Hearing Philia's assurance, Gawain gave her the go-ahead to lead her team in making the necessary preparations. He would then escort them to the Land of Shadow.
This time, he didn't intend to charge in solo as he had before. Currently, the territory of the Lands Between below the Altus Plateau was firmly within his sphere of influence. The resources he could muster would provide a massive "heal" to the Crusaders, who were currently teetering on the brink of collapse. After all, he eventually planned to lead a combined force with Messmer to purge Belurat once more. If he was going to do it, he would do it right—a thunderous strike to completely crush his opponents.
He hadn't forgotten that Miquella was collaborating with the Hornsent to ascend to godhood. Though it was difficult for many to grasp, General Radahn was almost certainly Miquella's chosen King.
He wondered how Jerren would react if he found out. The man had always believed the Festival of Combat was meant to give the General a dignified end. If he learned the truth, he might very well turn into a "Gael-style" hollowed-out berserker on the spot.
A few days later, at the Raya Lucaria Academy, the situation had stabilized. The wraiths and wild beasts on Liurnia of the Lakes had been mostly cleared out, and even the long-abandoned Academy Gate Town had been largely restored through the tireless construction efforts of the Generation 2 Albinaurics.
Without the threat of external war, the once-reclusive Academy had become more open. They were even selecting their first batch of glintstone apprentices to head to the Eternal City for advanced studies.
If the Full Moon Queen were still in her right mind, she might have felt a sense of pride. It was hard to say if the Academy now showed traces of its prime during the union of the Golden Order and the Full Moon, but it was certainly on track to become even more powerful than before.
Gawain walked along the school corridors with Master Sellen, occasionally peering through the back windows to check on the students. He would randomly pick out a few "lucky" individuals who weren't paying attention and send them down to the glintstone mines below to dig up teaching materials.
Following Mohg's previous attack, although the apprentices hadn't suffered many casualties, many classrooms had been physically devastated. During the reconstruction, Gawain had offered a few suggestions. Sellen had praised these ideas highly, though they had resulted in the newly renovated classrooms having a somewhat peculiar style.
At the very least, the students' learning efficiency had improved significantly. Of course, this was mainly because, after some "heated academic exchange," the older generation of battle-hardened, conservative "reactionary academic authorities" had been compressed into sorcerer-balls. Being relegated to the bottom of the pile to squirm slightly was a kind of progress in itself.
One had to admit: everyone eventually becomes the person they once hated most. Now that his role had shifted, because he had once walked through the rain himself, he felt it only right to tear away the umbrellas of these Lands Between students as well.
"So, is Thops still tinkering with that barrier of his? I remember he already had a prototype back when he was at Stormveil. Has he made no further progress?"
Sellen simply shook her head helplessly.
"He's been locked in his room for a long time. Fortunately, a few friends he knew at the Academy can keep an eye on him and force him into a 'Restoration Ritual' every now and then. Otherwise, I doubt he would last until the day he produces a final result."
Gawain's mouth twitched. No wonder Thops was bald now. With that level of "grinding," it would be against the laws of nature for him not to be bald.
"Well, as long as someone stops him from going off the deep end. For him, the Academy is a pure sanctuary of knowledge. I hope he brings forth his results soon."
"By the way... did you truly see the Twin Moon Knight in that Land of Shadow? How is she?"
Gawain thought for a moment, deciding to give his still-single "aunt" a bit of face.
"At the very least, that Carian Sovereignty of hers is quite impressive. When she used it on me, it was fast and precise—not slow at all, like you described, Master."
"Perhaps it is because that lady... values you highly, so she gave it her all."
Sellen didn't know what to say to that. She had only mentioned it in passing back then, but the Twin Moon Knight was clearly not holding back. During the Liurnia Wars, countless heroes of the Golden Order had perished under that very blade.
"She valued me a bit too much. If Ranni hadn't stepped in at the last second, her twin moons really would have crushed me."
The two walked out of the Debate Parlor while talking. Sellen looked toward the plaza ahead, her eyes lighting up.
"Found them. Just as I thought, those two are over there sparring."
Following his teacher's gaze, Gawain saw two figures practicing—one in blue and one in red. One was Moongrum, who usually guarded the entrance to the Grand Library, and the other was a panting Millicent.
Although Millicent had chosen to stay behind at Gawain's persuasion, she couldn't simply remain idle at Stormveil. She frequently volunteered for missions to eliminate the wraith threats on Liurnia to hone her swordsmanship.
Now that even the poison-spitting Land Squirts were mostly gone, she had to find a suitable partner for training. Moongrum, who stayed at the Academy, was an excellent choice.
Seeing Sellen approach, Moongrum sheathed his Carian Knight's Sword. However, the moment he noticed Gawain, his pace quickened.
"Storm King, you've finally returned from the Land of Shadow. Did you see Lady Rellana, the Twin Moon Knight? And the comrades she took with her when she left the Lands Between?"
"Rest easy. Although the situation is complicated, they are all safe. There was a Carian Knight... what was her name... ah, Muliitier. She is still at Rellana's side, fulfilling her duties."
"As long as she is alive... Phew." Hearing that familiar name, Moongrum let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "She was one of the twenty Carian Knights who followed Lady Rellana into battle, and she is my only kin. I never expected to hear news of her again after the Land of Shadow was severed from the Lands Between."
Gawain wasn't particularly surprised. Given the naming conventions of the Lands Between, it would have been weirder if those two names weren't related.
One guarded the Full Moon Queen, while the other guarded the Twin Moon Knight; their loyalty to the Carian Royal Family was absolute.
