"Lord White Wolf, are you leaving already?" The Tarnished had already taken up his more powerful weapon. Fia's tone was filled with reluctance, and in the next moment, she embraced him right in front of everyone. Hewg simply couldn't bear to look, turning his head away.
Beside them, Roderika's small face turned bright red as she fidgeted, unsure of where to look.
"There are urgent matters to attend to; I can't stay with you for long this time, but this gives you a chance to rest as well," the Tarnished consoled her, gently rubbing Fia's head.
"I am a Wolf-bed Companion..." Fia whispered, looking up to meet the Tarnished's eyes.
"Even a Wolf-bed needs to sleep well. Rest properly. If I see you looking this haggard next time, I'll have to punish you," the Tarnished teased, tapping Fia's forehead. Fia responded with a faint, beautiful smile—a treasure of the highest order.
"Since my Lord says so, I dare not disobey. My Lord... Fia will be waiting for you, always." After a deep gaze, Fia bowed slightly and returned to her room. By now, Roderika had recovered from her shock.
"Th-that's right! Lord Tarnished! Please come back to the Hold often! Next time you return, I will definitely be able to help you!" Roderika was desperate to repay the Tarnished's kindness. The only way she could truly do so was through her Spirit Tuning.
"I look forward to it. And Hewg, I'm entrusting Roderika's guidance to you."
"Hmph, just get out of here," Hewg grunted. Forging that weapon had left him half-dead with exhaustion, but his tongue remained as sharp as ever.
Leaving the Hold, the Tarnished came upon a somewhat unexpected sight: Millicent and Melina were deep in conversation.
"You two seem to be chatting quite intensely."
"Tarnished, you're back. Is the matter with Sir Gideon resolved?" Millicent had stayed near a Site of Grace by the Village of the Albinaurics, waiting for his return.
"Don't worry. Even if I don't deal with him, his retribution will come in due time." The Tarnished shrugged. Melina then spoke up slowly...
"Um... I am very sorry for not appearing for so long. I was a bit confused for a time... I do not know why myself." Melina's tone was apologetic and embarrassed. The Tarnished smiled and said it didn't matter, as long as she was alright.
Melina was shrouded in mysteries, but since even she didn't have the answers, there was no point in forcing it. As time passed—or perhaps when they reached the Royal Capital—everything would eventually come to light.
Melina breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he didn't blame her, but then she wondered: Why do I feel so relieved just because he isn't angry? Clearly, the maiden was quite puzzled by her own reaction.
"Tarnished, this medallion is only half... and we have no way of knowing where the girl named Latenna is," Millicent said, holding the half-medallion. It looked unexpectedly fitting in her hand.
The Haligtree belonged to Miquella and Malenia. As Millicent was the embodiment of Malenia's dignity, there was naturally no dissonance in her holding it.
"My Lord, I have a point to share... I suspect the Albinauric Latenna would not have traveled beyond Liurnia. First-generation Albinaurics have their unique defect—their legs are failing. Even if she has a means of transport, she likely wouldn't be far, unless she left very early on." Asimi's suggestion was timely. This led the Tarnished and Millicent to decide to search for Latenna in potential hiding spots within Liurnia.
"But Liurnia is vast; how shall we find her? Should we split up?" Millicent proposed. The Tarnished agreed. Conveniently, Asimi no longer needed to reside strictly within the Tarnished's body and could move freely. Thus, they could search in three directions.
The medallion was the key to the Haligtree. Having been commissioned by Trina to bring her out of the Haligtree, the Tarnished had to take the medallion seriously. Latenna wouldn't have set out on a journey to the Haligtree without any clues; she likely possessed some information.
The Academy was a static place; it wouldn't run away. Sellen's Primal Glintstone was safe in his hands, and even if Jerren came looking for him, he couldn't take it...
Thus, the three split up to scout Liurnia. Asimi headed west, Millicent east, and the Tarnished intended to investigate the area near the Village of the Albinaurics leading up to the main road that connected to the Altus Plateau.
Call it fate, but the meeting between the Tarnished and Latenna was inevitable.
Following the cliff wall from the ruins where he had previously rescued Diallos, a cave caught the Tarnished's eye. Although there was a large glintstone crystal in front of it, the cave itself was well-hidden. If someone wanted to hide or rest, this would be the place.
The cave descended vertically. There were many bloodthirsty creatures inside, and at the bottom was a group of strange snails that spat glintstone. They were fierce, but in the face of the current Tarnished, they could only tremble. The pressure radiating from him made these instinct-driven creatures dare not move, allowing him to pass freely. However, things never go entirely smoothly. Just as he was about to exit the cave, a girl's angry voice reached his ears.
"Another of the All-Hearing man's cronies...? Why won't you leave us alone... The medallion isn't with me, why won't you believe it!?" The girl looked at the blood-soaked great wolf before her, her eyes full of grief and resentment.
