Lloyd was indeed exhausted.
The vast map, the endless battles, and the worsening lag and stuttering with each stage…
Clearing the entire fight in one go had given him greater rewards for a full clear—such as a more stable spacetime structure chain.
But the cost of it all left Lloyd more drained than he had ever felt since arriving in the Lands Between. And this exhaustion did not come solely from combat.
On the surface, Lloyd was only clearing fragment dungeons. But in truth, as he fought through them, he was also shaping—or rather, reinforcing—his own Law.
The very system he was using now, a Law that could turn reality into game-like rules.
Yes, this Law was abnormal, deeply flawed, unable even to allow normal communication. But as Seath had said before, given the condition inside Lloyd's body, calling it "a mess" would be a compliment. Even the most basic spacetime structure within him was twisted and broken beyond recognition.
In such a state, expecting Lloyd to construct a normal Law from scratch would be like trying to drag the vast void behind Alice into existence—something anyone would shake their head at.
So neither Alice, nor Seath, nor even Lloyd himself, had ever thought of creating a normal Law directly.
Instead, the plan was to strengthen and reinforce his current sealed Law, to build a flawed but functional Law first, then look for ways to expand it.
Perhaps expansion wasn't even necessary.
Long ago, when Ranni first met Lloyd, she had been astonished at the malleability of his Law. At the time, her surprise was only at Lloyd's willingness to let others alter his Law and at its remarkable stability.
But from another perspective, there was another word for it.
Compatibility.
Yes—Lloyd's Law could be compatible with other Laws.
The so-called "modifications" were not truly changes, but rather other Laws creating an interface to connect with his, influencing it through their own power.
Yet because of Lloyd's past instability and the fragility of external restrictive Laws, this compatibility had always remained shallow—unable to reach deeper, unable to last.
But now, Lloyd had a new interface.
The Covenant.
And beyond the Covenant, with each dungeon cleared and each book collected, his condition was stabilizing further. With Alice's efforts, another interface had been created.
The Roundtable Sanctuary.
Or, one might also call it Alice's Library.
As for whether all those bound by Lloyd's Covenant possessed Laws of their own…
Of course not.
For in the Lands Between, those who bear a Law have a special name: Empyreans.
At present, the only ones in the Lands Between with Empyrean potential chosen by the Two Fingers were Ranni, Malenia, and Miquella—perhaps also the missing Marika.
But Laws were not so easily obtained!
Aside from complete, fundamental Laws, there existed something else in the Lands Between: Repair Runes.
They could not form a full Law on their own, but they could serve as components to mend one.
Though some in Lloyd's Covenant could not even form a single Repair Rune, those Runes themselves were made of many parts.
And just as acquiring Repair Runes often required completing long chains of side quests, even those who were now weak could still grow through a series of events.
How much time it would take, and how far they might grow…
No one could say.
But for now, Lloyd, who had just spent half the day working on his Law inside the dungeon, was utterly worn out.
Even so, amidst his fatigue, he hadn't forgotten something.
"Um, Melina…"
"She's here."
Lloyd lifted his head slightly and saw Melina approaching, looking weakened.
She seemed to want him to rise so she could feed him, but after seeing the exhaustion on his face, she hesitated in silence before moving closer on her own.
She meant to take his hand and feed herself, but perhaps from her earlier drain, her steps faltered. As she crouched, she lost her balance and tumbled forward.
And so she fell into Lloyd.
Their eyes met. Melina started to get up, but before she could move, a finger slipped into her mouth.
After a moment's silence, the sound of gentle sucking followed.
Melina shifted her position, lying more comfortably against him, with no intent to rise again.
After a while, a small red flower appeared at Lloyd's other side, beginning a check of his body.
So Lloyd lay in Alice's embrace, watering his wood with one hand and caressing his little red flower with the other. His mental fatigue slowly eased, soothed by the motions and their tender presence.
A gentle breeze blew. Shadows of trees swayed.
By the tranquil lakeside, four figures leaned against one another, sharing warmth.
"They've fallen asleep."
Perhaps from the toll of the earlier battle, Melina and Millicent had drifted off while resting against him.
But this time, Lloyd did not fall asleep.
