Fujiwara Chika: "Wow! What is that? It looks a bit like a human hand… but it has way too many fingers…"
Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor: "Not cute at all. My Da Mi and Er Mi are much better."
Tony Stark: "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd never believe creatures like this actually exist."
Aizen: "What a fascinating species."
Otto Apocalypse: "Indeed. Quite fascinating. It appears to have no digestive organs… and no visual organs either."
Forever Seventeen: "Oh my, is this a local specialty from the Tarnished's world? How scary. laughs"
If anyone else in the group said it was scary, that would be fine.
But Yakumo Yukari, of all people, had no right to say that.
Compared to the grotesque finger creatures, the gaps she manipulated were practically the same thing—just the pot calling the kettle black.
The Oldest King: "Oh ho… those fingers seem to have quite refined taste. They're even wearing golden ornaments."
NorthernNorthNorth: "I often feel out of place because I'm not as perverted as the rest of you. jpg"
The reactions from the group members were rather different from what he had expected.
Still, as the one streaming the scene, he decided to properly introduce the creatures.
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "Those creatures are called Fingercreepers. They're one of the rare native species of the Lands Between. They fear fire, and like Yakumo Yukari said, you could call them a local specialty."
Fingercreepers were actually quite interesting.
They were somewhat like livestock—cows or sheep—because they could be domesticated.
The ones inside Caria Manor had been tamed and now served as guards.
As for the wild ones, they were probably the ones roaming the Mountaintops of the Giants.
These things loved clinging to ceilings or flattening themselves against rocks and walls. They ambushed prey by suddenly pouncing down—and some of them could even cast magic.
Even if they failed to land the attack, their bizarre appearance alone was enough to scare people half to death.
Don't ask how he knew.
Let's just say he had been startled by them before.
The first time he encountered one, both his mind and body instinctively rejected the creature. The disgust had been so intense that he nearly tore apart the Caria Manor study just to exterminate them all.
But now…
He felt absolutely nothing.
With a casual motion, he pulled out the Giant's Red Braid and lashed it through the air.
The blazing whip carved streaks of crimson light as it swung.
The ground, the statues around the plaza, the surrounding walls—everywhere the whip's shadow passed, searing marks were left behind.
With a sharp cracking sound, the flaming whip struck the two Fingercreepers.
They immediately let out miserable shrieks.
Like dry tinder meeting open flame, the scorching whip marks ignited instantly, enveloping them in fire. In moments, the two Fingercreepers burned to ashes.
Watching the creatures reduced to dust, his mood improved dramatically.
Killing these things brought absolutely no psychological burden.
If anything, it was strangely therapeutic.
There was only one word for it—
Refreshing.
This was something he did every single cycle. The stress relief wasn't as effective as it used to be, but it still served nicely as a routine checkpoint.
Afterward, he ventured deeper into the manor, casually eliminating the guards along the way.
Eventually, he arrived before the royal courtyard.
A shallow pool surrounded by numerous chairs stood there, resembling a roundtable meeting chamber. The place looked almost ceremonial, reflecting the pale light of the moon upon its surface.
At the very center of the water stood the phantom figure of a knight.
At the same time, atop the magic tower, Ranni slowly opened her eyes once more.
"…Oh? A visitor has come to pay a call. How rare…"
Her gaze drifted toward the outside of the tower.
A sharp dragon's roar echoed in the air.
Clearly, the guardian stationed before her tower—her knight, the Glintstone Dragon Adula—was currently battling someone below.
Yet Ranni made no move to leave.
Instead, she adjusted her posture slightly and straightened her clothing, calmly waiting for the arrival of this "guest."
It had been so long since someone had visited her that she could hardly remember the last time.
Perhaps it had been Seluvis?
But no matter the circumstances, the elegance of a witch must never be abandoned.
Before long, the battle below had already concluded.
The victor was the Tarnished, who successfully entered the tower.
Though strictly speaking… it wasn't exactly a victory.
After receiving a command, Adula simply turned around and flew away without hesitation.
Naturally, the one who issued that command was Ranni herself.
And he had no intention of killing the dragon either.
