"What? An Etellia?" The young man holding the sword against Eren's—no, Eliot's—neck muttered in disbelief, his gaze locking onto the seal in his palm.
"I believe this is enough?" Eliot tilted his head slightly, his voice calm but carrying an unmistakable weight.
The man trembled, his grip on the sword faltering as realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. He had nearly harmed someone from the Etellia household—an offense that could spell doom for his entire noble lineage.
"I… I apologize. I thought—" He scrambled to salvage the situation, desperate to prevent any further escalation. Nobles were unpredictable, after all. However, before he could attempt an excuse, Eliot raised a hand, silencing him.
"Take me there."
No further explanation was needed. The young man immediately understood where Eliot wished to go—Marion's Castle, the most luxurious place in all of Karendel. It was where the nobles had gathered, awaiting the mystic world's full manifestation.
"At once," the man said hastily. "This way, sir."
With unwavering reverence, he led Eliot forward, cutting down any obstacles in their path. It was a natural reaction—no noble, regardless of their rank, would dare offend someone of a higher standing.
This was precisely the advantage Eliot had intended to secure from the moment he made Anna a slave. Given that he was already presumed dead, traveling under his true identity as Eren Nevana was a dangerous risk. If he attempted to do so, he would be hunted down and captured in no time.
So, he chose the second-best option.
A fake identity—one with real power behind it.
As of this moment, the name Eliot Aden Etellia was being forced into existence. Anna was already pulling the strings necessary to solidify this identity, ensuring that Eren Nevana would soon be nothing more than a forgotten name.
But Eliot…
Eliot would endure.
A slow poison—that was what he would become to Jason and all the other so-called "Children of Destiny." A trusted ally on the surface, yet their inevitable downfall in the shadows.
Eren Nevana no longer existed in the story.
And that meant he was now an anomaly—a character untethered from fate, free to do as he pleased.
Well…
That's what he might have believed if he were a fool.
He knew better.
The goddess had likely known of his survival from the very beginning—perhaps even about his enslavement of Anna. The real question was: why hadn't she acted against him yet?
Eliot didn't have the answer, but if he had to guess, it was due to some cosmic restriction preventing her from interfering directly. And if that were the case, then she would surely employ whatever indirect means were at her disposal to eliminate him.
That included "situations."
This was why he had Anna obtain the seal while she constructed his new identity.
This seal…
Would be the very thing that kept him alive.
"I… I heard that the Second Young Master of the Etellia household would be arriving here soon… Could it be—"
"No."
Eliot cut the man off without hesitation, completely disregarding his attempt to ease the tension between them.
Then, he stopped.
'Wait…'
His steps halted, and the man across from him noticed, instinctively coming to a standstill as well.
'Oh god.'
A sinister grin crept onto Eliot's face—so devious, so full of malice, that had it not been for the mask concealing it, the military officer before him might have dropped dead from sheer terror.
'How could I forget this…? Natasha. She should be here. That bastard must be coming for her. And where Natasha is… there you'll find Diana.'
A shiver of excitement ran through him. His body thrummed with anticipation.
His sole purpose for coming here had been to obtain something of immense value, something that would serve as a crucial asset in the future. His second most important reason was Nora—Jason's little sister.
But who said he couldn't kill four birds with one stone?
Jason's sister, fiancée, and the girl hopelessly in love with one of Jason's lackeys.
He would start with them.
'It looks like I'll have to make some adjustments to my plans,' he thought with a hidden grin.
Unbeknownst to him, his mana core trembled violently. His power was rising—growing beyond reason.