Everyone froze upon hearing those words.
The man before them—wrapped head to toe in bandages and missing his left hand...
While the entire nation was celebrating the founding festival, basking in joy and festivity...
He alone had silently guarded the peace of this country.
He had soaked the land in blood, protected its people with his own flesh and bone.
Even now, seriously wounded and having lost an arm, there wasn't the slightest trace of regret in his eyes.
"The friend you mentioned earlier... was the serpent, wasn't it?"
"Yeah." Elliot admitted without hesitation.
"Then you..."
"You knew Orobashi was going to invade Yashiori Island, didn't you?"
Kitsune Saiguu looked at Elliot's broken body, her voice tinged with anguish.
"More or less," Elliot replied vaguely.
This kind of thing couldn't be stated outright—whether he said he knew or didn't know, neither would be reasonable.
"Then why didn't you tell us at the time..." Zebul asked, her face full of sorrow.
"A feeling isn't the same as a certainty. If he hadn't come, it would've only delayed the founding ceremony, so..."
"So you just waited there alone?" Zebul cut him off, her voice rising in accusation.
Elliot simply nodded in response.
"Are you an idiot?! You're my general! Our friend!"
"What could be more important than you at the founding ceremony?!" Zebul shouted, furious.
Her eyes burned with reproach, tears shimmering in her reddened gaze.
"Did you ever stop to think..."
"If you had..." Her voice cracked, tears brimming.
"If you had died..."
"What would I have done... what would we have done..."
"We would have spent the rest of our lives buried in guilt over you..."
Zebul, who had always been strong and commanding, now showed a rare, fragile side.
She collapsed at Elliot's bedside, tears streaming down her face.
She couldn't bear to imagine what might've happened if Elliot had truly died...
She knew she'd blame herself for the rest of her life.
"I'm sorry..." Elliot murmured quietly.
"I don't want your apology! I want your promise!" Zebul said, eyes red as she stared into his.
"Next time something like this happens, you come to me!"
"I promise... I won't do this again."
"Good. You said it."
"Yeah..."
After asking a few more questions, Elliot answered them all smoothly, without revealing even the slightest flaw.
After more than ten days of treatment, his injuries had nearly healed. The rate at which Teyvat restored the body far outpaced that of Blue Star.
With injuries like his, back on Blue Star, he wouldn't have left the ICU for months.
Soon after, the founding ceremony was held once more. Elliot was appointed head of the Tenryou Commission, Kitsune Saiguu became the head of the Yashiro Commission, and Chiyo was made head of the Kanjou Commission.
Over the next month, Elliot lived happily.
With a national structure in place, everything began to flourish, full of life and momentum, like bamboo shoots after spring rain.
Inazuma had truly entered an age of peace.
Elliot also established many rules for the Tenryou Commission and carefully selected the right people to serve under him.
From Elliot's perspective, nearly all of those he chose were trustworthy.
...
"Why are you suddenly heading to Watatsumi Island?" Zebul asked, puzzled.
"There's something I need there," Elliot explained.
He had promised Orobashi to look after the people of Watatsumi Island.
Even without that promise, he still would've gone.
Watatsumi Island had always been Orobashi's domain. After his death, it had been forced into submission under Inazuma.
But peaceful submission was different from subjugation through force. On the surface, Watatsumi Island had submitted to Inazuma, but in truth, they still revered Orobashi as their chief deity—and resented Inazuma in secret.
If that resentment wasn't resolved, they would remain a ticking time bomb—ready to explode at any moment.
"All right. But be careful—after all, you're the one who killed their god," Zebul reminded him.
"Don't worry," Elliot replied with a hearty laugh.
With Zebul's permission, he entrusted all important matters to his subordinates before boarding the ship to Watatsumi Island.
To reach Watatsumi Island, he first had to pass through Yashiori Island.
Elliot wanted to check on the current state of the island.
In the original story, Orobashi's lingering resentment after death corrupted both the environment and the hearts of people. To suppress this, a seal was constructed on Yashiori Island.
Later, during the Vision Hunt Decree, the people of Watatsumi Island formed a resistance force and destroyed the seal, releasing Orobashi's hatred.
Under its influence, the people of Yashiori Island were infected by the malice of the evil god.
Even the kind and gentle village chief of Himuki Village ended up performing human sacrifices.
The island's doctor also succumbed to madness after being infected, and was eventually imprisoned.
Yet in this land of torment and plague, where most dared not even set foot, there was still one doctor named Baoben, who kept trying every possible method to treat the people.
In the end, left with no other options, Baoben began harvesting contaminated herbs and testing them on himself, hoping to find a cure that way.
Ultimately, he died from consuming too many tainted herbs.