The conference room turned into a pandemonium in an instant.

“Are you saying that you hunted the Elding yourself?”

“How could something like this happen?”

“Isn’t this the first time in Ksia’s history?”

“It’s not just Ksia, it’s something that has never happened before, except in the Empire.”

Gerald began to straighten his back more and more amidst the nobles’ admiration.

“Prince Gerald! How did you hunt the Elding?”

At a noble’s questioning mixed with doubt, Gerald nodded his head shortly.

“I went through many trials and errors, but I finally succeeded in discovering the Elding’s fatal weakness.”

“What is it?”

At the nobles’ impatient inquiries, Gerald pulled out a long stick from the bottom compartment of the trolley. At a glance, it looked like a spear, but at the end was something blunt, not a sharp blade.

“Rubber.”

Gerald brought the end of the spear to the Elding’s corpse. Immediately, the Elding’s skin started to burn, and a smell of char and putrid stench mixed together.

“If Elding so much as brushes against rubber, it will suffer a fatal wound.”

As Gerald withdrew the spear, there was a large scar on the Elding’s back. The blue skin was discolored to a dark red, just like it had been scorched.

Despite the neat demonstration, I couldn’t shake my doubt.

Did he really hunt the Elding all by himself? I didn’t know much about Prince Gerald, but I had never heard rumors that he was skilled with a sword.

He had dragged the Elding’s corpse here, so doubting it seemed meaningless, but I kept seeing Gerald’s hands, without a callus and only fair and fine.

“Indeed!”

“How did you make this discovery!”

“I didn’t know that Prince Gerald was so skilled in martial arts.”

“There has never been such a hero in the history of the Ksia Kingdom.”

However, the officials were all gathered around the stinking Elding corpse without a single doubt.

I found myself involuntarily squinting.

Lightning rods would surely have been a better solution. Rubber was an imported item from the tropical regions of the continent, and even if a new spear was made, the punitive force had to continue operating.

Installing lightning rods would have been much more economical and without the worry of human casualties.

However, looking at the officials fussing around the rotting Elding corpse, I wondered if such people were of any use at all.

The King of Ksia, who had been silently watching, finally opened his mouth.

“Both are excellent solutions, but I find the lightning rods more interesting.”

At the king’s words, the officials looked at each other.

“But, Your Majesty! It’s the Elding hunting! It’s never been successful[Dash]!”

My suspicion was confirmed. Efficacy and economy were blurred by the corpse in front of them. Intoxicated by hero psychology, the nobles began to shout in unison.

The king finally raised his hand.

“We can’t determine a sure winner just by discussion. Let’s do it this way.”

The king gestured towards our blueprint spread out on the central negotiating table and the Elding’s corpse, which was still rotting on the trolley.

“Choose two areas where Elding damage is severe and implement each solution.”

(This is a time separator.)

Arriving at the Academy and stepping off the carriage, His twisted his ankle and collapsed in an instant.

“His!”

I was startled and quickly caught His as he fell. His forehead, which touched my shoulder, was burning hot. He had overdone it before his body had recovered.

“I’m sorry.”

His forced himself to stand again.

“Reina did all the hard work. I only showed disgrace.”

“What disgrace? I’m relying on you.”

But His shook his head.

“Reina did all the hard work at the state council meeting today, too.”

“What hard work? We can only proudly say we worked hard if we make sure it’s successful.”

I held on to the struggling His. Looking at His’s pale and sallow face, my heart sank.

“But if implemented, we will quickly see that our solution is better. We’ll make the next task successful for sure.”
Now he could say it with confidence. It seemed that the king’s heart was already leaning towards us, and the result would surely be in our favor. Then, I would be able to let go of the burden in my heart.

“No.”

Hiss spoke firmly and got up again.

“I will take the next test alone.”

When I gave an ambiguous smile, Hiss lightly tousled my hair with a fresh smile.

“To be recognized as the Crown Prince, it’s something I must do myself.”

“Ah….”

It was an unexpected answer, but I couldn’t argue any further.

“So.”

Hiss stroked the corner of my eye.

“Now rest comfortably.”

And whispered almost inaudibly.

“You don’t have to do this much for me out of guilt.”

Although Hiss seemed to be smiling for a moment, he somehow looked sad.

I thought I was the only one carrying the weight of the heart, but when I looked into Hiss’s sunken eyes, I realized that the same weight was strangling Hiss as well.

Seeing him like that, I couldn’t dare say that I would repay my debt, so I sent it away with a smile.

“Yes. I will certainly rest comfortably.”