Millicent slowly lowered her raised arm and returned her blade to its sheath. After finishing, she remained standing atop the ruins, gazing toward the distant horizon. She spread her arms wide, as though she were embracing the entire world.
High above Shaded Castle, far removed from the poisonous swamp below, the air felt unusually fresh by comparison.
A gentle breeze swept past. With her arms spread wide, Millicent felt as though she were stretching her wings.
After mastering the use of her prosthetic arm in battle and executing that Waterfowl Dance, Millicent had finally broken free of every restraint.
The resentment and pain she had once felt because of her missing arm had now transformed into a feeling of liberation.
All the shackles that had once bound her were broken. From this day onward, there would be no cage in the Lands Between capable of keeping her confined.
—
Lucian stood among the ruins of the lord's hall, watching Millicent's back with a smile.
He had observed the entire battle very clearly.
Millicent's combat ability had now crossed another threshold.
This was not merely an increase in her theoretical strength on paper. It was a genuine improvement in the fighting power she could actually bring to bear in battle.
The prosthetic arm had not improved Millicent's physical capabilities. It had simply allowed her to fully display the agility she had always possessed.
Although she was still somewhat lacking in raw strength, Millicent could now execute the complete Flowing Sword Technique.
This was no longer a mere fragment of the technique inherited through her memories. It was an extraordinary sword art, executed flawlessly, as though Malenia herself had returned.
With a complete version of the Flowing Sword Technique, a legendary art worthy of a powerful demigod, defeating Elemer of the Briar had been only natural.
Millicent had completely made up for the difference in their attributes through overwhelming technical skill.
Millicent stood quietly atop the broken wall, relaxing for a little while. Then, quite unexpectedly, she simply leaned backward and fell.
Lucian was taken aback. He hurried forward and caught her, holding her in his arms.
Whether she had some ulterior motive or was genuinely exhausted, he couldn't just stand by and watch Millicent crash onto the ground.
Looking at Millicent's dazed expression in his arms, Lucian chuckled softly. She really was exhausted.
Fighting an opponent above one's level was an inherently dangerous undertaking. There was no need to elaborate on the risks.
Although Millicent had indeed defeated Elemer, his overwhelming advantage in raw physical strength had still caused her considerable trouble.
At present, there were barely any uninjured patches left on Millicent's body. She was covered in wounds from head to toe.
Millicent finally came back to her senses and realized just how completely she had let her guard down.
With a sudden movement, she sprang out of Lucian's arms. Turning her back to him, she touched her slightly reddened earlobe.
Lucian gave a couple of light coughs and spoke, deliberately shifting her attention.
"You really care about what those knights think."
"You're quite kind."
"To witness a scene like that in this era must have been an incomparable source of encouragement for them."
Millicent raised her head and gazed up at the sky.
"No... It's nothing."
"Seeing the conviction they follow made me want to do something for them, too..."
Millicent turned toward Lucian and gave him a gentle smile.
"And if we're talking about kindness, I've learned far more from you, Sir Lucian."
"The battle just now, too. I only managed to do it because you gave me time."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't even have had the chance to obtain the prosthetic arm."
"I hope my performance satisfied you."
Lucian nodded and praised her.
"You exceeded my expectations."
"You seized every opportunity firmly, and your swordsmanship was exquisite."
"That was a truly splendid battle."
Lucian looked around the completely destroyed lord's hall. The prosthetic limbs Maleigh Marais had treasured were long gone.
"It's a pity we destroyed the entire room during the fight."
"Otherwise, we might have found a prosthetic arm that was in better condition, something more pristine and well-preserved."
"The one you have now is a little too old."
Millicent shook her head. She was quite fond of the prosthetic she had chosen.
Gently touching the countless battle scars on its surface, Millicent smiled.
"No. I'll just use this one..."
"There's nothing wrong with its function. The worn appearance doesn't matter."
"Besides, these marks make me feel as though I'm having a conversation with Malenia. I like it very much."
Lucian shrugged. Since Millicent felt that way, he would let her have what she wanted.
Just then, Millicent's body suddenly trembled.
A surge of Scarlet Rot stirred within her, as though it were slowly seeping outward from her body.
Along with that strange sensation, tiny beads of sweat immediately appeared on Millicent's face. Her complexion turned terribly pale.
Inside her body, Scarlet Rot was surging wildly.