After all, the Glintstone Dragon known as the "Devourer of Sorcerers," Adula, had always faithfully fulfilled its duty as Ranni's guardian knight.
At the very least, in every cycle, it had accompanied Ranni all the way to the end of her hunt for the Two Fingers.
Just as he was about to ride the elevator inside the tower, the chat group pinged him again.
Fujiwara Chika: "Hey, Mr. Tarnished! Your world actually has dragons! What kind of dragon was that? It looked huge! @The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife"
Fujiwara Chika: "Oh, and that knight looked super cool too! What's their name? @The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife"
NorthernNorthNorth: "Agreed. jpg"
The Oldest King: "Indeed. That dragon looked rather impressive."
To them, the existence of a Glintstone Dragon was far more than just "impressive."
It was far larger than the winged reptiles seen in Gilgamesh's world.
And it clearly resembled the traditional Western-style dragon.
Naturally, everyone was extremely curious.
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "Oh, that one? That's a Glintstone Dragon. The one known as the 'Devourer of Sorcerers,' Adula. The knight you saw is named Loretta."
Loretta the Royal Knight once served under Queen Rennala of the Full Moon.
She had set out on a journey to search for the homeland of the Albinaurics.
After Rennala fell into her withdrawn state, Loretta left Caria Manor and continued her quest alone.
The magic he now used—Loretta's Greatbow and Loretta's Mastery—both originated from that very knight.
However, the one he defeated earlier had only been a phantom.
Fujiwara Chika: "Devourer of Sorcerers?"
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "That's right. A dragon that specializes in eating sorcerers."
Of course, Adula wasn't the only one.
There was another Glintstone Dragon called Smarag.
Although both Adula and Smarag were known as "Devourers of Sorcerers," they were very different.
Adula was a Glintstone Dragon that once preyed upon Carian sorcerers. After being defeated by Ranni, it was subdued and now served as her guardian.
Smarag, on the other hand, preyed specifically on the sorcerers of Raya Lucaria Academy. It had been heavily corrupted by Glintstone and had almost no remaining sanity.
Fujiwara Chika: "Huh? Aren't evil dragons supposed to guard treasure? They actually eat people? Mr. Tarnished's world is really dangerous…"
The Oldest King: "What a naïve fool. The records in human legends are far less terrifying than reality."
Otto Apocalypse: "Exactly. Legends often differ greatly from reality. Humanity always prefers to spread the beautiful side of things."
He, of all people, knew this best.
He had once followed legends to Shenzhou in search of the immortal known as the Red Kite Immortal.
But the so-called immortality he discovered was nothing like what he had imagined.
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife: "…"
Seeing the lively discussion in the chat group, he simply closed the chat window.
Better to go see Ranni first.
With an excited heart, he stepped onto the elevator.
As the saying goes—absence makes the heart grow fonder.
It had been a long time since he last saw Ranni. Now that he was about to meet her again, a natural sense of joy welled up inside him.
When he entered the top floor of the tower—Ranni's chamber—a familiar, calm voice greeted him.
"…Oh, so it's you, Tarnished. I didn't expect you to actually find your way here."
The small figure of Ranni sat in her usual place.
And beneath her…
How many books was she sitting on again?
Unable to remember the number, his eyes subconsciously drifted beneath the hem of her dress, as though trying to count the stacked books through the thin fabric.
"However, for what reason have you come here? …I do not recall sending you an invitation."
As she spoke, Ranni noticed something strange about the Tarnished's gaze.
It didn't seem like he was looking at her.
It felt more like he was looking…
"Tarnished, what exactly are you looking at?!"
Her irritated voice snapped him back to reality.
He looked up at that familiar, lovely face and scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
"Ahaha… nothing, nothing. I was just admiring your outfit. I was wondering what material it's made from."
From that brief glimpse earlier, he had already confirmed it.
This time, Ranni was sitting on four books.
Just like a compressed file icon.
Ranni.zip.
Despite being so petite—even the seats in Leyndell were slightly smaller for her than for others—she always tried to appear dignified and imposing.
Honestly, it was adorable.