He simply noticed and whispered it to Alice.
Alice thought for a moment, then reached her hand toward Lloyd's lips.
Lloyd froze, then quickly refused.
"No, that's not what I meant. I was trying to say—"
"But that is what I meant."
Silence.
And then, a moment later…
With the touch of the Two Fingers brushing against him, the golden figure began to tremble.
...
After settling the wooden figure and the little flower beside him, Lloyd went to check on those who had aided him in battle earlier.
Having visited them all—especially confirming Chaos's condition at the Roundtable—and finding no issues, he returned to the Altus Plateau. He blew the Spectral Steed Whistle and resumed exploring the map.
Although he had already spoken with Old Margit and confirmed that the next destination was the Royal Capital…
Having a destination didn't mean he had to head there immediately.
In Souls-style games, after all, there were always Side quests or rewards that could automatically progress or be missed entirely once certain conditions were met. And the Royal Capital, still sealed, was clearly entangled with many such things.
So Lloyd's plan was to finish mapping the entire Altus Plateau first, ensuring nothing was left behind, and only then head to the Royal Capital to meet Old Margit's true form.
And now...
Stray soldiers? Kill!
Leyndell's knights? Kill!
Filthy monsters? Kill!
Golden-enhanced Site of Grace guardians? Kill!
Magma Wyrm? Kill!
After the slaughter, Lloyd advanced to Bayle's second phase. Another battle later, he obtained another [Shattered Dragon Heart].
Back in Volcano Manor, Lloyd had already taken one such heart from Bayle. It was said that swallowing it outright granted the power of dragons—though it might serve other purposes as well.
Now, staring at the two Shattered Dragon Hearts in his inventory, Lloyd thought for a moment before deciding to ask a professional.
But before that, of course, he had to make his customary visit to a certain four-headed old dragon who enjoyed reading messages without replying.
"Hm? You managed to unlock it yourself?"
When Lloyd once again saw Placidusax reflected in the mirror, the dragon's head had already returned to normal. His once-imposing demeanor paused noticeably at Lloyd's words.
After receiving his reward, Lloyd struck up a conversation with him.
It wasn't about anything serious—just questions like how his four heads got along in daily life, how they dealt with differing tastes when eating together, or how they handled conflicts...
Since it wasn't offensive, and since he had helped him, Placidusax humored him. But though it wasn't an important discussion, the longer they spoke, the more delicate the looks exchanged among his four heads became.
After fanning the flames between Placidusax's heads and letting him leave, Lloyd teleported to the Dragonbarrow in Caelid. There, he found Greyoll lying on the ground and showed her the two hearts.
After a long silence, Greyoll finally spoke.
"May I ask where you found these two hearts?"
Lloyd then told her how he had acquired them, mentioning Placidusax along the way.
"Ugh, those two really are something—one foul-mouthed, the other twisted in the head, and both fond of leaving messages on read..."
No, I don't think that's entirely their fault.
Once, Greyoll had held some standing among the dragon clan, and she knew those two well. Hearing Lloyd's description, she could mostly confirm their identities.
But the problem was that the beings Lloyd had met contradicted what Greyoll knew.
As mentioned before, Greyoll lay here waiting for death precisely because of the Mad Dragon's rebellion.
After that rebellion, the Mad Dragon named Bayle had been brutally transformed into a crippled Drake by Placidusax. He should still be brooding deep within Jagged Peak Summit.
As for the Dragonlord, two of its original four heads should have been torn off by Bayle. Its body was already mangled, and now it should only have two heads atop its shoulders, not four.
And another point: though the two Dragon Hearts in Lloyd's hands contained the power of flame and thunder, very similar to the strength associated with Bayle…
Similar did not mean the same.
In fact, it was precisely that faint difference which made her realize—it couldn't be Bayle.
But in truth, it didn't matter. Whether they belonged to him or not, it didn't change the use of these two hearts.
"If you don't mind, you can hand them over to me."
Because of her advanced age, even consuming these Dragon Hearts would make it difficult for Greyoll to absorb and wield their power. It might even cause her some harm.
But for that very reason, she needed to devour them all the more.
