Ranni was not one for idle chatter, and the more she conversed with the Tarnished, the more her head throbbed. Millicent, however, had truly won her over; the young girl possessed a pure, stainless character of exceptional quality—humble and honest, a stark contrast to that irritating, discolored man.
(I must spend more time with her... the dignity of the Witch needs to be re-established.)
"Ah, Tarnished... I never had the chance to say it, but why not invite the one within you to step forth? It is best we all know one another if we are to travel far together."
"I thought you were going to betray everything?"
"..." Ranni's fist tightened. "Fine... fine... fine! I cannot outtalk you! Now leave! Go and find the treasure of Nokron with Blaidd at once!" At this moment, Ranni's air of elegance vanished completely, replaced by pure exasperation.
"Don't bristle. I'll let her out, alright?" The Tarnished curled his lip.
"Hmph... no one defies the Witch Ranni." Ranni gave a small huff. Then, a silver tear surged from within the Tarnished, eventually taking the form of a female version of him.
"A Silver Tear... a product of the Eternal City. It seems allying with you was indeed the correct choice." A Silver Tear held infinite potential; with her assistance, the progress toward obtaining the treasure would be greatly accelerated.
"Lady Ranni, I presume... My name is Asimi. As you can see, I am a Silver Tear residing within my Master. I have already introduced myself to Blaidd." Asimi maintained the most fundamental etiquette. Her temperament seemed to have inherited the dignity of the Nox upon her awakening; she was not uncouth, possessing a unique noble air.
"The treasure Lady Ranni seeks... could it be the Fingerslayer Blade?" Asimi didn't hide anything. Since she was the host's ally, she would give her full support. Moreover, she sensed something unique coming from Ranni.
"Does the Fingerslayer Blade truly exist...?" Asimi's words undoubtedly made Ranni more certain of her goal. Asimi nodded; to her knowledge, the supreme treasure of Nokron was indeed that blade.
"...Then I leave the journey to Nokron in your hands. Now that my brother has passed... the gears of our destiny have begun to turn." Ranni half-closed her eyes. She was very close to achieving her purpose.
Millicent was left behind by Ranni, who wished to chat a bit longer, while the Tarnished was ruthlessly chased out.
"What a cold world..." The Tarnished gazed blankly at the sky. Just then, he spotted Seluvis acting suspiciously, sneaking out from somewhere. He was looking around frantically, clearly up to no good.
"What are you doing?" The Tarnished suddenly appeared behind Seluvis, startling him so much he nearly fell over.
"Tarnished... how rude... you..." He was about to snap when he remembered how the Tarnished had threatened him before, causing him to shrink back in fear.
"I asked what you're doing." Seluvis was being evasive, stammering under the questioning. Finally, his eyes darted around quickly before he pulled the Tarnished into his own rise and activated a protective barrier.
"What do you want?" This was a barrier that cut off all external communication. What was this old creep up to?
"Ah, Tarnished... how about a deal? I am a generous man; I won't hold your previous actions against you." Once the barrier was up, Seluvis's face changed into a different mask entirely.
"Are you sick? You 'won't hold it against me'? If you try to hold anything against me, I'll kill you." Seluvis's words were nonsensical. Where did he get this confidence?
"Ugh, you! Fine... I won't waste words. Once you hear this deal, you will surely be interested." Seluvis rubbed his hands together in a lecherous, annoying manner. He tried to lean in close to the Tarnished's ear, but was instinctively slapped away, flying across the room.
"If you have something to say, say it. Don't get so close."
"You! Cough, cough... fine." Seluvis cleared his throat and revealed a secret—he had been making puppets. He was a master puppeteer; Ranni had even learned puppet-making techniques from him, which was why he was allowed to serve as her follower.
However, Ranni was exceptionally gifted. He had only taught her the basics, and it wasn't long before she created her current body entirely on her own.
The reason Seluvis was telling the Tarnished this was because there was a deeper secret beneath his identity as a puppeteer. Since the Tarnished was already suspicious, Seluvis decided to be blunt. He was confident that any man would be interested in his puppets.
"You asked me what I was doing earlier... I'll tell you now. I am making a brand-new puppet..."
"A puppet? Like those things at the Academy?"
"Hmph, how can such inferior trash compare to my work? My skills reach the heavens!" Seluvis huffed arrogantly. "My puppets are indistinguishable from real people!"
"So?" The Tarnished didn't care in the slightest. What did his skills have to do with him?
"Wait, wait! Don't be in such a hurry... Didn't I say we were making a deal?" Seluvis laughed sinisterly. "My puppets are exquisite; you will surely love them. You only need to do one simple task for me, and I can give you one for free. My puppets can do anything, including..."
"Not interested. Get lost." The Tarnished hadn't reached a level of desperation that required that.
"You!" Seluvis was choked for words.
(Curse you... if it weren't for the fact that you know Nepheli and saw through my disguise, why would I ask you...) Through special channels, Seluvis knew that Nepheli Loux respected the Tarnished. Strength attracts strength, and he had set his sights on Nepheli, wanting her as his next puppet.
Therefore, having the Tarnished do the deed was the best way. But he hadn't expected this man to be so completely unmoved.
"You pulled me in here just for this nonsense? You really are bored." The Tarnished turned to leave.
"Wait! Wait... you! Since ordinary puppets don't interest you... are you interested in a Demigod puppet?" To get the Tarnished to help and to keep his mouth shut, Seluvis was going all in.
"A Demigod puppet...? What on earth are you plotting, you creep?" The Tarnished's eyes narrowed.
