"Hey, hey, that's enough." The Tarnished stepped between Millicent and the Bell Bearing Hunter, shielding her behind his back. "That's a pathetic pick-up line. What are you even doing here? Surely you aren't so petty as to hold a grudge forever. I didn't hit you on purpose back then."
"...Hmph, fine." The Bell Bearing Hunter considered it for a moment before deciding to sheathe his greatsword. "You and I have crossed paths enough. I warn you: stay away from those nomadic merchants. They are a pack of madmen; one day, they will summon the Flame of Frenzy once again."
"If you don't want those around you to be dragged into it, remember my words." The Hunter said no more, his spectral form gradually blurring until he finally vanished from Caelid.
Nomadic merchants? The Flame of Frenzy...? The merchants were indeed suspicious. Last time in the Ailing Village, he had seen a merchant dancing amidst the flames, and he had witnessed Kalé's own oddities firsthand. What exactly were they planning?
Turning to Millicent, he found her looking dazed, seemingly overwhelmed by the name the Hunter had called her.
"What are you thinking about?" He waved a hand in front of her face to snap her back to reality, but she remained deep in thought.
"That name feels so familiar... Malenia... and that brilliant red hair..." Millicent subconsciously touched her own tresses. Even a young girl like her, inexperienced in the ways of the world, knew of an unwritten rule in the Lands Between: hair color determined power; it was a person's most defining trait.
"If you're curious and it feels familiar, then go find out. Whether you pursue it as the goal of your journey or simply as a personal interest, it's worth investigating," the Tarnished comforted her.
"Yes... thank you." Millicent looked at the somewhat darkened red strands of hair that had fallen out due to her rot, and in her heart, she solidified her resolve to uncover her true origins.
(Interesting. Now I have another traveling companion with memory loss. Is amnesia the fashion these days?) The Tarnished smiled wryly as he looked at the earnest Millicent.
When a man is busy, he tends to forget things, and the Tarnished was no exception. Just as he was about to leave Caelid, he suddenly remembered that before coming here, Sir Gideon Ofnir had commissioned him to investigate something.
He recalled something about a massive catacomb in the Wailing Dunes... the Wailing Dunes was where he had just fought Radahn. He had already left the area; turning back now would be a waste of time.
I'll deal with Ranni's business first, he thought. The catacombs aren't going to grow legs and run away. Besides, his exploration of Caelid had been rushed; this ancient land surely held other secrets worth exploring. He would return eventually.
Despite her severe scarlet rot, Millicent was still someone sheltered by grace, allowing her to travel through the Sites of Grace alongside the Tarnished to an extent. This saved them a great deal of trouble.
"So this is Liurnia... what a beautiful place." Millicent gazed blankly at the star-studded sky. It was her first time leaving Caelid for another land. Truly... there were still many beautiful things in the world. Unlike the harsh environment of Caelid, the scenery of Liurnia was pleasant and inviting.
A light mist cast a veil of mystery over Liurnia. People yearned for the mysterious and the unknown, and the Deep Sea and Liurnia satisfied both requirements perfectly.
"You seem to like it. You'll see many more different sights in the future." Seeing Millicent happy and spirited made the Tarnished feel that bringing her out of Caelid was worthwhile. Being confined to one place, unable to take a step forward, was the greatest punishment for a human, and Millicent did not deserve such a fate.
"Tarnished... you have brought a new face." As he approached Iji, he heard the War Counselor's somewhat tired voice. Iji looked at the red-haired girl beside the Tarnished, his eyes behind the mirrorhelm reflecting a deep, meaningful gaze.
(A red-haired girl playing host to the rot... what a fascinating destiny. The rot cannot stop Lady Ranni's footsteps... on the contrary, it might even become a boon...) Rot was the cycle of peak to decay, the decomposition and destruction of things that sought to remain static and eternal.
However, if harnessed correctly, it could become a powerful driving force, a fitting blessing for someone like Ranni who intended to forge a new era alone. As for the future... the Tarnished would handle it for her.
The rot feared flames most, and the Tarnished's fire was the eternal, inextinguishable flame of the Giants. Therefore...
"Hello, young lady. I am Iji... a servant of Lady Ranni, who is allied with the Tarnished. Since you come with him, I am sure Lady Ranni will be pleased to have you join us." Iji's tone was steady.
"Hello, Master Iji... it is a pleasure to meet you." Millicent looked at the well-spoken Troll with newfound wonder. The books of her childhood had always depicted Trolls as dim-witted slaves. It seemed it was best not to believe everything written in books... the girl had learned yet another lesson.
The Tarnished chuckled at the sight of Millicent earnestly absorbing new information, but then he curiously asked where Blaidd had gone. Shouldn't he have met them here? Was he still at Ranni's Rise?
"Blaidd has gone ahead to the Eternal City," Iji said unhurriedly.
