In the end, he struck a deal with Ranni.
He would travel to Nokron, Eternal City, to retrieve the hidden treasure known as the Fingerslayer Blade.
In exchange, Ranni would help him extract the Great Rune he needed.
"Strange… let me take another look."
Just before leaving, he couldn't resist glancing once more at the stack of books beneath Ranni.
He carefully counted them again.
Naturally, this earned him an annoyed glare from Ranni.
What was there to stare at? They were just books!
To be fair, the habit wasn't entirely Ranni's fault.
Compared to her brothers, her stature had always been rather petite.
Her mother Rennala was tall and regal, embodying the presence of a true queen.
Yet for some reason, Ranni herself had grown much smaller.
Even in her original body—during her time in Leyndell, Royal Capital—she had been noticeably shorter than those around her.
And when she later crafted her current body in imitation of her mentor, the Snow Witch Renna, she had unconsciously chosen the same small frame.
Still, to maintain the dignity of a princess of the moon, she had gradually developed the habit of sitting on a stack of books.
Meanwhile, the chat group had once again become lively.
Fujiwara Chika:
"That sorceress named Ranni is so cute. She looks just like a doll."
Tony Stark:
"She is cute, sure, but not my type. Uncle Tony prefers women with fuller figures."
Fujiwara Chika:
"Tony-uncle… your mind is always full of pervy thoughts."
Tony Stark:
"No, no, no. This is merely an artistic evaluation. And besides, I only love Pepper."
NorthNorthNorth:
"You horny creature.jpg"
Fujiwara Chika:
"Is that really true? (Suspicious) I never expected Pepper to tame a playboy like you."
Fujiwara Chika:
"But come to think of it… why does Miss Ranni sit on so many books?"
The Oldest King:
"Perhaps she wishes to appear more dignified."
Fujiwara Chika:
"Eh? Really? That makes Miss Ranni even cuter!"
The Tarnished quietly watched the scrolling messages without responding.
Ranni was his treasure.
He had no interest in explaining his wife to others.
Casually, he closed the livestream window and took the elevator back down to the lower level of the tower.
"Yo, Iji. We meet again."
He waved toward the enormous white phantom of the troll before him.
Although Ranni had summoned her followers here, only their phantoms appeared within the tower.
"Indeed, we meet again, Tarnished."
This time War Counselor Iji closed his book and looked at him through the slit of his helmet.
"…It seems my earlier warning was given to the wrong person. I did not expect you to truly possess the destiny to meet and serve Lady Ranni."
"Please forgive my poor judgment."
"It's alright. You meant well."
The Tarnished smiled slightly and accepted the apology.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself once more," Iji said.
"My name is Iji, blacksmith of the Carian royal family and advisor to Lady Ranni."
"Lady Ranni told me you will cooperate with Blaidd to find a path to Nokron. I will offer any advice I can."
"Please—ensure your mission succeeds."
"Leave it to me."
The Tarnished dramatically thumped his chest as if taking full responsibility.
However, this time he had no intention of killing his future brother-in-law Radahn to restart the movement of the stars.
He already had another method of reaching Nokron.
After saying farewell to Iji, he descended another level and encountered the wolf-man waiting there.
"Yo. Long time no see, Black."
"…Long time no see. And my name is Blaidd."
The wolf-man leaned casually against the wall, projecting an aura that discouraged strangers from approaching.
Blaidd was the shadow-bound beast granted to Ranni by the Two Fingers, originally meant to monitor her and deliver their commands.
Even after Ranni rebelled against the Two Fingers, Blaidd remained loyal to her like a faithful hound.
Though in the end, the Two Fingers would drive him mad.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Blaidd. But Black sounds better, don't you think?"
Like an old friend, the Tarnished casually patted the phantom's shoulder while chatting nonsense.
In this cycle, it wasn't their first meeting.
After leaving the Weeping Peninsula, he had taken a detour through the Mistwood instead of heading straight to Liurnia.
There, in the Mistwood Ruins, he encountered Blaidd hunting Bloodhound Knight Darriwil.
Together they had defeated Darriwil in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol, beginning a rather troublesome friendship.
Although Blaidd respected the Tarnished's strength, he absolutely could not stand the habit of renaming him.
He glared fiercely for a moment before finally sighing.
"…Fine. Call me whatever you like."
"But welcome. You are now a comrade who serves Lady Ranni."
He extended his hand in greeting.
Among everyone he knew, only this Tarnished could push Blaidd to such resignation.
Still, it wasn't entirely the Tarnished's fault.
Every time he heard the name "Blaidd," it reminded him of someone named Sirius Black.
The similarity was just too strong.
And after calling him "Black" across countless cycles, the habit simply wouldn't change.
"Well then," Blaidd continued.
"Let's get straight to the point."
"My real body is currently in Limgrave, because Nokron lies beneath that land."
"I'm heading down the well in the Mistwood to search for a path to Nokron."
"I'll wait for you there."
With that, Blaidd's phantom vanished without giving him time to respond.
Based on previous experience, Blaidd had learned one thing:
If he stayed any longer, the Tarnished might say something completely absurd.
So he wisely escaped.
"Heh. Ran away pretty quickly."
The Tarnished chuckled.
As for Nokron, it was one of the twin Eternal Cities, opposite Nokstella.
Both cities were ancient and mysterious.
Nokron held the secrets of the Mimic Tear and the Fingerslayer Blade.
Meanwhile, Nokstella contained the path to the ruins of the Moonfolk and lay near the hidden location of the Two Fingers watching Ranni.
Both cities belonged to a civilization that existed before the Golden Order.
A civilization destroyed by the Black Knives, assassins sent by the Greater Will.
Eventually, he would need to visit both.
Afterward, he turned his gaze toward the far end of the corridor and began walking.