"Moongrum, I still have to manage the Academy and cannot leave freely. Therefore, you shall go to the Land of Shadow as the Academy's representative this time."
"Is... is this true!? But what about the Queen?"
"It is true. You need not worry about the Queen's safety; I watch over her every day."
Sellen didn't waste any more words, dragging Moongrum away to brief him on the journey. Although the Academy couldn't field a force of the same caliber as the one that left with Rellana, they sat upon the largest glintstone mine in the Lands Between. They could provide ample material support to Castle Ensis.
The founders of the various classrooms under the Queen had long since left the Academy for various reasons. Even if Sellen was the new leader, she wasn't on the same level as the Twin Moon Knight. Thus, sending Moongrum as the representative was the most appropriate choice.
After watching Sellen and Moongrum head toward the Grand Library, Gawain finally had time to talk to Millicent, who was resting nearby.
Perhaps the high-intensity spar with the Carian Knight had been too taxing. Millicent had needed to focus entirely on parrying and countering, barely finding a moment to breathe. Now that the match was over, a thin layer of sweat still clung to her forehead, trailing down her cheeks.
Her signature red hair had lost its usual neatness. Usually tied back tightly and orderly, it was now mostly loose. A few sweat-slicked strands clung to her face, and one hung down, partially obscuring one of her eyes. Only her other eye remained visible, her lashes trembling slightly, a hint of fatigue lingering in her gaze.
"Can you still stand, Millicent? The Scarlet Rot is still squirming inside you; you shouldn't engage in such intense combat. It will only accelerate the spread of the rot."
Although the Unalloyed Gold Needle was still functioning perfectly, Gawain didn't want to take unnecessary risks—especially since he had already verified the treatment method but currently lacked the "Purging Stone" supplies to execute it.
"My apologies. I understand what you're saying, but I must be prepared. Only when I face Malenia will I be able to ensure she recalls her will to resist the Scarlet Rot."
A gentle breeze swept past, carrying away the sweat from Millicent's brow. The churning Scarlet Rot within her seemed to be calmed by the cool air, gradually falling into a dormant state. She instinctively raised her hand to tidy her messy hair, but her mind was distracted, and her fingers searched through the strands several times without finding the right place to begin.
Seeing this, Gawain understood her predicament. He slowed his pace and moved behind her, carefully gathering her shoulder-length hair and slowly tying it into a ponytail with meticulous care.
He considered himself somewhat experienced in tying hair. During his downtime at Firelink Shrine, he had often tied the Fire Keeper's hair at her request. He had evolved from his initial disastrous attempts to something at least passable.
Perhaps it was because the Fire Keeper couldn't see, so she never complained? Regardless, it was better than the previous mess.
Millicent sat quietly on the stone bench without resisting. She then asked the question she cared about most.
"In the Land of Shadow... did you truly find a trace of Miquella? How... how is he?"
"I'm not sure how to describe his current state. In short, Miquella seems to have allied with a race in the Land of Shadow called the Hornsent. He intends to use a place called the Gate of Divinity to become a god. I found several 'Crosses' he left behind along the way. Miquella is discarding his physical form as an Empyrean, step by step. Perhaps in his eyes, this is the price required for godhood."
Gawain didn't know how to explain Miquella's "performance art" of dropping skin fragments along the path—whether it was to gain the trust of the Hornsent or a necessity for ascension.
"Is that so... If you see that Empyrean, could you ask him for me... why he made Malenia do such a thing? I believe only a request from him could have made her abandon her dignity as a human. If I cannot learn the truth of this, I fear even if I bypass my sisters' obstruction and meet Malenia, I will be unable to convince her to take up her will against the Scarlet Rot once more."
"If I find anything, I'll tell you as soon as possible. If anyone can stabilize Malenia's condition, I suspect it is only Miquella."
The primary reason Gawain hadn't gone to the Haligtree was Malenia's fragile mental state. He didn't want her to spontaneously bloom into the Goddess of Rot the moment they met. For now, letting her sleep at the base of the Haligtree was the safest option. Miquella was in the Land of Shadow; once Gawain learned the truth from him, it wouldn't be too late to try and persuade the Valkyrie. In any case, events in the Land of Shadow had almost no impact on the Lands Between.
"I leave it to you, then. If there is anything within my power..."
Before Millicent could finish, she felt a strange, sudden palpitation in her heart. After a brief moment, she seemed to return to normal. Perhaps it was just her imagination.
"I have received so much care from you; I do not know how to repay it. At the very least, I have some insight into swordsmanship, enough to slay a few troublesome foes."
"Since you put it that way, go find the giant blacksmith at Stormveil. His craftsmanship is excellent. If you want to be a sharp blade, you must first have a sufficiently sharp weapon."
At the lowest depths of the Haligtree, Malenia slowly opened her eyes from a long slumber. The exquisite prosthetic arm that had once served her so well on the battlefield lay discarded carelessly to the side.
Her brother had still not fulfilled his grand ambition and returned to the Haligtree. Her long wait remained without an end in sight.
She shouldn't have woken up at this time, but a part of her subconscious seemed to have had a dream—a dream where someone promised to bring her news of her brother. She couldn't help but murmur:
"Tarnished... my friend... will you bring a long-lost warmth to this empty shell?"
Her eyes, long since corroded by the Scarlet Rot, stared blankly at the roots of the Haligtree. She sat silently in her chair, like a true empty shell, as her consciousness drifted into the distance.
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash
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