I Know The Secret To Surpass Level 100

When she was about to escape again, Ed brandished his sword and tugged the girl's nape with the hilt of it. Florencia fell to her kneee and sank on the floor, falling unconscious.

"Why did you do that?" Elliot gasped. "She's a noble, remember?"

"Noble or not, she still need to answer our questions," Ed shrugged like nothing had happened. He returned his sword back in its scabbard and proceeded to lift the girl. "Where can I take her?"

"I'll go get some medicine and food," Elliot said and walked out.

Ed turned to the old man, "So, where can I take her?"

–

Florencia sat in the middle of the dark room. Her hands were tied to her back and she couldn't see anyone around her. Only an ember lamp that was hanging right beside her face provided her light. She could even barely see anything by how dim the light was.

"W-Where am I?" Florencia asked, squinting her eyes. All she could remember was the encounter with Elliot at Francoise's shop. She was somehow knocked out at the encounter and now she's tied up in a chair in the middle of a dark room.

"Florencia…" a deep scruff voice spoke in front of her. Somewhere in the darkness was a man, watching her. She could feel two presence in the room but couldn't pinpoint where they were. "Why have you sinned?"

"I did not do anything," Florencia said. "I'm innocent. Lord Caezar said that I could know what Elliot wanted if I would hire Succubus to see his deepest desires."

"And why do you know Lord Caezar?" the voice asked.

Before Florencia could even utter a single word, the door to the room opened. The room led to a bright hallway judging from the wooden floor that Florencia saw.

"Ed," Elliot crossed his arms and tapped his foot. He was holding a paper bag in his right hand while a wooden box in the other. "I told you to watch over her, not do anything ridiculous."

"I was investigating," Ed groaned. "This is what investigators do."

This made Elliot scoff and proceeded to remove the black blankets Ed used to cover the windows. It turned out that they were inside Francoise's room above his shop. The girl was tied to a chair just in front of the bed while Ed stood in front of her, eyes flaring.

"Seriously? I told you to watch over her while I go get medicine and food," Elliot scolded. "Where's Viper anyway?"

Elliot turned to the side of the room where another blanket was covering a wall. An obvious figure stood on a chair, his hand sticking out to hold a string that held the lamp.

"This girl is nobility," Elliot reminded. "If her father finds out about this, we'd all be dead. And you know that Ed. What were you doing in the shop, anyway?"

Ed shrugged and walked to the bed like it was nothing. He laid there while he watched Elliot untie Florencia and Viper folding the blankets they used.

"I felt something awful," Ed said. "You have three admires. This psycho here, Valerie and then there's Ripple. Connor has his priestess, Hope has the other twin, I'm pretty sure Lance can get any girl he wants since he's a prince. While I'm left all alone."

"Your point exactly?" Elliot pouted. 

"I came to the one who can give me a good advice," Ed sat up. "I need a girlfriend, man. And if I go to Lance, he'll say something royal-ly. Something that I cannot do. I met the girl from Etheoria, what was her name again? Anastiasia?"

"Axla," Elliot corrected.

"Right," Ed nodded and sighed. "She was cute and all, but turns out she's also a psycho. One that I can't really get along with like Little Miss Noble here."

"Why would you need a girlfriend anyway? Didn't we tell each other that we're gonna be bros until we grow old?" Elliot tilted his head and pouted. "What happened to that?"

Ed snorted, "You were serious about that?" 

"Weren't we all?" Elliot uttered. Ed came up to him and placed his hands on the younger boy's shoulders, smiling comfortingly.

"Sooner or later, we might want to build our own families, you know?" Ed said. "Sooner or later, we might feel like we want to retire and if we're gonna retire and start dating at the age of 60, it's gonna be even harder."

"So, what are you saying?" Elliot looked at Ed dead in the eyes. "That sooner or later, everyone's going to leave?"

"No one stays, Elliot," Ed said, letting go of Elliot's shoulders and standing up. "Trust me. I've been in this situation many times. Friends will sooner or later grow tired of each other and if you don't have a romantic partner to rely on by then, you'll be alone forever."

Ed left the room, leaving Elliot who was in the middle of untying Florencia. Viper walked up to him and finished where he stopped.

"Don't worry, Mr. Elliot," Viper said and smiled. "Grandma and I will never forget your kindness. Even if the world turns against you, we will always have your back no matter what."

The words of the younger boy made Elliot smile. He nodded and looked at the door where Ed walked past through, shaking his head with a thought in his mind.

You're wrong, Ed. I would never leave a friend.

"Will you let go of me now?" Florencia suddenly asked, waking Elliot up from his thoughts.

He deadpanned at the girl and shook his head. "Tell me why were you connected to Lord Caezar?"

"He needed help from my father," Florencia said. "House Alorde has lost their influence, you know? It won't be long before the other Houses will take over the throne."

"Other nobles are planning that?" Elliot gasped. "But why?"

"The House Alorde has ruled over Avancia for more than two centuries. As the years grew by, their power to hold all of the kingdom has been getting slim. And now that the Crown Prince had left the throne, the other nobles can't wait to take over," Florencia said. "Solaguer is not a place for dummies. It's a political bloodbath."

"Help me," Elliot said that made Florencia's bow meet. "Your family has influence, right? Help us recover House Alorde's reputation. If we can do that, then we can–"

"Wait, wait, wait," Florencia ripped the ropes with her daggers, her hands swiftly moving them like she wasn't tied. "I tried seducing you. Why would you trust me again?"

The two boys looked at each other in disbelief. She could free herself all along, yet she still sat still.

"Call me a fool–"

"You're a fool, then," Florencia said. Elliot crossed his arms and she shrugged. "You told me to call you."

Elliot groaned, "Whatever, well call me a fool but I would never not forgive anyone. It's hard keeping bad blood and vendetta and all that, man. I'm too old for that."

"Did someone call me?" Francoise walked up to them and placed a tray filled with food. "I just heard 'old', so I thought you were talking to me."

"No," Elliot said. "We're just talking about how we can avoid the usurping nobles."

"The Royal Family will be usurped?" Francoise gasped and placed the tray on the bedside table. "How did you– Florencia, are you sure?"

The girl shrugged once again and took a biscuit from the tray Francoise brought. She was looking back at them while pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Now she feels comfortable with us?" Viper whispered, making Elliot snort. 

"Let her be," Elliot said.

"Well, if you insist," Florencia turned, "I'll start with a short lecture.. Let me tell you something about the politics inside the Royal Palace."