Elliott walked down the corridor of the Royal Castle, leading Lloyd toward the knights’ quarters. The sound of voices reached his ears, and as he turned his gaze, he spotted Marianne and Emily, who was being supported by a maid, walking on the other side of the courtyard.
“Emily…? What’s wrong?”
When he called out, Marianne noticed him and offered a brief bow, but Emily remained oblivious, her head downcast. She continued on, accompanied by the maid.
“…Something must have happened…”
Elliott felt a sense of confusion at the sight of Emily, who looked utterly worn out—something he had never seen before.
“I believe they were participating in the subjugation of a stray Undead Beast in the northeastern part of the Royal Capital, along with a visit from the senior knights. It seems Marcus and the others have just returned. Should we ask them what happened?”
Nodding at Lloyd’s suggestion, Elliott spotted the senior knights returning through the gate at the end of the corridor. As Marcus and Richard approached, they bore expressions that hinted at something troubling.
“Did something happen during the subjugation? I felt something was off with Saint Emily,” Elliott inquired.
“N-no… The subjugation was completed without any issues!” Marcus replied, his voice lacking its usual clarity. Richard, too, wore a contemplative expression as he glanced at Elliott.
“Are you sure nothing happened? You both seem a bit off,” Elliott pressed.
“It’s not that anything happened…” Marcus began, speaking softly as he recounted the events of the Undead Beast subjugation.
“…Emily ran away from the Undead Beast…?”
Elliott murmured in disbelief. Even after hearing the details from Marcus, he felt unsettled. However, the downcast expressions of Marcus and the others did not seem to suggest they were lying.
“Deputy Commander Elliott, perhaps we might have misunderstood something,” Marcus said, looking down with a pained expression.
“Um… I heard that Lady Emily is still struggling with Healing and Recovery Magic, and that her Purification Magic is only at a novice level, which is unstable and takes time. I believe she mentioned that at the very beginning…”
Elliott blinked in surprise. Marcus, who usually spoke with vigor, now sounded hesitant and uncertain.
“When the injuries were severe, the clergy would perform the healing first… I do recall that being the case,” Elliott said, tracing back through his memories. There had been a time when Emily confided in him that she felt disliked by the clergy. Hearing that, he had even felt discomfort when a cleric interrupted to cast Healing Magic.
“Healing is visible as the wounds close, but with Purification… we can’t tell if it’s working or if it’s already done just by looking at it…”
“…Purification has a minimum of two days before decay begins, so if she could cast it by then, we could wait for Lady Emily to do it. It was indeed like that in the beginning…”
Marcus and Richard’s voices grew somber. The other senior knights seemed to share the same uneasy expressions, as if recalling similar memories.
“But…”
The more Elliott reflected on their words, the more familiar they felt. As silence enveloped them, he sensed the approach of several figures from behind. Turning around, he saw Crown Prince Alexis walking toward them, accompanied by his attendants.
Elliott and all the knights present stepped aside to clear the path, taking a formal salute stance.
“Ah, please, relax. I apologize for taking so long to arrange a meeting; I thought I’d come directly. It seems that was a good decision,” Crown Prince Alexis said with a gentle smile directed at Elliott.
“Even if it’s a past matter for you, I wanted to report it nonetheless,” Alexis continued, smiling as he entered the knights’ quarters. Following him, Elliott saw Alexis lay several documents received from his attendant on the table.
“I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting for quite some time. It seems I have a rather poor knack for it,” Alexis said with a wry smile, but upon seeing the documents, Elliott felt his brow furrow in concern. One of the papers was a promissory note he recognized from distant memories.
“Well, it’s obvious just by looking at it,” Alexis remarked, and both Lloyd and Marcus shared expressions of shock.
“It seems you were only aware of it through the list, so this is your first time seeing the actual document. You must have been concerned about this after the victory, right?”
With that, Alexis picked up one of the promissory notes and laid it over another, aligning the signature sections for comparison.
“As you can see, the signatures have been meticulously forged. We’ve investigated everything, and they all share similar methods. The very existence of these debts is a fabrication.”
Elliott felt as though Alexis’s voice was echoing from a distance. A ringing in his ears accompanied a faint dizziness. Yet, alongside the shock and an indescribable discomfort, a part of him accepted that this was indeed the truth.
What lay beyond the harsh reality presented to him was a grotesquely distorted perception of his own.
—At that time, it was more convenient for me to believe that Flora was a bad wife. I unconsciously thought that way…
Now, the conclusion he had drawn in the past resurfaced in his mind, evoking feelings of revulsion and nausea.
It was a perfect excuse for being drawn to another woman who was not his wife. Thus, he had conveniently convinced himself, despite knowing she was not the type to act that way, without a shred of doubt.
Elliott stood frozen, feeling as if the very ground beneath his feet had vanished.
As he remained rigid and pale, Alexis took a breath, preparing to speak.
“Holy Knight Elliott, and all the senior knights, I need you to listen. This is—”
However, before he could finish, the door to the quarters swung open. Dylan Agreas Jiemeld and his attendant entered the room.
“Ah, Your Royal Highness, I found you here. His Majesty has summoned you. It seems there’s an urgent matter to discuss,” Count Agreas announced in a calm tone, and behind him stood a breathless royal guard, clearly having rushed to deliver the message.
Crown Prince Alexis briefly furrowed his brow, exhaling in annoyance. He then instructed his attendant to clear the documents and left the room.