The Eternal City, Nokron.
Vast, expansive. It was clearly a palace and towers standing deep underground… yet it felt like being in the midst of a brilliant, starry void, embraced by endless stars and boundless darkness.
Fake stardust sparkled dazzlingly, pulsing and shimmering like real nebulae, hazy and dreamlike.
"So beautiful."
Yvonne gazed at the distant temple and let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.
She looked rather disheveled at the moment; her robes and armor were quite damaged, and there was even a Spiritflame Arrow glowing with spectral fire stuck in her backpack.
Haida was entranced, staring at the scene before her, the color of the stars reflected in her gray-hazel eyes. This ancient subterranean city was so spectacular it could only be described as a miracle.
"Coming to a place like this without leaving a message feels a bit strange."
While everyone's attention was on the wondrous sights of the Eternal City, Fran extended a finger and wrote "Try finger, but hole" on the ground, then patted the dust off her hands with satisfaction.
---
After participating in the funeral battle for Radahn, Yvonne underwent some profound changes, both in mindset and capability.
The two Great Runes granted her tangible power, and the experience of confronting a Demigod head-on gave her mental resilience.
How long had it been since first setting foot in the Lands Between? One year, or two? Fran, with her terrible sense of time, had already forgotten. Probably only the always meticulous Haida still remembered.
By now, Yvonne could be considered a sufficiently competent Tarnished… and she had to be. Life was only once; losing meant death. Even with Fran's almost supernatural medical skills to rely on, she was unwilling to slack off.
Indulging in power not truly her own would ultimately lead to weakness. Like Godrick, driven mad by grafting… who now could only live on as an experimental specimen.
"Hit!"
Haida let out a low shout and released the taut bowstring.
The bow curved like a full moon, the force never leaving the string. The arrow accurately struck a silvery, humanoid construct, piercing its throat and pinning it straight to the wall behind.
"Spiritflame Arrows have greater range and power than pistols. They can even track… but the only drawback is they can't be fired rapidly."
With the surrounding enemies basically cleared, she put away the Lion Greatbow she had obtained from Radahn's discarded belongings.
"These liquid silver monsters can construct human forms… are they some kind of artificial life?"
Haida examined the silvery life form pinned to the wall, guessing somewhat puzzledly.
"Yes. These little ones are not perfect; they have flaws in every sense. But their ability to transform their biological form at any time is indeed mysterious and interesting. At least far more profound than 'grafting'…"
Fran was rapidly taking samples from this silver-hued corpse, hoping to collect enough solid specimens before it completely dissolved.
"The ancestors of this city had arrived at the doorstep of success, but destruction came with it. A certain deity hurled a celestial body bearing a monster at this city, thereby killing it."
"Was it their act of creating life that angered the gods?"
Haida was very interested in such mystical topics. This was ancient secrets from another world, recording divine schemes and the rise and fall of eras… Even just hearing about it was a great gain.
"Not so. The aspirations and schemes of this city's ancestors were even bolder, more arrogant…"
Fran recounted Nokron's history as if listing family treasures, drawing Yvonne's curious attention as well.
"They had no Lord, so they created one. They had no god, so they sought to kill one. Ultimately… they used the personified concept of 'death' to forge a weapon capable of killing a god."
She gave a light laugh, giving the two the answer. Then she sighed softly.
"Pity. Before completing the great deed of deicide… they were killed by a god first. But that weapon remained."
"Hmm…" Hearing this, Yvonne seemed to think of something.
"I'm guessing that's what the witch Ranni meant by Nokron's 'secret treasure'?"
Fran promptly acknowledged, not forgetting to tease. "Correct, that's it. Doesn't it feel marvelous?… You're going to be an accomplice to the demise of a god, you know?"
"I see. But… can that witch named Ranni really do it? And why would she do this?"
"What reason would make someone want to kill a god? That's an even older story… And some parts of Ranni's history may have changed, to the point where even I can't say for certain. Let's save that for another time."
Fran gently placed a finger on Yvonne's lips, cleverly ending the topic.
It wasn't that she didn't want to continue telling these secret histories to the two, but because something interesting would appear at a shrine-like location ahead, requiring attention.
The Mimic Tear.
The product of Nokron's ancestors' attempts to create a Lord. Aside from intellect, it could truly, almost perfectly, mimic its target.
"..."
A slime-like silvery life form was wriggling on the ground, looking no different from an ordinary silver construct.
But having just one slime in the middle of such an open area… was obviously odd. Having encountered countless similar traps along the way, Haida very decisively drew the Lion Greatbow, aiming at the unnaturally quiet silvery construct before her.
"This enemy… would be better left to Yvonne."
Fran pressed down Haida's bow-wielding hand and spoke to Yvonne with a hint of expectation.
At this level, she and Haida could still intervene, but later Yvonne would have to face enemies of divine rank… Therefore, she had to be given as much tempering as possible. Until she could raise arms against a god.
"Alright, leave it to me."
Yvonne hefted her staff and the Grafted Blade Greatsword, focused briefly, and made ready for combat.
Though it looked no different from ordinary silver constructs, any target Dr. Fran chose for an assessment… could never be taken lightly. Having long wandered the edge of life and death, she had long abandoned the naïve notion of underestimating enemies.
"Ah…"
The silvery life form began to wriggle and take shape. Soon, it possessed a human form.
Fran narrowed her eyes.
A flicker of confusion shone in her gaze, as if somewhat unexpected. The expressions on Haida and Yvonne's faces beside her were identical.
The object the Mimic Tear mimicked was not Yvonne, nor Haida… but Fran.
It had now transformed into a slender young woman in physician's attire, lifelike, identical, even the sutures on her neck clearly visible. The only difference came from the silvery hue of the mimic.