There was only one person left to meet.
And in every cycle, this person was always among the first he killed.
Preceptor Seluvis.
A man obsessed with puppets.
Not only had he murdered Sellen, he had also attempted to drug Nepheli Loux to turn her into a puppet.
Eventually, he even set his sights on his own master—Ranni.
Although the Tarnished no longer felt much anger about it, such a disgusting figure deserved to be erased.
Better to remove the filth before it offended his eyes.
"…So you're the one Ranni recommended?"
A phantom stood there wearing a large hat decorated with star patterns.
Behind the mask, Seluvis looked him up and down with thinly veiled disdain.
"Hmm. Acceptable."
"I am Seluvis, a magical preceptor."
"Frankly, I don't know what she expects from a Tarnished bumpkin like you. But since we serve the same mistress, I suppose you might prove useful."
The Tarnished met his gaze calmly.
Seluvis had absolutely no respect for his own master.
And his mouth was foul.
The Tarnished had never understood why Ranni tolerated him.
After all, Ranni was a demigod, heir to Radagon's bloodline, and even chosen by the Two Fingers as an Empyrean.
Who was this worm to speak so arrogantly?
Better he die.
Unaware of the Tarnished's thoughts, Seluvis continued examining him.
"…My tower stands nearby. If you wish to prove useful to Lady Ranni, come find me."
"Ordinarily I wouldn't waste time on insignificant figures like you, but I cannot ignore her orders."
With that, the phantom vanished.
The Tarnished remained expressionless as he left Ranni's tower and walked toward the neighboring one.
Seluvis's Rise.
At first, he had not understood why Ranni specifically mentioned that tower when she told him she would fall asleep.
But after several cycles, the meaning became clear.
Wasn't she basically telling him to kill that foul-mouthed bastard?
"Sigh… Ranni is such a tsundere. She could have just said it directly."
Muttering to himself, he entered the tower.
"…You actually came?"
Seluvis sneered.
"Can't even understand basic politeness. That's why I despise frogs at the bottom of the well."
Though his mask hid his face, his contempt was obvious.
Meanwhile, the Tarnished slowly reached for the weapon on his back.
To him, Seluvis looked no different from a corpse.
"…Well, since you're here, do something for me."
"Find a woman named Nepheli and make her drink this potion."
"A simple task. Even someone like you can handle it, right?"
Seluvis turned his back arrogantly.
He never even noticed the Tarnished's gaze.
Or perhaps he simply considered meeting the eyes of a Tarnished beneath him.
But when he turned back—
He saw the Tarnished holding a massive curved blade.
Its edge resembled a flowing fang.
The weapon of a Bloodhound Knight.
The Bloodhound's Fang.
Now upgraded into a weapon capable of slaying gods.
"…You… filthy Tarnished. What are you doing?!"
Seluvis tried to reach for his staff.
But before he could react—
The Tarnished vanished.
The world spun.
When Seluvis regained awareness, his vision was tumbling through the air.
He felt as though he were falling.
During the fall, he glimpsed a kneeling body without a head.
"…That… looks like my body?"
Before he could understand—
Darkness swallowed him.
"Tch. Trash."
The Tarnished kicked Seluvis's severed head aside and watched the blood spread across the floor.
Killing Seluvis wasn't just for Ranni.
It was also for Sellen and Dolores.
Speaking of Dolores—
That brought to mind Seluvis's relationship with Sir Gideon Ofnir.
Although there was no concrete evidence, the Tarnished suspected Seluvis had deep ties to Roundtable Hold.
Especially to Gideon.
Once, Roundtable Hold had a powerful archer who used St. Trina's Arrows.
A woman who dressed as a man.
Dolores the Sleeping Arrow.
She was one of Gideon's few friends.
She even criticized Gideon's actions openly.
Yet Seluvis had turned her into a puppet.
That incident had shattered Gideon's friendship with her.
Seluvis had likely been the one person Gideon wanted dead most.
But the Tarnished's killing was not finished.
There was still one more person to eliminate.
The real Seluvis was hiding within Caria Manor.
A cold smile appeared on the Tarnished's face.
"Damn it! Damn it! You wretched Tarnished!"
Inside Caria Manor, a frail old man in a robe violently swept the tools from his desk.
"You destroyed my puppet!"
His furious roar echoed through the silent hall.
His name was Pidia.
The true body of Preceptor Seluvis.
He loved puppets more than anything in the world.
To an unhealthy degree.
Anyone he found interesting would eventually become part of his collection.
His ultimate goal had always been Ranni.
A demigod puppet.
Yet before he could achieve it—
His most beloved puppet had been destroyed.
That puppet contained years of effort.
How could he not rage?
"Damn you, Tarnished!"
"Oh? Were you looking for me?"
A figure dropped down through the skylight.
"Y-you…!"
Pidia trembled in fear.
But quickly tried to compose himself.
"L-Lord… how did you—"
"How did I find you?"
The Tarnished stepped closer with a teasing smile.
"N-no, that's not what I meant… I simply failed to notice you earlier. My apologies."
At this point, Pidia had no choice but to submit.
He was far weaker than his puppet.
And controlling puppets took time.
"Apologizing, are you?" the Tarnished said.
"Then you should offer your life."
"That's the tradition of the Lands Between."
"!!!"
Cold sweat poured down Pidia's back.
What kind of ridiculous tradition was that?!
But he dared not argue.
"L-Lord… surely you're joking…"
"Joking? Do I look like I'm joking?!"
The Tarnished's smile vanished.
His blade flashed.
Before Pidia could react—
He was dead.
Looking down at the corpse, the Tarnished scoffed.
"Hmph. Weren't you cursing me loudly just moments ago?"
"And now you're pretending to be humble?"
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