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That day, he was supposed to meet up with Haumea. She was an ideal girl in his eyes, looking as if Nicole was turned into an adult, yet she extruded the feminine charm quite unlike her.

Unlike Nicole, who had some of the boyish crudeness still remaining, Haumea was giving off a refined aura. And at the same time, she still had a playful side to her.

He also discovered her childish side during their meal, and she also showed him a defenseless side, as if she was a male friend.

She was a mysterious woman, he couldn’t grasp her personality at all. And before he knew it, he was completely head over heels for her.

And when he received a letter of appointment from her through Maxwell, he accepted it without hesitation. He was so happy that she contacted him that it surprised even himself.

After he had returned to his lodging house, he started talking about her to his only roommate that was Priscilla, which got him fed up look from her.

Of course, Elliot knew full well that he wouldn’t have been allowed to live on his own. As the minimum compromise, he was allowed to live here along with her, while his other guards settled in the neighboring houses.

So he was making merry so much that it was irritating to even look at, and when the day of the appointment finally came, he planned to rush out of the house a few hours before the designated time.

Naturally, Priscilla restrained him until there was only one hour left, then he was eventually let go of.

Being extremely happy, he decided to get to the appointed location as fast as possible, and chose the back alley that was the best shortcut.

Priscilla had made it clear that it was a dangerous road to take, but at that moment, he had abandoned all his sense of crisis.

Then, just before he reached the main street, he was met with the enemy assault.

They looked like Adventurers, but they had no ID cards on their necks, so they were clearly not a normal bunch.

There were five of them in total. And they suddenly surrounded him. Priscilla immediately got in front of him and tried to intercept them. Without a single word, the curtains opened to the battle.

Priscilla fought hard. You could even say she did her best trying to fend off five enemies on her own. But alas, fighting five against one while guarding Elliot was a hopeless battle.

Before long, her sword was flicked away, and she was cut down.

Elliot, of course, tried his best to resist, but he was far too outnumbered. He was punched in the face, and his consciousness drifted off into the dark.

In his darkening view, he saw Priscilla slowly crawling toward the main street. Was it to call help, or was it to save herself? He did not know, but he prayed for her safety until finally, his consciousness was cut.

The next time he woke up, the carriage had already stopped. All the jolting had woken him up, and he finally understood the circumstances he was in.

As the men dragged him into the unfamiliar mansion, he proceeded to rub his face on the wall to leave the blood marks behind. He hoped that it would help the rescue find him faster.

Since he was shouldered and carried off, his head ended up at a relatively lower height, so the bloodstains were left on the lower part of the wall. But that was a blessing in disguise, as it allowed him to leave the stains without them catching sight of it.

He was carried off into the basement… and now, there was a man sitting in front of him. Two adventurers stood nearby. Other than them, there was also a noble-looking man in luxurious clothes. Four people, in total.

The man in front was wearing a mask and hiding his identity.

“It is my honor to meet you, Your Highness Elliot. I am Metos Suria Tarkashire. The lord of the Suria domain of the former Gritnir Kingdom.”

“…Yeah, I know you.”

Elliot had an inkling of that name. Suria domain was adjacent to the Stolla domain of Raum. Count Tarkashire who governed it was a distant relative of the former Gritnir royal family. One of the nobles that were against enthroning Elliot.

“Do you plan to kill me and ascend to the throne?”
“I would never! I am fully aware of my own unifying power.”

He spread his hands and sighed theatrically in disappointment.

“If I cause a civil war, I have no chance of overturning you.”
“Then how about you let me go? If you do it now, I’ll at least give you a light sentence.”
“Oh, no no, we can’t have that. Even if it’s impossible for me, my son is quite something. It makes me want to entrust the future of the United Kingdom to him.”
“And how is that connected to this violence?”

At Elliot’s question, Tarkashire leaned forward on the desk. Elliot’s hands were free, but his legs were in fetters. It was impossible to escape the way he was.

Even if he were to attempt taking Tarkashire hostage, there was nothing he could use as a weapon nearby.

“It is a saddening fact, but your highness has no heir now. That means the next ruler is yet to be decided. If possible, I would like for my son to take that place.”
“Like hell it is.”

Elliot spat out the words of denial at him. The royal palace had the right to designate a successor to the throne. But there also existed Heroes that held enough reputation to step over those very rights.

If you asked whether Elliot could decide on his successor, the answer would be a no.

“Here are the testament documents. Of course, they are official documents, so no one would doubt them.”
“A testament…?”
“Even the Six Heroes wouldn’t be able to flatly refuse your final will, would they?”

In other words, Tarkashire planned to have Elliot write his testament to have his son succeed him, and then kill him. A testament held the biggest wishes of the deceased, as such they held strong compelling force in them.

Even Lyell and others would find it difficult to disregard it.

“My friend Count Serwa’s son also goes to that academy. It wouldn’t be strange if you became acquainted with my son through him, would it? All you have to do is sign here.”
“And you think I will?”
“Ah, that’s right. The guard that was protecting you could still be saved, you see.”

Tarkashire suddenly changed the topic. He was saying, if you wish to save Priscilla, then sign this document.

Priscilla was like a little sister to Elliot. They were childhood friends, and she stuck with him everywhere and protected him all the time since their youth.

That fact was known to many in the United Kingdom.

For Tarkashire’s son to take the throne, he needed two things – the testament and confirmation of Elliot’s death. As long as he did not sign the document, his life was guaranteed.

Putting it differently, only his life was guaranteed. Once he signed, he would be killed too, and it would be publicly announced.

He had to buy time or he would die. But if he did that, Priscilla would die too. Those choices were at odds in his mind.

At that moment, a vibration as if someone had kicked something down had reverberated all the way to the basement.

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