"…You insolent fool."
Ranni narrowed her eyes and gave him a long, hard look.
Then she sighed deeply, looking utterly helpless.
"…Sigh. Very well. Since we have encountered each other here, one could say that fate itself has guided our meeting."
No.
I came here on purpose.
If it weren't for you, Princess, who would willingly come to this gloomy and creepy Caria Manor?
"So, will you serve me?"
"I am the witch Ranni. I once stole Death, and now I seek the path that leads deep into darkness. One day, I will betray everything… and abandon everything."
"…Well? Does that sound interesting to you?"
"…"
Hearing those familiar words again, he couldn't help giving Ranni a strange look.
Honestly?
It didn't sound interesting at all.
Not in any cycle.
It sounded like the speech of a dramatic teenage girl.
And steal Death?
Does stealing half of it even count as stealing? I even scattered Maliketh's ashes across the wind.
Come to think of it, Ranni was probably around that "dramatic teenage" age anyway.
He had never asked about her exact age, but judging from that spirit projection…
Yes.
Definitely.
A chūnibyō Ranni.
Actually… that was kind of cute.
If she added an eyepatch and shouted something like "Explode, reality! Shatter, spirit!" it would be perfect.
But Ranni clearly sensed his strange expression.
"…Tarnished, what exactly does that look in your eyes mean?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just curious—weren't you calling yourself Renna before? Why did you suddenly change your name to Ranni?"
A mischievous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"…."
Ranni's body stiffened slightly.
Though her face remained calm, he could clearly sense the awkward atmosphere radiating from her.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"…Renna is merely a name I use as a disguise. When traveling outside, the name Ranni is rather inconvenient…"
It was a rather weak explanation.
"Is that so?"
"…Yes. That is correct."
Her embarrassed expression gradually returned to its usual calm.
For some reason, it felt like this Tarnished always focused on the strangest details.
"Well, let's just go with that."
He shrugged casually, though the smile on his face was difficult to suppress.
An embarrassed Ranni was simply too adorable.
Still, he decided to stop there.
Ranni might be cute and a little tsundere, but that was only after becoming familiar with her. Right now, she still carried the dignity of a witch—something not to be casually offended.
That said, Ranni did have a point.
Why should a name be something inconvenient?
In this world, having multiple identities was perfectly normal.
Even if the identity of "Renna" belonged to her deceased mentor, the Snow Witch.
Besides, he himself occasionally used Dragon Communion Incantations to pretend to be an ancient dragon.
No big deal.
"So then, Tarnished. Will you serve me?"
Ranni asked again.
This time, however, she did not receive the answer she expected.
"I could. But I have one condition."
"Oh? You're quite an interesting person, attempting to negotiate terms with a cold and merciless witch. That takes courage."
"…Still, I would like to hear your request."
The reason Ranni entertained the idea was simple.
She never intended to have the Tarnished work for her for free anyway.
Originally, she had planned to reward him with the Cursemark of Death, formed from half of the Rune of Death.
But since he had proposed a condition first, she decided to hear him out.
"Help me obtain the Great Rune inside Raya Lucaria Academy, and I'll work for you."
Though Ranni had met him once before, this condition was still necessary.
That Great Rune was especially important—
The only Great Rune possessing the power of life.
Based on his understanding of Ranni, this approach would show that he knew exactly what he wanted. It would lower her guard and avoid unnecessary complications.
Besides…
Rennala was technically his future mother-in-law.
If he didn't know that, attacking her would be one thing.
But knowing it?
That would feel awkward.
More importantly, Ranni had no interest in the fragments of the Elden Ring.
Using it as a bargaining chip was the perfect choice.
"…So you also seek to become the Elden Lord, bearer of a Great Rune fragment."
"…Very well. Using a fragment as the exchange is acceptable."
Just as in every cycle he remembered, Ranni barely hesitated before nodding in agreement.
Truly the same Ranni he knew—cold on the surface, warm at heart.
"Below this tower is a warrior named Blaidd. He also serves me."
"I want you to join forces with him and uncover the secret treasure of the Eternal City, Nokron."
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