"You know, I do seem to have a specialized medicine for exactly this kind of condition… but it's kept in the 'Second Pharmacy.'"
She muttered quickly to herself, extending her left hand covered in sutures. With her other hand's thumb and forefinger, she gently pinched one end of a suture and slowly pulled it open… then, from the bloody gap between the bones of her palm, she retrieved a red-and-white capsule sealed within a quartz container.
[APTX-4869 (Manufacturer: Fran Herschel)]
[Quality: Fine]
[Effect: A drug developed by a certain criminal organization. Modified by a certain doctor, this drug has lost its original poisonous properties and can correctly revert a human body to its childhood form. Probably no risk.]
[Note: "Dear patient, please pray there won't be a cycle of murders around you after taking this…"]
---
"I've always been a bit unclear about what kind of patient should use this drug, but now I've finally encountered a special case that perfectly matches its purpose…"
With the medical technology Fran possessed, general aging issues could be solved with slight genetic adjustments. This meant the drug needed a very specific case to be useful… Who knew she'd actually encounter such a special patient.
She closed the suture on her hand. With a slight flick of the mirror-edged scalpel in her hand, several of Miquella's major arteries were severed. Blood gushed forth immediately.
"Dr. Fran, did you encounter a problem?"
Haida was extremely familiar with this motion. It was a very thorough bloodletting, clean and swift, almost like an execution.
"Not at all. 'Mohg, Lord of Blood' worshipped the outer god, the 'Formless Mother.' This caused Miquella's blood to be full of corruption after being catalyzed… It needs to be drained before administering the medicine to avoid affecting its efficacy."
Fran explained to Haida, then rummaged through her medical kit and pulled out a small blood transfusion device.
It could simply store blood in a container to be processed and later transfused to another person. That's right… it was a souvenir taken from Tamesis's secret chamber.
"Bodies without rejection save me many steps in blood processing. Just thinking about it makes me happy…"
Fran inserted the negative-pressure needle into a plasma bag in her kit. After confirming Miquella's bloodletting state was nearing its limit, she sutured his arteries and began the transfusion.
Only after confirming all preparations were complete did she place [APTX-4869] into his mouth.
"So… will this cure him?"
Yvonne blinked. Though she tried to suppress her curiosity, she couldn't help but ask in the end.
"Yvonne, you seem to have some misunderstanding about medicine. Whether crude or precise, elegant or rude, everything is merely a method. In that sense, I'm not much different from a carpenter or a stonemason… except the thing I sculpt is the human body."
Fran explained gently, then focused on meticulously wiping the thin layer of blood from her scalpel.
---
Miquella's body reverted to its childhood form almost instantly, but it remained decayed. However, the next problem was easy to solve… Just use supportive therapy and wait for him to heal on his own.
While waiting for this slumbering Demigod to fully recover, Yvonne resumed her solitary journey. This time, it wasn't at Fran's request; she had something she absolutely had to do herself.
About a year later, when they met again, she was in the grand hall at the very peak of Leyndell, Royal Capital.
"Morgott, the Omen King," who had single-handedly defended the capital during the Shattering, already lay defeated at Yvonne's feet.
With his last breath, he stretched a hand desperately toward the distance, as if trying to grasp the unreachable glory of the past, before it fell limp.
This time, Yvonne hadn't forgotten to use the Furlcalling Finger Remedy in advance to summon Fran. But this time, the doctor witnessed Morgott lose his life completely, not healing him as she usually would.
"Why didn't you intend to treat this Demigod, Dr. Fran? Because he is an 'Omen'?"
Haida, struggling slightly under the weight of her massive greatsword, walked over to Fran.
As the last monarch of the Golden Lineage, Morgott's strength was undoubtedly among the top tier of Demigods. And compared to "Starscourge" Radahn, tormented by rot and who had severed his own legs, he was nearly at his peak…
Yvonne and Haida had been pushed to the brink during the battle, only gradually turning the tide with the sudden intervention of Melina. It had a feeling of "three heroes battling Lü Bu"…
"For some people, depriving them of the right to die is tantamount to humiliation. I couldn't make any deal with him, nor did I wish to humiliate this 'Grace-Given King' who served the Erdtree with utter devotion. Allowing him to die was perhaps the best way."
Fran responded simply to Haida, then walked up to Yvonne, narrowing her eyes slightly.
She saw the Dark Moon Greatsword shimmering with azure light in Yvonne's hand, and this girl had used Ranni's exclusive Dark Moon sorcery during the fight earlier.
"Oh, how should I put this? The child has grown up; I'm getting choked up… But I still must wish you a happy marriage."
She took out a handkerchief and wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes with heartfelt satisfaction.
