Topic: Theory: Were Maxim and Lydie's Ancestors in Simon's Quest?

[Reinhart77]

I was doing some wiki-ing about the crystal traders in Simon's Quest, who are described as Vampire Hunters (probably) in the e-book that came with the Castlevania Anniversary Collection.  The English localization called them "friends" in the game.  That word got me thinking of Maxim.  That's making me wonder - what if Maxim and Lydie were childhood friends to Juste because their parents/grandparent were friends of Simon's and played a part in his quest?  Could the two crystal traders be their ancestors?  The roots of the Kischine and Erlanger families?  Maybe it's a offbeat theory, but it might explain how they're all tied in.  Otherwise, they just seem to come out of no where.  I don't suppose anyone has heard anything about this possibility or heard of this theory before?

[The Puritan]

It's new to me and I'm sure thinking about it now. If the Crystal Traders were indeed other vampire hunters, they might have been working with Simon in 1698 by keeping the peace and feeding him vital info. After Dracula's curse was lifted, it'd then make sense for Simon (and any Belmont really) to maintain close ties with likeminded individuals and their families.

So I suppose that if Maxim is anyone's descendant, he could be theirs. Not so sure about Lydie; I see her as a humble civilian personally.

[LuxKiller65]

I don't think Igarashi meant anything much other than copy SotN on the GBA. I love HoD, but the story? Eh...

[Eric Roman]

What were the colors of the Crystals, where were they located, and what magic is associated with them?
These details may add some tasty nuance to your theory. 

[The Puritan]

Reinhart77's initial theory turned out to be quite the rabbit hole. As a foreword, I'll just say I'm willing to take back what I said about Lydie being a civilian.

What were the colors of the Crystals, where were they located, and what magic is associated with them?
These details may add some tasty nuance to your theory. 

White Crystal
Found in: Jova
Effect: Reveals floating blocks in Berkeley Mansion

Blue Crystal
Found in: Aljiba
Effect: White + drains Yuba Lake to allow access to Rover Mansion

Red Crystal
Found in: Aldra
Effect: Blue + summons a tornado at Deborah Cliff

It's not really the magicks and locations that caught my attention though. It's the colors, especially of the latter two. But first, here are two things we're aware of:

• The Crystal Traders were other vampire hunters (Reinhart77 admits the Vampire Killer concept art might have been for unused villagers, but the Traders' sprites sure look like they're wearing armor just like the Vampire Killer, so they've gotta be one and the same)
  
• Simon finished his Quest™ with the Red Crystal while the two Traders have the Blue and White respectively

Fanon and speculation ahoy:

(click to show/hide)

If we ignore the White Crystal for a bit, we're left with Red and Blue. Castlevania lore just so happens to have two closely connected items of those exact colors. And they show up just fifty years later.

https://castlevania.fandom.com/wiki/Bracelets_of_Brotherhood

And guess who gave those bracelets to Juste and Maxim?

https://castlevania.fandom.com/wiki/Lydie_Erlanger

My addendum to Reinhart77's theory: Simon and his two vampire hunting buddies held onto their respective crystals. All three had grandkids: Juste, Maxim, and Lydie, who would grow up together as childhood friends. Years later, Lydie turned Simon's and Grandpa Kischine's Red and Blue Crystals into mementos of their friendship. The Red became part of JB's Bracelet and the Blue became part of MK's Bracelet. Both allowed Juste to save Maxim and Lydie during HOD.

This brings up an interesting idea. Maxim went on a "training expedition" when he was really hunting for Dracula's relics. He just might have used the Blue Crystal power in his bracelet to drain a lake in search of those relics, like Simon did before him.

As for the White Crystal, who knows? Maybe Lydie made an EL Bracelet for herself. Or maybe it became part of something else entirely. Something that would help another hero save the day by letting him see through evil illusions.

https://castlevania.fandom.com/wiki/Holy_Glasses

[Eric Roman]

This got tasty quick, I dig it. 

[Reinhart77]

Oo yes, the possibility that the bracelets could have ties to the crystals is fascinating.  Awesome that the new theory can actually identify which trader was whose ancestor.