"I see... then I should go see Ranni." The Tarnished and Millicent mounted Torrent and rode toward Ranni's stronghold. However, a small detail caught the Tarnished's attention: Torrent's attitude toward Millicent.
For some reason, Torrent seemed very close to Millicent. Unlike his typical behavior, Torrent acted as if he had known her for a long time, though Millicent clearly didn't recognize him.
Upon arriving at Ranni's tower, they found Darriwil back in his rightful place, standing guard. The dragon Adula was also stationed behind Ranni's residence. Only Seluvis was absent, likely up to no good somewhere.
"Oh... Tarnished, you've arrived. Mistress Ranni has been waiting for you for quite some time." Darriwil stepped forward to greet them. He felt a great deal of gratitude toward the Tarnished; thanks to him, he could continue to serve Ranni.
"Millicent, wait down here for a moment. I'll go up, say a few words, and come back down," the Tarnished said, turning to her.
"Alright, don't worry about me." Millicent was easy to please; she didn't talk much and wouldn't wander off.
Walking up the tower, he saw the familiar blue-and-white puppet girl still sitting quietly in her chair. The moment the Tarnished's gaze drifted toward the cushions beneath Ranni's seat, the doll girl snapped her eyes open.
"The moment I wake, I find this irritating fellow trampling upon my dignity..." The girl's tone was rebuking, but the Tarnished...
"You've been waiting for me for a long time, how can you say you just woke up?"
"...Who told you that?"
"Darriwil."
"...." The girl folded her hands to hide her embarrassment. "I shouldn't have allowed him back into my service..."
(Darriwil, you actually conspired with the Tarnished to shame me... I shall remember this.)
"Fine... we need not waste time on small talk. And stop looking! If you look again, I shall throw you off the tower." How vexing. What was wrong with a few cushions? Why did he have to fixate on it? Who asked this body to be so short... if it were her original body... hmph.
"Fine, fine." The Tarnished shrugged. If he truly made her act like a bristling cat, he would have a hard time calming her down.
"You seem to have brought a very interesting person with you... have her come up. I have things to say to her. Even if she is yours, she must understand the rules of this place."
With Ranni's permission, the Tarnished called Millicent up. The moment Ranni saw her, despite her puppet body, her voice could not hide her surprise.
"Malenia?" Ranni's single word piqued Millicent's curiosity. At Millicent's prompting, Ranni recounted what she knew of Malenia's life.
One of the cursed twins, the younger sister of the most terrifying Empyrean, Miquella. Like Ranni, all three were Empyreans. In the past, Malenia traveled the world with her brother and learned the flowing water swordplay from a certain mentor before settling at the Haligtree to become the Blade of Miquella.
The Malenia of the past was undoubtedly a person worthy of respect. She was afflicted with the original Scarlet Rot and suffered its torment all her life, yet she never succumbed to that fate. However, everything changed the moment Miquella went missing.
"Come to think of it, Malenia is my half-sister. Fate and coincidence are quite fascinating." Having seen Malenia's struggle against her destiny, Ranni was heartened to see her sister defy the fate imposed upon her, though it was a pity she ultimately failed.
"You say your name is Millicent... I do not know your exact relationship with Malenia, but I permit you to call me 'Sister' until your true identity is revealed." As Ranni said this, the Tarnished sensed a hint of playfulness. Was she trying to establish her "big sister" authority in front of Millicent?
"Uh... that is..." Millicent was an honest person and felt flustered. Calling someone she just met "sister"... it felt strange. Moreover, she always felt that her relationship with Malenia wasn't that of a sister.
"Never mind. I am not one to force others... do as you wish." Ranni slowed her speech, no longer insisting.
"Thank you for understanding... I couldn't quite..." Millicent felt awkward, but after Ranni's explanation, she had a much deeper understanding of Malenia—far more detailed than the rumors.
(Malenia... why did you fight that battle with my brother? Why did you discard your pride to release that sinful thing?) Ranni did not resent Malenia. Though the sisters hadn't had much interaction, Ranni had always kept an eye on her. She shouldn't have done it.
Furthermore, Ranni had once heard Rykard say that a battle between Radahn and the Rot was inevitable. The battle with Malenia was not a simple skirmish; it was a battle that decided their respective fates. And in that duel... there was no victor.
But Ranni knew that destiny was merely the fuse; a spark was still needed to light the thread. Who exactly could have driven the fates of those two? The Shattering was foolish enough, but the conspiracy that crushed the allied armies was even darker than the Night of the Black Knives.
Even Ranni could not lay a hand on the true form of that conspirator, but she hadn't come away empty-handed. In her spare time while executing her own plans, she had investigated that side as well. All clues pointed toward a mysterious "Blood"... something unfamiliar even to Ranni's faction, something unknown to anyone in the Lands Between.
She called this conspiracy the "Blood Plot"...
•
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