After a brief rest, the exploration resumed.
As mentioned before, since the lag made combat too difficult, Lloyd took on the role of Chaos's bodyguard. He equipped the most defensive gear he had, carried the shield with the highest magic and physical resistance, and swapped out the Ancestral Spirit's Horn Talisman for a Greatshield Talisman he had found earlier in the Altus Plateau.
As for the Covenant, the Ancient Covenant, which boosted physical damage reduction, would have been the most suitable choice for defense. But because he had unlocked a new Covenant skill earlier while with Trina, Lloyd decided to switch it to Chaos's "Flame of Defilement," curious to see if it might unlock something new.
After finishing his adjustments to both equipment and Covenant, Lloyd redistributed his stat points, moving excess damage points into health and stamina, and switched to a plain Estoc he had picked up earlier.
As for why he didn't use the Marionette's Staff for shield-poking...
That weapon required higher Dexterity and Arcane. If he invested points into it, his damage might increase a bit, but both health and stamina would suffer significantly. And with the game stuttering like it was, Lloyd had already given up on damage-dealing altogether. He committed fully to defense, serving as Chaos's shield.
Once preparations were complete, the map exploration began.
The process was straightforward: Lloyd held the front line while Chaos attacked from the rear. The battles were dull, little more than a clash of stats. With their high attributes, they steamrolled through mobs that, despite looking flashier with crystal-covered skins, hadn't actually improved in moves or strength.
Crystal-encrusted Cuckoo Knights, Albinaurics with crystals sprouting from their bodies, crystal wraiths that fired off minor spells from afar, and the occasional crystal shrimp...
But no matter what monster appeared, the method stayed the same. Lloyd would rush forward, raise his shield, and simply hold his ground without attacking, keeping his guard up. The monsters would wear away at his stamina bar; if his shield broke, he'd check the damage. If it was minor, he'd just wait for the Blessed Dew Talisman to heal him. If it was heavy, he'd take a sip from his flask.
The rest was left to Chaos to finish.
To be fair, this strategy was strong, and even with the lag, progress remained steady. The problem was that it was too steady. So steady it was almost mechanical—just pushing forward for the sake of pushing forward, with no excitement or enjoyment.
It really grated on Lloyd.
Even as he felt increasingly frustrated, he was already thinking about what kind of snacks to give Seath after they cleared the area. Meanwhile, Chaos seemed to be in good spirits. After they had advanced for a while, she even started humming a tune.
And to be honest, it sounded quite nice.
Her voice was gentle, the melody flowing and pleasant. Even without accompaniment, just her humming brought a sense of peace and comfort.
"...What's the matter, my dear kin?"
Halfway through her humming, Chaos noticed Lloyd glance back at her with a subtle expression.
"Don't like it? I can switch to another tune..."
"No, I think you sing it well."
Lloyd paused, looking at her.
"I just didn't expect you to like this style..."
In his mind, Frenzied Flame was always wild and deranged. Every Frenzied Flame creature he'd encountered that could make a sound had either wailed or roared.
Even some of Chaos's incantations gave off agonized cries when cast. Combined with its nature of despair, Lloyd had always imagined Chaos as the type whose very voice carried a touch of madness, the kind of presence that would naturally match music full of pain, despair, or at the very least something eerie and unsettling.
But the tune she had just hummed... how to put it...
If he had to describe it, it simply didn't fit her image. There was even a faint sense of compassion to it.
Noticing the look on his face, Chaos smiled, and as they continued through the map, she struck up a conversation with him.
"Have you ever heard of the 'madness plague'?"
"...No. Why?"
"Then allow me to explain."
As she spoke, Chaos lifted her head. Frenzied Flame surged in her eyes, burning through a crystal soldier in the distance.
"The so-called madness plague is an illness that has existed since ancient times, capable of spreading and infecting in many ways...
The yellow flame is its mark. Once it appears, it almost certainly means the person is infected...
The symptoms show mostly in the eyes, one of the most fragile structures of the body—and the place where the yellow flame most easily gathers...
The eyes swell, rot, and fester, bringing with it unbearable pain and the steady loss of life...
And when the flame inside the eyeballs builds up to the point they can no longer contain it, it bursts outward, lashing in all directions and infecting every living thing it touches..."
Bang—
A streak of Frenzied Flame shot through the air. With a tortured howl, the crystal soldier clutched at his eye sockets, screaming in agony. Moments later, the fire rushed into his eyes. As it swelled, he could no longer endure. He released his grip, letting the yellow fire explode outward.
The flames spread indiscriminately, striking those around him, especially his closest allies. Once freed from the suffering, his body collapsed into a withered corpse.
Chaos went on.
"There was no cure. Even touching the infected or trying to treat them carried an extremely high risk of contracting it.
All they could do back then was grow Eye of Yelough plants. It was a dangerous anesthetic—useless for treatment, but at least it dulled the pain...
But painkillers couldn't suppress the disease. The madness kept spreading, and no matter what measures they took—even sealing off entire regions and forbidding anyone from entering or leaving—the yellow flames still leaked outward...
Because at the time, they overlooked something small, but crucial..."
She raised her hand—not to cast a destructive Incantation, but to summon a spirit.
It was a rat.
A rat with yellow fire burning in its eye sockets.
It rushed toward a group of soldiers in the distance. Its combat ability was pitiful; only a few strikes were enough to kill it. But the moment it died, its body erupted in yellow fire, driving the soldiers into a frenzy.
Chaos continued.
"That was the rat.
They only paid attention to the lives they considered important, but never lowered their heads to notice the tiny creatures crawling beneath their feet.