"Since you've already received her dowry, I'll prepare the bride price. Though our family is poor, Sister Haida and I can scrape together some savings…"
"Dr. Fran! What are you saying… She and I are just consorts, that's all."
Yvonne clearly couldn't handle Fran's overly direct expression and blessing. Even now, weathered by experience, a flicker of flustered panic crossed her features.
Even though she was no longer as lost and ignorant as before, in front of this doctor, it felt as if nothing had changed…
Fran savored Yvonne's brief moment of embarrassment, then put away her familial, elder-like smile.
"'Just consorts, that's all.' Alright, I understand. Is Blaidd doing alright?"
"Yes. He dealt with many Black Knife Assassins who came to the Rise by himself."
Yvonne quickly composed herself and explained the recent situation.
"Then it seems my mental therapy for him worked. Setting up mental barriers in the brain can effectively resist whispers and will interference. The feasibility of such medical concepts should be raised a bit more…"
Fran murmured, then turned to Melina beside her.
"Miss Melina, next we should head to the northern Mountaintops of the Giants to obtain the flame capable of burning the Erdtree from the Giants, correct?"
As she spoke, she pointed toward the spikes covering the base of the golden Erdtree. Those were thorns that rejected Tarnished entry. To truly enter the Erdtree's interior, it must be burned.
"You are correct, Dr. Fran. Your erudition is astonishing…"
Melina nodded slightly, her expression somewhat puzzled, but she still acknowledged Fran's words.
"Finally reached this step."
Fran let out a relieved sigh. After heading to the mountaintops, the process would be swift and continuous. Without surprises, everything could end within a month.
She began to anticipate what kind of "unexpected surprise" the illness called "Personality Dissolution" on Yvonne would bring her.
---
The Fire Giant of the northern Mountaintops, the Black Blade and the Dragonlord of the crumbling "Crumbling Farum Azula," and the "Valkyrie" Malenia waiting deep within the Haligtree for her brother's return. These were the final four targets in Fran's plan for Yvonne.
Yvonne no longer needed extra time to hone her skills. All she lacked were the final preparations before entering the Erdtree to face the god within.
Yvonne had already defeated the final Fire Giant and arrived beside the massive cauldron burning with the "Flame of Ruin." A sufficiently qualified sacrifice willing to burn themselves was needed for the rising flame to climb the Erdtree's branches and incinerate all the thorns representing rejection.
Fran glanced subtly at Melina. The latter had already extended her slender hand; flames potent enough to burn the Erdtree, entwined with crimson light of embers, coiled around her palm.
"Time to prepare for the burning?" Though Fran already knew the answer, she still asked.
"Yes. This is my mission, and my will. Those who walk alongside flame will one day meet their destined death."
Melina's gaze was serene and unrippled, reflecting the fierce flames. She seemed to still hold attachment for this vibrant world, yet showed no regret.
"O, Erdtree! For the new Lord, burn away."
"…Yvonne, and fellow travelers. Thank you for bringing me here. Farewell. I hope you become Lord─our Lord."
Licking flames quickly consumed her body.
Then they rose, igniting the colossal golden tree standing above the sea of clouds. Thorns, thickets, spikes—all things of rejection turned to ash.
"Dr. Fran! The method Miss Melina mentioned for 'burning the thorns'… was burning herself?"
Yvonne looked at Melina bathed in the flames, then turned to Fran in surprise.
Instinctively, she reached out to touch the other, but failed to reach the gradually fading spirit. Concern for her companion quickly turned to anxiety.
Melina had taught her how to turn Runes into strength and often explained Queen Marika's old tales and maxims during their journey. Though death was commonplace in the Lands Between… sorrow did not diminish because of it.
Fran gazed calmly at the blinding flames, like someone watching the curtain fall on an opera.
"Even though Melina held attachment to the world, she still chose to become kindling and sacrifice. Because she believed you could become the Lord who ends the chaos. Do not betray that trust."
"Is there really no way to save her? Is there something I haven't done?"
Yvonne bit her lip, still somewhat unwilling to give up.
"There is a way… Before Melina became kindling, to receive the Frenzied Flame from the embrace of the Three Fingers. That mad fire that destroys all can also harm the Erdtree. But then… you would bring endless death and disaster to the Lands Between. Betraying everyone's expectations of you."
"And now, she has already stepped into the flame. Even if you possessed the Frenzied Flame, you could no longer help her…"
Then, before Yvonne's stunned emotion could turn to grief, Fran let out an oddly timed, inappropriate chuckle. Her serious expression vanished instantly, and her moist lips curled into a sly smile.
"Heh… Of course. Though you are powerless, I can offer her some help. As a doctor, I can't truly give up on a patient who still loves the world."