"I'm just following orders. How could you not know of the medallion... do you take me for a fool? Would you be traveling alone without it? Even if you don't have it, you have information. Tell me honestly, and I will spare your life." The one speaking was a Bloodhound Knight.
"Never! The All-Hearing man and all you hounds can rot in hell!" The girl's eyes were nearly splitting with rage. Her home had been destroyed, and now even her last companion was being taken from her. This was a blood-feud.
"If that is your word... then I shall beat it out of you." The Bloodhound Knight raised his curved sword to strike.
"A Bloodhound Knight... it seems you belong to Gideon. Did he not tell you, or is he simply unrepentant?"
"Who's there... ah!" Before either the knight or the girl could react, the Bloodhound Knight was pinned ruthlessly under the Tarnished's foot. The Tarnished fumbled in his cloak, pulled out a vessel, and poured the liquid from his Flask of Crimson Tears into it before tilting his chin toward the girl.
"Eh?" The girl was confused for a moment. Who was this person? Was he here to help? But why...
"If you want your wolf to live, take this." The Tarnished reached out his hand. Hearing that Lobo could be saved, the girl hurried to take the vessel and fed the Crimson Tears to the great wolf.
"Who are you! Let go!" The Bloodhound Knight struggled beneath the Tarnished's foot, but he could not escape that monstrous strength. At this moment, he looked like a literal dead dog, at the Tarnished's mercy.
"Gideon's dog... far inferior to Ranni's dog." Without further words, the Tarnished crushed him with a single stomp, turning the knight into a mist of blood. Bloodhound Knights were immensely loyal—one might even say foolishly so. Even a fool like Darriwil was loyal to his master, which was why that whole misunderstanding had happened. It was better to kill him than to try and sway him.
"Lobo, Lobo, how are you!?" The girl watched the great wolf, which was now emitting a soft glow, with frantic concern. In the next moment, a miracle occurred; the wolf named Lobo affectionately nuzzled Latenna.
"Lobo... thank goodness... thank goodness... you didn't leave me... thank goodness." The girl hugged the great wolf tightly, her tears falling uncontrollably. She had nearly been separated from her dearest friend by death; seeing him recover, how could she not be overjoyed?
"Thank you... truly, thank you... stranger." The girl thanked the Tarnished with absolute sincerity, and the recovering wolf let out a series of friendly huffs toward him.
"I've had a bond with wolves my whole life; I save them when I can." This was the truth. From his past attire to his combat arts, he was inseparable from the wolf. One could say he had deep roots with them.
"Thank you, stranger Tarnished... My name is Latenna, and this is Lobo, my companion... As you can see, my legs are failing me, and Lobo has been a great help." Latenna stroked Lobo's fur.
"So you are Latenna. I truly did find you. But then again, you do fit the description." To be honest, the Tarnished's attention had been entirely on the dying wolf earlier, and he hadn't looked closely at the girl. Her features were elegant, and her skin was unnaturally pale—the same as Albus's complexion. This was proof they were both first-generation Albinaurics.
"You were looking for me...?" Had it been anyone else, Latenna would have suspected they were with the All-Hearing man, but after the Tarnished's help, she didn't think so. Still, she was curious how he knew of her.
"An old man named Albus asked me to look after you. Do you recognize this? Oh... the medallion isn't on me. My mistake..." He had intended to show her the medallion, but realized he didn't have it; it was still with Millicent.
"You say Albus entrusted you? And he gave the medallion to you...?" Latenna then asked about Albus's condition. Upon learning of his death, she couldn't hide her grief. Just then, Millicent and Asimi, summoned by the Tarnished, arrived at Latenna's shack at high speed.
"My Lord, as expected of you... to find her so quickly." Asimi and Millicent hadn't expected the Tarnished to find their target so soon after splitting up. Latenna looked at the half-medallion at Millicent's waist and then at her fiery red hair, seemingly understanding something.
"I see... it seems the medallion is better off in your care..." Latenna breathed a sigh of relief. With the Tarnished being so powerful, she no longer had to worry about the medallion being coveted by the madmen under the All-Hearing man.
"You are Miss Latenna, I assume? Old Albus entrusted us to take you to the Haligtree..." Millicent knelt to be at eye level with Latenna. She believed one should not look down on others—a very Millicent-like gesture.
"You have agreed then...? Thank you. Please take me and Lobo to Lord Miquella's Haligtree... Of course, we will assist you on your journey... though my legs are weak... Lobo is agile, and my archery is quite refined... I can support you from a distance." Latenna reached out her hand toward the Tarnished.
"Please, hold me... Lobo and I will voluntarily become spirits to fight for you..."
"Then I accept, Albinauric Latenna..." As they touched, Lobo and Latenna transformed into a silver medal, which the Tarnished pinned inside his armor.
"If you have need, please call for us... through this medium, we can appear anywhere..."
"Ah, right... since we are now companions traveling together, I wish to tell you the location of the other half of the medallion... It is located in an ancient castle atop the mountain of giants... Castle Sol..."
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