Using the opportunity provided by her need to heal her injuries, the power of Rot emerged from deep within her body, replenishing the strength she had lost.
This was a trick that both restored and healed her while gradually replacing her own power, attempting to make her completely accept the Rot.
And now, the unprecedented severity of her injuries had given the Rot an opportunity to exploit.
Millicent's legs suddenly weakened. She braced herself against the wall before slowly collapsing into a sitting position on the ground.
Seeing Millicent suddenly sitting there with her legs folded beneath her and an unusual expression on her face, Lucian realized something was wrong. He immediately approached to examine her.
As he drew closer, Lucian saw that the numerous wounds covering Millicent's body were rapidly healing.
This should have been a good thing, but something about it was abnormal.
Following the large tears in her clothing, Lucian noticed the unusual changes taking place as Millicent's flesh healed.
Patterns of Rot were silently spreading across her skin, quickly covering large areas of her body.
Lucian hurriedly helped Millicent up and asked what was happening.
Millicent took deep breaths, enduring the pain as she explained.
"Although I used the Golden Needle to suppress the Rot, it has always been trying to return."
"It's a power closely connected to me. Back in Aeonia, it had already penetrated deep into my bones."
"Whenever I get injured, the power of Rot quietly emerges and helps heal my wounds."
After catching her breath, Millicent wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued.
"Scarlet Rot heals me while simultaneously eroding and corrupting my body."
"My physical body becomes noticeably stronger as my injuries heal..."
"But this isn't the story I want for myself..."
Compared with the strength it offered, she despised the Rot within her even more.
Raising her head, the proud and steadfast Millicent revealed a pleading expression to Lucian for the first time.
"Please..."
"Sir Lucian, could you help me stop this process...?"
Seeing Millicent's suffering, Lucian said nothing. He simply infused her body with the warm power of sunlight.
Ever since his previous encounter with the divine essence of the God of Rot, Lucian had gained a fairly complete understanding of Scarlet Rot.
Although he had never conducted an experiment on a living subject before, he was quite confident in his current abilities.
As the warm sunlight illuminated Millicent's body, she suddenly felt the Scarlet Rot within her stirring with excitement.
This was the first time the Rot inside her had ever felt so lively. Even Millicent couldn't help feeling somewhat uneasy.
However, that strange sensation soon disappeared completely, leaving her with only a feeling of warmth and relaxation enveloping her entire body.
Within Millicent, Scarlet Rot was gradually transforming into Abundance.
The extensive patterns of Rot slowly faded away, disappearing from sight.
Even the ugly, partially rotted skin on Millicent's body was gradually restored. The corrupted and ulcerated areas became smooth and tender once more.
When the transformation was finally complete, Lucian patted Millicent on the shoulder and spoke.
"Millicent, you can remove the Golden Needle now."
Millicent was still examining the condition of her body. Hearing Lucian's words, she was immediately taken aback.
However, less than two seconds later, she accepted his instruction.
After all, Lucian was the one who had rescued her from the Swamp of Aeonia and saved her life.
Throughout their journey together, Millicent had long since decided that no matter what happened, she would dedicate herself entirely to Lucian.
And this was such a simple instruction.
Besides, Millicent firmly believed that Lucian would never harm her.
She nodded and reached beneath her clothing, extending her hand toward the area around her heart.
With a soft grunt, Millicent pulled the slender Golden Needle out of her chest. Not a single drop of blood stained it.
After removing the needle, Millicent carefully examined the condition inside her body.
Scarlet Rot had completely disappeared. In its place, a golden light continuously emerged from within her.
Every injury in her body had been completely healed, and that power was still steadily merging into her flesh and blood.
Millicent could clearly feel her body gradually growing stronger, albeit at a very slow rate. All of this was thanks to that strange new power.
Unlike the erosion caused by Scarlet Rot, this process was slow but much gentler.
Seeing that Scarlet Rot had been completely transformed, Lucian also breathed a satisfied sigh of relief.
However, Millicent's treatment was not yet finished.
Unlike him, Millicent could not produce sunlight on her own.
Once the power of sunlight within her body was completely exhausted, the Rot would only return even more aggressively.
And Lucian couldn't stay by Millicent's side at all times as a portable power bank, replenishing her energy whenever she needed it. Fortunately, he wasn't without a solution. He had already thought of a way to deal with this problem.
Lucian clapped his hands and, with a thought, summoned Asimi from within his body.
Silver mist continuously poured forth, slowly gathering into a physical form.
The weapon brought out alongside her was Asimi's current exclusive weapon:
[Euporia: Wilted Heaven]
Since Asimi was completely immune to status effects, she was the best person to wield this weapon. Besides, she also needed a sufficiently powerful weapon to bring her full strength into play.
Lucian's next plan was to have Asimi teach Millicent how to convert between the powers of Abundance and Rot.
Completely and permanently resolving Millicent's problem at this stage was not particularly realistic.
However, once she mastered the method of balancing and converting these two powers, Millicent would be able to regulate the Rot herself. She would also gain control over an entirely new power.
Asimi stretched lazily, then enthusiastically moved closer to Millicent.
Millicent stared at Asimi in surprise, unsure what was going on.
Lucian cleared his throat twice and briefly introduced Asimi to Millicent.
Afterward, he tossed Euporia to Millicent and had Asimi begin instructing her in its use.
Standing beside Millicent, Asimi began giving her close, hands-on guidance.
"Grip it tightly. Move it up and down, and feel the power contained within."
"Like this? I'm sorry, I'm still not very good at it."
"That's all right. Everyone starts out this way. Just take your time and you'll get used to it."
"Oh! Oh... I managed to release it!"
"Don't stop. Try it a few more times."
—
Some time later, Millicent and Lucian emerged from the ruins. Millicent had changed into a fresh set of clothes, while Asimi had already returned to Lucian's body.
Thanks to Millicent's innate strength, she had quickly learned how to balance Abundance and Scarlet Rot under Asimi's instruction.
However, Millicent was genuinely unwilling to use the power of Rot.
So she simply kept it firmly suppressed within her body, choosing to use only the power of Abundance.
With the ticking time bomb inside her finally dealt with, Millicent felt refreshed and invigorated.
And with her newly acquired power, even the pallor had disappeared from her face.
There was no longer a path leading down from the ruins, so Millicent simply leaped from the towering castle and landed in the open area below.
A crowd of Cleanrot Knights was already waiting for her. They knelt on one knee before her, respectfully pledging their loyalty.
Millicent pressed her now-rosy lips together, feeling somewhat at a loss before such a scene.
She hadn't done any of this to earn the Cleanrot Knights' loyalty. She had simply wanted to give them some comfort.
Besides, Millicent had no intention of taking an entire company of knights along on her pilgrimage.
Faced with the many knights swearing allegiance to her, Millicent merely nodded in silence without saying anything.
At that moment, she was trying to think of how best to explain her intentions to them.
Just then, a strange man appeared within her field of vision.
The man wore a silver mask and looked extraordinarily frail, as though even the slightest breeze might blow him over.
After returning to the castle, he had been looking around in every direction, seemingly searching for something.
But the moment he spotted Millicent, he immediately became excited and came rushing toward her.
Dalia approached Millicent's side and leaned down to whisper softly:
"That man is Maleigh Marais."
"He was the former lord who lost both his castle and his sword. I suspect he hurried back after witnessing your heroic performance just now..."
Maleigh Marais rushed over at full speed, then actually dropped to his knees before Millicent.
He took hold of Millicent's golden prosthetic hand and knelt there, gazing up at her beautiful face.
"Ohhh! Lady Malenia!"
"You... You've actually returned! And you've even saved my castle!"
"I truly don't know how to express the joy I'm feeling..."
Millicent found Maleigh Marais's overwhelming enthusiasm utterly incomprehensible.
Maleigh Marais was actually quite powerful. As the heir to an executioner family, he should at least possess the strength of a Hero. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have been able to keep the knights under control.
And yet here he was, kneeling before her without the slightest trace of dignity.
It was simply unimaginable.
Millicent shook her head and tried to explain.
"I'm not Malenia. I'm merely someone who happens to resemble her a little."
Maleigh Marais, however, refused to accept her explanation. He shook her prosthetic hand like an affectionate child and continued:
"No! You must be Lady Malenia!"
"Although you've healed your disability, that prosthetic arm, that Flowing Sword Technique, and that beauty of yours are impossible to fake!"
"Without Lady Malenia, I—!"
Seeing that there was no correcting him, Millicent could only sigh helplessly and stop responding.
When she already knew that the other person's mind was filled with nothing but Malenia, there was no point in saying anything.
Millicent pulled her hand free from Maleigh Marais's grasp, took two steps back, and moved closer to Lucian.
Seeing that Millicent was no longer denying it, Maleigh Marais gazed at her with infatuation.
He genuinely believed that Millicent was Malenia.
To Maleigh Marais, Malenia was a symbol, an ideal.
What he loved was anyone who possessed those supposedly 'wonderful' qualities.
It was only then, while his eyes were still fixed entirely on Millicent, that Maleigh Marais finally noticed Lucian standing beside her.
Seeing the look of disgust on Lucian's face, Maleigh Marais immediately felt irritated.
He was reuniting with his goddess. What was that expression supposed to mean?
Rising to his feet, Maleigh Marais pointed at Lucian and snapped:
"Why are you just standing there watching?!"
"I saw everything from outside the castle just now! My Lady Malenia was fighting desperately, covered in wounds from head to toe..."
"Yet you're completely spotless. There's not even a trace of battle on you. That tells me you didn't participate in the fight at all!"
"Hiding behind Lady Malenia, you...!"
The moment Maleigh Marais remembered the wounds on Millicent's body, his heart ached unbearably.
Congenital ailments and physical deformities were beautiful. In his eyes, they were even indispensable works of art.
But wounds sustained in battle afterward? Those could only be considered damage inflicted upon a work of art!
Millicent frowned and reprimanded him.
"Don't you dare be rude to Sir Lucian."
As she spoke, Millicent had already reached for the sword at her waist with her prosthetic hand.
Seeing his beloved 'Malenia' defending Lucian, Maleigh Marais felt as though he had been betrayed. His heart shattered.
However, before he could do anything else, Lucian moved first.
With a sigh, Lucian reached out toward Maleigh Marais's silver mask.
Maleigh Marais watched the slowly approaching hand with disdain.
But before long, he began to panic.
Despite how incredibly slow the movement was, as though it belonged to an ordinary man, he found himself completely unable to dodge it.
Lucian's palm settled over Maleigh Marais's face, pressing against the silver mask.
With just a little pressure from Lucian's hand, Maleigh Marais was forced to his knees once more, left with no choice but to look up at him.
Lucian had no particular grudge against Maleigh Marais. It was simply that his words had irritated him.
It wasn't because Maleigh Marais had insulted him... Well, perhaps that was a small part of it, but really, not much.
The main reason was that Lucian had already corrected him countless times. Millicent wasn't Malenia. Millicent was Millicent, her own person.
And yet Maleigh Marais still insisted on treating her as Malenia.
Looking down at Maleigh Marais, Lucian's eyes were ice-cold. His voice carried an unmistakable trace of impatience.
"Isn't this enough already?"
"We've told you plainly. She's Millicent, not Malenia."
"There's a limit to how long someone can pretend not to understand simple words..."
Lucian gradually increased the pressure of his hand. Maleigh Marais's head began to visibly deform.
The mask, modeled after the appearance of the first head of the family and crafted to resemble the face of a noble young man, was crushed into a lump and driven deeply into Maleigh Marais's face.
After a burst of agonized screaming, Maleigh Marais's incessantly chattering mouth was finally silenced for good.
Lucian shook his hand, feeling considerably more refreshed.
Everyone was treating Millicent as a replacement for Malenia. Wasn't that a little unfair to her?
Millicent was an independent individual, a real human being living in the Lands Between.
And yet everyone longed to look through Millicent and gaze upon the idealized phantom they carried in their hearts.
Through Millicent's appearance, Gowry saw a vessel for the Goddess of Rot, yearning for the blooming of the Scarlet Aeonia.
Through Millicent's appearance, the Cleanrot Knights saw an illusion of Malenia, trying to piece together the glorious past that had long since vanished.
Through Millicent's appearance, Maleigh Marais saw the Malenia of his heart, allowing his love for his goddess to continue.
Even Millicent herself regarded her own existence as an extension of Malenia's will.
But to Lucian, Millicent was simply Millicent.
Millicent had never been anyone's offspring, vessel, or clone.
Millicent was Millicent. Nothing more, nothing less.
Perhaps Millicent would become the next Valkyrie, but she would never become another Malenia.