Do you remember what I told you? Those who stand high above can ignore the despair of the small lives below them. But one day, that despair will turn into flame, rising up to consume those lofty beings...
That was how the madness plague broke out."
What kind of plague is this? Lloyd grumbled inwardly. But at the same time, something finally clicked.
Up until now, he had been able to find some real-world parallels for every essence—except Chaos. Eternal, unchanging gold; the cycle of rot and abundance; even abstract things like Elizabeth could be tied back to intangible truths and bloody wounds.
But Chaos seemed different, almost as if she had appeared from nothing. She claimed to be the one force longing to drag the world back into chaos, the essence of despair, spreading countless Frenzied Flames—yet no one could explain where she came from or why a fire itself embodied despair.
If it was a disease, though... it all made sense.
In the Lands Between, where everyone was a battle maniac, simple fighting wasn't enough to create despair on such a massive scale. But a plague—something like a fantastical Black Death—yes, that could truly become the symbol of despair...
As Lloyd was turning this over in his mind, another thought struck him.
"But what does this have to do with the song you were humming earlier?"
"Well..."
Chaos smiled faintly, gazing off into the distance.
"You should remember, my kin. I told you once—on the other side of despair, there is always something else...
For example, during that great plague, there were still those who clung to their beliefs. Even as they themselves were infected, they tried to soothe others' suffering with their songs, to give them the hope to keep living...
The sharper the pain, the deeper the despair, the more beautiful that hope appears..."
Lloyd nodded.
"And then?"
"Then she died."
Chaos spread her hands.
"She died in agony—not only from the torment of the disease, but because she was branded a witch of the Frenzied Flame, executed in public. And everyone who had ever heard her sing... they were hanged as well."
I knew it.
Lloyd shook his head, not at all surprised by the outcome.
"So what role did you play in all this?"
"I didn't do anything. I just set her on fire after she died."
She paused, as if remembering something, and sighed.
"The fire was really intense that time..."
While chatting, the two encountered a group of enemies. This wave was particularly strong, and after the fight, Lloyd was left with only about a third of his health.
Wanting to conserve his flasks, he decided to rest on the spot and recover using the amulet Seriel had given him.
After a short rest—perhaps out of boredom, or perhaps because of Chaos's humming—Lloyd suddenly recalled the Winged Dame at the cliffside ruins. As the memory lingered, he blinked while listening to Chaos's pleasant singing.
"Actually, I'm kind of interested in singing too..."
"Hm? My kin, you have such a hobby?"
Chaos looked surprised, then stopped her song, waiting to hear him sing.
Then—
Bang!
Lloyd had barely sung a few lines when Chaos suddenly covered her eyes. Frenzied Flame burst violently from her body, and her health bar visibly dropped.
It was the madness bar filling to maximum, forcing her into frenzy.
"Ah, my kin... your singing really is... lethal."
After much thought, this was the only word Chaos could find to describe it. And it wasn't even an exaggeration.
In terms of technique, Lloyd's singing wasn't bad—pleasant, even. The problem was that whenever he sang, it resonated with something inside him, unleashing a force that stirred pain and despair deep in others' hearts.
Rather than singing, it was more like an indiscriminate killing skill.
Still, it wasn't without its benefits.
When Chaos regained herself after the frenzy, she noticed that the song's stimulus had heightened the Frenzied Flame within her. Her casting range and damage had both increased.
Realizing this, she and Lloyd immediately set out again, taking advantage of the "singing buff" to push forward aggressively.
Before long, they reached the second Site of Grace.
After activating it, Lloyd examined the golden summon signs nearby. After some thought, he chose to call forth Melina.
Though Melina and Chaos didn't get along, their current party already had defense and damage covered—they lacked only a healer. Looking through all the golden signs, only Melina fit the role.
With a flash of golden light, Melina slowly opened her eyes.
Perhaps because she had already encountered Chaos many times before, even when she saw her right away, she showed no alarm. She even nodded politely in greeting.
Chaos replied in kind, and Melina turned to Lloyd. After a brief exchange, she joined the party without resistance.
But once she did, she immediately placed herself between Lloyd and Chaos. Every time Chaos tried to approach him, Melina blocked her, preventing any of her "defiling" attempts.
Lloyd didn't mind. Melina was the healer, and standing in the middle allowed her buffs to cover them both more effectively. It made sense.
As for Chaos...
"Sister, you don't need it yourself, so why stop me?"
Chaos tilted her head in confusion.
At her words, Melina's body stiffened slightly, but she gave no reply. She simply continued to stand her ground stubbornly, like a wooden plank.
To be honest, Chaos didn't find her childish behavior annoying—if anything, a little funny. The fact that this piece of wood could act this way only meant something inside her had already begun to change.
Just as she was about to settle down and behave, a thought crossed her mind. Smiling, she leaned close to Melina's ear. Under her wary gaze, Chaos whispered with a mysterious air.
"Did you know? My kin sang to me just now..."
Melina froze.
He can sing?
Chaos grinned, her voice low and tempting.
"According to him, he's only ever sung for me..."
—Only among the living.
Under Chaos's persistent goading, Melina eventually went to Lloyd for confirmation.
When she received his honest answer, she hesitated for a long while before finally deciding to ask him to sing for her as well.
She could accept anyone taking care of Lloyd after she was gone—anyone but Chaos.
She was even willing, under Chaos's threats, to support Lloyd becoming Ranni's king.
And now, with Chaos trying to use this to draw closer to him, she couldn't stand idly by. She had to—
Bang!
A massive Black Flame erupted.
Melina was struck hard.
She collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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