Fran grasped something and plunged her hand directly into the burning fire, piercing Melina's spirit in the abdomen.
When she withdrew her hand, the burning spirit had lost its original form. It became strange and tall, like a powerfully built man, yet covered in crimson rot marks.
The burning intensified, the flames suddenly erupted, and the entire spirit turned into scattered sparks and ash in an instant.
"Burned my sleeve, sigh… I really like this coat."
Fran took off her white physician's coat, revealing the fitted shirt underneath and her slender, well-proportioned figure. This flame was hard to extinguish; she didn't want to accidentally get stuck in a cycle of burning and regenerating…
"Curious about what I did? And why my hand wasn't burned?"
Seeing Yvonne's astonishment from the earlier turn of events, Fran showed what was in her hand.
It was a small, exquisitely crafted cloth doll. Judging by the light brown traveler's robes and those gray-hazel eyes… it seemed modeled after Melina.
"This doll contains a stored spirit possessing divinity and greater power. I placed it into the fire, substituting it for Melina's spirit. Replacing the weak with the strong, basic chemistry, a very simple principle… Even flames prefer more combustible kindling."
"Honestly, this was just a backup plan, not without risk."
As she spoke, she showed the fresh burn marks on the back of her hand.
"Take it. Once the spirit recovers, she will awaken. Oh, I sewed this doll myself… Appreciate my craftsmanship with gratitude."
With that, Fran tossed the cloth doll to Yvonne, who caught it with extreme care.
"Doctor, thank you…" Yvonne came before Fran, looking at the burns on her hand, unsure what to do. Wanting to touch them but afraid of causing pain.
"No need to thank me. Letting me study you after becoming Lord is the best payment… That was our original agreement, wasn't it?"
A flicker passed through Haida's eyes, as if she had guessed the source of the "spirit possessing divinity" Fran had used.
"Dr. Fran, the spirit you used to replace Melina's… was probably material obtained from those Demigods before, right?"
"Correct! To be precise… it was from 'Starscourge' Radahn. Parts of his spirit were completely assimilated by the Scarlet Rot, so they had to be forcibly stripped. I stuffed those parts into a doll… as an emergency contingency plan."
Her craft of sculpting spirits came from her mastery of [Soul Sculpting] technology.
"Then why not just burn the doll directly?" Haida pondered for a moment before asking her real question.
"Hmm…"
Fran covered her mouth with a light cough, then said, "Because only those who have witnessed the 'vision of flame' possess the qualification to become a sacrifice. All measures can only be taken after the flames have ignited. I wouldn't make such a basic logical error…"
---
Crumbling Farum Azula, the crumbling sky city.
This was a lofty city adrift in the spatio-temporal rift, a sacred site of the ancient dragon cult. Yvonne had already defeated the Black Blade and obtained the other half of the "Rune of Death."
On a vast, so vast it was dizzying platform inscribed with classical and intricate patterns and carvings, a two-headed ancient dragon, celestial-like, hovered at the center.
Gray-yellow clouds carried thunderbolts raining from the sky, roaring incessantly… as if the breath of a slumbering dragon.
"Large dragon-type enemies, even decayed to the brink of death, are still stronger than Demigods, if not more…"
Yvonne quickly assessed the enemy type and tightened her grip on the Dark Moon Greatsword. This wasn't her first time facing an ancient dragon, nor her first time felling such mountainous behemoths.
Surprisingly, after the only two-headed remaining Dragonlord opened his eyes, he didn't attack immediately but let out a sigh as heavy as thunder.
"Ah… As expected, you've come again…"
"What did you say?"
Yvonne was puzzled that the other could still communicate, slightly delaying her intent to attack. But she remained at maximum vigilance, guarding against a sudden eruption from the other.
Fran, however, walked up before the Dragonlord and inquired with keen interest.
"So, Your Majesty the Dragonlord, which time is this for us?"
"…The seventh time. Last time, you seemed unable to reach the end… Or perhaps you succeeded but encountered unforeseen obstacles."
The Dragonlord murmured, his massive form gradually fading into the rolling thunderclouds. As if he had never appeared.
"There are only six possible ways to mend the Elden Ring, yet this is the seventh time… Meaning in one of those times, 'I' failed. But how could I possibly fail?"
Fran half-closed her eyes, pondering somewhat perplexed. Finally, a glimmer of understanding appeared in her amber-deep golden eyes.
"My principle is to pursue perfectly appropriate 'precision.' In other words, the reason for failure might be that there was something 'extra' I didn't do. Perhaps the previous 'me' was too constrained by the set process, believing certain things didn't need to be done…"
+++
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