Chapter 256 – Memories of the Voyage

“…I suppose I should also talk about what happened to me.”

Elliot spoke after Ashley had finished her story.

Though his words seemed directed at Ashley… the fact that he glanced toward us as well implied this would involve Zadias.

“Before that, perhaps we should first introduce ourselves properly.”

“Ah, yes.”

Elliot rose from the bed, bowed slightly, then took a deep breath before stating his name.

“Elliot… Rodias=Siln. It’s a pleasure to meet you all properly.”

What emotions were contained in that introduction? After stating his name, Elliot closed his eyes briefly.

“Theodore Gartner. The pleasure is mine.”

“Ah. So you’re connected to Count Gartner.”

“That’s my family home. Though I’ve left it now.”

As Elliot introduced himself, our group reciprocated with our own introductions.

Elliot’s eyes widened when he learned three members of Verdgar’s royal family were present, and when my engagement was mentioned afterward, he let out a somewhat dry laugh.

“W-well… with that level of ability, I suppose such things happen.”

Hmm. It seems he retains memories from when the Caex Gem was attached to him. In that case, we might be able to gather various information about the Crown Prince as well.

Elliot cleared his throat once and shook his head as if to refocus.

“Let’s return to the story. Right. It began six years ago, I suppose.”

“You remember it?”

“…At the time… I probably had truly forgotten.”

Touching the burn scar on his face, Elliot spoke.

Just as I thought. His memory loss had been recovering, but the Gem was suppressing it.

“Six years ago—after receiving a letter from Kennel-san, I boarded a ship to return to the Barony of Silun. But… on the return journey, we were attacked at sea.”

“By whom?”

If the ship incident wasn’t an accident or natural disaster but an attack—the likely candidates would be Zadias’s subordinates. Or perhaps an accidental encounter with demons, monsters, or pirates. But it seems unlikely that Zadias would stage an attack specifically to acquire Elliot… or does it?

“Zadias… and his subordinates. Though I can only say this now that my memories have returned.”

But Elliot stated it wasn’t just Zadias’s men—it was Zadias himself.

“Why did they target you, Lord Elliot?”

“They weren’t targeting me specifically—they had another objective. That is… they were after another passenger. A magician was fighting the attackers. The attackers’ goal from the beginning was that single magician, and they apparently intended to kill all other crew members and passengers who might serve as witnesses.”

“That… could it be Lady Lisa’s…”

Grace frowned.

“Yes, perhaps.”

A magician pursued by Zadias. Judging from what we know, perhaps someone like Mother’s colleague who fled from the Sages’ Academy. Either Zadias discovered their location or cornered them. In any case, they tried to escape by ship. But they couldn’t escape completely… and unfortunately encountered their pursuers on the same ship Elliot was aboard.

“I resisted as well. I defeated several of them, but was blown back by magic, hit my head, and lost consciousness.”

And then. When he next regained awareness, he had lost his memories and was receiving treatment somewhere. That’s when the one leading the attackers—Zadias himself—appeared. So Elliot recounted.

Zadias was impressed by Elliot’s skill in defeating his subordinates and his magical aptitude specialized in Water Magic, so he tried to incorporate him into his own forces without even caring about his origins.

Should we call that a silver lining? Perhaps Elliot’s resistance paid off in a way.

Moreover, with Elliot having suffered memory loss from the head injury, with the Caex Gem, the very perpetrator of the attack could even pose as his benefactor.

“At that time I was injured, unable to move, and in a daze… but I do remember some of the conversation Zadias had with others. He said something about the Gems being an experiment. That eventually he would make the citizens wear them, and that he was observing the effects of long-term wearing for that purpose, things like that.”

“Such… such a thing, Brother Elliot…”

“What foolish talk…”

Ashley frowned, and Princess Stephania shook her head.

…Forcing citizens to wear those Magical Creatures? What kind of dystopia is he dreaming of? If Zadias becomes king like this, it will be terrible.

But well, I understand the general sequence of events now.

“And so I was given the new name Benedict. While my wounds were being treated, I continued with training and magic studies.”

Treatment and training. After that concluded, he was judged sufficiently capable and recommended for the Magic Knight Order. That was roughly two years after the ship attack.

By the time the commotion over the maritime accident had died down. Zadias could claim he found a skilled Magic Swordsman who had lost his memory and recommended him, making it both an achievement for the scoundrel and something he could use as a heartwarming story.

“You mentioned Zadias had his subordinates carry out the attack, but…”

“…It wasn’t us. Given our position, it was difficult for us to investigate Zadias’s information…”

Marquis Zilbolt shook his head. Well… that makes sense. After all, he had taken hostages against Marquis Zilbolt, released collaborators, and even used him as a scapegoat.

“They are independent magic knights directly under Zadias. An elite force selected by Zadias himself, called the Black Knights. I also served as a liaison between the regular Magic Knight Order and the Black Knights, so…”

“Black Knights… Are they being controlled by the Gems as well?”

“To my knowledge… there shouldn’t have been anyone else like me.”

The Black Knights directly under Zadias. If they’re not being controlled, then they must be Zadias’s trusted blades, his true pawns, his trump cards.

“That sounds troublesome. If they’re entrusted with work that can’t be made public, and are following him of their own will.”

Rosemary frowned, and Claudia nodded.

“If Zadias falls, those fellows will be ruined too.”

Right. If they’ve undertaken the dirty work as executioners, they’re tied to the Crown Prince’s fate. We should assume that when cornering Zadias, these particular individuals won’t surrender and will likely fight.

“…I understand the situation.”

“If I may be so bold… there’s something I’d like to request.”

“What is it?”

“Could you take me to the royal capital as well? As you can see, I’m not injured anymore. I want to be of use.”

Elliot spoke with a serious expression.

“That… you would be an important witness, so we’d be grateful for that… But even if you choose to return to the Barony of Silun, no one will blame you. You must want to see Kennel-san and everyone from your hometown too.”

“To turn a blind eye like this… I have acquaintances in the royal capital too, so if something happens, I’ll regret it. Besides, my sister will be accompanying Theodore-dono, won’t she?”

…I see. So being freed from the Gem overturned his assessment of the Crown Prince, but his feelings toward the people of Silvatoria were separate.

Even while receiving some guidance from the Caex Gem, as long as it didn’t concern past memories or suspicions about the Crown Prince, he likely retained some degree of free will.

The mechanism probably worked such that the Caex Gem only interfered when specific matters were touched upon. It makes sense why Benedict himself didn’t have a bad reputation.

If that’s the case, then not everything about the days he lived as Benedict was false. Precisely because he’s been freed from the Gem’s constraints, there are probably things he wants to confirm for himself.

When I glanced at Ashley, she seemed to hesitate slightly but nodded back with a determined expression.

“Understood. Then we would appreciate Lord Elliot’s assistance as well. However, you’re still recovering, so please don’t push yourself too hard or do anything reckless.”

“Thank you. I have a Hippogriff waiting near the town. I thought it wouldn’t cause any trouble for transportation.”

Elliot bowed deeply as he said this.

Hippogriff. That’s the hybrid of a Griffin and a horse, isn’t it? I hear they’re calm-tempered and easy to tame for riding. Probably something he prepared outside town as an escape method without being able to bring it into town. So he had a plan to escape back to the royal capital if he could break through the encirclement.

But well, it seems we’ll be able to depart for the royal capital as scheduled.

Since Elliot will be accompanying us, we’ll first need to retrieve his luggage and such from the inn.