, Benoit takes advantage of the Traveler's protection to curry favor with Autumn by revealing that her daughter has been happily adopted into a loving family. Knowing that her daughter is in good hands is enough to make Autumn reconsider her decision to kill him; Athos temporarily concedes claiming Benoit's life on account of Autumn's hesitation and the Traveler's determination, but warns Benoit that many of his acquaintances during his time at the Fortress of Meropide "expressed a keen interest in meeting [Benoit]."
When the Traveler returns to Benoit's house, which has been put on sale, they find Molli there. She reveals that she encountered Autumn and Athos, who deduced that Molli is Autumn's daughter and befriended the girl off-screen. Molli also informs the Traveler of Benoit's fate, as told to her by her father: The Steambird published an article saying that Benoit stumbled off a mountain and fell to his death (or in her father's words, had "gone to live underground"). Notably, "a Steambird article about an old man who fell off a cliff and died after encountering some thieves" was one of Athos' veiled threats during the earlier quest , suggesting that Athos had Benoit killed after the events of Leroy: Queen of the Night's Aria.
==Trivia==
* The dog NPC Nana, who appears in the , originally belonged to the Leroy family and Autumn took Nana with her when she was married, then was left with Penny as one of her guardians. The cat Benoit now has inherited that name.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==References==