Time continued to pass, every second stretching out until it felt unbearably long.
Nolan's voice echoed through the air as he recounted the story between himself and Marika in detail.
It was a profound memory, branded deep into his soul. Perhaps because it truly had happened deep within his soul.
Lansseax listened quietly, her body trembling slightly with excitement.
At the same time, Alecto and the other Black Knife Assassins gradually woke from their slumber.
Their eyes slowly opened, and their drowsy gazes began to clear.
It had to be said that this was the most peaceful sleep they had enjoyed in a thousand years.
Some of them even yawned openly in enemy territory, without the slightest concern, completely unaware of the danger they were in.
Alecto saw Nolan at once, and her expression grew complicated.
To ordinary people, the Great Golden Goddess forcibly carrying off a man might sound unbelievable, but to them, it truly did seem like something their kin would do.
They were Marika's Black Gloves. The Great Golden Goddess was the Incarnation of light and justice, while all the Goddess's shameful, hidden deeds were left for them to handle.
The Black Knives all understood that Marika had gone mad.
Her terrible past had come down on her like a heavy hammer, smashing everything she had been.
And the arrival of the Fingers had reshaped her completely into a twisted monster.
Her existence was devoted only to a sorrowful past and a beautiful future.
But this new Lord Marika had chosen seemed decent enough. He was not that mad, and he had even gently helped them dress.
Of course, all Nolan had done was casually use Gravitas to send their black soft armor and short daggers over to them, then watch as they turned back into cold, ruthless assassins.
Nolan's gaze shifted to Alecto. The woman was not wearing a helmet, and her weathered face was filled with exhaustion.
Having a master like Marika was truly something else. This mission had nearly caused all of them to be wiped out by the new king.
Alecto also glanced at Nolan. The instant their eyes met, it seemed as if certain unspoken words passed between them.
The Queen in the dream had once told them that this monarch would rule the Dynasty's future. That meant he would become their new king.
But a Lord was still only a Lord. Their master remained Marika. That woman might have been mad, but she truly had saved them from the cruel world ravaged by the Hornsent.
Alecto tightened her grip on a small black cloth pouch that looked like a sachet. She was glad that, despite how unremarkable it looked, it had not been thrown away as trash.
Drawn by a strange sensation, Nolan looked slightly curious and asked softly, "Is that something important?"
Alecto nodded slowly and said in a low voice, "It is my daughter's Spirit Ash. After we killed Godwyn, we were hunted as traitors. When we fled the Royal Capital, she died protecting me."
"It was after that that the Two Fingers found us. We learned that the Queen had shattered the Elden Ring, and because Radagon deceived us, we obeyed its orders."
"Can Radagon leave the Tree Roots?" Nolan froze.
Alecto shook her head and explained, "No. He forged the Queen's decree and sent a token belonging to the Queen. That was why we believed the Two Fingers."
As she spoke, Alecto took a golden dagger from her clothes.
The dagger had the same design as the Black Knife, with the same twisted blade, except that it was golden all over. The power of the Golden Order contained within it was also extraordinarily dense, giving off the oppressive presence of something divine.
"It really is Marika's," Nolan thought, then nodded. He was far too familiar with that aura.
He looked at the grieving mother before him. His lips parted slightly, and he said softly, "I can sense the soul power in this Spirit Ash. It seems your daughter has been by your side all along."
"Tiche," Alecto murmured softly as she looked at the cloth pouch. Then she laughed at herself. "Perhaps she still resents me, the mother who led her own daughter to her death, and refuses to leave."
The mission to assassinate Godwyn had been a venture with no guarantee of survival. Whether it succeeded or not, it was certain to be a near-death ordeal.
Yet she had still led the Black Knife Assassins and chosen to obey Marika's orders.
The mission itself went exceptionally smoothly. They slipped silently into the Golden Prince's palace, hid in the dark as they drew close, and then swung down their daggers steeped in death.
As Godwyn fell, the lament of the Ancient Dragon Fortissax rang across the sky like a tragic elegy.
That cry seemed to mourn the Dynasty's perfect heir, and also to accuse them of that bloody slaughter.
Countless soldiers and knights were enraged by that lament. Like a swarm of disturbed bees, they chased after the fleeing black figures.
Godwyn's death drove his followers completely mad. Some black figures were pierced by arrows flying through the air, while others collapsed beneath the fierce assault of swords and blades.
Alecto watched one kin after another become stained red with blood. That vivid red spread endlessly before her eyes, as if it meant to swallow the entire world.
And in the end, her daughter was swallowed by that endless blood as well.
"Or perhaps she simply wants to stay by her mother's side and keep protecting her?" Nolan suddenly said, his voice especially jarring within Alecto's bloody dream.
"Protection is the duty of knights. The Black Knife is only responsible for killing." Alecto steadied herself and forced those sentimental thoughts out of her mind.
In truth, she knew Nolan was right. How could a daughter who had died protecting her mother resent her? She simply could not allow herself to accept it that way.
Nolan looked straight into Alecto's eyes and suddenly asked, "Do you want your daughter to come back to life?"
The leader of the Black Knife before Nolan froze.
With the techniques of the Lands Between, one could summon the dead through Spirit Ash containing soul power, but she had never done it. That would be an insult.
Alecto was just about to refuse when Nolan cut her off before the words could leave her mouth. He waved his hand and said, "I'm not talking about the Soul-Summoning Bell. If her soul weren't here, I couldn't bring her back to life right now. But since her soul is still here, I may have a way."
Alecto looked at Nolan in disbelief. Bringing the dead back to life was, as far as she knew, something only Marika and the Two Fingers could do.
Her reason made her doubt Nolan's words, but deep within her heart, as a mother, a faint spark of hope still lit up.
She too had once hoped that one day the Two Fingers would truly choose a new Golden Lord, and that when Marika returned to the divine throne, her daughter would come back to her side like the Tarnished.
"However, I do have a condition," Nolan's voice suddenly sounded, pulling Alecto back from her thoughts.
"What condition?" Alecto asked at once, a hint of excitement in her voice, only to suddenly notice that Nolan was studying her.
"Nothing much. From now on, don't think about stabbing me in the back," Nolan said with a soft laugh. "I'm a man who holds grudges. I haven't forgotten what happened last night."
While Alecto was still dazed, Nolan took her daughter's Spirit Ash from the stunned mother's hands.
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