Painful, very painful, extremely painful.
This was Darryl's first sensation upon waking up. This pain wasn't localized; his entire body hurt, and even his soul convulsed in agony.
What happened?
Darryl, whose eyes were still closed, pondered this question. He vaguely remembered going on an errand for his master, and then everything went blank.
Wait, who is the master he serves?
As a Hound Knight, he would only ever pledge allegiance to one master and would never betray them throughout his life.
In his hazy memory, he did have a master, but at this moment, he couldn't recall who it was.
Just as Darryl frowned, trying to figure out the identity of his master, faint voices of conversation drifted into his ears.
In those conversations, the name Ranni appeared quite frequently.
Ranni? That name sounds familiar.
Darryl pondered silently. The next moment, the name Ranni seemed to flip a memory switch, and a flood of past recollections instantly surged into his mind.
Hound Knight... allegiance... Empyrean Ranni... control of the Two Fingers... "I remember!"
Darryl suddenly opened his eyes, filled with realization and regret. He remembered everything, including the betrayal.
"Oh, you're awake."
A face suddenly appeared in his view. The smiling face looked gentle, but in Darryl's eyes, it seemed like a devil.
"The surgery was a success. You are now a female warrior." Xia Yu said gently, looking at Darryl's suddenly terrified face.
"Don't come near me!!!"
Looking at the face that represented soul-deep agony, Darryl frantically backed away, supporting himself with his arms.
But behind him was the barrier, leaving him nowhere to escape.
Realizing this, Darryl, in his panic, gripped the Longfang in his hands. It seemed only his familiar weapon could offer him a semblance of safety.
Xia Yu looked at Darryl, who looked like he had seen a ghost, and touched his face in confusion. Could the other party have been frightened by his handsomeness?
Alas, being too handsome really does lead to all sorts of troubles. How shameful.
"Blaidd, why don't you explain things to him? I'm going over there to study the Sealing Jail."
Glancing at the shivering Darryl, Xia Yu shook his head with a click of his tongue. That expression was great, but unfortunately, he wasn't a cute girl. If the Hound Knight was female, like the Black Knife Assassin, that would be perfect.
Speaking of which, there seems to be a Black Knife Assassin in Limgrave, specifically in the "Deathtouched Catacombs." The boss guarding that catacomb is the Black Knife Assassin. The rewards are apparently the talisman "Crimson Amber Medallion" and a "Deathroot" inside the chest.
If I have time, I might go check it out and see if I can subdue the Black Knife Assassin. If I can't win them over with personal charm, I'll just have to subdue them physically.
After all, judging by the Hound Knight Darryl, creatures in The Lands Between seem quite susceptible to mind control.
If he subdued the Black Knife Assassin, could he then imitate a certain comic book... Hmm... on second thought, maybe not. Melina is still with him, and he wasn't perverse enough to do that kind of thing right in front of her.
While Xia Yu's thoughts wandered, Blaidd had already stepped forward. Looking at the now-conscious Darryl, his eyes held a complex expression.
"Darryl..."
"Blaidd..."
Darryl looked back at the Half-Wolf before him with equally complicated eyes. They were once comrades fighting side-by-side, and founding members of the "Ranni's Faction."
But who could have imagined that their reunion would be under such circumstances?
"Your betrayal... what exactly happened?" Blaidd sat cross-legged in front of Darryl and asked with a complex tone.
"That is a long story," Darryl said slowly, leaning back against the Sealing Barrier.
—Explanation in progress—
"That's how it is. When I woke up and heard Ranni's name, I remembered everything. Although some parts of my memory are still missing, I recall most of it."
"I see..."
Blaidd's voice was heavy. He hadn't expected that after Ranni refused the Two Fingers, they would target those closest to her. Damn them.
"It's thanks to Old Man Iji for sealing me away. Otherwise, I would have likely done things to hurt Ranni," Darryl couldn't help but sigh.
"Indeed." Blaidd nodded in agreement. "Old Man Iji is truly reliable. No wonder he always wears that helmet made of crystalline mirror."
"According to him, that helmet can repel all interference, including that from the greater will and its messenger, the Fingers. I wonder why the old man didn't make two for us as well."
"Perhaps the old man has his own considerations." Darryl looked at his Hound Helmet, which was so worn down that the patterns were no longer visible.
"When Old Man Iji sealed me, I was confused why, but later, it only proved that the old man did the right thing."
Silence fell between the two. Finally, Blaidd spoke up: "Since you're free from control, do you want to go back?"
"No." Darryl shook his head. "I have committed the grave sin of betrayal. Logically, I should commit suicide to apologize, but I can't just die like this. I want atonement."
"Blaidd, I hope you can be my messenger. Ranni's orders will be relayed to me by you, and I will carry them out. That way, if I go mad again, I won't be able to harm Ranni."
"Furthermore..." Speaking here, Darryl looked directly into Blaidd's eyes, his expression resolute. "If I betray her again, I want you to be the one to kill me!"
"Darryl..."
Blaidd was speechless. He really wanted to refuse, but the other party was right; he couldn't allow Ranni to fall into danger.
Could this really be the only way?
The inarticulate Half-Wolf felt troubled for the first time. And the cause of all this was the damned greater will and the Two Fingers!
"Damn it..."
"What are you two talking about? Count me in."
Just as the atmosphere grew melancholic, a head suddenly popped out. The moment Darryl saw Xia Yu, his pupils constricted, and his soul throbbed with renewed pain.
But he no longer showed the same level of terror as before; Blaidd had told him that this Tarnished was the one who solved his problem.
"Thank you..."
"We were talking about..."
Blaidd and Darryl spoke simultaneously, causing both to pause. Darryl waved his hand, signaling for Blaidd to speak first.
Seeing this, Blaidd was about to speak, but Xia Yu suddenly said, "Actually, I already heard everything. My hearing is pretty good."
"You're worried about Darryl betraying Ranni again, right? How could that happen? With me around, the Two Fingers won't be able to control his mind again."
"If you don't believe me, I can guarantee it to your master, Ranni, in person. My methods are very powerful. What do you say?"
Hearing this, Blaidd and Darryl exchanged glances. Blaidd spoke up: "As far as I know, don't all you Tarnished obey the Two Fingers? Why are you different?"
"Don't mention those wretched Two Fingers to me." Xia Yu showed a look of disgust. "I only obey myself. The Two Fingers are not worthy of my obedience."
Upon hearing this, astonishment appeared on the faces of the remaining two, especially Darryl, who exclaimed.
"Tarnished, you possess the bearing of a King. If I were still a Hound Knight without a master, I would definitely recognize you as my lord and pledge my allegiance to you. But now, my only master is Ranni."
"Tarnished, are you willing to come with us to see Ranni?" Blaidd also asked.
"Of course." Xia Yu nodded, then looked a little troubled. "However, I still need to challenge Godrick later. I need the shard of the elden ring he holds, so I probably can't go see your master immediately."
Hearing this, Blaidd and Darryl exchanged glances, nodded simultaneously, and spoke in unison.
"We'll help you!"
The name of that certain comic book is A Pit of Brainstorming Ideas with No Name: Short Story Collection, and the author is Ranbu Renkixy.