As always, the light of the Erdtree fell over the land of Limgrave, bringing warmth and brightness to the region.
But Stormveil Castle was different today. Its morning streets were unusually lively.
For most people, night was a time to rest and sleep, but not everyone could sleep soundly.
Some stood by their windows like night owls, gazing into the distance as their thoughts drifted. Others stumbled drunkenly through the streets, muttering indistinct words under their breath. The knights responsible for public order patrolled the city on horseback.
Just last night, those sleepless people had witnessed an astonishing sight. A pillar of lightning had shot into the sky from the Divine Tower of the Two Fingers, as if it meant to tear the heavens apart.
With a thunderous crash, the Divine Tower was shattered in an instant, and the spokesperson of the Supreme Deity vanished in that same moment, turning into a wisp of blue smoke like dust scattered by the wind.
The sudden spectacle plunged the people into shock and panic. News spread like wildfire, and fear quickly blanketed the entire city.
Fortunately, the Fireguard stepped in before long and temporarily calmed the panic.
By the next morning, when the light of the Erdtree broke through the dawn and illuminated Stormveil Castle, a stronger emotion began to rise in people's hearts. Anger.
A shocking piece of news swept through the city on its own. Last night, the great monarch of this land had been targeted by assassins!
And the ones behind the assassination were none other than the Two Fingers, which the people had long regarded as a divine messenger, along with its Church Confessors!
Anyone passing by the gates of Stormveil would be shocked to find the bodies of the Church Confessors hanging high from the city walls.
The horrifying sight was impossible to ignore, and it made the people believe the incident was real. At the same time, it helped them understand why their Lord was so furious.
Of course, the authorities still had to provide an official explanation for the assassination attempt. After all, Nolan had been parading around under the banner of Gold all this time. But he was entirely at ease leaving that matter to the knights and the faithful.
The gates of the underground dungeon opened, and Lansseax pressed herself against Nolan as usual.
Nolan answered her with a smile, then walked toward the lowest level of the dungeon while speaking with Lansseax.
"Thank you for your hard work, my High Priest," Nolan greeted her.
"Yes, the official statement has already been released," Lansseax replied. "It mostly describes what happened. His Majesty was attacked while handling official documents in his office, and the cause of the attack is still under investigation..."
"I remember those people appeared outside the teacher's living quarters," Nolan added.
"That's why you still need practice. A Lord can't be that honest. If you were one of the people, would you rather hear royal gossip about His Majesty fooling around with his teacher, or hear that His Majesty worked himself sleepless for the sake of the nation and its people?"
"I think I'd prefer the royal gossip," Nolan said after thinking about it.
"All right, I like royal gossip too. But we can't tell the people that. They don't need to know every detail, but they do need to feel that we're the good people, and that the Two Fingers are the villains who ought to be brought down."
Lansseax shrugged indifferently, without the slightest guilt over smearing anyone.
At least as far as she was concerned, Nolan truly was a good Lord, and the Two Fingers certainly were not good people... or good fingers.
"Doesn't this count as deceiving the people?"
Lansseax smiled faintly and replied, "Lords and gods are all liars to begin with. They deceive the people, deceive their ministers, and even deceive themselves. When you want to become a Lord, the first thing you have to do is believe you're good enough, isn't it?"
She tilted her head and looked at Nolan with a bright, smiling gaze.
"Just look at Godfrey," Lansseax continued. "Was that man really qualified to be Lord? Without that lion-fur coat, he'd be nothing more than a battle maniac who loves to fight."
Nolan listened to Lansseax and nodded thoughtfully.
This was not his first time being a Lord, but it was his first time ruling as the Lord of an entire nation and its people. In that regard, Lansseax clearly understood more than he did.
"You ought to learn from Placidusax. That old man had my little sister Furu so thoroughly fooled that I could talk myself hoarse and she'd still leave."
Florissax, who had been traveling with the group all this time, had already left.
It happened right after the Battle of Stormveil ended. Back then, the two female dragons had been inseparable every day, and no one knew what they spent all that time talking about.
Then, not long after, Florissax suddenly bade Nolan farewell and left without any warning.
"I have a feeling we'll meet again," Nolan said thoughtfully.
"A feeling, a feeling. Anyone who didn't know better would think you could see the future!" Lansseax clearly did not believe him. She even sounded a little exasperated.
Florissax was stubborn too. No amount of coaxing worked on her. What was so good about that dying old dragon up in Farum Azula?
Lansseax was not trying to drag her sister into trouble. She simply felt that having this sister of hers, who had served as a Priestess for thousands of years, come help her at the Church would at least give her another choice.
Placidusax was clinging to life in a rift in space-time, abandoning the dragons and leaving them to fend for themselves. By now, everyone knew there was no future in continuing to follow that old dragon.
"All right, don't think too much about it. Come look at our prisoner," Nolan said.
Lansseax followed him through one dim passage after another, until they finally arrived before a cell on the lowest level.
The dungeon cells had all been reinforced with magical arrays. Flickering blue magical runes could be seen on the walls, and the prisoners held here even included champions.
The tall woman bound in shackles inside the cell was exactly the kind of dangerous figure who had to be locked away in a place like this.
Her black soft armor had been tossed aside. Bruises and wounds were faintly visible on her body, and her eyes were tightly shut. She was clearly unconscious.
"She still hasn't woken up," Lansseax said. "You really hit hard. Not a shred of pity for a beautiful woman."
Nolan shrugged and replied, "They came to kill me with Black Knives. I was only defending myself. Leaving them alive is already mercy."
The corner of Lansseax's mouth curved upward. She tapped a finger against her chin and said meaningfully, "But I don't remember you being this merciful."
"I'm only doing it for the sake of a certain someone and the Numen ladies." Nolan pushed open the cell door and snapped his fingers lightly. The Glintstone lamp inside the cell lit up.
"You should say that in front of the Numen ladies. Maybe you'll end up with a few hundred more princesses tonight," Lansseax teased, her lips curving into a playful smile.
Nolan froze for a moment, then gave a helpless smile. "That's why you need to keep it secret for me."
"Oh? Does Your Majesty not like the Numen ladies?" After a moment of silence, Lansseax blinked.
Nolan shook his head. "It's not that. They're just too enthusiastic." He really did not have the time right now to deal with several hundred consorts.
At that, Lansseax laughed even more brightly. "Isn't that because Your Majesty spoils them too much?" Her laughter was clear and pleasant, like bells ringing in a church.
"I just feel that it wasn't easy for them to finally live properly without having to suffer so much," Nolan said.
Lansseax's smile softened a little, and she nodded. "That's true."