"Since you aren't interested in ordinary puppets, let me tell you a secret... I believe you won't refuse."
"You said that last time."
"This is different..." Seluvis stopped hiding and pulled out a potion—a bottle containing a murky, blackish-blue liquid. "This is a potion I meticulously researched. As long as someone drinks it... hehe."
"Is this why your puppets are like real people?" There was something wrong with that liquid. If someone drank it, they became his puppet. Didn't that mean it had mind-control properties?
"Hahaha, exactly! This is the essence of my life's work! If you help me give this potion to a certain girl, I will tell you about the Demigod puppet." Seluvis laughed uproariously.
"Why would I do anything for you?"
"When it's done, you get two puppets! One you can pick from my current collection, and the other will be that mysterious Demigod puppet! What do you think? Tempting, isn't it?" Seluvis was certain the Tarnished wouldn't refuse this time. Who wouldn't want two puppets they could command and play with at will? He didn't believe the Tarnished possessed such noble character.
"You're a psychopath..." The Tarnished looked at him as if he were an idiot and walked toward the door without looking back.
"Don't go! Fine! I'll tell you! I'll tell you about the Demigod puppet right now, alright?!" Seluvis desperately needed to turn Nepheli into a puppet. He really wanted to know what the adopted daughter of Gideon Ofnir tasted like... he couldn't believe this man could be so heartless.
"If you don't say something worthwhile right now, even Ranni won't be able to protect you." The Tarnished's patience was at its limit.
"Yes, yes! It's about Ranni!" Seluvis clapped his hands.
"Ranni? What do you mean?" This man's intentions were treacherous. What was he trying to do?
"Do you know of the Amber Starlight? The amber that contains the fate of the demigods... even demigods are intoxicated by it. If you find that and bring it to me, I can create the ultimate potion capable of charming even a demigod's mind. When that time comes, Ranni..."
"You want to kill your master?" This wretch was going to strike at Ranni.
"Even a servant shouldn't have to hide his desires," Seluvis said righteously. "Though she walks the night alone bearing her sins... her true nature is just that of a cute little girl. Besides, that cold puppet for some reason seems to care about you. You're interested in her too, aren't you? Bring me the amber and I'll—WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!! STOP IT!"
The Tarnished suddenly exploded into action, smashing massive holes into Seluvis's tower. In an instant, the tall magic rise collapsed with a thunderous roar. This triggered Seluvis's painful memories of past failures. He pointed at the Tarnished, screaming in rage: "I will have my revenge! You damned, lowly Tarnished! I offered you a fair deal, how... HOW DARE YOU!!"
"What happened?" Darriwil rushed over to find a scene of utter devastation.
"If you shout one more word, I'll smash you along with the tower." This man's mind was rotten; how did Ranni ever recruit someone like this?
"Tarnished, what happened?" Millicent came running down from Ranni's chamber. Shortly after their chat, Ranni had fallen into her slumber, and then Millicent had heard a massive explosion nearby.
"Let's talk this out, let's talk this out!" Darriwil looked at the two in bewilderment. The Tarnished then explained the situation to the Bloodhound Knight.
"Seluvis, you motherf***er, how dare you?!" The Hound exploded in rage, grabbing Seluvis by the collar and lifting him off the ground.
"Stupid dog! Put me down! You are a criminal; what right do you have to accuse me? And how do you know he isn't framing me?! I have served Ranni for a very long time; do you not trust me?" Seluvis snarled, pointing a finger at Darriwil's nose.
"Damn it, Seluvis, you...!" Seluvis's words sent the simple-minded Knight into a state of confusion. He was a criminal... but if what the Tarnished said was true and he didn't deal with him, wouldn't he be bringing disaster upon Ranni?
"You say I have designs on Ranni? Where is your proof?! Kill me without proof and see what Ranni has to say. Even as an ally, you cannot ignore Ranni's rules!" Seluvis was emboldened; he had ensured the room was soundproof earlier precisely because he feared the Tarnished might talk if he refused.
"Interesting. But you don't seem to understand the situation. Do I need a reason to kill you? Ranni is the only reason you're alive. Otherwise, do you think you'd have survived this long?" The Tarnished sneered.
"Vulgar! Proof! Where is the proof?! You have no proof and... what? When did that get into your hand!" Seluvis was still shouting when he realized his potion was now held by the Tarnished.
"Tell me, Seluvis. Do your colleagues know about the things you do? And what exactly is this 'Amber Starlight'?" The Tarnished leaned in close to Seluvis, who scrambled back in terror.
"You... you!" Seluvis panicked. He had indeed made those human puppets behind everyone's backs; otherwise, he wouldn't have hidden his basement so carefully.
"Seluvis, what more is there to say!" Darriwil drew his long blade, then asked the Tarnished with a dazed look, "Brother, what is this potion exactly?"
"Oh... oh... Such a thing exists!?" After the Tarnished's explanation, Darriwil's fury reached a boiling point. "You lecherous wretch! Die!"
"Wait..." Millicent stopped Darriwil with a single hand, her tone eerily calm.
"Young lady, why stop me? As Lady Ranni's servant, I must purge this filth for my mistress!" Darriwil's gaze was murderous.
"You are a follower, so you have your reasons... but could you leave him to me?" Millicent's words left Darriwil stunned for a moment.
"You have your duty as a servant... and I have mine as a 'sister.' To think you dared to try and defile my family..." Millicent radiated a chilling aura, pointing her sword at Seluvis. "I will never allow it!"