"Um, Dr. Fran… should the assessment continue?" Yvonne licked her lips, asking somewhat uncertainly.
"Terminated."
Fran was puzzled. In terms of pure physicality, she was far inferior to Yvonne and Haida beside her. Why would it choose her as the target to mimic?
She approached the Mimic Tear, only to see this silvery version of herself begin dissolving violently.
"Ah, ah… no, wrong, wrong, it's all wrong! You're wrong! No, no, I'm wrong?"
The silvery Fran clutched her head, tearing frenziedly at her scalp and ear feathers with such force it seemed she wanted to rip them off. Her tone carried profound despair, as if everything was beyond salvage.
Fran observed the horrifying scene before her with keen interest, tilted her head, and began questioning the rapidly collapsing mimic.
"What's wrong?"
"Who are you? You are… ah… you are me? Are you the curse of despair, the lurking death, the mad fire that destroys all, or the irreversible decay?! Who are you!"
Fran did not answer, merely watched quietly as the Mimic Tear before her gradually grew hysterical. As if it wasn't herself going mad.
"Wrong… wrong! You're lying to me, you lied to me! No, I'm lying to you? Yes, I lied to you."
Facing those delirious ravings, Fran bowed slightly to the melting mimic before her, dissolving like a candle.
"Your reminder is very timely; I'll gratefully accept it."
Then, she stepped forward, bringing her lips close to the other's ear and whispered softly. Her voice was as fine as a mosquito's hum; even the two beside her couldn't make it out.
"Hehe…"
The silvery mimic of Fran instantly cooled down from its insane state. After a couple of low chuckles, its whole body rapidly collapsed.
Its features melted, its body contorted. The next moment, it fell to the ground, shattering into scattered droplets of mercury.
Haida narrowed her eyes, maintaining her silence.
The scene just now had a strong impact on her psyche, but as a Secrets-Hunter facing evil entities daily, she remained composed. Waiting quietly for Fran's explanation.
Yvonne took a moment to regain her senses, then asked Fran somewhat bewildered.
"…Dr. Fran, was that mimic lifeform exhibiting the 'defect' you mentioned? Not only did it dissolve instantly, but it said a bunch of creepy things."
"Not so, Yvonne."
Fran let out a relieved sigh, seeming immersed in certain thoughts. "She was a warning from the threads of fate to me, and also a gift. Quite regrettably, about this… I also cannot speak of it."
Fran smiled, apologetically waving her hand, her amber eyes full of innocence.
"Then… when will I be qualified to know?"
"When?" Fran lightly pinched her chin, then a hint of mischief appeared between her brows.
"When you ascend the throne and hold aloft the Elden Ring, I will personally explain it to you."
…..
Deep within the Eternal City, Nokron.
After slaying countless silver constructs, Yvonne finally arrived before the "secret treasure."
She first looked around, then cast a "Starlight" spell to brighten the area and confirm no monsters were hiding… Finally, she opened the heavy, ornate chest.
For a Tarnished who had long suffered, the first thing that comes to mind upon seeing a chest is rarely treasure, but falling rocks, poison mist, and suddenly collapsing floors…
Pushing open the heavy lid, inside lay a dagger-sized hooked blade. Yvonne slowly picked it up, her breath catching.
An aura of cold death clung to this blade, so intense and profound, as if it was death itself. Merely holding it, she couldn't help but recall those several times she had been on the verge of death.
When her hands were smashed by the Tree Sentinel, when she battled the Misbegotten wielding the Grafted Blade Greatsword, when she struggled for survival under Radahn's blades… Vivid, as if real.
"The Fingerslayer Blade."
Fran walked up to her and spoke the weapon's name.
"Progress is faster than imagined, thanks to Yvonne's rate of improvement exceeding my expectations… But regardless, this is probably the house call with the longest time span I've experienced recently."
Yvonne detected the note of praise in Fran's tone and touched her cheek somewhat sheepishly.
"Should we go back to find Ranni now?"
"No need to rush; there's plenty of time. Let's briefly clear out this place first. If you know of a place called Raccoon City, you should have heard of a young policeman named Leon S. Kennedy, who leaves not a single needle or thread behind…"
"Is that a story from my hometown?" Yvonne asked curiously.
"Hmm… yes, it is. Let's talk as we walk."
Fran didn't seem in a hurry to deliver this weapon forged from death to Ranni.
Dragonkin Soldiers, the Regal Ancestor Spirit, and the Valiant Gargoyle duo… There was still much to explore in this ancient city buried deep underground.
---
After a period of suffering, under Fran's guidance, Yvonne nearly stripped the Eternal City of everything of value.
After some travel time, the three finally returned to the foot of Ranni's Rise.
"Ah, riding a horse the whole time is really a bit unbearable…"
Fran leaned against the wall, patting her somewhat sore posterior. Anyone who's ridden a horse knows some saddles are very unfriendly to the tailbone…
Although Yvonne had the spectral steed Torrent, allowing mostly unimpeded travel, obviously asking a steed of that size to carry three people's weight was asking too much of it… So Fran had borrowed the horse from the Tree Sentinel back in Limgrave.
And Haida was skilled in riding, so the two sharing a mount worked just fine.
Yvonne, holding the "Fingerslayer Blade" imbued with the concept of death, was about to enter the Rise when she saw both Fran and Haida standing outside the entrance, seemingly not intending to come in.
"Is Dr. Fran not planning to meet that witch?"
Yvonne felt somewhat surprised. This doctor had always been very interested in the witch Ranni. Logically, she wouldn't miss a chance to interact with her.
"No, I won't go. The one she's waiting for isn't me. And… there's one more thing."
Fran slightly toned down her smile and looked calmly at Yvonne.
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL