Deep within Nokstella, beside an unmarked pool, Arthur sat at the edge, occasionally firing off a few spells into the distance.
Before him, his Mimic Tear was locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Baleful Shadow.
In his arms, the tiny Ranni doll watched the scene unfold, her little heart twitching with unease.
So… is this how sorcerers fight nowadays?
Come to think of it, that Spirit Calling Bell was something she herself had given him.
So… was she the one who had indirectly founded an entirely new school of combat?
Arthur: No! This is all the fault of those shameless Tarnished!
Not long ago, Arthur had stumbled upon this hidden pool and encountered the last of the Baleful Shadows. A great battle ensued—well, not exactly his battle. The Mimic Tear fought desperately while Arthur provided support from the sidelines with spells.
"So this really isn't Blaidd?" Arthur asked curiously, watching the wolf-headed figure. Aside from its crimson hue, it looked exactly like Blaidd.
"No. It is another will of Blaidd's—one that serves the Two Fingers," Ranni said softly from within his arms.
"Right, the real Wolf Bro is locked in your dungeon, isn't he?" Arthur nodded.
"You know that? Yes. He was sent by the Two Fingers, yet chose to serve me. When his loyalty to me conflicted with their will, I feared his mind would collapse. That is why I confined him." Ranni did not deny it.
She continued, her voice tinged with melancholy:
"…For Blaidd and for Iji, I truly have no way to repay them. They know the dark path I've chosen, know its inevitable end. They know that one day I will betray all, abandon all. And yet, they remain loyal."
"Oh? And no mention of Seluvis, that piece of trash?" Arthur noticed she had only named Blaidd and Iji.
"That one? I dislike him. Ours was nothing but mutual exploitation." Clearly, Ranni was well aware of Seluvis's ill intentions toward her.
"And what about me? In your eyes, what kind of person am I?" Arthur asked suddenly, curiosity pricking at him.
"You? A softhearted fool, perhaps. Since the day you began helping me, you've never once demanded a reward. At times, I truly cannot understand—what is it you want?" Ranni mused for a moment before answering.
"Oh? Perhaps what I seek is vast. To walk by your side always. To possess you for myself. To… become your king."
His voice wavered, but his words struck Ranni deeply.
"…Heh. Then perhaps I was wrong about you. You're greedier than I thought. Enough. This form makes me too unguarded, I've said more than I should. Forget what we spoke of. Do you hear me?"
Her warning was not truly a plea for him to forget, but a stern order not to repeat their conversation to anyone else.
By then, the battle had reached its end.
The Mimic Tear: Oh, thanks for remembering I exist!
As the Baleful Shadow dissolved, Ranni's voice rang out:
"…Shadow, you were the last. Carry this to the Two Fingers: the Witch Ranni carves for you a wound eternal—an unhealing mark of fate."
She knew full well that when the shadow fell, its visions would be transmitted back to the Two Fingers. But Ranni was not one to deny her deeds, nor conceal her future. She declared her defiance openly—because she was confident of victory.
"Thank you for your aid. Now I must go to finish this. Let this be our farewell. Here is my gift—pass my love on to Blaidd and to Iji."
Ranni left behind a key. The doll's glassy eyes dimmed, its light fading away. She had departed to begin her hunt for the Two Fingers.
The key was a Carian Royal Key, able to unlock the sealed chest within the Grand Library of Raya Lucaria.
Unable to contain his excitement, Arthur returned there at once. The moment he emerged from a Site of Grace, Rennala's voice reached him:
"Ah… child, have you come to be reborn once more?"
His mother-in-law had remained there ever since her awakening, unwilling to return to the desolate Caria Manor. And Arthur couldn't blame her—he wouldn't want to go back either. At least here, she still had her "children"… though, in truth, those malformed offspring were but constructs she had shaped herself, borrowing the power of the Great Rune of the Unborn.
When Arthur had awoken her, he had slain those false children as well. Afterwards, Rennala had entrusted the Great Rune to him, leaving those creations forever unborn.
Thinking back, he had even killed her eldest son, Radahn. Truly, Tarnished left nothing but sorrow in their wake.
"Good day, Your Majesty. I only came to fetch something," Arthur said politely, stepping past her toward the locked chest.
Rennala watched as he unlocked it with the key.
"Oh? So my child has already found her destined one? To think she chose… such a remarkable boy."
Suddenly praised by his mother-in-law, Arthur froze. In his past life he'd been single for over twenty years. Now faced with such direct approval, he had no idea how to respond.
Maybe he'd been too rash. He'd been so excited about retrieving what lay inside the chest that he hadn't considered how awkward it would be to take out Ranni's token of affection right in front of her mother. It was basically admitting aloud: Yes, I'm the one your daughter has chosen.
Awkwardly, he forced a laugh. "You flatter me."
"Shy, are you? But I know my daughter's eyes. If she chose you, then surely you possess some rare worth. I only hope you will walk with her to the very end."
Her voice dimmed slightly at the end, sorrow touching her words—no doubt recalling Radagon.
Arthur straightened. "Please rest assured. I will walk with her, always."
Leaving the Grand Library, Arthur held the item in his hand, feeling its weight.
It was a ring—a great ring wrought in the image of the dark moon.
The cold Dark Moon Ring, once meant as the eternal bond Ranni would bestow upon her chosen consort.
Upon it was inscribed a warning:
Let none lay hands upon this token. The loneliness beyond night belongs to me alone.
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