The flying dragons were in decline. Though they had barely been permitted to survive in Caelid by pledging allegiance to Lloyd, that alone was not enough.
It wasn't that Greyoll sought to make the flying dragons great again or place them above mankind.
Rather, one only had to look at the state of the young flying dragons to see: ever since their banishment to this land by the Ancient Dragons, the species had been visibly degenerating with every generation—physically, undeniably, and fatally.
At this rate, even if no one else lifted a hand against them, the flying dragons would drive themselves to extinction.
The best outcome would be to devolve into witless, feeble beasts. And if that was to be their fate, Greyoll believed it would be kinder to let the species vanish entirely.
So, ever since Lloyd had shaken up her life, apart from barking at the hatchlings to go out and "find work," Greyoll had spent nearly all her time agonizing over this problem.
Now, however, the two Dragon Hearts in Lloyd's hands gave her new hope.
She herself was already far too old, her soul withering along with her body. For now, she could still hold sway over the flying dragons with the weight of her former prestige, but it was only maintenance. How long she could last, no one could say.
But if she could consume those two Dragon Hearts, and supplement them with certain rituals…
Then perhaps she could create a new "Queen" for the dying clan, one who would replace her and lead the flying dragons to survival.
"But to do that, the power in just these two Dragon Hearts may not be enough..."
"If you can, I'd like to ask you to collect more of them. With more Dragon Hearts, I can also offer you greater aid..."
[Acquired 'Greyoll's Sacred Seal']
[A Sacred Seal bestowed by 'Dragon Mother' Greyoll]
[Enhances the effect of status-boosting incantations]
[But shortens their duration]
[Though the ancient dragons live long lives, even they have limits]
[At the approach of death, they erupt with terrifying power]
[Skill: None]
Got it. Trade quest items for rewards.
After speaking with Greyoll, Lloyd originally intended to return to the Altus Plateau to continue exploring.
But after a moment's thought, he changed his mind and warped to the Grand Library of the Raya Lucaria Academy.
He had occasionally traveled there during his spare time before. But because of the Queen of the Full Moon's experiments, everyone there—including Moongrum—always seemed busy.
So despite visiting a few times, Lloyd had mostly just taken a look around, confirmed Sellen was fine, and left immediately.
However, after he dealt with Rykard, the Queen of the Full Moon had told him in their later talks that the academy's project was nearly complete. If he had the time, he could come by and see it.
So, after finishing with Greyoll, Lloyd teleported straight to the Grand Library.
The Queen of the Full Moon wasn't there—looked like she had just stepped out.
Lloyd glanced around, confirmed the place was empty, then turned left upon leaving the room, intending to check on Sellen first.
But when he arrived, Sellen was nowhere to be seen.
In her place hovered a gray sphere, its surface etched with Glintstone patterns and crystalline ridges.
What the hell is this?
Curious, Lloyd approached. The sphere seemed to sense him, rotating slightly to reveal, at its center, the witch's hood Sellen had once worn.
Then its lips stirred, releasing a faint, broken whisper.
"Apprentice..."
This… Sellen had turned into a sphere?
Lloyd reached out and touched it.
Yes, Sellen's aura was within—but faint, fragmented, and incomplete.
And it seemed unable to say anything else, endlessly repeating "Apprentice..." over and over, much like the Sellen in the underground chamber before.
Staring at the sphere, Lloyd thought for a moment. Then he gripped it with both hands, intending to twist it and see if there was anything more.
And then—
Gurrrrgle—
He hadn't tried spinning it before, and apparently, he had used too much force.
Combined with its levitation, his twist sent it whirling like a top.
Amused, Lloyd didn't stop it, simply watched it spin in silence.
When it slowed again, he reached out and started feeling along its surface, searching for hidden switches or mechanisms.
Then—
"Stop that, you idiot!"
A familiar voice rang out behind him.
Lloyd turned, and there stood Sellen in the doorway—her face pale but flushed red, clutching the frame for support, legs pressed tightly together, trembling slightly.
When she saw him looking her way, her shame finally burst out as fury.
"Stop touching it! That thing resonates with me!"
"You idiot disciple!"
"Take your hands off it right now!"
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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